🐠 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!

Re Phoebe's car.

Unless the rural bus service is better in Borsetshire than the rest of the country, I would think Phoebe would need a car to have any life outside of Ambridge. She couldn't rely on her dad being available and cycling along country lanes with cars going past at 70mph can be pretty scary.

I would think Phoebe would need a car to have any life outside of Ambridge.

But, since she left Oxford, the SWs hadn’t provided her with any life outside Ambridge. Far as we know she met up with her old Uni mates once …

That car still bugs me …

She wouldn't need a car. Rex is always there with his taxi.

(Having said that, having grown up rurally, having access to a car is helpful to one's social life.)

Do we think the world is just too confusing and unpredictable for the writers to commit to agricultural storylines anymore?

Have the writers given up?

I wouldn't be surprised. However, I do think it's rather poor to have made no reference at all to what's going in the wider world in recent weeks. If Brexit is too much of a moving target, how about a brief mention of Ukraine? Or even just the huge increase in fuel costs, inflation, other economic pressures?

The thing that differentiated The Archers from other soaps in past times was that it was rooted in the rural economy and so were many of the storylines. I don't feel that currently.

Instead we get unfunny crap about the Easter bunny. Drivel.

I thought Brine's reference to the the need to keep up food production because of dependence on dodgily-sourced imports was a nod in the Ukraine direction (not accusing Ukraine of being dodgy), but of imports in general. But yes, all the fuel costs are known, so should be in the SL now.

An example might be at the restaurant, anxieties about falling customer rates as people tighten their belts, if threads on MN are anything to go by.

That felt very repetitive. Just underlined what we already know about the pigs/ Chris and Alice.
Did any storyline move forward tonight?

Imagine if it were the other way round and Chris owned the house- I doubt you'd be denying Alice the right to claim it.

I'm not denying Chris any right to claim it. I was simply responding to the post which questioned how Chris was able to afford the rent on the flat.

That felt very repetitive. Just underlined what we already know about the pigs/ Chris and Alice

Yes, I agree. I think it was just the SWs giving themselves a chance to consolidate what we know on a couple of ongoing SLs - perhaps as a helpful aide memoire for those who only half-listen. There were a few nice lines in there when Adam and Brian were shooting the breeze eg Adam saying it wasn’t ‘very classy’ of Chris to hook up with Amy.

The hypocrisy of Brian and Adam airily passing judgement on anyones’s fidelity was a bit clunky.

@SparklingLime

The hypocrisy of Brian and Adam airily passing judgement on anyones’s fidelity was a bit clunky.

Well quite. Especially given Chris and Alice's relationship is over at Alice's call, unlike the situation with Adam and Brian's infidelity.

At last - some farming! I loved the conversation between Brian, Tony and Adam - hearing the pros and cons of rewilding which I don’t think have been truly laid out until now (for instance I could never understand the point of just rewilding a small patch). I’d now like to hear a deeper exploration of the problems at Berrow rather than the crisis being reduced to who spilled the beans about possible closure. What about Natasha’s fruit trees - who picks her fruit because she’s certainly not on site? I find the agricultural storylines far more gripping because these are real problems facing farmers (even if our farmers are imaginary). Alice’s alcoholism which has been unfolding for years is an interesting story - the Chris/Alice/Amy love triangle is too soapy for words, if Amy does turn out to be pregnant (as some on here have speculated) I may stop listening.

It felt very strange not to hear Adam tell us how tired he is.

@SparklingLime

The hypocrisy of Brian and Adam airily passing judgement on anyones’s fidelity was a bit clunky.

But I thought Brian seemed to think he couldn't blame Chris. Boys will be boys etc.

What about Natasha’s fruit trees - who picks her fruit because she’s certainly not on site?

I doubt the trees are established enough to need pickers yet.

@EBearhug

What about Natasha’s fruit trees - who picks her fruit because she’s certainly not on site?

I doubt the trees are established enough to need pickers yet.

But I think she already had some somewhere else - Wales maybe,

Natasha and Tom managed to prune them all in an afternoon last year.
I do not understand how she makes any money from them.

@Roysnewshirt

It felt very strange not to hear Adam tell us how tired he is.

Any episode with a lot of Brian in it is a good thing. I was actually pleased to hear Lily, Russ and Freddie again, even if the Easter Bunny stuff was a bit odd.

@EBearhug

What about Natasha’s fruit trees - who picks her fruit because she’s certainly not on site?

I doubt the trees are established enough to need pickers yet.

She fruit trees in Wales no? That's where her Summer Orchard juice comes from. She must have a few if they are enough to supply her juice business.

just checking in to bump this up my thread's list

Any episode with a lot of Brian in it is a good thing. I was actually pleased to hear Lily, Russ and Freddie again, even if the Easter Bunny stuff was a bit odd

I like Russ episodes- like Kate he's always amusing. I like Freddie too and Lily being taken down a peg is good too.

How dim is Lily? Of course Beth (? was that Beth?) is going to blab.

I liked the Susan and Ian scene although it's hugely improbable. They're spot on about butterscotch Angel Delight.

Agree, BOOP to Susan, Ian and the Angel Delight.

Angel Delight sales set to surge following that episode! But could it ever be as delicious as we remember it to be? Amazed they still make it - going to have to try it now…