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.

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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!

I'm coming round to the dog fighting/dog dealing line, improbable as it is next door to the residence of the village policeman. I listened again, very carefully (once you know what's happened, it's easier to switch off your emotions and actually listen to the background).

STOP READING NOW UNLESS YOU"RE REALLY KEEN TO HEAR THE GRAPHIC DETAILS
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Kenton goes out and calls to them. Then he mutters to himself, calls to Jolene that he is going over to them and approaches.

after 3 listens, I think what he mutters is "What are they up to? Don't they know how late it is?" So there's some activity happening that he is curious about.

As he approaches, there's the sound of dogs barking. It's a variety of barks, higher pitched as well as lower. So there's quite a few dogs present.

There's no sound of anyone interacting with Kenton. It's as if he's turned up with them not noticing, and a loose dog (large from its growl) has set on him, rather than someone loosing a dog on to him. But again, there's nothing to suggest anyone trying to get the dog off.

As Jolene comes out, one van starts its engine and drives off.

We don't know what Jolene said to the police. If there is some back story, she might have revealed it to them on the call so they knew the urgency of coming by. What I'm more confused by is how she was able to describe the dog to the emergency services - when did she see it? She saw the trailers from a distance, surely not close enough to see, in the dark, what animals they had, especially if there were no reason for her to be particularly paying attention. Then when she came back out and ran over to Kenton, they were driving off, presumably with the dog in one of the vehicles. She didn't see the attack itself, so how did she know what the dog was like? Or even that it was a dog attack? Or that it was only one dog?

@Fink Yes to all that.. I presumed that she had deduced that it was a large dog from what she could see of the injuries. But it's tenuous. How well lit was the car park? Presumably not, given their electrical troubles, and Kenton couldn't see what was happening and felt the need to go over to them. I don't think Jolene picked up a torch.And when she first spotted him she said "what have they done to you?"

Well, there won't be a fashion show now, I presume. Not unless they can reconvene in the Village Hall, And it'd be a pretty sombre affair, so better to call it off.

The instant Brad said something about "a poxy little village show" I thought "Brad - you really didn't want to say that" It may be "their first row", but I don't think DH and I have ever had a row of such viciousness. .

There is no reason to assume that because some of the pub's electrics are faulty they have no electricity at all; in fact we know that the toilets and the Ploughman's and upstairs are all fine, so perhaps there are other circuits equally ok. Maybe they had not yet turned off the lighting in the car-park? That would explain how Jolene was able to see what sort of vehicles had parked up in it, which she otherwise probably wouldn't have been able to with a building between the car-park and whatever street-lights there may be in Ambridge, and also how she was able to identify roughly what size of dog had been involved.

I just relistened to the episode and I'm still on the why did Jolene call the Police so quickly - there was nothing obviously wrong about them parking there - still think it's connected to her shiftiness in the pub the other day and if it wasn't shiftiness it was written badly

Has Jolene racked up lots of debts ?

Connection to her past ?

Sorry but the idea that the police would have consented to turn up as quickly as this in a rural area is farcical, whatever Jolene might have told them.

Just a week ago we were posting about cheese...

Indeed.

Sheep Rustlers for the Texels who were disturbed?

Thank you, brilliant detailed information as always! Wow, right next door to a policeman‘s house.

I also thought it sounded like a pack of dogs. Interesting that the van drove off without us hearing the dogs being recalled by the owners.

Also, I would’ve thought Jolene would’ve heard the dogs, at least, even if she didn’t know what was happening at the point of hearing them.

Yes, those innocent days of cheese. We need a goodnatured ding dong to distract us!

I think we heard the other day that Ed had moved the sheep back again.

surely Jolene was calling the ambulance from her mobile that she had in her pocket when she ran out to see him?

Im thinking.. Jolene knew and was avoiding the group of men who came into the pub t'other day. I wonder if she put 2 and 2 together when she saw the initial van pull up outside today?
She did immediately ring the police pretty quickly, rather then go to see what was happening (like Kenton did)

No CCTV 🙄

I like the way everyone’s clothes seem to fit everyone else

chelsea obviously doesn’t know what happens to the returned clothes!!

I agree about the dog fighting line, and it was my first thought as Kenton was crossing the car park.

I think the dogs would have savaged the sheep. They weren't sheep dogs.

CCTV was affected by electrician turning the power off.

I think Chelsea is about to find out what happens to the clothes. There was a programme about this the other day. The Bottom Line on r4 at 11.30 on Monday.

At least now we know where the electrical fault storyline was leading ... unless it turns out that Jolene deliberately switched the CCTV off. Not in the heat of the moment, obviously, but after having seen the guys in the pub the day before.

The clothes that magically fit 3 different people was mentioned in our house too. But Susan was only heard trying on a kimono, which is purposely one size fits most, and interested in scarves. So it's only Chelsea who was within the same range as Lilian, more plausibly.

I also thought it sounded like a pack of dogs. Interesting that the van drove off without us hearing the dogs being recalled by the owners. It was “vans” to begin with. We heard only one go, so the rest must have been going while jolene was waiting for the ambulance. It would have taken a bit of time to get the dogs back on board. Even just the big one (assuming the others were still in the trailers.

At least it’s just his legs. It could have been worse.

Bit worried about him wanting Jolene to stay. Nervous that he’ll pop his clogs overnight.

David was.... David.

improbable as it is next door to the residence of the village policeman.

Not unheard of. In my local rural town, a murderer who had been on Interpol's 'Most Wanted' list for years, was eventually arrested working in the local sandwich place. Less than 100m from the County police HQ where many police people went to get their lunch and were been served by him.

Yes… he could have said ‘you go and I’ll stay’ or ‘we’ll do shifts’ or something…

My experience of hospitals is that they boot you out at the earliest possibility!

the cctv was convenient. I hope they don’t make Kenton a shell of his former self through fear of the not caught baddies coming back

He Who Must Not Be Named was all caught up in it, you’ve obviously blocked it out!