Archers thread #143: In the Bleak Midwinter, Ambridge Folk Make Moan. Best Christmas ever? Probably not! 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, 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'd love to be in Jolene's choir , 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.)

Well, we made it through Stir Up Sunday without bloodshed, but poor Ben is now in the grip of psychotic depression. Not going to be a happy Christmas at Brookfield, sadly. When will Jill swallow her pride and go and give him the abject apology he deserves? Would it be a good idea anyway for Ben to see his gran at the moment?

Will Jazzer say yes? I hope so. We could do with a Horrobin wedding to look forward to.

Will Emma and Ed end up in court if they go ahead with this idiotic scheme to nick the logs from Peggy's Folly?

Will the two choirs put on a joint concert at Christmas? I assume so, and also that the BBC will continue to fool nobody by using recordings of what is clearly a really good well-rehearsed established choir, not a scratch choir of half a dozen novices.

Over to you!

simple country lad/lass with good heart HAS to have freckles

I guess he has a lot of the other simple stereotypical country lass/d qualities - kind to his mum, sweet with animals, positive outlook.

In addition to the freckles obvs.

I did think, they're definitely playing to their MN audience here...

I could have probably done without hearing what terms Pip and Toby had decided for Rosie to use, mind you.

Having just binge watched the excellent Bad Sisters, I want Paul the vet nurse to look like Daryl McCormack. Lucky Ruairi I say.

I agree Therapist!

TA is not the right place to discuss what a young child calls his or her genitalia

Agreed. I hear Paul as quite small and slim, but that's as far as I've got with my mental picture of him. I hope we're going to hear from him again in the near future. I hope even more we're going to hear from Denise and find out that she and her disappointing MAMIL husband have agreed, reasonably amicably, on a parting of the ways, leaving her free to pair off with Alistair, which I hope turns out well.

This is pretty much exactly as I imagine Paul in my head!

I’ve just realised that I have never really given any thought to what any of the characters look like. I think that’s probably quite weird of me. 🤔

I'm just surprised people are naming genitals after a character in Teletubbies. (Or other way round?)

I think that’s probably quite weird of me …

Just a bit! I invariably see voices coming out of particular visualised people. It’s hit and miss whether they look anything like their actors.

Daryl McCormack was in a list I saw yesterday, in maybe The Times or Guardian, of rising stars. He’s very pleasing to the eye - but surely too intense and serious-looking for Paul?

I'm sure Daryl could act like a free spirited vet nurse!

Have just realised he's the very spit of someone I once had an ill-advised snog with. Well, he could be Daryl's marginally less attractive brother anyway. 😳

I visualise Paul as good looking and quite flamboyant and colourful in style.

Hope we'll soon hear that his mum is now unpartnered

All of it is visual in my mind.
My version of Chelsey was that she looked a bit like Whitney off EE when she was that age, Tracy, Susan and Emma all have brown hair. Tracy's hair is straightish but Susan & Emma's quite thick with some wave
Kate, Alice and Pip have mousy long straight blonde hair. Kate and Alice both highlighted but they never mention getting it done.

Ruairi is a freckled redhead.
Paul Mack does not look like the photo pp. I imagine someone who looks a bit like Kyle Walker.

Reading about Paul made me remember he proposed a Christmas do for Lovell James and suggested Denise would join too. Did that happen off air or did I miss it? Surely an opportunity for Alastair and Denise to let their hair down and grow closer?

Yes - I hate when they don’t follow up on these types of things.

Ok I have a different perspective I think on things like X being spoken of then never mentioned again (e.g. the Justin and Stella thing, the party and so on).

When they're not actually "plots" (like the fucking bunting was supposedly) I don't really mind it. I think of it as the writers maybe leaving little "hooks" about for possible future storylines to be attached to - maybe in a month, maybe in 10 years. I notice people also get annoyed if someone "suddenly" does X with it not having been mentioned before, which is why these sort of things are necessary.

Even if the stories aren't planned in advance, if the scriptwriters of 5 years hence (who may well be different from those of today) want to do a Stella story I'm hoping there may be some kind of document where these things are placed, so they can think "ohhhh yes there's that thing in our back pocket about her knowing Justin before, what can we do with that?"

Disclaimer: I know nothing about script writing.

Ph yes we had vulva unexpectedly a couple of months ago, didn't we? Are they doing it for a bet or something?!?!

Yes, I think Tony said it in relation to a cow. Not Pat.

@iratepirate I don't listen visually either. It's only when I see something purporting to be someone/something that I know it's wrong (usually!). Sometimes I can then work out what my mind's picture is but usually I just know the thing in from of me isn't right.

I was very discombobulated when someone (?@Asking) posted the map of Ambridge recently and I realised that the Green/pub/shop arrangement I've been listening to most of my life is not the one on the map.

Back to last night and I was interested that Ben was driving without any comment on his licence. You have to notify the DVLA after an episode of psychosis so I'm surprised it wasn't even mentioned in passing. He wouldn't necessarily lose his licence but will probably need a medical report stating that he's well and not suffering severe side-effects from his meds such that would affect his driving, and so on. I work rurally and one of the worst things I can do to my patients is tell them they can't drive - I've had complaints about it even though I'm only following statutory legal requirements. It might have been interesting for the SWs to work out how Ben could function without his car.

I don’t think I made much comment before but, my goodness - the level of immediate care and attention the Brookfield clan are receiving regarding Ben is … extraordinary.

@TottersBlankly , I agree with you.

David & Ruth will go for the meal and it will turn out to be a disaster.

certainly attractive, but....
facial hair? no!
head hair is too short
can't tell from this pic if he has freckles or not
looks a bit too serious, i think

And now I'm thinking "unexpected vulva in the bagging area". Actually, it's quite nice to hear the correct term used - nothing whatsoever wrong with it (apart from rhyming with "vulgar") and there does seem to be a tendency to call it a vagina which is just wrong.

My mother used to call it a "front bottom"!

Yes, Ben should inform the DVLA, but can continue driving while they do the medical checks, provided a suitable healthcare professional says he can safely do so. It takes forever for the checks to be made, as DVLA have to write to your consultant, up to 3 times before a reply is received the last two times I've done it.

Tonight's Zoom(?) meeting with the family? Absolutely the first time I've ever heard of such a thing and have been around mental health care one way or another for some decades.

I too watch without visuals in my head, I just kind of assimilate what is being said, it's not like watching a play in my head.