🌟 ⭐ 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!

I didn’t mean to quote! I was talking about my post on cousinship. I’m giving up before I embarrass myself even more

Oh I know I contented myself with a sigh of exasperation

Clear quote doesn't always work
George and Chelsea are first cousins once removed

Is nobody vaguely hopeful Pip will move from Ambridge?

Would George know about this?

Was it a letter? I was only half listening and thought it was a text or an email and thought to myself- no a solicitor would never communicate like that.

Missive, say. It came through on Tracy's phone, so email, email with letter attachment, or just possibly text. Nonsense on stilts no matter what it was.

Just listening to tonight's. Dear oh dear oh dear.

Anybody understand what happened at the end? I don't. Is Tracy lying about Gemma and the shifts? Has Tracy murdered Gemma? Can I bring myself to care?

And so to bed ...

God the HR bloke had me yipping. Years and years of union work had me climbing the walls about how it was not how such meeting would go. Suffering Jesus, would the the car-scratching business even get into such a meeting?

The way he introduced the topic, or not, getting Tracy to say what the meeting was about! If she had a "friend" with her to note how it was run, because Tracy won't remember it, he could seriously mess up disciplinary just for that procedural fuck-up.

To be fair, it might be TA showing us how such things happen. Every single disciplinary I've seen lost by management in schools has been a procedural error.

Aargh.

Nice move on Gemmur's part to get the bullying claims in first. Classic.

My impression was that Tracy is lying. That she has lost her job but is hoping she can find another one, or at least another way of getting the money. It would be odd if the SW spent so much time on the early part of the meeting, where nothing happened, but left out the later part where everything was resolved ‘satisfactorily’.

Also she sounded as if she was lying …

Yes, this. Procedurally bizarre. Also, Gemma is T's supervisor so her making a bullying claim is unusual (although such things do, of course, happen). Just cringe-making.

Gemma's accusations of bullying struck me as odd too.
Tracey was almost certainly lying about not having resigned.

I'd like to see Pip being dunked, but I'm crossing my fingers that there'll be an accident in the swimming pool

Oh, goodness, isn’t that what I said? Have I made yet another mistake?

Was it a letter? I was only half listening and thought it was a text or an email and thought to myself- no a solicitor would never communicate like that. A solicitor would have addressed it to Chelsea. What were they doing intercepting her post?

Maybe not as she's a child and this is a prosecution rather than a damages claim?

Nice move on Gemmur's part to get the bullying claims in first. Classic. Have we not been given all the story? Gemma is a new and inexperienced manager. Tracy went in on day one challenging her about things that were wrong. Is there a possibility she did feel threatened?

Do HR usually collude in naked blackmail?

It's probably ultimately not a very clever thing for Gemma to have done. Effectively she's told HR that she doesn't know how to manage her team.

Tracy has resigned but us keeping quiet about it.

Maybe she'll go on the game... In order to bring in money to keep up the pretence that she is still working at the chicken farm.

You cam bet your bottom dollar that if the awful Pip met a man she would chuck Toebee out of the cottage sooner than you can say "jack Robinson".

Actually would Susan have got a job as Post Mistress with her criminal record?

It seems quite unrealistic that Gemma, a supervisor in a chicken processing factory, a) has a fancy convertible car (if I remember correctly) and b) has been able to get a solicitor on board so quickly for this letter to be written and delivered. The whole thing is ridiculous.

I did wonder if the HR thing was them trying to get evidence against Gemma from Tracy to build a case, surely Tracy isn't her first victim?

I find the whole thing about age of criminal responsibility/adulthood difficult. Someone is old enough to be held responsible for their misdoings but not old enough to receive their own correspondence? Ten is old enough “to tell right from wrong” but does a 10 year old really understand the consequences of their actions?

Interesting that Susan didn’t have any problems with the computer system. (Of course SWs weren’t going to touch that story with a bargepole

From one of the many webpages about private prosecutions:

If you believe you have a case against someone, the first thing to do is to have a private prosecutor review your case. They will be able to advise on whether any prosecution is likely to succeed.
If it’s decided to proceed with the case, the prosecutor will prepare evidence and statements and an application will also be made to the court for a summons

Was there really enough time for all that to happen since last week? Seriously? When the courts are, we’re told, absolutely groaning at the seams with strain and serious cases are waiting months/years? Or was this letter (or email, or carrier-pigeon) just from a tame solicitor saying Gemma wanted to bring a private prosecution? Because they seem like two very different things.

Yes she's resigned, for sure. Poor Tracey. One thing I do like about the way her character is painted is that she consistently falls apart when taken to task by people (same in the job interview) - she's not a quick thinker under pressure, so she finds herself unable to defend herself. Very realistic for many.

Your last comment made me laugh, I was thinking exactly the same. (Plus I haven't heard that phrase for ages!!!)

I can't believe Pip's not been "helened" yet if she keeps up that sarcastic, patronising tone at Toby all the time for years and years.

Honestly I bloody hate that woman, I'd happily push her into the slurry pit (ok maybe not that, but at least under some trampling cows).

Please do, @TheHideAndSeekingHill . I'd like her to make one of her arrogant selfish decisions and come to a sticky and terminal end, taking the Fat Fairchild with her.