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!

I'm assuming the drugs destroyed all memory of Freddie's pre-drug schooling, because I refuse to believe he'd never even heard in passing of To Kill a Mockingbird or Orwell. Or that he would have thought that Daisy Duck was such a coup of amazingly obscure trivia that even Jim Lloyd wouldn't know it.

I didn't know Daisy Duck. I'm not sure how it's possible to be over the age of 14 and not to know who George Orwell is or never to have heard that terrible Tequila Mockingbird pun.

I wonder if Kenton's momentary surprise at The Quizzy Lizzies was because he's also a fan of Walter Hill's superb film The Warriors

It's just not done, ever, to go around gossiping about another woman being pregnant before that woman has announced it Well, I wish I’d known that before I had my first

I'm not saying absolutely everyone knows Daisy Duck, just that it's not an obscure fact that you'd be surprised at someone else knowing, particularly not someone of Jim's age.

It's so crass and unthinking. So many pregnancies end in miscarriage or there's the possibility of a termination even of a wanted pregnancy having to be ended if things go wrong.

I can't comprehend the mindset of anyone who thinks gossiping the way Gnasher did is acceptable or normal.

At the time I had mine, and in “the provinces” it was pretty standard to discuss everyone’s pregnancy or potential pregnancy.

Just asked DD, 18. Not widely read or academic.
George Orwell, she had heard of but couldn't recall 1984 or Big Brother. (she hasn't read the book but has read Animal farm)
Knew where Tequila Mockingbird came from. (hasn't read the book)
Knew Daisy Duck.

However Macbeth or Much Ado About Nothing or Pride & Prejudice or Jekyll&Hyde she'd have been all over.

I've never done this. It was so obvious Tracey did not want it known.

I think it's despicable behaviour to go around telling the world and his wife that another woman is pregnant before that woman has made it known.

I can't comprehend the mindset of anyone who thinks gossiping the way Gnasher did is acceptable or normal

Oh dear- I’m afraid I have no problem at all with gossiping - but that’s probably because I am an ex- journo. Discretion has never really been my strong point…

I saw a friend and her daughter, late teens, coming out of the Maternity Dept at the hospital. I rightly assumed the daughter was pregnant but didn't say a word to anyone. It would have been wrong to gossip about it particularly as there was no knowing the direction it was going. (It was all OK she's still with the father and has two more children.)

I'm not sure if what Gnasher did was that bad, but whoever told Jolene was bang out of order.
I probably would not have mentioned to DSIL it because Tracey hadn't said anything. I wouldn't have said anything to DSis and DM, cos I might as well posted it on twitter.

That the gossip was about someone in her late 40s, who doesn't look pregnant, and already has very nearly adult children, and isn't comfortably off, is what made it wrong.

That's the decent thing to do. I'm really taken aback that so many of you think it's fine to gossip about and spread gossip about an early pregnancy. There's so many reasons why an early pregnancy might go nowhere.

Do you think that's an excuse? I think spreading gossip the Gnasher did is nasty, appalling behaviour.

What a small, dull live one must have if that's the highlight of the day. I've never speculated or gossiped about anyone being pregnant, no matter what suspicions I might have had.

What a small, dull live one must have if that's the highlight of the day.

Oh yes- very small, very dull! Lighten up @thelass! No need to be quite so judgmental…I love this thread - let’s keep it good-humoured and save our insults for Ambridge characters….

Hear, hear.

I was thinking of Natasha.....

And sorry, I do think this behaviour is despicable. In real life if I knew someone had behaved the way Gnasher did, I wouldn't "lighten up"

It certainly makes a termination a whole lot more problematic if the whole village is talking about a baby behind Tracey's back.

Gnasher herself had a strop when Tom inadvertently let her pregnancy be known to his parents.

Gnasher is not appearing in a great light all round atm.

What the F will actually make Chelsea decide?!?!

I am an ex-journalist too and I know when to keep my mouth shut!

She won't. She'll dither for another few weeks.
Unless she decides when she realises what the termination will involve.
I think she'll have the baby.

When did I ask if it could get sillier?

Has Tracey not told Chelsea that the village is gossiping about Tracey being pregnant? Ruth has probably heard it.

Yes, Gnasher- not even a church goer but keen to push the vanity project for her babies.

Ok - I did laugh at Brad …

Who will of course tell his mother straight away.

I don't think there's the slightest possibility Chelsea will have a termination now. And Gnasher's antics make it even less likely. The village is expecting a Horrobin baby.

I don't think a woman should ever feel guilty or ashamed at choosing a termination but that choice would be so much more difficult with the whole village looking on.

Kenton will tell David, Ruth or Pip.
Pip knows that it is Chelsea who is upduffed.

Oh and ffs they did that "have you ... oh never mind" thing.

If Alan had told Jim what the gossip about Tracey is, Jim could have set Alan at least straight.

Gnasher is pure narcissistic poison.

Explaining how a later termination works is one of the things Tracy should have done but hasn't, isn't it?