Archers thread #174: God it's lame! But it still limps on. 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 think Ben-meets-Zainab is on a par with Elizabeth-meets-Darcy, 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.)

Thanks to @Bruisername for the title inspiration. She said God it's lame and that seemed to strike a chord with many, for some reason.

I am terrified of wasps and live in fear of encountering a hornet, so that was a tricky episode. I hope that's the last we're going to hear of them, except for confirmation that they've been nuked. [shudder]

So what do we reckon - custodial or suspended sentence for George? Will Clarrie return from Great Yarmouth or will she realise that actually life as a carer for her (presumably disabled) sister is easier than the endless and thankless drudgery at Grange Farm? Will any more tables collapse at the Village Hall?

Over to you!

And why the alarm over brother “running off”. He’s 16, for goodness sake!

Yes that confused me.

Apparently he’s 14? Even so, not sure why it was so shocking for him to be wandering around so Kenton and Jolene approached him

Kenton and Jolene approached him because he was carrying their kitten, I think, not because he is fourteen. (The source for the age is Keri Davies on Twitter, apparently.)

I rather like them, though this may be because I'm absolutely fed up to the back teeth with 90% of the rest of the characters.

I thought they approached and then he showed the kitten

still very predictable way of making sure the characters get off on the wrong foot with the locals

I thought it was more the crisps/can that really irked her. Plus the trespassing, and added to it all he is a cocky young man, isn’t he.

but yes I await a diagnosis for poor Salieri

Hello and welcome back, @KimberleyClark! You must have a huge amount to catch up on. Off the top of my head, Tom and Natasha have twin girls, Alice and Chris had a daughter Martha but are now divorced, Alice is a recovering alcoholic, Jennifer has died , Peggy hasn't but doesn't speak any more, Pip is a lesbian now (shades of Father Ted there), Rob came back because he was dying of a brain tumour but is now safely dead, Grey Gables is open again but Roy has moved to Romania, Kirsty now manages the rewilding project, Rex works there too, also drives a taxi, lives on a narrowboat and hardly ever speaks, Toby has moved away, Jim is still alive (phew), Alistair is in a relationship with his veterinary nurse, there is a new vet Jakob who we all like who is in a relationship with Kate, Johnny has gone off to crew round the world yachts or some such improbable thing and there's a new GP Azra. I can't remember if Joy moved into Ambridge before or after lockdown but she lives in Beechwood next door to Helen, who rents Kirsty's house there. Kirsty's husband Philip the builder turned out to be a modern slaver and is in prison now.

There's probably a fair amount more but that feels like more than enough for now!

Oh yes, important point - you won't recognise Robert Snell when he next speaks because there's a new actor. Graham Blockey died a couple of years ago. He was only in his late 60s. We're all still adjusting to the new chap.

(Very sadly, Ian Pepperell who played Roy has also died, even younger, hence Roy's decision to move to Romania to take up with Lexi again. Don't know if you would remember her. She acted as a surrogate for Adam and Ian whose son Xander is now at school, so must have been born not long before lockdown.)

I thought it was a bit odd that neither Zainab nor Khalil said to Lynda 'Oh, our uncle Adil mentioned there were llamas at his B&B! Is this Ambridge Hall? Are you Mrs Snell?' Although Lynda's manner was far from welcoming, I must concede. Poor writing, I'm forced to conclude, as that was not in character for her at all, even with the red herring of the litter she assumed was Khalil's. She used to be good with young people.

So just heard trailer again and definitely no spoiler as he gives all the options!!

george talks of his regret and what he wishes he had done (gone home, helped Alice, not lied being his options) and then says ‘whatbhappens if I go down - to mum, my business etc and then ‘what happens if I walk free?’ And then a bit of dramatic music

so the sw are considering letting him go free (which I think makes sense in the real world). We will see!!

It’s not so much the suggestion she caused the accident to me as the suggestion it was the aftermath of that that damaged Martha. In the scheme of things, ironically, the aftermath actually sorted Alice out and helped Martha. Not that it absolves George’s abominable behaviour of course.

I 100% thought that for the first scene, it actually seemed to have slightly different background noises, like when audio books record two sides of a telephone conversation separately. But then the second scene didn’t sound like that at all, so I’m not sure. I was wondering so much it made me think that one of the actors might have even gone to her for that second scene, was it with David?

patricia who plays Jill is my friend’s grandmother. I’ll ask whether she still goes to the studio (friend never listens 😊)

If Lynda was a racist, she wouldn't have let Adil stay in her home.

It's was bad writing. Plus Khalil is a pain.

<Zips mouth>

It was such an unpleasant episode I don’t feel inclined to listen again to check but - didn’t we hear Khalil make reference to his sister being dim / not brainy? So perhaps her year off has been forced on her by missing her offer grades? (Think someone suggested that above?) Obviously she could in that case have gone into clearing - but then she wouldn’t be hanging around Ambridge right now. Oh dear - if she becomes romantically involved with someone in the village she’ll be condemned to Felpersham.

I dont think Lynda was being racist she was just concerned that this boy was feeding her Llamas and saw the litter and just assumed being a kid he might have littered. I think she would have been the same with any strange kid, but he was rude from the start. Why can't people say " hello Im new and my mum is the doc" instead of back chat. And arnt Asian children brought up to respect there elders which is a lovely way to be raised.

Opps" their "

That’s the kind of inside intel I’m here for!

Touched by greatness. Please tell her some random nutter told you Jill has been one of their favourite characters for 50 years.

that is a REALLY good point. The SW are off their rockers (or are they on glue?)

Roy is in Bulgaria not Romania

You're right! I should have remembered that. They're obsessed with Bulgaria. Kirsty nearly took a job in Plovdiv, didn't she?

I agree that it was completely bizarre that Khalil wouldn't have mentioned his Uncle to Linda.

I'm so fed up with the "weirdness" of the Archers these days, so much is clunky and nonsensical.

Yep - all done to create drama but it never makes sense so loses all impact!!