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!

If Alan allows the funeral in ambridge then he is a bigger wet blanket than I already think he is!

But think what a wonderful time Helen could have doing ‘fragile but dignified’ at the funeral in a fetching black number. Right up her street.

echt
Ursula can be the sponsor.

She's dead too, you know?

Apart from her being dead, and the worry that if alive she would reveal the pack of lies that Rob wasn't already baptised, it's a great idea.

I've always found it odd that parents are allowed to be godparents for their own children in the CofE. In the Catholic Church it is specifically banned under Canon Law.

I can't believe this! Jazzer wearing a kilt is like an Englishman wearing a suit, to the Scots, and quite right too.

I was remembering a lovely friend of mine who also came to Durham at the same time as me, and like me, stayed for the rest of his life. He was London Irish, born to Irish immigrant parents, in the same year as me. He was born in North East London. He too was gifted in maths, and at the time he applied, hoped to be able to make discoveries in pure mathematics, beginning with studying it at university. Also like Brad, he had to be persuaded that he was good enough to apply for university, never mind Durham, which was very well respected.

He got in. And in those days only 5% of people of university age actually went to university. He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. He came up for interview earlier the same year that I did, in the Winter, which was the norm. He didn't have a suit, so he wore his school uniform, god love him.

He got here, loved it, changed to Philosophy quite early on, became a social worker, and, among many other things, helped people with SEN when the gvt of the day quite rightly moved them from care in a Villa in a MH hospital to supported living in the community.

Lily's A-levels were Biology, German and English Literature.

And is a University Open day the sort of occasion where parents usually wear formal dress? I.e a kilt?

It's nothing to do with being ignorant, and if anything it seems a little patronising to think that people will only be able to access English Literature if their favourite actors have appeared in some production featuring what they are studying.

These are people who presumably either didn't take Eng Lit at school for various reasons or didn't pass it, and some at least may well have been put off by a bad teacher or just by the fact that they were teenagers working in a noisy classroom with unmotivated peers having to share the texts. If as a teenager you decided that it wasn't for you, I would worry that you might be put off if the first text you deal with is something written in 16th century English and in verse - particularly when there is plenty of other good quality material on the syllabus that would work perfectly well instead. It would be a real shame if a potentially good student gave up because they found Shakespeare inaccessible when they could have been eased into it more gently through other works.

SequentialAnalyst
I can't believe this! Jazzer wearing a kilt is like an Englishman wearing a suit, to the Scots, and quite right too.

In Inverness or Aberdeen, sure; but Jazzer is from Glasgow (and that when he was an infant).

It was noticeable that Rob told Alan he had been diagnosed two and a half months ago when at the time of diagnosis the estimate was three months to live. Let's hope that that means we're building up to the big climax where he snuffs it.

I have been assuming that by the time Johnny comes sailing home, Rob will be brown bread.

Wearing a kilt when he only wears it as very formal wear - ie for his wedding - is clearly overdressed for an open day. It’s presumably also a dress kilt with all the trimmings.

The pair of them wearing their wedding clothes to the open day is such a stupid feature of this episode, as was Tracy shouting over the lecture hall. I dressed up for open days and interviews, whereas the public school kids were often in jeans, because I thought it would ‘make a good impression’ as Tracy said. But wedding outfit?! I wish Tracy wasn’t such a caricature, when she was a much more sympathetic and complex character last year. Totally agree with @Teddleshon

Don’t understand the relevance of the Irish chap to the kilt or the storyline? Brad knows he’s good enough to apply to good unis.

Irish chap?

Miles and Rob seem a lot closer than they used to be too.
Ok so Bruce didn't allow anything like christenings but surely Miles might have mentioned how that fitted in with an English public school education, Chapel etc?

Alan is being v silly. He made it sound as if he's only bothered about what people think. He needs to stop pussy-footing around and (having asked God for guidance and to be given the right words) to challenge Rob on things which are a matter of court record. - if he really really doesn't think of handing the whole thing over to the bishop/ rural dean - at least for some advice.

Also he should be meeting with Helen to find out how she feels and also to corroborate the "she went to the hospital with him" story.

What on earth is going to happen when Usha finds out about this scenario, too?

Yes God offers forgiveness for any and all through Christ's death, but the repentance needs to be genuine.

That had slipped what's left of my mind.
So this leaves it open, more pressure on some hapless Ambridge type to do the right thing by the one sheep that returns to the fold that causes more joy in Heaven than the ninety-nine that never strayed.

Miles and Rob really sound like brothers don’t they? Good casting and acting. I found my skin crawling when Miles was manipulating Alan. Grim stuff.

We’re doing the open day thing with DD at the moment; visiting Oxford Brookes on Saturday. I don’t think I’ve seen any parents in formal wear. Generally smart casual, but not suits.

If Rob was truly repentant he would ask forgiveness from Helen, even if was only a letter. Just asking forgiveness from God does not set the record straight or consider the victim, it's just to soothe his conscience IMO.

I’m imagining Tracey in a fascinator. This felt very much like it was written by a middle class writer.

You are right on miles and Rob. The acting saves this sl to an extent

I had a look at the Adult Education courses locally and there was very little

Surely a lot of it must be online now? And I would have thought Emma could do both English Lit and maths at the same time given her new enthusiasm for learning. Chiara is older now.

Keira? I always think she’s still a toddler, but somehow she’s 12!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/slk4HZ5f3K5rNBr6Ztk48G/keira-grundy#:~:text=Keira's%20name%20was%20inspired%20by,name%20of%20Ed's%20deceased%20grandmother.

And Poppy’s 10!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/LFFyc8cVHYV1B01PKFynzQ/poppy-grundy

I know that’s too young for her to be granted her own story - but it would be good to hear how she feels about the move from Grange Farm.

In defence of Tracy and Jazzer:

1. They probably don't own a lot of smart casual clothes. Whenever we hear their clothes mentioned, they definitely come across as very casual. So maybe the wedding outfits were all they had a step up from that. They knew it was a bit overkill but it was that or joggers.
2. We were given to understand at the time that the wedding dress wasn't all that fancy.
3. A lot of English people would see the kilt as just generically Scottish without denoting a certain level of formality (beyond that's it's not slobby). And he might have toned it down by not going for the full dress regalia.
4. Although we know that a lot of parents would wear smart casual, or at most an open necked shirt with suit trousers, it's reasonable for Tracy and Jazzer to assume that a suit and tie wouldn't be out of place and to go for the nearest they had, knowing that it was over rather than underdressed.

I'm more concerned about Jazzer feeling the cold! Tracy's mention of the umbrella made me think the Riley might not have a roof (I don't know about cars so really no idea). If so, setting off at 5am along the motorway with bare legs would be freezing!

What do we think was up with Brad? He was definitely out of sorts and didn't love the place. I'm not sure whether he picked up some info about finances and thought he wouldn't be able to afford Durham (presumably didn't hear anything about support for poorer families). Or whether he felt out of place socially with all the grand buildings and private school kids. Or whether he felt overawed academically, like realising that he'd always been the brightest in a small group but here were hundreds of people as good at Maths as him.

I don’t think it’s Tracey and jazzer you need to defend but the sw!!

re Brad - they seemed to be trying to imply he is ND at one point (badly and shoehorned I thought so was glad when it was seemingly dropped). I hope they’re not raking that up again

going to a uni like that after your only life experience is a small village will be intimidating. I don’t think he will have considered funding as the talk he went to was about maths. He didn’t seem impressed with their offering tbh!!

when my niece went to open days there were loads of talks of funding, access arrangements etc. would be obvious for them to go to one - or are we going to have a ridiculous so that tracey only thinks about money just before he dies his a levels

I did a dew university open days last summer with my grandsons. It was definitely Smart Casual and I noticed a lot of Mums/Grandmothers wearing a maxi-dress and trainers (which was what I also wore).

going to a uni like that after your only life experience is a small village will be intimidating

I am worried they are rolling the pitch for him to say that he would prefer not to go to Durham and go to Felpersham instead…

I should think 99.9% of the listenership is worrying about this, @EmmasBirthdayEarrings!

Perhaps they’ll surprise us - and he’ll confess he loved it all so much, he can’t bear to get his hopes up …