Archers thread #171: Harvest's nearly over – but will George ever reap what he has sown? 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 have been delighted with a hand-painted squirrel tray for your 40th, as shown below, 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/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.)

All I have to say about current storylines for now is that I want the George Alice crash stuff to come to a resolution, sooner rather than later, and I also want to hear very little indeed of Alistair, Denise and Paul maundering on. More of Jakob would be very welcome. His brother can come back any time too.

I now declare this thread open for business!

Yes this definitely a fun development, boop!

Poor Susan though.

Chinese lanterns are an airborne fire hazard. Even if the candle doesn’t torch someone’s barn/stables/crops, the little metal frame gets stuck in animals’ feet.

Even owning one should be a hanging offence.

That’s exactly what I thought.

Will: ”George, can I check you’re happy with this? Yer uncle Clive wants us to cover all his costs for living here for as long as he likes otherwise he'll tell the whole village what you did. That OK with you?”

Although I think this storyline is spiralling out of control that was a genuinely scary performance.

Anyone else getting increasing annoyed by the background sound effects used during conversations?
Last night the music playing while Lilian and Paul were talking was so awful I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying - no bad thing for some listeners!

And over the last couple of weeks when Alistair was talking to John outside and another time with Paul, I think, there was the same repetitive soundtrack of loud birds chattering, really irritating!
I wish they'd use more gentle background noises.

I have been listening for more than 10 years and apart from what I have learnt on here, I have no idea really who Clive is and what he has done. I can’t decide if, without knowing the backstory, I would find Clive’s return intriguing or would just think ‘what the hell is happening now’?

I need to get my annoyance off my chest - why is Lilian banging on (and has done over several episodes) about medals for Cantering On - it’s Rosettes the kids want, Lilian!

Me too I know nothing of Uncle Clive or Susan being in clink.
Emma needs to put a stop to all this and put her Mum before George for a change, but unconditional love is hard to ignore. I knew someone whos son was really awful but she whould do anything for him.
Hope things get brighter for you @Bruisername.

Me too I know nothing of Uncle Clive or Susan being in clink.

Here you go:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thearchers/entries/f62a8472-c9d7-4a57-b7c9-5ec0fb9fe8bd

First two links have actor photos!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/10QgC6jF5YpX2pKJbVk7Vdv/susan-carter

https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thearchers/entries/fe065786-77c6-3034-b4e2-e0f66d285750

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/law-jailing-the-ambridge-one-roger-ede-responsible-for-putting-a-radio-character-behind-bars-talks-to-fiona-bawdon-1403093.html

If you're an EE fan of the right vintage, Clive is the Nasty Nick of Ambridge.

I didn't get the impression it was a large mortgage. I think it was in the region of £10k they needed in total? Surely most lenders would be prepared to do that. I don't have a mortgage or know a lot about them, but such a low loan to value ratio strikes me as being very low risk. Even if Will's income is unsteady, he's put up a three (?) bedroom house against a £10k loan. The banks couldn't really lose on that.

I’ve got one. Bought in about 1995 when the whole point was that you and the DC watched in amazement as it rose to about 20ft, drifted across the park for a few minutes, then back to earth as the tiny scrap of lighted paper burned up, and you retrieved it and carefully put it away for another occasion. That was before they became yet another way of ostentatiously displaying your family event to as many people as possible.

It was superseded in DC’s affections by a tiny teddy with a sort of hang glider which slid up a kite string till it reached the kite, then detached itself and fell to earth for the DC to retrieve. They got a lot of exercise like that.

I don’t even notice the background noises! I had no idea music was playing during Lilian and Paul.

Mind, at this stage I can’t quite remember Lilian and Paul.

I'd never heard of Chinese lanterns til a few years ago, staying at my brothers house I looked out of the window and saw all these lights drifting across the night sky. Thought the aliens had finally arrived.

Ha I’ve just come to catch up with the reaction to Clive’s return and it’s a heady mix of “this is ludicrous and unbelievable “ and “this is boring, I blocked it out”.

I quite like it when there are ridiculously clunky forewarnings of plots to come, like Paul and his Medals Schedule.

Clive was marvellously Machiavellian I thought.

I think they will have met before, but not much. Clive last came back during the Matt/Paul/Lillian love triangle, it was while Keith Horrobin was in prison because Clive had a fling with Keith's wife.

I think George was primary school aged when Keith set fire to Brookfield barn because Emma thought he and Ben were playing in there. So he was old enough to remember Clive's last visit.

Now that I'm back with internet access ...

Why has no one in the Carter-Grundy circle commented on the fact that Emma and Will have suddenly become besties? And Ed and Will as well. Will has spent years barely tolerating Emma and Ed, why on earth would he be invited to celebrate Emma's GCSE result when even Chris and Martha weren't? The idea that he would invest in the tree surgery was IMO the first hint of it. It's all turned a bit Conscious Uncoupling and World's Closest Coparents. How come even Susan and Clarrie haven't remarked on it?

I quite agree, everyone wants a pretty rosette so they can have a picture of their pony wearing it then display it at home.

However nobody will care about medals or rosettes if Clive the Ambridge Horse Slasher turns up to Cantering On!

Last night ....Lilian and Paul .. talking was so awful I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying.

I didn't notice the music.

Yes, and as someone on X commented yesterday, why hasn't anybody noticed Emma constantly going in and out of Will's house, which is conspicuously right in the centre of the village? Although we know they're an unobservant lot because years ago Brian was able to drive to Siobhan's house (Honeysuckle Cottage, now home to Adam, Ian and Xander), park his large and probably very recognisable car nearby and slip in and out without anybody ever noticing ...

Years ago before Feedback morphed into a 'Yay, BBC!' show more akin to the TV Points of View of yesteryear, Chris Dunkley and Roger Bolton used to feature complaints from older listeners and people with hearing problems pointing out that continuous background music, noise or loud sound effects make it extremely difficult for them to make out the dialogue in the foreground. The BBC has clearly ignored all of this.

Well they are too busy trying to attract younger listeners to worry about the complaints of older listeners

Nobody in Ambridge noticed Helen and Rob in the early months of their affair - so totally not the way small rural communities work.

For me the most interesting storyline atm is the litter, followed some way after by the fete. I'd be quite happy if the Grundybins just faded away.

I once got my arse handed to me on a plate on a thread on here about balloon releases. Apparently they were essential for grieving people.