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!

Presumably after Kate was able to collect Martha she eventually delivered her to Alice (and failed to notice that Alice was nissed as a pewt)? Or has Christopher had the child all week because Poor Alice was Poorly?

That is a good question, though I suspect the answer is that by the time she remembered about the quiz she was half seas over and no longer gave a damn what anyone thought.

That must have involved some serious digging.

Jakob was already at the pub waiting for Alice with the others so presumably didn’t give her lift. I thought I’d missed something when I was listening as in one scene everyone was wondering where she was and then suddenly in the next she was steaming drunk and shouting. They should have turned Alice around and walked her straight out of the pub rather than enduring the quiz with her in that state.

I thought Miranda behaved very well. She might turn out to be an unlikely source of support for Brian. Lilian on the other hand was pretty useless and seemed to take ages to realise the there was a crisis unfolding.

Thinking of horse cemeteries, local rumour has it that there's a horse buried in someone's yard on my street, though disagreement about exactly whose. That's when I found out they're buried standing up or on their backs, which I didn't know.

I thought Lilian was too busy running the quiz to clock the reason for the Aldridges leaving - didn't want the quiz spoiled.

I liked how Jakob tried to explain, calmly apologise, and defend himself. It felt realistic. Often in those storylines they do that annoying thing where the person who is being yelled at only makes very half hearted attempts to get a word in.

Poor Jakob. Brian was very unfair to him, its not his fault his daughters a drunk, he knows, when she is drunk, how she can be very clever and twist stuff and make out shes the victim.
I hope Brian apologies to Jakob.
Miranda was ok but I cant understand her obsession with upsetting Lillian very childish. I wonder if she will give Brian the big heave ho now because of Alice. What about Martha, will they all try to keep this from Chris ?but that would put Martha in danger. What a mess.( thanks Harry).

Harry isn’t to blame although I’m sure the Aldridge’s will deflect responsibility onto him. Alice is an adult and she took the decision to resume drinking. He repeatedly warned her she was putting her sobriety at risk when she insisted on ‘helping’ him and going to his AA meetings. I distinctly remember an episode when he told her he had to stand on his own two feet and do it alone but as usual Alice knew best.

She really is mean and vicious when drunk. I’ve always believed alcohol reveals a person’s true personality which is why I’ve never liked her.

I don't understand why they didn't notice she was drunk straight away and take her out quickly. I suppose we had to see (hear) how badly she was behaving.

I guess the only alcoholic I’ve known was a quiet, morose drunk.

and dhs cousin was more of the drinking throughout the day and hiding it but again he was quiet and tended to hide away

i I suppose the Harry and Alice alcoholics are easier to spot

May I apologise for the stray apostrophe in my previous post?

I would have thought Jakob would have been on high alert and noticed pretty quickly. But I guess this is how Chris finds out?

They can’t keep it from Chris- the whole village will be talking about it this morning.
Jakob was the lightning rod because Brian can’t be cross with Aliss (alcoholism being an illness not a choice).

I like hearing drunk Aliss. She’s very well-acted. I definitely speak too loudly and think I am a sparkling wit after a few drinks. I’m not sure I’d like to see video footage.

Just heard the trail for next week- a monologue from Aliss with the shop bell playing a starring role). We’re in for quite a week ahead with A and D in the luxury hotel and Aliss’ world imploding.

The trail specifies Sunday but in the trail she says she needs to apologise for last night which suggests she’s speaking on Saturday? Anyway, I suspect Sunday is a must listen!!

Spoilers thread is that way ---->
if you would be so kind.

Oh sorry - I assumed if something played on live radio it was t a spoiler. I must have heard the trail about 50 times now!

point noted for future ref!

No problem @Bruisername

I listen on Sounds catch up (or whatever it's called so don't get spoilers).

Alice actor is an excellent drunk. She was so cruel to Ruiari and it had such sad consequences for Jenny.

I think Kate looked after Martha after collecting from nursery but surely even by bed time Alice wouldn’t have been sober? I think that’s the only thing that Jakob should have picked up on really - protecting Martha. Perhaps because he lives next door he felt he could keep a closer eye

Brian is mostly lashing out in fear because it's a situation he can't control and because it no doubt also reminds him that last time this happened Jenny was still around and they faced it together. Miranda's presence is just irritating - having her there last night added nothing (except to give Alice a target for her rudeness). The idea that she would already be part of "team Aldridge" seems vanishingly unlikely and her animosity towards Lilian and desire to wind her up is inexplicable. Added to which the fact that she's played in the style of Hazel Woolley always leaves me wondering what on earth Brian might see her. I can't help thinking that seeing her father with Miranda might have been one of the factors driving Alice back to drink.

Alice was noisy and obvious and her problem is well known, and in a normal village everyone in the Bull would have been nudging each other and then texting their pals, who in turn would have their own list of People Who Should Know About This, with Neil and Susan right at the top, because they're Martha's grandparents and because Susan is Susan. N & S would certainly have known before Team Martini (or whatever the inappropriate name was) left the pub. There's just a bare chance that tact and discretion might mean that Chris would hear from them first, but I'd still give an hour at most.

This being Ambridge, where people could watch a much-loved tree being felled without phoning in a complaint to the police or anyone else, who knows?

Didn’t Lilian start sleeping with Justin when he was still married? In which case surely Miranda’s animosity is understandable. I’m less clear on why Lilian dislikes her so much.

Plus Fagash Lil and Phlegmy were trying to warn Brian off seeing Miranda. Miranda's dislike of Fagash is understandable. (To be fair to Miranda, anyone's dislike of Fagash is understandable)

Phlegmy?

Poor Jakob..

The preview of doom has been playing regularly on R4 at random times for days so hardly a spoiler.

Justin. I can't bear listening to his voice.