🐠 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!

[stilldumdedumming]

Thank you for the Times share. Brian is so Brian. He gave her a lift home in his little red sports car! Probably more likely a jag but yes! Sounds very Brian like.

I have actually been through mediation- although we weren't married and my ex refused to participate. Even the very little we did was very painful and the scene reminded of that.

Although Alice can't go calling shots, it's wrong of Chris to say he gets the final say on important things. That made me feel sick to be honest.

[stilldumdedumming]

Also @KimikosNightmare, I very much thought she's morphing into Kate - which I thought was quite interesting. Nearly posted the same.

[WhoppingBigBackside]

My first thought with the golfish story was that they are back on the fishy hints

[WhoppingBigBackside]

goldfish not golfish

[EBearhug]

I don’t think being sober since August ie seven months ago is quite enough to form the base of a convincing claim to be the primary carer.

I don't, either, but Alice is talking about being dry since August and like everything is dorted now, in terms of her drinking - but it's not even been a year, she hasn't been through any major issues - emotional, financial, physical or anything. We can all see there will be something,possibly finding out about Chris and Amy to throw her off track, but she doesn't seem to see it as a possibility and put anything in place to manage whatever happens. Yes, Chris was being an arse, and expecting to have the final say on everything is unreasonable, but Alice is going to become a cropper if she thinks she will be primary carer and everything will be fine.

[MereDintofPandiculation]

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Forgot to say that Shula and Kenton will be 63 in August.

She’s younger than me! She doesn’t feel it.

[MereDintofPandiculation]

He is going for absolutes and a fast solution - because it’s a soap And also because someone told him he had to move on with his new life

[BoreOfWhabylon]

I agree it sounds as if they are tying up Peggy's legacy.

June Spencer will be 103 this year. She may well have decided to retire.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Retiring at the early age of 103! Lightweight.

[KimikosNightmare]

@EBearhug

I don’t think being sober since August ie seven months ago is quite enough to form the base of a convincing claim to be the primary carer.

I don't, either, but Alice is talking about being dry since August and like everything is dorted now, in terms of her drinking - but it's not even been a year, she hasn't been through any major issues - emotional, financial, physical or anything. We can all see there will be something,possibly finding out about Chris and Amy to throw her off track, but she doesn't seem to see it as a possibility and put anything in place to manage whatever happens. Yes, Chris was being an arse, and expecting to have the final say on everything is unreasonable, but Alice is going to become a cropper if she thinks she will be primary carer and everything will be fine.

Chris, to me, sounded as if he were thinking of Martha's interests and putting Martha first.

Alice , to me, sounded as if she were thinking of Alice's interests and putting Alice first.

[Flumpaphone]

If they are writing Peggy out I hope June Spencer has decided to retire and it is not more serious.

That does beg some questions about Peggy's will doesn't it? I know Tony is back in but I have a vague recollection that Helen gets the Lodge. What with Kate already living there and Tomtash needing somewhere to live, it's going to be quite the struggle amongst the cousins.

Did Peggy write Martha into her will, what about the forthcoming twins?

[Madcats]

I seem to remember that Peggy is set to leave a hefty legacy, even after her £500k for the re-wilders (was that in mid 2019?). Am I correct in remembering that Lilian, Tony and Jennifer were going to share it equally?

Hopefully it will enable the Aldridges to buy back Home Farm (though I suppose that Peggy's place would be a suitable home).

Is it me, or do the residents of Ambridge eat an enormous amount of cake?

[Flumpaphone]

Or maybe Pat and Tony to the Lodge and Tomtash Bridge Farmhouse?

Mind, that would mean Pat couldn't stick her beak in and control everyone then so that doesn't seem likely.

[Pawtriarchal]

Peggy’s monologues sound like the Queen’s Christmas Day speeches.

[reshetima]

@Madcats

I seem to remember that Peggy is set to leave a hefty legacy, even after her £500k for the re-wilders (was that in mid 2019?). Am I correct in remembering that Lilian, Tony and Jennifer were going to share it equally?

Hopefully it will enable the Aldridges to buy back Home Farm (though I suppose that Peggy's place would be a suitable home).

Is it me, or do the residents of Ambridge eat an enormous amount of cake?

Yes, it's the Archers Paradox, according to this Academic Archers conference paper: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-78743-285-720171011/full/html

"This chapter suggests that cake consumption is amongst a number of factors that may explain The Ambridge Paradox: the extremely low incidence of metabolic disorders such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes observed in a small Borsetshire village."

[echt]

I've always wondered about that; always a flapjack going, or meeting and eating.

[EthelTheAardvark]

Most of the young male characters are also played by actors who are several years older than the character's age, so there's a problem being stored up for several decades hence (assuming The Archers goes on forever, which is rather a big assumption in these troubled times)

It's not really going to be a problem though, is it, given that a number of characters are on their second or even third actor?

[EthelTheAardvark]

Talking of Alice morphing into Kate, didn't Kate make an equally unrealistic attempt to get full custody of Phoebe way back when she was very small?

Not sure if I misunderstood what was said during the mediation, but there seemed to be a suggestion that they were no longer relying on unreasonable behaviour as a ground for divorce. Was that right? If so, when did they decide that? Presumably, unless the law changes pretty quickly, they will have to wait till they've been separated for two years?

[EBearhug]

there seemed to be a suggestion that they were no longer relying on unreasonable behaviour as a ground for divorce.

The law has changed. You can get a no fault divorce from next month (April 2022.)

[SparklingLime]

Roy’s stint as the village idiot taking the goldfish to the vet was excruciating. Did anyone else find the mediator totallay unconvincing? Whenever they bring in a SW, doctor etc they always sound very Generic Incoming Professional and not at all realistic.

[LillianGish]

Susan gave an excellent summary as to why Alice might not be handed full custody. In view of their situation - living walking distance from each other in the same village, surrounded by both families, sharing custody so far - I would have thought they would be perfect candidates for a 50/50 split. It is interesting that Alice seems to be morphing into Kate - having the matriarch of matriarchs as a mother (and another one as a grandmother) doesn’t seem to have rubbed off on either of them. No reason why it should of course - it was just an observation.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

@EthelTheAardvark

Most of the young male characters are also played by actors who are several years older than the character's age, so there's a problem being stored up for several decades hence (assuming The Archers goes on forever, which is rather a big assumption in these troubled times)

It's not really going to be a problem though, is it, given that a number of characters are on their second or even third actor?

True. Of the older characters, Tony and Lilian have had actor changes. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another one. Amongst those under 60, Chris, Kate, Emma, Pip, Tom have all ben recast after reaching adulthood. I expect there are others I've forgotten.

[MereDintofPandiculation]

@SparklingLime

Roy’s stint as the village idiot taking the goldfish to the vet was excruciating. Did anyone else find the mediator totallay unconvincing? Whenever they bring in a SW, doctor etc they always sound very Generic Incoming Professional and not at all realistic.

The mediator wasn’t very good at mediating. She sat back and watched a full row develop. For all the use-she was, they might as well have had Hilda mediating

[Madcats]

Gosh, I'm waiting for somebody to pop round so had a quick google. There have been loads of character played by multiple people. Of the current regulars:

Clarrie had two actresses (the original one returned after her replacement committed suicide).

Kate has had 3 actresses, including the current Tracey

Chris, Lily and Freddie have each had two people play them.

I miss the former "Emma", but I've enjoyed watching her in films.

[TottersBlankly]

I miss the previous Emma because she somehow managed to sound erm … starry enough for two brothers to go to war over her. But on the other hand, the current one is doing a fantastic job of evolving into her mother - which is perhaps not a Hollywood trait.