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!

[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 a stained glass window marking the birth of newborn twins is just what Ambridge needs, 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/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-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.)

Title composed in haste, making use of @Octothorpe's lovely coinage of Leonard Llewellyn-Bowen and @TheLassWiADelicateAir's terrific description of St. Smugula's mission to the heathen wasteland of far flung Sunderland, both from the last thread

I've abandoned the use of an emoji in the title, having been alerted by another thread recently to the fact that it makes it difficult for people with visual problems to use assistive software.

I won't say much more about The Archers, as I'm still feeling extremely jaundiced about the programme at the moment. Fingers crossed it takes a turn for the better over the next few days. It was good to hear Helen, Lee and Joy again tonight. Less delighted to hear the loathsome George. What a numpty not to recognise pheasant chicks! His Dad would be far from impressed.

Over to you!

Back to Natasha, she's vile.

No one with a shred of decency says to someone they meet unexpectedly at a hospital, doctors' surgery, court, or food bank "oh what are you here for?"

And , if crass enough to ask then presses on regardless to rip the obvious deflecting lie apart.

What a sad little life Gnasher must have to be almost salivating when she recounted her gossip.

Or particularly accurate naming.

Judging by Twitter and here,I should probably skip tonight's episode in the sex pond.

I've just remembered that there was an episode in lockdown(?) when George went out of his way to include younger (apparently friendless) Henry in a game of football on the green. I an sure a few residents commented about how kind he was?

In my defence I do have a selective memory.

Tonight's episode was another comedy caper.

There was a couple of minutes of Alan and Jim, who appear to be the only sane, functioning adults left in Ambridge.

I did enjoy Helen's reaction to the unexpected appearance of Mick in Speedos 🤣

Are all these (irritating) comedy capers a new thing or am I blocking out years gone by? 'The Archers attempts comedy' is very jarring...

There always have been comedy interludes as far as I remember - but I’m not sure it’s ever been as painfully obvious how they’re being used.

Just imagine the meeting where all the SWs brainstormed totally inconsequential, ‘lighthearted’ stories to fill up the weeks between Chelsea being escorted home by Blake and Chelsea making up her mind.

“Lost diary!”

”Sex pond!”

”George Grundy as idiot!”

“Leonard L-B!” (I still hope that might lead somewhere.)

“Peggy’s window!” (Almost certainly will lead somewhere, but still ….)

It’s simply too much all at once.

I quite like some of the comedy interludes as long as they don't centre, as they so often have in the past, on the humiliation of the Grundys, particularly the lovely Clarrie who has to suffer the fallout from her husband's and (now late) father-in-law's stupid schemes.

What I didn't like last night was Helen finally deciding she quite liked hot tub after all but being too up herself to contemplate sharing it with its owners (even before the speedos were mentioned). The height of CF to enjoy the neighbours' hospitality but not when it comes with the neighbours themselves.

The window stuff is weird:

A because we know Peggy is effectively departed

B because has she bribed the whole PCC or something??

There's always been comedy interludes.

Agree with everything you just said @Fink

mind you I don’t think I really understand hot tubs - you wouldn’t get in the bath with your neighbours/friends would you so why does this exist? Is it just a licence to swing?

I've never understood the attraction of hot tubs either, but then I don't even really like baths; I try one every couple of years or so and I'm always bored and frustrated (and cold, because I can't submerge my whole body) within 2 minutes as I realise that I could much more easily relax with my book and some candles without the water. Same for hot tubs - I don't feel that sitting in my cossie getting frozen at all enhances the experience of having a drink with friends. That said, I would be willing to give it a go for the sake of neighbourly relations, and with much better grace than Helen.

@TheLassWiADelicateAir , No one with a shred of decency says to someone they meet unexpectedly at a hospital, doctors' surgery, court, or food bank "oh what are you here for?"
Somebody asked me once. They were just making conversation.
When I was still at school, a lad said loudly in the GP's waiting room 'Another abortion is it, Whopping?'.

I didn't particularly take offence, as it wasn't true. The lad took his own life about a decade later, not that the incidences were related.

I can't see the appeal of hot tubs either. Is it just like an outdoor jacuzzi?

Brad can’t go to residential course as no money

Brad is an unlikely maths wizard but, again, unable to hold onto a holiday job.

I seem to be listening to a different SL about Brad. He's going on the residential course, isn't he? And he didn't lose the baling job because he was unable to hold onto it, but because it came to an end. He then got the job at LL where he was highly rated and saved the day when the tills wouldn't work.

Why crass? Surely it's more likely to be Jack wanting to enter the stupid competiion than Henry?

I do feel it's lazy scriptwriting in relation to Emma. When she objected to the window, it was entirely convincing and in character. But they can't be bothered to conjure up any sort of explanation of why she's suddenly done a total U-turn to the extent of organising a massively premature competition for what the window should show, beyond "she talked to Peggy". It's not as if Emma loves Peggy so much that she would want to do whatever Peggy wants, and I struggle to think what golden words Peggy could have used that would have worked the miracle.

I'm hoping that the whole process will take so long that by the time it's ready to go the twins will be old enough to cringe at the whole idea and say "Over our dead bodies".

Peggy sacked Emma as her cleaner when Kate moved in because Emma was no longer needed.

I think Peggy was one of the people Emma approached on that humiliating appeal for money when she lost her dream house. Kate sent her packing

The window design competition is and even sillier extension of the window story - we could well end up with a window for two of Piggoi's grandchildren designed by another of them (surely they should all be ruled out from entering?) It's not at all clear what has changed the PCC's minds about the whole project and we all know Piggoi is no longer there to deal with any of the ramifications (and when the mother of the twins finally made a reappearance it wasn't even mentioned). Dire.
I'm entirely with Helen on her reaction to the hot tub and being forced to try it. I remember once being invited to lunch with friends of DH who had just had a hot tub installed and only managing to avoid being cajoled into trying it out by the fact my son had his arm in plaster so could sit out with him (thank goodness because he would have loved it, but I had no desire to change into swimwear to sit in a pool after lunch with people I hardly knew). It's not the hot tub per se, it's the communal aspect of it. Much smaller than a swimming pool so no comparison IMO.

@Novum I was running through the depressing chain of events over the course of recent months - yes, he can go on the course now, because Oliver's paying for him. But at first, he couldn’t - because the family had no money. And yes, the baling job came to an end, but he still lost the job.

It's the endless series of knocks to the Horrobins that I was pointing out; a cumulative string of improbably terrible events that appears to be inflicted on them.

Btw I’ve just seen a terrifying speculation on Twitter about how the baby story might turn out. I'd better not reveal it in case it could be classed as a possible spoiler, but suffice to say it would not be received well on here, I’m quite sure.

I've got a hot tub and I am not ashamed. I inherited it from my elderly parents so it is 25 years old and very well insulated and cheap to run. My DM got it for her bad arthritis (which I have also inherited) and it is wonderful to soak my aching joints at 34 degrees. We run it on a green electricity tariff and it saves on hot baths. It uses a chlorine pellet once a week and is always clean and fresh. I rarely invite anybody apart from DH to share it as I am immune compromised but I have noticed if you invite a teenager/young adult to join you they sing like a canary and pour out their heart in the tub. Clearly mine is not a sex pond (ew!!) If anything like that was going on I would have to drain it and replace the water.

Speculation isn’t spoiling Octothorpe! (Unless it’s using some spoiler knowledge of coming events.)

Is it about Ben and the hospital pharmacy?

Or someone else being the father?

Or …?

@LillianGish , they are Piggoi's great-grandchildren.

@Octothorpe , could you share with us please, maybe on the Spoilers thread?

Adam and Ian might want another child. Just saying,

I've been thinking that for a while.

It's been quite a journey for Helen, hasn't it?

She used to be really snobby about Beechwood
Then she and Kirsty were insufferably rude about Joy
Then she moved into (proceeds of crime?) the Moss's House
Then she was rude about Mick and Joy's sex pond

It's too early in the day for me to cope with catch-up, but she and Lee will have a Tiki bar in the garden within 6 months at this rate.

With all the hot tub distraction, I almost forgot to give a huge BOOP to Mick for referencing the weirdness around Rochelle and the mysterious bairns. Is that going to be the next plot twist?

I’ve put the Twitter speculation on the spoiler thread for anyone who’s curious!