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!

Someone on another Archers group wondered what the bang that was mentioned but not explained was.

I just saw that, so relistened but I hardly think they'd leave a whole 24 hrs (in effect) before discovering Ben's body!! Think it was just a throwaway line to start Ruth and David's little talk.

They know what a gun sounds like.

Yes

Re listening to the end. This really doesn't sound like Jill.

Oh dear. Ruari's GF is definitely controlling. She made a good point about not making deals over drinks, but I'm not sure it came from a good place. I notice Ruari called Jennifer "mum", and not sure he's done this before. Others will remember better. I took it as a symbol, along with calling it "home" he was going back to after his spectacular leave-taking, of his re-assessing of values/copping on to the GF's more evident need for him.

Like Ruth's dressing down of Jill, though it went damagingly off-topic, unless, of course, the SL is following the maximum fall-out scenario which looks to be rather the case in the whole domino-effect of the abortion SL.

I rather liked Ruth shouting at Jill. I'm not sure that there is any coming back from that.

It was just unfortunate that the two actresses sounded as if they were in different rooms.

The Ruari and Julienne arrangement is just weird.

I think it does, though. There was a time umpteen years ago when Lynda was still newish and I think she was filming people dropping litter, or something like that. Jill told her off in or near the village shop, from memory, and there was a nasty relish in the way she set about it. She's always had strong opinions and not been backwards at coming forwards to express them. She's gone far too far this time, though.

Ruth didn’t go far enough. I would have said “if you can’t apologise to Ben, you’re no longer welcome in this house” and kicked her out.

I wish Ruth had stuck to the point re Ben though, she really lost the moral high ground by dragging up the past

Oh dear. Ruari's GF is definitely controlling.
She's not his GF. She's his customer.

OMG that was bloody brilliant!

But surely when she's had strong opinions about stuff in the family she's voiced them in a loving way? Even when Kenton's being a complete twat or whatever.

Fb TA thread suggests Tarantino's next blockbuster:
Kill Jill

Ooooo noooooo!

<makes note for next thread title, coming soon at this rate>

I thought Jill was trying to provoke her to that when she said 'or what?'. But then David came in. Let's hope he firmly sticks up for Ben and Ruth and doesn't try to defend the indefensible Jill. My hopes are not too high.

Am certainly looking forward to Tuesday's episode!

My experience of the thoroughly decent nice men in my life is that they are all conflict avoidant and will try to smooth over differences with “she didn’t really mean it” and “ you must have misunderstood” when they need to stand up and be counted. David will be the same and Ruth is spot on he won’t stand up to his mother.
Isn’t it awesome how the SW are letting the consequences of one drunken shag destroy so many relationships? How many fallouts have there been now? At least three couples split up so far and a family riven apart. Only the loyal Horrobins are supporting each other while the Archers tear each other apart.

I don’t disagree about the fallout but I absolutely hate that the body of a teenage girl was made to be the catalyst.

I really fervently hope that they don’t give Jill some medical episode or kill her off, as Ruth would be the baddie then. I know it’s terrible of me but maybe Ben should ’do something stupid’, as I don’t think anything else will make Jill see the error of her ways.

The whole Ruth/David thing seems like textbook MN to me. How often do we read a post from someone whose MIL is behaving totally unreasonably and the husband won't do anything about it? If Ruth had posted about this one in Relationships or AIBU, we'd have been telling her that she had a husband problem but that if he wouldn't sort his mother out then she would have to. And she certainly did! I was silently cheering her all the way through.

Well done Ruth, I infact would have slung Jill out and David after her. Jills just nasty. Hope Leonard gives her the elbow.
Ruaris client is trouble. She is just a sad women whos has to pay for company, she wont let Ruari go with out a fight.

Just lost my post but key points were: 1. Well done Ruth actor 2. I can’t believe Ruth and Jill don’t have more rows, she must be a patient woman 3. If there’s a spare room at the Stables I wonder if R might head over there for a bit?

I don’t disagree about the fallout but I absolutely hate that the body of a teenage girl was made to be the catalyst. I think that kind of bust up has been simmering for years to be honest. Jill has always been the matriarch at Brookfield, Ruth has always been the incomer. David always pussyfoots around his mum (Ruth doesn't have a MIL problem she has a DH problem). The SWs were clearly casting about for the straw to break the camel's back and this fits the bill. It's a pity it had to be Ben though - that's the one thing that doesn't ring quite true because Jill has previously had such a close relationship with Ben (though maybe that's the point - Josh and Pip just wouldn't have cared that much). If the SWs continue to follow the Last Tango In Halifax scenario then Leonard will the peacemaker (another incomer - even if he is a more recent one). I thought it was interesting that they chose to run this scenario in parallel with Ruari - Julianne is another older woman who thinks she pulls all the strings. Ruari is an incomer into her world. BOOP for Jill's voice sounding much better last night. I did wonder if it was years of kazoo and swanny whistle that had taken its toll.

I thought Ruairi sounded like an absolute idiot last night boasting to Julianne that he's also going for drinks with her friends in order to advance his career (as what? gigolo or other?).