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 ...

I can’t help hearing both Tracy and Chelsea as somewhat lumpen. Any attractiveness Chelsea has will be that of youth. Her mother cannot remotely be considered young, though,, so….

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

Me too. After a cracking episode on Friday we have Justin croaking on about under 16s cricket and Fallon cackling like a demented witch.

Is she encouraging Ed to dress up as John Travolta and do some dad moves as Emma arrives at her surprise birthday party?

"Ed, she's gunna love it. For certain."

Methinks not, Fallon. Methinks not.

Er, Saturday Night Fever was the 70s not 80s. Who wants to watch a film at a party sounds like a crap do, cant they come up with something better or maybe just a some food drink and dancing, its gonna be a surprise anyway. But Emma is not in the right frame of mind for a knees up she is scared out of her life because of George. Also George going round being stroppy is getting a bit wearing to be honest.

The lack of accuracy of the films is so irritating.

I predict Emma points out it’s wrong and strops off.

Is it that hard to Google? So many classic 80s films

maybe Emma will ride on on a bike shouting ‘go home’ if she’s not in the mood

Do people have nostalgia for "classic" films that came out during the decade they were born? I don't, because I don't remember them ... what with not having seen them at the time.

To be fair classic films like Brief Encounter came out long before I was born but I am still familiar with them if not, personally, nostalgic. I did visit Carnforth station where it was filmed though when I was in the area. So I was a bit nostalgic for the style element.

No I agree Gonners- I am 5 years older than Emma and I remember being very young and seeing ET but it is really 90s films that I really remember and influenced me.

unless Emma has a particular passion for a certain era or film then I can’t see why you would pick that decade (or the one before by the sounds of it)

it makes more sense for the parents than the child!

I'm finding that I'm only listening to an episode after I've read these posts.

Anybody else do the same thing?

Have to admit that I have gone meta and never listen. I read here regularly and if a bit lost. I read the BBC synopsis. World for me albeit I occasionally get caught out by a weekend !

I think Susan looks like Kath from Kath and Kim but much more sour faced. Lots of busybody bustling and a tight perm. Chelsea is like Kim...!

https://images.app.goo.gl/GXsUWsMAaJib5JDS7

Am I the only one who doesn’t have an internal picture of every character?

Alistair and Justin's bet. Innocent scene from wet behind the ears writer who doesn't know their history or the beginnings of Alistair's slippery slope back to gambling addiction?

Emma's birthday party is obviously the best time for all of the Alice/George stuff to come out. I can't wait!

Me neither. But I have a aphantasia so I don't have a mental picture of anyone.

Are they setting up an Ed/Fallon storyline as they seemed very close last night? Fallon splits up with Harrison after he loses the plot when he finds out who was responsible for the demise of his heir (as he sees it) and ends up getting sacked. And Ed and Emma's marriage hits the rocks when Ed finds out that Emma has not told him about George's confession, not to mention the toll the whole thing takes on them both...

The dance moves scene was odd; it’s as if the SW hasn’t realised they can’t pick and choose which scenes listeners will find significant.

But it was surely just filler? There’s no way Fallon would go there again - she’s had her turn at taking second place to Emma in Ed’s heart.

The dance moves scene was not only odd, it was lousy radio. Altogether a very weak episode last night.

No, you’re not. I see the characters as looking like the actors who play them, if I think about it at all.

Was there an Ed/Fallon thing before?

It was setting up the scene for Emma's 'Big 4 O' surprise party. Which will not go well.

Yes. A long time ago. Emma grew up with Ed and Will. Went out with Will. Ed was holding a torch for her. They ended up sleeping together very shortly before her wedding to Will. She knew she was pregnant by the day of the wedding. She decided to assume it was Will's but over the next year or two she regretted the marriage and came to believe George's father was Ed, not Will. Eventually she left Will and she and Ed at one point had a plan to run away to France with George. Obviously that came to nothing, and they stayed in Ambridge, going through some very rocky years where relations with Will were understandably abysmal.

Anyway, by the time of the wedding it was clear to Oliver that Ed was at a low ebb so he helped him go away for a while - to the US? I can't remember. He came back with an American girlfriend which put Emma's nose right out of joint. That didn't last long but then he had a brief thing with Fallon. That was complicated too, because Jazzer had long held a torch for Fallon, but she had made it very clear to him that she would never be able to feel the same way.

From memory, after things fizzled out with Ed, there was a man called Harry - did he work at The Bull? And as a milkman? He shared a house with Jazzer. The three of them went off on a road trip in the course of which Harry met a male friend and it then became clear that he was actually bi and the friend was an ex, but both of them were now keen to re-kindle things. So that was a blow for Fallon, and in the immediate aftermath she and Jazzer slept together. It was a one off, though, and as we know they have both moved on since.

PS A DNA test proved that Will was George's father. He was understandably but unpleasantly triumphal about that.

PPS American girlfriend was called Beth.

PPPS Ed, Fallon and Jazzer were in a band together, whose name escapes me. Jazzer was Ed's best friend at school, I think. There was an odd episode long ago where they all took drugs. Was this all in the early 00s? A loooong time ago, anyway.

Ed, Fallon and Jazzer were in a band together, whose name escapes me.

Dross

Brava, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g! I remember all those events, but can’t always sort out the chronology in what passes for my memory these days.

Beth was such a breath of fresh air in Ambridge! I love Ed but she was way out of his league.

And I recall feeling awful sorry for Fallon because was so much more invested in their relationship than Ed was.

And I remember weeping with joy when Emma bravely, finally, knocked on Ed’s door …

I wouldn't be just so sure that I've got the chronology right! Asking will have chapter and verse, I'm sure.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/bvX3vgWhPVjvd5ZS85Y2N7/a-history-of-emma-and-ed-two-decades-of-ups-and-downs

This should fill in a few gaps. Of course during the first few years Emma was Felicity Jones, who for some unaccountable reason wanted to be a Hollywood A lister instead of an Archers actor for the rest of her life.