🦈 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 always find Helen is so rude and condescending to her employees she's not a great people manager is she. Clarrie is so negative at least Susan has a can do attitude.

To be fair Clarrie has been ground down by being marrying into the Grundy's and having 2 annoying sons to boot.

I wondered about the new insulation for delivery of non-melty cheese. It wasn't costed, just accepted. Agree about Susan's attitude, and was about to say much the same about Tracy in yesterday's episode: get on with it, with added boundless love and encouragement for her children.

Helen is awful in how she speaks to her employees! Absolutely without redeeming qualities.

I like the sound of the blueberry ripple ice cream…Better keep that away from Fat Rosie!

Fat Rosie has eaten far too many flapjacks

I bet she enjoyed Leonard’s take-away night…

And I’m sure her great grandmother has been feeding her lemon drizzle at every opportunity.

I think the Fat Rosie storyline will partly be extended family (especially Jill) giving 'treats' far too frequently, and push back when asked to stop; and partly that Pip and Toby don't actually know what a healthy portion size and plate looks like. Witness how they classed sausages (plural), mash, and broccoli as healthy.

Agree with cameocat that George's character portrayl lacks subtelty. They might as well have given him a moustache to twirl and an evil maniacal laugh.

I wrote a post about ghastly George but it disappeared. Anyway, agree that his sudden cartoonishly evil appearance is ridiculous. It just appears to have been randomly shoe horned in. Have we ever heard him speak before? I can't remember any previous references to him being a wrong'un (I must have missed the stealing money from church storyline) apart from Hannah once telling Ed she saw him misbehaving on the bus.

I was bored so also tried to work out how he is related to Brad. George is Tracey's great-nephew which makes him Brad's second cousin or something removed..?

Emma and Brad are first cousins.
George is Brad's cousin once removed.

Marthyr is Chelsea's cousin once removed. Wonder how much of the Horrobin genes she has inherited.

We haven't heard him speak for a long while, I don't remember whether he was ever heard as a child. The actor is a new casting, he was introduced on a Facebook post.

George stealing the money from the church was, IIRC, an unresolved plotline. Alf was blamed for it but there was no evidence, at the same time George suddenly had loads of money to burn. We never found out who actually did it, but it seems very likely that it was George. He was never caught or punished if so.

He also has been painted in a not-great light on other occasions when his name's been mentioned, e.g. he failed to turn up to his own 16th birthday party which his parents had thoughtfully organised, then was quite ungrateful and demanded money instead of presents. It turned out he wanted to go on holiday and get pissed with his mates. I don't think there have been any previous intimations that he's such a bullying git though, the birthday thing could have just been what the SWs think is typical teenage behaviour, as evidenced by the fact that the adults at the party spent the whole time recounting what they got up to as teenagers. It was a rare moment of bonding for Emma and Will.

Just to be clear I don't mean Oliver is actually "grooming" Brad (in a CSA sense), just that he seemed overly desperate to make friends with him - almost certainly as a way to repair his friendship with Tracey (which IMO he deserved to lose). Maybe I'm just sensitive to it as I've known family members trying to use me to help heal "feuds" which were nothing to do with me, it isn't very nice.

I'm all for older people including men making friends with and encouraging young ones. Just felt there was an ulterior motive here.

George IIRC has always been alluded to as a bit of a shit. I think the actor did quite well giving him something of Will's worst tone.

I like the idea of Alice giving Brad some mentoring. Given he's her husband's cousin I'm surprised they never seem to be in the same place. I imagine Susan has tried to keep Alice and her kin insulated from her sister and that side of the family.

Susan might be a bit more relaxed now, especially since Tracey, Brad and Chelsea seem to have turned themselves around (I'm sure in the past, before she was a regular character, Tracey was portrayed as a chavvy embarrassment to Susan, but I might be wrong). When Alice and Chris were first together she was very keen to see herself as in-law to the Alridges and keep the distance between them and the Horrobins. Does Neil have any extended family that we know of? His arrival in Ambridge is well before my time (before I was born!), I can't remember what his background is/where he's from/whether we've ever heard from any of his family.

Yes Tracey was definitely painted as an embarrassment to Susan previously. Susan's whole worth is built on rising above her Horobin origins.

I can see Susan being put out that it wasn't Emmur or Kristiffur who were the ones to go to university

Asparagus, goat's cheese and honey pizza sounds rank. Is the cheese Fridge Barm goat's cheese?

It sounds amazing to me!

I’m not sure about the honey but I’d definitely try it and hope to be convinced. Sounds really nice.

I think the whole Brad/Oliver thing, which I found very forced at first, was to get us up to date on Brad, a context for his integration into the SL. He seems nice, thoughtful and well-mannered.

Also, the many complaints about the lack of a farming context in favour of EL plot lines has been rewarded with an avalanche of Ambridge events.

Honey is really nice with goats cheese. If you order a goats cheese or brie sandwich in France they'll often ask if you want honey with it, it's seen as a classic pairing. I'm not as sold on asparagus on a pizza, seems like it would be overcooked and overpowering, not ac great combination.

Honey and goats' cheese go fine together. Asparagus and goats' cheese go fine together too.

Honey and asparagus do not go together.

Honey and goats' cheese and asparagus together sounds absolutely bleurgh.

Brad must be very bright indeed to be contemplating doing Maths, Further Maths and Physics. Go Brad!

I think Susan would be delighted if he did well. She would bask in the reflected glory. 'My nephew, who's doing a degree in Physics at Imperial College, which is one of the top unis in the world, you know ...' Once she was convinced that Christopher's farrier qualification was prestigious, greatly helped by the award ceremony in London whose details I've forgotten, she was totally reconciled to his decision not to do A levels. Emma point blank refused to go on in education, having done very badly in her GCSEs, so that was a lost cause.

Helen said something that sounded like Natasha having the CS on Friday - is that right?

I can see Ian using the asparagus to do a fancy sun-based design on the pizza -
with the spears fanning out from the centre. It feels like a topping inspired by design rather than flavour. Trying to give the vegetarians something nice to look at to make up for the missing salami/pepperoni etc…

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Yes c-section booked for next week, I seem to recall. Possibly Thursday, but don’t quote me on that.

@Roysnewshirt , somewhere in the mists of time someone decided that all vegetarians love goats cheese. If a vegetarian eats out, often both the starter and the main course will have goat's cheese in them. If not, it will be mushrooms or beetroot or butternut squash.

A good pizza is a delight but the mention of goat's cheese would make me want to give it a miss. Asparagus is fine but would be overpowering and overcooked. Pizza is sweet enough without honey.

@echt, What are EL plotlines?