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?

Then we'll have the fun of learning what was in her will at the time of her death and how much the estate is worth. I hope they don't bring Hazel back.

Hazel's definitely coming back....

Who is hazel?

@Dillydallydilly , Jack Woolley's adopted daughter, Peggy's step-daughter.

Peggy Woolley (Jennifer, Lilian and Tony's Mum) married a second time after her drunk abusive husband Jack Archer died.

She married Jack Woolley a businessman who owned Grey Gables and also I think at one time the Borsetshire Echo paper. Jack Woolley had an adult daughter from a previous marriage named Hazel.

Hazel as an adult is an awful person. She inherited the village shop and the flat above (where Tom & Natasha were until she evicted them saying she wanted to live in it herself but then couldn't do the stairs). She lives somewhere else, but turns up occasionally to spread poison, wreak havoc, and then depart.

Forgot she was adopted. Perhaps I should cut her some slack.
On second thoughts, no I won't.

@TeenDivided , Hazel was Jack Woolley's wife's daughter, and he adopted her.
She's ghastly.

Ah that kind of adopted. Definitely no slack then.
JW's wife was Valerie iirc.

Hazel is a monster. I prefer Ambridge without monsters.

I always feel a bit sorry for Hazel. She's such a very unsuccessful villain, in the sense that she never succeeds in stirring up as much of the brown stuff as she might, because she doesn't have the knack of getting anyone on her side. I suppose "all" she can do now is (1) close the shop, (2) evict Chris-toe-fur from the flat (with the consequence that he'll evict Jakob?), (3) sell the place to someone as ghastly as she is to be turned into something that will upset everyone, and finally (4) contest Peggy's will.

But of course she'll be there, teeth sharpened, lawyer on speed dial.

Maybe she'll seduce Brian and marry him on the rebound - he's so blitzed he wouldn't notice until it was too late.

I think even Blitzed Brine would notice that Hazel is a Slitheen! (or, at least, the Hazel actress is)

Peggy has been divesting herself of her fortune (re-wilding, money to Sausage King and Kirsty, paying off Hazel after Jack died, paying for Christine to stay at the Laurels, design for the church window, etc etc.) for years so there can’t be much left in her estate apart from The Lodge (would Kate will move out with good grace - nah!)

Did anyone note Brian talking to “JennyDarling”?

Hazel wouldn’t pursue Brian after finding out the farm was split into shares.

I am so so so hoping that it's Hazel who has bought Ruth and David's land and is planning the charging station.
Have said elsewhere that i don't think Ambridge is at all realistic as a place, i think just outside the local town (god i can't remember the name of the town!!) which has proper access and not an out of the way village. (I live in a similar sort of farming village - it would make zero sense to put one here, outside of the fact that we are very close to an Autobahn exit, but the next one is nearer the town and there is already a truck stop and petrol station there.)

I thought it was totally daft that, what?3 weeks?, after Jenny died only now did Alan ask Kate how Peggy was doing. Hasn't he visited her or is The Window still a Huge Thing?

Of course (irl) Alan would have visited Peggy. And - given how the SW had him wittering about being a close friend of Jenny’s - he would have spent long evenings sitting with Brian. The script has been nonsensical, in parts.

But I’m not sure about Hazel. She’s characterised as only ever acting out of spite, and as far as I can recall, she doesn’t have any particular beef with Ruth and David, so would have no reason to make a beeline for their land.

Anyway - wouldn’t it be more forward thinking for the electric charging thing to bring in new people? Hazel is quite elderly, intermittently infirm, and unpopular in Ambridge. It would seem a waste of her time (and ours) for her to drag herself there to cause trouble?

Peggy has been divesting herself of her fortune (re-wilding, money to Sausage King and Kirsty, paying off Hazel after Jack died, paying for Christine to stay at the Laurels, design for the church window, etc etc.) for years so there can’t be much left in her estate apart from The Lodge (would Kate will move out with good grace - nah!)

I wonder how good her estate planning lawyer actually was. A lot of tax still to pay as a lot of these gifts are well within the 7 year window…The charitable trust was set up very recently - less than 3 years ago - so I don’t think tapered relief will apply to that at all.

Gifts to charity are outside estate for IHT rules aren't they?

No. The only provision is that if you give more than 10% to charity, you get taxed at a lower rate, 36% instead of 40% IIRC

But the gifts in lifetime to charity are still taken off before the IHT is calculated surely? www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts

It's Hazel who now owns GG.

Adil's mysterious boss.

IMHO

And here: www.hilldickinson.com/insights/articles/reduce-inheritance-tax-leaving-gift-charity is something showing money left to charity is deducted before calculating IHT

NB. I don't know how charitable trusts work. They may not count as 'giving to charity' for all I know.

That would be an excellent twist.