🏏Archers thread #136: Howzat! Oliver’s bowled a googly, Kathy’s out, Grey Gables left with nightwatchman. Tracy knocked for six. Is Ambridge on a sticky wicket? 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 are entranced by new character Adil, 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 if anybody made a thread title suggestion and I missed it. I decided to mark the start of the cricket season in the hope that things will take a turn for the better for poor Tracy.

It feels like months since the last new thread, which was just after Phoebe departed for Scotland. Has she been mentioned since? I can't recall. Not greatly missed, by me, at any rate. Her fish gifts didn't last long.

I can't shake off the feeling that The Archers is going through a long dull patch. I don't feel greatly engaged by anything that's happening at the moment other than Tracy's plight. Such a good actor, which helps, of course.

What's keeping you listening? Habit? Genuinely enjoying it? Over to you!

(PS In the process of starting this thread, I've discovered that our custom-made Archers emoji has gone. You used to get it by typing . Not any more.)

Question about Sunday: did that thing about Brian paying Chris’s rent actually happen?

I didn't remember it! Did she say it was when he was recovering from his shoulder thing? (And she'd therefore just given up her Canada interview)

Pretty arrogant of Chris to say Alice was only "tipping in" when she was working. I'm prepared to bet that she was making at least equal contributions to household expenses.

How did Chris afford to buy the forge? Was it a business loan or a loan against the nest/some other collateral of Alice's? (Which would be a big help) ... also living rent free in Alice's cottage probably helps, ..... is that not her contribution?

. . . Or are they considered a joint contribution as there married.... but the forge is just Chris's (what's yours is ours &what's mines is just mine)

Chris sounds unhinged. He was happy enough to take Alice's contribution when he needed help paying the rent and surely knew deep down that ultimately it was Brian's money in some shape or form. He has always benefitted from the Aldridge money he claims to hate (but is now fighting tooth and nail to lay his hands on) particularly as he hasn't had to pay a penny in rent for over a decade.

I distinctly remember a conversation between Brian and someone (maybe JD) years ago where the other person was expressing concerns about Chris' ability to make a success of the forge and Brian replied don't worry, I'll make sure he's ok, i.e. he'd step in to bail Chris out if needed, so I think he's been discretely helping out in various ways all along.

Why would a husband not be happy to take a contribution from his wife? Why would he question where it came from if she said it was a work bonus?

Brian has been sounding unhinged.

I agree that Chris is not in the wrong here. That's for Alice and Brine concealing the provenance of the money and now expecting him to feel gratitude, that somehow it compromises his claims.

I'm really hating the Jazzer falsifying bookings story line. It's seedy, not funny. I don't believe Jim would have agreed to it; even Lighthouse Lil had some initial qualms about wasting the salesperson's time.

I'm also hating the vendetta against Roy storyline. Fgs, the hotel is, so we have been told, closed for refurbishment. Is no one in Ambridge ever allowed ever again to work there?

I don't understand why Chris claims to have thought he was doing everything on his own when he was using Alice's bonus to keep afloat?

I agree about both. Presumably the salesperson's job and pay are dependant on actually selling kitchens, so deliberately wasting their time on hopeless visits is just mean. And why the hell shouldn't Roy take the job that's been offered? I seriously doubt that the likes of Tracey would have refused.

It's all a bit fighty at the moment isn't it? Possibly reflects the general mood of the country, as definitely there's a sense of gloom and frustration about the place, but it would be nice if the Archers was an escape from that. I don't need all this aggro.

I remember Chris and Alice in fairly straightened circumstances when he bought the forge - particularly a conversation between Susan and Jennifer when Susan mentioned Alice had been shopping at discount stores for food (I'm imagining Home Bargains or similar) and Jennifer was horrified!

Alice gave up a cracking job opportunity in Canada because Chris didn't want to give up the forge (and had been injured)

It's all a bit fighty at the moment isn't it?

Yes, even the jubilee has turned into a dust-up. Would Harrison really have time to be inventing puddings? Another victim of the PT fairy, he has become some sort of godly Mary Berry. Typical BBC…Didn’t he used to be quite a normal bloke who watched/played football with Chris and drank larger?

20 years ago when I worked in a cold call center (double glazing-only lasted a week) we were given a perscribed list of numbers to call (in theory so two people didn't get called the same day by 2 people) & I would have only made commission if the appointment had lead to a sale. I'm surprised Jaz can phone whoever he wants &the company haven't caught on to the scam before

Alice 'tipping in'? Chris lived rent free in The Nest for years because of Alice.
I hope that HMRC throws the book at him

I’m back again after another catch-up marathon.

What a load of bilge, listening to 10 or so episodes back-to-back really brings home how antagonistic it is at the moment. I really root for Chelsea so I hate how they made her behave at LL.

Chris is sounding increasingly on the edge. My natural instinct is to be on his side but he needs to get over his pride and that chip on his shoulder.

Wasn’t there an awful SL in Ambridge Extra where Alice chummed up with a dodgy bloke who fancied her at university. He loaned Chris the money to buy the forge and he turned out to be a loan shark. Or something.

Just listened to Friday, Sunday, Monday. There's a lot of dross at the moment, isn't there?

A few better bits. (I have to convince myself there are some positive reasons to go on listening, other than reluctance to abandon a 40+ year habit).

It was nice to hear Denise (again? I have a feeling we have heard her before, although not necessarily played by the same actor). The lockdown dog storyline works for me, not that I know anything about dogs, but it's all in character and has a good public information vibe about it.

It may also be paving the way for Stella and Alistair to pair off. Stalistair? Alistella?

And finally, was Stella's remark about who could look after Weaver preparing the way for Tracy and Jazzer to earn some extra money dogwalking? Amy was doing that, but as she has now left, presumably there's a gap in the market.

Who will win the Unsung Hero award? Does anyone care? I did wonder if this might be another reason we've just heard Denise again.

We know the people of Ambridge are generally very dim, but has it really not occurred to Tracy that if she wants a job at the refurbished GG she should stay on good terms with Roy and Adil? I hope it wasn't Jazzer who vandalised Roy's car. I like Jazzer for the most part and that was a nasty as well as stupid thing to do.

Oh dear, I've slipped into negativity again. Better stop now before I find myself saying what I think about the Platinum Pudding competition ...

And why the hell shouldn't Roy take the job that's been offered? I seriously doubt that the likes of Tracey would have refused. Wasn't Tracey hoping to get the job herself when Kathy turned it down?

I expect you've already talked about it, but I liked the Mia getting stressed about GCSEs storyline and how they helped her. I especially liked that they have bothered to look up the GCSE timetable.

More likely to be that a SW has a DC doing GCSEs this year.

Ah, that could be it.

Alice was his wife. Do wives usually charge their husbands rent?

I took that to mean that unlike most people Chris and Alice didn't have to find rent or mortgage payments out of their earnings. Massive subsidy, courtesy of the Aldridges.

Wives don't usually charge husband's rent, but it's only through Alice being part of the Aldridge family that they were able to live rent free - Chris is antagonistic towards Alice's family unless it suits him to accept stuff.

I think he's behaving appallingly at the moment. If he'd treated Alice with any amount of respect and kindness they could have hammered out a shared custody arrangement that would have probably worked better all round - he wouldn't have had to farm Martha out to family members for care, could maintain his business.