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!

Just finished series 3 of Outlaws and it’s great - and Denise is great in it. I genuinely enjoyed seeing an activist portrayed in a moderately serious way ie she had deeply held beliefs and wasn’t a joke character.

Why refer to a specific song which about 90% of listeners will not be familiar with?

Possibly because Keri Davies is this week's scriptwriter and he also works as a DJ, I believe. In the days when he was the host of the BBC messageboard for The Archers he was always keen to talk about music with like-minded types, and he always shoehorns some sort of musical reference or background music in.

Can humans catch strangles???

Interesting Gasp.
Obviously I was being optimistic when I said 90%....

Apparently so
https://ijdvl.com/a-human-case-of-strangles-equine-distemper-with-skin-lesions/
(contains gruesome pics)

I suppose you can fire anyone, whether it would be considered reasonable would depend on what you were firing them for, the evidence, the process you followed, and the conditions of their contract (if they have one). And of course how the case goes if they pursue it. Those without 2 years service still have certain protections.

Oh god this gp appointment is painful. No wonder the gps can’t see enough patients when this much time is spent blabbing on. And if Alice gets an appointment before her hearing then Azra definitely doesn’t work for the nhs!!

I really didn’t need this detail. Why does he have insect bites on his private’s?🙄

Why was George asleep? Guilty conscience or worrying about bartleby?

bit sad that the only thing that made alice realise she doesn’t want to go to prison was when Adam told her there would be no booze

Adam, Home Farm Adam, is competing for farm labouring work with George Grundy?

Brian and Miranda holidaying abroad together? How wonderful …

Poor, poor Alice …

Now I really do feel sorry for Alice. George has to fess up. I think his conscience will get the better of him.

It's a very old song, as well, it dates back at least a decade. However, I think the characters' discussion of and reactions to it told us everything we needed to know about it. I can't think of any current song that a significant proportion of the Archers' listenership would know to be embarrassing JUST from its name, and they could hardly have Fallon saying "oh no, did I sing that specific song which refers to women's anatomy in the context of recreational sexual activity using a number of crude metaphors", now could they?

Why didn't he go to an STD clinic? - they have everything in either Borchester or Felpersham and he wouldn't have had to point at his wherever it was and mime.

Bruisername
Why does he have insect bites on his private’s?🙄

Sunbathing on top of the red ants' nest in the lawn, probably.

Bruisername
bit sad that the only thing that made alice realise she doesn’t want to go to prison was when Adam told her there would be no booze

Bit sad that she is such an idiot she had not realised there would be no booze in prison before now.

tbf she could probably get booze in prison if she played the right game. I really hope we won’t have to listen to her in prison if she is sent down

I’ve never been to one, @DeanElderberry - but given the choice I might prefer the GP’s surgery where there’s no label on your visit.

Anyway, if he’s at work in Ambridge it’s probably easier to fit in.

But essentially we don’t know the people working at any STD clinic in Borchester - so it would be a waste of characters!

I’m confused, insect bites in the pubic area?

sounds like……

Clue for Asra; rhymes with mice

While sunbathing. My money would still be on a red ants' nest in the lawn.

It would be so lovely if it was strangles.

Very much hoping that's the last we're going to hear of the bites. Dump him, Paul! Life's too short to settle for someone who's railroading you into something you don't want to do.

Alice, enough with the self-pity. Get a grip. Easier said than done, I know, but you did it before, you can do it again.

As an aside, given the huge disparity between the size of the male prison population and the female prison population, why are there no male ex-cons in Ambridge, given we've got Susan, Helen and now possibly Alice with prison experience? Joy too for all we know, Fallon's been in the cells (briefly and courtesy of Harrison the stalker, admittedly) and Kirsty came close at the time she and Tom sabotaged the GM crops. None of the male residents of Ambridge have been in prison, have they? Various criminal records, no prison time.

"Homebrewed" alcohol is absolutely rampant in prison, not to mention drugs of all forms. The number of people who aren't hardened drug users before they go to prison and most certainly are when they come out is astonishing.

Freddie has been in prison, drugs I think.

Freddie, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g?

I guess in a small community it might be harder for male not-Pargetter ex-convicts to re-establish a thriving life, since everything hangs on patronage of one sort or another.

Susan's brother (can't remember his name) and Eddie's brother, Alf, have been in prison, although of course they don't speak and don't live in Ambridge.

What was the point of the itch SL if it isn't a STI?

But “i have an alcohol addiction” is. On the other hand, there has never been a requirement to employ a person with a disability if their disability renders them incapable of doing the job even with reasonable adjustments.

I imagine even thinking your boyfriend has given you a STD is enough to make one seriously question the relationship? It’s all leading to Paul being single by the time Ruairi returns …