Archers thread #141: The nights are drawing in. Can we turn the clocks back to a time when The Archers was fun? Cackle or carp about 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, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you're hoping Ambridge has a pantomime again this year, 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.)

Many thanks to @TottersBlankly and @GoldenCupidon for the title suggestions.

Too much to hope, I suppose, that by the time we get to the end of this thread Chelsea's pregnancy is a distant memory and the Horrobins can gear up for a cheap and cheerful Christmas. I really, really hope she doesn't change her mind about the termination. It's a horrible and unrealistic storyline, as most of us have agreed over the past few weeks, but now I just want it to end and be forgotten about.

I do like the idea of Lilian taking on the role of witch in the woods. Much more fun to listen to than Mia sabotaging the Hunt Ball, which is surely bound to go horribly wrong, or the odd wrangling over the stained glass window which we know Peggy won't be contributing to on air , given June Spencer's retirement.

Not a peep out of anybody in Ambridge about all the recent political shenanigans, but that's hardly surprising. Nobody fretting about fuel bills or rampant inflation either.

Also, where's Jenny? I hope Angela Piper's OK.

Over to you!

"oowuh noowuh!"

For reference, my family had a mixed farm about 1/4 of the size. It was big enough to support a family of 7 and a couple of casual labourers back in the day. It gradually got less profitable and now they have to rent out the land to a bigger landowner and all have day jobs. It has family member still working on it part-time alongside working in the market. It's mainly just gardening/'hobby' farming now, and the bulk of the land farmed by the neighbour's men.

The neighbours who have around 400 - 500 acres can generally run their farms as a going concern. I wouldn't know how much profit they're making, but they can support a family with the farm being the main source of income.

A big farm can be around 2000 acres at a push, certainly 1500. I think that's what Home Farm in the Archers is supposed to be. I think Bridge Farm is the smallest, but I'm never sure how much of their income is meant to come from the cheese etc. and how much is supposed to be directly from farming. Brookfield is supposed to be the medium sized one, not a giant like Home Farm and Berrow, but not tiny like Grange Farm.

Why did no one say to Elizabeth - we refused this money and only took it because of you. YOU can pay it off.

I hope E and V have a massive bust up and she runs him over with his ugly big Audi.

and walls himself into a cell in St Stephens to do proper penance? surely he'd just go back into the cereal cupboard? Why is everyone talking about killing off characters? I don't think there are any characters I'd want to do without - I don't love them all as people, but I like Brookfield as concept. One of my least favourite storylines in recent years was the Great Move North. We've already lost Home Farm and Brian and Jenny seem to have been sidelined, destined never to be properly rehoused. Carol Tregorran moved into Glebe Cottage and now that has disappeared off the map (why did they ever bother to write her in in the first place?) Willow Farm is long since gone. I don't want the map of Ambridge to be redrawn I want the SWs to work within its parameters.

I agree I don't want anyone killed off - the annoying people are a great feature of village life (both real and Ambridge).

Elizabeth's attitude is weird. If my boyfriend was having a hissy fit and causing my brother major financial headaches, I doubt that I would be with him; if I was, I'm sure I would be too embarrassed to go around talking to my brother's family as if the whole thing was just a bit unfortunate and nothing to do with me. As she does seem to be sticking with Vince, I suppose she is going to persuade him to change his mind.

Round these parts, 469 acres would not be considered very big.

Vince used to drive a BMW: "David finds he is blocked in by a BMW. There is a note with a mobile number but when David rings it, the call goes straight to Casey's voice mail." from the synopsis for 12th September, 2019.

And wasn't there some other make of car he had and was enthusing about at one point? Not modern and very powerful; an old Bentley or something?

@Tulipomania , it's much bigger than average, but farms are getting bigger.
I'm not sure what acreage is needed to qualify as a farm - I'd have though 100 acres, but they might be using a different figure.
450+ acres is a decent mid-sized farm.

Carol Tregorran moved into Glebe Cottage and now that has disappeared off the map (why did they ever bother to write her in in the first place?)

Rapidly Changing Editor Syndrome, I expect. Eleanor Bron must have arrived during Sean O'Connor's reign because her daughter Anna was then slotted in to be Helen's barrister. Once Carol and Anna had served their purpose they disappeared. I suspect Eleanor Bron was too expensive or too busy to become a regular member of the cast.

I'm not sure you could be a proper anchorite in a cereal cupboard, Lilian. You might be tempted to eat the cereal.

Can someone enlighten me? Which cottage is Christyfurr proposing to rent out? And why does Yakult want it? Where's he been living up to now?

The cottage belongs to the Aldridge's doesn't it? Part of their land and given to Chris to keep him going for a larger stake of the family business when him and Alice were going to divorce.

Not sure where Jakob lives right now but I would've thought a single middle aged professional would have deposit or already own a home. I thought vets made good money.

The George and Berrow interface isn't going to work because George isn't interested in any kind of honest labour. And he couldn't lie straight in a bed!
Talking of family remembrances, he is as sly and manipulative as Brad found his father to be, which is presumably the lesson of today's ep.

Didn't Elizabeth guilt David and Ruth into accepting the money to begin with as well, some inference that they were unwelcoming or distrusting of Vince - I can't quite remember but something like that? So it's doubly odd that she's now being so blase about it - particularly given that she lost it at Vince for the outburst in the bar. Really inconsistent characterisation.

Also - am I the only one thinking it's strange that Emma, Chris and Neil all think it's completely fine that George is trying his amateur deals on Martin - isn't he putting Neil and Will's reputations at work at risk? It seems really odd?

Regarding the 'single middle aged professional' I started to think of 'It is a truth universally acknowledged...'

OverArmour
am I the only one thinking it's strange that Emma, Chris and Neil all think it's completely fine that George is trying his amateur deals on Martin - isn't he putting Neil and Will's reputations at work at risk?

Will no longer works as a gamekeeper and therefore has nothing to gain or lose by Martyn Gibson's opinion of him or his son.

Since when did Chris become a simpering idiot? He owns his own successful business. And didn't he know Jakob professionally long before anyone else in Ambridge did?

That was total nonsense.

Will no longer works for Martin Gibson.
Some people prefer to rent.

Brad's haircut is to impress Mere, and something will happen at the hunt ball.

BOOP for the close bond between Chelsea and Brad. You’d have to trust your sister a lot to let her cut your hair when you’re both teenagers.

also semi BOOP for the (on purpose?) traipsing of grifter George round a pig farm

Cracking thread my dears. So many hilarious points.

A bit out there perhaps, I know George is awful and is being moulded into next generation Joe, but that said, I do feel rather sorry for him.

When he was describing how he struggled at school previously I really thought someone would swoop in and suggest he might be dyslexic. I wasn't surprised Clarke didn't, but once Emma didn't I thought for sure Mia would, but she just tainted him. She had some salient points but was still rude.

As teenagers go, he's incredibly enterprising and not scared of putting himself out there. I'm not surprised that he was horrified at the thought of Berrow after previously trying to get work with horses twice.

I actually feel quite sorry for him. He's got big dreams and if he'd been raised by Brian, all his corner cutting get rich quick schemes would be seen as entrepreneurial rather than shysty.

He's not entrepeneurial - he's out to rip everyone off. He'll not do a stroke of work. Martyn Gibson saw through him.
He might be dyslexic but he's more likely to be lazy and not very bright.

Chelsea has been training in hairdressing, and Brad would have seen her handiwork. I'd have trusted my sister to cut my hair as a teenager, but only once made the mistake of letting a friend loose on my hair.

I think B&C could really support each other and help each other grow.
C could be great for B in steering his maturity & self confidence. B might be able to help C appreciate her own strengths more and maybe advise on marketing / ways for her to get more hairdressing work.

I though Chris Carter was on a wind up taking George to Berrow. George is remarkably naive though if he really thought that a) he could be paid for observing work and b) anyone would rent out a house to a bunch of 17yos.

That's the thing, George has this completely misplaced confidence in his ability to make lots of money for doing nothing, and doesn't learn from his mistakes. The whole turkey debacle should have made him aware that he's nothing like as clever as he thinks he is and in fact makes himself an easy target for bigger villains who see him coming, but he hasn't learned from that. Unless he wakes up, it really is near-inevitable that he's going to get lured into something criminal in a minor role and then get left carrying the can whilst other people take the profits.

Too many teenagers last night for me. One teenage SL is fine in an episode but it should be balanced out with something more grown up too. I felt I was listening to a radio version of Hollyoaks last night.

I agree Neil could be expected to be very nervous about any contact between George and Martin Gibson.