Archers thread #148: Unseasonably, it's panto time in Ambridge. He's behind you, Pat! BANG. 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 think George Grundy isn't a psychopath, 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.)

Will Rob return, or are they playing with us? Will Pat run amok with her shotgun and wipe out half the village? (We can but hope ...) Will Oliver come to his senses and turf the Grundy clan out of Grange Farm? So many questions, so much time.

Over to you!

I don’t know, I’d say Justin has a type then, with Lillian and Jolene. Both quite brash.

I quite liked the episode. I don’t know why as I usually hate the whole panto / fair event type stuff. Maybe it was just that there were a number of characters all together at once.

Fair enough. Also fair to say though that you started it Asking.

Good grief, ten years ago.

Lots of water under bridges since then. I can't remember what I would have been doing at the time. Lots of long car journeys, perhaps.

I still listen quite often, but no longer avid.

I listen to The Archers for a few minutes break from my kids bickering 🤣

Hi. Am also dematerialising from lurkdom a la Ambridge. I've listened to the Archers since Nigel fell from the roof and have lurked here from approx thread 113. I normally catch up on this thread on a Sunday morning before listening to the omnibus. For what it's worth, while I read everything, I find the constant nit picking over the minutiae of a storyline pretty crap and generally feel sorry for the scriptwriters but I'd be happy if that bloody painting fell off the wall, killing Freddie, and sparing me from the whiny voice.

It occurred to me the other day that while Freddie is busy whinging about the slavery aspect of the painting, his actual job is managing people to work for free at his family stately home.

(Disclaimer: I of course know this is very different from actual slavery)

Welcome, and I have some sympathy with your views!

I like the Lynda/Paul partnership. Still feeling a pang every time Robert is mentioned.

I get the sense the scriptwriters are deliberately giving a lot more airtime to Eurovision in order to play down the Coronation. Sending some sort of republican message.

Anyone else think that?

I’d love to see a Venn diagram recording how many Archers followers are Eurovision fans. I certainly wouldn’t be in the overlap section. I really couldn’t be less interested in Eurovision.

Loving Paul and Linda. Gimme some skin 😂

When Lilian and Justin were staying with Lyndy and Robert didn't Lynda grow quite close to Justin? Didn't seem at all like they were friends last night or did I miss something previously where they cooled off?

She had his number in her phone. Also, this is Lynda we're talking about. She takes no prisoners.

True enough

Me neither. However, I do think the Lynda/Paul combo is a promising one. But don't Justin and Lillian ever talk to each other? How could Lillian not know that Justin had withdrawn funding, and how could Justin not know how keen she is on Eurovision?

Re the illuminations - is it right that the only candidates are member of Lill's family? That's not going to look at all nepotistic, is it?

Also, how sensible is it doing illuminations on a livestock farm? Isn't it liable to upset the cows or something? Has Natahsa even discussed it with Tom, let alone Pat and Tony?

But if they get the timing right the illumination will burst upon the sight of Rob and Pat having their great confrontation.

I had lunch with Anisha today.

In that she was at the table next to us. I recognised her because I had paid attention when the actress had a small part in Line of Duty, and I could hear her Scottish accent so that confirmed it.

No, I did not go up and say "how's Newmarket? Congratulations on the baby. yeah, I know Rex is still driving taxis and lives on a boat, you dodged a bullet there..."

Wimp!

Wow @ChocChipHandbag !!

Yes Lynda and Paul is the partnership /line of succession we've been waiting for:

Fab - u - lous!

I think someone deep in the bowels of the BBC has done a handshake deal that the Archers will bang on endlessly about Eurovision. Eurovision is a BBC event after all, the coronation (obviously) isn’t!

Ah that makes a lot of sense Witchery. At this very moment they are banging on about Eurovision in the Reunion. A programme which used to be quite interesting but has recently been scraping the barrel...

How much longer do we have with this SL? When exactly is Eurovision? I will be glad when the illumination saga is over too but we still have a week of that ahead. Hopefully no more innuendo-laden scenes with Joelene unbuttoning her blouse! Yuck…

Strange how they could ignore a two-year-long pandemic that affected everyone but can make so much of a TV pop-fest that interests a minority. I’d far rather hear more on the will fall-out and Selen and Nova’s burgeoning modelling careers…

Regarding the Reunion, dear lord Lulu’s laugh 😱

Oh I dunno, couldn’t give a stuff for eurovision but I don’t recall it ever* being mentioned before let alone a huge fuss made, so I don’t mind them doing it for once. They clearly need some built in events to stimulate activity round the village. And this is comparatively local to Ambridge compared to previous years.
*it may have been MENTIONED in passing

who is Ambridge is most/least likely to do the pledge of allegiance to King Charles MHLF

Lynda most likely; Jim least. At least to bother to mention it at all. The vast majority will neither know about it nor care, is my guess.

(What is involved anyway? I am in the neither know nor care camp...)