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 think there must be a queue of children who need a voice, and Rosie can't be that high up.

Am I mistaken, or did we get the whole way through a storyline featuring Jack (Junior), his father's death, and his inheritance, without hearing him?

Anyway, before I hear from Keira, Poppy, Xander, Martha et al, I want Brad back! I want to know how his A Levels went, which uni he's going to ... there had better be a couple of Brad-heavy weeks coming up in late August!

If Rosie is as horrified by her mother as we all are it may be good if she has a voice but at present she appears to be overly indulged so will undoubtedly turn out like her mother

I took the kitten love to be signalling broodiness; maybe Pip could get back with Toby and have another baby.

Given George’s merciless take down of his parental origins I pity poor Alice once her daughter is given a voice.

It’s true there are others ahead of her but Rosie just seems to be the greatest absence. I believe the other offspring exist - I find it impossible to believe in her. (As does Stella, differently.)

Is it too much to ask for to hope that one of the young Archers (Ben? Josh? Dan? Johnny? Henry?) is allowed to find a nice girl, get married and have a brood of healthy children who love farming related activities and their family?
We need a few locals who aren’t the product of trauma or adultery surely. Otherwise evenings in the Bull will become extremely weird. Oh THAT village, they will be saying in Borchester!

I thought we did hear Jack. Or maybe I imagined it.

Henry was 11 or so before he spoke and I think the benefit of that was that when he finally did, he said something sensible! I suspect all we'd hear from Rosie would be "Gimme more cake".

Gosh, Dan will be thirty this November!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/253WN6kCxf87ZyQzM9Bhp5d/dan-hebden-lloyd

And the SWs seem reluctant to bring him home …

I forgot about Dan. Alistair never mentions him.

I don't think we've ever heard Jack.

It would be good to hear the voices of Kiera and Poppy next. They are cousins and also share a half-brother. The Grundy family dynamics over the coming years might be quite interesting.

Denise referred to her daughter for the first time the other day (Cora?). It's odd that neither she nor Paul has ever said a word about her. I thought Paul was an only child. Hopefully if she ever turns up she won't be as irritating as her brother.

Cara, I think?

No one mentions Dan. Either the newer SWs have no clue he exists, or an edict has been issued writing him out alongside Shula.

Lord …

They do sound pretty distant though.

Was about time.

Think we'll all be tuning in tomorrow and more importantly and portently (!), on Friday.....

I don’t know, the things that go on on the biscuit run

Ok. I stand corrected. I honestly thought she made the failing marriage thing up.

No,we heard a lot from Henwee in Rob days. He was about 5 with the tones and vocabulary of a three year old. An unnaturally docile child.

"Awwight" mainly.

Arf! I'd completely forgotten the "Awwight" period.

and they didn't even tell us what sort of biscuits

always the existential angst and the lurve, never the inside track on the biscuits

My money is on chocolate digestives being involved. Possibly Rich Teas.

I assume from Jazzer's reference to 'the chocolate ones' that they were pondering a brand of biscuits that come in chocolate and non-chocolate varieties, my money would be on HobNobs.

Of course, it could be that he was just eyeing up chocolate biscuits in general, but I choose to think not.

I got the impression Denise picked several different packets. It would make sense for them to have a few in stock at the surgery. Did she go back for them after ending her marriage?

Have I missed Jazzer finding out about Al and D'Knees? He was pretty judgmental.

Wasn't he part of the group that were egging Alistair on to follow his heart (breaking up a marriage in the process). Jim was also there.

He’s known for a while, IIRC he twigged how Alistair was feeling. I remember there being some conversations between Alistair, Jazzer and the Prof.

Thanks, @CaptainMyCaptain and @BrightYellowDaffodil - I confess to mentally tuning out when conversations among The Boy Housemates were involved!

So he really needs to wind his neck in now, doesn't he? Would he have spoken to Alistair the way he spoke to Denise?

"I encouraged it at the time, but now I've met John I see that you were both very wrong and am going to hypocritically pretend that I didn't encourage it" would perhaps have been more appropriate.

Frig rolls might be apropos