Archers thread #175: Crime, punishment and kittens. 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 your current highlight is the kitten naming, 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.)

As I am posting this on Sunday morning at a point where some omnibus listeners won't have caught up with this week's events, I've kept the title less spoilerish than I might have done. Below this point, everything broadcast to date is of course fair game, so be warned!

Of course the main interest for most us at the moment is indeed the kitten naming competition. Isn't it? No?

Oh well, since you insist ...

How do we think George is going to cope now? Whither the Grundy and Horrobin clan? Will Lilian choke on her G&T (please)? Will Kenton get septicaemia from a kitten scratch? Will Alice die of sanctimoniousness? Will Fallon spend the rest of her life with the appalling Harrison and his unfulfulled longing for a behbeh? Will Adam and Will come to blows in the Bridge Farm packing shed?

Over to you!

I can hear him now, probably at the Golf Club with Martyn Gibson. 'Of course, things started to go downhill when they banned corporal punishment in prisons. Only language these people understand ...' 'I'd bring the stocks back personally. There's a lot of nonsense talked about not being judgemental. Well, I think we could do with being a lot more judgemental, actually! What's wrong with shame?' Etc etc etc.

I hope we're not going to hear any more about the PTA. I found that stuff excruciatingly boring when my children were at school and that was a long time ago. The school's not even in Ambridge! Where does Lottie live? How does she get home after all this drinking in the village?

Oh! I was driving round at home the other day, and at one point, I was behind a car with the number, MG13SON. And I thought, he would, wouldn't he?

Undoubtedly.

Lardy & Mardy?

My neighbour has a car reg. that looks a bit like GA5P0DE. It's not that but my mind can't unsee it.

Ooh. If I had a driving licence and a desire to have car in London, neither of which I do have, I might be tempted ...

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
Where does Lottie live? How does she get home after all this drinking in the village?

I think at one point we were told...
Yup.
Thursday 15th December, 2022
Lottie now lives in Darrington, and has for a year.

Thank you! I was guessing Borchester. Still a problem, though. Does she plod home along the unlit and pavementless country roads, holding Maddie by the hand, or does she drive with alcohol in her system? Surely they don't cycle? Uber, maybe? Rex?

She probably drives, thinking "It's only a couple of miles, nobody will ever know."

(Ho ho. I knew someone who lost his licence for driving drunk – the two hundred yards from the pub at one end of the road to his home just round the corner at the other end of the road. And everyone who knew and loved him heaved a huge sigh of relief that he had been copped before he managed to kill himself or anyone else.)

Oh no - I’m sure she stays in the car park - straps maddie in the car seat, puts the keys in the glove box and beds down until she’s under the limit again

Coincidentally, she sounds rather like Alice, too - or did a couple of times last night.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime I think at one point we were told...Yup. Thursday 15th December, 2022 Lottie now lives in Darrington, and has for a year.

I'm assuming she doesn't also "bat for Darrington", as either Mustardland or the late lamented BBC boards would put it. If only she did, poor Stella could escape Pip's clutches.

Oh goodness - stupidly turned on a little early and stuck with stupid laughing unfunny computer programmer. Are they trying to shut radio 4 down one awful program at a time

Wow the NHS moves fast - amazed Ben managed to move so quickly. And a PSA on flu jab. Glad Neil made it to the GP - although I hope he doesn’t end up on the list for counselling and a health condition goes undiagnosed. Bit of a PSA on mental health from Azra

do you think Helen will demand Kirsty sell at a knock down price

corn dollies freak me out!! Not sure which horror movie did that. The Ruth and Stella double act was a bit odd somehow - do people really present that way? And why did David pull over and not just get Ben to answer? The heckling seemed very unnatural too. And the whole pro-women stuff. Badly written? I don’t know. Weird.

Lots of characters tonight though

Fortunately I have a reminder set on my phone (for medication) so I didn't have to turn the radio on until 7. That programme is dire.

The Job Fairy has definitely been busy on Ben's behalf ... though how else would they have prevented David from running away from the 'flu jab? Or did Ben have to get him in a headlock? Actually, you couldn't do that and hold the needle, could you?

do you think Helen will demand Kirsty sell at a knock down price

I do hope so ... and that Kirsty's reply will have to be bleeped out.

But Helen will feel entitled surely!!

if Ben has helped injecting cows he might be quite good at dealing with difficult patients!

I thought the joke was that David had no problem injecting cows, not that Ben hadn't? (Only I thought that was Ruth's job, because she is in charge of the cows, and I also thought that if you were a serious needle-phobe giving an injection would be as bad as getting one.)

Yes - I’m surprised that’s the first Ben heard of David’s phobia.

but if he’s witnessed cow injecting he may have used the same technique!!

Yes most of the lines were weird tonight, it definitely sounded like they’d got a professional speech writer in for the actual speeches, plus some of the conversations too!
Ruth
Stella
Neil
David

My brother was a nurse and was dilly dallying over getting a covid jab which was then compulsory (perhaps still is not sure). Turns out he has a needle aversion- not sure it's quite a phobia.

I was out today so listened on catch up. Baffled by this programme description tonight: David faces a nightmare, and Azra offers support.

Well, not baffled exactly, but is the programme description always this OTT?

Yeah, probably. Who writes this stuff?

And yes, David's needlephobia can hardly have been news to Ben. (Hello Ambridge health fairy, who magics professional placements as well as GP appointments and cures.) And if it were a real phobia it would have been much more of a problem. For a start he wouldn't even have gone for the jab.

Bruisername… Corn Dollie’s freak me out too. Give me the cold shivers they do.
husband thinks I was burned as a witch in a past life🤣

I haven't heard Thursday's yet but I need to grumble about the nervous stutter and awkward hesitancy and upwards inflection so many characters have recently acquired. Fallon, Emma, Brad, Alice, Stella.....I expect radio to provide dialogue that's similar to the patterns of normal speech but arranged more coherently, according to convention. Why are these ( mostly female) characters sounds like cute socially awkward ditsy anime girl characters standing with knock knees and big eyes wibbling? At least Natasha was confident still.

Azra sounded like she was reading from an NHS leaflet about blood pressure.

(Is an NHS correct or should it be a NHS?)