🧦 Archers thread #133: Woolley socks it to them! Discuss The Archers and its Woolley thinking and plotting here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you would love to take part in the Mysteries, or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks to @ButtonSister and @BorsetshireBanality for title suggestions. I went with their idea in the interests of keeping the title fairly short.

@LillianGish and @FoxgloveSummers made cracking but longer suggestions, which (mashed up) will do a great job of kicking off our new thread.

Evictions (Tom and Tash), depictions (Bridge Farm Christmas card), conniptions (entire cast and crew of the Mysteries), convictions (Philip) and addictions (Alice) - what are our predictions for 2022 in Ambridge? All sure to make this the Best Ambridge Christmas Evah!

This thread should take us through to early January unless something very exciting happens (ha ha, fat chance). My predictions: this is a bit left field, but I wonder if Peggy will offer to buy the shop and flat so Tom and Gnasher (great coinage, whose was it?) can stay put. I don't believe Hazel is sincere about wanting to live in/regularly visit Ambridge. She's always been utterly two-faced and rotten to the core, why would she change now?

The Mysteries will, of course be a triumph and briefly borrowing the🔮 (sorry, Bore!) I expect we are going to hear them at some point over the New Year period.

Over to you!

Is the brother called Billy? Please say yes!

@Darker

Kirsty has been around for years! She and Tom were eco-warriors together in their youth.

She has a right to live among the people who are family to her - Roy, Helen, Pat, Patrick etc

Kirsty has never lived in Ambridge apart from a few weeks in Tom's house in The Green just before their aborted wedding. Roy is her boss and landlord and was never a particular friend of hers until she needed somewhere to live when she decided to come to live in the village for no reason, Helen was a terrible friend to her before that and Kirsty told her so in no uncertain terms, her very-much-ex not-actual boyfriend Patrick is neither family to her nor an Ambridge resident.

Pat may not be actively hostile to her, because she pitied her after Pat's surviving son knocked her up on a one-night stand and Kirsty then had the miscarriage.

But what sort of reason is that to move somewhere? One elderly woman who is not actually hostile to you. What about Kirsty's actual mother? Real family?

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Is the brother called Billy? Please say yes!

My notes about that family say "Mr Mushroom Button is a puzzle. His name was given as Terry recently, but there was a Russell Button named in 2016 that I took to be Mr Mushroom Button. Billy is his son; younger than Molly and Tilly. 'Henry had a friend at nursery called Billy in 2014. I had dismissed that Billy as not being Billy Button, because Billy Button was with Georgie throwing things at Lynda, but it puts him at the right age to be wrestling Keira for eggs.' " and "Leah, Billy (?Button) -- took part in Pancake Race "@" 25/2/2020" and "We have heard of Molly Button's cousin, Stephen, who was a fellow pupil of Ruairi, (Ruairi was mentioned of going to a sleepover with Stephen Button, at the start of one summer holiday, then not mentioned again until he was said to be coming (silently) home for half term)." and "Molly Button: we were told in August 2012 that she was 11 with a birthday later in the year. Tilly is two years younger."

I’ll leave you to enjoy your hostility to Kirsty, Asking. I like her.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Is the brother called Billy? Please say yes!

Is the brother called Billy? Please say yes! I think so, Gasp

Kirsty has a mother, we heard her. Scouser with a non-Wirral accent
(IIRC Rosie Banks the traffic warden from Brookside)

A mother she doesn’t have a strong bond with. She didn’t want to stay there long after her miscarriage.

Ah eh! Wor yous on about la?

I'm confused, if Kirsty was supposedly nothing to do with Ambridge all these years how come she's been in it for decades? Just worked in the village and lived elsewhere?

I like her too. she's more normal than most people in it by a long chalk.

She worked at Umbridge Organics with Helen for years.
Before that she was Tom's girlfriend

Yuk. Pip. Yuk, yuk,yuk

I believe I am in a good position to say yes, my sister and I have a brother Billy

In my wider family we have a set of each possible pairing of non-identical twins - GB, GG, and BB.

Was cheering for Mike. Well said!

Not sure how long the truce will last, though.

Not convinced by the truce. The whole issues of who lives where is far too important to be glossed over, far more life like ( I know :o) for them to have immediately call for a family meeting too thrash it out.

Pip's obnoxious, isn't she?

@FoxgloveSummers

I'm confused, if Kirsty was supposedly nothing to do with Ambridge all these years how come she's been in it for decades? Just worked in the village and lived elsewhere?

I like her too. she's more normal than most people in it by a long chalk.

She didn;t work in the village. She lived and worked in Borchester.

Seems that force field affects the Brookfield offspring, too. Josh was complaining that he’s 24 but still lives at home - what’s stopped him finding somewhere else to live? Particularly given that he seems to have almost limitless access to dosh, from one source or another. Are they really all just circling around waiting for their parents to die? Ruth and David must sleep with one eye open.

BOOP …

… For the first mention of Carol in 794 years!

Well Kirsty has deep friendships and connections with Ambridge and Ambridge seems to agree.

I bet Pat would have preferred Kirsty to Nasher as a DiL.

I worry about Carol, probably pushing ninety (she was Jill and Christine's contemporary) and living alone in a cottage we were told has steep stairs.

The bedroom fairy added an extension @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

My sister has just had twins. It is literally all anyone talks to me about.

I actually feel bad saying it but it does make sense for Josh to move into Rickyard and the chosen one to move into the bungalow. I wish Josh wouldn’t feel so tied to Brookfield. He really ought to leave and go and make serious some money elsewhere so he can swan back in occasionally and remind Pip of how she used to think he was a failure. I would get a lot of pleasure from that.

Both of them are unpleasant

@Darker

I’ll leave you to enjoy your hostility to Kirsty, Asking. I like her.

I merely think she is completely without either horse or common, as well as having appalling taste in men and a rather inactive devotion to the welfare of the planet which has led her to work in a spa which does beauty treatments: I'm sure that's the sort of job Greta Turnberg would applaud, and all the potions and lotions are environmentally friendly.... Apart from that I'm sure she is perfectly congenial, if rather dull.

Boop Mike. Someone ought to have told Pip to shut up a long time ago.

Boop Stella for hearing Ed out. I assume "the problem" is Alice- not Ed?

Are they really all just circling around waiting for their parents to die? Ruth and David must sleep with one eye open.

I’ve heard some farmers really do get paranoid about this - “you’re all just waiting for me to die to get your hands on the farm” etc. I like the idea of David and Ruth installing a system of mirrors and creaky floorboards to see which of their loathsome elder offspring are coming for them with a rusty old fallen-off bit of tractor.

I enjoyed Stella listening to Ed and Ed having the gumption to go to his manager and explain. Also enjoyed Mike telling the gruesome twosome off and reminding them to check their privilege, as he wouldn’t say.

As a PP said I’m baffled as to Josh’s finances. I assume he’s loaded.

I enjoyed Stella listening to Ed and Ed having the gumption to go to his manager and explain.

I was pleased, too. Until KimikosNightmare scared me …