Archers thread #147: Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder how old Ambridge is. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Many thanks to @PseudoBadger for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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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.)

Title comes from this poem, with which I drive my family to distraction at this time of year.

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz
I wonder where the birdies is.
The bird is on the wing.
But that’s absurd, the wing is on the bird.
Or so I’ve heard.

Ogden Nash

Apologies to @TeenDivided for ignoring her good ideas for the thread title. Here they are to kickstart our ruminations:
'window on the world of cheesemaking'
'how long until the intercom is fatal'
'will Brian settle in new pastures'
'Springing towards Easter with Widowers, Windows, and wails'

Over to you!

he doesn't have that amount of money, surely?

The lovely Brad needs to kick George to the kerb. I don’t want to marry Brad, but he’s sweet and hard-working - he could take my imaginary 16-year-old daughter out on a date.

No-one’s mentioned Josh - he’s a decent sort and I’m picturing muscley arms to throw you around. The one insurmountable downside is of course being an in-law to Pip and David (I quite like Ruth, sue me).

Not Rob's style or financial ability to buy a hotel. And that's Hazel anyway.

Is Rob the mystery buyer of Grey Gables?

Possibly the most disturbing thought I’ve read this year …

Of course, one wouldn’t put it past him to have made a lot of dodgy money, and to be hiding behind some shadow company. Oliver wouldn’t knowingly have sold to him, but Adil might not know his true identity. Makes Hazel seem like something lovely and heaven-sent …

I too was confused by Harrison's interview technique. And by Tracey - it was patently obvious that Brad was lying so I'm disappointed we didn't hear her telling him to sort it out in the break Harrison took for his cuppa. I assume it just didn't enter her head that he would do such a thing...

Really hope that this encourages Brad to get far away from George permanently.

I hate the way that both Mia and George have dragged Brad into their criminal/antisocial activities when he has the potential to use his brains and break away from the Horrobin/Grundy clans.

Perhaps Ursula has died and left him loadsamoney....

Either Harrison lied to get the truth out of Brad, or tough guy George sang like a canary. I hate this storyline either way and will be seriously annoyed if Brad gets a criminal record.

What’s Oliver going to say when he finds out it was George? Will he still give him £5000?

I think tough George wasn't so tough when interviewed, and naiive Brad is taking the fall. Hopefully Brad will get a caution & fright and he'll get more sense than to be led on by George.

Wouldn’t Brad have known that lying to the police is very bad news indeed? I hate to say it but while we are led to believe Tracey is a paragon of virtue who has hard times thrust upon her, both her children have now sailed very close to the wind down at the police station. Running the risk of a backlash on here - esp as I don’t have children- I think her parenting style is too soft and she tries to be more a ‘big sister doing her best’ to B and C rather than a parent.

Regular reader of this excellent thread, de lurking to wonder how the situation would change for both Jack & Henry if Helen & Lee get married.

I thought it was so weird to have Lee ask Pat for advice about marriage to Helen, so maybe it was included so that Lee could take on parental responsibility for them.

Someone please remind me about when/why Chelsea was at the police station? Was it the car scratching?

Sometimes I think everyone in Ambridge has a criminal record.

No-one has mentioned Jim and Justin's face-off but I enjoyed it!

Didn't Harrison mention the business about them being frightened off by the dog? In which case he could only have got that from George. So much for George banging on about how you never grass on a mate.

Perhaps Emmur, Eddie or Will were more effective in persuading George to tell the truth than Tracy was with Brad.

I don't understand why Justin would have been so desperate to get the Business Angel thing anyway. How old is he now? Simon Williams is 76 - if Justin is a similar age you'd think he'd be past caring about that sort of nonsense.

Whilst trying to find out his age, I came across this little reminder of another of Rob's nefarious deeds - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p04q4fwh

I've met more "Justin" types than I care to remember and things like titles and accolades are (maybe surprisingly?) what they live for in my experience. Kudos, publicity, things to boast about, chances to smooze etc.

Thanks for that @Rosula . Stefan, of course.

So Rob came from Minnesota and returned there when everything went wrong in Ambridge.

(He may have had a point about Lilian wrapping Justin around her little finger....)

Home Office stats revealed that 1 in 3 men had a criminal record, only thing about Ambridge is that so many women get close to it - Susan, Chelsea car scratching, Jill assaulting speaker, oh, and Helen of course.

Agree, really enjoyed Jim being politely very difficult.

@BeardieWeirdie Totally agree about Brad. Right down to the imaginaryness of daughters.

That's what mega salaries are about, isn't it? "I've got more gold stars than the other guy".

Along with the ability to influence the laws of the country to sure you carry on accumulating gold stars.

Of course the Business Angel would not have been selected on the actual day of the event, with evidence delivered during the event

You're not wrong @MereDintofPandiculation !

I do think they did it in a very silly way on the Archers but I like to think it's a bit of gentle satire. More like scouts needing signatures for things than grown adults.

Soosan has got a criminal record...

I think Susan's crime was "spent" by the time she trained to run the Post Office. We were told that it had been, anyway, when her becoming postmistress was questioned.

I don't think anything would change re children on their marriage but I'm just surmising that rather than having any real knowledge

Jack: he is Robs son and to adopt him wouldn't Rob have to agree and waive rights etc ?

Henry: I would think that with Helen's permission Lee could go bc ahead and adopt him subject to the parental rights thing she /Rib had being dissolved /terminated ???

But it's all messy ish

Perhaps Rob is a changed man (!)

Perhaps Rob is a changed man (!)

Not a chance I'd take!