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 think we need to retain a copper in the village. It’s very handy for SLs. Just for the record I always knew he would not lose his job. *flicks back hair over shoulder in a proud gesture…

You mean something like ... a night at Grey gables maybe?

More likely to be something to do with Markie.

You mean something like ... a night at Grey gables maybe?

If Chris now bashes Harry, things could get complicated.

As widely predicted in this house, Emma is not happy about Chris having been given to understand by Ed that she hates Grey Gables, and therefore given his prize to his best mate instead of to his sister. I can't help feeling that it serves the Grumbling Grundys right to be taken at their word and thus lose out.

But aren't they about to go on the training course?

They have. Were you thinking of Helen or Pip perchance?

Pip and her unplanned baby with her ex-boyfriend and the childcare being done by the GGM in her late 80s.

To say nothing of Pip now being desperate to fob said child off onto TFLITW's partner who blatantly would be delighted if she never saw the child again for at least the next 15 years.

If only Emma could find a way to monetise her breathtaking sense of entitlement and chip on her shoulder.

She wouldn't have to muck about with chainsaws to earn a few quid then.

Maybe there'll be a terrible accident at the training day.

So, Sunday for the Darrington sledging that will chew George up and spit him out. Do they have women players?

nice to hear of Jamie perks. They remembered!!

and Emma doing strength training - answering another question. But why do they constantly have to raise sex? They seem to be trying to make it saucier. Nice to see Emma getting her comeuppance for her big chip!!

harrison seems to be hamming up his northerness. He has an interesting people management style.

no doubt George will get himself in trouble on Sunday

cringe for Hannah but at least she puts herself out there

nice to hear of Jamie perks. They remembered!!

I imagine half a million Archers listeners wrote to remind them of his existence … (I bet the SWs had to google him!)

Well yes, they are now - but they merrily decided to become tree surgeons without trying a taster course first to see whether it might suit them, or that it was even feasible as a paying proposition to support their family and life. Emma's already chucked in a job, Will's mortgaging his house and they're about to lob money in the direction of shiny new chainsaws - well, slightly less than new.

They’ve only just realised it might be useful to talk to Jamie Perks (he lives!)

A safety course is the very least thing you need to do, but researching it a bit more thoroughly first might have been wise.

Who are other people’s favourite and least favourite characters?

Love - Lynda, old Robert, Brad, Chelsea, Neil, Jakob
Like - Kirsty, Tony, Pat, Rex, Ben, Chris, Oliver, Will, Tracy, Kate (don’t ask me why!)
Can happily tolerate although sometimes annoying - Fallon, Harrison, Natasha, Josh, David, Toby, Justin, Lilian, Vince, Elizabeth, Ed, Mia, Alice, Peggy
Loathe - Pip, Ruth, George, Emma, Helen, Tom

There is surely a lot of knowledge as well

when we had our mahoosive tree pruned the level of knowledge of the various tree surgeons who quoted varied wildly. One outlier was going to do something to the tree that would have damaged it. So we paid a bit more for the guy who seemed extremely knowledgeable about trees. Do em or Ed have that knowledge?

Wonder who will be taking Emma’s shifts at TeRum

Interested to hear Fallon and Emma's discussion at the Terum (or whatever they are calling it these days). Fallon quite clearly flagging it up to Emma that it might be hard to include her on the rota if her availability is erratic - Natasha waiting in the wings to step into the breach - Emma being clear she still needs the shifts and hopes to be able to do both (and squeeze in her Eng. Lit. GCSE). Good to hear it clarified that Emma is doing some weight training, but I don't think that alone is going to guarantee them success and yet it feels as if literally everything will be riding on it with all their other streams of income dried up. What happened to Ed's unsold Texels in the end? What happens to any unsold sheep? This is the sort of thing I rely on TA to tell me...

A lot of knowledge is required to be a decent tree surgeon, yes. DH attends regular training courses to keep updated with safety etc.
That said, I know plenty in the industry who choose not to.

I'd be very wary of employing an unpracticed person (realistically people) to fell a tree. A very nice bloke I once worked with died when a tree he was cutting did the barber chair thing, and talking with people later heard enough other tragic examples of the same thing to make me aware of the risk.

I was even rather alarmed when my log-supplier (so lots of practice) and his 3 sidekicks came to cut a large branch off a tree for me. They all survived, but I think dumb luck and the power of prayer may have played a part.

The guy I knew who died had done lots of safety training, not just tree-related but also connected with reserve fire fighter duties. So many variables with trees - species, size, age, health, season, weather . . .

The chap who (with his 5 helpers) felled my nearly 200 y-o moribund ash tree had decades of experience. He cost lots of money (kE000s), and was worth every cent.

Absolutely this. Being a Tree Surgeon isn't just about chopping off branches. It's knowing about trees, nesting seasons, earth condition, root systems, etc etc.

I live in the countryside and issues we've had with trees are a big willow too near the house - the TS advised that we should let it gather a load of energy over summer, then have it trimmed in the autumn, but not too much as that would kill it and the roots would shrivel and cause subsidence.

Another issue was a big yew tree that was showing heft, ie its roots were raising from the ground and he advised it was not safe.

It's really not all about waving a chainsaw about!

My uncle was a tree surgeon and tree specialist in the family garden business and that was because he was so passionate about trees. Knew everything you might need to know about them.

that’s kind of what I expect! We have a tree that needs pruning every 3-4 years. One year we used a guy who quoted cheaper. Total disaster and we’ve not made that mistake since!!

A couple of tree surgeons turned up in front of my house yesterday to tackle a tree which fell in a storm across the railings into our communal green. The tree itself is on the canal bank. Yesterday they tackled the smaller branches which they put in a chipper and directed all the chippings on to the canal bank (not sure if they were supposed to do that). Today they came back with a cherry picker to reach the higher, thicker branches so no climbing involved. They also had a load of old tyres (lorry or tractor sized rather than car) which they have piled up against the railings. I'm not sure what the purpose of them is. I'm observing with interest.

No, it's a Keri Davies week. He was Senior Producer on TA in the late 90s and started writing scripts in the mid 2000s, IIRC. He must be one of the longest serving members of the production team now. He should be reasonably solid on details.

Similar-ish. I love Jim and Jazzer. A little of Clarrie goes a very long way.

Yes! Agree about Jim and Jazzer. I knew I would forget some. I also increasingly like Brian.

Brian is much nicer now when he's a slightly suave courter of women of his own age and status than he was 40 plus years ago harassing poor Betty Tucker.