🦈 Archers thread #137: See left - have they jumped it? Discuss The Caseys - sorry, 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 think Steph Casey is a wonderful addition to the programme, or similar odd 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.)

Too dispirited to add much else. Have we reached a new low?

I suppose the Archer twins will be born before we need a new thread. 👶👶
Any thoughts on names? Patrick and Antonia were suggested before - inspired! Peggy has to be a strong contender.

Over to you!

I don't think Chelsea would be that chill about snogging an Old Man let alone one who is in her employer's family.

Ruairi has a sugar mama (name forgotten) who seems to not find it weird to drag a teenager around with her to formal work functions where she might know people.

I dunno, being two days post caesarian with breastfeeding twins and probably no sleep would account for most of that.

I also struggle with the weird fact that he's essentially cocklodging at his partner's mother's expense. I can't believe that art gallery makes any realistic money at all, it's just a vanity project for him.

Oh god I hate everyone at the moment! What have they done to Chelsea?

Did Jean Harvey have the Echo round to talk about Ian saving her life, do we reckon? Susan getting it arseways as usual?

Yes I can’t fathom why lizzy hasn’t booted out Lily and Russ

It's just madness she must be early 20s now and in a dead end job (I appreciate that sounds snobby) and his gallery nonsense. They both need to move out

Ian's pizza van is a good idea, but why all the weird and wonderful flavours? I didn't imagine he would be solely based in Ambridge - isn't that rather the point of a van? He would presumably tour other villages with no takeaway options on a regular basis and so expand his customer base. If you knew the van was in your area every Tuesday for instance, you'd make that pizza night. I've seen that kind of thing work really well in rural parts of France. I'm finding the whole WI tasting ridiculously contrived - how is a pizza van in competition with a WI tea tent? Surely they'd have more of a beef with Fallon?

@LillianGish Agreed. I love pizza. I love rhubarb. I don't want rhubarb pizza!

Isn't George a bit old to have morphed into an obnoxious bratty teen.

I hope all the people living near the postbox bought Ring doorbells in the last Prime Day sale (though I'm not sure that most of Ambridge knows about broadband).

Now that Covid tests to fly etc are no longer compulsory and the surveys have been scaled back, what was my busy local post box appears to be substantially empty whenever I use it.

There was nothing like that. Russ was either drunk or had inadvertently taken something and didn't remember much. Someone split drink all over Chelsea's dress and she borrowed Russ' jacket but there was nothing to suggest anything happened between them or that they were ever on their own together.

Happy for Lily and Sol to go very far away.

Lily is 22 now and would have graduated a year ago if she'd stayed in Manchester. Although an awful lot of the graduates I know are in, if not exactly dead end jobs, jobs that a degree and £40K debt are not prerequisites for.

I was taken by the grandfather's rock that Tom wanted to learn. It reminded of the ward nurse? the one in charge at the hospital where I had DD, who instantly quietened in her arms. I asked how she did it and she said: "They pick up the lack of sympathy", which I took to mean the lack of anxiousness/sheer desperation coming from the parent.

You're right of course but such a waste for Lily.

The young women I knew at university from wealthy, well connected backgrounds (who completed their degrees) all seemed to walk into staggeringly glamorous jobs, either in the City or all across the globe. (From which I conclude that Lily’s lost future wasn’t really comparable to that of most graduates.)

Didn’t she take German as one of her A’Levels? How stupid of Scumbag not to have actively supported her degree studies - they could have been living a lovely life in this year’s equivalent of Berlin ten years ago. I know LL must be cushy, but one would have thought he’d want a cleaner slate …

Does anyone have any idea why Natasha's uber-Welsh mother has been given an Irish name, Caitlin? It's really bugging me. But then I suppose Natasha has a Russian name..

Because the script writers assumed that Caitlin Thomas was Welsh.

I fast forward through all of the Gnasher and Sausage Boy nonsense- is Caitlin being pronounced Cat Lin or Kate Lin?

Susan was about to encourage the poor local postman to commit an offence under s83 Postal Services Act 2000 which prevents postmen from interfering with the mail contrary to their duty and without reasonable excuse. What was she thinking?

With her criminal background and job as postmistress I don’t believe she would be unaware of the risk.

Clarrie’s fishing expedition with string and a pencil sharpener would be in breach of s84.

Given the circumstances, both would prob only incur a fine or six months in jail but even so…

As it is, arson (criminal damage by fire) can result in up to eight years in jail. Can’t remember how old George is- is he still a minor? Obvs that would rely on Harrison Burns doing some successful detective work so conviction - or even just an arrest - is unlikely…

@HaveringWavering, it is a strange choice, because although it is a popular name, it wasn't popular in the 1950s/1960s, which is presumably about when Gnasher's DM would have been born. It is not a welsh name (or it would be pronounced Kite-lin!). It is also a known closely associated with someone famous, and I think she said it as Catlin. I imagine that Gnasher's DF is called Geraint or Dylan.

Given their ages, Mrs T would be more likely to be called something like Carys or Bethan and Natasha something like Ffion or Angharad (which was the first Mrs Moss's name and also slightly unusual for her age group)

Ha! I've just realised that I've been hearing this as Catrin all along!

My biggest error post c-sect was to stop taking mine on day 2 as I ‘felt fine’. My biggest problem was actually getting any pain killers. Either I was 3 mins early asking, or there was only 1 nurse available so no dispensing. DH had to bring some in for me.

Yeah I think Natasha getting that anxious signals big trouble to come. Oh, isn’t that normal?

DH came in at the wrong (or, arguably, right) moment and diverted my attention … just how did Susan end up with a fire in the post box?

I didn't get any pain relief until 10 hours after my csection due to a mix up. I also had twins so this storyline is bringing back lots of memories.

@Madcats, we don't know, but it looks very likely that George did it. Cut the Gordian knot while his grandmothers were faffing about with fishing lines and sticky tape. It could be an interesting development to have another pyromaniac in Ambridge. George's great-uncle Clive Horrobin was the last.

@TheBikiniExpert, that sounds painful. It's so long since I had my c-section that I can't remember anything at all about pain relief, just that there must have been some at some point, or I think I would remember. The single most vivid memories I have of the post-natal period are:

1. While on the post-natal ward for several days after my emergency c-section, it was impossible to avoid hearing all the details of other patients' condition during the ward round. The (female) consultant had a loud voice and a commanding manner. There was a woman a few beds from me with a baby in the special care baby unit. The consultant had a forthright conversation with her about the importance of birth control after a c-section. Apparently she'd had her previous baby, also by c-section, well under 9 months previously.
2. At 5am on the morning after my son was born, the fire alarm went off on the post-natal ward. All the mothers woke up, obviously. Not a single member of staff came anywhere near us to tell us what was happening. Many of us would have struggled to make a rapid exit. We all rather uneasily concluded that it was a false alarm or someone would have rushed in, but it wasn't very reassuring. The deafening noise went on for ages too. I was so glad to get home (although not till the next day).

@TheBikiniExpert, you were asking yesterday what's been happening in the last year. Welcome back! It's been a dire year on The Archers, but we plod on regardless, hoping for better. Triumph of hope over experience, probably, but I for one am addicted. Anyway, here are a few highlights. (I did try to post some yesterday but I was on my phone at the time and lost the whole thing when MN froze. Thanks, update.)

Alice and Chris have a daughter, Martha, who is now a toddler. Alice is a recovering alcoholic and she and Chris are getting divorced. They share care of Martha 50:50. The financial split was getting very acrimonious but then Martha fell over and had to be taken to A&E and Alice and Chris both blamed themselves because they were arguing and not properly watching Martha. So now Chris is taking a holiday cottage from Alice's share of Home Farm and nothing else. He and Martha live in the flat over the Post Office. Alice is living in their old home (another former Home Farm holiday cottage).

Jazzer and Tracy Horrobin are an item and Jazzer has moved in with Tracy and her daughter Chelsea, a trainee hairdresser, and Brad, who is a genius and about to take Maths, Physics and Further Maths/Engineering A levels (he hasn't fixed on the last one). Brad and Chelsea are both working at Lower Loxley in The Orangery. Chelsea is annoying but talented with hair so may go far.

Grey Gables has closed suddenly for refurbishment as Oliver has sold a large share in the business to someone else (we don't know who). All the GG staff were made redundant. There is much ill feeling about this. Roy is working for the new owner's representative, Adil Shah, who has (incredibly) decided to stay at Ambridge Hall as a B&B guest of Lynda and Robert. Lynda is being very rude to him.

Pip is worried that her daughter Rosie is getting fat and Jill's Millionaire's shortbread is being blamed. Rosie starts school in September. Toby is still around but I can't remember what he's supposed to be doing. Rex went to live on a houseboat many months ago and hasn't been mentioned since, so he's either drowned or drifted away and no one has noticed. His pigs are now at Lower Loxley.

The new manager at Home Farm, Stella, lives in Bert Fry's bungalow. She and Ruth are very chummy.

There was a bit of a scare over the possibility of closing the pig unit, but it's been reprieved. What with the stress of that and the divorce, Brian had a bad attack of angina but seems to be OK now.

Phoebe has gone to work in Scotland. Kirsty now works on the rewilding scheme. She is still lodging with Roy and their relationship is still platonic.

George Grundy now has a voice and appears to be without any redeeming features at all. He is a bully and almost certainly a criminal. Hmm.

As you will have heard in the last few days, Tom Archer's wife Natasha has given birth to twin girls. She has moved her business to Bridge Farm. They also run a venture called Bridge Fresh. Helen is still with Lee and they live with Henry and Jack in Kirsty's old house. Were you listening during the time when Kirsty's husband Philip was convicted of modern slavery? He's in prison now and they're divorced.

Shula is still training to be a vicar. This is still tedious.

There are indications that Alistair and his vet nurse Denise might eventually pair off. She is unhappily married.

Kate and Jakob, the other vet, are still an item.

The Ambridge cricket team nearly folded from lack of interest this year, but Tracy (club captain) managed to put together a squad of veterans (mixed sex) and so they limp on, often literally.

Ben Archer is training to be a nurse and is in a settled relationship with Beth Casey, whose Dad Vince is Elizabeth's partner. There was an appalling period a few weeks ago when Beth's sister Steph featured but best we draw a veil over that now.

There must be more, but that'll do for a start!