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!

The falling into a sinkhole story

A happy ever after with Lexi would be lovely for Roy.

…and would show that the SW remember the woman who volunteered out of the goodness of her heart to carry and birth Xander, and she hasn’t just been erased from existence…

Thanks @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , I knew you would know. I don't know where I got the 1/3 idea from then, I was so sure on that. It seems as though I may have been dreaming fake episodes of The Archers!

Could you be dreaming up Saturday episodes? We could fix a lot if we added our own Saturday episodes! 😆

I dont really think Lexi has been forgotten its just the SW have consentrated so much on Helen that nobody has got a mention. Im sure Ian will mention Lexi in a throw away kind of chat like when Rob or Roy are mentioned.
Why dosnt Ed sell his bloody lambs and be done with it. He cant afford to fed them if he only has sodden land. Its not fair to the sheep, and his mum sounds as though she is going to burst into tears all the time. What a horrible life for the Grundys, but they only have theirselves to blame.
Dont think Fallon will have a baby. I remember when she told Harrison she didnt want any I thought she was a bit selfish, also when she interfered when the vicars daughter slept with Chris she was quite nasty considering it was none of her business. Not really a big Fallon fan.

I suspect the SWs feel the need for a Fallon-shaped character, but haven’t actually had a clear idea of her for quite some time. (Maybe since the Ed days.) I believe in her relationship with Harrison, and I believed in the painted furniture - but all too often her involvement in other stories seems to be because they’re obliged to give her a script, rather than because that’s what Fallon would actually do or think.

I shed a little tear during Brian’s conversation with Hilda.

Perhaps the Gills are finally going to turn Home Farm into a wedding venue or something and have recruited Ardil for the purpose.

Other than the twins, what else was Natasha working on before the cafe

Dont think Fallon will have a baby. I remember when she told Harrison she didnt want any I thought she was a bit selfish,

Sigh. Oh well, this is mumsnet, I suppose.

She’s become a bit Mrs Moral Majority since marrying Plod. But she’s sleazy Jolene’s daughter, and blood will out

She does own a fruit juice business.

Or did you mean in addition to that?

No that’s what I meant. How does she manage that from sleepy ambridge?

It is unfathomable, @HairScratcher.

IIRC (probably don’t!) she moved the processing part of the business to somewhere closer to Ambridge. I recall Questions Were Raised here about innumerable potential issues and difficulties and impossibilities. Thankfully I have schooled myself to care only about how TA makes me feel (using the 12 and a half minutes as prompts for the story in my head) so can’t be bothered to worry about the minutiae of her business dealings right now. Since she’s the new Pat, her future will be all Bridge Farm, anyway.

True. And where do they live? Does bridge farm not have any workers cottages etc

I meant that if Fallon didnt want children did she tell Harrison before they got married. He did seem upset that he wasn't going to be a dad but covered it well saying if that is what she wanted then he accepts it.

Ah, apologies, @Alwaysdieting : totally misread you there.
Yes, you’d think it’s something they would have discussed- but he’s a creepy stalker and she was thick enough to say yes to a proposal from a creepy stalker, so maybe not so surprising.

Didn’t Gnasher move her business into a ‘spare’ barn at Bridge Farm?

@Alwaysdieting Dont think Fallon will have a baby. I remember when she told Harrison she didnt want any I thought she was a bit selfish, ..
🙄. They should have discussed it before they got married.

@HairScratcher , Does bridge farm not have any workers cottages etc
Which workers would they be housing?
No mention has been made of there being any workers' cottages, and there almost certainly wouldn't have been any as Bridge Farm was a tenant farm until fairly recently.
Tom and Natasha rent from Kathy Perks, and Helen rents from Kirsty.

I thought bridge farm was more like Brookfield so thanks for clarification

Brookfield is the mid-size farm in the village. Home Farm is much much bigger and Bridge Farm much smaller. Bridge Farm is only about 170 acres, not big enough to support residential staff. My family have a farm about two-thirds the size and it doesn't pay a full-time wage to anyone, even the family have to work other jobs.

Bridge Farm is quite small farm-wise, about 135 acres (BBC says 140 but they sold land that's now the Beechwood estate), Brookfield is about 3 times bigger (about 475 acres).
AFAIK, Bridge Farm itself doesn't have any workers other than family, but the dairy employs Susan and Clarrie on a part-time basis, and the shop/Bridge Fresh employs Will as a driver. George seems to work there but not sure if it's on an as required basis or not.

Brookfield has Rickyard Cottage as a worker's cottage. The bungalow was IIRC built for Phil & Jill but they didn't move there.

In days gone by, the labourers tended to live in the farmhouse with the family.

@HairScratcher this is ten years out of date but might make interesting background reading:

The story of Bridge Farm

Thanks!

@TottersBlanklyIntoBimboCore , that main photo of Pat looks like my mental image of Helen (only not as thin).