Archers thread #154: Cider with Fat Rosie, Meadow Rise to Candleford or The Darling Horrobins of September? Get your rural saga fix – 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'd be euphoric about getting a job in an abattoir, 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4888492-the-archers-spoilers-thread-8-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 the thread title suggestions. @HumanWetWipe came up with Cider with Fat Rosie and @BeardieWeirdie thought up Meadow Rise to Candleford. I wish I could have put in the Line of Duty mashups from the end of the last thread. Another time.

Heading for a ferry shortly, so nothing more from me for now. Over to you!

Stupid question: why did Freddie inherit and not both Freddie and Lilly? A painting is hardly a consolation for Lilly.

Patriarchy?

Primogeniture @AngryBirdsNoMore I'm sure someone more learned will explain properly in a bit but basically the eldest male of the line inherits everything and numbers 2 onwards get f*ck all. Often led to all women progeny (like the Bennetts in Pride and Prejudice) losing out to their male cousin. It's very common in upper class stately home owners. Hence the phrase an heir and a spare!

Total sexist bollocks basically.

Thanks so much for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g.
Best wishes for you on your travels. Hope all goes as well as these things can

I would love Ted Hastings to take over policing Ambridge when Harrison decides to become the local equivalent of St Francis of Assissi.

This is an auspicious thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g - not only is it

your 50th thread ,

it is also the thread on which someone will post the

150,000th post

since these threads began ten years ago!

Carry on...

I'm quite annoyed about Fallon taking the job (if she does) rather than taking advice about her legal position and putting several spokes into the Archer wheel.

Yes. On the plus side though, she could get quite far into agreeing it before anyone actually makes her sign a contract (since they're so thick) and then back out and really mess things up for them! here's hoping...

I’m going to guess Emma has already sent in her cv and they’ll tell fallon too late and they are going to interview for the post

then Lynda will slap her on the forehead and ask why she hasn’t considered talking to Justin about the charging station.

Just listening on catch up to last nights episode - it felt like Charging Station Bingo - how many times can Fallon say those words without realising the opportunity open to her - I know I said earlier in tread perhaps Lynda giving her a talking to but now I'm thinking secret spy Joy might need to get in there and tell her to approach Justin - maybe Justin has a secret love of Fallons baking or super hot chocolate whipped gingerbread latter with extra marshmallows that he will whistfully say he hopes the charging station tea room is as lovely as her tearoom - please someone hit her with the idea literally

I'm pretty sure she won't.

@DadDadDad that's a very base-10-ist view of the world. Where were you when we hit 144,000 posts or when Gaspode had her 48th thread? 😂

Thanks for the new thread.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon

Now I am frustrated that I can't remember the name of Shula's donkey that attends the Nativity each year!

We definitely need to know! Until then we can make it ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the Wee Shula’s Donkey!’

Because that was what Nigel put in his will, is the short answer. There was no obligation on him to do so and primogeniture has been irrelevant for decades now even when it comes to inheriting the throne of the country..

The painting was a prescient eighteen birthday present for a child who at the time of Nigel's death had no particular interest in art, from a parent with none at all (he preferred Uncle Rupert's daubs to the valuable painting found underneath one of them), nothing to do with inheritance. For the same birthday Freddie got an emerald engagement ring that had belonged to Julia. (All parents buy or choose eighteenth birthday presents for their children before said children are ten, and leave them in the bank to be presented after the death of the parent. It's absolutely de rigeur in the best circles, especially if the parent is so short of cash that he or she is combing the house for things that can be sold to pay for repairs to the roof.)

@Fink - at one stage I was thinking about announcing when we got to 117649th post because that's 7 to the power of 6, and then post 131072 (= 2 to the power 17), but I just thought it was too number geeky. People are attached to our base-10 system and its arbitrary multiples.

I'll let you know when we get to post 161051 (that's 11 to the power of 5 of course) - probably in the middle of next year.

The usual Palm Sunday donkey, since 2007, was Benjamin (Shula also owned Basil and Sybil, but I don't think Sybil ever did the Palm Sunday service; Basil may have): but in 2013 Benjamin was unwell or something and Belinda was employed instead. In 2014 Coco was the donkey for the Darrington service, but Benjamin was back in 2015. In 2021 Benjamin had arthritis badly just before he was meant to appear in the Mystery Plays, and then he has had an abscess in May 2022, and that's the last time he was mentioned.

Thank you! I think I miss the donkeys far more than Shula! I wonder if Alice looks after them now.

I feel like Brad could be helpful here

Gosh, thanks, @DadDadDad! I feel it adds a touch of class to these threads that we have a resident statistician.

Safely home now. Not sure I have the strength or patience to listen to TA tonight. A treat for tomorrow ...

Surely Shula rode up to the North on her donkey?

I knew I could rely on you, Dadx3. Every longrunning series of threads needs a resident stats expert!

Everyone’s in the bull tonight.

but odd the way Stella said ‘no, I like your mum and dad’ as if she hadn’t been besties with the mum. The conversations involving pip are always so badly written and unrealistic. And why is David questioning her like it’s the first time he’s ever met her when he must know all that.

Love how David said it would be better if they’d had dinner as the food would be distracting - given the Brookfield archers can’t seem to get through a scene without eating.

weddings at a tea room? What an odd idea she has for a high end tea room. The organic makes sense though given the ethos of the farm. Natasha clearly ‘pride before a fall’ going on here.

This all predates my listening - but the above is exactly why I don’t understand why there’s such love for Nigel as a massive sexist.

thanks @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime!

@AngryBirdsNoMore , Nigel was absolutely wonderful. He was a bit older than Lizzie, about Shula's age, and would have been the product of his upbringing. Carrying in the family line and all that. He certainly wasn't a massive sexist.

He was funny and sweet, thought the world of Lizzie and Frilly. He had bags of enthusiasm - a bit too much at times. His dedding was unforgiveable.