Archers thread #145: The glue that held the Aldridges together is gone. Will they fall apart? 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, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it.

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.)

Lillian and I both made the glue observation, so I thought that would be as good a way as any to kick off this new thread. We raced through the last one, for obvious reasons. This one may last until the funeral. Will Tamsin Greig find time to attend? I do hope so.

The poem Jennifer quoted in her journal is here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43775/rabbi-ben-ezra It's doubtful whether the last of Jennifer's life was the best, but she had plenty to contend with all the way through.

Over to you!

Loved the Brian and Will conversation and finally getting why the otherwise unbelievable funeral delay is in the SL, to make a more manageable way of portraying reactions to bereavement. God I'm slow.

Still an unbelievable delay, though.

I wondered if Ruari was actually spinning Justin a line, it would serve him right

Me too, @StillWeRise !

(And I blame Russ for Freddie’s … downfall.)

BOOP for all those who predicted a conversation between Will and Brian. That was lovely.

Justin is an idiot. That's all I can be bothered to say about that.

Taking a break and revisiting is often good with discussion groups. I've dropped off and on this one over the years - usually because as you say, it simply stopped being an enjoyable bit of sarcasm and a line was crossed either on a character or storyline (or in my case last time a subject in the storyline). All groups also have their fallings out and comings together. I was never on Mustardland but was an UMRAT for many years - even that generated the odd war!

I don't think the funeral delay is unbelievable? My mother' s funeral was almost a month after her death, and I believe it tends to take longer at this time of year when there are more deaths generally. Jennifer died on 22nd January.

I expect that stirred up a few things.

I don't watch Countdown, but my parents do. They record it and my Dad fast forwards through all the chat so they can concentrate just on the puzzles. There have been a few changes of host in recent years, but I believe the current one is considered a good choice. I'll find out when I'm next up north, in a few weeks, I suppose.

Been a while since anyone in Ambridge last mentioned the pub quiz. Nobody ever talks about watching quiz shows on TV. Not perhaps the most fascinating topic for a daily soap, I suppose. I caught a bit of one yesterday with possibly the stupidest team I've ever seen. They lost all the (small amount of) money they'd earned by deciding that Japan was bigger in land area than China. They had earlier failed to recognise that Murder on the Orient Express was by Agatha Christie and had seriously considered that Donald Trump might have a knighthood. They wouldn't have fared well with Jim's quizzes.

Turning to last night, BOOP for Will and Brian. I thought that was very well done.

Thanks for the details about Nolly, Asking. That's twice now she's said she's a teacher now and the wild times are behind her. I hear that as a veiled warning that she would take any reference to their druggie period very amiss. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?

@JudgeJ yes it's been a shock to everyone on here, even those who predicted it (not me)

I'm so sorry for your loss too, and the loss of beloved routines x

South African schools have been back since the end of January.

Nolly doesn’t appear to have any hint of a SA accent does she?

Whilst there, she encouraged Freddie to dry and sell at college the magic mushrooms he had found on the Lower Loxley estate, to make the money for a visit to her in his "gap year" before university. Then she was a bit put out that he started to deal other drugs, courtesy of Elliott, but her disapproval didn't stop her from snatching an ecstasy tab from him at her birthday party and eating all of it even though Freddie tried to stop her and also tried to tell her she ought to take half or a quarter, not the whole thing. Having got him well and truly involved with a violent drugs dealer, she went home telling him he had to stop, but not offering him any advice about how, or how he was to deal with blackmail.

Oh come on, that's a bit of a stretch. They egged each other on with regards to the mushrooms like a couple of silly teens (which they were).

It was not Nolly who introduced Freddy to Elliott, nobody made him deal other drugs and Nolly disapproved of it - that was his own choice to get money for his trips abroad when mummy declined to hand him a wodge of cash for nothing. Like most teens and many adults Nolly at least saw a difference between picking and selling something in the fields and getting involved in dealing illegal manufactured drugs.

Freddy had the option to work and earn gap year money just like every other teen (but with the added advantage of having a guaranteed job on his doorstep). He chose to sell ecstacy instead.

Freddy made his own mistakes and is responsible for them, just like Nolly is responsible for her own mistakes.

Has anyone else heard Red For Danger on Radio 4 extra this week? Both Jack and Peggy Woolley actors are in it, apparently they don’t know who played who but one of the characters just said the name Pat as “pet” so I’m sure she’s playing Red!

Also it’s by the original inventor of the archers and the main characters are called David and Pat! There the similarities end.

Red for Danger also has Ysanne Churchman in the cast list - Grace. She was well before my listening time.

Remind me again (pretty please!) - could Freddie and Noluthando marry? In terms of custom as well as law. I know we’ve been over their exact level of family relatedness before, several times. But it’s all fallen out of my head.

I’m just pondering whether he is indeed asexual or whether it will eventually be revealed - surprise! - that he’s been secretly in love with her forever, but star crossed, etc. Yes I know it’s ridiculous, but she seems so at home at LL, and Freddie simply doesn’t seem to like anyone else.

I would have said so.

Freddie is Elizabeth's son and Phil's grandson.
Noluthando is Kate's daughter, Jennifer's grand-daughter, Jack's great-granddaughter.

Jack was Phil's older brother. Elizabeth and Jennifer were first cousins.

I imagine many people related as closely as that are unaware of each other's existence, so some will end up marrying/pairing off unawares.

There is no law against first cousins marrying so, as second cousins (?), there would be no problem. QE2 and Prince Philip were, I think third cousins and Victoria and Albert were first cousins.

I went so far as to look at the family trees yesterday to try and answer that exact question for myself. I think they are second cousins, once removed. So, very distant.

I do think it helps that her dad is from a completely different continent so very little chance that he's also related somehow!

Second cousins, once removed.

jennifer & Elizabeth first cousins
kate & freddie 2nd cousins
Nolly & Freddie 2nd cousins once removed.

xpost, also thinking that Lucas would introduce entirely different DNA to help mix things up

I didn't recognise any of the voices in Red for Danger, but there's a bit of audio of Grace streamed for free here: soundcloud.com/penguin-books/the-death-of-grace-archer-bbc-radio-4-full-cast-dramatisation-audiobook-extract She has one of those old-fashioned high-pitched cut-glass voices which must have been quite a strain on the vocal cords!

Poor Alice - I really felt for her tonight. I love the actress. She really does seem very alone. I would have thought the family would have been looking out for her and worrying about the possibility of a relapse with all the stress of losing her mum. All the siblings seem to be ploughing their own furrow at the moment rather than rallying round. I thought Debbie might have returned (if only silently). I’m not surprised Alice was wobbling there - Ruairi was behaving appallingly.

I love Alice too. She's always well-acted in my opinion.
Ruairi is good too, but he's not well-behaved right now.

Forgot to add, but I get the impression that Debbie has left and that Alice is being more prominent.

The Horrobins are rather quiet at the moment.

I bellowed "Casket!!??" as soon as the words were out of Alice's mouth, so glad Brian was similarly outraged.

I'm very sensitised at the moment, as am listening to "Outlander" as audiobook in the car; littered with US usage and mispronounced French.

So did I (although not out loud). Its a coffin.