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!

BOOPs for Ruth and Lynda.

UnBOOPs for David thinking it was his function to influence Chelsea's decision.

Oh Chelsea 😔, I hate this storyline but that was so well acted. David can FOTTFSOF! Different decision indeed

David was being utterly ridiculous

Who was that reasonable, sensible woman and what have they done with Wor Roooth?

Really? juheard more of the usual grring and harrumphing and whining. I'm really, really bored of Chelsea.

I hope there's no last minute changes of plan. I couldn't bear to listen to the tidal wave of pea- brained sentimentality, with Jazzer at the front of it, which will flood the airwaves if there is a baby. But beyond that I don't care if she has it or doesn't.

Phoebe made a mess of taking MAP and had to have 2 goes at it- why Chelsea's has been drawn out to this unedifying mess I don't know.

Social media is a tricky medium for communication because you can't see or hear how you're being received (to state the blindingly obvious) I totally agree with this. I just wanted to come on and stick up for @WhoppingBigBackside and say I think her initial comment was misinterpreted, she came back and apologised, but seems to have been given an unnecessarily hard time about it. I'm feeling moved to comment because I still miss @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime who was given a hard time by someone on here for answering questions (a role and function I particularly appreciated) and then disappeared never to be seen again. I don't think this is a snippy thread in general and I haven't noticed a particular increase in sniping (except at the scriptwriters ). I think you are a lovely supportive lot and I particularly appreciated all the messages of support when Mr Gish was undergoing major surgery earlier in the year. Boops all round - it's the thread that keeps me listening when the programme itself is dire (perhaps that should be a future thread title).

I think the point about it being unwelcoming to newcomers was very well made by @pezzn, and appreciated it being made. It isn’t so much low level sniping in the last few threads; it’s outright shouting down by certain posters of any differing opinions. Which is a bit horrible when you just want to natter about a silly radio show. I’m having a shitty time in real life and didn’t say anything on these threads for ages and then commented on one of the recent ones with a question and was basically told I was idiotic and wrong and it was horrible.

so thank you to those who have pointed it out.

I’ll probably just go back to quiet lurking and say nothing in case I get shouted at again.

Or maybe I should just shut up and stop expecting anonymous strangers on the internet to be nice.

separately - cheese. @Octothorpe i agree, what a conundrum!

@RandomCatGenerator you have every right to expect random strangers on the internet to be nice - and nowhere more so than on this thread. Sorry to hear you are having a shitty time in RL and that you have felt shouted down in the past on here. Don't feel you have to go back to lurking - apart from anything else, you have a superb username.

and say I think her initial comment was misinterpreted, she came back and apologised

If you read Whopping's subsequent posts it wasn't a genuine apology, in my opinion. I've seen similarly toned comments aimed at others but never been on the receiving end. It has been an eye-opener to have mistakenly posted under a name change.

I think a few people are fed up, Random. We all agree that there is discord on these Archers threads. Yes, it's not the only place on Mumsnet where similar behaviour may be found, but this is a radio soap opera discussion not AIBU. It's ridiculous.

Differing opinions are often shut down, and negativity (yes there's a lot of it but the SLs have been dire) is discouraged. I'd go so far as to say that newcomers and their questions are often overlooked, but not deliberately ignored I hope.

I'd add that negativity about the Archers isn't really the problem, and shouldn't be viewed as such. It's the other negativity and unfriendliness (including the sniping that nearly all of us have noticed), driving newcomers away, that is the problem.

Will she or won’t she? I’m going off grid for a week (safari - yay) so I won’t know until next Monday.

Have a great trip @UrsulaPandress - I wonder what you'll return to?!

I enjoyed Ruth last night too (didn't think I'd be saying that!) and Lynda's fretting about 'performing' for small children, who really didn't care of course. I always find Lynda bittersweet around small children since we had that revelation that she would have wanted children and couldn't (can't remember why - too old? Just never happened?) - she's often very good with them once they're older but young ones remain a foreign country to her (apart from Mungo who obviously has her confidence).

I also felt for Chelsea at the end. It was one of those moments in teenage hood where she's trying hard to be a grown up but sounded very much like a little girl. I'm hopeful that she's as sure of her decision as she has sounded recently and that this horrible situation is over tonight.

Picking up some other comments I had some lovely cauliflower cheese for tea last night. The cheese was mixed with breadcrumbs though so the melting difficulties discussed on that other thread weren't apparent.

I'd quite like to hear about Helen getting a herd of buffalo - wouldn't they need a lot of space? And will Ian even return as chef at the new GG? Presumably he might be off selling honey pizza or some other nightmare instead. Maybe we'll get someone new and interesting. I was a child when Jean-Paul was in charge and don't remember huge amounts about him but it would be good to have a change again.

And I miss @askingquestionsallthetime although the events leading to their departure passed me by. These threads always used to be a cosy corner of MN - we can only get back to that collectively, but it would be nice.

@Gasp0de yes I'm a GP. I won't bore you with my working life since lockdown but it's certainly keeping me on my toes.

Hotdogs and sweetcorn?

I assumed corn on the cob @Roysnewshirt ? Wouldn't be my meal of choice, but I suppose we're all different

Actually I realise it's much more likely to be tinned or frozen sweetcorn. Definitely wouldn't be my choice - my children are mad for sweetcorn so I suffer mainly in silence on a regular basis

I'm going to give David a BOOP (ooh er missus). I think he's well acted - I can actually believe he's a farmer. He is not without flaws but he's a grafter, supportive of other farmers, loves his wife (despite her annoying warbly voice), his mum and his children. I know he favours awful Pip and is unnecessarily harsh on Josh but none of us is a perfect parent.

And given that he has a much loved granddaughter conceived on a ONS, I can understand his sadness and frustration about the late abortion.

@LillianGish , thanks. Much appreciated.
@UrsulaPandress , have a great time.

David and Ruth were both good last night. Quite realistic reactions.

Hot dogs and tinned corn is a staple in our house! Kids love it.

Chelsea was brilliant last night, as were Ruth and David.

Have a lovely time @UrsulaPandress (also a great UN!).

So presuming it goes ahead today (and I sincerely hope there's no significance with the date, either way...), and Ben is devastated, David is not going to help matters, is he?

But yes good point that Rosie's existence will be a factor in his thinking. Although his child being the mother is, in all likelihood, a different scenario from the potential one currently in the balance.

Having gone back to look at Whopping's original post that caused offence, I can't see that it's snippy, and she's explained and apologised more than once. Definitely time to leave it alone.

David is fully entitled to be frustrated at Ben's idiocy, but I don't remember him getting this stroppy about St Pip's inability to use contraception.

Ben is devastated, David is not going to help matters, is he?

I hope he will pleasantly surprise us.