Archers thread #148: Unseasonably, it's panto time in Ambridge. He's behind you, Pat! BANG. Discuss the Archers here.

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

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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!

No way! Same actor?

I don't think it's anything. She just realised that she wasn't that interested in Adam. The whole thing was classic first date enthusiasm followed by that feeling you get when you realise there is no reason ever to see someone again because you had a pleasant time but have no need to do it again.

Brian had it spot on, it's not worth thinking about it too deeply.

I did think it was surprising that Erin didn't have a single video of her father on her phone though.

One thing that also occurred to me when they were talking and she said that she thought Paddy would have loved to have had a son- has it always been in the storyline that Jennifer never even told Paddy she was pregnant, and he left, so Paddy never knew he existed?

I hadn't realised that.

I don’t have a video of my dad, I wish I did. Hindsight.

With the Erin thing, I think it is either:

• She's pretending completely and trying to con Adam out of something, (does feel possible with her making up excuses for him to not visit her in Ireland).
• Brian and @ChocChipHandbag are right and after meeting once she's just not that into taking it further, which is quite believable imo.

If the latter I think it'll be a plot device for something else, such as a reason for a continuation of the warming between Adam and Brian resulting in Adam going back to Home Farm and taking over properly, or maybe Adam realising the importance of siblings and deciding it's time for Xander to have one, or just another part of the general overarching theme of the main farms handing over to the next generation.
Although I did also think if Tom and Natasha do the idiotic thing and bugger off (please, god 🙏), maybe that means Adam could step up at Bridge Farm?

Is there any proof that Paddy is dead? Is Erin possibly protecting her in inheritance by keeping Adam away from a still alive Paddy who has made good?

No video of my dad sadly. Yet another regret.

But that doesn't let Erin off the hook. There's something sneaky afoot.

After catching up my initial reaction was that Erin was scamming Adam and she's not related to him at all.

Second thought Paddy is not dead but seems a bit contrived?

I liked Brian boosting Adam up & speaking so proudly of him

Just crossing everything that TomTasha and twins leave

Neither do I but maybe I'm not of the age that does this. On the other hand my daughter is in her 40s and has photos of me but I don't think she has videos.

Hadn't thought of this but I think this feels the most likely actually! He only has her word to go on. I reckon Alice and Kate will smell a rat and encourage Adam to do some digging maybe ... Or maybe we'll find out Syksey is an old friend and he unknowingly reveals to Adam that Paddy is still alive and well...

Erin is not convincing me. Maybe she is not Paddy's daughter, but someone expecting to inherit his vast wealth.

Her coming to Ambridge armed with photographs and newspaper pictures of long-ago sandcastles but not with a link to his recent obituary on RIP.ie with all the lovely things people said about him is strange.

yes, the women at least should be onto that

I can’t remember how Adam first made contact with Erin? I don’t believe she’s Paddy’s daughter - it feels like it won’t be too long before something terrible befalls her and she urgently needs Adam to send her some money. I also believe Sykesy must remember Paddy and may be able to shed light on Adam’s parentage (pity Lillian didn’t meet Erin - she must have known Paddy). Very suspicious all round whatever the case - hopefully Ian and Adam will go to Ireland regardless in the summer and do some snooping of their own.

I liked Brian boosting Adam up & speaking so proudly of him me too @BeaLola - it was lovely! Brian is such good value and every time he's in a scene it shines. I really hope the actor knows how highly we all rate him.

Also agree @PuppyPerson it could just be a way to keep warming things between Brian and Adam, if there are no "loose ends" it gives A more of a motivation to treasure the family he has left.

I would LOVE it if Paddy was really alive and Erin was keeping it to herself, that would be a plot. They seem to be painting her as a bit of a ditz though and - let's be honest - Adam was worried he'd be too boring for her before she even arrived!

Surprised Adam hasn't asked if he has any aunties and uncles, or cousins.

My hope at this stage is that Sykesy will produce a photograph of some farm or village thing and say 'oh look, there's Paddy' and it will very clearly not be the man in Erin's picture (too tall, too short, wrong nose or earlobes). Did anyone other than Adam see the image, and has he still got it?

There has to be some point for the introduction of Sykesy.

I have limited experience of friends finding long lost relatives including parents. It seems it's not uncommon to meet once and then not again. Which can be pretty painful. Maybe it is just that. Though Erin is a bit unconvincing, and if Paddy is not long gone, there could be inheritance issues. I dislike Adam but I think he wouldn't go after money if it did not feel right.

Gosh, true. In Irish law he is entitled to a share of his father's estate (though it would be very hard to prove paternity).

And actually, he may not be if Roger and/or Brian adopted him.

No, he's not! Irish law makes no such stipulation - only for spouses.

He is probably entitled to make a claim (his adoption by Roger may rule that out) and IF Paddy died intestate without a partner AND he is deemed to be Paddy's son (no idea how they'd prove that) would have an equal entitlement to any other child.

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/bbc5d-succession-rights-in-ireland/

It really does pain me to hear lovely but under-educated Emma trusting so naively in her son’s career advancement.

And if I were Jazzer I’d be spitting! What a kick in the teeth to be (even temporarily - and it had better be) replaced by a completely inexperienced and unqualified boy.

Does Brian sound a bit - breathless? Hope Charles Collingwood is ok.

ChocChipHandbag
has it always been in the storyline that Jennifer never even told Paddy she was pregnant, and he left, so Paddy never knew he existed?

Well no, it absolutely hasn't: she didn't tell him at the time of Adam's birth, but he did know that he had a son, and even saw him though not to speak to. Paddy Redmond came to Ambridge in 1981 looking for his ex-fiancée Nora, and she told him when he found her that he had a son called Adam who looked just like him, so he asked Jennifer if he could meet his son. She panicked and told Brian, Brian told Paddy to sling his hook, and he left again, but not before he saw Adam on the village green.

And then he went away to take up a job in Ulster as a farm manager, where it was believed by the BBC in 2001 he had been ever since. (The source for that last bit is The Archers Encyclopaedia of 2001.) In 1981 Paddy was prosperous, having done well for himself working "abroad", so if he is still alive it might be in Erin's interests to prevent Adam from getting in touch with him: since he was an Ulsterman and lived in Ulster when last heard of, Erin being a Dubliner and Adam assuming she can show him all Paddy's favourite haunts in Dublin is a little strange in and of itself.

Re modelling fees, I hope @TheatreTaxi doesn't mind if I re-post her informative post from the Spoilers thread (no spoiler info in it). Looks like the SWs have taken a very optimistic view of how much the twins have earned, and possibly also decided they are now identical, although they weren't at birth. (Go figure.)

TheatreTaxi · Today 00:28
Emerging from lurkerdom to comment on the baby modelling SL, which has some plausible elements but doesn't entirely ring true.

There are 2 components to child modelling payments. The studio fee is paid for the time actually spent doing the shoot, and is usually only in the region of a few hundred pounds at most. The real money comes from the buyout, which is a lump sum one-off payment intended to replace payment of ongoing royalties every time the images are used commercially (because the size of the buyout is a reflection of how much and how widely the images are going to be used). FIve-figure buyouts do happen BUT I've only come across them for big-brand companies where the images will be distributed internationally. It seems a bit far-fetched to think that an ad campaign for an agricultural chemical company would warrant a life-changing buyout sum (a couple of thousand each would be more realistic).

Legally, Tom and Natasha can't use the twins' modelling earnings themselves. Fees earned by child models and actors must go into bank accounts in the child's name and the majority kept as savings until age 18.

Twins are sought-after by baby modelling agencies, but it's usually identical twins that they're particularly keen on because then both babies can be cast as the same child. There are strict limits for working hours for babies and children, so being able to sub in an identical baby to portray the same child makes good financial sense because it doubles the length of time available for a shoot. Having a "spare" also means that the shoot can continue if one twin is crying or uncooperative, or needs changing/feeding/a nap.

I haven't been listening with much attention, but I had the impression that Paddy and Erin's mother were married and still together when he died. Have I got that wrong?

I think Erin's a wrong un. I am not breathless with excitement to find out exactly how.

Acting work for Jasper Carrott?