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 ...

WagnersFourthSymphony
And it has the added benefit of proving Lynda right to be concerned about Health & Safety.

I am always puzzled by this, because I thought that was Health and Safety at Work, but it gets used about things like Alice driving dangerously on her own time as well. And the Fête is not At Work. Can someone explain it for me very simply because it has been a long day? Risk Assessment I can grasp....

I think the H&S thing was to do with ferrying people to and fro between the fete and the stables event. It would (at the very least) require insurance.

Very much so. My dad was treasurer of a town show in Cumbria. He had to resign because they wanted him to personally take out insurance for the pony ride. It was the year someone was badly hurt or even killed by a horse bolting at a fete.

I do like Lynda but if she wanted the fete organising her way she should bloody well have done it herself. I never understand why every event seems to be organised at the last minute, the events I've run have had everything locked down and booked a year in advance!

But yay for Lynda admonishing Kirsty for talking with her mouth full

I think she just wanted to throw her weight about and make it clear she disapproved of them daring to eat before she had finished telling them how the fête was to be organised. She did wait until Kirsty had her mouth full before demanding that she answer a question, I think?

she was proving the point that having food at the meeting was a bad idea as Kirsty was firstly distracted and then couldn’t speak

I thought cheese twists were an odd choice

But I also wonder when she asked if they were testing for the fete if she was being a snob about cheese twists and suggesting they are a ‘cost of living’ food

I loved Joy slapping Lynda’s hand down.

Metaphorically, of course.

I also enjoyed Lillian mocking Justin’s lack of HR knowledge.

When the truth comes out about Alice, I hope Justin has the decency to apologise.

Unfortunately he will go on being right that the perception is that she gets drunk and is not fit to handle horses or children, though. The strangles outbreak was nothing to do with her, but people almost certainly blame her for that, too.

Trading Places is on Binge - well it is in Australia, and generally it has aged well, bar the gratuitous breasts with wouldn't fly now and make me want to look away.

I hope "Cantering On" is huge, unmitigated disastrous flop and no- one turns up.

Even better would be a drunk Alice running Phlemgy and Fagash over.

Me too, when the sobbing/struggling to catch his breath started.

Even though he is a bit of a villian Justin has a point about Alice being a liability and I think if it was anyone else Lil would be the same, she is only sticking up for Alice because she is her Aunt, look how she treated Tracy in the Bull.
Not interested in the fate, it will be over soon and everyone will be saying it was such a success being a joint effort with the stables, unless some thing happens with George and Alice on the day. I would hate to live where everyone knew me and every little thing I do, that to me would be a nightmare.

Having worked with people who struggled with substance abuse you have to do a bit more than just be involved with a crime. If she’s guilty, fine, but atm she is awaiting trial. And actually we know she isn’t.

If he wants to get rid of her do it properly. But also treating people who are struggling in a dismissive way isn’t going to make her any better.

They certainly are, and all the stuff that needs to be done - traffic management arrangements: notifying police of same, signage: notifying planning authorities of same, car parking: arranging with landowners of same, emergency plan: notifying authorities, and insurance, insurance, insurance.

And advertising, and notifying the local papers and radio station, and hi-viz for stewards, and, and, and . . .

portaloos

sound system for announcements

I'm always annoyed by the SWs assuming things, whether fetes or pantomimes, get arranged and organised in the last fortnight before they happen - it seems characteristic of an annoyingly un-adult life experience.

Isn’t Justin spending rather too much time on the stables? What kind of businessman is he!! And why does he get the final say on Alice. I’m glad Lillian brought up employment law

But was she right about it? Has Alice been employed for two years? Justin does have a point about the risk to the business; I'm not sure I'd want to entrust my child to a known drinker who is awaiting trial for drink driving and worse.

Emma’s impending surprise 40th is another event that would have had months of discussion and planning IRL. Also lots of cheeky refs from Ed about the big 4-0 and Emma wailing since January ‘I can’t believe I’m going to be 40 this year’.

If they started planning the fête in a realistic timeframe, we'd all be moaning about how long it was going on for, like the hen do.

If they scripted their project planning meetings, surmounting minor challenges, timetabling play rehearsals etc etc in ways that don't conflict with calving (a BIG challenge for village drama organisers) and showed us all the interpersonal power struggles that happen in could be huge fun.

True to the original spirit of the show, not just showing farmers how to do farming right, but also showing communities how to get along. Or not.

Justin is correct. Fagash was spouting nonsense.

Time follows different rules in soap drama, so it only takes a month for Alice in rehab and no time at all to organise a fete/Christmas show/big 40 birthday party. OTOH, some characters seem to live (almost) forever.

That's true, but there could be reference to it without us having to endure it - "we had to confirm the booking in November," "that was decided in the meeting in March," something like that.

Do they have an indoor school? I always presumed it was just an outdoor.

Health and Safety at Work includes employees and “people affected by your operations”. Employees also includes voluntary workers, as people affected includes visitors and general public. That last bit probably explains why todays children miss out on the fun of playing on building sites (please don’t take that seriously and lecture me) I have a beautiful Victorian blue medicine phial which I found in the foundations of a house being built opposite us.

Why did it have to be personally? Why could the managing committee not take out insurance? I’m chair of a group managing a small nature reserve, and we have public liability insurance, in the name of the group.