🌟 ⭐ Archers thread #138: Two new stars on the Ambridge firmament, but will Peggy’s retirement leave a black hole? 🕳️ Join us here for a window on The Archers.

[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 commissioning a stained glass window for two of your great-grandchildren and nothing for all the others is a sensible thing to do, 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.)

Thanks to @LillianGish and @MuddlerInLaw for title ideas, which I have played around with a bit. I'm sad to have heard the last of Peggy. An era starts to draw to a close.

What a relief to be out of the Steph Casey phase, which I hope was an unfortunate blip, not to be repeated. [Triumph of hope over experience there ... ]

@BoreofWhabylon has asked the 🔮 about Adil and it predicts that he is actually the Mysterious New Owner of Grey Gables but won't be revealed as such until he has won Kirsty's heart (or some similar Mills & Boon level tosh - apols to the 🔮 but it does seem to have a mushy side). I still cling to the idea that the mysterious silent and invisible Gills who now own Home Farm may have some role at GG, but why not name them?

No mention of the heatwave in Ambridge, but budget constraints probably severely limit their scope for topical inserts these days. IRL I believe this has been a tricky time for farmers. Perhaps the SWs will catch up with this over the winter and start putting in some farming chat about diversification away from oats to olives, or similar. We already have at least one vineyard in the Ambridge area, at LL. (I understand there was another, in the heart of the village, decades ago, but the SWs have now forgotten all about it, sadly.)

Over to you!

What's Clarrie short for? Clarice? Clarissa? I sort of thought she was just Clarrie.

Clarice? (TW: link has cast photos)

Yes the quick turnaround and recovery from her ‘phobia’ was ridiculous.

It took weeks learning 1-1 with a very patient teacher before I felt remotely comfortable and months before I was able to actually swim. I had (what felt like) a panic attack the first time I went into the deep end of the pool. But miracle worker Pip will have Stella ready to compete in swimming competitions by Christmas I’m sure.

A relationship between the two would be plausible since Pip was moaning to Ben or Josh recently that she just wants to meet someone nice and settle down but who would want a lonely single mum etc.

Of course it wasn't ridiculous, she had Pip teaching her.

Where is the Ruairi and Julianne SL going?

I went to see a fortune teller many, many years ago. A colleague wanted to go, and wanted company, so I went just for

fun. None of the predictions came true for me, but my friend lapped it up and believed all of it.

I've dabbled in other forms and had more success

Will and Pip might be a good pairing. Both single parents with young children of roughly the same sort of age. Both single. Will could have a relapse and shoot her.

Much as I hate to laugh at the idea of DV this is tempting.

In the Archers why do some people get everything going their own way and others never have any luck? For example it'd be good to have a storyline where Pip got a terrible crush on someone who had no interest in her whatsoever, something to burst her bubble a bit. But that wouldn't happen - we all expect that for Kirsty though.

Well, Pip did have a ghastly boyfriend dump her in her teens.

It isn’t so much that some people (First Family aka Ambridge Royalty) have everything go their way as that even when things go wrong for them they always have vaguely pleasant options or a safety net. Unlike Tracy.

Are Ben and Josh contractions? Not sure why I'm asking, it's not as if I care. They're both dreary.

Is Freddy a Frederick?

Josh is Joshua Matthew
Ben is Benjamin David (I think)
Freddie is Frederick Hugo

Lily is Lily Rosalind
Kate is Katherine Victoria
Alice is Alice Margaret
Pip is Philippa Rose
Jamie Perks is Jamie Benjamin

I can't remember Xander's middle name or surname but he's an Alexander

Jolene is really Doreen.

I can't remember George's middle name. I think it might be Edward.
Keira is Keira Susan
Dan is Daniel Mark

So is George a bad lad because he's traumatised by Nic's death?

Listening to George in that argument, his local accent slipped a little and a teeny bit of the Ruairi-style vowels popped out. I re-wound to listen again. Yep.

@WhoppingBigBackside Jolene is really Doreen?

This has somehow blown my tiny mind. Is this a standard naming convention/change that I just never know about?

@echt @TonightMatthewIamgoingtobecher catching up at silly o clock but am suspicious of George’s turnaround. I assume there is some kind of ‘big story’ in the works… I can’t decide if the gaming set piece with will was a bit cringe because it was slightly cringe scriptwriting, or if we were meant to find it slightly suspicious and assume he was trying to manipulate his dad. Plus then him talking about how he actively disliked Nic to Brad…. Interesting parallel with Toby almost moving out of Ambridge, so lots of commentary about blended families and the implications of this atm.

I assume she goes by the name of Jolene because of her Country and Western singing 'career'.

The only Doreen I know was called Sally.

I think the convention is, if your parents were misguided enough to call you Doreen, you get rid of it as soon as possible.

Jolene, IIRC, has reddish dyed hair and presumably Doreen Rogers wasn't rock'n'roll, or C&W, enough to use as a stage name. Her ex-husband calls himself Wayne Tucson. I'm not sure if he still works at The Bull.

Nic struggled with George when she first got together with Will. He was a little horror even then.

Pretty sure he wants to move in with Will because he sees him as easier to con than EdnEmmurr.

Where is the Ruairi and Julianne SL going?

I got the vibe that Julianne is getting quite needy. It's all going to come to a very sticky end.

Ohhhh …. Is Ruairi seeing her as a model of what his mother might have been? All that talk of how successful she is in the business world …

Think it's simply how he explained it to Ben, he can forget the traumas he's undoubtably suffered when he's in her world.

Yup it's not going to end well, is it. Ben asking again whether he'd slept with her makes me wonder if she'll demand that, perhaps even rape?

Oh Emmur is going to be so so cross and hurt

#GeorgeIsTheNewClive