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!

Even if it was at the end of January it was still too late for them to stop her, because she had already put in the order by then.

I suppose logically, since she started work on 1st September, the first quarter of her employment would cover September, October, November, and the next would be December, January, February.

her quarterly reports? or the board's quarterly reports?

every company I ever worked for had their own reporting periods and any newcomers just have to work to those...

I think Stella’s made it pretty obvious that she’s no pushover and wants to be in a position where she makes all the big decisions. One way or another it wasn’t going to work out at Home Farm, if that’s not the role that Brian wants her to have. It’s a shame that they couldn’t come to a mutual decision though.

I don’t think there’s any underhandedness on her part though, if anything it’s the opposite, she’s forthright to the point of confrontational.

@greenacrlic I just saw your misposted comment on the other (very different) thread, it prompted me to come over here and catch up with the conversation!

Haha @JanglyBeads @greenacrylicpaint - me too! Didn't know there was an Archers thread but watching now, been listening since 2009.

If Stella posted on MN, I think we'd all tell her there are far better employers out there waiting for her.

Yes, and that you can’t win with a family business with ill-defined boundaries. Probably most family businesses, to be honest. I bet it’s a big issue in farm management, from a career perspective.

Same here! I didn't even know these threads existed until I saw that post about Stella on the other thread 😊
As a pro MN lurker I can't believe this is the first time I'm seeing these TA threads- where have you been all my life??
I wish I could go back in time and comment on how well I thought they did the episode where Jennifer died- they captured perfectly the mundane goings-on of life and then the shattering consequences of a sudden death (sorry, just had to get that in 😆)

I have more eye rolls moments than praise to be fair. Looking forward to sharing in these with you all!

Welcome, new people! More eyerolls than praise is probably how most of us feel, to be honest, but we mostly stick with it.

(New thread will be needed in the next few days, I would think. Any title ideas?)

I’m hopeless at these titles but there’s got to be some mileage in the new drill:

Drilling down OR What’s the drill?: So many jobs hanging in the balance - what’s planned for Adam, Stella, Freddie and horrible George? Discuss The Archers etc etc

Huge welcome to the new recruits! We love new views and news on here…

I haven't been listening recently as I can do without the stress.

I think Adam is more to blame than Stella. She tried to talk about the drill, Adam didn't say 'no we can't make big decisions right now' he said 'glad Brian's coming round ... you get on and do what we pay you for, manage the farm'.

Are Tracy and Jazzer married yet?

Lurker here (hello!)
Adam has showed himself to have a selfish and devious streak recently: pushing talking about the inheritance to Alice at dinner, pining after Home Farm and then exploiting Stella to take a fall.
I think this is going the way of Succession. No spoilers but basically Adam, like Kendall Roy, is desperate for control and autonomy but conversely needs approval from Brian. Something he won’t get because he isn’t a.Debbie and b.a serious business person. Does Adam know that Brian was willing to sack Stella if Debbie had agreed to stay? I can’t remember?

(not the point i know but
a) thank you for the 12 foot ladder link - i'd never heard of that
b) what is the thread talking about Stella? any links?

The glasses thing with Susan was bloody INFURIATING and she is a petty horrible woman. Jim's apology was sincere and elegant and she didn't deserve it for what she did (I really can't function without my glasses, I do have spares but i prefer my day-to-day ones)

Stella: if she posted her? I'd say "you can't win with a family business what does your union say?" (you can be in a union in a workplace that doesn't have an official union)

Adam is being an absolute snake, as is Ian. Brian trusts Adam over Stella? he TRUSTS someone who filched 5k from the business and had to leave? He deserves all he gets.

I wonder if it will go down like, Stella tells Justin she has been fired and asks if he knows anyone looking for a farm manager. He asks Brian why and then reminds him that he thinks the drill would be good for BL and without the drill Home Farm (as a business) won't be efficient enough and that he will be ending the contract as soon as they find a new contractor. Brian asks Stella to come back and she blows him off and tells Adam that he is a lying snake and good luck to them.

Stella is paid well (she isn't the kind of person to work for buttons) and should be able to exercise good judgement. That does not mean pushing a very expensive pet project through without proper (written) authorisation from someone not reeling from the death of their wife/mother FOUR DAYS earlier. Neither Adam nor Brian should have been dragged into this. I also have great difficulty in believing this 'spend hundreds of thousands on our magic bean planter in the next four days or it's GONE!' nonsense - if anything that raises doubts about the vendors.

I worked with a Machiavellian type years ago and Stella makes my flesh creep. I agree that part of the problem with Stella, as with my former colleague, seems to be bad management structures that (among other things) don't set out protocols - I cannot imagine a set-up where there are not clearly set limits on how budget decisions are made. But she has been very keen on keeping things woolly all along, because it gives her scope for playing people against each other.

I also have great difficulty in believing this 'spend hundreds of thousands on our magic bean planter in the next four days or it's GONE!' nonsense - if anything that raises doubts about the vendors.

it absolutely does work like that in some industries. That is how they make their money: introductory offers and then when people see how good the kit is they order at full price. I used to buy machinery for a factory, and there was a distinction to be made between getting a really good deal vs machinery that is relatively new and untried.

It can also be a situation that manufacturers of machinery have certain economies of scale in that they produce X number of one then Y number of another - if there is no crossover on parts etc, they definitely have to run down production of one before starting another (one thing i used to buy were drill bits for oil platforms, a nightmare for that)

I wonder if it will go down like, Stella tells Justin she has been fired and asks if he knows anyone looking for a farm manager. He asks Brian why and then reminds him that he thinks the drill would be good for BL and without the drill Home Farm (as a business) won't be efficient enough and that he will be ending the contract as soon as they find a new contractor. Brian asks Stella to come back and she blows him off and tells Adam that he is a lying snake and good luck to them.
In fact this could be the whole point of the Stella/Justin connection.

Having said that: Stella was wrong. She should have correctly identified that while Home Farm is trying to pretend it is an actual proper business contractor, whereas in effect it's a family business.

it absolutely does work like that in some industries. That is how they make their money…one thing i used to buy were drill bits for oil platforms…

Very much enjoyed your insight into the purchase of industrial machinery @Brefugee ! It’s nuggets like this which make me LOVE this thread…

Ditto! VG suggestions re getting 'drill' into next title.

Off to a vicarage tea party shortly (don't ask). I wonder if Alan and Usha ever have to host those.

Lets drill into plot holes and hope George gets his comeuppance

@DeanVolecapeAKAelderberry ive never got any of those vibes from Stella? If nothing else, i don’t think she’s even been given enough airtime to become a Machiavellian villain playing people off against each other?!

I think Stella buddying up to Justin and going to a meal with him which they had been careful to make sure was eaten where they would not be seen by anyone from Ambridge, on 3rd October, 2021 (when she had been in post at Home Farm for a day or so more than a month) was what made a lot of us feel she was not being honest with Brian and Home Farm. She seemed happy to discuss Home Farm business with Justin, which seemed decidedly iffy. Oh, and Justin lied about who he'd been lunching with; Stella may not have seen it as shady but he certainly did. And he told her things about Home Farm which he had been told strictly in confidence and asked not to repeat to anyone, which gave the distinct impression that he was up to something and she was an integral part of whatever his plot was.

It was a smelly little incident all round; not a good thing on a character's fourth appearance in the programme, really.

Going for coffee breaks and meals with bosses was a definite part of my Machiavelli's technique, which is presumably what set my spidey senses tingling. As I said, I haven't warmed to her. Bit like Rob, but in workplace relationships rather than domestic ones.

The writers are definitely banking on listeners having very long memories re Stella's lunch with Justin.

For a long time, her lunching with and buddying up to someone who was not all that well-intentioned towards her boss was about all we knew about her, so it was the only real impression we had of her.

I'll admit that her telling Pip where she got off endeared her more, as far as I was concerned. But my first impression was of her using private information from someone who was no friend of Brian's as a springboard for demanding that she must be told personal information about Brian's family, which I found icky.

Ah, you're so right - I remember this now! Justin is a little rat as well. I don't know what Lilian sees in him- they appear to have very different values and priorities 🤔