🐠 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!

[quote WhoppingBigBackside]@TottersBlankly,
A lot of vocations that need a degree aren't ones that lend themselves to a rural community. The only people in Ambridge who have jobs that need a degree or degree-level qualifications are few. I can only think of Alan and Usha, and Amy. I haven't included Ben and Alice as one is a student and the other is a SAHNRP[/quote]
And Alastair and Jakob. And Russ, if he were still teaching.

The lack of any teachers living in Ambridge is very odd.

Yes, Alistair, Jakob and Russ. Forgot about them.

When I was growing up in a rural community, not many had degrees. Maybe some of the teachers did, but I don't think they had to in those days.

A visiting priest might be a BD or BA BD, someone in the village was a Mus Bac, the vet was an MRCVS (he's actually still working and he must be well into his 70s), the GP, and if you went to the hospital, the dr/consultant, and that was it. I don't think you needed a degree to be a solicitor then.

Solicitors almost always had a degree. Many prior to the LLB being a standalone degree had 2.

The Solicitors Act 1922 made it a requirement that all articled clerks who did not have a law degree or had less than 10 years experience had to undertake study at the Law Society's School of Law. It wasn't mandatory then to have a degree but that was the beginning of compulsory academic qualifications. Degrees became compulsory in the 70s.

Ambridge also lacks an accountant. That's quite odd too. The various farming businesses will need one.

One of the solicitors in the nearest market town hadqualified via the experience and School of Law as did Helena Kennedy IIRC.

It was generally considered that a SRN was the equivalent of a degree.

Many of the bright kids at school might have had one or both parents who had left school with no qualifications

I can think of a few my age who left school before O-levels/CSEs to go straight to work.

[quote WhoppingBigBackside]@TottersBlankly,
A lot of vocations that need a degree aren't ones that lend themselves to a rural community. The only people in Ambridge who have jobs that need a degree or degree-level qualifications are few. I can only think of Alan and Usha, and Amy. I haven't included Ben and Alice as one is a student and the other is a SAHNRP[/quote]
Lee - physiotherapy needs a degree.

www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/physiotherapy-uufpth1/?gclid=3f38abf963311c1d9281c9ad4c26154e&gclsrc=3p.ds&ds_rl=1265527&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Generic_UG_Courses_HLS_Nat_Exact&utm_term=physiotherapy%20degrees&utm_content=Physiotherapy_X_Degrees_X_Exact

Yes. Also forgot Lee. I know a few physioterrorists, and there was a timne when it was almost as difficult as Medicine to get into.

About 7 mins in onwards. Probably one of the funniest things I've seen on telly

Mmm...dreamy

Jim was a Classics/Ancient History professor. Aeons ago, Kathy Perks was a schoolteacher, and even further back, so (briefly, I think) was Jennifer. Mr Button may well be a graduate as he is the Fungi Recorder for Borsetshire, or something like that.

@BoreOfWhabylon

Oh, he's definitely dropped out of his degree Totters

Drug dealing is my guess.

Sounds to me like

Ruari is a gigilo (aka a prostitute)
The family will love that

@KimikosNightmare

Solicitors almost always had a degree. Many prior to the LLB being a standalone degree had 2.

The Solicitors Act 1922 made it a requirement that all articled clerks who did not have a law degree or had less than 10 years experience had to undertake study at the Law Society's School of Law. It wasn't mandatory then to have a degree but that was the beginning of compulsory academic qualifications. Degrees became compulsory in the 70s.

Off the point, but you can now qualify as a solicitor without a degree through the legal executive and apprenticeship routes.

I don't think Ruari's "adventure" can be in drug dealing (though it has been a bit of an issue in the social housing near Royal Crescent).

They've done chemical dumping (Brian and then Tim?), gambling (Alistair), dealing (Freddy), alcohol (Alice), modern slavery (Philip and Gavin), dodgy investments (Matt)...maybe Crypto or Sugar Daddy/Mummy.

I'm amazed that Josh hasn't fled Ambridge; Ruth shows him no respect at all.

When I was growing up in a rural community, not many had degrees. Maybe some of the teachers did, but I don't think they had to in those days. With the number of retired or nearly retired folk moving to the country, some rural communities have a high number of graduates; one I have in mind the residents jokingly say they have the highest proportion of PhDs in the country. I know they’re no longer using it for their job.

.
It was generally considered that a SRN was the equivalent of a degree. Was it?! You didn’t need A - levels, just 5 O-levels.

I think ruari is in a crypto Ponzi scheme and will get arrested

Coming up on Woman’s Hour today:

The artist Celia Paul currently has an exhibition at the Victoria Miro Gallery in London, called Memory and Desire, and her latest book is called “Letters to Gwen John”. Gwen John was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career. Her brother Augustus John was more famous during her lifetime, but her beautiful paintings, mainly of female sitters, often reading in domestic settings, have gained wider attention since her death. Celia Paul shares much in common with Gwen John: both studied at the Slade, and both were models and lovers of older artists - Gwen had a relationship with Auguste Rodin and Celia with Lucian Freud. Celia joins Emma.

Just because.

models and lovers of older artists

Okay, that connection hadn’t penetrated my slow brain properly before.

BOOP the scriptwriters for cool intentionality in writing!

physioterrorists

Ok, so aside from Chris/Alice and Rurai’s dodge dealings I can’t believe there has been no comment on what the chuff is going on between Ruth and Stella. Is Stella not trying to woo her? Is a romance budding over cheap wine and chat about manure? Or is Stella going to fall for Josh or even (wouldn’t it be great) David?! Something is brewing there and I am all for it

There’s been plenty of comment! Maybe on the previous thread?

I think ruari is in a crypto Ponzi scheme and will get arrested

It feels as if residents of Ambridge have way more brushes with the law than is typical. Gill (flapjacks), Freddy (drugs), Shula (Rob), Brian (chemicals), Philip (MS) etc etc. I would prefer an Escort SL for Ruarhi rather than a financial scam/scheme.

Has Ruth had a same sex liaison before. This might be my overactive imagination because I've fancied my (unchanging) image of her since I was a teenager and my sapphic imagination in those days was pretty active! (Now I'm quite tired and can't really be bothered with other people's bodily fluids. Yes, even imaginary fluids).

For info Ruth is fairly short and small and has a dark bob, possibly dimples. She wears sensible shoes. My affair with her started before she started saying 'social meeeeedia' though.

Crowbarring in a topical insert must be expensive and tricky (don’t forget for everything they put in, they have to take out the same amount of stuff which can’t be easy if it’s part of a scene) they’d have to get all the actors back in etc. I expect they thought “well they’ve mentioned rising electric prices already, is it really worth getting them in again to mention they’re rising a LOT?”

They obvs planned it to go with the rise anyway. And yes Ruth is so rude to her entrepreneurial child. Might as well just tell him to fuck off to the chicken shed.

Jill

Freddie

Ruairi

My blood pressure, Roysnewshirt!

Unless it’s some sort of artistic intervention - making the familiar strange? In which case I apologise for officiousness.

Also an escort SL would be good. Do we tend to see it is as ok-Ish for men but not women to do this? There are some balance of power reasons for that in a way. But it feels very outdated.

I should clarify why - I just don’t think the SWs will be able to cope with the intricate detail of a Bitcoin SL. It will be painful to listen to their clumsy interpretation of the issue.

It’s very much the rising profession for cool young social media types. Apparently.

‘Mood’ and ‘Alma’s Not Normal’ involve actual Escort ‘madams’. ‘Euphoria’ cuts out the middle man/woman. (These are streamed television programmes Yer Honour …)

I am overwhelmingly glad I don’t have to be young right now.

Oddly enough, sex services would work in the Ambridge world where no one ever googles another human being …