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.

@RegimentalSturgeon - There was a clue in my previous post: these threads last went crazy when Nic died shockingly from sepsis. (I think there was also a bit of heated debate around the thread title on that occasion being a bit of a spoiler for those who hadn't caught up with the death). Before that I think Helen stabbing Rob, and Kirsty & Tom's not-wedding were the two biggies.

i hated nics death so much I stopped listening - so I can see why it was a thread filler!

Oh I see..I did not take it that way!!!

@DadDadDad
Ta: completely missed your final para somehow. But that figures.
I was quite happy with Nic being killed off, but the hit & run stuff was risible. Still have fond memories of#smashedAlice at the funeral.

at the very least I want his long term sl to be as a maths professor at … MIT. With a Fields Medal somewhere along the way.

While Chelsea proceeds to Booker Prize glory.

(George will have melted down all the world’s Nobel Prize medals for scrap …)

Well that would be great but the sw like to keep the wc in their place. I’m actually really annoyed that will isn’t a gamekeeper anymore!

Checking in...

Folding money says that Eddie has already seen that book (any chance he’s seen Lynda’s copy?) and Emma is being set up so that his sorry just so happens to be verified.

I'd be sad to see Brad going to Felpersham, though I'd guess the number of students who apply locally and live at home has increased due to CoL. When I was at university, in the days of no tuition fees, everyone lived away at universities some distance from home. London was the exception, a real trend of London students applying to London universities.

Back to TA, it pisses me off to see a working class lad lowering his sights, but perhaps it's meant to reflect the reality.

Here in Melbourne, it's usual to study at a university in Victoria, probably because of the distances involved, though most students find a house share asap.

It seems to me that Brad was using money as the excuse not to go away from the place where he feels, if not safe at least less unsafe. He doesn't want to leave home; he's scared of the great big world outside.

I don't think it is necessarily to do with his working class parentage; more to do with his insecure personality.

Let's hope Mia encourages Brad to be a bit more adventurous.

I hope that Brad does consider other options.

I am an academic and we do quite often have quite smartly dressed parents. Can't say that I have ever seen someone in a kilt but it wouldn't seem surprising/out of place to me - I would probably surmise that they were going out for a special meal afterwards. Most prospective students do seem to come with their parents - whereas when I was looking in early 90s I went with friends or on my own which seemed what most people did.

I hate the witch/Halloween stuff

Eddies totally seen that book

Thank you @DadDadDad and @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I will attempt to do less work avoidance, with deadlines really looming, and see if that contributes to bring the posting rate back down.

I haven't listened to tonight's ep yet so nothing to add; it doesn't sound, from reading the threads, like I'm going to enjoy it!

I’ve probably been posting a bit too much as well. I have so much shit going on this has been a bit of an escape

But surely posting here isn't a bad thing?

I'm fine with Brad choosing Felpersham, even though I think his fears would prove groundless at Durham (which is not a campus university, though I can see how Tracy and Jazzer might thinks so, as the Maths Dept is on the Science Site - and yes, it's confusing).

Have they actually said it was Durham they visited? Have I blanked that out? I think I'm getting mixed up with what was discussed on the thread and what was in the actual episode.

The place has a building which looks like a cathedral according to Tracy, looks like Hogwarts according to Brad, and it's about two hundred miles north of Inkberrow or thereabouts... It did look a lot as if it were Durham from these pointers. Also the stuff Brad read out about it was almost word for word a bit of the Durham maths course prospectus.

I'm really out of touch with Ambridge atm, but wondering if reading this thread might inspire me to start listening again...

Going back to the Rob/Miles storyline…@Bruisername
This happens-my own brother excused the bruises & control my ex metered out to me because "he does do a manual job & has to let off steam somehow.." and "I bet you do wind him up..". Wherever there's an abusive man there's often another man (or his own mother) giving him an excuse.

@Bruisername same here! I'm letting off steam on MN

Abusers often learn to be abusers from an abusive parent. That's why Rob is so good at it - it's so ingrained, the next manipulation springs easily to his lips, without him even needing to think of it. So he can do it real time - which a real mind fuck.

O'r might put you off further...

@Bruisername

Just realised I also heard demonic hand.

I'm a long time listener and sometimes post on here under different usernames.

I'm back because of the Rob-Alan storyline. I find it horribly realistic. Same as I did the Rob-Helen storyline. The idea of "the other side" especially in relationships where there's no public proof, such as in a court case, is extremely real. Alan's complex situation of trying to hold on to what he knows is true (Rob's treatment of Helen), trying to marry it with his religious understanding of life and fairness and being manipulated is actually very realistic. Many people go through something similar, only it's harder to tease out, because they don't have a strong religious framework or one tied into their work duties. They also have more doubt about what happened because there's no court case or police involvement.

The pithy stories around the witch, the harvest supper, the Stella and Pip one (went far too quickly) and even the kilt nonsense all serve to titrate the horror that comes with Rob. I'm currently divorcing a highly manipulative man (nobody who knows him thinks he is) and was with him during the Rob Helen storyline. IMO the scriptwriters have got it so awfully spot on with not only the manipulation, but a lot of little things that surround the pure manipulation, that it's hugely triggering. I am thankful for what part of my brain is sighing at (Felpershem uni etc) because it's a true relief.

Btw - Maya (can't remember her spelling of it) might encourage Brad to broaden his outlook. Fingers crossed!

I thought it was the weirdest haunting! Glad not just me!