The Archers spoilers thread #9: Can't wait for 7.02pm? Join us here!

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Spoilers thread for The Archers. All Archers listeners are welcome here, whether you post on our main Archers thread or not. There's just one rule: please keep all spoiler-related discussion in this thread and do not spill the beans on the main Archers thread.

We usually add the BBC teasers and cast lists for forthcoming episodes as they
become available, plus the Radio Times and Daily Mail previews when possible.
Feel free to add anything else you come across, e.g. cast news, scriptwriter
tweets!

Pack your car up and go for a long drive. Find a house you like the look of and let yourself in. When the owner comes back you tell them you booked through a site and then play on being old/ex local/kids with you so they take pity and sort you free accommodation for the rest of the break. Those country folk are mugs!!!

Forgot all about the spoilers! Probably because I wasn't feeling very positive about TA last week after the dreadful scam week. Anyway, onwards and (one hopes) upwards. Surely it could hardly go any further downwards.

1st December – 6th December 2024
01 Dec There’s a Christmas crisis at The Bull, and Emma faces a surprise backlash.
02 Dec Kenton puts his foot down, and David has concerns.
03 Dec Ed attempts to get to the truth, and Leonard takes offence.
04 Dec Lynda finds a way in, and there’s confusion at Brookfield.
05 Dec One resident makes an unexpected admission, and there’s a surprise for Robert.
06 Dec Joy offers some encouragement, and Ed is struggling with reality.

Writer: Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
David Archer…. Timothy Bentick
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Azra Malik…. Yasmin Wilde
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw

Radio Times Ambridge Diary 1-6 December
Jolene and Kenton face a moral quandary when the germ of an idea spreads at The Bull after Mick ends up as Father Christmas. Emma is struggling to stay positive and things get worse when the Parish Council receives a complaint about her, leaving her future position in jeopardy. Ed sets out to find the culprit but making wild accusations proves unwise. Leonard causes consternation at Brookfield, Fallon makes a discovery, and Ben and Zainab bond.

8th December – 13th December 2024
08.12 One resident faces a blast from the past, and will Mick’s debut go according to plan?
09.12 Alan faces a tricky negotiation, and Natasha gives some home truths.
10.12 There’s an emergency dash for Ruth, and it’s a difficult day for Lynda.
11.12 David struggles to keep his emotions in check, and Robert has a confession to make.
12.12 Romance is in the air at Bridge Farm, and Mick bites off more than he can chew.
13.12 There’s more than one shock for Kirsty, and Joy reveals an unexpected festive surprise.

Writer: Tim Stimpson
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe

David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Jill Archer…. Patricia Greene
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Alan Franks…. John Telfer
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw

RT Ambridge Diary 8-13 December
Vicar Alan finds himself with a dilemma and some difficult news to impart - but will his good intentions lead to a bad outcome ? Plans for Pat and Tony’s surprise golden anniversary celebration take shape. Natasha offers a friend some tough love, while David makes a confession about a family member and disaster strikes for another member of the Archers. An old face returns, but what have they come back for? [There's no hint of who this old face is from the cast list.]

15th December – 20th December 2024
15.12 There’s a surprise for Kirsty, and Emma struggles with reality.
16.12 Feathers are ruffled by a visitor, and Leonard overdoes it.
17.12 It’s checkmate for Natasha, and the pressure increases on Brad.
18.12 Susan attempts to offer a solution, and celebrations begin at Brookfield.
19.12 Will Eddie wave the white flag? And life becomes complicated for Helen.
20.12 Ed has a controversial suggestion, and there’s a breakthrough for Natasha.

WRITER: Tim Stimpson
DIRECTOR: Pip Swallow
EDITOR: Jeremy Howe

David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy…. Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler

22nd December – 27th December 2024 [not all there yet]
Missing at the moment - no cast list or writer for this week, and every teaser is just Contemporary drama in a rural setting

29th December – 3rd January 2025
29.12 Lynda makes a friend, and it’s an emotional day for Susan.
30.12 Joy hits a brick wall, and Pat stands firm.
31.12 Rex looks to the future, and it’s an unexpected evening for Hannah
01.1 Kirsty makes a controversial move, and Neil opens up about his past.
02.1 Henry faces some surprising news, and Joy’s actions may come back to bite her.
03.1 Khalil makes his presence felt, and Chris’s evening doesn’t go as planned.

WRITER: Sarah McDonald Hughes
DIRECTOR: Kim Greengrass
EDITOR: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Lee Bryce…. Ryan Early
Chris Carter…. Wilf Scolding
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Khalil Malik…. Krish Bassi
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Hannah Riley…. Helen Longworth
Lynda Snell… Carole Boyd

Thanks Gaspode
I see Lee is back in the New Year. No doubt with his ironed jeans and brand new, bright white Christmas Trainers.
Perhaps he and Helen exchanged matching sweatshirts over Christmas and he is now about to solve her housing dilemma.

Yup! Wouldn’t be at all surprised if Helen finds a financial use for Lee. (Although in reality his presumably tiny salary would be a drop in the ocean for a Bridge Farm Archer.)

I’d much prefer to hear he’s leaving for the US - with an open invitation for Henry to go and stay whenever he wants.

Thanks, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g!

It's interesting that Lee is returning. I wonder whether the directors decided that there were too many single parent families in Ambridge.

Did he actually go to America, courtesy of the magic visa fairy?

I saw Ryan Early acting as a political spin doctor in a new play called Party Games this summer. Peter Capaldi needn't worry that there might be competition for a future The Thick of It remake.

I think Lee is the blast from the past.
Christmas week is going to be Lee & Helen loved up in Gangmaster's Grange after putting an offer on Willow Farm.
Tash'n'Tom will have offered on Gangmaster's Grange.
Kirsty will move to April Cottage.

The Scamericans/Ellie & sixty-year old twins/Jolly Joel will move to Scambridge.

Oh, I do hope Helen and Lee aren't getting together now. He always seemed immensely tedious to me.

Yes, ironed jeans and impossibly clean trainers, that is how I always pictured him!

Very intrigued by Neil opening up about his past!

I am mostly wondering whether the scriptwriter will get it right. Since that week is written by Sarah McDonald Hughes, who has recently inflicted the scam garbage on us, I am not entirely optimistic.

I didn't mind the scam week but it didn't make much sense in raising scam awareness. It seemed to give the impression you could just turn up and have someone put you up and feed you.

There must have been some reason to have the visitors, and my money is on Ellie and the twins moving to Scambridge.

I will go out on a limb and say I think they will all four vanish as completely as Kaz.

@WhoppingBigBackside - Yep. The message seemed to be "Don't fret about being scammed! Someone will come to the rescue and you'll have a lovely time! So just go ahead and buy that villa in Barbados for £50k!"

Scam-de-scam-de-scam-de-scam. Come and stay in Scambridge.

I thought the blast from the past might be Philip but maybe it is just Lee. Yaaawwwwnnnnn

A well-matched couple, really.

Helen is well-acted and a complicated character. I like her, although IRL I wouldn't. I also like Lee.

Feedback 3.30 R4 this afternoon is discussing whether scam week in The Archers was believable. Spoiler alert....NO!

Thanks for the heads up! If I thought it would do any good, I'd have written to Feedback about last week. I predict that the presenter will read out a few critical messages, will immediately balance them with a couple of positive messages, will not reveal whether the latter were the only positive messages received vs 1 million howls of outrage, and will then speak to a BBC mouthpiece who will tell us all that we are the wrong sort of listeners and polls have shown that AirBnB scams have fallen by 79.2% in the last week, accompanied by a 1051% increase in the number of barns turned into impromptu backpackers' hostels by kind farmers. This shows that the week was astoundingly successful and we can expect much more in the same vein until audience numbers fall to 0. That last bit probably won't be broadcast, I suppose.

Not too far off the mark!

This wasn't the first pot-of-message week this year, was it?

Dear Feedback,
Please pass on my gratitude to the BBC and The Archers of their splendid advertisement for how to make money out of offering someone else's home as a holiday let. I'd never thought of it before, but you reassured me that the people who stayed would be welcomed, fed and accommodated by the owners or occupiers.
I am planning to let a narrowboat, shepherd's hut, some yurts, a farmhouse, and a cottage for the festive season, and thanks to you, I'll make enough money to feel very smug indeed.
Thanks again,
Your devoted and adoring listener,
Anne T. Beebe

That was my first thought, certainly.

When my husband was taking an accountancy course, part of it was "wicked fraudulent things you must never, never do' with lots of detail on how these frauds were committed. He called the module "Criminal Malpractice 101".

Dear Feedback,
Since my earlier communication, I have been alerted to a forum on the internet where there are threads where they discuss The Archers. From what I understand they are mainly, but not all, women, and quite possibly of a certain age, based on the forum's name and that they listen to The Archers.

It seems all they do is pick faults in the marvellous scripts, the wonderful acting, and the delightful but realistic characters and plotlines. It is most unpleasant. Some post regularly that they are thinking of not listening, but they seem to be unable to stop.

Is there a BBC helpline that I could suggest that these wrong sort of listeners could contact please? Or is there some service that could cure them of this syndrome? If not, could you tell me where I could chat nicely about the virtues of this national treasure of a programme? I would discuss it with my friends but they are strangely uncomplimentary about Ruth and Shula, who I love and admire.

Please help.
Thank you in advance,
Your devoted and loyal The Archers listener,
Anne T. Beeb