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 know @echt - or if not Helen: Tom, Natasha, Kirsty, or Lee? They could have posted on MN if they were seeking reassurance that Rob could never get access to Jack.

OK they'd have been disappointed, and may have needed to have the thread deleted as it might have been hard to disguise the situation .....

Helen doesn't google for the same reason murder solving detectives have side kicks and Harry & Rom don't read 'Hogwarts a History'.

They all need a method of explaining to the audience the information needed for the plot.

'Did you read that google page explaining things?'
'Yes'

does not make for an informed audience.

At least they made some effort to explain that they knew it should really go through the solicitor.

Possibly I should have put lighthearted in brackets. Both the genres you cite have very specific rules. TA, while a fiction, still aims to be an everyday story, and it could be worked in.

but please, we never need to hear about his superhero collection ever again the Superhero/martial arts thing will surely not be for nothing? It can only be a matter of time before Knob meets Lee (even his name - a Hardyesque echo of Bruce Lee) and Helen and the boys have their very own superhero.

And then there's Pat's gun which hasn't been mentioned again recently.

Jack or Henry might shoot him. Lee bravely takes the blame and is sent down, never to be heard again and with only a passing reference made when Helen occasionally visits him in prison. Win-win.

Interesting that the storylines are running parallel between Adam not meeting his father and Rob asking to see Jack. Both Jack and Adam have 'fathers' who aren't their biological parent

I thought Emma sounded a lot like her mum today in that way that accents become more pronounced as people age - good acting. And I liked the way Emma came across as the pig headed one while Susan’s kinder side seems to shine at the moment with Alice.

Hoping for a George comeuppance soon.

I am now expecting Tracy to put the nut on Emma on Friday at the hen night.
Emma was being really really nasty. And I am wondering if Martyn Gibson is going to try to replace Jazzer with George permanently?

That whole storyline is infuriating. (In Tracy's shoes? I'd have said: no thanks to your stupid buffet. I'll take my business elsewhere)

Susan’s kinder side seems to shine at the moment with Alice.

It’s true - their in-law relationship is really evolving as a distinct thing - separate from Susan’s immoderate early joy at becoming part of the Aldridge family, and from her grandmotherly love for Martha. Unexpected and a lovely thread running through all their combined lives. Deserves a BOOP, actually.

I do honestly feel I must have missed an episode where we heard Martyn Gibson soliloquising on his sudden passion for George. My ears are stumbling about in the dark - why is this happening? Completely agree Jazzer should be very, very worried about keeping his job - but I cannot understand what hold George has over Martyn.

I still hope George will blow bio security
surely Emma must notice at some point that George has completely flunked college?

i don't think George does have a hold over Martyn. Martyn is only about the bottom line. George must cost a lot less than a more experienced Pig Man and that is the draw.

I am assuming he is grooming George to be his informant on the workforce. I hope that Hannah and Neil are circumspect and careful about what they say in front of him.

It's only a matter of time before biosecurity is compromised (it's all well and good learning it at school, the practical application is another thing altogether). At some point he is going to want to go home, i think.

I'm worried that Jazzer is now out on his ear tho.

I think this is why Martyn Gibson is keen on George.

NMW rate
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I was in two minds about Susan last night. She was kind over the wedding anniversary, but I thought it was pretty tactless (to say the least) to ask advice of a recovering alcoholic for where best to go on a piss up. Thankfully Alice didn't seem to notice.

i also think Alice arranging something for Brian and Jenny's anniversary is going to explode more than the dinner party when they asked about his will.

Ho hum.

DD is at an agricultural college.

I get an email every day she misses a lesson with the relevant absence mark, even when I have notified them she won't be in.

So - are we going to have an episode where both Stella and Jazzer discover their jobs have been snatched from them?

Ooh I called it being Jenny anniversary on the spoiler thread! Yes I also gasped at Susan asking Alice for some hot drinking spots - bit tactless.

The complete disengagement of Emma and both his dads from George's education is really surprising. I feel like she's the type to be on the phone checking the minute he says it's a free period.

Isn't George going to blow it if he attends his Mums anniversary party ?

So hope Oliver finds out the truth - I am surprised that Emma believes the glib lines George comes out with - Susan & Clarrue have at least the rose tinted glasses of Grandmothers

The cricket SL is getting a bit obvious. Chris will refuse to move teams, and Adam will be so miffed at being deemed second to Chris that he'll move to Tracy's team. It's predictable, but I do rather enjoy the thought of Tom spending the season being comprehensively defeated.

I thought it would turn out that Tracey checked with Susan, and he really IS injured.

And another thing, when did the "Mark Hebdon Trophy" change from the single wicket to the 20/20 ...?

The cricket storyline is my favourite kind of silly Archers 'village life' story that also does tell us about the characters in a way that feeds into the meatier storylines. Yes I agree this will blow up in Tom's face, (which we can all enjoy!) But I think it's also interesting within the context of the conversations Tom and Adam have been having about their fathers and their farms - is Tom being so willing to kick Adam to the cricket-kerb a parallel to remind us that Adam is at Bridge Farm with them, but will never be seen by the Bridge Farm Archers as too relevant or important to their farm (he's 'disposable' in Tom's eyes) thus strengthening the story about Adam hopefully finding his way back to his (imo rightful) position as head of Home Farm. As per the Adam Ian conversation last night?

Plus also reminding us that Tracey will rarely be out-witted, as shown by her ability to play Tom so easily, again maybe a parallel to her silent but clear annoyance with Emma insensitively harping on about how well George is doing in Jazzer's job - Tracey being perhaps the only person in her family not to be out-witted by George (not that I think George has many or any wits about him at all!)