Archers thread #155: Cold Comfort Farms! The rural sagas continue. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

FILL THE OLD THREAD UP FIRST! https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4902507-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?page=10

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 like to hear more scenes in the 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 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.)

Lots of lively discussion about Brad's university aspirations and the Open Day on the last thread. Do you want him to end up at Felpersham or do you want him to spread his wings and go further afield? Where will Mia go?

Will this thread see the end of Rob, or do we have many weeks more before his long overdue demise?

What's going on at Grey Gables? Are they running into financial trouble? Will we hear from Roy, who I had forgotten was working there until he was mentioned the other day? Who are the mysterious 'Owners'? Will the locum GP turn out to be Adil's sister, as we have been surmising since she first spoke? Why's she been conjured up?

Talking of the GP, I'm hoping against hope we're not in for bad news about Jim's mole.

Praying that we're going to get a long and much-needed break from hearing P*p. Not praying that we hear Rob being christened. Who would be his sponsor, as someone commented on the last thread? Harrison? Surely that would be a conflict of interest. Can't see who else would do it locally.

I wonder how Ben is getting on now he's back on his nursing degree? Will we ever hear anything about Lily's course, or how Freddie's getting on at the abattoir?

So many questions! Over to you for some answers and boundless speculation.

Pat's reaction to Alan was ridiculous.

Was disturbed to see the preview "Pat gave him one"...

I wish Pat was a better character, tbh, she just seems to be worried mum incarnate.

And the actress even has a ‘worried mum’ voice she does. Normally starting with ‘oh Helen..’

“If you are speaking of practical theology...it is of all subjects my delight. There are few people in England I suppose, who have more true knowledge of religion than myself, or a better natural moral compass. If I had ever gone to theological college, I should have been a great proficient. First female Archbishop of Canterbury, at a minimum.

Alan nodded politely, barely conscious of the words uttered by his oldest and wealthiest parishioner. He had a weather eye out in case she started to pontificate about horsewhips, as there he felt obliged to register an objection, but otherwise he regarded time spent with Mrs Woolley as a useful period in which to ponder his next sermon.

First female Archbishop of Canterbury, at a minimum

most likely, God

Oh, very GOOD!

Oh, very GOOD!

Seconded!

Brilliant!

Glad to hear will still helps on the shoots

remove the hierarchy between guest and staff - does that work in a high end hotel?

adil being very high handed - is that the sleeping tablets!! This whole renovation doesn’t seem to have been planned very well if they’ve made a mess of the kitchen. And how many contractors don’t expect lots of changes. Adil has made a right mess of this. Do you think he’ll get Eddie round?

I thought the scenes with George and Eddie were nice. Shows George as a rounded character.

Got a mate who’s big in small rodents!!! I fear for Lola though

What on earth has got into Ian?! Has he had a personality transplant?! Surely they'll fire him?
Has he been taking lessons on angryness from Pat?
And the random guinea pig purchasing...
What an odd episode! Can't say I didn't enjoy it though!

It’s pretty idiotic to get an interior designer to design a professional kitchen with no input from a chef

and it sounds like adil has been changing his mind a lot and I guess that’s why they are delayed

none of the renovation comes across as realistic at all from my experience. There can’t be a big hotel chain behind it

I agree it sounds chaotic (a project of that size would have a lot of changes and stress though) but as 'Head of Food' Ian was acting well beyond his remit surely?!

It’s just really badly managed and a big hotel chain will normally have contractors they use on numerous projects. And last minute changes aren’t unheard of

getting a professional kitchen wrong is a major fuck up

However, why is Ian only seeing it on completion? The whole thing is so amateur.

Are we really expected to believe that Ian has been employed since mid-August as Head of Food at the new Grey Gables and has only bothered to look at the actual kitchen today? That certainly seemed to be what was being suggested.

Well quite - even if he hadn’t seen the units in he would have seen the plumbing etc and he really should have been shown a plan anyway.

in reality, a hotel chain would have a head of food who would have been all over this

That was my impression and why I thought Ian had been so out of order, it was like he'd just realised at this point that the kitchen wasn't designed well and came in at 100 miles an hour to his new boss in a Pat-esque outrage! Surely telling the contractors to bugger off was really not his call?
I thought Ian was so calm and reasonable... Although I've worked with many chefs over the years and not yet met one without a temper so 🤷
I don't think it is a big hotel chain, if it were there's no way Oliver would be able to be so involved.

Even a hotel chain that has less than 10 would not behave like this though.

I really do wonder who the other owners are as any sort of chain makes zero sense

I'd have thought they'd have basically the same design of kitchen in every hotel (subject maybe to a bit of updating) on the basis that there is little point in reinventing the wheel.

There are rules about the design of commercial kitchens, and every builder in that trade knows it.
As for not having looked at the kitchen - nope. There isn't a chef alive (even if he's not going to be the chef) who wouldn't have had an inspection of the kitchen and the plans before signing a contract.

There’s nothing more annoying than knowing about something and hearing them mess it up. I imagine doctors/paramedics/police/firefighters suffer a lot!!

Although I will forgive them if it’s all messed up because adil is lying about where the money is coming from

It does sound like the storyline is moving swiftly towards Adil being responsible for completely effing up the whole thing, he's sounding more out of his depth every time we hear him.

I was irrationally irritated by Oliver getting wrong a saying: “grasped by the nettle”. I don’t think he’s the character that would do that.

Also that’s definitely a pregnant female guinea pig, but who cares.

I did wonder - do people get Guinea pigs neutered?

if New Guinea gives birth is there a risk Lola eats the babies?

I mean this could be quite an exciting sl