🌟 ⭐ 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!

Couldn’t agree more. I just skipped that entire section.

I’m really surprised that they don’t have a special episode pre-recorded - the main stalwarts reminiscing in the bull kind of thing that they could slot into any storyline on Sunday evening. Bit disappointed really.

apologies if I’ve missed this suggestion already but I’m wondering if George is the father. I was certain for a while and then remembered they are third (?) cousins which made me pause. But seeing as it’s not Blake, and now less likely Russ, I’m wondering about George again. Particularly as he’s been more prominent lately as a potential wrong ‘un and there was that episode where he made Chelsea groom the Guinea pigs and he had a general bad vibe.

(regular name changer, very sporadic Radio Addicts poster, hi!)

Please let it be Ben. Then it'll be bye bye Beth.

The late Queen and Prince Philip were third cousins. It isn't an obstacle but I don't think it's George anyway. She hates him and if the reason she hates him is because he raped her she probably wouldn't want to keep the baby. She was talking to Blake about a cot so I assume she intends to keep it.

Hmm. I'm glad she's safely back but if my daughter had put me through hell like that I would be struggling to snap back and feel no resentment. Would it have killed Chelsea to send her mum or Brad a text and say she'd gone away for a few days to do some thinking and not to worry?

I liked the bit with Lynda and Lilian.

Ben or Josh? Josh or Ben? Surely it has to be one of them, unless they go for the much more realistic scenario of Chelsea having a very brief encounter with someone who has then disappeared from her life, much like Jennifer and Paddy Redmond decades ago. I really don't believe she'd keep the baby, though.

Why does Blake sound like Ali G?

Delurking. Am I the only one who remembers an exchange between Russ and Chelsea a day or two after the rave? She definitely spoke to him like someone who had just had regrettable drunken sex with him and he responded like someone who genuinely couldn’t remember.

@NGKfiver , George is Chelsea's cousin once removed.
Chelsea's mother and George's grandmother are sisters.

I want it to be Ben too. Bye bye boring Beth.

Excellent question, SaltyCrisp …

You’re not, Softleftpowerstance! It was definitely thrown in to raise our suspicion and sew confusion (in my mind at least).

Josh. Deffo.

And I think Chelsea will keep the baby. She was on my list of next potential Ambridge mothers, we’ve just had babies born in the village so the next one has to be cooking. (The only unknown is Mary Amy this coming Christmas - if we knew whether that was happening we could make a better guess about the likely arrival of little Brooklyn / Lizzo!)

Well done to whoever said she would be with Blake - I must confess I'd forgotten she had much interaction with him (though remembered the haircut when it was alluded to last night). How pregnant do we think she is? A couple of months? I have to be honest and say although I haven't missed an episode, I have kind of tuned out as some of it has been so dire (Beth/Steph Casey anyone?). I think @MuddlerInLaw has it right though in saying that the rave is the key - simply because it was so random there had to be a reason for including it. In hindsight it was a means of gathering all the suspects together in the same place and in a scenario where no-one was very clear what was going on rather like an old fashioned country house whodunit. I'm really wishing I'd paid more attention now, but the more eagle-eyed (or whatever the equivalent is for ears!) remember details such as Ben spilling his beer over Chelsea and Chelsea changing her dress at some point. I would say anyone who was at the rave is in the frame. It's funny really because as a PP said, up until the point she announced she was pregnant, there had been no hint of any boyfriends. If it's not Russ then I'd like it to be Freddie as that would have the most dramatic possibilities (it would also achieve maximum disruption at LL after Tracy's accusations).

All I’m certain of is that Chelsea’s bun will cause a movement of the pieces on the chess board.

Maybe she’ll move into The Stables?

Maybe Pip - sans Toby, now he’s leaving - will be removed from Rickyard so Chelsea plus baby can be under the fierce eye of the child’s Brookfield grandparents.

Maybe Susan will insist her niece moves in with her?

Maybe Joy will finally be brought into play?

I’d like Chelsea to end up somewhere grand. That would be a proper story!

If Chelsea keeps the baby please let her give birth off air in a mid-wife led facility and not in the back of a taxi, the bar in the Bull, the lambing shed or Ian's pizza van.

But Salty, this is a soap opera. A one night-stand inevitably leads to a pregnancy, and the baby is usually born either at Christmas, New Year's eve or Easter, and rarely in a planned birth in a midwife led facility.

Crossed you, Lil’G - but yes, Freddie would be an exciting prospect.

It’s funny because just a couple of weeks ago I was wondering why he was now being painted as pretty much asexual. Obviously imprisonment must have put a dampener on his romantic life - but really, what’s the point of being a young, rich, handsome heir to a stately home if you’re doing nothing worth remembering in your dotage??

How do we know the exchange at the beginning wasn’t pre-recorded.

but if it wasn’t then realistically they probably had some rough script written and then just put it in the mouths of whoever was already going to be in that day’s/week’s episode. Would have been quite weird to have had eg Shula and Elizabeth having an exchange out of context of their current storylines.

I found the Lynda/Lillian exchange a bit OTT... the reminiscing about the coronation and general conversation was lovely, but I didn't find them getting tearful over the book of condolence very believable. If Lynda had said she had a lovely moment of remembrance/reflection as she signed the book of condolence earlier that day that would have been more in character. I can't believe that she would be overthinking about what she wrote after she'd done it (it's Lynda, she would have thought it out beforehand)!

I suppose it was a hastily written scene and I'm probably unreasonable to be picking it apart, but the scriptwriters really do seem to have forgotten the 'essence' of some of the long term characters recently...

Justin and Lynda suddenly seem to be very friendly. He used to do all he could to avoid her.......

It was clearly indicated that he prefers the company of Lynda to Lilian at this point - I can’t believe she’d have an affair, and it may be that he’s just got bored with his partner - but I CAN believe this will piss Lilian off to the point that she may move out for a while. Maybe in with Kate? Or Jenny?

Is anyone listening to North and South? Harrison is making a remarkably good job of playing Mr Thornton it probably helps that I'm visualising Richard Armitage

I remember a jokey exchange between Chelsea and Russ, initiated by Chelsea, where Chelsea was teasing Russ about not remembering what happened at the rave. It was nothing like you describe. Chelsea thought it was funny.

If the thing Chelsea was teasing Russ about was his inability to remember having had sex with her that would actually raise possible issues of consent- and not in a good way for Chelsea.

Lynda or Lillian? What a choice.

I'm tryly honoured, and am only able to accept this wonderful award thanks to @Scarydinosaurs mentioning him in the first place

Or even truly honoured

 toButtonSister

Jolly well guessed!

I swear that Bleak changes his accent every time that he is in an episode.

Is he living in a hostel in Felpersham?

I'm bored with Lillian's kitchen already!