👑 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.

A fair few years ago didn't Jill object to Cathy being included in a family picture? Something to do with the fact because Cathy and Kenton had only been together a short while?

Our rule with family pictures is do some with current BF/GF, but definitely also do some without.

Question for those of you who think Ben is lovely- why?

He ditched Evie, whom he'd previously been obsessed with, after his first meeting with Borely Beff. It can't have been Beff's scintillating wit and sparkling personality which attracted him.

I'm now coming to the view Bore won't ditch him- she'd be very happy being miserable and controlling.

Last time I checked, Stratford-upon-Avon was a few miles South East of Brum. An annoying daily commute from Ambridge, for sure, but I am sure plenty of families manage to cope with one parent absent during the week. I quite enjoy it!

So is that Shula, Carol, Peggy and the Fairbrothers off the cast list for the forseeable?

Stratford is less than 15 miles from Ambridge.

I think Beth has caused such offence to get them on side with the concept of welcoming in Ben’s baby.

Jill will always favourite Ben.

P.s I’m new here and very much enjoying the fabulous nicknames.

Are we really meant to believe that the former friends with benefits, Pip & Toby, have been sharing a bed all these years without the occasional Special Cuddle?

I think the SWs conveniently (or genuinely) forget people's living arrangements until they need to make a storyline out of it. Like Pip was sleeping in the dining room at Brookfield for ages before she moved into Rickyard, which surely would have been an inconvenience for everyone, but I don't remember it being mentioned much. And then there was a big fuss over Toby sleeping on the sofa while looking after (then not very Fat) Rosie so eventually Pip invited him back into her bed on the condition that he didn't try it on. And it's never been mentioned since ... apparently neither of them have ever wanted to hook up with each other or anybody else (I know Toby used to be seen as a bit of a player, has he had a girlfriend since Pip?). I'm also confused as to the number of bedrooms/size of quite a lot of the other houses.

I remember "being shaken to the core"/spitting my tea out when Toby had that discussion with Leonard about sharing a bed with Pip solely because it was soo uncomfortable on the sofa.

Where did/does Rosie sleep? Why couldn't Toby have looked after her at the capacious bungalow with Bert and Rex?

Was this all during lockdown monologues when we were hesitating to rant.

You mean that Bungalow which is now home to a single person having previously housed three? Another house with a mysteriously ill-defined number of bedrooms! I think (not sure) that Rickyard is supposed to have two bedrooms (which of course means that the whole Jill having to move out so that HeatherPet could have Pip's old room was ridiculous, why couldn't Pip have shared Rickyard with one of the grandmothers?!) - Rosie is in one and Pip (and, until recently, Toby) in the other.

Have we a new thread yet?

Soon ...

It was nice hearing Helen, Lee and Joy tonight.

I'll be very cross if Mick turns into a bad 'un.

New thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4648330-archers-thread-140-changing-rooms-at-brookfield-with-leonard-llewellyn-bowen-or-saving-souls-with-st-smugula-in-the-heathen-wastelands-of-the-north-discuss-the-archers-here

Learned this the hard way after having to take the scissors to a graduation pic after a messy break up. Luckily GF was on the end!

@MumOfNowGrownupKids - come and join us on the new thread! Gasp0de’s link is above your post.

PS I like Ben and think his actor and Ruari's are entirely believable. It's only ever the storylines letting them down.

What a completely ridiculous comment! Do you genuinely believe no babies are given up for adoption these days? Do you actually think every woman who carries a baby keeps it just because it's 2022? There are many reasons women give their babies up for adoption, maybe they found out they were pregnant too late to terminate, maybe their relationship ended, maybe their financial situation changed. We don't have to live in Victorian times for people to give up children for adoption.

@Chlomo You may prefer to move to the new, active thread linked above - where there is some measured debate on this subject.