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!

Helen will call the Consultant back and end up caught in Ron’s drama once again. Sigh.

George is the product of an extremely dysfunctional upbringing. Growing up in a toxic environment with his uncle/stepdad constantly at war will have had a lasting impact. I almost feel sorry for him but many kids have to contend with worse.

I agree with Neil’s sentiment that his behaviour isn’t just a phase or part of him growing up. He just seems to an intrinsically bad person.

I love that Rob is now Ron!

That was actually a typo in my post but that's it, I'm also calling him Ron from now on as others have. I can't think of a name less suitable for him which makes it even better.

Ron is now going to pull every emotional stop about seeing MySon before he dies. Except he probably won't die and it'll all turn out to be massive exaggeration on his part.

He more or less admitted it was his sausage roll. Brad has told us that George is known to love sausage rolls. QED, as far as I'm concerned!

Now rather worried about Hannah. I wonder if she took Lee's self-defence classes.

TBH while i get that Hannah didn't want to seem as though she can't manage her job, she should have written up George every time he backchatted or did a go slow. (maybe she did though because Neil knew about it)

I'm now leaning a bit more towards it was George after all, he seemed very smug and cocky with the "they can't prove it". I really need him to get a big come uppance. Oliver to withdraw the cash because he's going to flunk college or something.

I'm really sorry you both experienced that from hospital discharge teams. As a (previously hospital) social worker I'd never pressure family members to care for someone if they weren't willing or able. My starting point was always what care do you wish to provide, and then we will work together on a support plan that fills in the gaps. I know hospitals are under pressure but they shouldn't be bullying people into becoming carers against their will. Grrrrr

That said, the consultant was totally inappropriate and it was a very unrealistic phone call. Ron is an autonomous adult at the end of the day. If he wants to walk out of the clinic that's his choice. His brother could quite easily answer the phone while abroad and it's unrealistic to think he would become incommunicado when his brother is so (apparently) unwell.

Silly old episode that one

It's interesting though, because there's been a few suggestions (I think if I've understood) that the call was bogus. But that isn't really Ron's style. He was a lot cleverer and more subtle. He will have given the consultant all sorts of bull about his relationship with Helen though.

Anyone got any insight into my question about where and indeed why George and Brad were hanging out together?

I assumed it was Grange Farm, but why Brad was there is a mystery. He's Emma's first cousin, I suppose, and Brad's first cousin once removed, but he's staying with Neil and Susan. Was he waiting for Mia?

Thank goodness he had the common sense to tell George where to go when George suggested a party at the Horrobin house. Stick to your guns, Brad!

Eastie77Returns
Helen will call the Consultant back and end up caught in Ron’s drama once again. Sigh.

If Helen calls back and immediately speaks to the consultant rather than being unable to get through or being put on indefinite hold before being asked to leave a message, TA will have jumped the shark completely.

I am also convinced that it was George's sausage roll following his conversation with Brad. I hope that whatever unfolds next leads to Oliver realising that George is a wrong un and that Brad deserves his support.

I think the plan for George overall is much more long term but if Oliver withdraws support it will be another grudge for him to hold.

I think he's actually a really interesting character with a lot of potential (although I dislike him intensely). You can hear the influence of so many of his family in him (save for Neil and Clarrie). There's Will's aggressive petulance, Ed's belief that everyone is against him, Emma's entitlement, Eddie and Joe's desire to run a scam and get one over on everyone, even Susan's self importance. Plus a massive dose of mysogeny (which is pretty ingrained in the Grundy family).

He could do well if he would knuckle down and work, which is what Oliver and Martin see in him but he is too lazy and dishonest. This is a dangerous combination, he won't be satisfied with low level scams like Eddie and Joe, he's bright enough to come up with something more complex and ambitious but so very angry and aggressive when thwarted.

Where will he go though?

• out and out villain like Uncle Clive or Great Uncle Alf? I think he's more ambitious and clever.
• Slightly dodgy but successful business man like Matt Crawford? Possibly.
• I think possibly more sinister, perhaps presenting a legit front with nasty things under the surface like a dreadful mash up of Philip Moss and Rob Titchenor.

Didn't he also get quite pervy with Fallon? Or am I getting my Ambridge teenagers crossed?

I think he could be a Matt Crawford and I think the "who will succeed, the good one or the bad one" with Brad and George has been so well set up and could continue as a sort of family rivalry forever.

Thanks for the thread.

I said so! When he first appeared!

Almost too good to be true.

So maybe it’s not. Maybe there really was a mix up with the results? … Nah! Fist bump! High five! All the celebratory things! 🎉🎉🎉

Oh - did he have this in 2016? Is that why …?

She’s going to nurse him, isn’t she? Fool.

FFS that was so silly on so many levels.

The consultant wouldn’t be phoning an ex wife for support.
Helen wouldn't run after Ron. Kirsty wouldn’t leave her to have unsupervised contact with him either.
Helen certainly wouldn’t give him a hug. He makes her flesh crawl doesn’t he?

The 🔮 is feeling smug.

It says that of course H is going to nurse Ron through until the end. This will likely cause a split from Lee The Feeble. There will be a massive inheritance which will cause further anguish for H because there will be Conditions attached.

Of course, Ron shouldn't be driving but he will continue to do so, which might just hasten his demise when he has a seizure behind the wheel.

I want Rob to astound the doctors by surviving for much longer than expected, thus granting more opportunities for him to fuck with Helen’s, Gideon/Jack’s and Henry’s heads, and to make sure Lee is properly off the scene. And that Helen will be sucked right in and left distraught by his eventual demise, ‘her boys’ will develop Major Issues around Daddies, Abandonment and Death, and everyone around her will finally accept she is a raving nutjob who needs her children removed from her ‘care’ and locking up . I would also like the moon on a stick.

And a pony.

He did

So you're going to build your own theme park. With blackjack. And hookers. In fact, forget the park.

I think the Brad v George rivalry will absolutely continue.

I suspect Brad will be clever and successful but not loaded and possibly employed rather than his own boss. George will therefore always think he is a bit pathetic.

I think George will be more sinister than Tiger who although a bit dodgy was fairly likeable. I think the woman hating incel vibe might continue long term too.

What the hell is Fallon doing offering to print off important legal documents to be signed immediately? Is she planning to download a cafe lease off the internet or something equally stupid? She would have to be insane to tie herself down to an 8 year commitment without legal advice.

Ha!

By the way, it should have read ‘a raving nutjob who needs her children removed from her ‘care’ and to be locked up’

Oh Helen (shakes head in despair)
How did she even come to be there after telling the consultant she did not want to get involved?

And are we all believing of Rob? I'm thinking he might have hired someone to act as a doctor and be making this all up just because he is a manipulative toe rag, and so that he can get access to Jack. That would explain why the 'consultant' was so pushy for Helen to get involved.
Or am I stretching the realms of possibility too far? 😂