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!

Potentially, George might well be a Ron in the making, but there is still plenty of time for him to be shaped by whatever life experience is to come.

Lillian was an earnest young woman once, who lost her fiance at a young age. Then she married money, moved to Jersey, and returned a guffawing, chain-smoking, gin-swilling, plastice surgeon-using, cougar of a woman, who had managed to raise an insufferable son. And then got together with two more men with money. I am very sad about this, but have sucked it up.

@JanglyBeads Dominic would be wise to put his out of office on and hide behind it 😂

Thanks Gasp. The grim tissue was an euphemism for wank-rag.

What was the young Lilian like? Was she completely different to how she is now?

No unfair dismissal under two years of employment now except for discrimination. Not sure he'd be able to claim that.

Wonder how Fallon will feel about the tearoom being the setting for that row!

George was taken on at Home Farm for the harvest only, strictly temporary. I don't think he has a leg to stand on if Stella, at the end of the harvest, says "Thank you for your help; see you next year, perhaps."

(They started harvesting on 1st August and it is now 20th.)

Just listened to yesterday
Am going against the flow of opinion here - George was vile! Helen is suffering a nervous breakdown…. Why does no one see that she needs therapy?

and Emma still standing up to George- she heard the Turkey Basker comment and all the rest

@LittleOwl22 see link to new thread a few posts back

@JanglyBeads thank you 😊

this is such a difficult listen …

Yes

They started harvesting on 1st August and it is now 20th.

My father always reckoned to start between 19th & 26th July, and he was one of the later ones in the area. I suppose we were south of Borsetshire, but I'm not convinced that far south. Mind you, there has been near endless rain, including St Swithun's Day.

The order wasn't against Helen so she hasn't breached it. She has handed Ron an argument that she can't genuinely think he's dangerous given the number of times she's met up with him and indeed his brother (I'm sure the order would cover indirect contact). However, given the previous abduction attempt, I would have thought her lawyers can legitimately claim that the danger has always been that he would go after the children rather than her.

The new thread is up and running folks and there'll be more potential for engagement with posts on there from now on.

I think speaking to one of the owners of a business in the way George spoke to Helen would be grounds for dismissal in any business.

The relationship of trust and confidence has broken down.

His behaviour is likely gross misconduct, the filming, the insults, causing her fear. Unacceptable.

In any event George has less than two years service so has limited rights if he is actually employed. However he may be contracting in which case he has even less rights.