🐠 Archers thread #135: An Everyday Story of Fishy Folk. Discuss The Archers 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 be delighted to be given a goldfish named after your ex, 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.)

Apologies for ignoring the various title suggestions on the last thread. However, here they are, plus a couple of other pithy observations, to kickstart the new thread. I think it's fair to say nobody is looking on this as a Golden Era! Goldfish Era, though ...

@Roysnewshirt: Everyone wants more! Chris wants more Amy; Jazzer wants more Tracey; Alice wants more time with Martha and Amy wants more space… Very true. And now we know Kirsty wants more farming expertise in the rewilding project, but not Pip (thank the lord) so does that mean approaching Adam? Currently under-employed.

@LillianGish: I tune in to hear birdsong and bleating in the English countryside not hammy acting and suggestive grunting.

@stilldumdedumming: Archers is good at the dynamics of family, farming, what it means to have your job, your home and your inheritance so closely aligned etc etc not this nonsense!

@DoctorTwo: Like fuck would Pheobe buy her parents a goldfish each. The Ambridge character transplant fairy has been working overtime this past few weeks, it's been absolutely fucking appalling bar a couple of exceptions.

Can't disagree with any of that. I want to hear more about the pigs and any other effects of Brexit. A topical insert about the war in Ukraine must surely be on the way.

Any happy listeners out there? Any disgruntled listeners with even more grumbles? Over to you!

and she’s going to be furious when she discovers Fallon knew and didn’t tell her

Good point. I used to like Fallon but she's been nasty and sanctimonious over this.

Susan sticking up for Amy is completely believable.

Was this meant to be the first time Susan heard about Chris and Amy? I find it really difficult to believe she wouldn’t be more taken aback and would immediately rush into match making mode.

She could also surely see it would only make the divorce more bitter/difficult - a new partner in the future, sure, but trying to set up Chris with Alice’s best friend would clearly be a stupid idea mid divorce?

Sorry if I've missed this somewhere but when/ why did Hannah change character? She used to make me scream with rage at the radio but now she seems entirely reasonable and more pleasant than a lot of Ambridge residents?

Hannah was lovely the first time she was in Ambridge, years ago. Then she returned as Horrible Hannah and now is Lovely Hannah once more.

Susan is going to be over the moon when Amy reveals her upduffedness. Chris possibly less so.

@Scarydinosaurs

Was this meant to be the first time Susan heard about Chris and Amy? I find it really difficult to believe she wouldn’t be more taken aback and would immediately rush into match making mode.

She could also surely see it would only make the divorce more bitter/difficult - a new partner in the future, sure, but trying to set up Chris with Alice’s best friend would clearly be a stupid idea mid divorce?

No it was implied they already knew.

If Susan is banning people from the shop she's only one step away from barging into St Stephen's with a machine gun, so I think sticking it to the Aldridges by bagsying Alice's friend as the New Better Wife For Our Christopher is small beer right now.

@Scarydinosaurs

Was this meant to be the first time Susan heard about Chris and Amy? I find it really difficult to believe she wouldn’t be more taken aback and would immediately rush into match making mode.

She could also surely see it would only make the divorce more bitter/difficult - a new partner in the future, sure, but trying to set up Chris with Alice’s best friend would clearly be a stupid idea mid divorce?

I assumed Chris had told her off air otherwise it did seem odd.

Describing Amy as porridge is hilarious and very apt.

Glad I didn't listen on Mother's Day but thought Alan behaved appallingly. Kate obviously did too, but I'm at least in character and I rather enjoyed it.

Alan was so wrapped up comforting Amy the other day he entirely failed to mention that yes, shagging Chris was bad form. Especially as he trotted out the you technically you did nothing wrong line. Which was bad enough coming from Chris, but from him was vomit inducing.

He definitely should have held it together a tad better whilst evicting Kate too. He preached patience and then displayed all the patience of an over tired toddler who's had their favourite toy removed. Perhaps Kate had a point about it all being a tad hypocritical. I'm sure listening to the woman who betrayed your siblings trust and jeopardised her recovery doing a bible reading would rile most people, although I'm sure Alice (and the others would have preferred a more discreet dressing down, or none at all.)

So glad it's not just me with a soft spot for Joy. Ever since I was very small by heart ached with the thought that anybody might be lonely and vowed when I was 4 that no one would be without a friend on my watch so I find her a hard listen but loved her committee prowess vs Snell (though I can't for the life of me remember what they were organising, scarecrows maybe?)

I was surprised Amy went crying to Susan, and that Susan wasn’t more taken aback by the news - surely she can’t think it paints Chris is a good light to have been shagging Alice’s best friend? And as for encouraging a relationship the whole conversation was wholly unrealistic.

I didn't think that. For Susan, Crisstiffur can do no wrong, and Alice is currently very much the villain - so she doesn't care if Amy's behaviour towards Alice was shitty. And if Crisstiffur likes Amy, by extension that makes her someone who can do no wrong also.

Susan is going to be over the moon when Amy reveals her upduffedness. Chris possibly less so

Why do we assume Amy is upduffed? Surely Amy of all people knows how to prevent pregnancies, and yet another accidental pregnancy (after Kirsty, Pip, Alice - any more?) would be just a tad OTT.

@EthelTheAardvark

Susan is going to be over the moon when Amy reveals her upduffedness. Chris possibly less so

Why do we assume Amy is upduffed? Surely Amy of all people knows how to prevent pregnancies, and yet another accidental pregnancy (after Kirsty, Pip, Alice - any more?) would be just a tad OTT.

I don't think she's upduffed. It's dramatic enough without that.

Chris’ reception of Amy was very grudging. Yes, it was 6am but even so… “Amy, what’re you doing here, it’s 6 in the morning, what the hell are you playing at? … Alright, you better come in.”

Very far from the ‘come over, I just want to check that you’re OK’ [yeah right] from the the week before. If she is pregnant, I think he’ll be extremely unenthusiastic. (I don’t think he is fwiw.)

• she. I am 100% sure that Chris isn’t pregnant.

If Amy’s not pregnant why have the SWs arranged a Christmas birth?

(Although, as I said above, this could just be about drumming Alan out of the village.)

@EthelTheAardvark

Susan is going to be over the moon when Amy reveals her upduffedness. Chris possibly less so

Why do we assume Amy is upduffed? Surely Amy of all people knows how to prevent pregnancies, and yet another accidental pregnancy (after Kirsty, Pip, Alice - any more?) would be just a tad OTT.

The 🔮 has predicted it.

The 🔮 is always right.

Most of the time, anyway.

Eww, Alan as the big patriarch laying down the law to Amy’s suitor is both ridiculous and grim. Talking about Amy, who has “been hurt before” (so? who hasn’t?) as if she was a 15-year-old who could not possibly advocate for herself has outed Alan as a deluded Victorian fossil—father.

It's a soap, and in soaps babies are not usually made by happily married couples. They are often the result of an affair or a ONS.

Before anyone mentions Marthyr, Kristiffur and Alice weren't happy were they, not really.

@TottersBlankly

If Amy’s not pregnant why have the SWs arranged a Christmas birth?

(Although, as I said above, this could just be about drumming Alan out of the village.)

How do you know there's a Christmas birth.?

It fits the seasonal theme.
I think the last Christmas baby was Henry and I think he's 11 now. He was born around the same time as Keeuhra. I remember Helen advising Emma on pregnancy

How do you know there's a Christmas birth.

I counted on my fingers.

🎄👶🏼

@EthelTheAardvark

Susan is going to be over the moon when Amy reveals her upduffedness. Chris possibly less so

Why do we assume Amy is upduffed? Surely Amy of all people knows how to prevent pregnancies, and yet another accidental pregnancy (after Kirsty, Pip, Alice - any more?) would be just a tad OTT.

My midwife cousin didn’t realise she was pregnant until her mother noticed the bump

@TottersBlankly

How do you know there's a Christmas birth.

I counted on my fingers.

🎄👶🏼

But we don't know she's pregnant.

Emma also had an unplanned pregnancy. I’ve moaned before about the total absence of contraception in Ambridge. The only woman I can think of who has banged without consequence was that nice equine vet who was miles too good for Rex.

@BowerOfBramble

Emma also had an unplanned pregnancy. I’ve moaned before about the total absence of contraception in Ambridge. The only woman I can think of who has banged without consequence was that nice equine vet who was miles too good for Rex.

She wasn't nice.

Lily, despite being clueless, has avoided pregnancy and Josh, Ben and Johnny have so far not upduffed anyone. Fallon too.

The only woman I can think of who has banged without consequence was that nice equine vet who was miles too good for Rex.

Aisha.