🏏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 have the last three episodes winking at me from my podcast feed but can't bring myself to listen having read this thread already! (Quite like reading ahead normally, it steels me to the more drivelly eps).

Haha, same here!

Genuine question - how often do divorce proceedings end up with an amicable reconciliation? It’s unclear if A and C will eventually get back together or if they will just have an acrimony-free divorce but night’s episode seemed like a weird fantasy fairy-tale. May be I’m out of touch though and it happens more often than I realise.

They need to get back together and turn the ‘starter marriage’ into a forever thing.

Joy and celebration all round.

Then Amy can turn up, wrapped in a blue coat, borne on a donkey, on Christmas Eve …

The Beth/Steph stuff is so bad I can’t believe they’re going on with it.

does anyone else suspect their dad, Vince, is somehow out to swindle Elizabeth? The weird behaviour of his mum, every now and then his dodgy ‘in a meeting’ excuses…I wouldn’t be surprised if in six months we hear he is really bankrupt/a criminal.

For somebody who is supposed to be a blacksmith, Chris seems to have a lot of free time during the day to stalk around playgrounds and water features after Alice and Martha.

I'm not sure that it is normal to leave a 14 monther to play by themselves in water features, is it?

Yeah, wouldn't surprise me tbh. I don't warm to him at all, and I don't quite believe in their relationship.

@Madcats , he's not a blacksmith, he's a farrier.

@Scarydinosaurs , I don't trust Vince either. The way he and Widderbeth got together was suspicious

I could have sworn i pressed clear quote.

and no, it's not normal to let a 14-month old play in water on her own

I have a feeling that Pinky and Perky will be two girls

Did alice just imply the social worker might be REMOVING Martha from their care?!
I know some people believe that's the immediate outcome of any social work visit but surely that shouldn't sit there unchallenged??

I doubt that Vince will turn out to be a swindler. It would be too much of a carbon copy of the Tiger storyline. And I'm no expert on fraud, but I suspect that if you planned on committing fraud, doing it via a slaughterhouse business wouldn't be your scam of choice.

There is something off about Vince/his mum/his intentions towards Elizabeth.

Even if he isn’t dodgy, I could see him going on to make a mistake that means he is in financial jeopardy and risking the Brookfield solar panels etc

God, this is unbearable.

Surely the SWs aren’t really going to break them up for nothing?

I missed yesterday's and got half of today's in the car.

Truly unbearable.

Maybe the splitting them up is so that Mince turns nasty over the solar panels.

Stiph is unbearable and Deth is so dreary

Not only is TA unbearable, there's a trailer they keep repeating with some horrible wailing that I have to switch off. Thinking about it, I've been avoiding DID for a while now

I've just caught up on Tuesday's. It's been so dire I was pleased to hear Alice and Chris. That was nice. Can we just get them back together and forget about all this.

Oh and Lily, fgs, just go to your stupid rave. Russ will hate it - why force that on him?

Did alice just imply the social worker might be REMOVING Martha from their care?

The Archers script writers are SO middle class. They have absolutley no clue about social workers, benefits etc. A couple of months ago they were suggesting that the Horrobin clan might be facing instant eviction over a couple of delayed rent payments. Maybe they should take a look at the threshold for removing a child demonstrated in some of the recent tragic child death cases.

In fairness to the SW, it is conceivable that Alice would panic and think that the social workers would remove Martha from her care. Maybe they should have put a public service announcement in (Usha?) to say that it wouldn't happen IRL, but it's fairly believable that Alice would think it, regardless of reality.

Perhaps, but she was ridiculously blasé about it if she thought it was really possible!

R♡ss😊

Not being as butt clenchingly awful as he usually is but I'm hopeful he'll up the cringe factor at The Rave!

I heard this in Lynda’s voice

I suspect the rave that Lily has strong armed Russ into going to, will also be the catalyst for him finding out about her indiscretion. I hope so as she’s wasted a lot of time on him so far, it’s not been a flash in the pan that derailed her life plans for a short time, has it? It’s weird when the SWs do that - set up a main storyline and the drop it like a forgotten toy.

To be fair, Alice is middle class. It's not unreasonable to depict her as being scared she could lose care of her child, given in particular her residual guilt about her alcoholism.

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Why wouldn't she think it is really possible, particularly given her background? It's frightening how many people who are fully entitled to help from social services (e.g. due to disability) won't access it because they think their main function is child protection and that their child may be taken into care.

It may be that they are reserving the public service stuff for when Chris and Alice get the decision and someone -maybe the SW himself - explains that they really aren't in the business of taking children away arbitrarily.