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.

If Phoebe could come back with a ready made little family that would be good

But Phoebs was boring so I wouldn’t want her back until she’s grown a personality

You have to hand it to the scriptwriters: they're very good at dull-and-righteous young women that some listeners would happily strangle. See also Mia and Kirsty.

Oooh, yes - the new sometimes wise Kate as Spiritual Grandma?

Delicious!

Of all the women of that generation who would actually make an interesting matriarch it is definitely Kate

She does have an unusually (not always enviably) broad experience of life - as a daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, partner, aunt, mother. As well as pupil, student, traveller, renegade, employee, business owner … Far more immersion in the wider world than almost any other Archer. She’s no scholar but has made the most of capitalising on her interests. I’m struggling to recall any friendships - is that my memory or her character? Oh - Lynda, intermittently?

I love that they gave Roy a proper send off - and that his absence has been so fully referenced with regard to the rotas. Going to live happily ever after with Lexi feels entirely believable and as Lily steps in to become Oliver’s right-hand woman we can see her slowly morphing into the new Caroline (as suggested by a PP on a previous thread). I

Phoebe is 26 tomorrow. Born in a tent at Glastonbury, as some of us old hands will remember. The BBC recorded some scenes there for verisimilitude.

There would be a point. Lexi in the same village as her child. Lots of drama there

Lexi isn’t the biological mother? Or she is? I missed that particular SL

Surely the Eavis family must have given her a lifetime ticket?🎁 Mean, otherwise … Would have been lovely to hear her there tomorrow, maybe meeting up with old Ambridge chums. The BBC could have made it an annual thing. (Quiet spiritual quest in fallow years.)

I was only thinking of Nu-Roy in the event of the Bulgarian connection failing.

(Not expecting to see Lexi back in Ambridge. Think of the SWs’ blood pressures if they were obliged to run a long ‘subsequent to surrogacy’ story with the participants living cheek by jowl.)

It was all done via a clinic, IIRC. The egg came from an unknown woman. Adam provided the other necessary gamete. Lexi had the embryo implanted and her body did all the necessary work from then on, up to and including giving birth to Xander. I believe what happens then is that the birth mother registers the birth and it's up to her whether to name the father or not. In this case she would have named Adam. There would then have been some legal stuff to ensure that Ian's parental rights and responsibilities were acknowledged in law. I assume Lexi had to do something to renounce hers.

I wasn't really listening - I have Radio 4 on all day and have learned to tune it out a lot of the time - but I think they just said that a future episode of Feedback will be about TA and asked listeners to send in questions. I didn't hear who will be answering the questions.

A whole episode? They think a lot of themselves!!

I've assumed that since Xander is named after Lexi, Ian and Adam see some kind of connection between them

They must be planning something that they know will piss us off even more than usual. I still fear for Bartelby.

Yes, she was their living incubator.

Loving this little cabal at the tea shop!

Enjoyed Miranda asking for Fagash's help with Brian. All they really have in common is Justin, and Miranda won that contest long, long ago when she got rid of him. But she does seem fond of Brian and I'm warming to her, though that may be partly because I can't help but feel sorry for the actress, married to Phlegmeister Justin in real life ...

I do hope Brian is alright. I’m really rather fond of him.

I did love Susan’s scoffing “self medicating” muttering 😊

Alice’s troubles have speeded up my predicted rapprochement between Lillian and Miranda - and it was wonderful to see Martha’s grandma included. How things have changed since the early ‘starter marriage’ days when Susan was desperate to be considered good enough by Jenny … This can’t be a situation she ever imagined.

Yes Joy is getting on my nerves too, especially when she is with Worzil(Mick).
Laughed when Susan said "self medication".
As if Miranda would ask for Lils advice concerning Brian and Alice, Miranda seems the type who could deal with anything and Lils her nemesis so I cant see that happening at all. Emma can be quite vicious when it comes to Alice Im thinking, but she is taking it out on the stables which isnt fair and its the first Ive heard of her writing a nasty review.

the first Ive heard of her writing a nasty review.

I blame Eng Lit GCSEs.

George is clearly too immature to handle the relationship with Meg about Bartleby. I would be asking to deal with a grown up if I were being messed around in this way. Is he for sale or not?

Btw, I am absolutely horrified every time I hear George in a scene at the moment. He has had countless opportunities to come clean and so deserves to be treated harshly by the courts when the truth finally emerges. The SWs are doing really well spinning this one out.

Can they please just make up their minds about the interminable non-story of Meg and Bartleby and stick with it? Thanks.

Signed

A fed-up listener