🏏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.)

Ben deserves to be dumped. He’s been mooning after Steph for a fortnight now. How on earth has this SL got passed the editor and deemed to be ok for an R4 audience. An astonishing new low…

Finally up to date. There was a time when nothing stood between me and my Archers listening. Long gone, I'm sorry to say. That was a steaming pile of ordure tonight, wasn't it! FFS.

It was tosh of the highest order. Pure Jeremy Kyle.

The only redeeming feature was the way the SWs nailed the random use of prepositions by young 'uns (well, those of a certain class ): always desperate to something and embarrassed of me.

Dear god that was bad. Really bad.

What a completely useless episode - has anyone else only survived some of the recent episodes by thinking about how the MN thread will react?

Yes. I imagine the superlatives to employed in classifying the dross that is TA right now.

I didn’t get “mooning” in the slightest. I think that Ben is a nice lad who tries to see the best in people but he has nothing in common with Steph at all and I doubt he goes for her look- his last gf was an archaeolgy student!

But I don’t know why I am even dignifying this plot with substantive comment. It is truly dire, the Steph character is awful (and terrible for radio given that it’s clearly all about her look) and that episode was excruciatingly bad.

Also, what in earth was it with Ben making all the “it’s OK to be sad about Liam” noises? She had a 5 month affair!

Yes, and with her husband's best friend! Would anyone in real life actually just gloss over all of that?

Ben literally led her on by saying that Mr Right was closer than she thought…That’s hard to explain away - whatever spin you put on it! I don’t like Beth particularly but she deserves better than Ben, the very suggestible dishcloth.

Ben, the very suggestible dishcloth

😅

If we ever have another Archers themed name change, I'm having this!

😂

Please do, @SaltyCrisp . Went to a supermarket yesterday, not one I usually go to as in the next town, and was tempted by their delicious crisps. Multipack was waving at me from the cupboard yesterday, and you just reminded me.

Ready salted, if you're wondering, and if you were there, I was the woman climbing the shelf to reach the cava that another shopper couldn't reach. It did look like it could be tasty, but she took the last two. Sad isn't it, that my trip to Adil is more interesting than TA.

Ben's comment was misleading but Steph is the caricature 'anything in trousers' woman. Yuk.

A new low has been reached. I'm not sure who that episode was aimed at - does anyone anywhere care about any of that? The worst thing for me is that nothing in that story arc was in any way credible - from Steph moving in with Beth in the first place, to her idea for the party, to the Dopeys agreeing to host the party. I hope that after that steaming pile of horse manure, Ben is consigned to the cereal cupboard for all eternity and that we never hear from him or either of the tedious Casey sisters ever again. Who on earth thought this would make a good storyline when we could have been hearing about Elizabeth's burgeoning romance with Vince, finding out how Freddie and Lily were getting on with that idea, exploring tensions between Vince and Russ. We know Vince has two daughters and that he's very close to his mum, we don't need the show to turn into The Caseys anymore than we need to have entire episodes dedicated to anyone else's extended family. What next - will Hannah's parents be moving in for an extended stay or Joy's imaginary daughter?

Maybe Hannah's mother isn't really unwell but is living in Ambridge, having disguised herself as a warm-hearted geordie.

It was absolute bilge and I wish Steph would take a running jump into the Am. At this point I wouldn’t mind if Ben and Beth joined her.

What are the SWs thinking?? They can’t possibly imagine anyone enjoys this tripe?

Will anything come of Steph’s swinging threesome 🤮 proposition to Lily/Freddie/Bartleby?

Perhaps the party will descend into a Caligula style orgy but with Willy confetti and cattle mattresses.

Well that episode was utter drivel, but not quite as bad as you lot had led me to imagine.

The redeeming feature was that the SWs have remembered that Chelsea is a talented hairdresser and beautician (so doesn't need to work in the Orangery where tips would be mediocre).

I don't think I'll ever understand why the "team" decided that Ruth and David would be lovely party hosts; only a team of Helen and Adam (with Ian making pizza from his van) could be worse.

Maybe the point of it was that the newly single Ben and the newly single Steph will get it together and get married, live happily ever after as the Future of Brookfield, with Pip, Josh and Rosie being pushed out

Well done @BeaLola !

By the way, I meant to say before that I think it’s possible to get biodegradable willy confetti and straws. It doesn’t have to be shiny and plastic - not that it makes it any more right…

…or less wrong

No, you're wrong. It was utter drivel.

I have to say I’m finding it all tedious at the moment. Disregarding the Steph shenanigans, why on earth is Lynda being vile to Adil? She and Robert must be dependent on the income from their B&B and Adil must be a fantastic guest, at least in monetary terms. She must know you can never win an argument with a customer/guest.

Also, what is the relationship between Damara and Borchester Land. I thought the former (and by extension Justin) owned the latter? Why is Justin apparently scared of the always ridiculously horrible Martin Gibson?

I struggle to suspend belief when it’s all so stupidly daft.

Last night I felt as though I was listening to Hollyoaks, not The Archers. Such a badly written episode...

Thankfully this evening was better, although the reminiscing was a bit OTT... is it supposed to be a clumsy signpost (i.e. scriptwriters made it too blatant) that everything is now wonderful and they'll get back together again?

"They" meaning Chris and Alice, realised I hadn't named names!