Archers thread #165: Bridge over troubled waters! 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 believe Rochelle exists, 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5071889-the-archers-spoilers-thread-9-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.)

This thread may well fill up as fast as the last one, so let's just get stuck in!

I wish someone would ask Alice how she sees her life planning out if she doesn't give up the booze.

I suspect she’s planning to drink herself to death.

Quite how Adam thought inviting an alcoholic to live with his small child would pan out any other way than that it which it has, escapes me.

I wish someone would ask Alice how she sees her life planning out if she doesn't give up the booze.

Surely it’s not being able to see any type of future that gives a person the freedom to ‘press self destruct’, as the BBC so eloquently puts it. So the question would be entirely irrelevant to her. At this point the task for a supportive family is to keep the person alive and at least marginally functioning, even when their life no longer has any value to that person and they’re racing towards the yawning chasm.

Shut up Paul.

Alastair and Denise, just get on with it. I like both of them. I hope it works out.

Alice, I couldn't care less about.

Harsh!

I need all Jenny’s children to thrive.

(Though I do slightly love Ruairi, I don’t want him to best them.)

I felt sorry for Adam yesterday. He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. I find him (or rather his constantly weary voice) very annoying but it must be hard to see your sister in that kind of downward spiral. He shouldn’t have invited her to move in though. He isn’t equipped to deal with her.

I liked the matter of fact way Lisa dealt with Alice.

Alistair had a rare moment of clarity when he described this situation with Denise as similar to a bad Rom Com. It’s actually worse than that. A Benny Hill sketch maybe. It really isn’t necessary for him to tell so many people that they didn’t manage to do the deed. I doubt Denise will be happy that Jazzer (and so possibly Tracey..) and now Jakob know all about her non sex life. And since she claims she cannot have The Conversation with John to end the marriage as he is constantly disappearing and won’t talk, surely now is the perfect time as he is apparently at home all the time providing round the clock care?

... And since she claims she cannot have The Conversation with John to end the marriage as he is constantly disappearing and won’t talk, surely now is the perfect time as he is apparently at home all the time providing round the clock care?

Has anyone actually met John, or is he another Rochelle?

There was a soup. Paul said John made Denise soup to her special recipe. Unless you mean ... none of it is real 🤫

I meant to post this earlier but didn't press Post and now the conversation has moved on.

I stopped listening to the Archers for a while when the old favourites died off or left.

It is very different now-
I loved the classic Archers.

It’s definitely far more East Endersy now ( Not that I have watched that in decades either)

They probably are trying to rein in a new audience with all the high drama.

Agreed, @oakleaffy. A recurring theme on these threads is how much many of us miss the farming storylines. This is the time of year when Jennifer would be getting the caravans ready for the strawberry pickers who came over every year from Eastern and Central Europe. Adam would be fretting about the state of the polytunnels. Brian, David and Ruth would be comparing notes on the progress of their various crops and the long-range weather forecast and likely prices for said crops. Tony and Tom would be putting in long hours weeding their assorted vegetables and Pat, Susan and Clarrie would be making lots of ice cream in the hope of a hot summer.

John turned up to one of her dance classes so quite a few people, including Alistair, have met him. But we only have Denise’s word for it that the marriage is failing. Personally I think that bit is made up.

Well, Paul seems sure that John exists!

On the one hand Paul is immensely irritating. But on the other if it were my parent I would absolutely needle away because I would be so p*d off in so many ways and take perverse pleasure in watching the squirming. Cheating is not ok - it's mean and cowardly so A&D deserve all the irritation. So I will bear with Paul.

I picture Paul and small and podgy

I picture him as slender and good looking in a boyish way. When he's not camping it up, he's got an attractive voice and on a couple of occasions he's displayed good comic timing.

But by God he's an annoying lad.

I picture Paul as being similar to Richie the travel news presenter on radio 2...

I picture Lovell James as being a chain of vets, ultimately owned by Venture Capitalists or Hedge Funds. I don't think they would arrange to have a mother and son working at the same practice.

Please can they both just leave.

I think of him as a young andi peters! And Alastair as a young Simon mccorkindale

From Paul's voice I see him as tall, slim and ... blonde - which I don't think he can be. It could be dyed.

But we know Paul is the son of someone who is known to be black; how likely is he to have undyed blonde hair?

Admittedly it's a while since I worked, but I can't imagine getting away with pestering my boss about what he was doing first at a social event, then at the office.

I might be misremembering, but I thought we'd had at least a couple of references to Paul working out at the gym, so I assume he's fairly athletic.

In support of my thesis, I would like to offer the fact that he turned out for the cricket team last weekend and was subject to homophobic slurs but not fat shaming. And it doesn't sound as though they would have held off the sledging if he were overweight. Although it does raise the question of how on earth they deduced he was gay merely from watching him play cricket. Does he bat in a particularly camp way (we know it was during Ambridge's innings because he spoke of the satisfaction of catching the player out later)?

That's why I said he can't be. It's just what his voice sounds like to me. I had thought his father could be white but if his mother is in the Caribbean probably not.

He has a short podgy aura. If Kate can see auras, so can I.

@Fink Does he bat in a particularly camp way

Wasn't "He bats for Darrington" code for being gay somewhere or other online? Possibly Mustardland, or the old BBC Archers talkboard.

I have a feeling that code was coined when Sean the gay publican went away to bat for Darrington after a row with Sid.

Yes, that would make sense! It was a long, long time ago.