🐠 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!

[LillianGish]

Another scenario, of course, is that now that Alice has driven Chris to talk to lawyers, they will point out that he could get much more more financially and Brine will be furious with her. Absolutely this. I think the gloves will come off now.

[DadDadDad]

Hi, everyone, long time, no see and all that. I've been catching a few more episodes recently (lockdowns etc played havoc with my listening habits over the past two years).

So, can I be cheeky and ask a question. We now know that news of the piggery going wee, wee, wee, all the way to closure has leaked out. But have we listeners got any knowledge of who leaked it? Like Neil, I assumed it was Susan, but she seemed pretty clear that she knew how damaging it would be.

[KimikosNightmare]

Not really. My recollection is Susan was being very frosty to Justin in the village shop.

Justin gave a completely unnecessary, ignorant and arrogant lecture about why the shop shouldn't have a "buy local" poster and pompously droned on about not expecting to be told where and how he should spend his money.

(The sound environmental and economic concepts of "reducing carbon footprint" " supporting UK farmers" "buy local" clearly passed him by)

His guilty conscience (if he has one) encouraged by wittering from Lighthouse Lil did the rest so far as that ghastly pair but I'm not sure how it's all round the village.

[BoreOfWhabylon]

Lovely to see you again @DadDadDad !

Regarding your question, I agree with Kimiko, we don't know (yet) who blabbed.

[BoreOfWhabylon]

Ooh! just occurred to me - Lillian!

[TottersBlankly]

Oh my!

Lilian would certainly be a more exciting solution than Hannah …

[TottersBlankly]

Welcome back, DDD!

(Have name changed a million times since you were last here.)

[DadDadDad]

Ah, I did have Lillian on my rather short list of suspects (I seem to remember a week or so or go Justin discussing the pig unit with her). When I say short, my list is

Susan
Lillian

[echt]

Yes, the leak had me wondering what part of the story so far I had missed. It's not like the SLs to have an off-air plot development.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

I think it must have been Lillian letting slip to Tony.

[DadDadDad]

Also, thanks for the welcomes - I've not name-changed after 10+ years on MN, and I don't intend to start now.

By the way, I've continued to make a note of the total number of posts on each of these threads (over 131,000 posts since they started in 2013), and while 2021 managed about 9,900 posts, an average of 27 per day, this year so far is running at around 17 posts per days. Is there a lack of interest? do we need to recruit some new blood?

[MereDintofPandiculation]

As I understood, Susan was frosty to Justin, and justin put two and two together and for once made four

[MereDintofPandiculation]

But thats why he thinks it’s leaked, nit why it’s the talk of the village.

[MereDintofPandiculation]

do we need to recruit some new blood? Yes, fresh SWs would be good

[Hercisback]

Who did leak it? I thought I'd missed part of an episode somewhere but perhaps not.

I'm torn between team Chris and team Alice. It seems too soon to be giving Alice full custody. I don't remember Alice having Martha for more than a few days. That's not evidence she will cope all the time. OTOH she doesn't deserve punishing forever for being an alcoholic. 50/50 seems the ideal solution if that's right for Martha too.

[KimikosNightmare]

@CaptainMyCaptain

I think it must have been Lillian letting slip to Tony.

That makes sense given Tony's comments in the Bull.

Tracy's and Jazzer's reactions put Susan in the clear.

[1990s]

@MereDintofPandiculation

As I understood, Susan was frosty to Justin, and justin put two and two together and for once made four

Definitely this. Lillian and Justin had a conversation as they left the shop saying Susan seemed annoyed, maybe it was about Alice and Chris, unless… she knows about Berrow… so must be Lillian telling people.

[LillianGish]

It’s slightly confusing because there are two leaks. I agree that it was Susan’s remarks to Justin in the shop that made him think (correctly) that there had been a leak. The leaker he is seeking is in fact Brian who accidently on purpose left a clue in the office printer for Neil and Hannah to find. Brian is looking for the leaker of the leak - so that would be Susan (who presumably didn’t think that counted as a leak as Justin already knew what he was planning). Hope that answers your question DDD (and welcome back from a fellow non-name changer).

[DadDadDad]

But Lillian, there's something missing in what you say. Justin might well have deduced that Susan knew and concluded that Brian had shared the info with Neil. But how did other people in the village know, such as Tony? Susan wasn't the source (unless she's not been completely truthful with Neil).

[CaptainMyCaptain]

I don't think Susan told anyone else. She made great efforts not to let slip to Tracey even though it would affect Jazzer.

[KimikosNightmare]

@DadDadDad

But Lillian, there's something missing in what you say. Justin might well have deduced that Susan knew and concluded that Brian had shared the info with Neil. But how did other people in the village know, such as Tony? Susan wasn't the source (unless she's not been completely truthful with Neil).

Susan is in the clear. Jazzer's and Tracey's reactions vindicate her. It was obviously the first time they'd heard.

Susan's frosty reception to Justin could be attributed to her being worried generally about Chris and specifically to Justin's pompous lecture.

Justin should be asking how Tony knows- the obvious suspect is Lil.

[CloseYourEyesAndSee]

@Hercisback

Who did leak it? I thought I'd missed part of an episode somewhere but perhaps not.

I'm torn between team Chris and team Alice. It seems too soon to be giving Alice full custody. I don't remember Alice having Martha for more than a few days. That's not evidence she will cope all the time. OTOH she doesn't deserve punishing forever for being an alcoholic. 50/50 seems the ideal solution if that's right for Martha too.

50/50 is never right for such small children though
One of them needs to be the main carer

[KimikosNightmare]

I hope it was Lil and it causes a huge rift between her and Justin.

(Although as they are both so deeply unpleasant, they are , like Mr and Mrs Carlyle so well suited to each other).

[SparklingLime]

Listening to an old omnibus by mistake… on the night of his housewarming, when Rex tells Amy he was in love with someone who was focussed on someone else no good for her, was he talking about Pip?

[TottersBlankly]

Lordy - an Ambridge vicar echoing the eternal EastEnders pub chant of “You need to go round there!”