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!

There was a scene a few weeks ago which caused me to muse on when her he'd told her about the gambling. Something about taking bets Ivor similar.

*iirc, no little Welsh engines here!

Because the scriptwriters don't know what they are writing about. Just crap really

Also, why spend money on personalised medals (I believe Paul said they had the award written on)

Denise has been working with Alistair since 2003, and spent time in the village even if she did it silently (in the same way as the Grundys all lived there silently until Joe started to speak in 1970); it would be amazing if she didn't know about Alistair's gambling. After all, Shula shouted about it in the pub to make sure that her decision to divorce Alistair for being too dull for her would appear to be because of his bad behaviour rather than her whim.

So long as it's not a naturist commune.

The mental image of Ambridge denizens' unfettered buttocks would kill my appetite of an evening.

I think the scriptwriters may have forgotten about his gambling, he had a casual bet on something the other day that seemed very unlikely for an addict

Justin told him that he (Alistair) was putting a tenner on something; Alistair did not at any point agree to do so. Nor did we hear him shell out when Justin later said "I think we said a tenner, didn't we?"

Has Denise really been working for Alistair for over 20 years? I honestly had no idea and have been listening for decades. I last remember her at the vets in her sting before Paul joined as locum and revealed he was her son

She was mentioned on air as being the vet secretary (and invaluable) all that time ago.

And I beg her pardon: I am a year out.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2w66YnVV4Bhq0P8ks9MPl28/denise-metcalf

Hmmm. How strange

I knew it was a long time. Back in the days when the BBC had a messageboard for Archers listeners*, one of the most prolific posters was called Denise (people used their real names to begin with) and she and her circle liked to believe that Denise the veterinary nurse was a tribute to Denise the poster.

*dubbed Mustardland because of the colour scheme

Dusty, possibly short for Dusty substances

So at some stage she has re-trained? Or a failure of continuity?

Who knows. Let's say we never heard her argue the matter...

Leaving aside the question of what nutter started the rumour, if someone whispered in your ear that the person running a secondhand bookstall at a one-day fete in a small village was also doing medical consultations would you

I mean would anyone

Do anything except steer very clear - I suppose you could try reporting them to the cops or whoever regulates the medical profession, but whether there'd be anyone to report to on the Sunday of a bank holiday weekend seems doubtful.

But to actually turn up and describe your symptoms?

Or was it just a joke at Azra's expense? Why?

I've heard some odd, detached from reality ideas on TA, but this seems taking bizarre randomness a bit too far. Has the script writing been farmed out to AI? Are people going to start sprouting extra arms in anatomically unlikely places and forgetting how to knit?

I suspect the rumour really had been spread, in the fiction ... perhaps the scriptwriters created it as a nod to the current problems getting an appointment with a GP in England?

And never underestimate the gullibility of Ambridge residents.

I can see the average man in the street would accept that as a possibility tbh

It can't be that bad, surely?

What can't be that bad @DeanElderberry? Yes, the problem with GP appointments is pretty bad in parts of the country, though I seriously doubt that it would be in Ambridge. As to whether people would believe it, you've been listening for long enough that I'm certain you'd never underestimate the stupidity of the residents!

I'm so fed up of hearing Fagash and Phlemgy.

I love Lillians’s dirty laugh

I hang around with doctors enough to know that, regardless of the availability of GP appointments or the rumours circulating, any social situation in which someone is known to be a doctor will bring out a string of people wanting medical advice. That bit seemed very real to me. I think to a certain extent it happens across all professions, but doctors and vets do get it more than most.

I want to slap her. I hate her voice. I fast forwarded all of her and Phlemgy tonight. It's always drivel.

Yes I thought the "asking the doctor whilst buying a book " was a bit far fetched then I thought how hard it is to get an appointment that it could happen.
So Emma has to follow George about everywhere now, and he is turning into the little git he was before. I hope he gets into loads of trouble now, also why didnt Emma tell him about his lovely Uncle Clive blackmailing them, it makes no sense.
Lils laugh is quite chilling sometimes. Wish the whole car crash story line would come to an end, its going on as much as the Helen story.