🌟 ⭐ 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!

Ruairi's background is strange though. His father is old enough to be his grandfather, and his step-mother is old enough to be his grandmother.

As this is MN, where half-siblings and step-siblings are to be treated as full siblings, he has a (step-) brother and (half-)sisters who are probably older or the same age as Julianne, and Kate and Alice who are much older than him.

He's seeing a big-sister figure then, isn't he.

Do we think he is actually at University?

Perhaps I'm proving your point (as I'm posting on MN!), but my relationship with my half siblings (and their relatives on their late mothers side) is the same as if they were full siblings. It seemed perfectly normal to me growing up. So I wouldn't bat an eyelid at the Aldridge siblings calling each other 'brother and sister' rather than 'half brother and half sister'...

The Ruari/ Julianne storyline is ridiculous.

Julianne has been taking him to business events where apparently she needed a partner. Even assuming that were true (and that in itself is odd) she's going to look ridiculous turning up with a young man who will either be assumed to be her nephew or similar (bit peculiar but not actually sleazy) or her toy-boy. If the latter, she'll be at best a laughing stock or at worst a sleaze-bag.

Oh dear. Something in my eye.

Well that made me cry.

But it's come to something when The Archers needs to publicise food banks.

See, this is what Tracy needs - not endless reality with Jazzer …

I could weep for all the concerts and operas Oliver hasn’t taken her to because the stupid SWs wrote the wrong story.

But it's come to something when The Archers needs to publicise food banks.

It’s the third time I recall in recent memory. Once with Ed and Emma, once with Pat volunteering and her proud friend living in her car. Now this.

Ditto. I enjoyed listening to that (with tears in my eyes - but it was beautifully acted). However, it did feel a little 'public service announcement' in between the lines...

I just felt outraged that they’d heaped more trouble on Tracy just because they wanted to make a public service announcement.

They thing that’s always bothered me about foodbanks - I thought you were allowed only 3 referrals. What’s 9 days food going to do when destitution doesn’t come in 9 day chunks?

All food banks have their own rules and many will give more parcels where there is genuine need.

The only saving grace about the nonsensical Ruari /Julianne story is that it hopefully saves Tracey from going down a "sex worker" story as 2 of them would be too implausible.

Well. That was pretty well done.

Now. When will Tracy get that job at the new improved GG?

Chelsea needs san pro from the bank !
pls script writers … make everything good for Tracey and family 🌈

I would imagine that is one thing Chelsea buys for herself out of her earnings.

Very irritated by the Tracey story. We and every other Western European country are in the middle of LABOUR SHORTAGE. It's implausible that she can't find a job. And why can't Oliver put in a word at a local chain hotel in Felpersham(so) ? They must exist...

Our Foodbank gives 4 parcels in a six month period (although if I’m issuing the vouchers I’m a soft touch for a sob story). It is meant to be a stop gap not a lifestyle and the social workers etc should be helping people to access the correct benefits.

I appreciate that is not always the reality.

Thank you for this information on food banks. I am shamefully ignorant and didn’t realise that the number of visits is so tightly capped. Four visits per six months doesn’t sound very many at all. I understand that they don’t want to encourage dependency but that’s not even once a month and it must take way longer than 6 months to turn a person’s financial situation around - esp given the delays when applying for UC.

Tracey was only given enough food for a few days which means she will have to return before the end of the week. May be that’s just so that they can compact the SL. In actual fact, while we are all desperately hoping the Horribins fortunes will change, it would take years for that to happen - if it happened at all.

Not really - this is why the Tracey storyline is a bit out of touch with reality.
in fact, they are three working age adults in a council property, meaning rent will be very low, in a labour shortage situation. Tracey IRL would be able to get a job fairly easily and they will get UC to cover the rent if the other two adults aren't bringing in enough (which they probably are)
those who genuinely can't get themselves out of poverty are people in private rental and other expensive insecure housing with caring responsibilities that impact on their capacity to work.

@Poppins2016 , I was referring to the threads where posters insist that their children are brothers or sisters when they are half-siblings, and the ones where a stepparent must treat their stepchildren as if they were their own.

Not sure if such posters would want their children's stepparent to do that, and if they would want to consider their XP/ex-spouse's new child to be treated as a ful sibling.

I have no half- or step-siblings AFAIK, but if I'd been brought up with them, I'd probably not treat them differently.

With Ruairi, the age gap between his stepsiblings and half-siblings are huge, but they have known him most of his life.

@TheLassWiADelicateAir , but would that be true if successful middle-aged Julian had brought along 19-yr old Aurora?

.in fact, they are three working age adults in a council property, meaning rent will be very low, in a labour shortage situation.

Jazzer, Tracy, Brad, Chelsea - is one of her brothers still there? Or her Dad? Chelsea is still a week or two off 18, Brad is 16.

Isn’t Bert Horrobin retired?

I’m never quite clear on the Horrobin brothers - Brad and Chelsea’s uncles. I think at least one of them was living at home when Tracy moved in after their mother died. (???) But I also seem to vaguely remember there’s been some development with that brother lately. Did they move out? Could be wrong.

Yes. There would be snickering and comments behind Julian's back.

One of the brothers moved out. Bert Horrobin will at the very least have a state pension and no outlays beyond the shared household outlays.

At 16 and 18 Brad and Chelsea should have part time jobs that will cover most of what they need.