🏏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.)

Yes, it was obvious to me too.

a tax inspection/audit is absolutely nerve wrecking.

I listened to the Barry / braids episode. Her voice just sounds an English accent to me.

I think it was something about the timbre rather than the accent as such. I suppose it depends what you are used to hearing.

Ruairi:

Arthur Hughes: ‘I came out like this, oven-baked’

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/facd3da2-db6a-11ec-8b54-298329b42224?shareToken=1ddc99b90c6ffccb982c21ba756cc3ee

I am taking quite a dislike to Tracey and Jazzer. That attack on Roy was despicable.

Well boo hoo Brine.No-one likes you.The forensic account is called off and he's relieved. So there is stuff he's concealing that would affect the settlement in Chris's favour. The acting is fab, but his character is, as usual, deeply unsympathetic.

The wheels are going to come off Jazzer and Tracey aren't they?

I like Brian.

Well I'm team Brian too, .... hmrc friend said re Chris situation if it was one/two occasions and no kind of pattern (an accident/oversight) it wouldn't be serious at all, ... and crimal was only likely to be for the various serious cases with a prolongedged proven pattern of concealing funds. While I'm sure Chris is likely to jump to worse case (he said he would end up with a criminal record), but I think he's been fiddling the books.
[*nb friend doesn't listen to the archers & this was said in the pub after several pints]

Team Brian all the way here.
Cash in hand is almost certainly not going through the books. I'm surprised that Chris would do that. Wouldn't the farrier work need to be recorded by the horse owner?

Old story but I'm still annoyed the planning authority haven't done anything about Emma's caravan, ....new residential property (plumbed in/permanent pitch/lived in as seperat household) would probably need planning permission (I'd have thought unlikely to be granted) and if it were it would attract a fee of £460 and CIL contributions.

Emma's father being on the parish council might be a factor @Atichen

Stella has really become Brian’s confidante. She seems to have supplanted Jenny in some ways…

Wbb...I think Emma is too, (parish not LA councillor) but it's not parish who make decisions, and anyone with a personal interest has to declare it and withdraw from voting [I'm a planner & I doubt it would be allowed in our authority, I'd have got enforcement on to them)

I like Brian - I think it's possible to like him as a character without liking him as a person. Stella has really become Brian’s confidante. She seems to have supplanted Jenny in some ways… I thought the same - out checking the deer with Stela instead of celebrating his anniversary. Wouldn't put it past him to be up to his old tricks - it's been a while.

Am thinking we'll eventually find out why Stella's arrived. She seems to be proving herself a sensible good friend acquaintance to many. Axe murderer maybe?

Just a minute though, wasn't it her whom we heard having a kind of illicit lunch somewhere fancy with Justin, shortly after her arrival???!!

Ooo-Oo

What does a black British voice sound like to those of you who knew Denise was black all along? Curious as I’m black and I had no idea prior to the Braids comment. I can sometimes tell if I’m speaking to another black person on the phone but often it’s a name that’s the giveaway rather than the voice. Also Alistair belatedly realising her hairstyle had changed sounds ridiculous. Braids are very different from most other hair styles with Afro hair so he would have to be actually blind not to have noticed.

Stella and Brian. Calling it now, it’s been brewing for a while. I silently applauded when he admitted Chris was a good husband and dad. How often do we hear him admit he’s in the wrong?! They’ve both now said they feel worn out and tired with the fighting so maybe this all ends amicably somehow.

Some people are better at recognising accents. I don't think Denise particularly had an accent, but her voice sounded like she had british afro-caribbean heritage

Adil sounds british indian to me, but his name suggests (british) pakistani

Very difficult to describe why, but I also, more or less unconsciously, assumed Denise was being played by a black actor, even if Denise herself wasn't meant to be black, and that was from the voice, not the mention of braids, which I missed somehow. Timbre is the closest I can get to it. I live in a very diverse part of London (which I see from Wikipedia is also where Clare Perkins comes from originally), and I hear similar voices every single day, so maybe that's it. She has a terrific radio voice, as does Lucy Speed. Distinctive, clear, warm, natural-sounding. More like this, please!

Denise has been mentioned on and off for over 20 years, IIRC, so if this were a real life rural community [yes, I'll wash my mouth out shortly] it would be odd that nobody in all that time ever mentioned the fact that she's black. I expect while she was a non-speaking character nobody on the production team ever gave a thought to her appearance or ethnicity.

#TeamBrian. I like Brian - I think it's possible to like him as a character without liking him as a person. Spot on, @LillianGish! He's my favourite character, on balance.

I hope Angela Piper is in good health. We've heard very little indeed from her for ages now. She reaches 60 years as Jennifer next year, all being well.

Many thanks for the share token, @TottersBlankly! Interesting article.

Denise sounds a bit like Moira Stuart?

A bit but a bit less RP.

Adjoa Andoh is more like Moira Stuart. On a class basis Jim and Fiona/Adjoa Andoh sound more like father and daughter than Jim and Alastair do as father and son.

I wonder what those of you who can detect ethnicity in British voices would make of the many broad Glaswegian accents in the Glasgow Asian community.

True

@KimikosNightmare , I can remember my first trip to deepest Lancashire and encountering people who were of asian heritage and being surprised at their strong Lancashire accent

I didn't like the reference to braids as it seemed a bit of a stereotype, unless her ethnicity is relevant to the SL

The braids reference went completely over my head. If I registered it at all it was along the lines of referring to something like what Amber Heard has been, very elegantly ,and me , less so, doing with long hair.

Getting a bit fed up with the Chris was the breadwinner in the family and built his business up alone.

Both he and Neil have, conveniently forgotten, that Alice did have a good paying salaried job and thanks to her she and Chris had no mortgage payments. So Alice did contribute significantly, and you could argue has a stake in the forge.

Another thing that gets my goat...both Chris and Neil go on about Chris' pride and his being upset that Brian helped out financially with the forge. But they are perfectly willing to take half of Alice's partnership share. Can't have it both ways. If you want to say you built your business up from scratch all on your own with no help .... Then don't keep trying to take money you didn't earn for yourself.

And please stop saying that's it's all for Martha's sake. Martha will get Alice's money anyway.

Stupid storyline. And I really dislike Neil now. Hate his spiteful wife but thought he was fairly decent. But he is nasty to Alice who at the moment is actually the nicest of the bunch.l and behaving the best.

As another poster said, in real life they would have joint custody. But that wouldn't make for s contentious storyline.