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.

are the main characters in the archers skewed towards the older age bracket?

I’m completely uninterested in any relevant statistics on this, but logically it ought to be true. In general the older characters will have lived in the village for the longest, and will therefore have the greatest number of active connections. They have more fingers in more pies. So they’re more likely to be (audibly) involved in / affected by whatever’s going on. Teens, on the other hand, only interact with their immediate family (and school) and it’s big news if they take an unsupervised step outside their bubble.

That’s how it seems to me, at least.

Yes agreed but the replacement rate doesn’t seem to be there!

As soon as she knew adil was going away surely she would have been in the room to change sheets/give it a clean etc in anticipation of his return She’d have done that on Friday. And might have missed the note - as she did this time. Wasn’t it Oliver who saw it and handed it to her, with the fortunate effect that he was able it say to the listeners “it’s a note. It’s addressed to you Lynda”

But she wouldn’t have missed that all his stuff had gone

I’m completely fed up listening in to Pip and Stella’s love talk.

How many days ago was it some of us were pointing the finger at Henry? Or will the smoking gun merely indicate Henry hiding evidence so the real perpetrator won’t be punished?

True. Hadn’t thought of that. Maybe sheets are washed once a week on a Wednesday

Pip and Stella had far too much air time. No one cares you’re dating and no one cares what you wear

Speak for yourself @Bruisername

I agree about Robert. Its going to be really sad.

I momentarily thought we might hear his voice again. He was lovely. Such a warm character and so well acted.

I haven’t heard tonight’s yet but I did find it funny that the one liner for the other night was something like “it’s a big moment for Pip” and that big moment was… telling the local vet that she’s dating Stella?!! Is that a milestone everyone has to tick off? 😊

It's not just the characters who skew towards older age ranges. Listening to the radio is a habit nowadays mostly confined to older age groups. I think it was on Feedback a while ago they reported a survey where young people had been shown a picture of a transistor radio and many of them had no idea what it was. I suppose increasingly younger age groups listen to podcasts and use streaming services. I don't think any of this bodes well for the BBC unless it transforms its funding model.

Pip is being so embarrassing, why is Stella going along with it?

Because she's in love! Or very nearly so. And Pip is clearly in love with her.

Great question! It’s making me extremely glad that none of my friends who’s got into their first same sex relationship (or any relationship) has felt the need to do a PR campaign around it like it’s a new brand of oven chips. Pip is like one of those brides who thinks that everyone is as over invested in the big wedding as she is. Mate no one cares!!! I wish Stella would just tell her that in the nicest possible way no one cares.

If Pip had been going out with a man for 2 months or however long it is, would she feel the same need to announce it to the world? Well, yes, she probably would, because she's Pip, but 2 months is hardly any time at all for a relationship, and she's talking about moving in together?

Pip is in the first flush of love.
The whole point is that Stella is not a man. So this makes their relationship out of the ordinary. Pip is now actually getting off on telling people. We've heard her do this several times now.

Luckily, Sid is no longer with us.

Lesbian Pip is making me cringe. She's so desperate to shock. Next thing she'll have a buzz cut and start smoking a cigar.

I'm surprised Stella didn't do a runner when Pip suggested living together.

@BeatriceBatchelor don't you think you are portraying a highly offensive stereotype? You are the one who is making me cringe.

That was @BeatriceBatchelor’s point, @SequentialAnalyst. Pip is so very “LOOK AT ME, IM A LESBIAN”, and no one really cares, that you can well imagine her leaning into the stereotype in order to get the attention.

I thought that about the size of the hotel, too. Also, I do think Ian comes across as a bully at the moment; volatile and not constructive just running around, shouting and yelling.

It has seemed like it’s those actor’s ‘turn’ so they’re going to shoehorn them in, storyline or no storyline.

Yes, agree.

Wouldn’t Oliver, as a minority shareholder, have to contact the owners, and have them appoint a replacement for Adil? Or at least just ask them whether they’ve heard from him and what’s going on?

In an alternate universe, Lillian and Matt have run away together and opened a pub and called it The Tiger and Pusscat.