🌟 ⭐ 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!

Oh - Ambridge Apocalypse is a thrilling thought!

But surely Fallon will take over The Bull when her mum and step-dad retire? Cue Hardy-esque return of native son of Kathy and daughter of Sid and Polly seeking their shares. <Rubs hands>

Are we not all assuming Judy Bennett is retiring? Or is this just a sabbatical?

Following on from the musings above, I could see Tracy and Jazzer running The Bull

Jazzer is far too obnoxious to be a good pub landlord. I don't get the love for him on here. The sex pest incident at the hotel was revolting and cost Tracey a potential extra bonus.

He's a complete chancer and his behaviour towards Alastair and Jim is often deeply unpleasant.

Everything about Alice is preposterous. She was extremely irritating last night.

Is Shula really going? Really really?

The Ambridge job fairy strkes again. Thank goodness.

How long before the truth about Ruairi gets around?

Well, Justin will tell Lillian...

We can but hope…

I don't like some of you right now. I love Shula and Alice. I even love Kenton right now.

What is the truth about Roauaeri?

That he is the paid plaything of a wealthy and powerful older woman.

Or, as Ben put it, a prostitute.

Cue Jazzer assuming he has a free bar tab in the Bull…

What am I missing: why do people think Beth might fall for Josh?

also, how old is Beth supposed to be?

Ooh finally caught up in time to listen tonight.

Did enjoy Ruari's cringing.

Tbh though it pains me to see an intelligent successful woman being written to ditch her career, I do think the stables would be good for Alice. I found leaving office work for more outdoorsy career did my mental health the world of good, so maybe I'm projecting but I hope it works out for her.

I don't think Chelsea and Russ slept together. I don't think Chelsea would have behaved around him the same when he came to help her if something had happened.

So happy Tracey has a job well done to pp who clocked the vacancy at the Bull. Thought her job interview was ludicrous though. She's far from being a moron.

@Bernadinetta , Neither have experience of running a business, and both are soft-hearted.
@RandomCatGenerator , Not sure, but she is old enough to have a job. Ben is 20.

why do people think Beth might fall for Josh? because it's a soap and the SW have form.

Tbh though it pains me to see an intelligent successful woman being written to ditch her career,

Was Alice ever intelligent and successful?

Yes, I'd so Lass. One may not like Alice, but I'd say to get an engineering degree one must be academically able. (Although obviously intelligence is limited to academic fields.)

The success thing I take your point, but it seemed to be going well until her addiction got in the way.

why do people think Beth might fall for Josh - because he was so set against her moving in and Ben had to really talk him round (he may live to regret that), because Ben made the point about he and Beth not being a touchy feely couple and Beth might find herself spending more time with Josh collecting eggs etc etc, because of the chat Jill had with Beth about not being a country girl then ending up on the farm - Ben is going to be a nurse, Josh is going to be a farmer, because Beth made such a big thing about being cheated on and it will be interesting to see how she herself feels when temptation comes into her path and it would a supreme irony after she suspected Ben of doing the dirty on her with her sister she ended up doing the dirty on Ben with his brother...

Kill Me Now …

Agree, of course, but it would be unbearably depressing. And I don’t want decades of enmity at Brookfield.

But Beth is definitely bedded in for the long run with one or the other brother.

Kill Me Now … I am of a similar opinion, but I think some of the signs are there unfortunately.

No - please no - just absolutely no. That would be the last and final straw.

I love the idea of Jazzer and Tracey running the bull - though they are a bit of a carbon copy of Kenton and Jolene (minus archer connection). Tracey would be a brilliant landlady.

I can't agree that it's a shame for Alice to ditch her "career" for running the stables. If she took it over properly it's a thriving small business, surrounded by horses (I can't stand them but she loves them) with family close by in a lovely place to bring up her child. Given she's got no real enthusiasm for engineering apparently I can't see why she wouldn't change her ambitions and define success now as staying sober, running a business (with obvious potential for expansion) and raising her kid.

Re: Josh - I can believe he'll fall in love with Beth and that story could run and run for decades, it would be far MORE interesting if she never went for him though. No sex. He'd just be THERE in the background always wishing she'd change her mind, will probably let it out when drunk etc.

Yes I do actually agree that the stables is a good fit for Alice, I guess I was really just complaining that Justin, Lilian and Shula had all discussed her taking it on when Alice herself had never expressed any interest or even had any idea that it was something she might be considered for. It's also a bit dismissive of what are probably many people out in the world with lots of stable management experience who have been working up to such opportunities, whereas Alice is essentially a rich girl who had horses and failed in her first, completely unconnected, career. But she is family of course. Just as Shula was to Christine before her.

I do also think that it's a bit odd to characterise engineering as a "rat race" type career. But it was more of a stretch for Alice when they wrote that in.

They are

But neither of them have any financial acumen.

Posted too soon. Not stretch in terms of her intelligence, just didn't seem like a subject that she was ever very interested in, or an industry that suited her personality.