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!

Ten years!!!. I've been on MN for longer than that, but not on this thread.
My late DH (brought up on The Archers man and boy) got me listening regularly on the weekends. The Rob/Helen SL was my first memory, not least because DH found it too distressing to listen to towards the end.

Since he died I now listen every day and love this thread.

Oh, that was lovely. Many thanks!

Agreed about the sniff.

How lovely to have listened together. No one in my house can stand The Archers, sadly. I have failed as a mother and as a wife.

De-materialising from lurkdom to offer congrats on the anniversary. I think this was my name way back in the mists of time.

I've been listening to TA since the early 80s, when a workmate got me fatally addicted. I'm now coping with a DH who still can’t remember that there’s no episode on a Saturday but there is on a Sunday he’s only had 30 years to get used to it

Quite pleased to have had a run of several episodes without Jim or Justin behaving in stupid and completely out of character ways… It was REALLY starting to grate with me,

Welcome, @Ambridge! (Sentences you never thought you'd type ...)

Thanks Gasp0de. It was exciting when the ill-conceived ‘B at Ambridge’ briefly happened because every time someone on here referred to it by its proper name, using the @ symbol, I got a notification. Quite a lot of notifications 🥴

Gosh is that Rainer Hirsch? I absolutely adore and love and wonder at his (and his orchestra's) talents.

That gave me a good belly laugh. Thank you.

Back to TA: so great to hear Lynda again. Still worrying about what happens if they decide to up the ante and convert Robert from a silent to an ex-Robert.

Just caught up, I like the Paul/Lynda combo. Maybe he is The Heir after all.

Paul (when not being directed to self-consciously camp) is a great addition I think.

You might regret that @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g - I have very strong views on Tom's pronunciation of Seren.

I haven't been on these threads since they started (probably found them around 7 years ago) and don't post much, just tend to lurk. However, on notable occasions I do like to pop up and claim my crown as the first person to ever post on Mumsnet about the Archers - almost 22 years ago (when everything around here was fields, there wasn't a Radio Addicts topic etc etc). Same user name now and then (with some judicious changes at times). Obviously no longer under 40...First ever thread about the Archers

I think I might be the shortest term listener on the thread - it's only been about a year here.

Oh my - your ancient thread is a joy, @emsiewill ! Utterly wonderful to know it’s preserved in all its glory.

But what happened between then and 2013? Were there regular or intermittent Archers threads? I’d been on MN for a brief-ish time before joining the first of these threads.

@TottersBlankly , I think there were other threads, but it would probably be hard to find them due to the lack of "official" place to post them. I don't know if I started any more threads, I can only lay hands on this one as I've kept it on my "threads I'm watching" for posterity (and to remind me how old I am!). MN was such a different place then. You could catch up on all of the threads posted in a day in about an hour...

Very much enjoying the Archers-Mumsnet history archives showing themselves in glory on this thread.

@NewBootsAndRanty you make me feel much more mature in my archers listening, so thank you! I have ‘only’ been around since just before Helen’s trial (2016?).

Now - what’s going to happen to Stella, to prevent her ever returning to Ambridge? She’s leaving her dog behind (for Xander) and her job (for Adam) so there’s not the slightest need for her to come back.

(“She’s partying in Florence … Forever …”

Quite a lot of threads here and there before we got started with this continuing thread. Here's one: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1431275-to-think-The-Archers-is-a-pile-of-poo

And here's another: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/1478790-WTF-are-Trace-and-Keith I don't think that was the current Tracy. I actually didn't realise Tracy started speaking as far back as 2012.

Here's another one: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/other_subjects/16058-archers-listeners

she bought a very expensive thing for the farm without going through the board?

I imagine a machine will be delivered..

She's going to fall in love with Donatello/a and move there for good.

I would say sudden unexpected accident eg toppling of the statue of David by right wing Americans, but for Brian to lose two of his closest female associates would start to look like carelessness at best.

To be fair, it did all get a bit confusing around lockdown.

I'm feeling quite irritated by scene with Linda, Harrison and Paul. Surely they must have had a plan of how to fund the Eurovision party before they saw the chance to squeeze a contribution out of Justin which was purely opportunistic. Plus Jolene was already involved in the planning - how would she not have offered the big screen already? And surely they could just hold the event in the pub rather than having to pay to rent the village hall? It all seems so contrived and I don't know what the purpose of it is really unless it is just to promote an alliance between Paul and Linda for future use.

I think that must have been it. I did think how utterly silly it all was - they NEVER talk about raising money to put on the panto etc despite that being a LOT pricier than putting up a few lights. Everyone would make their own costumes for a start and presumably they'd buy tickets.

Exactly Im not the sort to get involved and roll my sleeves up but can't really fathom the costs. Paul wanted booze and um, I don't know maybe The Bull would work for booze and a screen?

Why complicate things with cakes etc? It's in Jolene's interest to host she will be getting paying customers and Paul can use his camp decorations, win, win.

The whole Eurovision thing is ludicrous though. That scene where they were discussing with Justin what they had planned was just so stupid it made me cringe. It sounded like a blatant attempt to promote the BBC,s coverage of the show to me. And, like you say @Saker, this ain’t Jolene’s first rodeo is it?