Archers thread #151: A Fête worse than death or a reverse ferret? Helen’s got the Borsetshire Blues, Tom’s talking shiitake, George is a rotten apple. Discuss 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 Helen and Tom would do well on Dragons' Den, 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 to @OverArmour for various title ideas! I would have liked to incorporate the suggestion from @Fleetress, which was

‘Do do one Ron, Ron, do do one Ron’

(Rob is Ron for many on this thread now)

Possibly a bit obscure for newer posters, though!

Anyway: we got through that last thread in no time at all. Combined effect of Rob and George, I suspect. I wonder if Rob will have made it to Ambridge by the time we need a new thread. I'm still waiting for Pat's shotgun to feature. That can't have been mentioned for the first time ever for no reason at all.

Over to you!

Oh, absolutely re Pip’s feelings. I just think she’s forgetting that she’s thirty, not thirteen.
(Perhaps the reemergence of Lottie has to do with that…)

I can’t bear listening to all the Archers characters at the moment. I press the 20s fast-forward button if Pip, Helen or George start speaking, but it’s helpful for me to read this thread just to keep up what’s happening.

So please don’t flounce off anyone over the finer discussion points of names in Arabic!

I think the characterisation of people like Pip, Helen and Tom are a testament to the writing. It's relatively easy to write a character who is 100% likeable or villainous, much more difficult to write one who is annoying in some contexts but whose side you are on in others. Pip, for instance, is someone I find pretty loathsome, yet it's not unconvincing that people like Toby and Stella obviously like her.

I usually enjoy the little detours this thread takes but I’d also be happy never to discuss Adil’s pronunciation around the world ever again, sorry.

Same @WitcheryDivine it's become really tedious now. Don't go @Reggieismycat!

In terms of last night... what is it with all of these adult men in Ambridge being fixated on their childhood toys?! Tony with his train set, now David with his model farm?! Although "Little Hector? no arms. Little Alistair? no legs" did make me laugh...

Does anyone think the farm set will end up on “The Repair Shop” being painstakingly glued back together and restored by the lovely Will?

I still have some animals from my farm set which were played with by my daughter and then grandchildren and came back to me with a few additions. I wanted to be a farmer but the nearest I got was volunteering in the education department of a working farm with educational facilities after I retired.

I can only think that the farm thing is meant to remind us of the whole "growing to move Brookfield to Durham" madness?! Not sure why though.

*going

Yes! Although it wouldn't be the lovely Will. He specialises in wood. I can't remember who does the paper things - Lucia? Or does she just do paintings?

I love The Repair Shop. An Archers crossover episode would be great.

The Repair Shop regularly reduces me to tears. There was an episode where they repaired a footprint imprint that a couple had made when they lost their baby, and the clay had started cracking - I was in floods by the end of it.

Well you are a saint why are they all at your house? Tell your kids enough is enough and that they should go out and meet their friends and come back for thier lunch without anybody. The other parents must be rubbing there hands with glee you providing free child care and food. They are CF because they should be giving there kids lunches or at least lunch money.

Wrong Thread.

Léonard is the "go to" for fixing stuff, isn't he?

As I suspected, Henry is using his visit to the County Show as cover to meet Rob. Interesting reference to him as "my real stepdad".

Plot prediction: Helen will end up at the County Show, either because she decides to visit for a nice day out or there'll be some last minute trade stand thing that means she's there with All The Cheese. She bumps into Henry with Rob or possibly questions the Grundy's as to why Henry isn't with them (George may even develop a conscience and tells her what's going on, he seemed rather doubtful about it all when Henry told him his plan) and tracks him down.

Either that or Henry doesn't arrive home when he should and George tells a panic-stricken Helen who he's with.

There's a final showdown at Helen's house - no violence because Lee's away but backup arrives in the form of Kirsty. Rob is arrested for breaching the orders against him but suffers a fit and dies in police custody.

I don't think the SWs want to relinquish the gift that is Ron this soon though?

Yes @Brefugee Leonard fixed Tony's unwanted guitar after it got mangled...

I dunno, maybe they're as fed up with him as we are and a lingering, drawn-out martyred death would just be awful to put up with listen to.

I still wonder whether he'll have some kind of miracle reprieve.

I have a massive crush on the lovely Will. Even though he's a but young for me.

This is horrible to listen to …

And even pitted against that amount of blarney Henry still managed to do the right thing. Well well.

It is, isn't it. He 'dispatched' George so swiftly.

Poor Henry. I even felt slightly sorry for George, who seemed to have some glimmering that perhaps there was more to Rob than he'd reckoned on.

As I recall, Rob caused the Ambridge flood, didn't he? So quite ironic that Henry has been gaslit into believing that Rob was the hero of the hour.

I'd put money on Rob turning up in the woods some time soon in the hope of being able to snatch Jack. Will he take Henry as well? On the one hand, Henry is not a blood relative of Rob's, so worth less, in his twisted world view. On the other hand, that would really teach Helen, wouldn't it?

I hoped Emma would see Rob when she was watching the crowd. But I suppose that would have resolved the situation too quickly, as she'd report straight back to Helen who I hope would take steps to enforce the non mol order.

All very disappointing. And Rob had been doing so well.