🧦 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!

@WhoppingBigBackside

Thank you Asking. I can't remember the link to the list

ambridgereporter.org.uk/nicknames.html gives the nicknames

ambridgereporter.org.uk gives links to all the pages: who lives where, the vicars over the years, what were the village entertainments this century, who won the Single Wicket each year, F&P shows, stuff like that.

Thanks Asking

There are some long forgotten usernames on there

I think that Baby Cheesus was one of mine from the ML days. Not including that one, 14 are mine.

@purplesequins - ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..............................................................ha ha

@WhoppingBigBackside

I think that Baby Cheesus was one of mine from the ML days. Not including that one, 14 are mine.

I would happily cause Baby Cheesus to be attributed correctly, except I don't know what it ought to be! It wasn't WhoppingBigBackside in those days, was it?

No it wasn't altthough my posterior is smaller now.
My ML name isn't on there.

I was on Sue's (?) Archers forum, and it was probably there not ML

Or @purplesequins he picks out Hazel as 'Victoria'...

@DoctorTwo

Or *@purplesequins* he picks out Hazel as 'Victoria'...

OOOH would love that. Unfortunately I think we already heard Victoria. But they have loads in common.

I think the thing that gets me with tom and Tash is they just don’t seem to like each other at all (not that I blame them). Every exchange is tetchy, impatient and tedious.

Or @purplesequins he picks out Hazel as 'Victoria'...

I can’t remember if it was on this thread or if I was discussing this with a friend. I think Blake said that V was in her 40s when he was talking to Harrison but he admitted to being bad with ages. So, even though Hate-zel is in her 60s, it’s still possible they are one and the same. It would be glorious if she was V but wouldn’t that write her out of the script for a decade at least if she was sent to jail. Unless we periodically visit her behind bars?

Incidentally, I didn’t really mind the Grundies ruining her little pump shoes (though why is she wearing them in the countryside anyway - shouldn’t she be in nice leather boots?). I do, however, object to them charging twice for the same turkey and don’t understand how on Earth they can imagine they will get away with such a ridiculous scam. I continue to be baffled as to why Ed Grundy has so many admirers on this thread. I don’t love Emma but even she deserves better than Ed.

Victoria and Hazel sound quite different from each other, though.

Victoria: Ruth Gemmell
Hazel Woolley: Annette Badland

Finally got round to catching up. A pregnancy that isn't an accident! Goodness me. Due August? Unless she's waited an unfeasibly long time before doing the test. My days of TTC are over 30 years ago now and I tested every single month as soon as I hoped I was overdue. Things are more sophisticated now, and I believe many women TTC are using ovulation test kits to target things more precisely, which I don't think could be done at the start of the 90s. If Tom'n'Tash have been trying for ages, how can it not be on Tom's mind at the appropriate point in the month?

Anyway. If it is August, that's an odd time for a soap to schedule a big event.

I hope we hear Natasha apologising to Susan. Shocking behaviour.

This baby will be Johnnie's first cousin. I would put money on the baby (if this all works out) being a girl, as so far P&T have three grandsons. First name prediction: Peggy, or just possibly Margaret, nn Peggy.

Keira was in April, Poppy at the end of September. Neither was an accident, and Poppy was actively planned by both parents; Ed had not planned for another baby, and said that they couldn't afford one, so apart from Emma having decided to ignore him and have one anyway Keira was slightly more accidental -- from his point of view even if not from Emma's!

That’s 8 years and more ago though and every baby since has been unplanned or unwanted by at least one of its parents

First name prediction: Peggy, or just possibly Margaret, nn Peggy.

Hmm … Margaret, yes. But Natasha seems more ‘Maggie’ to me.

And Tom - ‘Daisy’.

Missing these ** …

Apols in advance to anyone called Maggie, but I can't stand that name as a result of bitter experience- refused to answer to it. Peggy is OK. Recently knew a woman called Smith* who told me excitedly that she now had a dog whose name was Peggy Smith. When did dogs acquire surnames?

*Surname changed for protection of the deluded

It's cats who have surnames! Any fule kno that.

FoxgloveSummers, that made me think about it and go hunting a bit.

Who have the babies been since Keira (April 2011) and Poppy (September 2013)? Bethany Cla(i)re Tucker was an accident, wanted by her mother; Jack Archer was the result of rape; Little Rosie Ruth Grace Archer was an accident and neither of her parents actually wanted her; Xander Macy Craig was planned, to the point of being manufactured; Martha Jasmine Carter was an accident and wanted only by her father.

(According to the BBC characters webpages, Keira doesn't exist to her parents or uncle, only to Eddie and Clarrie; she is not mentioned as being in a relationship with Will, Emma or Ed, though Jake, George and Mia are! Talk about unwanted...)

So one in five was planned and wanted by both its parents. Not a good track record, Ambridge!

I was surprised that Hazel knew nothing about how to buy a turkey. Even she must know they are sold by weight? If in doubt, state number of people to feed and ask what size they would recommend.

I could have forgiven all that farce if only Hazel had accepted the invitation to actually dispatch the turkey.

I’d have been happy for Eddie to supply two turkeys, or to supply just one and refund Pat. He’s being stupid: Hazel will contrive a meeting with Pat, will ask about the turkey, will be told in some indignation that Pat paid for it herself, and then Eddie will meet the full middle-class well-informed wrath of Hazel.

You’re all making me feel old with your talk of pregnancy tests. I had to take a sample of urine to the GP and wait a couple of weeks for the verdict.

You’re all making me feel old with your talk of pregnancy tests. I had to take a sample of urine to the GP and wait a couple of weeks for the verdict. Me too - and that was only after I was two weeks late.

Thanks for the round up @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime - I would also add Kirsty and Tom’s pregnancy which sadly ended in miscarriage but was unplanned by both.

And in the slightly longer ago bracket George and Phoebe I’m presuming weren’t planned. No idea about Tracey’s kids?