🌟 ⭐ 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!

@MereDintofPandiculation , George is Mere's step-brother and Mere and Chelsea don't get along.
When Emmur worked at the chicken factory she was saving for a house deposit and had several jobs, so she is unlikely to have been on nights out with Gemma.
Tracey annoyed Gemma when she started.

Lynda gave Stella a perfect opportunity to duck out of dunk the vicar.
Shula would be the ideal stand-in as the vicar being dunked.

My understanding is that private prosecutions are not undertaken lightly and are a costly and time-consuming solution turned to when the criminal justice system has largely failed. I thought they are generally reserved for pretty serious offences and not scratches down the side of a car in a pub car park.

This seems a ridiculous twist, especially given C has admitted liability and offered to pay for any damage caused.

All the more reason to suspect George …

Isn't Chelsea under 18? I'd be amazed if kids are being made to pay damages.

My ears! What have I just listened to? Professional, measured Stella suddenly unable to say 'no thanks, I'll help with the teas instead '

We know that Emmur did know Gemmur, because Susan said so - I think it was before Gemmur became a supervisor.

My crystal ball tells me that it will turn out that Gemmur was OK with Emmur when she worked ate chicken factory because Emmur knew where a significant body was buried. At some point Tracy will Confide All in Susan who will in turn spill the beans to Clarrie who will talk to Emmur about it, and hey presto, everything will be resolved. And Gemmur will be a couple of thousand out of pocket on legal fees.

My crystal ball tells me...

🔮 be like

The balls are in agreement

I wonder if the so called solicitor's letter is actually a fake. Alternatively, Gemma may have strongarmed a family member who works for that firm, or another of her bullying victims, into writing this letter. I know that's ludicrous, but most of this is also ludicrous. I hope it's not too long before Tracy, normally so sharp and quick, does the obvious thing and speaks to her niece, Emma, and gets the dirt on Gemma, and this silly story can go away. Tracy will then be able to go to Summer Orchard to replace the useless Parker.

George and Chelsea are blood relations. I'd have thought he'd be more inclined to support her than his mimsy vegan stepsister Mia, who probably annoys him. Tracy is George's great aunt. Does this make G and C first cousins once removed? In my family we always used the term second cousins for that relationship, but I think that's actually wrong.

Oh, and another thing - last week on Feedback Roger Bolton interviewed the Radio 4 Head of Drama, Alison Hindell, and touched on The Archers. They were talking about the difficulty of attracting younger listeners to R4, which seems to have been discussed regularly on Feedback as long as I've been listening, which is well over 40 years. The HoD said something that stopped me in my tracks - apparently, research has shown that many young people don't even recognise what a radio is when shown a picture. Of course, why should they? They use their phones for almost everything and probably struggle with the idea of listening to things live as opposed to using streaming services and podcasts.

Anyway, RB asked AH if the recent introduction of several new young actors was an attempt to get more young people to listen to TA. She didn't deny it, but if I could be bothered, I'd be writing into Feedback to say I doubt whether that's the solution. When I started listening in the early 80s, one of the things that drew me in was the mix of characters - all ages, both sexes, varied backgrounds. My favourite character (ever) was Nelson Gabriel, who was at least middle-aged at the time. My next favourite was Marjorie Antrobus, who was elderly. I also liked the young Elizabeth Archer and Nigel Pargetter, and there were a good few characters who were not much older than me, but I wouldn't have been sucked in by a drama that was just about people my age.

Am I odd? (No need to answer that!) Do young people now actively avoid drama about older people?

You sound just like me. I liked the mix of characters, and identified with Debbie and Elizabeth, who are about my age. Mrs Antrobus and Nelson were great characters.

I had to spend some time at my daughter's recently and asked the children where the radio was. One of them told me to say 'Alexa play radio 4'.

I always hated the characters my own age (the Archers SW have always been pretty crap at kids) but loved the elderly ladies too. Kind of like being at your granny's.

Exactly!

Aargh!

That was in response to this.

Oh please dear God let Pip move to Stratford with Toebee

HR man is ridiculous as someone who has had some experience of such matters.

Oh, I’ve just had enough now with this utterly crazy SL.

Yes, just absurd. I started preparing a list in my head of what was wrong but it was too long to post...

Completely ridiculous. The HR man was useless. Tracey seems clueless and she would have stood her ground.

Gosh I haven’t seen the archers thread pop up on “active” for years!

I am an almost 24/7 radio listener. I have not listened on an actual radio for several years.

Does this make G and C first cousins once removed? In my family we always used the term second cousins for that relationship, but I think that's actually wrong. Yes, first cousins once removed. I think of the family tree as a ladder, with rungs joining the cousins. First cousins are children of siblings - their first common ancestor is the grandparents. Second cousins, it’s great grandparents and so on.

But if the ladder is wonky, one of the cousins is higher up than the other, then it’s “removed”. So - George is lower than Chelsea, but his mother is first cousin to Chelsea. So they’re first cousins once removed. George would be second cousin to Chelsea’s children.

Ittook me nearly 60 years to gettgat straight in my head

I’m not going to correct that, you can work out what I mean. I don’t get on with tablets. Give me a keyboard every time