Archers thread #158: Te Rum? You numpty, numpty, Tom! Empty tearoom follows. Christmas coming, farmers’ stand up, will it make us LOL? No! 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 think Tom Archer is a great businessman, 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.)

Thanks to @LillianGish for the title idea, which may plant an earworm if my scansion just about holds up. @BeatriceBatchelor wanted 'plebby coffee' inserted in reference to my Bolivian coffee anecdote on the last thread, so I'll mention it here instead. Here's hoping Fallon and Emma decamp to the charging station or Grey Gables, or both, to run the type of coffee shop/tearoom people actually enjoy spending time in. Tom's cauliflower eclairs and kale criossants approach sounds more likely to drive the casual trade away from the farm shop and cheese window as well as the Google Translate-named Te Rum.

Feeling very uninspired by TA at the moment, so I have nothing more to say for now. Over to you!

Glad Leonard popped in. He is great. Wish I knew him he could fix my poor broken cuckoo clock, cant find anyone who does.😪

Ah, we don't really go in for extended family reunions. Immediate family only! Having house guests is hard work.

Think up a sob story and take it to the Repair Shop!

@Alwaysdieting My father in law was great with clocks. In fact they were a bit of a hobby. He'd get hold of a nice old clock from somewhere - house clearance sales, etc - which had broken down, and which had probably not worked for years, restore it and get them going again and then pass the clock on to whoever wanted it.

We've got one on our mantelpiece and one in the hall. Sadly now both need his attention again but since his death ten years ago there's been no one to sort them out. We definitely need a Leonard! 😀

@KingsleyBorder said
If I were Mick I’d be a bit put out- Joy’s reason for not joining him and his brother was that she prefers to be at home!

That's certainly the reason she gave. But perhaps she didn't want to face questions about her family, and what Rochelle was doing for Christmas?

I hope Rochelle turns up at Joy's at the end of Christmas Day, Eastenders style. "Hello... mum." Doof doof.

Maybe a Repair Workshop will either be able to help or know who might be able to?

Get a grip Ian! What exactly was he going to do if they were raging homophobes? A punch up at the nursery nativity?

Mmm. I'm not sure I have a huge amount of sympathy for Lilian. Surely she knows the sort of person Justin is? And presumably by phoning Shula Justin thought it was just part of the acceptable game they were playing in outwitting one another to gain an advantage on the bid? He realises now that was a mistake. But Lilian can't have it both ways.

I'm fairly certain that Lilian did not set out deliberately to sabotage Justin and cause him to be involved in a family row which might have a bad effect for five or six other people close to him as well as putting egg on his face. That's what he did to her. In her place I'd be distinctly chary of trusting him again; and if she can't trust him, can she (should she?) stay with him?

She didn't at any point try to outwit him on the bid, either, did she? If she did I don't remember how, or what she did apart from telling him that she, like Brian, would be bidding for the land too.

No, my memories of Lilian going behind Justin’s back are more occasionally letting slip something about his business dealings to her own family members over the years. Not bloody ringing up his.

belated BOOP for Leonard enjoying a nice radio drama as he does his watch mending…

belated BOOP for Leonard enjoying a nice radio drama as he does his watch mending…

He's probably in half of them...

We still don't know who bought the land, do we?

I'm ignoring the land sale. The SW are being hugely irritating with that and the Rochelle story, and so i just let them slide over me.

Ian (Iain?) had my slapping-hand twitching like mad. I really dislike the character anyway and ... urgh.

Justin. Go. Away. With your stupid voice and your underhand dealings. TBH Lilian can stay away too with her Gin Queen Fag Soaked Voice.

Hmm. I seem a tad grumpy this morning, probably shouldn't have listened to TA.

Ian (Iain?) had my slapping-hand twitching like mad. I really dislike the character anyway and ... urgh.

It’s Ian, despite several posters here determined to spell it the other way. He’s really very irritating at the moment isn’t he? He always has been but we’re hearing from him far too much!

I have to hold my hand up and say that some of it is related to his voice. He always sounds as though he has a mouthful of saliva. I live with a chef. Who has cheffed for over 40 years. And i simply do not understand where all the free time comes/came from. And money.

The PFB behaviour was hilarious tho.

The name misspellings are irritating. Look on the BBC web site if you're not sure.

Given Ian's age he's far more likely to be Ian than Iain.
Lynda Snell used an anagram of her name as a pseudonym. Linda wouldn't produce Dylan Nells.
Jill has never been referred to as Gillian etc
Kirsty is not Kirstie, Lily is not Lilly or Lillie, and Freddie is not Freddy
Lillian and Tracey are less jarring but they are Lilian and Tracy.
Horrobin has 2 Rs

Sorry it’s irritating but quite frankly this is supposed to be fun so I’m not ALWAYS going to check my reference material first and I don’t expect anyone else to either 😁

yeah, there is no way I'm going to research spellings etc just because someone can't handle a rogue "i" in a name on a SM post

My sincere apologies for causing irritation. I now know it's Ian, not Iain.

Possibly given he is Irish I was giving what I thought was the Celtic variation but then I realise that Iain is Scottish rather than Irish in which case he would be Eoin?

Quite.

I also have 'Iain' in my predictive text so if I'm using my phone it's likely to come out like that even if I type Ian.

Eoin/Eóin is pronounced Owen, so no. No more than Ian is Sean/Seán.

Rochelle - does she exist outside Joys mind ?

Joy has lived in Ambridge several years and Richelle has never once visited. But also no other character ever really asks Joy about her daughter and grandchildren - are there grandchildren ? It must be a big story or is Rochelle equivalent to we don't talk about the fishing trip ?

😂the fishing trip. IYKYK.

It's quite a detailed fantasy and if it is all made up then why? Joy seems quite sensible otherwise so why couldn't she just say she had no children? I'm holding out for an explanation at some point although possibly waiting in vain.

Wonder what Brian will be doing for Christmas? And where will Peggy be?

I feel a bit sorry for Joy giving up her nice day at home alone to spend it with Paul and Lily. A day of the twins sniping, Elizabeth patronising me and Paul’s jokes would make me run for the hills even before the King’s speech.

She should have stuck to her guns although I don’t think roasting a chicken was a good idea. That really would bring the mood down. She would be better off with a nice piece of Brookfield beef.