Archers thread #144: Window pains again! Light relief or dark times ahead for Ambridge in 2023? 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 volunteer in the shop with Susan, 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.)

New year, new thread. Many thanks to @LillianGish for the window pains pun! Hoping to hear a lot less from the Caseys this year and a good deal more about farming and how Ambridge is coping with Brexit, cost of living crisis, ageing population and all sorts of credible character-based storylines. Yes, I know, but one can only hope.

Over to you!

I don't think we can get too caught up in logistics. Brad's at college in Borcester. Who knows what bus -> train links that may have.

Though we haven't heard people doing day trips to Oxford before have we? Even when Phoebe was doing PPE there. You'd think it would be the kind of place Jennifer would have been taking herself off to occasionally.

Perhaps a new supersonic link has opened?

@TeenDivided , I was thinking of Borchester or Felpersham being Evesham or Malvern.

I think of Borsetshire floating around in a parallel universe, never quite pinned to a single physical location.

I've taken the train from Reading to Oxford a fair few times, and wouldn't necessarily need to change if I wanted to go to Malvern or Evesham, so Reading doesn't seem to be too far on the train for Brad to have a girlfriend there.

Quite a trek for Paige to go to Manchester from Reading for the maths course, but I guess that’s not unheard of.

The Intercity Cross Country from Bournemouth to Manchester is quite easy, (if it's running properly,) and goes through Reading, Oxford, Birmingham and other places with no changes. Slightly confusing if you're on it before Reading, as it changes direction there.

Not really, Reading to London, London to Manchester.

I've taken the train from Reading to Oxford a fair few times, and wouldn't necessarily need to change if I wanted to go to Malvern or Evesham, so Reading doesn't seem to be too far on the train for Brad to have a girlfriend there.

It’s not the distance I’m concerned about, more the poor reliability of service. Also, the price of a train ticket, which would seem a stretch for a Horrobin.

Student railcard? That would almost have paid for itself on the trip to Manchester for the course.

That's what I assumed - her in one room, Erik in the other. It's a bit odd to expect your guest to share the room with a stranger.

To be fair (yes, I know), the scripts were probably written and recorded long before the strikes were announced.

Also, re money, Brad has a part-time job at The Orangery, or had back in the summer, so probably has a bit of cash in hand. They spent diddlysquat on Christmas presents this year, and he doesn't seem to go out much.

Kate definitely said 'spare room' so Erik must be in the main bedroom. Kate must be staying somewhere else - with silent Peggy maybe.

I thought Kate officially still lives with Peggy. I suspect she and Jakob need the odd break from each other.

Kate doesn't live with Jakob, does she? I can't see him putting up with that! I assume she's still living with Peggy, which will be a problem when Peggy is written out, presumably quite soon. June Spencer said a while back that she'd recorded her final scene for broadcast at some later date.

Maybe Peggy will leave the house to Kate, thus annoying everyone else.

Asking will know for sure, but I thought Peggy was going to leave her home to Helen. This came up years ago when she badly upset Tony by announcing she was leaving him nothing, or something like that.

@FallonsNewCoat , Brad had/has? a weekend job so the £25 or so might be affordable. No idea how reliable the trains are. The line to Oxford always seemed OK.

I love this post - and I'm happy to believe the journey can be made - though as @TeenDivided so rightly says: we haven't heard people doing day trips to Oxford before have we? Even when Phoebe was doing PPE there. You'd think it would be the kind of place Jennifer would have been taking herself off to occasionally. I'm less interested in Brad's schoolboy romance and think it's vanishingly unlikely that he (or she for that matter) would be making this journey midweek after college. I'm happy the guitar storyline has been put to bed, though it seems an enormously convoluted way of bringing Mungo back into the picture.

Jennifer would have gone by car, and it's not the most car-friendly of cities.
It did seem a bit odd that Brad and Paige would meet up midweek.

Talk of Mungo reminds me of the question about his grandad Robert Snell who was of course portrayed by the wonderful Graham Blockey who very sadly died in November. I only discovered then that he had worked simultaneously as a GP in "real life". I wonder if decisions have yet been made on what will happen next. Awfully sad for his beloved "Lindy" if the character dies too after the tough few years she's recently had.

Apropos of nothing, it's apparently taken me over eight years to twig that Tony and Tom Archer are played by real-life father and son, David and William Troughton...

To add, I have found my tribe here. What a wonderful community you are.

@BerylBillings , I think it's been mentioned quite a few times how remarkably Tony and Tom sound like father and son.

Why do you think The Real Tom Archer went to Canada? I loved The Real Tom Archer.

@BerylBillings , Welcome and thank you.

@BerylBillings Son and grandson respectively of Patrick Troughton of course, the second Doctor Who.

I think it's been mentioned quite a few times how remarkably Tony and Tom sound like father and son.

Ah, no doubt it has. I'm very new to this forum. Am slowly working my way through past, rather excellent, threads!