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!

No no no no no. No. Brian would NEVER. No.

Like a rat up a drainpipe if he stays true to form.

You've got a lot to learn about "lovely" Brian!

She's certainly not the sort of person to stay at home and start cooking after breakfast on Saturday to create a wonderful dinner party.

I was waiting for Alice and Brian to bump into Harry falling out of a beer tent.

So was I.

I’m now wondering if Miranda, a horsy type herself, might know Harry.

I hope this isn’t being done to sow discord amongst the aldridges

from what I remember of Miranda she was snobby and high maintenance. But then Justin has gone from billionaire to local businessman and back so many times when SL requires that I don’t know what her financial position is supposed to be. I thought she was the stereotypical rich man’s wife - designer shopping, skiing, yachts etc. but unless she really took him to the cleaners Justin just doesn’t seem to be rich enough to have commanded that type of lifestyle

A quick google gave me a 2017 clip of Miranda on horseback meeting Lillian for the first time knowing Lillian was having an affair with Justin.
What a good episode last night.

Gosh that's going to make things complicated. Lillian would be able to introduce her as both her partner's ex-wife, and as her brother-in-law's partner. All gets a bit Ed/Emma/Will!

All gets a bit Ed/Emma/Will!
Not really. Emma has been a Mrs Grundy twice and has had a child by each husband.

Miranda was married to Justin. Justin had an affair with Lillian and divorced Miranda, Miranda has a date with Brian.

What is she up to …?

Brian has far too many hungry children to be of any use to her. And she must surely meet plenty of better bets. I mean, he doesn’t own either a boat or a plane - not even a house.

He is single, attractive, witty, intelligent, good company and charming.

How old is Brian? I forget that pensioners of Ambridge never have the health issues that the normal population have. And he has a heart issue I believe, but never gets tired, complains about his joints, piles, farmers lung, etc

I’m not saying that excludes him from some romantic dalliance however.

no but I bet when Miranda realises how poverty stricken he is she will scarper

She's reminding me of Julianne, which is a little confusing.
But also of Miranda!

Julianne …

Now that would have been a story worth hearing!

(But far, far too trashy.)

Thinking ahead, I hope this isn't leading up to Brian retiring from TA if he moves in with Miranda?
Another superb episode and well done Justin for getting his half an hour tree cutting work for the Dower house😏

Nope, it was ridiculous. Why would a billionaire agree to give a struggling village waitress a few minutes of his time and then harass her for payment? Why would he need, what - £50 / £150 / £300 she would probably struggle to find? His actual rate for a couple of hours would probably be more than she earns in a month. I kept waiting for him to laughingly admit he was joking.

What would Jenny have said about such shitty behaviour?

(Though my sadly non-compliant memory refuses to recreate all those carefully choreographed Home Farm dinners where she and Miranda shared confidences over the third bottle of red …)

I can see I’m going to have to listen!

I refuse to believe Justin is a billionaire! I struggle to believe he’s a successful businessman in VC. I don’t think the sw have ever met anyone who works outside the media

I really loathe Justin. I mean, I’m as sceptical as the next person about the great tree surgery empire in the sky, but Justin's relentless pomposity and refusal to view anything in life as anything other than a business opportunity is so very tedious. What good-time girl Lilian sees in such a querulous, fussy bore I simply don’t understand; it’s not even as though he’s a hotshot any more, especially after the ludicrous 'serving in the village shop' SL. Why aren’t people just rolling their eyes at his witterings instead of reverently consulting him for 'advice'?

the working in the shop thing was so ridiculous. But as with the GG sl, the sw have zero idea how big businesses work and how very senior people in these businesses spend their time. It’s almost like they think he’s a sole trader🙄

I refuse to believe Justin is a billionaire!

Do you remember when we were first introduced to him, @Bruisername? That man would have given Elon Musk sweaty palms. He was nothing like this third-rate puffed up Olly Sterling impersonator.

Will lovely Brian really have an affair with Justin's ex-wife? It will cause a lot of trouble if he does. There’s your answer. Of course it will happen. Too many SW opportunities to miss