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 am a long time lurker on these threads, and very seldom post, but last night's episode was the worst one I've heard for a very very long time. So bad that I had to express my absolute disgust in writing. I hope they have finally reached the bottom of the barrel and the only way is up from here...

I actually exclaimed out loud "what is this sh!t" after it had finished.

WTF were the costumes about?!?
Sex toys, sure.
Also how does anyone get TWO suitcases mixed up?! They can’t be trying to have us believe they’ve got the exact same case and arrived at the exact same time. Brad is ND, not a moron.

I wonder if Helen actress has had to have some time off - I don’t remember there being any build up to the Paris trip, just remember Tony mentioning it once she’d gone/come back.

I think the transvestite goat herding one from nearly 25 years ago remains the worst 'comic' episode ever, but last night's was definite contender. To continue Star Trek comparisons, these offerings from the Archers SWs are a bit like those occasional 'funny Ferenghis' episodes. Very rarely a good idea.

Though the Magnificent Seven riff with Iggy Pop was sublime.

edited to say nearly 25 years ago. Memorable is not always a good thing.

Yes, why are they suddenly making Brad out to be the village idiot? A truly appalling episode, if I was a conspiracy theorist I would think that R4 can’t stand having a programme popular with older people and so they’re trying to destroy it from the inside.

I’m definitely going to complain.

This reminded me that I saw her in a tv series recently - just trying to remember why one - it was cringe - she was a police officer - I think it was something with Sally Lindsay in about getting ripped off by a chap she met on holiday (?)

There was buildup to her going with the Susan / Adam “who will be left in charge?!” power struggle, wasn’t there?

Not really. The first few months of love does turn your head a bit.

I’m gathering you must all be having a much better time in real life than I currently am! I was glad of the light relief.

(Though I agree the writing of Brad is worryingly inconsistent.)

I still think they are trying to reduce the listening base which will enable them to reduce the number of episodes without much complaint.

I think it id really sad what they have done to an excellent series. If I were to tune in now as a new listener, nothing would make me listen again.

If I were to tune in now as a new listener, nothing would make me listen again.

This is sadly true. It takes a huge amount of memory and imaginative work on the part of the listener to construct a satisfying narrative from the mostly rubbish scraps we’re thrown.

Why would they reduce the number of episodes? It's very popular and they get two repeats of each episode.
I think they are trying to aim for a younger audience. The young characters drew me in all those years ago. Lizzie, Ruth and Debbie were of my sort of age.

I'm sure the reason DH and I became R4 listeners all those decades ago was because it was a near constant background noise in our homes.

I am not optimistic that I could lure DD into the Archers; she's a fan of nature but that barely gets a mention. The bees are buzzing and birds are singing and it sounds as if we are expected to find it hilarious that Harrison and Fallon's suitcase is stuffed with sex toys (have they forgotten that the programme airs at lunch and suppertime).

Still, it gives me something to complain about.....

Especially knowing that her own Mayoral regalia was now missing! Not a word to anyone?!!!

Ds (17) has wandered in when I’ve been listening and promptly left in horror at the nonsense I’ve been listening to! The few times he has listened to it he either comments on the terrible acting or the terrible writing. So I can only imagine him listening to the archers in the future as a mark of nostalgia for his mother

Oh yes Lynda hostessing Abigail's Party!

Oh my goodness if I tuned in now as a new listener I wouldn’t be able to turn it off fast enough. It’s actually shocking how much it has declined in terms of quality. It seems to be the SW’s think we are all village idiots, not just Brad.

I squirmed listening to poor Brad, he sounded like a village idiot aged 5 who needed to be told how to tie his shoe laces. And Harrison didn't sound much better. He always sounds like he's slow on the uptake.
And surely if you opened the wrong suitcase you'd see immediately it wasn't your things - you wouldn’t take them out and examine them.
Awful episode.

Shouldn't Brad be locked up in the library studying for his A levels? Certainly I'd expect Oliver and Lily to be encouraging him.

Or did the SWs decide that he shouldn't be allowed to be bright?

I wouldn't blame Brad being confused with Lily telling him to bow and scrape to a mayor, effectively a county councillor (she can't possibly be a Lord Mayor unless Felpersham is massively larger, more important, and a greater urban centre than has ever been suggested in the past).

I know Lily is a sneaky little weasel, but am amused to discover that she's totally clueless about 'correct' social behavior.

But how funny that a lady mayor is so unusual it led to these japes!! And her husband was called Malcolm - how hilar!

honestly, it sounded like the script of a 2.15pm drama that they commissioned back in the 70’s and thought they’d repeat to get some moneys worth out of it

Phwoarrr I
I didn't mind the episode - I'm around Fallon's age and do find them to be quite relatable. Not that I own a Maid Marian costume... I was expecting that suitcase to be full of sex toys that started buzzing the moment Brad got hold of it - but that would be a bit much for 7pm.

I'd rather listen to another one of those than Harry and Alisss.

I did wonder whether the actress playing the Lord Mayor won a bet or something to be in TA - we don't hear that many one-off speaking roles.

Bruisername
But how funny that a lady mayor is so unusual it led to these japes!!

And it wasn't even slightly a reprise of the surprise we all got in 2017 when the Mayor of Felpersham was female. She wasn't a Lord Mayor then, mind, just a plain old boring Mayor called Rachel Pilkington, who got paralytically drunk at a party Jennifer gave to try to impress Miranda (it didn't).

Ha! Interesting!!

the more I think about it, and I would really rather not be thinking about it, the more inappropriate maid Marion and the sheriff of Nottingham as role play seems. Maid Marion was never a willing participant.

it’s as if the sw did a cursory glance of characters and thought they were the main couple having completely forgotten about old Robin of Sherwood

I can’t stop thinking about it because so much just didn’t make sense!! Does anyone have any brain bleach?