👑 Archers thread #139: Who’s the Daddy? No ceremonial required to join us – discuss The Archers here!

[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 like the sound of Lilian’s Cinnamon Chicken, 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.)

I'm often struck by the time a thread ends how irrelevant the previous title has become to what's currently going on in The Archers. The Queen's death has only been mentioned very briefly in TA, of course, but I suppose that was to be expected in a time of budget constraints. In a few weeks when this thread fills up I wonder if we will still be thinking that, and about Chelsea and her pregnancy. That depends on what she decides to do, which at the time of writing is still up in the air.

As usual, I asked for title ideas and for various reasons then didn't use them. Sorry. Lillian Gish's was very witty - Will Chelsea stay mum about dad? Muddler made a more controversial one - Horrobins thread #139. As a new Great House of Ambridge emerges, come swear your allegiance here.

That's about all I can face saying about TA at the moment. I am expecting to have to travel north soon as my Dad is in hospital and I have to be with my Mum. (They're the same sort of age as Jill Archer, and up to now have been like her and Peggy, very active, managing very well with no help, but this may all be about to change ). So apologies if I'm more absent than present for a while. Will pop in when I can.

Shula's really off, isn't she? 😢

Oo the father's from Ambridge

And
Is anyone else slightly surprised they didn't decide to, in some way, edit an episode going out today featuring a visit to a grave, much discussion of death, and marmalade sandwiches?!

Why does the choice have to be abortion or keep a baby you didn't want, can't afford and can't look after?

Or because adoption is now the most frowned on choice?

Very few people have an issue with abortion. Very few people would have an issue with Chelsea keeping the baby but making these the only socially acceptable options mean women who think abortion is morally wrong keep babies they didn't want.

I'm getting a bit fed up of the rose- tinted glasses here. The reality is many "Chelseas" aren't "wonderful mother's" but are terrible mothers who cause terrible damage to their children.

I hate this story. The pregnancy should never have happened and if it did, Chelsea should have a termination.

I love Shula

I'm so not liking the Chelsea storyline - ooh let Alistair just bump into her today so she can ask about his wonderful experience parenting Daniel.

Far out there thought but seeing how bad the storylines have been over last year or so can anyone else see Al's investigations on her behalf leading to someone wrongly thinking he's the Father ?

My money now is also on Freddie as I'm not sure we can have Josh or Ben after the Pip & Rosie storyline of past although why would Tracey kick off if it was Freddie ?

Why by the way is Shula being written out ? Is she just taking bc a break ?

Shula lying to Harrison about Rob and the hunt saboteur was one of the most despicable things an Ambridger has done.

I wonder if things would have turned out differently if she hadn't been so spineless and deceitful.

Someone is going to catch Alistair doing his "research" for Chelsea and leap to the conclusion that he is the father.

Fast forwarded all of Shula- what a bore she is.

Boop Alastair.

My money now is also on Freddie as I'm not sure we can have Josh or Ben after the Pip & Rosie storyline of past although why would Tracey kick off if it was Freddie ?

If it's Freddie, that's some poker faces he and Chelsea have- given neither of them gave anything away when Chelsea went to apologise to Lily.

Is he married/ long term relationship? Otherwise why would Tracey be annoyed if it were any of the single young men in the village?

None of them are bad apart from George. Ruari's behaviour with Julianne is awful but no-one in the village knows about that, apart from Ben.

Johnny and Rex are lovely. Ben and Josh are as tedious as the rest of their family but they're good sorts.

Toby? Feckless , previous form and semi- spoken for?

Where does she think she's going that she has to get down to their level and dress for the Arctic?

Dan is a very serious chap, isn’t he? I suppose he got the fuzzy-end of the lollipop with Shula as his Mum but he seems very dour company to me. Army boys are usually a bit more jolly, in my (admittedly limited) experience…

I am highly offended on behalf of Sunderland - could Shula have sounded any more patronising?

The father is someone Chelsea thinks might interfere with her decisions, and/or wouldn't be responsible about maintaining the baby if she has it. I'm thinking that points more towards George.

But I too am getting awfully tired of Chelsea going into strops when someone reasonably points out that refusing to talk about the pregnancy won't magically solve all her problems. Please God let them resolve this one quickly.

Many, many years ago someone I knew at university gave up her baby for adoption. She was a strict Catholic so wouldn't contemplate abortion, and the charmless father said he wouldn't have anything more to do with her if she kept the baby. Frankly, I would have thought that was all the more reason to dump him, but she couldn't contemplate that. It buggered up her university degree though she did eventually finish it, and in fact she went on and married the father and had more children with him.

I've always wondered how on earth she could cope with knowing that her children had a full sibling out there, and indeed realising what she had missed out on and was continuing to miss out on with her first child. Also I wonder how that child would react if they went looking for their mother and discovered what sort of a shit their father was and what their life might have been like if she had kept them - or indeed whether they had actually been better off out of it.

It's one of those things that makes me even more doubtful about religion than I am already, and therefore somewhat impatient with people like Shula with their absolute certainty that they are right about their beliefs.

I thought they were setting Natasha up for full on postpartum psychosis initially (family history of bipolar, sleep deprivation, slightly erratic behaviour) but it just fizzled out. It’s a shame, it probably could have made a really interesting storyline.

I really hope it's not George - he is totally despicable and I can't see Chelsea & him getting together even for a drunken one night stand

I said Freddie earlier , still sticking with him as I can't see who else it can be having discounted Josh & Ben. Too many oldies. Can't see it being Ruari or Rex / who are we ignoring ?

I had hoped Dan and Stella could be an item ? I think Rex has dropped off the SW sheet

Why by the way is Shula being written out ? Is she just taking bc a break ?

I thought ages ago, Judy Bennett and Charles Collingwood had said something about wanting to retire.

I disagree so much! I feel really sorry for Tracey & shock pregnancy notwithstanding think Chelsea is being an enormous brat. The disappearing act was ridiculous.

Overall I think the Chelsea storyline is quite horrible, the gratuitous stringing out of 'who's the father' feels very TV-soap-like & un-Archers-like.

It's also so PC, everyone has carefully used the 'right' terminology & Alistair in last night's episode sounded like he was reading from a script (!) about 'how to refer to unexpected pregnancy in discussions'

Absolutely not very Christian then was she?

I was convinced that Jazzer was going to spot it last night. I don't have children or work with them but I'd be very weary of promising to keep secrets for them . Alastair should tell Jazzer or Tracy.

Out of curiosity I googled "can a man stop a woman having an abortion"

Goodness knows what search engine Chelsea was using- the results were unequivocal- No.

(I did know the answer obviously, it's just another nonsensical twist)

maybe chrlsea needs to be pointed to a chatsite called mommasweb