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 honestly don't know why Peggy doesn't just say it's a window for the Children of Ambridge and sneak in the stars.

I don't understand why Gnasher and Tom aren't rigid with embarrassment at the whole idea.

Seeing a midwife would seem limiting to me. There's plenty of counselling services she could have accessed for broader counselling in reaching a decision.

Yes, I agree. Seeing a midwife almost implies to me that she has made a decision. Don’t midwives tend to focus largely on on births rather than terminations?

It seems to me that Chelsea’s basically being bundled off to her booking in appointment.

I know :(

Here you go Chelsea if you're reading: www.bpas.org/abortion-care/considering-abortion/ & www.bpas.org/clinics/bpas-birmingham-central/

Fanks, @TheHideAndSeekingHill .

The fathers family will get a chance to adopt before an anonymous adoption.
He has a big family! Himself, siblings, cousins, parents, uncles, aunts etc etc

Not sure how wide they go. With slightly older children certainly parents, siblings and cousins.

Who would get the baby?

Have I missed something about why anyone on the PCC, let alone all of them, favour the shockingly solipsistic window plan? I sort I feel I must have missed some emotional blackmail scenes, or somesuch.

Growing up I had a friend who was adopted from overseas (in the 60's of Indian heritage to a white family) and an uncle who was a Barnados baby. Or at least that is what I was told.

That is very different to growing up in a small village, knowing that the lady and family across the green didn't fancy looking after you.

I really hope that they don't choose this storyline.

I liked Clarrie and Eddie rescuing the ram.

Could Lily be any more smugly irritating or irritatingly smug?

The window story line is incredible. I simply can't understand why PCC can't see how crass it is.

I'm not a fan of mindless violence generally but I hope George throws a stone through it

I'm sure they won't go down the adoption route but if they did, Ben doesn't adopt his own child.

Ben's consent for an adoption is needed if he has parental rights. He acquires rights if he's on the birth certificate or if he applies to court for them. He could refuse consent for adoption and seek to have full custody.

I like Clarrie and Eddie’s evening. Sounds realistic, and I liked that he chose treats he knew she would like (and he was right rather than being the hapless husband character who doesn’t know their own wife).

Hello, lurker to the threads de-lurking to express deep frustration. I’ve been listening for 30+ years and I can’t remember a time where every single plot thread has me bored, frustrated or shouting at the radio. I’ve not listened since Friday night as I can’t bring myself to do so yet, as I can’t take much more of:
-emotionally incontinent Ben
-spineless Alan (who should have referred Lilian to the churchwardens who would have found a way to tell Peggy to fuck off in polite CofE terms) who apparently has forgotten all his other parishes and also the existence of the Archdeacon, aka The Bishops Enforcer
-Tracey tiptoeing round Chelsea instead of hoiking her to the GP as soon as she knew she was pregnant.
-Helen and Lee and their zero chemistry
-Kenton’s bloody diary written by anyone but a teenage boy
-the laughable idea that Dayveed and Ruth could run a luxury B&B alongside the farm. See also Leonard being a secret interior designer as well as demon cricketer and coach and racing car driver. I do love Paul Cropley though so I kind of forgive that a little bit.
-JennyDear and Brian still living in a RENTED tiny house with tiny kitchen
-George Grundy and his teenage villainy which doesn’t even have any of the usual Grundy comic relief.
-the inability of the scriptwriters to accurately show people in their 70s and 80s and older gradually slowing down and declining health. Jill, Peggy, Jim, Leonard, Oliver, Lilian, Justin, Lynda, Robert - none of them are ever off to the doctors or hospital, all must have perfect eyes, ears, hearts and hips. None of them have normal cognitive issues, getting forgetful or mixing up the names of the grandchildren. None of them have had a stroke or broken a hip. Jill and Leonard should be spending the afternoon tucked up watching films on Talking Pictures. Brian is the only one showing signs of mortality.

the only BOOP I’ve had recently is Bert Fry winning the soil competition by proxy. Nice touch.

We do not yet know why all the PCC are favouring Peggoi's Fenêtre.....

I thought Lily was great!

Prosodia is a made up Greek goddess btw. - I checked with Classicist friends and on't internet! Although the name does come from the Italian (Latin?) for betrayer.

I must admit, I completely agree with all of this!

-spineless Alan (who should have referred Lilian to the churchwardens who would have found a way to tell Peggy to fuck off in polite CofE terms) who apparently has forgotten all his other parishes and also the existence of the Archdeacon, aka The Bishops Enforcer

Love this particularly! Too true.

I think “prodosia” is the quality of betrayal, personified in Lily the Shagger, rather than a goddess.

@funnelfanjo

👏👏👏👏

(And don't forget, Leonard's a whizz in the kitchen too, recently adding Jamie Oliver to his expanding portfolio of alter egos, alongside Mr Llewelyn-Bowen, Lewis Hamilton and Ben Stokes. He’s probably Monty Don too, but they haven’t worked out a gardening storyline for him just yet. Give it time.)

Points of order …

Peggy had a minor stroke several years ago. (Which meant her daughters driving her to hair appointments and doing her shopping for her - I recall it increased opportunities for plotting and conversations between them.)

Didn’t Jim arrive and stay because he needed help after maybe breaking a limb or something? Shula was displeased at the prospect of having to look after him.

Jill had cataracts or glaucoma or something relatively minor. It precipitated her leaving Glebe Cottage and returning to Brookfield.

The portrayal of elderly decline is generally woefully unrealistic. Particularly Jill as full time chief cook and housekeeper at 92. But Jack’s dementia was very well done. And further back Dan had mobility problems iirc, and Phil had hip issues. It wasn’t all hee hee ha ha.

When Wuss first introduced the apparently amazing portrait (why have we never heard his talent lauded in such high terms before this evening??), I'm sure he said it was named after Prodosia, the Ancient Greek goddess of betrayal, or something similar

I agree, I was worried it was going to be a completely rubbish inappropriate film that he’d love and she’d hate. I thought it was really nicely done that.

Lily however 🤮

I’ll grant you Jacks dementia storyline was well done. But there’s plenty of other common old age problems that seemingly afflict none of the Ambridge residents I’d make a rule that for every pregnancy storyline, there needs to be one of prostate issues, or macular degeneration, or hip replacement, or an aneurysm. How about installing a stairlift at Brookfield as well as solar panels?

I think I’m settle for passing mention of Peggy’s lingering issues in swallowing liquids thanks to the stroke, or Jim’s limp from his broken leg, or Jill having a capusulotomy, or Lilian going to Felpersham or Borchester for a liver ultrasound rather than to see Pierre. Just something to acknowledge that not everyone can have an active old age and quiet passing like Bert or Joe, who only had a bit of rheumatism to slow them down.

Sorry I’ve just thought of another annoyance before I’ll shut up and return to lurking. Jill getting bothered about Beth being missing from the family photo when not a single person mentioned Shula or Dan being absent!

The sprightly oaps really misses the mark. I guess it's personal to me but seeing my parents in their 70s suffer with mobility, continence and cognitive issues it's galling to see others gallivanting. I know age affects all very differently but they are all very lucky.

Clarrie definitely went down in my estimation on finding out that her favourite film was the execrable Love Actually. They might at least have chosen 4 Weddings or Notting Hill, which are nowhere near as bad (I haven't seen any of them for decades, but I used to like Four Weddings & a Funeral).