👑 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.

Oh ffs! I haven't listened yet but presumably this means more handwringing and Ben being maudlin. I don't mind Beth at all. She's mikes better than Hannah or Natasha.

And apparently there is someone in Ambridge too stupid to realise there might be a connection with a teenager going missing and his one night stand with her- or too callous to care.

I'll second that.

To be honest, I find this story quite unbelievable... I just don't believe that Ben would have slept with Chelsea, even if he and Beth 'were on a break'.

There was a lot that pointed to Russ - his various interactions with Chelsea, the fact that he had an extremely questionable relationship with a student when married and made some dubious moral choices like blackmailing her brother. He’s a vile character and it’s wonderful that he’s gone.

Ben / Beth / Chelsea are all dull and honestly who cares? TA is very boring at the moment. The attempt to make it young and hip isn’t quite working - the characters just aren’t believable.

Ugh I’m so disappointed.

Would they really not have an abortion now? It’s surely still possible?

Ben was single - Beth can’t really complain!

I’ve completely forgotten how Martha was conceived now - similar one night stand situation?

None of Russ' interactions with Chelsea pointed to that, especially the interactions after the rave. It was completely implausible that Chelsea would have teased him about not remembering what happened that evening if the thing he couldn't remember was having sex with her.

Ben seems to have had a bit of a character transplant but the fall out should be interesting.

Martha is Chris and Alice’s child - they were (more or less happily) married when she was conceived. But being somewhat reluctantly pregnant worsened Alice’s relationship with alcohol.

We don’t know exactly how pregnant Chelsea is, but if we assume she’s still within the time limits for an abortion there’s no reason why she shouldn’t have one (except that she’s pregnant with an Archer).

Bingbangbongbash I imagine the SWs hope listeners care about the Archers dynasty, as that’s the point of the show. I agree that attempts to appeal to a younger audience have always been cringeworthy, but since the story is about succeeding generations of Archers they do have to keep writing in new members of the Archer clan.Which means (mostly young) people of childbearing /rearing ages having sex and getting pregnant!

That said - it is hard to believe Ben would do this, however drunk, drugged, broken hearted he might have been. I guess there’s no chance Chelsea is mistaken about which brother …

Ok yes @MuddlerInLaw let it actually be Josh.... somehow. He's so much more shady than Ben. And there was that thing when he told his parents they'd done a good job the other week.

But Chelsea wasn't blind drunk or anything.

This seems a ridiculous story.

We don’t know exactly how pregnant Chelsea

If conceived when Ben and Bore were on their break, sometime between 26 June to 7 July; if on the night of the
**

the rave, 1 July. Is y that too late for a medical abortion?

I guess there’s no chance Chelsea is mistaken about which brother

Ahh yes that old stereotype of those pesky lower class girls shagging around and not noticing who they’re doing it with.

Do you mean Rosie rather than Martha?

IIRC Pip and Toby had a sort of friends with benefits thing going on, with vague potential for it to be more but neither of them was really that enthusiastic about making a go of it beyond the sex.

Pip was living at Lower Loxley when Rosie was conceived.

I think this may be the straw that breaks the camels back for me.

Ben is too sensible to not have used a condom, and he was in love with Beth. i don't want Chelsea in a mess and I don't want Ben impacted and it's not their fault it's the scriptwriters.

<sulk>.

To have Ben associated with two betrayals of Beth seems a bit over-egged when we know he’s basically nice

Ben may be ‘basically nice’ but he seems to be one of those guys who things, apparently, happen to. Steph kissed him and he took no responsibility for it happening.

Now Chelsea is pregnant and all we’ll hear is that he was on a break and it didn’t mean anything as he was still in love with Bore. Can’t have been that in love with her- Chelsea must have been given some encouragement.

He is going to learn that actions actually do have consequences and he isn’t ready to play at grown up relationships. He may be nice to his grandmother but he’s just an immature teenage boy. Poor Chelsea- she’d get better maintenance payments from Josh (who is definitely going to end up with Bore)…

Btw, is that Kirsty moonlighting as Eleanor of Aquitaine?

Ben was off his head on the night of the rave with (presumably) a mixture of alcohol, drugs and misery. I'm assuming some sort of quick fumble on the ground with Chelsea which he probably can't even remember. Was she drunk too? Why didn't either of them think of a condom?

<clutches pearls> I so much prefer it when it's all very sedate and the biggest concern is who's going to win the Best Lemon Drizzle Cake section at the Flower and Produce Show. Change counting in the shop (obsolete now, I suppose in these days of contactless payments), listening out for the animal noises when we go to one of the farms, 'Hello, you two!', people making a special trip when any sane person living in 2022 would send a WhatsApp, etc etc. Not this sub-EastEnders nonsense.

And BBC has a big article about Judy Bennett leaving.

I'm reconsidering listening for the first time in over 30 years.

I've just checked and no they are different actresses.

So will Brian fade out too do you think?

I've just checked and no they are different actresses

Oh that was kind of you @Teen- thank you! I didn’t remember Eleanor being into rewilding…

Surely Brian’s recording schedule can’t be that hectic so he carry on as normal and fit in the occasional week in the studio even if his wife has retired. Shula’s posting to Sunderland gives plenty of flexibility for a semi-retired actress - she can pop back (very) occasionally and then leave after a few days. I think that will suit us all.

Ahh yes that old stereotype of those pesky lower class girls shagging around and not noticing who they’re doing it with.

I definitely didn’t mean that! 😇But if it was at the rave, overnight, in the dark - in the aftermath of drink, drugs … (I know it’s possible because case law on mistaken identity sex was a source of rare hilarity when I was an undergrad a billion years ago - though I never came across it for real.)

Oddly enough, as the person Chelsea had phoned came out of the pub and spoke - I couldn’t at first tell whether it was Josh or Ben, though they don’t generally sound identical.

How can this end well? I don’t want Beth heartbroken. (She’s dull but full of potential.) If this means she becomes Mrs Josh then that means eternal enmity between the brothers - which would be grim. Far as I can see Chelsea will be fine either way - but Ben might be running towards the hastily invented cliff the SWs failed to provide for Russ. (I know, his cliff was spiritual …)

Am I going to do anything else today but worry about Archers progeny??

I've been out of it for a few months & only came back last week.

Can someone please enlighten me on where Beth comes from & who she is related to? Thanks

@Tulipomania Beth is daughter of self made man whose name I forget, call him X.

X has another daughter Stephanie (spoilt and selfish) who got married in David & Ruth's barn.
X also owns a slaughterhouse (?) there were run ins with David over this I think.
X is now going out with Lizzie Pargetter.

I like Beth. I think her and Ben are good together.

Ah, she's Vince's daughter? I didn't realise he had 2 daughters I think that's why I was confused.

Thanks TeenDivided

Vince! Yes him.