Archers thread #163: Too much aggro, not enough agri! 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, 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 @LikeTalkingToLassie for the thread title idea! She and @LillianGish had fun with this theme on the last thread:

More farmer, less drama
More ploughing, less rowing
There's mileage in silage.
More sheds, fewer beds.

All good points. Fair to say nobody on the last thread was delighted to see the return of Harry. I think we all agree that Alice is a blithering idiot to get involved with him again. Most of us also think that Miranda is up to no good. Other storylines in play at the moment:

Alistair and Denise, with the massive complication of John and Paul
Ed and Emma - another doomed Grundy enterprise? Does Will still have the will to wang them some wonga?
Whither George - YouTube sensation or Borchester Magistrates' Court?
Will Markie cause mayhem at The Bull?
Will Harrison haul him in to Borchester nick?
Will Hannah get off with Chris?
Will we ever get used to the new Robert?
Will there ever be a new Roy?
Why do we hear so little from Brookfield now? (Although if we never heard Pip again, I for one would be delighted)
Will Stella dump Pip?

There are probably others I've missed. Over to you!

I’m assuming they weren’t that type of fancy dress!

I do agree that Harrison is shorter than Fallon but not sure why!!

So, I googled...

There are mediaeval style dresses, some of which claim to be Maid Marion, but how would you know it was her rather than a generic mediaeval woman? (I'm obviously not looking at serious reenactment sites, because that's a different matter.) Plus you could wear it to a party with children without issue, same as the Sherrif of Nottingham costumes. There are women's Robin Hood costumes which are about sexier than the principle boy in a pantomime might wear, in that it shows a lot of leg, potentially with green leggings..

And quite a few French maid outfits came up. Also, with the Sheriff of Nottingham, Red Riding Hood (oh, it's the hood thing - i was confused at the search algorithms for a bit.) Which looks quite cool, if someone would like to remake it for me in velvet with a silk lining, rather than polyester...

Anyway, unless the costumes come in bags labelled "Maid Marion" (Marian?) I'm not sure it's going to be obvious it's a Maid Mari[o|a]n costume.

And obviously this was rather nost important part of the totes hilaire episode.

Gosh what fun. I almost laughed at how bad it was.

Im sorry but Fallon and Harrison live alone (apart from when Robert drops in), so why cant they do all this sexy dressing up stuff at home?. Why are they portraying Fallon and Harrison as at it all the time lately. Why are they writing Brad like he is Corporal Pike from Dads Army. I really dislike farce I find it really annoying and this episode was the worse.

I think Brad was the hardest done by in that episode. It has often been hinted that he's ND and doesn't have brilliant interpersonal skills, but not to the extent that he can't follow simple instructions or understand forms of address. He successfully held down a customer-facing role at GG, with his bosses reportedly being happy with his performance. It's poor form to then have him act like a blithering imbecile for the sake of a 'comedy' episode. At least Lily was more in character.

The dressing up outfits confused me. They would have to be distinctive enough that the mayor recognised Maid Marian on presumably a fairly cursory look (all she had to do was figure out it wasn't her bag, she should know better, in public office, than to pry too much), but sexy enough that it would be embarrassing to have been found. It just doesn't seem as though there'd be a lot of (or indeed any) overlap in that Venn diagram.

It was a complete waste of an episode in my opinion; excusable if it were actually funny perhaps but it was clear from the first scene (Fallon packing) what tedious misadventures would arise.

The actor is actually quite good looking.

I know that swearing is frowned upon on these threads so I'll asterisk it, but what the actual f* was that?

Why do they insist on making Brad so stupid when he clearly isn't?

What is the point of Lily?

Perhaps the SW has just been to see Fawlty Towers at the theatre

the only way anyone would know the outfit is if she hadn’t taken it out of the packaging. Bizarre

and does Harrison have some unhealthy obsession with maid Marion? Surely it would make more sense to be a saucy maid or something hotel related

Comedy aside, it was interesting what that episode demonstrated. Work experience student Lily appears to be practically running the newly reopened, expensively upgraded and remodeled GG with Brad as her side kick. I know Roy has yet to be recast, but would she really be the face of the new-look hotel? Fallon and Harrison must surely be heading for an unplanned pregnancy with all the bedroom action we are being made to endure. And still no farming…

They really did Brad a disservice in that episode. Poor.

I didn’t mind the concept of Harrison and Fallon and the costumes. It made me think of Richard Armitage as the Sheriff. Although Alan Rickman would also be acceptable, of course.

Where was I? Oh yes - both Fallon & Harrison are portrayed as being healthy and fit as well as good-looking and I find it more believable of them than some of the other characters! But I agree with @Fink about the Venn diagram. The Lord Mayor sounded deranged to me! I don’t like Lily but her comic timing and delivery was pretty good.

Harisson couldn't see what was in the package Fallon packed. So we're supposed to believe that the Mayor decided to snoop around in a case that obviously wasn't hers and open up a closed package, then just closed it and went off for a stroll with her husband? Is there any realistic scenario where a supposedly sane and responsible person would do that?

@Trivium4all It’s also been bugging me that Alice suddenly morphed into a fully qualified riding instructor. This really cannot be the case.

TA treatment of anything equine is just risible, they are so clueless it’s embarrassing.

It was just like a resurrected fawlty towers.
Maybe next year we could have 'TA does 70s comedies' rather than such worthiness as Lark Rise, Mystery Plays etc??

Which comedy would you like to hear Lynda, Pip, Kenton et al "resurrect"?

(Oh and are we getting a tour of every couple's sex life atm?! )

Maid Marian and the Sheriff reminds me of the episode of Star Trek TNG where Q transports various people including Vash to a 'Robin Hood' set up. Vash decides to cut her losses and schmooze the Sheriff quite early, to Picard's dismay. Pink and purple satin iirc.

Not a good episode imo, the best bit was Worf smashing a musical instrument with an enraged howl of 'I am NOT a merry man!'

About sums up my response! Every time I say I've heard my worst ever Archers episode, the SWs must think 'hold my beer ...'. Unutterably dire. Do the actors ask extra as recompense for having to work with this material?

Listen again! You're a braver woman than me. I'd like this episode deleted from the archives. 12.5 minutes of silence in the omnibus would be better than this.

It was nothing like Fawlty Towers! That works brilliantly because as well as having faultless scripts it also has absolutely brilliant acting and direction, and much of the comedy is visual. Nothing about that episode of TA matches that.

I've always been pleased that John Cleese and Connie Booth knew when to stop. Two series, 12 episodes, done, no sad decline into dwindling ratings and repetitive scripts. Is there really going to be a stage version? Harrumph.

I think the stage version has already opened

nothing like fawlty towers but sounded like a badly written homage

I do wish they'd stop sexing up the Archers. It's NOT what it's there for!

Also hasn't Hellin's half term break to Paris now lasted for about 2 months?!

https://fawltytowerswestend.com/

theres also a non-Cleese affiliated fawlty towers dining experience
https://www.comedydinnershows.co.uk/shows/fawlty-towers/

During cow skin gate Tony talked about her being back and having had a good time

I was busy cooking for friends coming round and only vaguely aware of the horror unfolding, but it didn’t escape my notice that the worst episode for many a long year was underway.

I really, really hate what they’re doing to Brad, who’s one of my (few) favourite characters.

Fine if Fallon had a couple of vibrators and a pair of handcuffs in her case (actually quite funny given H’s profession). Although as a PP said they live alone so no need to wait to go to an hotel to use them when they could dig them out any time or day of the week. However, sexy MM and SofN costumes couldn’t be less likely. Very strange writing.

It seemed like a very long episode.

Oh I missed that, thanks @Bruisername. Not that I'm agitating for her return to the airwaves!