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!

Assorted online maps. This is the oldest, from nearly 50 years ago, so won't have many of the more recent buildings and moves on it: jeremymcneill.tripod.com/ambridgemap.html

Don't know how old this one is. Copyright is to Saddicts.

I've been wondering about this because I was sure Heydon Bridge crossed Heydon Brook, which presumably is even smaller than the Am?

BBC map from maybe 20 years ago. Much simpler than the others, but shows the village centre in more detail. https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/wallpaper/ambridge_640.shtml

A few key properties, in case anyone's not seen these drawings (from the BBC website, also maybe 20 years old). One shows the Am, but not the Heydon Brook. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00w47v9/p00vxs9c

Alice said she was parked up in a lane near Heydon Woods because it was always quiet there. We don't know where George had been at the party. We don't know where Joy's concert was. We don't know where Alistair and Denise had been eating or where the hotel is that they were then driving to. Quite a coincidence that they all converged on this narrow bridge on a back road at the same time!

Just tried searching "Minecraft Ambridge maps" but nothing

The eastern 'central' bridge links the village with Heydon Farm, so might be called Heydon Bridge, though Brookfield Bridge would make more sense. I find it hard to imagine that even the oddballs writing TA these days would have given us that sort of Raise the Titanic set up in Heydon Brook.

Heydon wood is west of Heydon farm, but could also be accessed from the road leading to the other bridge (which passes the Grange Farm turnoff).

Clear as mud.

Heydon Farm is just beyond Valley Farm shown on Gaspode's map above - imagine the wood centred on the 'add post' icon.

When I was a teenager I was one of the first of my friends to have a car and driving license. We would drive out to a cider farm a few miles away. There was a big old barn with three huge barrels in it. Sweet, dry and strong. You would buy the cider in a big 5 litre bottle, the kind with the handle on top. It was £5, and they didn’t care who they sold to.

Chris being very understanding

A thread (or maybe 2) ago, I posted a photo of the Birmingham recording studio map (that somebody took a few years ago). It had pencilled additions.

Their Heydon Bridge is/was penciled in a fair bit south of Ambridge, south-west of the woods. It isn't too far from what they'd also annotated as "Grundy Field" (which is presumably what Rob bought?).

Talk of cider reminds me of my teen years, doing DofE camping (when we had to pretend we were at "College", not 6th form on school trips so we could go to the pub with staff!). Lots of pubs in SW used to sell local cider and "rough". Readers, we teenagers would drink the "rough", being thrifty souls.

I've been wondering about this because I was sure Heydon Bridge crossed Heydon Brook, which presumably is even smaller than the Am?

Small waters run deep.

This one?

That puts it south-west of the woods, but the BBC says Alice lives beside Home Farm https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/32fHR6CBT7K1zGPV9JNf6ct/alice-carter which is north-east of the village, so if she was in the car getting drunk in the wood south of the village, why was George driving the car in exactly the opposite direction while taking her 'home' ?

Thinking about this guff makes it so much worse.

Thanks for the location help! So, Alice was chugging vodka south of the Am in the Heydon Woods lay by. George found on her on his way home from a house party and tried to drive her home (north over the Am towards Home Farm). Meanwhile Mick was bringing Joy and Fallon back to Ambridge after the New Age concert in Felpersham. They must have been heading south to have encountered George and Alice on the bridge. What is bugging me is why didn't Mick drop off Fallon on the way? Woodbine Cottage is on the north bank but Beechwood is presumably on the south because it was originally a part of Bridge Farm.

Gah! I'm way too over invested in this.

Hi. Long time lurker and listener. Have been reading the last few threads now it's got interesting!

I think the combination of the fruit cider and message to Will will be George's undoing. I wonder whether Will & Emma will work together as 'he's a good boy really'.

Also I never thought that sausage roll wrapper belonged to George at Berrow.

I loathe him but it's a great character to have!

Poor Fallon. Hard enough without having Harrison around piling on the pressure. and I guess he hasn’t told her that Alan knows. And obviously blabbing to the village… what an arse

and then having to deal with Alice. Alice is certainly very lucky with her friends, family and ex. Well not Harrison obviously.

the Aldridge’s have epic sibling issues. Kate is right though!

Does Kate know how Alice treated Ruairi? Her resentment of anyone challenging what she sees as her entitlement to 'most precious child' status is deeply destructive of herself and anyone who gets in her way. Interesting to see Kate turning into the wise matriarch.

At least he resisted the urge to say "We were pregnant."

Kate is right though!

So is a stopped clock on occasion. Kate has absorbed a lot of psychobabble and is acquainted with plenty of therapy-adjacent guff about family dynamics. She seems less conversant with Matthew 7 3-5.

LARPing being the grown-up and loving not being the black sheep.

She is right that Alice has always been enabled by her parents and has never had to take responsibility for her actions. Fallon has been the best with how to handle it tbh!

One giant slice of humble pie 🥧 needs to start being prepared for Harrison.

I noted the "if you've been affected by this storyline..." BBC action line rider at the end. This story has been shoddily handled in it's announcement by the multitasking A&E Dr/Obgyn

I was gasping at all those Aldridge home truths!
Fallon was very good.
The Harrison actor was very good too.