Archers thread #170: The scriptwriters have cast a Paul on proceedings! 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 Drunk Alistair, 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radioaddicts/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/radioaddicts/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. I was tempted to try some sort of complex riff on chocolate names, given @PedantScorner's lightbulb moment - Paul's sister is Cara Mack! - and all the nonsense in last night's episode about coffee creams, but I couldn't be bothered, beyond thinking we must all be Cadbury's Fruit and Nutcases for listening at the moment. Let's hope the SWs take a walk along Quality Street or we'll have to put a Bounty on their heads!

And over to you ...

There are many ways of spelling names but the one I mentioned grated because it looked like poking fun.

It might be distressing, but there's not a lot you can do if the professionals won't attend (assuming you haven't got the experience or equipment to kill it humanely).

How on earth does Emma think no one - ... - will notice that she’s got the weight of the world on her shoulders too, and there’s clearly something up with her and George now?
Because she has a sour face at the best of times?

It will be Neil who says 'It's not your fault, love' or words to that effect.

@Bruisername I’m afraid this is why I have no time for the RSPCA.

If there is a local animal rescue I would t try them. If it’s badly injured enough that it won’t hurt you, a local vet will do the decent thing but don’t attempt this if it is alive enough to lash out at you.

Otherwise I’m afraid it’s a case of letting nature take its course (there are worse things than for them to be allowed to die quietly), or a sharp shovel to the back of the neck if a) it would stay still long enough and b) you’re up to it.

I haven’t got the stomach to kill anything!! I don’t know if it’s dying - it’s young and has a sore foot and I think it is hanging around because it’s young and not sure what to do

You could give it some water to drink and something to eat, if you want to. It will reward you by getting better and coming back to eat your chickens.

I live in London so no worries about that! I left it some food and water and it seems to have found a safe space away from all the dog walkers (why on earth you would let your dog try and go for/sniff a fox I don’t know)

I kind of hope the foxes are helping keep the rats in check

On the Irish names - I don’t understand why it’s seen as mocking the Irish. I see it more as making fun of English people who can’t spell or pronounce it properly

@Bruisername If you’re in North London, I can give you the name of a local fox rescue charity that came and got a sick fox that was wandering around in our front garden.
Otherwise, Facebook may reveal a small local wildlife rescue organisation.

That would be good. I’m not on Facebook

@Bruisername

Ed has been (understandably) extremely negative about George in recent times and any bond they might have had seems to have disappeared.

We’d never heard them interact prior to George’s first speaking part a couple of years back so we can only guess at their relationship but as Will has always been a constant presence and George has never needed a stand in father figure I expect he has always just viewed Ed as his uncle. Which is why Emma calling him his dad sounded so odd to me.

I don’t think George particularly cares if Ed loves Keira more than him. He’s always sounded ambivalent at best about his step parents - he told Brad he wasn’t sad at all when Nic died - and barely tolerates his parents. I was completely unmoved by his tears and noticed the mask on his poor little boy lost act quickly slipped when he wrestled the phone from Emma.

If it’s a baby is it small enough to get into a cat carrier and take to vets? There’s an rspca scheme whereby vets get paid for treating strays IIRC. I used it for a little stray kitten I found on the roadside a couple of years ago.

its probably a juvenile that has been kicked out of home by mum! I’m not sure I could safely catch it. It is in a safe place at the moment and I will try the rescue suggested

I started to question my moral compass during last night's excellent episode.

I was thinking if it were my child I might keep quiet and urge them to do the same because ...

Alice was born with a silver spoon in her mouth (unlike George).

She threw it all away, caused untold misery to her loved ones all snd others- all for the love of booze.

Daddy's money bought her rehab, her wealthy aunt got her a job at the Stables and her kind hearted husband gave her the chance to have a relationship with her daughter.

And she blew it again for the love of booze.

Any joy with the fox @Bruisername ?

A major difficulty being that Alice is being charged with a crime which both George and Emma know for certain she did not commit. To collude to cause her to be imprisoned for it would be seriously bad behaviour, and make them liable for imprisonment themselves. Also, neither can be sure the other will not (accidentally or deliberately) give away what actually happened, thus landing both squarely in the shit.

There is also the consideration that if someone ought not to be the victim of a a gross miscarriage of justice only because they are poor, someone ought not to be the victim of a a gross miscarriage of justice only because their father was rich.

Also, I don't think "love of booze" is accurate, because I don't think the relationship an alcoholic has with booze is loving it. Being addicted to it, yes. But I think quite often the victim of this illness hates both the booze and the addiction, but is unable to get away from either; it's not just a case of showing a bit more willpower, as a rule.

I went back to check and i couldn’t see it - I suspect it’s found a safe place behind a gated driveway. I will walk past in the morning and if it is there I will call the rescue. The postman I spoke to told me the people in the house are big animal lovers so perhaps they will have dealt with it.

Unfortunately wealth and opportunity doesn’t mean happiness or success and to be penalised for the life you were born into is harsh!!

it would be easier for Emma to compartmentalise if Alice wasn’t the mother of her niece

This is EXACTLY who I imagine when I hear Adam.

But Alice is a brunette, and tall and willowy.

I think Emma is supposed to be tiny and very pretty.

Kate is blonde and tiny.
Debbie is taller and dark-haired.
Adam looks like sometimes-gay Adam Carrington in Dynasty.

I kind of get where you're coming from but people born into wealth are just as likely to have tragedy in their lives as someone from a less well off background. Emma had a stable upbringing but still managed to cock her life up on several occasions, not because she came from a poorer background but because she (ironically) is a bit spoilt.

I was told that if you take a wild animal or bird to the vets they have to treat it

but I've also been told that rescue centres can't accept gry squirrels as they are classed as vermin and it's illegal to release them back into the wild

so I don't know what would happen if you took an injured grey squirrel to the vet

Ring round emergency vets.