Archers thread #164: AmbridgEnders! An Everyday Story of Soapy Folk. 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 you'd like to have your fortune told by Bartleby, 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.)

Thread thrown together in great haste in advance of tonight's episode. Who's in the Am? Is it George's fault? Is this the end for Alice? Over to you!

I presume that is to come.

My sympathies for all on here who have been affected by miscarriage. IMO it was an unnecessary aspect of the storyline AND it wasn't handled well.

Has George ever had much to do with the Aldridges? I'm struggling to understand what would motivate him to get into the car of "that posh lady", twice his age. Surely he'd phone his (step)Dad or 111?

DadDadDad's stats were interesting. I am surprised that non of the Philip Moss episodes (which reminds me; we were robbed of hearing the trial!).

George is Alice's nephew, Alice was married to his mother's brother.

(picking up a line of conversation form a couple of pages ago but also still today) I 100% wouldn't be surprised if George has a non-consensual sexual encounter (rape or otherwise) in his future - in fact I'd be surprised if he didn't. however he got to who he is today, he clearly has some very MRA/Andrew Tate-esque views about women and he absolutely strikes me as somebody who would force himself on somebody and claim that they wanted it really/not hear their no/not pay any heed to the concept of enthusiastic consent.

The more I think about the accident, the more I'm inclined to think of George's actions that night as more irresponsible than heroic. Young and drunk (we have agreed that he was likely over the limit, haven't we?) man thought he knew what was best for drunk and vulnerable woman, and thought that he should be at the centre of the saviour narrative, rather than calling a relative, a friend of Alice's, or a cab. Him rescuing people out of the river WAS brave and heroic, but they wouldn't have been in the river in the first place if he hadn't have had such an overinflated opinion of himself in the first place.

“Goodness we do have different views on George in this thread, don't we? It never occurred to me for a minute that George would rape Alice”

Never entered my head either, but it is entirely possible that horrific though that may seem, the very possible effects of what he has actually done to Alice… prison, loss of contact with her child, thought of as a baby murderer (Harrison’s view), generally hated, could be considered by some (if not many) as the greater cruelty. Of course Martha will be affected too.

As pointed out she may have lost having Martha with her anyway (at least in the short term) But if she starts to control her drinking again she would still be able to spend time with her regularly in a natural setting (not prison) just as her dad does now (even if it was supervised by a family member).

This would make sense of why Mick is ranting and raving to anyone he can about drink driving - understandably but it’s happened so much it’s got a plot behind it. Obviously he’s unlikely to know but would make it harder for her to confide, which she may want to now things at getting more serious (him moving to ambridge )

Or her daughter was a drink driver and died/is in prison

i suspect Joy has either had mental health problems in the past or her daughter has

I think her daughter has and that's why she knew what to do with Ben.

@VoxPop , mine neither and I found the suggestion abhorrent.

I'm not sure if George would have worried about being over the limit until the accident. He might have not drunk much but might be over the limit?

Can someone be an ex-aunt?

It's a bit more boring but I suspect Joy went through a messy divorce, hence having the money to buy a house in Ambridge, but Rochelle is estranged from her because - rightly or wrongly - she's taken Joy's ex's side (who I'm assuming is Rochelle's father).

I think that George will think he has got away with it , of course Emma will go off half cocked about Alice - George will ultimately be found out by dash cam or cctv footage

Alice's car is nifty and probably has a dash cam. That will show George driving, Alice trying to open the passenger door, George moving Alice, first in dry clothes then wet clothes. In the right order obvs.

Oh, very good. Dashcam! Of course. (Says the non-driver and car ignoramus.)

Wouldn’t the dashcam be facing outward? I mean it would still prove George was there and most likely driving

@Bruisername , Alice was a bit of a techie and might have one that recorded inside and outside with audio. George might not be aware of it, or of their existence. then again, that might apply to the SW

I fear the SWs won't allow something that would resolve the issue that quickly.

Thank you to people for the various responses on the miscarriage issue. As lots have said, poorly represented here in many ways. I will try to skip through the Harrison/Fallon parts so I can still keep up with other events.

I love the varied and sometimes wild theories about what will come out in the wash with the crash, especially linked to Joy. She definitely has a secret in her past; I’m not patient enough to want
to wait for a slow reveal. I like to imagine the scriptwriters’ meetings when they were trying to get all these plot lines to tie together. IMO, this definitely involved a few ‘5am decisions’ (credit to Eddie Izzard). Soapy doesn’t cover it, but entertaining nonetheless.

I too am so wanting the Joy back story.

Many years ago I heard a programme celebrating TA where they explained how much they "prepared" for the storylines in x years time - I think it was something to do with Ruth and her fling with the dairy/sheep chap - was he called Sam - it was all planned ages in advance.

Mind you maybe the scriptwriters of today make it all up very quickly ?

I was thinking about Ruth and her BC in past ( perhaps as I've just had BC) and wondered whether down the line we will see Pip with BC and then a storyline about gene testing etc ?

I do love Joy - come on scriptwriters explain about Rochelle soonest

One of my earliest memories of TA is the car crash that Pat and Polly were in where Polly died and then of course the car crash of Mark Hendon many years later.

I can't seriously believe that TA would have a scene where a young man rapes his aunt.

I’m wondering if the SWs aren’t having fun with Invisible Rochelle. Maybe she’ll remain just off-stage for the rest of Joy’s Ambridge life with no mystery ever revealed or resolved for our benefit. And in thirty years, at Joy’s well attended funeral, we’ll have Ruth and Helen exclaiming about how good it was to meet (unheard) Rochelle again and how she looks more and more like her mother.

The shock of Polly’s death is still very vivid in my memory, @BeaLola!

Good thought

Hopefully this thread and us will still be going ( !)

Hi Everyone.

I'm a long term lurker but I've been listening to Archers on and off for around 13 years. I'm dying to share my theory but nobody in real life is interested in hearing it!

Here goes... George was talking to somebody on the phone before he left the voicemail for Will. It must have been someone he sees regularly because he said 'see you next week'. Could it have been Brad? Brad might well notice discrepancies in timings/locations and call George's story into question.

welcome! I don’t know anyone else who listens so come here for the chat!!