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!

In fairness to Harrison he did acknowledge they did not want children. I get the impression from that chat that he absolutely knows what is going on and how unreasonable he is being, but does not want to face it, holding on to the comfort of blaming others for the destruction of his dream.

I think he actually said they weren't planning to have children. Which is a lot more...erm, flexible than not wanting children. But I think you're absolutely right that he doesn't want to accept that Fallon may well have chosen not to continue the pregnancy. He can't bear that, hence the railing against Alice.

Because he is so focussed on the miscarriage, I think he still isn't aware of how traumatised Fallon feels about having nearly drowned.

I definitely do this.

Hmm … 🤔

How ‘made up’ are they, though? I haven’t met most of the (reported) 8 billion other souls on the planet. Some are shown to me on screens every day but I have no actual evidence that they exist outside a TV studio. I have to rely on my imagination to interpret everything I haven’t physically encountered. In some ways Jamie Perks is as real to me as any stranger on a continent I haven’t visited. Ed and Emma are probably more real to me than a distant relative I haven’t seen for fifty years.

I hope the SWs fully understand their responsibilities …

(Obligatory ‘lighthearted’ notice.)

What he did say before he started: "I don't like to talk about it".

At which point George said wtte "oh sorry, I didn't mean to intrude" and Freddie could gracefully have not said any more; he didn't know that George had a personal interest, did he.

Neil and Susan had frolicked for a bit in Ambridge. At this point Neil had been playing the field, but Susan had set her sights on him.

When he subsequently took her to London for a night at a hotel, she was already pregnant; that was where she told him she was knocked up, not where she got knocked up. He proposed marriage to her as soon as she had told him. Then they went back and faced the music, or rather the highly irritated Bert Horrobin.

As far as I know no pity-shagging was involved: the trip to London was shortly after Christmas 1983, when she had shamed him by getting him an expensive present and he'd only given her a box of chocolates so he felt a need to make it up to her, but that wasn't a pity-shag. And the chances are she would have been two months along at that point, because you could find out you were pregnant before two months in the 1980s but very few people did until they'd missed a couple of periods. Back then you tended to go to a doctor to find out: home testing wasn't around much yet. It didn't occur to me when I was having children that decade.

Neil and Susan got married on 25th February 1984 and Emma was born on 7th August 1984, so she'd have been somewhat premie if she had been conceived after the marriage, or even in the hotel.

I too would like Neil to live to be 100, but I fear it isn't likely; Neil is a stripling of 67 (today is his birthday), but Brian Hewlett who plays him is rather older: he started college to study acting before Neil had been born.

She definitely told him after the London visit, when they were safely back in Ambridge, that on that occasion in the hotel he was 'nice' to her and that in consequence of that she was pregnant.

And the being 'nice' did start as attempt to comfort her for something or other.

What I can't remember is how long post-Julie that all happened.

I was victim of extended bullying by a non-stipendiary vicar. He explained his purpose as a non-stipendiary was to take his religion into the workplace. It was very well hidden

I think he actually said they weren't planning to have children. Which is a lot more...erm, flexible than not wanting children I thought it was the even more flexible “we weren’t trying for children “

Hasnt Neil got feelings for Shula?, he was doing her garden when Susan first looked after Matha.
Didnt Shula go on her vicar course early because she had feelings for him too?
I think Susan was getting suspicious and feeling neglected.

Phew, caught up with both TA and the thread before we run out of posts.

(Currently up north. Climbed a mountain yesterday. I am too old for this, so suffering today. More fool me. Wonderful views, though. Not my pictures, I can't take a photo to save my life - courtesy of Google. The weather was just like that yesterday.)

Harrison 👎🏻

Neil 👍🏻

Kirsty

Nice to hear a bit of farming at last. Cow in ditch, pig husbandry. Also some characters we haven't heard for ages - Pat, David, Ben, Neil.

Yes, he had. I'd forgotten that. Goodness knows why!

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g we're going to need a new thread very soon !

Yes, don't worry, I'm on the case!

Soz! You were posting your pics whilst I was typing!

Fair comment, raises issues deeper than the Mariana Trench 👀

Shula decided she was in love with Neil but as far as I remember those feelings were not reciprocated. I don't think he was even aware of how she felt. Susan of course worked it out and had an awkward coversation with Shula who then thankfully left to start her new job in the North East.

Wasn’t it that Shula encouraged proximity and Neil, wanting some escape from a previous Chris / Alice mess with Chris and Martha at Ambridge View, found himself caught in her spider’s web? And once it was clearly pointed out to him he came to his senses? (As always I may be mis-remembering.)

Fabulous someone-else’s-photos, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g. Impressed with your ascent and hope you feel better soon. I made a ten hour round trip by train recently and had to spend the following two days mostly horizontal.

Neil had a massive crush on Shula when they were in their teens, but Phil was very strongly opposed to her going out with his pig-man and she thought he was nice enough but a bit boring, so he had to give up the idea.

Sorry, @Eastie77Returns - I crossed you, responding to a previous post. Wasn’t disagreeing with your recollection!

Yes, I was referring to more recent events. I know historically he had a crush on her (all before my time but I’ve read about it on these threads😂) but I there was a SL a couple of years ago when Shula developed feelings for him.

There was that storyline, but Neil was totally oblivious until iirc it was pointed out to him.

So they did drive through the wall and teetered I guess. Pretty major transport artery by the sounds of it.

so Tom is sausage boy and Helen is cheese queen.

I like the way they are tasting cheeses they’ve probably had rammed down their throats over the years!!

Fallon struggling with the crash but she can’t talk to him as much as he can’t talk to her about the miscarriage.

Lily being annoying again. Fallon catering is her business income. That must be a pretty good gig. Didn’t need to hear the barn dance scene. I’m unsure who their clientele are supposed to be

Harrison - being unprofessional trying to get info out of his boss. And creating a fuss over the baby’s death even when they don’t know the cause. Thank goodness his boss has her head screwed on.

so typical that the woman almost dies but it’s the man who we have to hear crumbling. Way to spoil her having had a good night out after the past few weeks. I’m really struggling to feel any sympathy for him!!

Fallon is going to have to use actual words (possibly single syllables) to communicate effectively with Harrison.

Surely dance calling is something you have training for, not something you can just decide to do with an hour's notice?!

Not even going to dignify Harrison's scenes with comment.