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.

Well with this lot of SWs?

True!

My thoughts too. I was wondering if she had her hair shorn and started wearing docs and dungarees, or whatever the SWs might think the stereotype lesbian wears.

I wear doc style boots and wear dungarees and am straight.

Was I too subtle for you@SequentialAnalyst ?

Maybe. But one of my happily married friends, who has 2 grown DC and several DGC, was round yesterday. Oh, yes, she's married to a woman. And they've been together since the early 1980s. Both of them have always looked like what they are - women. She's a retired teacher, a brilliant handywoman, and is helping me plan a property refurb. Her wife is a respected academic, who, although retired, still gets rung up and asked to come and share her expertise.

I wonder what your friends would think about the stereotypes the sw are employing? Why is pip thinking that because she is now thinking that she or Stella needs to ‘dress like a man’ just because it’s a same sex relationship. The way they are presenting her is very reductive and would be better if Stella told her so!

My Scotties (six so far) have liked anything with wildlife or historicals with lots of horses and dogs.

Ours was a Dalmatian, and he would bark angrily at the theme tune. My mother would eject him from the room before it started, if she remembered.

Surely Pip has been "dressing like a man" around the farm, in overalls or dungarees, since forever, and can't therefore start doing so now – no matter how much a SW may want to stereotype lesbians?

I love that this is a common trait then! They are great dogs.

I meant at the ball

Good point, yes I agree about it being behaviour that aligns with chefs I’ve worked with too! Albeit in the 90s, but perhaps still the same?

Pip and Stella getting excited about going to the ball in matching tuxedos is just so embarrassing. The only couple I could imagine having a conversation like that, new to same sex relationships or not, would be 16 years old or younger. It's just utterly teenage, who do they think they are going to 'shock' with that behaviour, other than maybe Peggy or Jill, neither of whom would be at the ball and presumably both of whom have rotated around the sun enough times to have seen it all many times before?! Just an utter cringefest!

Yes, teenagers, not a 30-yr old mother.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , overalls probably. I think they've been mentioned.

The whole World's First Lesbian SL is a cringe-fest. Why do they think we want or need to hear it.? I'm only listening for the Ron'n'Helen SL and because I'm addicted obvs.

My impression is it's Pip getting excited and Stella is just nodding along. Odd dynamic between them.

I am behind with the thread and I'm sure this has been said, but I'm so looking forward to everyone being completely underwhelmed by Pip's coming out. In fairness to her my first same sex relationship felt special - first time I felt like me! But I felt no need to make a big song and dance

I get the distinct impression already that Pip is really quite disappointed that no-one she has made the big announcement to so far has been shocked. At some point it may dawn on her that her neighbours have met Lesbians before and don't necessarily think it's a biggy.

Talking of Helen - Oliver was incredibly polite about Helen's demands for a meeting. The cheese contract is hardly likely to be his first priority in current circumstances. If she has any sense (but she probably doesn't) she has a clause written into the contract allowing for compensation in the event of GG pulling out of the deal at short notice.

I get a sort of grue-ful memory of Alistair thinking "so fresh" in Ambridge Extra, about that adolescent girlfriend of Dan's who tried to seduce him.

I think Pip's reliance on stereotypes and tropes about how to be a lesbian actually seems realistic to the character rather than poor scripting. She doesn't seem to know many same-sex couples and she's anxious to get it right, and in the honeymoon phase of a relationship, so happy to jump through lots of hoops. So she's fallen back on scraping the barrel for everything she knows about lesbianism and it has become apparent that all she's got as reference points is some outdated stereotypes.

What feels much less realistic is Stella playing along with it. I would have shut that suit or dress conversation right down and made it clear that you don't have to dress differently than whatever you would have worn to a smart do before. And also that there's no need for them to be in matching outfits! Pip is coming across as very insecure, as well as desperate for other people to notice and congratulate her on her relationship. I partly wonder whether she's irritated by how little anyone has been shocked and she intends to dial it up to be more and more in everyone's faces until she can find one person who makes a comment that she can construe as homophobic.

Fink
I partly wonder whether she's irritated by how little anyone has been shocked and she intends to dial it up to be more and more in everyone's faces until she can find one person who makes a comment that she can construe as homophobic.

I have known more than one boring little twibbet like that over the years. Experts on taking offence where none has been given.

As my mother used to say resignedly when someone of my acquaintance had been more than usually in-yer-face about d-d-d-doing it in the street: "if your friends are so certain they invented sex, how do they think they got here?" (To which I would reply, straight-faced, "in a space-ship, Ma.")

I guess a generous interpretation is that Pip is just really excited to be in a proper relationship for the first time in years. But yeah she does seem anxious to make sure EVERYONE knows, when surely it’s much more normal to just turn up with your girlfriend and be obviously a couple. That’s what my friends who are a similar age have done anyway. Or say “I’ve met this woman, I really like her” if they’re not actually at the being a couple stage. But we’re talking two friends chatting, not announcing to the local vet and local panto organiser??! To be clear I’ve got no problem with her doing so but if I were Stella I’d have cringed myself inside out by now. Kind of makes her seem like a trophy!

I thought that about Helen. Also, where she was talking about ramping up production, and being able to plan, it sounded like she was talking about supplying a chain of hotels across the UK, rather than a few blocks of specially wrapped cheese once a week.

If a cheese supplier was wanting so much of my time at that point in proceedings, I think I would probably assume they were going to be too much trouble and find somebody else. You might think Helen would be just saying ‘just let us know when you need us to start supplying. We’re here and ready whenever. We’re able to flex as needed.’

Can’t understand how Stella is not already getting bored with Pip THE LESBIAN

Tbf on Helen arent bridge farm their exclusive fruit and veg supplier as well?

I don’t think doc martens or a pipe would make a woman look any less like a woman. @BeatriceBatchelor clearly didn’t mean any offence nor was her comment homophobic.

The Pip storyline does remind me a bit of me with my first girlfriend - oh my goodness I was SO EXCITED and SO EDGY to be WITH A WOMAN and the world WASNT READY but I would FIGHT FOR MY LOVD. I was very much the World’s First Lesbian (well, bisexual).

I was also 15.

I agree with you entirely @PuppyPerson!