Archers thread #166: Choppy waters in Ambridge! Look out for the red flags and 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 love to be married to Harrison, 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.)

Another thread started in great haste, mid-packing! Over to you.

Thanks for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g !

Something I only picked up on when thinking back through tonight’s episode, it seems there was significant damage to the bridge, despite how it sounded at the time of the crash, since the bridge is closed and not only will it be so for the foreseeable, but there was reference to the wall having almost collapsed?

Thank you for the new thread, Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g.

Yes about the wall having almost collapsed. Now all we need is to be told which frodding bridge it is: one of the ones in the middle of the village but nobody heard the screeching tyres and brakes, to say nothing of the rending noise as the bridge was demolished, and came out to see what the blazes was going on, or the one near Home Farm whose closure would have little or no effect on traffic to and from Brookfield but would fit the claim that it was in the middle of nowhere and on the way to Home Farm.

(Would have preferred TottersOffToLondonToGetDrunkWithAliceAndRuairi but, well …)

Thank you @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g. I don’t imagine this thread will last until July 4th - but I wonder if the election will be mentioned even once in Ambridge within the space of a thousand posts.

One anodyne mention at most, possibly about the Village Hall being used as a polling station. Was the last election ever mentioned? December 2019 seems like a lifetime ago.

I’m sure they’ll pop in a PSA about registering to vote or somesuch.
Thanks for the new thread.

Thanks for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I hope it’s an election free zone

Thanks for the thread, Gaspode.

Given that they won't be able to say anything party political, I can't imagine the election will get much coverage in Ambridge beyond a few passing mentions.

Although it would be fun to hear that Harrison had finally lost the plot and decided to stand as a Reform candidate. Maybe Alan could stand as a Green (they seem to have a disproportionate number of Anglican clergy in their ranks) and St Stephen's would become the battleground.

If I were Harrison's boss, I would be seriously wondering why I didn't stick the knife in harder at his disciplinary. One moment he's putting his career on the line to help Alice out, he next he wants her hanged, drawn and quartered before she's even been charged, for an offence that only exists in his head. I would also be seriously concerned that at no point since the accident does it seem to have popped into his head that, back when he was learning the law of homicide, he was told that killing foetuses is not murder. If he really thinks there is no difference, why didn't he make a fuss about the fact that no-one investigated Kirsty's baby's death, let alone demanded an inquest?

Quick placemark- thanks for the new thread!

Thanks as always Gasp0de

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Thank you Gasp0de.

Harrison's SL looks like it's heading for an incident where he loses his job. And his wife. I don't like the way he's being set up as lacking knowledge about his job -a bumbling, thick plod.

I wonder how soon they can shoehorn a reference to the General Election in

Fallon must surely be working out that, if she had decided to terminate the pregnancy, Harrison would be accusing her of murder. Not sure that there's any way back from that.

He’s never been convincingly portrayed as anything other than a thickish Plod, though whether that is by accident or design is anyone’s guess. He’s lucky not to have lost his job already, and it’s only a matter of time before he oversteps again. As to ‘losing his wife’, would you advise Fallon to stay with him?

I’m still hoping he’ll thump someone.

He's not a real person, so the character would "lose" his wife in terms of the SL, as he would his job. I've no advice for Fallon as she's not real either.

Thanks for the new thread!! I’m a bit behind, but in better news the baby is starting to enjoy radio. And so it begins…

Thanks for the new Thread.
I think Harrison is going to lose his job and Fallon and end up being the local saddo that everybody ,who once felt sorry for him, trys to avoid him and no newcomers will believe he once was married to Fallon.
Before this happens Fallon will lose it with him and say she never wanted the baby in the first place, which will tip him over the edge.
Cant understand why Fallon is so protective towards Alice apart from the miscarriage she almost drowned which as everyone mistakenly thinks it was Alice. I wouldnt forgive her as the RTA was caused by her drinking.(even though we know it was George), Fallon dosnt know that.
If you had just come out of Hospital and was in pain would you really want to go to a noisey crowed hoe down? I know I wouldnt.
Lily is a pain I dislike her as much as Mia. Both a pair of little miss know alls.
When Alistair was wading through the Am to help with the heifer, how deep was it for him to have a panic attack. It couldnt have been higher than his ankles as he wouldnt have bothered, unless he was scared he would have been swept away.

So much to catch up on. What form did Harrison’s stalking of Fallon take? A few people have mentioned this and it was before I started listening.

I’m a couple of episodes behind so am reading about Harrison’s unravelling and trying to imagine what form that’s taking. I find him a mildly irritating character, mainly because his cheery chappy Northerner persona has always felt reductive and a bit fake. Also, I realise I’m conflating the character and actor here, but I once read that the actor playing Harrison had a conviction for assault and, after that, I found Harrison’s ‘nice guy’ persona harder to believe in. Ridiculous, I know!

I"f you had just come out of Hospital and was in pain would you really want to go to a noisey crowed hoe down? I know I wouldnt."

I think Fallon finally found a way to take her mind off things for a bit.
And everyone is dwelling on how Harrison desperately wants to talk to her about the "baby".
But at no point has he listened to how frightened she was that she might have drowned. On the night of the crash he'd said something about she should have waited until the car filled with water and the pressure on the door equalised.
That was not helpful and could have made the nightmares worse.
He is valuing "the baby" above Fallon.

I meant Joy. I understand Fallon would go just to get away from Harrison's self pity.

I've had a lot of sympathy for Harrison because I think a man's desire to be a parent can emotionally be as strong as a women's biological urge to be a parent.

However, he peaked me last night by showing his ignorance of the law. What will him being a copper.

I honestly can’t bear all the election news and will be listening to a lot less radio! So hopefully the archers will be an election free zone

fallon almost died, spent the day preparing for an event and then had fun at said event but Harrison is just a big Debbie downer.

im surprised her broken ribs didn’t bother her a bit more at the barn dance and with all the laughing. My colleague is 4 weeks in to broken ribs and still gets discomfort

Basically I agree with you, though I admire Fallon for being understanding of Alice's addiction and genuine contrition. Poor broken-armed Joy, still suffering from the after-effects of shock and PDST, and in pain from a broken arm, suddenly being a dance caller sounds massively unlikely.

Lily is worse than Mia. Lily is worse than almost anyone else on planet Ambridge, with the possible exceptions of Hazel Wooley and Harrison. Lily is ghastly, but I am slightly encouraged that we are being given a display of her ghastliness, maybe just maybe she will get her long overdue come-uppance.

otoh, Alastair's panic attack in ankle-deep water has excellent comic potential. I hope we're going to vignettes of him melting down when confronted by random wet things - a bathtub, a flushing loo, a cup of tea . . .