🏏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.)

I can’t believe a nurse would call SS because she overheard parents arguing. This must happen in hospitals week in, week out. Social Workers are overwhelmed in most part of the country - would this situation really warrant a visit? My sister is a Child Protection Officer and has had to leave children with parents who are drug addicts, criminals and neglectful because removing children is often the very last resort. Child injured in a park whilst parents argued really wouldn’t be on her radar.

Sorry to go on but I’ve just listened back and they clearly address the woman in the hospital as “Doctor” so let’s assume she is one.

I know social services are really overstretched in reality but in an ideal world I’d like to think if they thought parents were too wrapped up in their Jeremy Kyle style fights to notice their toddler getting up on/falling off a height, and then continuing to go at it when said toddler is trying to recover in hospital, they would raise a concern. It sounds neglectful and they’d want to check whether that was just an unfortunate moment (which in this case I think it was) or a pattern where the child is left unsupervised. She’s only one.

I feel exactly the opposite about Alice. She always was horrible. Martha is a prop to make Alice a slightly less horrible person.

When did Neil turn into such a sh@t? Winding up Chris like that about whether he is total convinced that Alice is NOT drinking. Urging him to use Martha's fall against Alice. If Chris has turned up and started arguing with Alice then Alice wouldn't have been distracted. You could blame the fall on Chris

I used to think that Neil was very logical, rational and clear sighted. But he's turned rather unpleasant.

I wonder if Chris is going to get so stressed and wound up (no thanks to his horrible mother and father) that he snaps. Either kidnaps Martha and hides away or goes on a killing rampage. If he can't have Martha then neither can Alice. He kills Alice, Martha and then himself.

I find the script writing and character development around this ludicrous and annoying .

A family annihilator plot would certainly switch it up! Seems unlikely though. The snatching seems possible!

I’m not sure 2 for 2 on the divorcing dads being psychos would be a good look. I think if anything Alice is more likely to leg it with the bairn - she’s got the money to after all.

Wow enter Neil was all rather excruciating

Neil is usually a sensible man. Telling the SW it was Chris’ birthday..bizarre. He’s turning into Susan.

I think Alice will be equally as complimentary about him to SS and they’ll end up with joint custody.

Could Kirsty be any more obvious in her pursuit of Adil? Since it’s Kirsty it’s all going to end in tears, probably when his wife/fiancée/boyfriend turns up.

I think Alice will be equally as complimentary about him to SS and they’ll end up with joint custody.

the social worker will have nothing to do with their care arrangements

I agree with @Eastie77Returns, that scene and injury/history would not have warranted a call to Children's Services. As they clarified today, she only fell off a tiny slide, presumably onto a safety surface. And yes they srgued a brand in A&E but only in the manner that 9/10 "Holby City" families used to!

Chris was sweet when he cried.

Neil, weird.

*argued a bit

I think Alice and Chris will decide between themselves to share custody. That doesn’t have anything to do with the SW.

Adil is totally lacking in charisma, he’s like an effeminate, castrated robot. Why can’t Patrick be made real so that Kirsty can run off with a hunky tree botherer and have her longed-for family?

And WTF Neil. The man must be on drugs.

I know I keep saying it but Adil just sounds like a confused but polite Paddington Bear, fresh from Darkest Peru. I even checked to make sure it was it Ben Whishaw.

I keep thinking he’ll call Lynda ‘Mrs Brown’ and flood the bathroom vs sing in it.

I think Alice and Chris will decide between themselves to share custody. I agree. It has been the obvious solution all along - especially as they live so close to one another. I thought Chris with the social worker sounded more like 'real' Chris than he has for a long time - sad that his marriage has ended, wondering what went wrong. Neil however appears to undergone a personality transplant. We still don't know who actually bought GG and it seems strange that no-one has pressed Adil on this point - every time he says "I'm just the agent" etc.

And no one he talks to in Ambridge ever asks “So, who is the new owner?” There was space for exactly that sentence when he was talking to Lynda and to Kirsty - but no.

It’s so staggeringly and insultingly incredible.

Abd we don’t know if they’re doing it for “Ta daa!” reasons or whether it’s just Invisible Gill Phenomenon, because no one could be bothered to construct a story.

I can’t stand either Alice or Chris; I find it makes things much easier.

It was Adil’s faux-naive wonderings that forced me to de-lurk in a rage, and I said then that he sounds like an alien. Albeit one who’s been on lots of expensive management courses and learned that infuriating trick of repeating things back to people without actually committing himself to anything.

Until this week I’d been content to hear Adil as a disembodied presence - neither his voice nor the underwhelming script he’s working with inspired any confidence in the character.

Now he and Kirsty are flirting, I’m having to reimagine him as a hot guy; physically larger than her, forceful and persuasive enough to wipe out all memories of her relationship history. Oddly enough photos of the Adil actor, Ronny Jhutti, suggest someone exactly halfway between his previous TA characterisation and the sort of man I’d imagine Kirsty would be attracted to.

I don’t think Kirsty would be flirting with anyone at the moment. Even in Soap Years her marriage ended very recently.

I quite like Adil. Compared to many of them, he's fine.

The actor looks exactly as I imagine him. I didn't see him as forceful and persuasive or physically imposing but definitely well groomed and well turned out.

I liked that Chris was honest to the social worker, and think Alice will be too. I hope that they can work things out between them to share custody. It's the obvious solution.

I quite like Adil too, and would like for him and Kirsty to get together. Kirsty deserves a happy relationship for once.

The actor is MUCH more attractive than the character