Archers thread #167: Welcome to Ambridge, the world capital of loose ends! 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 like The Archers to be wall to wall election conversations for the next month, 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.)

Over to you!

If we send parcels to Ireland, do they have to go through customs? I assume so. And yet we can presumably send them to Norn Irn and the recipient can take them across the open border? Insanity. Can they also post them without customs clearance? Because if so, I could presumably send a couple of jars to - for the sake of argument - someone like Bint, who could forward them to you.

Customs are being very diligent and the charges are steep. I don't feel strongly enough about it to want to risk it - just motivated to make my special 9-fruit marmalade again next January when the Seville oranges are in. Once there are parsnips I might try a parsnip and marmalade cake with some other citrus flavour.

Anyway, how can we talk about marmalade and cake when lovely if foolish Freddie is about to get massacred and fed to the dogs leaving loathsome Lil to take over the world.

lovely if foolish Freddie is about to get massacred and fed to the dogs leaving loathsome Lil to take over the world

Don’t worry. Once the dogs get the taste for Pargetter flesh they will track Lily down and eat her alive.

And I’ll hold their collars/water bowls while they do.

Thank you for giving me hope. Will they continue on to the Archer relatives? Come to think of it, they have already tasted Archer flesh, or at least blood.

I reckon one of Markie's customers has already cooked and served up a bit of Cuisseau de Kenton au Vin in his (or her) restaurant.

So have we had confirmation markie is involved? Couldn’t listen tonight!

Yep. Vince recognised him.

Well this is all a bit weird. What is Freddie trying to prove or is it that he is too just and foolish for his own good? I always imagine, despite how he tries to fit in with the working class, he still sticks out like a sore thumb and looks like a typical old money type. Can't decide if this is going to go horribly wrong or Freddie will somehow be responsible for jailing a notorious gang leader.

Freddie is very much his father's son: well-meaning, kind and a bit thick.

Makes sense. I don't really know Nigel's character other than what people say about him. It does seem such a shame he was killed off.
I didn't start following the Archers properly until 2013 when I was on maternity leave with DC1. Poppy was born the same year. Poor Nic's death hit me hard as it happened when I was on mat leave the second time just a few days after DC2 was born. I was too hormonal for that bombshell!

My money is very firmly on it going horribly wrong. Not least for Vince who has broken Jolene's confidence by telling other people about Markie. Or is it all ok now because she broke down and told some people about it, so now it's fine for Vince to shout it to all the wider family?!

But it will also go horribly wrong for Freddie. It's hard to see how it could possibly go well.

Checking in. Thanks for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Love the chat on here - someone needs to change their username to @LadyMarmalade

Love the idea of Freddie and Lily as rival big house/business owners.

I haven’t listened to tonight yet but had a little gasp at the mention of Markie. Name is so infantilising which somehow makes it more sinister. It makes me think of Pinkie in Brighton Rock.

I used to save the sliced lime and lemon from my and hubby’s G&Ts and make marmalade from them.

is it worth starting to listen again? I gave up a few months back as wasn’t feeling it.

If you’re going to pick a time to start listening again, now might be a good one, if you go back a wee while to the big crash/river incident. I can’t say it’s not annoying at times, but it’s the most dramatic it’s been for ages.

Freddie's going to get himself beaten up, isn't he.

Checking in. Thanks Gasp0de

“I used to save the sliced lime and lemon from my and hubby’s G&Ts and make marmalade from them”

sounds like a great idea (assuming he hadn’t sucked em 😜) reuse and adding a kick at the same time

Think Vince has been pretty good keeping Jolene’s confidence so far. I can understand him telling Freddie in the heat of the moment to try and instil into him how dangerous these people are (for all the good it did).

Still cats out of the bag now and poor naive Freddy heading for trouble it seems. Great moral fibre, but perhaps a little more stealth required. Run Freddie, RUN.

If Freddie does not end up as fish food in the mighty Am (or perhaps more appropriately the meat in a tin of Chappie) might he consider it his duty to tell Kenton and really put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Hmm..."Meatballs Markie" : the pound shop version of John "Johnny Sausage" Barbato (notorious New York Mafia capo) ?

Freddie is a baffoon for ignoring Vince. I hope. Vince sacks him.

If it doesn't go horribly wrong, I'll eat my hat.

Especially after all that "it's important to Elizabeth" stuff.

I'm quite worried about Freddie and annoyed because I have to go to a community meeting at 7 this evening. I can't really weasel out because I refused to go to the last one as it was scheduled at 8.30 and I said it was too late for me. Our local Lynda Snell is very cunning.

Ah, but does SHE write playlets? 😉

It feels like they are really cramming in the dramatic sl atm