Archers thread #150: For whom the sausage rolls: George over a Berrow, Fallon & Harrison seek new lease on life, is it all a Fête Accompli? Discuss The Snivelling Simpletons, sorry, 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 people frequently miss their own weddings because of a morning quickie while in a plaster cast, 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.)

Thanks for title suggestions. I basically took @OverArmour's excellent suggestion and managed to shoehorn in snivelling simpleton, gloriously coined by @Eastie77Returns to refer to Lee in the first instance.

@WitcheryDivine suggested Recharging, Red Kites and The Man They Call Ron, is Ambridge becoming an earthly paradise or a hell on earth? which seems as good a place as any to kick off our discussions! Ron = Rob, a fortuitous typo on a previous thread. It does feel a bit as if we're marking time before he turns up again. Odd to do what could be a high profile storyline over the summer holidays when a lot of people will be away, but depending on your point of view, maybe that's a blessing!

Whither George? Is he shaping up to be Andrew Tate mark 2?

Everybody looking forward to Ferret Fun at the Fête? Me neither.

Over to you!

Surely George won't physically attack Hannah?! That would be horrible to listen to and too much of a hard turn away from the current Grundy great fete plot light-hearted scenes surely?

I was more thinking of something like him waiting outside somewhere one dark night until she came out alone, then beating her up and running off. With it not being 100% clear it was him, e.g. she's unconscious/ he wears something over his face.

I think it's more likely George will back chat Pat or Helen, witnessed by Susan or Clarrie, and lose that job very quickly. This will either further enrage Emma or she might start to see what's going on.

I do think it's also likely that something like this will happen. But alongside an attack on Hannah, not instead of. I do hope it's Natasha he gets shirty with at Bridge Farm, she wouldn't take any crap.

Of course George would probably think Rob was being treated really unfairly if he knew what was going on...

I think he’s more likely to damage Hannah’s property - like her home in a stalking fashion - or cause trouble for her via Martin as they still seem to be playing up that angle. Or something online. He’s sly.

I like the storyline - George and Emma are both well acted.

Also - I think it’s the scriptwriters blaming Emma vs people on here, but it’s a well done story when it’s internalised misogyny we’re seeing. Also it’s Emma’s MO to do the rounds of the village alternately yelling and beseeching when she doesn’t get what she wants. Losing Berrow business to the tearooms surely would risk her job though.

Don't get me wrong - Will is a bloody misogynist as well (I know not everyone here agrees) and the whole family expect the women to do 99% of the home stuff and work multiple jobs too while many of the men pootle around getting into scrapes. It's not just Emma, not at all.

Go Neil!

@WitcheryDivine and you can trace that behavior right back to Joe Grundy (I never did like him!). He and his son treated Clarrie like a domestic skivvy. What was Joe like with his own wife? My listening doesn't go back that far.
George has leaned from generations gone by

Eric would probably be quite pleased if Kirsty brought a friend on the minibreak- he seems the sort who would welcome a threesome. Probably not with Helen though.

faffadoodledo
What was Joe like with his own wife? My listening doesn't go back that far.

Nobody's does; she didn't exist until after she was dead (she died in 1969), and Joe didn't exist to talk about her until April 1970, so we never heard how he treated her. He was jolly nice about her after she was dead, but that proves nothing whatever.

@TherapistInATabard No apology needed at all, I knew what you meant. I appreciate your post very much though all the same. Thank you x

loved Neil in tonight’s episode!

Great acting and scripts for George, Will and Neil tonight I thought. I actually don't dislike Will, although yes he is sexist and can be such an arse. But he can be quite wise and level headed sometimes too I think, especially with George and Mia.

Agree about George, Will and Neil's acting. George is such self-pitying whiner and I love the way the ep showed Will being completely and very reasonably taken in and its correction by Neil's forceful but clear and evidenced rebuttal.
Makes change from Helen's constant cutting out of others/not telling.

While I hope George isn't a Ron in the making he shows all the persuasive power of a liar, and how it starts young.

So not only do we have Kirsty on a mini break, Dominic is also away for a couple more days.

What is going to happen??

I haven't heard the latest episode but who is Dominic?

These threads don’t stand still. PMK.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime maybe she died of hard work. I know Joe lived to a ripe old age but that's quite a long time to have been a widower.

Dying of overwork made me think of Betty Tucker - and I found a 2005 thread about it! As well as the BBC press release when she died. I still miss her, and the Tuckers as they were then.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/12_december/17/archers.shtml

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/culture_vultures/130902-the-archers-betty-tucker-has-just-died?reply=2780625

Helen's solicitor

George's acting was masterful. That thwarted little boy choking back tears at how unfair it all is combined with the menace of a misogynistic young man. Will is just as much an enabler as Emma, if slightly more reasonable. He told Neil that George was sorry when he never even owned up to the sausage roll! If my son behaved like George I'd be so ashamed not making excuses for him.

BOOP for Neil. Agreed, they're all doing a good acting on this SL. I'm worried for Hannah.

Both Emma and Will have now heard some home truths about George, I wonder if either of them will rethink their attitude/ his behaviour. It was a shame we didn't hear Will's reaction last night (although he was similar to Emma in seeming surprised by the previous formal warnings George had had), I want to know whether he argued back or accepted it, he was awfully quiet.

Some good writing and acting this week.

I like 'angry Neil'.

I loathe that the SW have brought back Ron but I do appreciate it was inevitable. I suppose Will + Emmur was always going to be a risk for an incel George.