Archers thread #146: They did fall apart. Can they put themselves together again? 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. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like to donate your time as a guide at Lower Loxley to save the Pargetters paying someone else a living wage, 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.)

Thanks to @Impostersyndrome for the thread title suggestion Buses and trains are sorely lacking, canals might be nearby, but all roads lead to Ambridge, picking up on transport discussions in the last thread. In the end I didn't use it, having in mind the character limit. @TottersBlankly contributed an early draft title Wreathes, wrath, writhing (Jennifer, Lilian, Ruairi). Both good starting points for the new thread, which I hope will last till Jennifer's funeral, surely not too far off now. So, over to you - whither the Aldridges? Also, does anyone care if Lee goes to the US? Is anyone even slightly interested in the Brookfield B&B venture?

Yes indeed. The 🔮has predicted this so it is just a matter of time...

I thought that after running Blake over she took against driving and didn't go on with it

I thought she was persuaded to keep it up - not least because living in a village its drive or be isolated. But I don't recall much discussion on it at all so could be either way.

We know that Brad bicycled to Lower Loxley when we last heard him working there, because he was on his bicycle when he encoutered Ben and Chelsea and tried unsuccessfully to land one on Ben. Perhaps Chelsea also owns a bicycle, replacement for the one stolen for William by his uncle Alf when Alf was not in Ambridge

And on cue, Bradley pops up mentioning his cycle last night so she may well be cycling there. However cycling to paid work is different from cycling to donate your limited free time to the line the local nobs' pockets (well it would be for me!)

Freddie was shockingly rude and snobbish to Chelsea, making it clear he didn't think she was good enough or clever enough to do the job. Freddie struggles to rub two brain cells together and if he hadn't been born to privilege and inherited wealth he would be mucking out with the Grundys at best. He could do with a reality check.

Chelsea works successfully in two customer facing jobs - both in areas where customers can be picky and fussy, both involve learning both facts and processes. For all her self deprocation I suspect she could give Freddie more than a run for his money on the brains front.

I don’t like what this storyline is doing to Freddie. He’s not normally this clueless and rude is he? Well, not normally rude anyway. And rather than ‘not backing down’ I’d rather Chelsea gives Freddie a piece of her mind about the realities of the real world, and her and Brad not having the luxury of being in a financial position to volunteer. I’m all for ‘giving back’ but what does Chelsea have to ‘give back’? I hate that she’s going to do this.

Also, I had a strange feeling Jasper Carrott was going to be a former farmer.

Oh @C8H10N4O2 😆. I started typing my post before your two appeared. I had a chat with DH mid-post so the time between starting it and posting gave you the chance to slip in. Totally agree, it leaves a very bad taste.

Great minds!

I don't think Freddie has ever been particularly empathetic. As a teen you can put it down to "teen"ness but he is more an more sounding like an over privileged, over entitled little oaf with no brain.

Nigel was never very bright but I can't remember him being devoid of empathy even as a young man - what he lacked in brain, he made up for in kindness and thoughtfulness and an awareness that he was one of life's fortunates.

I don't think Freddie has ever been particularly empathetic. As a teen you can put it down to "teen"ness but he is more an more sounding like an over privileged, over entitled little oaf with no brain.

This! I was getting quite enraged with little rich boy wheedling and manipulating to try to get a member of a dirt-poor family to work for his mummy for free. It's bad enough that someone in the middle of A levels has to work to help keep the family afloat without expecting him to give hours of free labour. I really hope Chelsea stirs up all the volunteers into demanding fair pay.

I wondered if Liliian and Tony may do it together? Just to prove they are loving siblings again.

No comments in my prediction that Ruairi will end up doing the eulogy?

I wouldn’t be at all surprised! And it would be a truly beautiful piece of storytelling.

Obviously Horrobins need to earn money - but I don’t see that volunteering at a stately home would be a bad thing for Chelsea. Granted she already works there, but leading historical tours would surely round out her CV nicely. She’s young and may be applying for jobs or seeking funding for years to come - it’s certainly something that might be persuasive if she wants to open a hairdressing salon in a smart hotel. And besides, she likes talking!

Yes, there is that @TottersBlankly . Calling it an internship would look even better on her CV!

Btw, are you PPE of old? I’ve been trying to figure out if PPE is still posting under a different name. Our shared annoyance at Lily calling Nolly ‘urban’ made me wonder 🧐😊

Yes, but Freddie is Elizabeth's child as well as Nigel's, and he didn't have Nigel in his life for anything like enough time. (Also, Nigel's mother Julia was notably rude and pushy, much as Elizabeth can be.)

Freddie struggles to rub two brain cells together and if he hadn't been born to privilege and inherited wealth he would be mucking out with the Grundys at best. Yes, a more equal society isn’t about getting one or two extremely bright working class into Oxbridge, it’s about what happens to the mediocre majority. And at the moment what happens is entirely governed by money and “social capital”.

I can’t see Elizabeth welcoming Chelsea into Pargetterhood!

Incidentally, in my mind’s eye Vince looks like the late actor Warren Clarke (Daziell and Pascoe, Nice Work) but without his strange charisma.

I don’t know about that, @ClownpantsKate - Elizabeth has never been portrayed as any sort of scheming social climber. She was herself viewed as a humble farmer’s daughter by Nigel’s mother, iirc, and was quite prepared to roll up her sleeves and really work to make the place a success.

So I should think she’d welcome anyone with brains and spark who might bring out the best in her son.

Julia didn't welcome Elizabeth

Vince looks like Two Ton Ted from Teddington

Nigel's mother, Julia, wasn't upper class by birth though. She was a chorus girl - I'm sure I haven't imagined that.

Was my shorthand too short? Will try again!

‘She was herself viewed as nothing more than a humble farmer’s daughter by Nigel’s mother, iirc, and yet was quite prepared to roll up her sleeves …’

I meant that as Elizabeth had the experience of not being welcomed into the Pargetter family by her in MIL, she would probably try to be more open minded towards Freddie’s prospective life partner.

(I guess her one comfort during the Scumbag incumbency would have been that Lily wouldn’t inherit the house.)

No , you've not imagined it, and her real name was Joan, as her sister Ellen called her

Elizabeth was only interested in rich men

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thearchers/entries/695c1185-ad62-476a-b357-8a2da43b3c31
And a greengrocer's daughter to boot. No more upper class than Chelsea.

This is getting complicated!

In my humble opinion a former chorus girl of Julia’s era might very well have felt insecure as chatelaine of a stately home - and become snobbish in response. (I used to know someone who could have been the real life Julia!) But Elizabeth had a different sense of herself - so wouldn’t feel the need to seek out a duchess for her son.

Although - it’s perfectly possible the complete absence of marital scheming chez Pargetter is because it’s outside the SWs creative experience. It’s unlikely there were any aristocrats at the Cathedral School, and Elizabeth seems never to have lifted a finger to push her children forward socially.

Single duchesses of roughly Freddie's age are in short supply.

I called Chelsea as future Lady of the Manor ages ago.

I bloody love Chelsea and Brad's dynamic, they're genuinely quite funny together in a way the other siblings never are. It made me chuckle as well to hear Chelsea echoing so much of what's been said on the thread about the cheek of getting people to guide for free, aside from retired people who are already financially secure. I hope Freddie will realise he needs to pony up for some paid part time workers if he wants to get a younger crowd coming to Lower Loxley.

Lady Wossname WIndsor, Prince Edward's daughter, is about the right age. But he'd be better off with Chelsea, who will keep him in order and make him pay his staff - and his hair will always look fabulous!

I love them too GoldenCupidon. Also Tracey.

ILoveShula
Elizabeth was only interested in rich men

Rich men a fair bit older than her, at that. Nigel was a mere eight years older than her, but Cameron Fraser was thirteen years her senior and Robin Fairbrother fourteen years.