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 it’s the other car but hope it’s not!!

I think it's Alice and George in the water. And George will have to decide whether to get out himself or try and rescue Alice.

I find that interesting!

I was going to comment that we’ve never had a problem with “guardesse”, “doctoress” “vicaress” - simply because at the time separate male and female titles were in vogue, it was all but unthinkable for women to do such jobs.

I would absolutely leave Alice to drown. Useless addict.

I don’t feel the Am is that deep

if toubhad a big bottle of vodka - even as an alcoholic wouldn’t you need your stomach pumped?

I know Brian shouldn’t have said what he said but I can understand why he did

The Am used to be a little river you could wade across in your wellingtons but after the Great Flood it changed direction and became deep enough to float a barge on, so who knows?

My father (93) routinely describes female doctors as 'lady doctors'. Leading to much mirth in the family and a running joke about 'lady footballers', 'lady names', 'lady chemicals' (oestrogen) etc, etc.

There was a weird tendency, last seen regularly in the 60's, to describe female writers as 'poetesses' or 'authoresses'. Wasn't Margaret Thatcher referred to as 'Our Leaderine' by some?

It wouldn’t have to go over the parapet, if the car was to the right hand side of the river in that picture, it could just have gone over the river bank.

Well we definitely need a new thread - this is quite exciting!!!

although if it’s Brian I will be obliged to boycott for a while

Apologies @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g , I meant to quote @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime’s post.

No worries, we're all in a heightened emotional state. I am, anyway.

Thanks for Twitter audio, much clearer. George Oh no no's then there's the splash then he No no's again, so he is def not in the car which has gone in.

But then what was it creakily teetering on?

@Fink I’m always struck by some performers’ preference for ‘actress’ - as a continuous acknowledgement of the challenges women have faced in the acting profession. ‘Actor’ does seem a bit reductive by comparison.

New thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5069087-archers-thread-164-ambridgenders-an-everyday-story-of-soapy-folk-discuss-the-archers-here

I genuinely feel quite traumatised!

@Fink , French nouns are masculine or feminine, whereas in English they're not.

The riverbank edge? Depends how steep the drop is, there could be enough of an angle for a car to dangle over it. If the picture is accurate, it would tie in with the sound of Alice's car going over uneven ground.

Oh, just listened to the twitter and agree, Alice got out of the car, George has plunged to his doom. With luck the water will wash his fingerprints off the steering wheel and Alice will be found wet and drunk on the riverbank and get done for killing him.

Alternate theory lifted from TwiX - Alice got the door open and the car remains teetering when George sees Alice fall from the car into the water. Does he risk getting out of the car (and have it fall into the water too, potentially killing Alice if it lands on her) or stay put, not only incriminating himself as being in the driving seat (and possibly over the limit) but losing the chance to get Alice out of the water?

The other car could have been Joy coming back from the gig, Jakob who was on call, Brian or Kate looking for Alice. Deni-stair presumably were making the beast with two backs in the spa hotel.

Let's not forget that the hitherto un-navigable Am has been deepening and widening. A car could sink without trace these days (rather than drop a couple of feet)!

You'd think they'd give the foley artist a bit of cash to get the sound a bit more convincing.

Exciting though; I might have to listen to this week!

ooh, that sounds good, sort of like the Italian job but with fewer gold bars.

beast with two backs

If George had plunged to his doom I think he'd have been heard saying more than "No! No!" under his breath