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 ...

Ooh why are they referring Saturday Night Fever for 80s, it's clearly 70s..I was thinking maybe a Dirty Dancing routine or flash dance with Ed in leg warmers.

Oh that makes sense, I was wondering why so much focus on the birthday.

Oh goodness no. Nothing like Olivia Coleman or Samantha Moreton or Sally Hawkins.

Tracey is orange with obvious false eye lashes and not in the least bit attractive.

I'm not sure it will come out on Wednesday as such.

Either Emma will scarper as she won't be able to face it and that will start to tongues wagging.

Or her and George will, in the lead up to him taking her to The Bull, decide to brave it out. And then when it does come out, it will look even worse for them for soaking up everyone's good wishes, while all the time letting Alice spiral.

@TonightMatthewIamgoingtobecher , so was Star Wars.

True but not Return of the Jedi I think they were talking about Ewoks.

Fallon said Star Wars (1977, I think). Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were 1980s. Ed mentioned Ewoks.

Fallon clearly has no clue about 70s or 80s films!

Tracy is attractive because she laughs a lot and isn't resentful or envious of other people's lives. In repose, her face is attractive. Susan has "ideas above her station" and is the opposite, which is ironic given that she managed to snaffle Neil, who is a very decent man. (Was that a shotgun wedding?) When nobody's looking, Susan expression is sour.

Emma takes after her mother.

So can we assume the truth about George's role in Am-gate is going to come out on Wednesday and ruin Emma's birthday party?

Yes, I think we are definitely heading for a full-on denouement. I wonder what food Fallon is preparing and is it under the Terum umbrella or her own? That was all very unclear (which is confusing given how much of a to-do Gnasher made about her taking on the hen party privately); but may be she is doing the catering on behalf of the Bull.

Couldn’t be bothered to listen. Might just follow on here for now!

Didn't realise until this week that I'm the same age as Emma. I always assumed her to be older. How young did she have George? (My kids are preschoolers I can't imagine an adult version of me in my house) 😂😂

Emma (born August 1984) was 20-going-on-21 when George was born in April 2005. So not that young to become a mother, though perhaps a little young to have already swapped Will for Ed and not be sure who was the father.

Is there ever an age when that’s ok? 😄

Tracey is Kerry from This Country (Daisy May Cooper) after her glow up.

Nooo Tracey is… nice enough looking, raising to rather lovely (but not beautiful or stereotypically sexy) when she ‘makes an effort’. Clear skin and smiley sparkly eyes, hardly ever wears makeup and usually has her (dark) hair scraped back. Most of the time she lives in leggings and a baggy top. She’s average height and slim-ish.

Oh oh, Jill Scott (the ex footballer), that’s who Tracey looks a bit like. Relatively plain but attractive because she’s so smiley.

'Tracey is orange with obvious false eye lashes and not in the least bit attractive.'

There is no way Chelsea would allow this 😁

I'm not convinced Chelsea is any different.

I had to Google that. No. Tracey isn't fat- quite the opposite. Tracey is whippet thin and wears cheap leggings to show off her figure.

In my head Tracey looks like Jill Halfpenny the actress. She's definitely brunette.

But she also loves her niece and doesn't want to subject her to a similar experience to what she went through when her mother was in prison - particularly given how young Martha is.

I do hope there is a mechanism whereby, if the more serious charges against Alice are dismissed, she can still be charged with being drunk in charge and, with luck, disqualified.

I doubt that that can happen. The only person who can give evidence of it is George, and given that he's admitted to trying to pervert the course of justice the prosecution are hardly going to rely on him.

Yes! That’s someone else I had in mind. All the Jills.

Every time Justin makes an appearance I find a new reason to hate him.

Her own defence - and her statement to the police - inevitably involves confession to being drunk in charge of the vehicle. Car keys in the glove box make no difference. But the CPS might not have bothered to stick that on the charge sheet, having the two juicier charges for an apparently open and shut case.