Archers thread #172: Come on, Clive! Spill the beans and put us all out of our misery. 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 Clive sounds deeply misunderstood, 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.)

Fete over, cricket season over - can the Flower and Produce show be far behind? I don't think I've heard a mention of it this year. Have I not been paying attention?

In any real village, preparations for the Christmas show would already be under way, but not in Ambridge, of course. I am probably in a minority of one in regretting this.

With any luck, though, by Christmas this incredibly protracted tale of Alice, George and the crash will be behind us at last. Do we think Clive's really gone? I don't believe it. We won't be rid of him that easily. Will he go to the police himself? Will he attempt to blackmail his family or extort money from the Aldridges in return for information that would secure Alice's acquittal? Do we care? I find I don't really, unfortunately. I did enjoy hearing Clive for those few brief exchanges but I've had enough now. Unrelieved nastiness is not really what I want from TA.

Over to you!

Strange anti climax really - I wish they’d gone the full eastenders and exposed George publicly, like at the flower and produce show or in the Bull at least.

I know Alice isn't everyone's cup of tea on these threads, but I'd give her a BOOP this evening for twice insisting, unprompted, that she still has her share of blame for what happened, at least morally if not legally.

Jazza is going to be disappointed when he enters his tallest sunflower into the class for the biggest sunflower head. (which in any case is a class for under 10s only at our show)

I was hoping Harrison would beat George up. Not because I particularly want corporal punishment for George. Harrison needs to learn to control his temper.

I don't understand the witless speculation about why George did it.

Are we going to hear Joy's and Mick's reactions? And Alastair's and Denise's?

I find it completely implausible that Harrison just happened to overhear not merely that Alice was off the hook or even that someone else had been driving after all, but that George Grundy was actually mentioned by name. Or at the very least that enough identifying information was dropped for Harrison to be sure it was George they were talking about. Surely the police aren't all as incompetent as Harrison; they must know better than to gossip around the water cooler about the details of ongoing cases.

Especially when he’s not allowed any info about the case! Another copper needs disciplining too now.

also ridiculous that Harrison had any time for Alice’s declarations of renewed ‘friend love’ when he must realise he’s just lost his job.

Yeah he heard something and then went onto the system and that’s why he loses his job

I think my insurance covers anyone to drive if the insured driver is indisposed

Am I the only person who thought that final scene was weird? They weren't close friends. And "I've missed you" ???

And that weird ho ho ho noise Harrison made. Bizarre

It was the gun that will be fired a few months down the line.

Crikey, I didn’t expect Harrison to go after George. George sounded absolutely terrified (as you would) and I’m sure he’ll tell someone, probably Emma, who will take the view that whatever George has done it’s not right for a police officer to threaten him.

Fallon is rightly furious and she’ll be even more so when she finds out just how far it went. Harrison’s unhinged!

George has a very good actor

Crikey, I didn’t expect Harrison to go after George.

It was exactly what I expected.

Maybe Harrison and Alice will have a Thing?

Like poor Alice hasn’t suffered enough?!

I really hope not. I still hope Alice and Chris will get back together.

No, Alice has not suffered enough and neither has Harrison. They can be the Thomas and Jane Carlyle of Ambridge (although Fagash and Plemghy might have beaten them to it)

Fallon deserves someone better than Sgt Plank.

George's brief will argue ptsd after his experience underwater - and saving fallon etc as mitigation perverting cause charge won't stick - probably won't be laid.

There's no way in real life he won't be charged or a prosecution won't follow.

The CPS can't possibly decide there is no public interest. There absolutely is a public interest.

I believe when Susan was sentenced to prison there was a campaign with badges saying 'Free the Ambridge One'. Imagine the outrage up and down the land if George were not to be charged! We could all start wearing badges saying 'Charge the Ambridge One'.

PTSD is not a single, instantaneous matter, which George's action to frame Alice was.

How will George's brief explain away going to the police station many days later and claiming to have seen a mysterious person who looked like Harry, changing his statement in order to make this claim?

Gosh, maybe he was attempting to pervert the course of justice. Who'd'a thunkit?

(Maybe the framing of Alice has given him PTSD, and he relives it in nightmares every night...)

I'm sad the SWs have trashed a perfectly decent character in the cause of a silly SL.

Who ? Harrison? I suppose so. I didn't mind him before this.

I think it was exactly what most of us expected, right down to the 'you killed my beybe!'