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!

I lurk on these threads but tonight's episode was a doozy - I've been enjoying George getting his comeuppance but this was spectacular.

Emma can't hide from the true hideousness of her son any longer, can she? Never mind calling Emma an "interfering slut who shagged them both", he had to have a pop at poor dead Nic. And was completely unrepentant about it all.

I should imagine "Nanna" will still take him in and soothe his troubled brow.

Ha! So much for Will’s advice to George, yesterday, that sometimes you have to let something go and move on …

Well that was bloody good!

Great acting by George, he is really convincing with his mixture of petulant and angry. He also does a good job of sounding like his parents.

Great writing, it is no wonder George is a mess his upbringing has been terrible really. In addition to the love triangle. Ed and Will frequently came to physical violence until recently. He never had a particularly stable home moving between Mum, Dad and both sets of Grandparents all of whom have had some instability in their housing (apart from Neil and Susan). A step family arriving while he was young then two younger half siblings. Everyone living in close quarters and heavily involved in each other's lives. It must have been terrible at school.

There's little money, little opportunity, and some very questionable morals (two great uncles and a grandmother who have been in prison!).

He'd be best off getting far far away. Getting a job driving a tractor or picking fruit in another country and making a new start with some distance.

Predictions as to how each DGP will react (altho not sure how soon they'll all learn of this).?

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon all true - but he won't leave home because that would require relying on himself and graft, neither of which I think he's capable of.

So good I need to listen again

his upbringing has been terrible really

They all tried. He was never not loved - by Grundys or Carters. I know he seems to resent Nic but it’s not as if he had no one else. The triangle all tried to put on a civilised front; I don’t recall if he was ever present when Ed and Will came to blows. The co-parenting didn’t seem unduly problematic once they all got into a rhythm.

Is his reaction to his background the only possible one?

I thought the line about Nic cleverly underlined the misogyny theme, too. What was it, "not all that", or something? Fantastic acting though, as has been said.

Wow -

I first listened by mistake to the scene years ago when George went missing , have been an avid follower until the depressing storyline with Kirsty Phillip and the slave labourers and my favourite Lynda getting burnt- I left -

Returned the last month , and have had the joy of Rob’s return and this little fantastic gem tonight !!! I have been trying to catch up by reading these threads and by listening !!

i would have been really sad to hear the scenes with Jenny darling dying, and I guess less so waspish Peggy.

I remember when Will and Nic split up because she hit George and she warned at the time that all the adults in his life pander to him which would do him no favours as he grew up. His problems began a long time ago.

The thing is, he is actually quite intelligent and hard working when he puts his mind to it - even Neil admitted that. He can obviously turn his hand to new skills quickly, the Bridge Farm lot were impressed with his video work. Oliver saw the potential, hence offering to invest. So he’s not a village idiot.

Unfortunately none of that can compensate for his chaotic upbringing and the toxic personality that developed as a result. Plus completely ineffectual parenting.

I don't think his is an inevitable reaction to his background. But he did need a lot firmer boundaries a long time ago, and that can be hard to enforce when there is parental conflict.

Er Peggy isn't dead (altho I can see why you might have thought she was)

As mentioned above - George was always loved, always had a home
no abuse
lets not make this all his parents fault

But he did need a lot firmer boundaries a long time ago, and that can be hard to enforce when there is parental conflict.

Emma has made excuses for him again and again, even recently she’s laid into Hannah, absolutely refusing to understand that there might be another side to what happened at Berrow. Generally she’s completely refused to listen to any criticism of George, as well as automatically swallowing George’s sob stories about how victimised he is., never mind fighting his battles for him in terms of getting him jobs and glossing over his behaviour. She’s probably wanted to make up for everyone knowing about his parenting triangle/his mother taking up with his uncle as well as his chaotic upbringing but she’s not done him any favours.

@Fannyannie you haven’t missed Peggy’s demise because she is still alive but non speaking.

I remember when Will and Nic split up because she hit George and she warned at the time that all the adults in his life pander to him which would do him no favours as he grew up. His problems began a long time ago.

I listened to a R4 piece on the Archers and they said about how far ahead the stories are planned and the mapping out of lives. Rauri's tape from his mum was thought up way back when Siobhan died. George's character has probably been planned in the same way.

I wonder if all the soppy buttercreamy Fallon and Harrison stuff will lead to another unplanned pregnancy.

Wow. Top episode and excellent acting all round. It'll be interesting see how Emmurr adapts to the knowledge that going into to bat for George (and behind his back) won't work.

Separately, I don't think I've heard a better handled back story catch-up on TA, ever. Usually they do it so badly, as they do the endless naming when characters meet.

Wow just caught up. I said the other day that George will do something even Emma can't make excuses for. Didn't think it would happen so soon though. Will isn't much better but I think Emma perhaps has blindly refused to listen to people about George as otherwise it's like admitting she's failed. Not sure where they are heading with this now. I wonder if he will turn up for work with Tony as surely he won't want that job now he knows Emma practically went begging for him.

Oops , I assumed Peggy was dead as I think the actress has passed away in real life ?

I’m still fumbling around working everyone’s life out again 😱

June Spencer still alive I believe, she's over a 100.

Most recent death in real life I think is Graham Blockey who played Robert. They've made him silent in the script. Really miss hearing Robert and Lyndy.

George really needs to have a conversation with Neil where it's pointed out to him forcefully that he can't spend all his life feeling sorry for himself and blaming other people for his own mistakes, because it won't get him anywhere. Though whether he would listen and pay attention is at best dubious.

I was listening while doing my stretching exercises for my bad back and almost did myself a mischief in shock. A masterstroke to have all 3 parent-figures there together for the appalling George to lash out at.

It was getting ridiculous for Neil to have to explain to each them separately just why he’d been sacked, and the fact he’d had previous warnings. Although that in itself rather bears out the truth of what’s being pointed out here - that nobody’s really looking out for George. Why Ed, Em’n’Will hadn’t already had a crisis meeting long before this point is not great.

To be fair to the parents, George concealed the warnings. The thing now is that bar Brad, there's no-one he can trust - though it's entirely his fault.

OH MY GOODNESS. Well.

I am very grateful for this thread - I’ve been skipping the Archers for a while in the hopes the Helen storyline will go away. But having read up here I listened tonight and…well.

I think Emma will still make excuses for George as she will feel really guilty and blame herself for all his bad behaviour. I also think he will end up at Susans and Neil will help him after having a long and meaningful talk with him with Nanna butting in of course.
Fallon and Harrison are dopey and I wouldnt have made another cake for the twins as Tom has kept her hanging on for awhile now. No sod that!