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!

Yes, I also thought it was odd that Lily wasn’t at the birthday dinner but I guess she was superfluous to the David / Freddie conversation.

But Gonners, the Am is tidal: generally it flows north-north-east to Borchester, but during the Great Flood Adam said that something (possibly Scruff?) might have been washed down to Hollerton, which is to the south-west of Ambridge. And it's deeper than it seems: Rex's narrow-boat was floated up to the country park over a ford shallow enough for a four-year-ood to wade through in wellies when Emma used to use it with George to get from work at Brookfield to Clarrie at Keepers Cottage.

Not all ships were slavers, even in 1700, is at least part of my point. There doesn't seem to be any actual evidence that the ship in the background of the painting was one, and Freddie doesn't seem to have made any effort to find out whether it was or not. If Elizabeth is determined to say that it was, she too needs to have some evidence, I would have thought.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime Not all ships were slavers, even in 1700, is at least part of my point. There doesn't seem to be any actual evidence that the ship in the background of the painting was one, and Freddie doesn't seem to have made any effort to find out whether it was or not.

Arf! No need to tell me ... tell the scriptwriters! I do enjoy the way they shoehorn ishoos into TA, though. Well, perhaps I'm stretching the meaning of "enjoy" there, though picking the plotlines apart is probably more fun than listening for me, these days.

Is Helen pregnant?

That's why I think the only reason they could possibly give Adam another sister is in order to prove that his supposed dad isn't who he thought it was.

At the time, there was no suggestion that Jennifer had had sex with anyone other than Paddy Redmond as far as I know. Rewritings of history such as the introduction of an at-the-time-anonymous worker at Brookfield when it had several named workers who constantly talked together aside, I think it unlikely that Adam had a father other than Paddy.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime I think it unlikely that Adam had a father other than Paddy.

I think it unlikely that he had one at all. Do you believe he's of human origin?

I don't know. What's made you wonder? Biscuit eating?

Well at least they aren't dragging the Den thing out. It's going to be about him possibly rekindling a relationship with his kids and maybe throwing a spanner in the works for Tracey and Jazzer at the same time

Are we seeing something weird in Helen? Eating a biscuit with "well it's only one, he won't notice is worrying on several levels

Yes!

I know other characters gravitate to any available baked goods - it just struck me as stealthily unusual regarding her.

Could be nothing. (I’m not ready to imagine Lee is controlling her eating!)

Sorry, yes to @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g !

I didn't notice this. Was she definitely referring to Lee or was she pinching someone else's biscuits and hoping they wouldn't notice?

I had assumed Pat had baked them and taken them for Lee as a peace-offering after he (finally, yaay) told her to STFU and let Helen, and him and the boys, decide how to handle things.

OK I missed the whole biscuit thing.

Remember when David (I think) first mentioned that Ruth was going to complain about a proposed secret rave?

Dropped in as nothing. Really easily missed …

Have just caught up on several episodes and the new thread (thanks @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g ).

I also think Erin is not on the level. Weird not to mention Paddy’s death up front, and Adam’s (non) reaction was distinctly odd.

Den - ugh, whatever. I hope this is just a compare and contrast with the other absent father in the current SLs, because I don’t want any more drama for Tracey and her children, thank you.

Freddie - boy, he’s annoying. I find this all utterly unconvincing and poorly written, particularly the Blake link.

The Brookfield B&B continues to baffle me. I’m sure there’s more but I’ll leave it there 😆.

Big BOOP for the return of the OG BOOP @BitOutOfPractice and @DadDadDad and his spreadshit. I was the first responder on pseudobadger’s first thread - how far we’ve come!

How old is Freddie? His whining made him sound 15, not 25(ish)! I find it odd that he wouldn't have already filled in the blanks for Elizabeth before talking to David. I was also oddly infuriated with Elizabett for sounding so patronising... which I suppose is why Freddie was so whiney! Perhaps it was better written than I first perceived?!

I was going to relisten as I missed bits yesterday and ai thought I'd missed something re the biscuit too!

Oh, this is why no updates on the Archers thread were showing on Threads I'm On. I wasn't on it.

The BBC says the twins were born on 12th December 1999, so they're now 23.

Freddie is insufferable. I’m finding all the storylines a little clunky at the moment.

No sign of Rob in Minneapolis btw- can’t be back from the funeral yet.

Good work there, @FallonsNewCoat! Have you sent up a drone and hacked into the civic CCTV system? We will settle for no less.