Archers thread #162: ‘This is like talking to Lassie’ – how right you are, Fallon! 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 cowhide-covered walls are a great idea for a cafe with vegan and vegetarian customers, 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.)

Title comes from one of the better scripted conversations of recent weeks, when Fallon said ”Harrison, this is like talking to Lassie! Just TELL ME”. So true of so many conversations on TA where you just want to shake them and yell 'Just TELL US, and quickly, so you don't get interrupted before you can say the important bit', but of course they rarely do and days pass before the conversation resumes. @TheBell suggested putting it in the title, so thanks for that.

@OverArmour had a great if more obscure idea, paying tribute to a Peter Greenaway film: The Policeman, The Drunk, The Vet and his Lover. That will do very well as a starting point for the new thread. Will Alistair leave? Will Denise tell John she's leaving him? Will Paul learn to be less noisy? Do any of us care?

I do care a little about Harrison and Fallon. I want Harrison to get a grip and realise he needs a paying job more than the captaincy of the cricket team. I don't care at all about Harry but I think he's been brought in purely as a plot device so with any luck we can all forget about him very soon.

Over to you!

Oh dear.

'arrison's driving me mad the way 'e keeps dropping 'is aitches, especially when 'e says 'arry.

But that’s what heveryone in the north does

Not me. Not my family, social circle or colleagues.

'Appen so...

It depends what you mean by the 'north'. 'Arrison is from the North West.

Arrison is from the North West.

Me too. Some drop their aitches, the majority don't.

He's the northern version of Pirate Jolene. Exaggerating an accent in an annoying way.

I assumed @JayAlfredPrufrock was being humorous.

Me too, @CaptainMyCaptain, or should that be 'umorous . I like 'Arrison's accent and voice.

If you have an accent that doesn’t pronounce certain letters why would you give your kid a name with that letter. He must have to spell it out correct it all the time

I was indeed being humorous. Hence the addition of the ‘h’ in front of ‘everyone’. Maybe it’s just my part of the North West but folk drop their aitches but add them on to random other words in an attempt to sound posh.

My 'usband an Hi, @JayAlfredPrufrock , do the same. We were out with Halice and 'Arry t'hother night and I said to 'im, Hwot am Hi like Roy?'

😂

Why would police connect Harry and Martha? Harrison did, and he’s police, allegedly But I imagine if SS had time to follow up on this, we wouldn’t have a social care crisis.

Ok, I should have read to the end of the thread before responding

I take it you’re being ironic.

I remember h dropping much more from Birmingham and West Midlands

@Bruisername , I have an acquaintance with a slight speech impediment in that she says a certain sound strangely. Both her children have that sound in their names.
Not the actual names but they're something like Feo and Afina.

@MereDintofPandiculation , 'Arrison connected Harry and Alice because Alice is his friend.
If the Social Services were represented in Ambridge, Borsetshire SS would have been all over the situation.

@MereDintofPandiculation , I thought that the midlands people (generally) said Haitch.

@LikeTalkingToLassie I know. Hence the smiley.

Yes, that’s adding an h where there isn’t one. Not failing to drop an h

What basis for a report? That her recovering alcoholic mother has dumped a problem drinker/alcoholic when she found out about his issue? She has done exactly what she should have done for herself and her child.

@MereDintofPandiculation , yes. Habsolutely. It's the reverse.

Harrison gets involved because he's there. Same as GP Azra spotted Jim's mole because she was there.

Many of the residents have roles with some authority to them. A copper or doctor pointing something out means it gets more respect.

That's a fair point actually. But I am pretty sure this wouldn't result in a referral. Harry is only mum's boyfriend, not dad to Martha. As you say, social services don't have the time or resources (or the legal remit in fact) to follow up on every drunk driver who might have contact with a child.

Why would he need to though? He just needs to exercise his parental responsibility and either remove Martha from Alice's care or go to court to apply for a court order specifying the above. Social services aren't needed when there is a parent able to take protective action.

But perhaps it’s more about getting her to realise she needs to prioritise her sobriety for her daughter

As a Scot, I not only don't drop my aitches, I pronounce wh differently from w, so which and witch are not homophones for me, for example. We moved to England when I was 9 and the following term that very thing came up in an English lesson at my new school. I was utterly baffled to discover that for my teacher and classmates they sounded identical. I have never ever given way to this soft southern sloppiness. I also retain my rhotic r on principle.