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 was thinking Susan and Neil - sneaking off for a bit of alone time to escape the crowd of undesirables waging war at Ambridge View. Couple of bottles of wine in the evening, Neil getting to watch what he wanted on TV … I daresay they went home to sleep, as their own bed would be a million times more comfortable, but still - if they had done that a few times over ten days …?

a dumpy frump

What an unpleasant way to describe a woman.

Once again I’m reminded of how changing social mores have stripped The Archers of a whole heap of innocent fun. People going shopping in Borchester used to be an absolute, reliable, repeated joy. Archers in the Underwoods cafe queue, gawpers and penny pinchers cluttering up Ambridge Organics, Grundys glancing shiftily behind them as they prowled back streets for cut price components for another dastardly scheme. And Jess randomly, oh so randomly trying on clothes in Top Shop. All gone.

To the point where we cannot actually say with any certainty where Helen or Kirsty might buy their clothes - and we never get to hear them doing so. Trying to assign them each to an online shop or three hurts my head - Kirsty more & Other Stories, Helen more Arket? I’d like to think Kirsty covets things from Plümo and pounces on their sales once in a while, but Helen is such a fun sucker it’s hard to think of anywhere being good enough for her.

And I’ve been wondering exactly when she would have acquired the slinky sun dress. It’s not as if she ever goes on holiday. Can’t recall what time of year it was that she went cow scouting in Europe, but I can’t see her shopping for poolside wear beforehand. Maybe it was when she and Lee were dating?

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon
I don't think there is much fashion going on in Ambridge.

Bet Lillian has amassed a cracking collection of designer heels, though.

An Imelda Marcos of Borsetshire, if you will.

*Lilian

I was baffled by the party culprit too. If it is Bert, it’s hard to make us - well, me anyway - care or believe in a SL involving a virtually-silent character who's hitherto made almost zero impact on anyone's consciousness. I forget he exists most of the time. When did he last speak, out of interest?

And how old is Bert? I imagine that he's got to be well into his eighties. I imagine him as a selfish, ratty sort of character but who needs (and demands) looking after these days and who would be comfortably settled into Ambridge View being waited on by Soooosan while Tracy was away rather than ambling back home to get sloshed.

I think Bert Horrobin has always been a Silent.

Neil and Soosan are the most likely now I guess but again wouldn't someone have noticed them both being out every evening?
Maybe not, actually.

That’s the thing! Between the fete (?), visiting Martha, a spot of overtime at work, etc, etc, both Neil and Susan have ample reason to be out of the house in the evening.

I’m sure the TV would have swung it …

Maybe Jim has been hosting orgies in return for giving away his car.

have only read this far and wanted to comment before i forget.
With my excuses for being rude: piffle.

Not everyone who is overweight and has more or less fat rolls is coy about stripping off or dislikes their body. Some accept all body shapes as normal bodies and don't have hang ups about being naked.

I thought that when I read the same comment, @Brefugee. It is too simplistic to say that body size and body confidence are linked in a strictly linear way.

In my experience it is often slim women who can have more hang ups about their body than overweight women.

I wonder if I'm the only one who found the Brad/Mia scene a bit... weird. I know teen first love can be very intense, but - here are your dead mum's (who I didn't even know) favourite flowers that I've secretly researched, let's go and visit her grave together. That's a bit much isn't it, after being together about a week?

Or maybe it's just that I was already irritated by Brad's immediate "I've done it wrong I've done it wrong!". I know we're supposed to read it as sweet but I can't stand that trope where women are presented as a sort of inscrutable puzzle for a simple-minded good-hearted man to solve using specific magic words or actions, rather than being capable of normal human interaction.

Brad strikes me as a bit socially awkward, so the immediate "I've done it wrong" when confronted with Mia's tears seemed genuine to me.

I thought it was very sweet. (knowing her mum's favourite flowers? meh, i don't know all my friends/relatives favourite flowers but it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that Tracy knew)

I think Brad said Tracey asked Will or Clarrie about the flowers.

I agree Brad's response was entirely in character. He's awkward, lacking confidence and a bit anxious.

Oh yes, Lillian is terribly well dressed and glamorous. Probably not up to the minute fashion but very glamorous and expensive as well as being well groomed. Jennifer was also very well turned out but a bit more classic.

I think Natasha is probably one of the most fashionable characters. I reckon she has a vast and fairly expensive wardrobe.

Hello all! I had so many thoughts about the recent Archers and i couldn't find anywhere to post about it so this thread is a godsend! I've just listened to the omnibus: glad that Jazzer is back but also glad that now the last few people on George's side (Emma, Will, and Ed) can see how truly rotten he's become as he slags them all off and being bang out of order! Can't wait for his comeuppance!

Interesting how we all picture characters differently. For me, I imagine Helen as about 5'6/5'7 (not too tall as I don't think Rob would go for a woman who was tall enough to attract too much attention) and very slim, 6/8, very strict with food. Kirsty I image as a bit shorter and around a size but probably can put on a pound or two when she indulges but she is active enough to lose it again without too much effort. Helen wears smart, classic country outfits (think skinny jeans and schoffel gilets/Barbour jackets). Kirsty a lot more casual and not so bothered about her image.

How did Tracy get her bin out to the gate for collection without noticing it was full of bottles? Just hearing a lot of bottles going into a recycling lorry wouldn't make me think that they must have come out of my bin rather than the one next door or the one opposite.

Bert Horrobin was voiced briefly by William Eedle, who spoke on air as Bert in March 1984. Since then I don't think Bert has spoken, though he was mentioned as being friendly with Jack Woolley's chauffeur Higgs, whom I also think didn't speak.

I think Eedle was a safe pair of hands for small parts after playing Percy Jordan between 1975 and 1976; he was also Mr Garrett, a fire chief and somebody called Denham during 1976, and a Head of Music in 1977. Then there was a gap before he was Bert for a week, Michael Sturdy in August 1984 and a doctor in December 1984.

Oh, and Bert was coming up to retirement when The Archers Encyclopaedia was complied in 2000, so he must now be about 88.

I did have the feeling that Bert had previously uttered. Just not often or, erm, for a very long time 😂

Brad and Mia are very intense teenagers, I would have hated it in her place but clearly he thought about it and did the right thing.

(Also a handy bit of reminder about her backstory)

Sorry, I've only just caught up with this but just wanted to mention that a couple of years ago we inherited some old Famous Five cassette tapes - and they were voiced by Shula and Brian Aldridge! Shula was children (of both sexes), and Brian I believe was the narrator and maybe the odd imposing but kindly police inspector.

I used to use some BBC cassettes for singing in school (Frog and Toad I think) presented by Eddie and Clarrie.