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!

Oh yes me too.

Also I've just realised I'm picturing the Joy/Helen beechwood houses as static caravans, not houses with gardens. I think because they all seem to be able to see everything thateach other are doing and yell across.

The weirdest thing about that was that he seemed unsure of Rochelle's name. He said 'Whatshername, Rochelle, is it?' If he's been around Joy for more than 5 minutes surely he's had endless references to Our Rochelle. Either he doesn't listen to her or he has a terrible memory.

Well I think actually they've been talking about music and fun stuff a lot - he's probably doing what we do and fading out all talk of Our Lady of Rochelle as deeply boring/fantasist.

I know exactly what they look like. There's a weird style of new development in rural locations (certainly in Scotland) where they build enormous "executive" type houses, in a white finish.

The houses are large, with integral garages but placed on tiny plots, very close to each other. The plots are usually only grass, no flowers and aren't fenced or hedged. There are no trees, other than the occasional newly planted one surrounded by protective wire or older trees on the periphery. There are enough of them to create a new hamlet/ small village but there are no shops, community buildings etc.

They bear no resemblance whatsoever to the vernacular architecture of the area and can be built on any new green field site.

There was a housing estate near where I worked and it had executive homes on tiny plots. They looked like giant dolls' houses. The plot per house was out of proportion with barely any front garden, and very little space between the houses.
This was in a large village commutable to London.

ooh - can you send me a link to the sort of thing you mean? I had presumed the beechwood houses didn't have "back gardens" but they must do since that's where the hot tub is, but they seem to be able to stroll up to each other's houses from anywhere around them (if that makes sense)

Sounds exactly like the examples I was thinking of in the Borders, outside Kelso and Highland region, outside Oban, but they're all over.

Yes, you could in the ones I'm thinking of as there's no fences or hedges.

www.dawsonsestateagents.co.uk/propertysearch/property/36708_0425/4-bedroom-detached-house-for-sale-ganavan-sands-oban

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/32487755?source_impression_id=p3_1665667940_mL6VL%2FM2I5%2BSqxw%2B

www.galbraithgroup.com/property/kel220043-32-bowmont-court-heiton-kelso-td5-8jy

Well I’m looking forward to the Rochelle story. Be a change from the Chelsea story, the Russ story, or the church window story

Kursedy had lots of ideas for her garden, so that doesn't really fit in with the open-plan gardens in the photos.

I found a photo, but didn't want to link to ritemoove lest the location indirectly out where I used to work. The houses I was thinking of had small front gardens about the size you'd expect for a town centre terrace, with the garage set back from the road so a car could park there. The gaps between the houses were tiny, and each back garden overlooked.

I think the point about Brad and the baling job was that it was cut short, due to Oliver buying in some whizzy tech, enabling them to finish the job in half the time.

@TheLassWiADelicateAir thanks for those - I imagine the Beechwood ones as much smaller than that but I get the vibe.

Loads of new housing estates have been built around me (edge of small town in rural area) and they are exactly as you describe. Massive executive homes with teeny gardens. Overlooking countryside that you know will also be built on in a few years' time.

With a few small terraced ones chucked in to satisfy the requirement for a proportion of 'affordable housing'.

Ooh that's just what I imagined them looking like too!

Brad lost his job because Oliver hired a bailer or some other machine. Oliver has since convinced Tracey to allow him to help pay for Brad's course.

The window thing is too mad. Surely more people would be against it on the grounds of it being a waste of perfectly good windows. Still, when you hear the list of other special windows it doesn't make Peggy's idea seem so far fetched.

I need brain bleach for the hot tub moment. Honestly everyone chats about being brought up listening to the archers but I don't let my kids listen to it. I don't think it's suitable half the time.

Not sure if this will work but if you click on "collection" this is what I pictured for executive houses squashed in tiny plots/toy town

www.redrow.co.uk/developments/the-hollies-at-great-milton-park-152596?%20The%20Hollies%20%7C%20Newport&infinity=ict2~net~gaw~ar~412479404045~kw~the%20hollies%20redrow~mt~e~cmp~The%20Cedars%20%7C%20Newport~ag~01%20-%20Brand%20-%20C%29%20Exact%20-%20The%20Hollies&%20The%20Hollies%20%7C%20Newport~ag~01%20-%20Brand%20-%20C%29%20Exact%20-%20The%20Hollies&gclid=CjwKCAjw7p6aBhBiEiwA83fGugwkURL4MB31nDDKWxk4zLeVEQAL9-GzY8MmMc6-9ZkR3ctV4xMAnhoCXlkQAvD_BwE

That's it exactly. The links I posted were of single houses photographed to make them look as attractive as possible. When i see them on the ground the weird "toy house" effect Whopping referred to is obvious.

I found the housing estate I'm thinking of creepy.
The front of the houses were very close to the pavements, and the spaces between them tiny. Obviously cramming as many bedrooms as possible on to the plot. The houses themselves looked ok but the plots they were on far too small. Like a doll's house on a coffee table.

I know exactly what you mean. I had exactly the same reaction to the one I'm thinking of.

Well, I didn't see that coming (said no listener ever)... that felt far too contrived!

The photo link I posted where the estate fronts onto the open space area so they have nicer gardens, (most photogenic) the houses in the road behind are more like whopping described with small front gardens, .... and inside the show houses they dress them with small furniture to trick people into thinking they are more spacious

Why crass?. “ Wouldn’t it be nice if a child were to design the children’s window? My son is working on his design and will be so disappointed if you say no”

it is wonderful to soak my aching joints at 34 degrees. Clearly they should be known as “lukewarm tubs”. (Sorry, I’ve always wanted decently hot water. I used to have arguments with my father (this was when there was still parental involvement in bath time) as to whether the correct temperature was “less than 100F” or “104”)

I wonder whether the Church’s insurance will pay out for accident during work by untrained operative not adhering to safety guidance? Or for damage that isn’t vandalism but a foreseeable result of the actions of the vicar? And if they do, what will the premium be next year?

I didn't see the Jack Wooley window bit coming, but there was a clunking inevitability to the accident. It was like one of the old episodes of Casualty which would always start with a new, unnamed, character doing something both dangerous and stupid. I'm getting awful flashbacks to Nigel's death.

I felt the end of that episode couldn't have been more obvious if they'd had the radio equivalent of a massive clunky great neon sign saying "Alan's going to fall through the Jack Woolley window". I clocked that a window was going when they talked about Usha possibly breaking a window when she was throwing things at the pigeon, and from there to the JW window was a tiny, tiny step.