Archers thread #173: The Fall of the House of Grundy? 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 wish we were hearing more of Pip, 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.)

I chose the thread title to echo one I used three years ago, which is here if anyone fancies a trip down Memory Lane: www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4320618--Archers-thread-130-The-Fall-of-the-House-of-Aldridge-Discuss-The-Archers-here. That was the thread where I caused all sorts of confusion at the start by not starting it before the old thread filled up, but others stepped in, fortunately.

At that point I see Ruairi was heading off to London to start his degree, which he has now finished, with none of us any the wiser about what he studied or where. Perhaps this will finally be mentioned now he's graduating.

And now, over to you!

I too thought R would not be graduating. Or have completed some bizarre degree. So he’s off to the City. Good for him.

I too thought R would not be graduating. Or have completed some bizarre degree. So he’s off to the City. Good for him.

Is it very churlish of me to find Alice's almost hysterical excitement at the graduation really tiresome? - it was relief. Relief that she's well, relief that she's no longer facing prison, relief that she's on good terms with Ruari and relief that Brian had not in fact had a relapse and was well enough to go to the ceremony - a relief that is an equal weight to the despair now felt by the Grundys. I thought it was quite realistic.

I suspect that at some point Ruairi will be recast, will make his fortune in the city and will come back to run the board at Home Farm, take over Justin's businesses, and maybe even buy the old house back from the Gills.

Well as they’ve decided there is a stereotypical city type I guess he will be Justin’s replacement in that role

I'd love Ruairi to get very rich very quick, buy the old house so that Brian can age and die 'at home', marry a female of Archer blood (probably has to be Lily which seems hard on him) and father some babies - let them adopt the Archer name and reset the local dynamic.

Oh - I'd forgotten Meriel. She'd do nicely.

He’s unlikely to get rich very quickly in a head scheme

how old is meriel?

it would be very cruel to put him with Lily! Also Paul. I’m. I’m not sure there’s anyone in the village for him atm

unlikely! this is the Archers, think of the way the River Am carries on, is that likely? And we don't know what he had inherited from his mother or her side of his family.

Meriel born in 2001, Ruairi in 2002, we know he's okay with older women.

I didn’t realise she was so young!

yes you are right - he will chairman of goldmans by 2026 and they’ll decide they really need to build a small block of flats in ambridge requiring the board to decamp there for 3 years

Surely Harrison doing that has just guaranteed that Emma will dob him in for threatening George?

Remind me who Meriel is 🤔

Meriel is Kenton's daughter by Mel. As far as I know neither of them has never been in Ambridge and they live somewhere in the far antipodes. Which is no reason she shouldn't marry Ruairi and disrupt the Ambridge status quo.

I forget whether they started in Oz and moved to NZ, or vice versa. Kenton met Mel out there and came home when she was pregnant, I think. What a prince amongst men. Then he had his doomed relationship with Kathy Perks, complicating her son Jamie's life in the process, and then he paired off with Jamie's father's widow (i.e. Jolene) and took over Jamie's father's business. No wonder Jamie fled Ambridge.

I’m pretty sure Merry visited Ambridge a few years ago and had a speaking part. She lives in New Zealand and has had a step father in her life for a long time. No chat about whether/where she has gone to University.

Fallon is going to point out the stupidity of shopping people who could easily report you to Harrison, and he will say he doesn’t care.

He’s been itching to get out of policing for ages.

If they survive, they’ll take over the pub.

If they don’t, he’s going to train to be a vicar. And will probably meet someone else and have children.

Fallon can be happy on her own with her friends. She’s better off without him.

Both Mel and Meriel came to Ambridge in 2013 to help Kenton celebrate his marriage to Jolene. Both spoke: Mel was played by Abigail McKern and Meriel by Grace Quigley.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
I forget whether they started in Oz and moved to NZ, or vice versa. Kenton met Mel out there and came home when she was pregnant, I think. What a prince amongst men.

They started in Oz but after Mel had divorced Kenton she moved to New Zealand with her daughter.

Kenton was married to Mel and with her when she had Meriel, and did not come home until Mel divorced him (for financial shenanigans which involved losing a lot of money she had invested in his rocky company).

Yes @pinkfleece thats EXACTLY what I thought. Emma will break down hysterically in interview and say how awful it’s been and Geowrge or however she pronounces it has been attacked by everyone including the local popo…

Surely the simple fact that Harrison has reported Will and Emma at the station after he was explicitly told to leave the case alone will raise concerns with his superior?

If he wasn’t allowed to speak to Alice then he surely shouldn’t have been speaking to George so would he get in trouble for that alone?

I can’t see how he can keep his job when he makes error after error in judgement.

will Fallon be back in the spare room of the bull before the end of the year?

Would Brian (Alice) have a case to be able to sue Will/Emma/George for the cost of legal/solicitors fees they have spent so far defending her? Could Will lose his house /emma lose the business that way? (Or have I been watching too much judge Judy?)

I've been mulling whether there is a difference for Emma and Will in not reporting George as perpetrator (it would seem no obligation and thus no offence) and effectively allowing someone else to be charged/convicted when you know they didn't do it (because you know who did). Isn't there some kind of perverting the course of justice there?

Thanks! That's ringing some very dim bells now. He was always awful with money. Bailed out by his long-suffering parents over and over again, IIRC.

Wasn't some of the Kenton/Mel story in Am Ex? I have very vague memories of there being trouble on a yacht.