🌟 ⭐ 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!

No, that explanation made very little sense as a theory and has been demonstrated has failed miserably in reality - Chelsea is now the epicenter of public gaze.

Had Chelsea done the obvious, sensible thing and had a termination no-one would even know apart from Tracey and Jazzer. Whereas now the entire village will know by the weekend.

Had she opted to keep it, she and her baby would have been accepted into village life. The horrors of the Horrobins are largely in the past- Tracey and Susan are in the heart of village life and Brad and Chelsea are well liked.

Brad's explanation was feeble to try to explain feeble plotting.

Quite. I only hope that Brad didn't fall for it, poor lad sounded so excited at the idea of a road trip, and seemed to believe that Tracy would have deliberately blocked access.

I was disappointed to find (from Alistair and Jim's conversation) that news of CMR's comeuppance hasn't spread. Although it does mean that fewer people probably know about the pregnancy too. Susan, Harrison, Russ, and Lily know, as well as the immediate family, and possibly Oliver (I can't remember if he does or not), presumably Neil. I feel sorry for her if she has gone away to have an abortion and half the village knows.

As someone on Mustardland pointed out:-

Oh, and why is Jolene getting Alistair to rearrange his schedule? Oh yes, because aiming out beer to the denizens of Ambridge is far more important than animal health

And as for Alastair's comment about sooner making sandals out of fish skin as an alternative past-time???

Susan, Harrison, Russ, and Lily know

So Neil too and likely, Emma, Elizabeth and Freddy and a fair chance Fallon.

So far as Russ' come-uppance, there isn't really one as far as the village is concerned apart from Tracey's accusation- unless you want Chelsea's pregnancy and speculation to be broadcast wider than it already is.

Yes that was a wholly bizarre exchange.

Ah, but maybe the baby would be the spitting image of Brian Aldridge/Harrison/Will Grundy/JoshnBen/Rex Fairfather/CMR/Ryan from MeadowRise/Sol/Rat-owner Gary...

As an aside, and I appreciate that not everyone is pro-royalty but it's the end of an era. I was upset at the news, but it dawned on me that the new queen is a TA listener. One of us.

Completely agree re Al & Jim trip - also who ever heard of a soft play centre opening at 12 ?

The Den scene was so small but well written - he showed exactly who he is.

Whilst I don't think it is Russ a small part of me is thinking could it be him ?

I remember years ago listening to a behind the scenes with the Archers and the basic character storylines were crafted years in advance eg the milk guy at Brookfield (Sam ?) being brought in and would be having an affair with Ruth (mind you current SL generation write everything as they go along hardly bothering to recall character past deeds/ relationships or even ado bc facts )

What a fantastic interview. I also love her storyline ideas - take note, scriptwriters!

I still say it's Freddie

Presume there will be a re recording, perhaps for Sunday? Partial or maybe even full?

Freddie yes. With the proximity to Russ - so that it's Freddie that has caused his sister's relationship break up. Unwittingly of course.

I would have thought he'd be doing more though. He's quite a decent person, if whiny

@JanglyBeads , I expect there will be a topical insert in an upcoming episode.

Usually, not that the recent news is anything usualthey get a couple of actors to record a few lines and slot it in. My guess is will be one of the Archers. It would be nice if they got Peggy to do it, or maybe Jill.

Perhaps they were clever enough to record and store Peggy saying something appropriate in conversation with Jill, or talking to the new twins?

Haha I'd forgotten the fish sandals thing.

Yes I absolutely hate Tracey and her kid's storylines at the mo. Tracey has always been a solid favourite of mine. They don't deserve to be chucked under a bus like this.

I don't get the Lily ire though. She's a young woman, who lost her father young and went through adolescence as the sensible one/ quasi adult in a single parent family. Yes at times she was a snob, or mean, or selfish, but what teenager isn't? I think it's easy fall into the trap of holding sensible seeming teenagers to higher account than their peers.
I mean the whole late father, inappropriate older man is pretty textbook, no? She's clearly vulnerable even if she's set up materially.

I really want it to be Freddie's and the Horrobins to get fully involved in and transform Lower Loxley, but I don't see it happening.

And yes! So a soft play that opens at 12, with its reception in the middle, doesn't know who it's staff are or aren't, and allows anyone off the street to come in wander around unchecked.

I think I'D rather sew slippers out of fish skins than take my kids there tbh.

I had assumed it was a classical reference picked up from Jim. Wrong! Ashamed of my ignorance now …

www.ft.com/content/e58e58ce-baa9-11e5-b151-8e15c9a029fb

I don't get the Lily ire though

It's mainly just me but
Years of patronising and being condescending to Freddy;

The bare faced lying to her mother, and anyone who would listen, about why she had to give up university. The truth was she was failing the course and she and Russ had run through all of mummy's money. She had no option other than to run home. Fortunately for her it coincided with Lizzie's illness so Lily pretended she'd come home to save her mother and single handedly save LL. This lie was eventually found out when bailiffs turned up to collect rent arrears, although Lily only last week was still peddling the lie about her sacrifice.

The tutoring of Chelsea was originally going to be done by Lily (can't remember why, but it wasn't Russ' idea and it was Lily who was the first choice) Lily, unsurprisingly, was both useless and patronising- using terms which Chelsea didn't understand, failing to explain and quickly losing her patience. Russ took over.

The hair cutting was initiated by Lily too. Chelsea offered it as a thank you for the tutoring. Russ wasn't keen at all. Lily stepped in and insisted he accept. It came across as very bad faith on Lily's part as she was as surprised as Russ when it turned out well.

So, no I'm not pleased that Chelsea is being used as a pawn to sort out Lily's life.

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Okay fair point I get why you don't like her.

Most of that doesn't wind me up though, especially patronising siblings and trying to make leaving uni seem more altruistic than it was. If she hadn't been groomed by Russ it would have likely been a success.

I also think whether or not Chelsea is a pawn remains to be seen on who the father is. (Clearly still pinning my hopes on her carrying their heir to LL and the rise of the house of Horrobin.)

Those are good points lass - particularly how awful she can be to Freddie. I do still feel that Russ has taken advantage of her and that a teacher-student relationship can never be on equal terms.

I’d forgotten Russ blackmailed Freddie. Ugh.

The message was ominous. I hope the father is Blake rather than Freddie - although he is another young person who should be allowed more of a childhood rather than the pressure of parenthood.

I found it odd how in the conversations between T and C she never discussed the BIG question: do you want to have a termination?

I like Lily! My parents completely failed to provide me with a stately home, but nevertheless I find her character and failings highly relatable. Superciliousness, recklessness, unwillingness to recognise huge mistakes, reframing the past, overweening pride, poor stewardship of one’s own potential - I recognise every bit of that from my own youth. (It’s true I hated her for a moment when she called Noluthando’s outfit ‘urban’ - but one hopes she’s matured since then.)

And she exists in such an interesting context, dramatically speaking. Obviously all young people have potential - but it’s going to be fascinating to see whether she eventually shares the management of LL (despite female) or whether the SWs send her off to a ranch in South America and we don’t hear from her again for decades.

Just ignore the haterz @TheLassWiADelicateAir - come and sit down in the Orangery with me and we'll hold the inaugural meeting of the Russ Defence League!

Oh please the latter. She's far more insufferable than Pip.

I found it odd how in the conversations between T and C she never discussed the BIG question: do you want to have a termination?

The closest was "what do you want to do?'

I fear that ship has sailed given how many people now know she is pregnant. There might be more pressure to continue with the pregnancy than risk judgemental talk about an abortion.

If the father isn't a member of the first families with all the decades long dynastic drama that will cause (and ability to pay maintenance) they've just landed a teenager from a poor background with a baby.

I really bloody hope the father is not Blake.

Blake is so child like and last seen without any proper income not to mention the huge physical injury combined with illiteracy.