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!

'from Donegal' but didn't have a Donegal accent. More of a Traveller accent. Not in any way comparable to Siobhan's south Dublin tones.

Ruth's accent would probably be a bit nearer in terms of distance, but not by much.

One of the other character was supposed to be from not far away, and IRL would have made a comment on either the dialect or the place name ( something a bit like saying 'Luton Airport?' in reply to Luton or 'Why aye man' in reply to Newcastle)

I'm gratified to learn that when I lie in my bed at 3 AM afraid to twitch, never mind get up to pee, because there's one massive cat sleeping on my left hip and another massive cat snuggled against my shoulder, I'm actually doing a very spiritual form of Yoga.

I think you need to pay the yoga pet tax @DeanElderberry or it's not true.
🐱🐈

the yoga pets can pay it

Yes, well, the point was that his accent was neither Dublin (which would have been possible if he had got it from his mother) nor Munich (which would be what her boyfriend Dieter had).

Munich was much more likely - the sidelining of Deiter was nasty.

Though not as bad as keeping Siobhan's corpse hanging around for a week before they buried her.

Wow! I’m surprised but I suppose people don’t always end up with a ‘local’ accent if they have parents with different accents etc. Or I wonder if she feels the need to exaggerate and give the character a stronger accent and that’s when it sounds really wrong. I’ve definitely heard a few specific words (can’t think of examples now) where I’ve thought that the pronunciation was way off.

That's what the actress who plays Tracy Horrobin does. She sounds very different IRL.

I think she does sometimes sounds ok but then, to me, at other times, the mispronunciation of some words really stands out. This is maybe part of a general sense of exaggeration which feels like an attempt to go for a relatively strong accent but I think often comes off wrong. Perhaps it’s just the actor overdoing it and seeming unnatural generally that contributes to the effect for me though!

My parents had different accents and we moved around quite a bit when I was younger. I've lived in the North of England for more than half my life now but my accent would be hard to identify. If I was in a drama set in my area I probably
wouldn't sound right.

The actors are probably told to exaggerate the accents.
Which words does she mispronounce?

Thinking of tonight's episode, how long will it be before Will and George want to be paid for their unwarranted advice/intrusions into Emmur and Ed's Tree Surgery Inc?

Will is tiresome beyond words so it can't be long before it blows up.

The actress who plays Ruth may come from Co Durham, but Eaglescliffe is a pretty comfortable suburb of Yarm, with a North Yorkshire vibe, an excellent comprehensive, lovely artisan bakery, vegan deli etc and two private schools in spitting distance. It's a far cry from Prudhoe, where Ruth the character comes from! Also, I'm sure I've read that accents change every 15 miles or so; someone from Hartlepool doesn't sound like someone from Sunderland or Middlesbrough or Durham. I can't believe there's a generic North East accent, but perhaps that's what she's aiming at?

She is actually from Egglescliffe which has always been posh- even when Yarm/Eaglescliffe wasn't.

A Middlesbrough/Stockton accent is very distinct- characters on Vera often have one when they are meant to be Northumberland or Geordie- very annoying!

Will is pretty much paying for it so I would expect him to get a share of the profits or his loan repaid with interest. He has a stake in the business.

It was made very clear last night that it wasn’t Will’s money that paid for the chain saw. I feel this will be relevant when the accident/incident happens further down the down the line…

So is Alice struggling at the Stables because she's up half the night counselling Harry the manipulative sod?

Yes, that's what I've been assuming. She must have MUG tattooed across her forehead. What's Harry supposed to be living on? He doesn't have a job, does he? Rare these days to have so much inherited money that you don't need a job.

Before Willyum unveiled his great naming idea I honestly thought he was about to say 'Let's call it 'William Grundy Tree Services!' Every time he opens his mouth he assumes greater ownership of the business and they haven’t even started yet.

That's the bit that hasn't been mentioned. I think. However he's micromanaging it.

I assume so.

He doesn't have a job, does he? Rare these days to have so much inherited money that you don't need a job.

Doesn’t he have a training stables, where Chris was called to and which Alice visited and opined on the promise of a young mare?
No evidence either way on inheritance but we do know that his parents built up a chain of garden centres. Possibly quite a wodge of family money in the background, though: an eventing career comes expensive.

She really tortures her vowels.

one of my DC speaks RP (more or less); the other has a Yorkshire accent.

That’s what we’re being asked to believe.