Archers thread #160: Ram a lamb a ding dong! To rate the mass wisteria in Ambridge, tap the feedback tablet 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'd have given a home to Hilda the Hellcat, 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 @MerryChristmasToYou, @OverArmour and @LillianGish for the thread title ideas.

This week is a bit better than last week, but the Brad/Adil/Lily stuff is very odd. Coming up to the anniversary of Jennifer's death (22nd January last year). We need a new matriarch - could that be Natasha? I find her quite an interesting character. Sometimes she's awful and then she has moments as last night where she utterly redeems herself.

Over to you!

You have a point, but that could get silly - "Oh dear, Brian, you're coughing a lot - are you sure that swollen ankle isn't broken?"

I'm trying to figure out how Henley-on-Thames got to number 13. or how York could be a worse place to live than Jaywick. The blurb in the Evesham paper suggested that this year it wasn't purely "worst place to live" in terms of deprivation, it was whether, for example, the town had become the province of boring middle class types and was no longer fun.

I wonder if Linsey Sweet is a penname for an Archers SW, Describing the university in Luton as 'outstanding' is about on a par with the 'world class' Felpersham.

It's an odd list all round. There are some areas that frequently come up on MN as awful places to live not there at all, and there are some places that most people would think of as quite decent fairly high up. Mostly, it seems off to have the whole town/city included in one lump. A good number of the places on the list are large enough to have several suburbs and areas which are more or less desirable: Birmingham is listed as all one place whereas a few London boroughs have their own entries. Poor methodology and research all round.

Also the problem that it's a list generated by readers, and the ordering is presumably by number of mentions, so the larger the population the more "votes" it's likely to get.

I wonder if it's possible for the same place to come top of "best places to live" and "worst places to live" in the same year?

Like winning a Razzie and an Oscar for the same film! Halle Berry did indeed achieve that…

You have a point, but that could get silly - "Oh dear, Brian, you're coughing a lot - are you sure that swollen ankle isn't broken?"

😂

I've only been to half those places, lived in some, worked in some, some I visit fairly often. The places I know reasonably well seem OK.

Where I live is definitely on the list, quite high up too, but seems very popular in property-buying surveys.

If asked to rate where I live, I'd probably be quite positive. There are reasons why I chose to live here.

The poll was by iLivehere not Daily Mirror readers.

"... lazy journos (especially those thieving @rsehats at the Daily Express) to cut and paste into their 2 minute bit o’ churn at our expense. "

Kensington is on that list. If anyone is too traumatised by living that close to Harvey Nichols, I’ll gladly take their place

@BrightYellowDaffodil , it has deprived areas. Do you not remember the newspapers covering some unfortunate couple having to live in a cramped 2-bedroom dwelling a year or so ago?

Jokes aside, wasn't Grenfell Tower in Kensington?

When I was a local reporter, there was a firm line between the journalists and those who wrote advertorial but I can well imagine that has changed. The local newspaper I used to work on had quite a large advertising features team - I very much doubt that’s the case now. Probably a couple of reporters on the ground and the whole thing is sub-edited from a central hub in another part of the country. Borchester Life and it’s equivalent would comprise entirely of puff pieces - otherwise no one would advertise.
I agree that a well- worded press release would almost certainly guarantee Bridge Farm some free coverage, but then Natasha wouldn’t have copy approval.

North Kensington, yes. There are some interesting bits where Kensington&Chelsea meets Hammersmith&Fulham and they merge at Brent, or there certainly used to be.

The unlucky couple managed to get another dwelling by their housing authority, but apparently they weren't all that keen on that one. I think they had an issue with the landlord or something.

Should anyone be interested, there's a 1967 copy of the Borchester Echo for sale. £15.15 plus postage!

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/Borchester-Echo-October-1967-Souvenir-BBC/13043667757/bd

Someone else saw that episode of Pointless this week!

Describing the university in Luton as 'outstanding' is about on a par with the 'world class' Felpersham.

This reminds me of a train trip some years ago to Cambridge. As we pulled into the station, the signs on the platform proudly proclaimed 'Cambridge - home of Anglia Ruskin University'. The chutzpah!

The newspaper on the Scottish island I visit very regularly (population around 5000, circulation of local paper well over 3000, I think) often has advertorials. There are no reviews in the paper at all. The only business in the area that attracts unfavourable comments or editorials is Calmac, for very obvious reasons, and they don't advertise much, given they don't really need to, given there's no other way to get on and off the island.

I really want a cheese Easter egg now.

True on all counts. I believe I may claim credit for this particular speculation. Not a spoiler, given it really is still speculation. Is there anything you can pick up from cat fleas that might account for Brian's symptoms?

One of the many reasons we've never had a cat is that I'm allergic to them. At the risk of being lynched, they are far from my favourite animals. If forced at the point of a gun to have a pet, I'd probably opt for a fish tank or a tortoise, or if compelled to have a mammal, maybe a dog. I like dogs, just not the idea of having to take responsibility for one and clean up after it. I wish no harm to Hilda, having said this.

I spoke to someone today who had tasted one some time ago and she said it was disgusting. That came from ASDA, though. What a weird idea! Why not just eat some cheese? Does it have a liquid cheese centre?

Goodness me, it does. https://butlerscheeses.co.uk/blogs/news/cheese-easter-eggs-the-most-crack-ing-gift-of-2022

Our farmhouse cheeses have been blended with soft cheese to create the most delicious soft filled eggs; its creamy texture is ideal for spreading. The world has gone mad.

https://www.delish.com/uk/food-news/a31466357/mands-cheese-easter-eggs/

I've just broken the news to Mr Gasp who was horrified. I've reassured him there will be no cheese Easter eggs here. 'Don't they know that Jesus loved chocolate?' he said.

The world has gone mad.
@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g , you might be right. Apparently one can buy cheesy hot cross buns and flamingo shaped easter 'eggs' this year.

My God - that runny-middle cheese egg thing is an abomination!

I need those cheesy eggs. And i will be in UK next month. I must have some!

I'm curious as to what sort of person needs a box of cheesy easter eggs.

I’m sure they’re weird. I still want to try one all the same!

<looks shifty>

Well, it's cheese, isn't it?

At least it hasn't got cranberries in it. My Sainsbury's Local stocks only own-brand bland British cheese, or those big packs of cooking cheddar. Apart from Stilton, and - wait for it - Wensleydale with cranberries in it - ugh! it's always in stock, but I don't know how often it needs replenishing.

Good grief! Harry actor makes Addle sound like Lauence Olivier. And the cringy script!