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!

Hello, Angua! Bit of a clue here to who I used to be.

I can't edit the above but the post above should reference driving dangerously, not driving without a licence!

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime - Off-topic, but speaking of Rickety tickety tin, are you aware that a few years ago Tom Lehrer put all his music into the public domain and provided a handy website where you can download all his lyrics, sheet music and albums. https://tomlehrersongs.com/

After Tony's comments about knowing it how it feels when your daughter is framed/sent to prison as a result of someone else's actions, I wondered if George/Emma might find some sympathy from Elizabeth, whose child was sent to prison as a result of his own stupidity? An excellent episode last night in which you could really feel all the interconnected family links and ties and understand everyone's point of view - even George's with his father's erstwhile suicidal feelings hanging like a shadow over proceedings. Neil brought tears to my eyes because he helped to remind us that odious as George may be, he is someone's son and grandson. He might be an idiot, but he's their idiot.

Neil? yes; possession. He was sentenced to community service.

Total side issue, but does this link work for the ex-Mustardlanders? It does for me. https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbarchers/NF2693940?thread=1225554 Nearly 20 years ago ...

@HomelessAngua
<waves madly!>

I've managed to get to the Messageboard archive
https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbarchers/
All the threads are there but the 'search' doesn't work
I've been having a lovely time reading random threads

X post with @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g !

That worked for me Gaspode!

Hello Bore! Waves back! And EBear

This thread has come up in ‘Active threads’:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/craicnet/5164126-married-a-farmer-regret-where-i-live-now?reply=138240288

I won’t comment on it, though I once knew someone who lived with her husband and children in a similar situation but the farm belonged to a friend. They lost everything when the friend threw them off the farm.

But that OP can’t be the only person in these circumstances - it must be quite a pressing matter in farming circles. But TA hasn’t been near it since Phil and Jill retired. They could easily bring in an out of Ambridge farming family with similar problems …

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/12/the-hell-and-horror-of-cow-attacks-i-told-my-husband-to-leave-me-to-die I just read this in The Guardian and was thinking of it when Tony ws showing Brian the Angus calves.

Just catching up with the thread after being without the internet for a week. Some thieves stole the copper wiring apparently and the whole village has been plunged back into the dark ages. The village shop and pub could only take cash and for the first time ever I used up all the data on my phone. I couldn't even watch the TV so have been reduced to ploughing through the Inspector Gamache books.

Really enjoyed the Neil/George episode. Great acting. Too much to hope that the George actor is going to see his future in TA.

As others have said though the previous Changing Rooms style episode was tedious and embarrassing in the extreme. I assume it was intended to be amusing but I can't think of a single supposedly comic scene in recent years that has actually been anything other than deeply cringeworthy. (Ferrets on the loose at GG, Maid Marion and the Sheriff of Nottingham, the weird practical jokes in the dairy when Helen was in Paris, Joy hiding under the sheets in Mucky Mick's caravan, and so on.)

The SWs are better at drama (although not consistently so). In that context, I am really hoping that George is not going to kill himself either before he is sentenced or while he is in prison. A suicide in prison would be very true to life but too heartbreaking to listen to. I am still hoping George can be nursed back to decent manhood looking after retired race horses at Meg's.

Oh

My

God!

and there I am . . .

And meanwhile, in 2024, an 8 year old out litter picking. Really not safe.

Glad you are back - there’s a SL for ambridge!!

there is definitely a redemption arc for george - i hope they don’t just make him a nasty nick

robert is getting seriously tedious. The problem with bins is that they need emptying. Ultimately we need a lot more personal responsibility.

and the whole prize stuff was 🙄

good old Jean Harvey!!!

why is ruari graduating now? Is that normal these days?

nice his graduation celebration is being shared with Alice…

He is being quite unnaturally magnanimous inviting Alice.

re dangerous cows
we once had to completely re-route, our path was through the middle of a field and just standing the other side of the stile was enough to make the herd of (as it turned out) bullocks all turn and face us menacingly- no way were we going through that field even round the edge of it
later I was told that they are given testosterone to make them put on muscle quickly- not sure if that's true

tried to think of an appropriate Tom Lehrer lyric, but failed

In the States they are, not here thank God

why is Ruairi graduating now? Is that normal these days?

It does seem to be. The more populous universities are staggering their ceremonies. I know Oxford Brookes had graduations most of last week, disrupting my legitimate, non-academic perambulations.

And my postgrad ceremony a few years ago (elsewhere) was held in November, though in that case we didn’t submit our final pieces of work until August, so …

Robert seems to be quite aggressive compared to his normal personality?

What an absolutely brilliant idea!

I would however like to complain at the lack of puns about PC "Burns".

My graduation was the following May - almost a year after I left Goldsmiths. All colleges within the University of London were there in the Albert Hall parading past Princess Anne. I imagine there were other dates too. Edit: not recently - 1986

Oh wow - what a treat! I'm also having a lovely time exploring the old threads. What a fab place Mustardland was. I was so sad when we lost it.

Robert has been replaced by another character with the same attribute of being married to La Snell.