Archers thread #168: Near to the Maddening Crowd? 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 to hear more of Harrison's strange little moaning noises, 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.)

Thanks to @OverArmour for the title suggestion!

Over to you.

I have a friend who emigrated c mid-'90s and every now and then I get an Archers-related message on WhatsApp from him. I doubt he'd admit to anyone else he listens though.

I think I am a very select minority. I have dual nationality but am a Lancastrian at heart.🌹

Tried your link @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, thank you but sadly does not work. I bet the episode will be rubbish when I finally am able to listen.!

Certainly not missing a lot from yesterday, the silence here spoke volumes

Hopefully problems just a blip for those outside the UK, especially as some were having difficulty within the UK. In the UK I went to listen just after it had ended, just missed the end on live radio so could not scroll back. Sounds loaded up fine but episode not available until I tried again slightly later (perhaps this is normal).

Is lovely to think we are listening around the globe and would be sad to lose that, especially when some have listened so long. If problems continue be happy to add to any voices to the BBC to get them to sort it out.

If problems continued and you want to go on listening, and are not aware, there is the adrianbeal website, that ‘Always’ recently kindly pointed me to. It has all the omnibus editions available going back well over a decade, and they seem to be loaded up fairly quickly (within days) after broadcast. There is a simple password valid for the current year, that is sent to you in response to clicking on one of the charities listed on his website and donating £10 via that link to just giving. The password is in a message that pops up below the confirmation of donation from just giving (but you must use the link to just giving from his website). He has links from a choice of charities, a number of the big ones are there. Presumably this should work from anywhere.

I also only recently found out from here that the archersreporter website has unofficial synopses going back to 2020, which are very detailed.

Most of you probably are fully aware of all of this, but just in case any others like me did not know, it could be useful.

@VoxPop I had no idea, thank you so much.

Last night seemed to be tying up a couple of loose ends.

Roy is officially staying with Lexi in Bulgaria (Hooray, a happy ending at least for the actor's character who he must have identified strongly with for so many years).

Lily will be working at Grey Gables (hot girl summer 🙄yawn) as predicted.

The guilty feeling is increasing for George.

Also the money has already gone through to pay for Bartleby - though George was adamant Meg was not getting him until Friday leading me to predict he will be dead before then. And I thought we heard the penny dropping with George that he might be about to add perjury to his list of misdemeanours.

I had a similar problem with "not available in your area" last night, but manage to fix it by switching to a different browser - phew!

Just a suggestion, though not sure how well it would work/if it would cause more confusion:

As much as i love the off topic diversion onto marmalade & sweet lasagana recipes spelling nemonics* etc ... ive just had to catching up with 20 ish pages ...

Could there be a way of marking some of the longer posts that are random diversions/ adjacent to an adjacent and no longer archers related, so when faced with 20 pages to catch up I can just read archers related discussioanimal we want and skip the rest

And yes I know the irony of this being long/off topic and probbly miss spelled! (Sorry)

(*as a dyslexic that was helpfully, but as a very slow reader not so much)

Whilst I’m happy for Roy

1. I’m sad for his 16yo
2. its not like Roy to drop Oliver in it and they could have had him work his notice

whats going to happen to Kirsty?

I don't think it's that deep. It was just a nice way for the SW to tie it up for the actor. They did say Abbie and Mike were going over to see him.

I know they were doing it to give him a nice ending but I still would have preferred for him to work his notice!!!

I’d be really happy if they’ve chosen to end the character arc for Roy rather than replace with another new voice.
I guess it leaves it open for another version of Roy to “return” in the future. (But I hope he doesn’t.)

Thanks! I don’t think I shall bother with catch-up

I loved the references to the wider, long disappeared Tucker clan - and am glad this outcome for Roy means he can still be spoken of in the present tense by Kirsty, Phoebe (whenever she drops in) and by extension, Kate and even Brian.

Definite BOOP, even if not unexpected by us.

Perversion of the course of justice, which he has already comitted, is hardly a misdemeanour

I suppose Phoebe is still a link to tuckers as daughter, granddaughter niece and sister. And Roy will get a mention when she eventually returns

Remind me where Feebs is at the moment.
Ah, found it:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3W7V7HjKJGlFGTQjvYDbFJb/phoebe-aldridge

My pleasure, and as a born and bred manc, doubly so for a fellow displaced north westerner.

You can take the girl out of Lancashire, but you can never take Lancashire out of the girl😁I have very fond memories of Manchester, used to work on Balloon Street many years ago.

<delurks>

There was definitely something up with the Sounds app last night - the episode wasn't available until later than normal. Hopefully just a blip?

<relurks>

I have had a reply from BBC Sounds to tell me it has all been fixed😁

Happy days.

Ha at the very end of the 60s used to regularly hang round at the other side of the block.

My best friend got her 1st job at Withy Grove, I was still at school in Whitworth St, and would walk over to meet her from work and wait on the corner of the Thompson House arcade/lane staff entrance.

Great access issues sorted.

@VoxPop who stole the last 50 years?😂

I think the SW may have been reading our irritation that no one ever works their notice. Oliver said Roy had annual leave owing which he was going to take in lieu of notice. Have to assume he only had to give a month's notice as it seems very unlikely he had 3 months unused leave. Even 4 weeks is stretching my ability to suspend my disbelief.

PS I don't really think the SW read what we are saying. They'd be writing a completely different script if they did and cutting all the Keystone cops attempts at humour. (And cutting half the characters as well!)