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Original poster

Archers thread #145: The glue that held the Aldridges together is gone. Will they fall apart? Discuss The Archers here.

978 replies

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 29/01/2023 22:36

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

Archers 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.

Archers 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!

Archers 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!

OP posts:
Madcats · 02/02/2023 15:55

Oh we have a mysterious "but why don't they just sell the place" house set back from our road. It was built for the great grandparent(?) 100+ years ago. The daughter died in her 90's at least 15 years ago and the place was renovated and extended shortly after....never to be lived in for more than a couple of days/year.

It could easily let for £2.5k+/month and far more as an Airbnb.

UrsulaTitchener · 02/02/2023 17:44

It could easily let for £2.5k+/month and far more as an Airbnb.
It could be let as a family home, where the family would contribute to the local economy.

suzyscat · 02/02/2023 21:28

The Gills business is beyond infuriating!

Didn't Ruari, Jenny Darling and Brine play cluedo together fairly recently? Clearly not that recently as JD has been absent for a while, but I thought it had been played more recently than they said.

I'd love Chelsea and Freddie to get together but I'm not convinced he's sharp enough for her, but I'd love a Horrobin at home at LL. I'd only be sorry not to see the size of Susan's hat if they ever got married.

Also what is wrong with Tom?
And what is Justin up to?

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 02/02/2023 22:02

Wasn't it the Brookfield Archers who had been playing Cluedo, as reported by Leonard to Ben in the pub just before Vince attacked him?

Original poster
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 02/02/2023 22:06

We played Cluedo a few times when I was a child. I found it a very tedious game, but I'm prepared to be told everybody else loves it. Monopoly is better.

Natasha and Tom are about to be fleeced, and they deserve it, given how patronising they were to Pat when she expressed perfectly reasonable doubts about this foolish scheme.

Lynda and Lilian are very good together.

OP posts:
Iloveabaconbutty · 02/02/2023 22:06

Fabrice! Now there's a silent character we haven't heard from for a long while!

Fink · 02/02/2023 22:23

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 02/02/2023 22:06

We played Cluedo a few times when I was a child. I found it a very tedious game, but I'm prepared to be told everybody else loves it. Monopoly is better.

Natasha and Tom are about to be fleeced, and they deserve it, given how patronising they were to Pat when she expressed perfectly reasonable doubts about this foolish scheme.

Lynda and Lilian are very good together.

I agree, Cluedo is rubbish. I never really loved Monopoly either (it goes on far too long), although it is better. We always liked the quiz style games like Articulate, and cards. I want to get my kids into Ticket to Ride, which always has good reviews (we never had it as children), but they played it once and refuse to try again. We weren't a sophisticated family though, growing up, our heart's desire was to own Mousetrap, which was never granted. My siblings and I were hugely disappointed when my Mum bought it for a neighbour's child's birthday but still wouldn't buy it for us.

I would have had the Alridges down as a Scrabble family. Not in a serious way (we had neighbours the other way who entered Scrabble competitions), but occasionally.

Original poster
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 02/02/2023 22:27

We had Scrabble, Monopoly, Frustration, snakes and ladders, and that's about it. Much later, in the 1980s, we bought Trivial Pursuit when it first came out. Much more my sort of thing.

OP posts:
Octothorpe · 02/02/2023 22:55

We had Mousetrap - it was really good, looking back. Only for relatively young-ish age children though, I suppose, but fun!

A relative once gave us a set of something called Totopoly, which was a horse-racing version of Monopoly. It was so horrifically complicated we never played it. I don’t think it ever came out of the box - both parents read the instructions, blanched, and shoved it back in the cupboard.

TopOfTheCliff · 02/02/2023 23:31

@Octothorpe I think we had Totopoly. I remember a game with metal horses and a long green racecourse. You had to wind a handle and the horses moved along the track. It was pretty dull. I think my favourite game was Hungry Hippos.

Chelsea was great this evening. She hit just the right note in cheering up Lilian while allowing her to be sad. Great episode!

EBearhug · 03/02/2023 02:28

Tom not remotely registering that his father might be a bit upset by the loss of his sister and not up for babysitting while he and his wife have a night on the tiles. And Jennifer not even buried…

Tom could also have been upset about his aunt, if he weren't Tom...

EBearhug · 03/02/2023 02:30

I think we had Totopoly. I remember a game with metal horses and a long green racecourse. You had to wind a handle and the horses moved along the track.

No, that was Escalado. Lead painted horses and jockeys that would fall over...

TeenDivided · 03/02/2023 05:59

The 70s mousetrap was good. The modern one is rubbish.
We play Sorry! Cluedo, pairs matching and Labyrinth as a family, and occasionally monopoly. We don't play Scrabble or any fast games like Taboo due to DD's dyslexia and slow processing.

CaptainMyCaptain · 03/02/2023 07:01

EBearhug · 03/02/2023 02:30

I think we had Totopoly. I remember a game with metal horses and a long green racecourse. You had to wind a handle and the horses moved along the track.

No, that was Escalado. Lead painted horses and jockeys that would fall over...

A friend had that and I'm sure it was called Totopoly.

iratepirate · 03/02/2023 07:16

Totopoly and Escalado featured in the pile of games in my grandparents’ cupboard of games. (Which we never played.)

I love board games but can’t stand Cluedo.

CaptainMyCaptain · 03/02/2023 07:28

Cluedo is better the more players you have as I remember it. It's pretty easy to guess if there are only 3 playing.

TodayInahurry · 03/02/2023 07:34

I listen to it for years, gave up when like the rest of Radio 4 it became tedious and issue driven. No longer listen to Radio 4 at all, except the news sometimes when I am driving.

ILoveShula · 03/02/2023 08:10

I recall Brine, JD and Ruairi playing Cluedo, but can't remember when. I don't remember the Dopeys playing it.

Gnasher is going to blow shedloads on the Starlets' portfolio, and they'll get scammed.

Gonners · 03/02/2023 08:25

@suzyscat Also what is wrong with Tom?

How long have you got?

ILoveShula · 03/02/2023 08:31

He's got the personality of a piece of cardboard and he's not the real Tom Archer.

Brefugee · 03/02/2023 08:38

I love Cludo, but Harry Potter Cludo is even better.

Chelsea was flippin' brilliant. Lynda too, she is really letting Lillian offload. (hope Lillian now switches to Chelsea, at least now and again)

Tom and Natasha. Urg. You can see it coming a mile off. Pat needs to say what she thinks rather than uming-and-ahhing.

Octothorpe · 03/02/2023 08:46

The second Natasha said 'credit card' my head was in my hands….

Octothorpe · 03/02/2023 08:47

(But on the plus side, we did get a classic example of 'hello, you two!')

TottersBlankly · 03/02/2023 08:51

But, @Octothorpe , everyone’s been clamouring for a reprisal of the ‘Natasha as crazy over spender’ theme! Grin

Everyone except me. Why can’t Tom and Natasha be offered a life changing opportunity in California? My ears automatically switch off as soon as they appear.

iratepirate · 03/02/2023 08:52

Pat is confusing. She was hardly backwards at coming forward with putting Lilian in her place / standing up for Tony…Yet, she’s gone for the “softly, softly” approach with this halfwitted modelling scheme. (“I’m sure we can cover if you reeealllyyy need us to.”) 🙄