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!

Thank you and flowers to you too. It’s a horrendous, hopeless illness and ‘act like it’s a a treat’ very much seems to be how it’s being conveyed.

I agree with understanding the storyline and think that yes, it would absolutely be better if they could have Tony express it in a slightly different way. He could be angry that Ron gets to ‘depart’ but without the references to the seemingly lovely and easy part.

Thank you as well @WitcheryDivine

Of course not! Jesus 🙄

So interesting but mainly heartbreaking to read posters' experiences of Rob's cancer. Love to you all.

I suppose if I was to defend the SWs it would be to say that in life people have the wrong impression of all kinds of things, and drama can reflect life.

But that's of no comfort. My DD has a condition which is often portrayed in a negative way in drama and literature. I physically flinch when I read, see or hear it. And you guys must be reaching for the off switch at the moment x

Sorry bit late to the party but. boop for the best thread title ever.

Thoroughly enjoyed Thursday. Friday was a damp squib, but it's hard to enjoy anything that features Tom so prominently. See also Fallon who I didn't understand why she is so fixed on a long lease. Surely she should be focussing in her bid for the charging station.

Agreed. She's also Poppy's big sister, so that's an extra reason for Mia to have kept close to Will and his family.

Good episodes last week.

Tiny side note but I wonder whether there is any significance to Tracey returning to a surprisingly clean and tidy home? George made some comment about having a party there, which Brad closed down but ..

I wondered that. Just listening again. I rarely do that!

Agree re. the reasons Mia is still close to Will (and I heard Jake mentioned the other day but he doesn’t seem to be around as much) but puzzled as to why she took on his name - the credits list her as Mia Grundy. Her father has always been part of her life, as far as I remember Mia and Jake still visited Andrew regularly when Nic was alive, so it’s odd that he would have agreed to his children adopting their step-father’s name.

Mia and Jake wanted to have the same surname as their mother.

I wish I had been around when the Will-Emma-Ed love triangle was unfolding. That must have been radio gold…

It was, @FallonsNewCoat - it really was.

The only time we heard about Jake and Mia visiting Andrew during Nic's lifetime, they couldn't because he decided at the last minute that it was not convenient for him, and Nic had to rearrange her weekend to spend it with them instead of doing whatever she'd planned. Nic gave the impression that this was not infrequent, depending on how he was feeling about a girlfriend on any given date.

He also paid maintenance for them late, or on one or two occasions not at all, according to Nic's complaints about that.

I've lurked for many years but have never felt as though I’ve had anything to bring to the table. I’m very conflicted about Emma, though - she’s been an absolute loon about George and Neil and Hannah, but I can’t forget that she was the very first person (I think?) to stand up to Rob back in the day. I’m sure I remember her facing him off alone in the Bull. She wasn’t even a close friend of Helen’s, but it was female solidarity at its best.

We are all multi faceted.

What was Nic called before she was Mrs Grundy? Was she and Andrew married? What is Andrew's surname?

Whilst perusing The Ambridge Reporter, I chuckled at a poster referencing

"Sausage & Nash, and the chipolatas" 😆

Natasha, on the other hand, would not be amused at having her family described thus.

Nic was Nic Hanson.

I am reasonably certain we were told that she and Andrew were not married.

As far as I know we were never told his surname.

CA says there's Rob alert for tonight's episode 🍿 🥃

Thanks Asking, I knew you'd know.

there's a* Rob Alert

Before her we had Jim standing up to him, and Kenton ; and Will disapproved strongly of his cricket sledging and cheating and said so loudly. Ian hit him.

There's a list:
https://ambridgereporter.org.uk/Mistrust_of_Rob.html

And of course Jess not only stood up to him, she acted against his orders.

I think he said Rob alert for this week, not specifically for tonight.

Of course, and now you remind me I think I also remember a slow clap of disapproval in the cricket pavilion. I’m a bit vague about the exact chronology, so I love this thread with its expert Archers knowledge. I still think it was very brave of Emma to confront Rob, though. He was properly frightening back then.

Thanks @Fink .

I do think Helen is in a very difficult position. No answers which do not bring problems for the boys.

I hate to think what George's advice to Henry will lead to.

Yes, it was; but she hadn't much choice because he had cornered her wanting to buy her a drink to prove that she wasn't against him like everyone else. (So I think the cricket club must have chucked him out by then, or something of the sort.) He was drunk, and she had nowhere to run, so when he called her an evil, hypocritical bitch she shouted at him; it was on the way to the Ladies at The Bull, and Kenton and David and Jazzer heard her, rushed to the rescue and threw Rob out on his ear between them.

That list ought to have dates attached rather than being alphabetical, shouldn't it! (grin)