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!

The twins are special because they are Archers. Henry and Jack are Archers but they were fathered by non-Archers. Johnny's surname is Richards and he was born out of wedlock.

I don't love the window storyline (understatement) so am far from delighted that it's reared its ugly head again. Didn't the PCC unexpectedly back the idea after determined lobbying from the family, and against Alan's advice? However, Alan felt obliged to stick to his principles and let the Bishop or Archdeacon or the Dalai Lama or whoever know that he didn't approve, and that seemed to stymie things. Zzzzz.....

Love the idea that Erik is Jakob in a false moustache!

I’m imagining one of those sets of “disguise” glasses with a moustache on. 🤣

My main objection to the window story is that it centres around Peggy, who we all know has retired and will not speak again. I don't have a problem with silent characters or with characters being off the scene for a bit and referred to in passing, but I don't think these characters can support a storyline. The window was Peggy's idea and she was paying for it - in the real world (and knowing what we know about Peggy) she would have been front and centre of any debates, attending all discussions and making her feelings known. I'm happy for Jenny to go on a spa break with Lillian - or even for Robert to be quietly getting on with stuff at Ambridge Hall or in a bird hide somewhere - but this is in an entirely different league. The SWs should have done the decent thing and let it die death after the final word from the Bishop. Utterly tedious and straining credulity to breaking point.

No, that doesn’t follow. Once it’s gone downhill there’s no going back

I've only just twigged that Erik actor was one of the many villainous cops in The Bill. I hope that there's no plan for a repeat performance.

I don't understand why they are so picky about volunteers in the the shop. In my experience of dealing with volunteers, unless they are actively flaky you bite off the hands of anyone who turns up, because there will always be emergencies when you struggle to find anyone, so the more the merrier.

With the window, do we know what happened to the broken one? Is it being replaced?

Once a pig crosses the county boundary it can never go back.

Susan just goes from bad to worse, she's absolutely awful. I'm in a similar position as someone who's employed in a role that makes me responsible for organising volunteers. I would be rightly laughed out of town with my P45 in hand if I tried to bully a volunteer into taking responsibilty for recruitment and step up to cover someone else's shifts, and potentially take the lead on training the new volunteer, all on the (spurious) grounds that they'd been behind the last volunteer leaving:

a) there's no evidence Jim had anything to do with Maureen leaving. I'm still hopeful that it will turn out to have been Susan's insufferable personality that made her quit.

b) even if it had been Jim, all of that is still Susan's job. If there's an issue between volunteers, it's also her job to manage relationships, not just whinge to a dedicated volunteer about how awful he is.

c) if Jim had been kind enough to step up and do Susan's job for her, it's very much beggars can't be choosers. If you don't want Joy or Justin, you should have chosen someone yourself.

d) all of this shows that she's not managing the volunteers properly at all if they're so short-handed that one person leaving upsets everything.

e) she has the self-awareness of one of those bags of cheesy wotsits she was pretending not to be judgey about. The reason she doesn't like Joy is probably because Joy is too much like her, but without the malicious edge.

If I never hear from Susan Carter again it would be a massive BOOP from me. If she could take her grandson George with her and go and join a silent religious order in Australia, that would be great (except for the fictional nuns she'd have to leave with, even imaginary nuns don't deserve that).

Is this what Stella was going to last week - the Oxford Real Farming Conference?

orfc.org.uk

AlexCabot · Today 07:50
Erik is Jakob in a false moustache testing Kate's loyalty. Obviously.

I came on to say exactly this.

Arf! The Little Sisters of the Duct-Taped Mouths.

I know a middle-aged man who volunteers at a charity that distributes stuff to refugees. He's constantly complaining that the other volunteers (all female) take no notice of him. They insist on making sure people have trivial stuff like furniture, pots & pans, food and weather-appropriate clothing for a Canadian winter, while disregarding his spreadsheets of how many pieces of a puzzle for toddlers should go in each box, and his lengthy Facebook posts concerning how the warehouse should be reorganised. The woman who runs the place just nods and smiles and (I suspect) hopes he'll leave.

I think last week was Oxford farming conference AND oxford real farming conference. Don't ask me what the difference is, it sounds like that bit in The Life of Brian.

It is just about time we had a sexyish middle aged man to put the cat amongst the pigeons in Ambridge. there hasn't been an affair or a flirtation for AGES amongst the over 25s.

I can't believe the window pain is going to continue

Very, ahem, punny... 😁

The reason she doesn't like Joy is probably because Joy is too much like her, but without the malicious edge

I agree with this re Susan... I often find myself wondering whether they'll become friends at some point (but are they too similar for that to happen)?

It is just about time we had a sexyish middle aged man to put the cat amongst the pigeons in Ambridge. there hasn't been an affair or a flirtation for AGES amongst the over 25s.

It's definitely about time for an affair. When was the last one? I was wondering whether it would be Russ and Elizabeth, but I think she (not him!) would have had too much integrity even if temptation had been put in her way...

That was a heart-warming episode.

so.....is it Jakob in disguise? I'd love it if it were, but I don't think Jakob would go as far as an actual date would he? But if not why all this harping on about how much they look alike?

Go Kirsty taking the initiative!

Some siblings look very alike. FairsisterFairbrother and I used to be mistaken for each other a lot. We're not twins.

Given Kirsty's history in choosing bad'uns, and the way Erik's voice has gone full-on creepo-smoothie overnight, I'm optimistic that he won't disappoint!

Oh don't do that to Kirsty! Let her be happy.

MysticBore™️ predicts
Erik will be but a brief encounter
Kirsty will be delivered of a little Scandi-baby in the Autumn.

Nah, it will be a big tall half-scandinavian half-scouser called Thor

What, after swimming in the Am in January? I know he's Scandinavian, but ...

He'll warm up quickly after the cake and hot chocolate

Yup. Wouldn't be surprised if Kate discovers them in flagrante, beating each other with birch twigs.