👑 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.

God, Jolene and Lilian snooping through Kenton’s teenage diary was weird. Who do we think he consoled himself with after being snubbed by the fragrant whatsername? I got myself mildly excited thinking that it might be Susan, and Tracey could be her and Kenton’s child, but the ages don’t fit. Kenton is 17 or so years older than Tracey, but Susan would have been 12. It would have been ridiculous but no more so than any other bloody stories at the mo. They do love a compare/contrast and that would have been interesting with what Chelsea is going through. I would love Tracey and Susan having an Eastenders style ‘you’re not my muvva’ ‘yes I aaaaaam’ moment.

Maybe Tracey and Jazza could pretend it's their baby.

They do love a compare/contrast

They could have cut to something interesting and plausible- e.g Kirsty taking Ardil bird watching; Joy and her new man; a telephone conversation between Alastair and Denise, or, and I can't believe I'm saying this but anything would be better than this drivel, Chris and Alice moving to a reconciliation.

**

Is there any pregnancy in Ambridge that’s neither unplanned nor problematic?

Kirsty - stillborn
Gnasher - twins, gestational diabetes
Martha - alcoholic mother, premature, possible FAS
Pip - unplanned, feckless father
Kate (Phoebe) - unplanned, legal custody tussle
Helen - (Henry) IVF by donor on day that Nigel died, Jack (conceived by rape, evil father)
Shula - IVF & predeceased father
Emma - (George) DNA testing to determine father, shotgun wedding
Susan (Emma) shotgun wedding, (Christopher) cleft palates issues
Hayley - premature birth
Jill (Elizabeth) - cardiac issues
Siobhan - (“love child”)
Elizabeth (abortion after abandonment)
Sharon (father predeceased)
Cathy (older Mum)

I would dump Ben for sure if I were Beth. Of course he could sleep with who he liked after she'd dumped him, but during that short period of time he was trying to get back to together with her and leaving messages IIRC, basically doing a constant whine of "I am faithful and reliable". Shagging a schoolgirl from the village doesn't exactly tally with that, as he was clearly hopeful of still getting back together with Beth.

And given that it did happen, he should have told her when they were getting back together if he wanted to be thought of as honest. They were really not split up for long at all.

Freddy and Lily presumably were without drama.

Grundy children born after Ed and Emma and Will and Nick married.

Emma after Susan and Neil married.

Jenny and Brian with Kate and Alice

Bethly Bore asking "was it Steph" shows she doesn't trust him and has quite a low opinion of him. It mirrors Lily thinking Russ might have been the father.

I fear however we're in for the long haul with her- alhough not sure how the circle will be squared if Chelsea keeps the baby and stays in the village.

Tbf I don’t think either of Emma’s weddings was ‘shotgun’?

The scene after Elizabeth went into labour began with her weeping and distraught - causing listeners to fear the worst. But it was ‘only’ that Freddie was in the neonatal unit for a short while after birth.

Not irregular but I think I remember Brian opining that Jenny was a mite too old to have another child when she either wanted another child or became pregnant with Alice. (Could be wrong!) Was Alice compensation for his affair with Caroline?

not sure how the circle will be squared if Chelsea keeps the baby and stays in the village

One way ✈️ to New Zealand? (Not even sure I’m joking - it would be very 19th c. Vince could set her up nicely with a hairdressing business there. Doubt it would happen because the producers would be mad to lose Chelsea when she’s such a brilliant character.)

Elizabeth's pregnancy wasn't straightforward. She was born with a heart condition, and she had an operation while pregnant IIRC.

@jjimdak , you forgot Vicky and Bethany - older mother, much older father with depression, and baby with DS. Also Ruth (miscarriage).

I think that Emma with Keira was pretty planned and undramatic. Ed made it to the birth and everything.

Nic and Poppy too, except that there was some sort of early disagreement between Will and Nic about whether to have a baby (he wanted one, she wanted more independence I think?)

Perhaps Pat and her three were boring planned ones?

I can't remember, @HaveringWavering , but Helen had clicky hips.

Thank the Lord that it has finally dawned on the SWs that wanting to put a new stained glass window into a village church isn't straightforward.

Lillian always sounds so spectacularly clueless in such scenes.

There's little else to celebrate in the episodes so it deserves some credit.

To be fair, the SW might well have been fully aware and this is just part of the storyline.

Ruth's pregnancies were pretty unremarkable weren't they?

I think the reason we haven't had many unremarkable pregancy SL recently might be partly down to the fact that few of the childbearing-age women are in stable relationships where it would be unremarkable. There's Tom and Natasha, Fallon and Harrison (I can't remember if there's anything in particular that would make having a baby unwise for them, they're generally not major characters so I forget) ... That's about it, isn't it? Emma and Ed are probably done for now, their youngest child is 11. Kate's in her mid-40s so if she did get pregnant, it wouldn't be unremarkable. Pretty much none of the rest of the younger generation are in long-term relationships so any pregnancy is presumably going to be unplanned.

Fallon and Harrison (I can't remember if there's anything in particular that would make having a baby unwise for them, they're generally not major characters so I forget)
Fallon doesn't want children, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Although I remembered that, I took it to be within the realms of SW possibilty that she would change her mind sometime, whether or not that reflects RL. I meant that there's no real obstacle to a baby physically, financially (I can't imagine they're well off on a police and tea shop salary, plus whatever upcycling she's still doing, but they wouldn't make a SL about them struggling because there's families like the Horrobins who fulfil that precarious role) or emotionally.

Kate has started the menopause I think after a pregnancy scare sometime in lockdown.

Yes, I remember a storyline about that, I wasn't sure what the outcome was. In any case, she's a rubbish mother to the kids she's already got; even if she were physically capable of it, it would be a terrible idea for her to have another one.

Harrison is good with money, so I doubt they’re struggling. (In fact, given how he coaxed Fallon into marriage with his ‘securing our joint finances’ skills, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up a rich widow sooner rather than later …)

Helen’s in her early 40s - she might want to secure Lee’s place in the cast; he seems quite peripheral at the moment.

And Kate’s likely to become a grandmother at some point. Phoebe and Noluthando are now both in their 20s …

Of course, I completely forgot about Lee, I was thinking of Helen as single.

Res ipsa loquitur. Lee needs an Archer baby of his very own!

And Helen deserves a nice easy pregnancy after the trauma of conceiving through rape and giving birth in prison. Causa finita est.

Over on other bits of social media, there are ruminations that Beth might also be pregnant.

I'll just leave that thought here.

It would certainly be an interesting long term storyline!

Lee and Helen have 4 children between them already. Helen is 43. I doubt she wants to start again.

I doubt that Beth is upduffed, or I hope not. I hope she dumps Ben.