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!

Bert must be quite elderly, because of the age of his children. Thst aside - he's never been painted as the sort of person who would get on and sort things out for himself and make an effort to change things, or be particularly motivated in any way, other than getting to the pub.

So I don't think he's been busy learning how to use mobile phones or ipads or anything, regardless of what others his age might do.

Susan, the eldest, was born on 10th October 1963, and I would expect that he was over eighteen then because he was married to Ivy at that point. I don't think there was ever any suggestion that he was like Neil and had to marry for Reasons.

So Susan is sixty-one, add eighteen to that and you get 79 as the youngest Bert is likely to be.

Coming from a different angle, in 2001 Bert seems to have been nearing retirement age, which in those days was 65; that would give him a birth date some time during 1936, and make him 88 now. I think that's the oldest that is likely, because he was not yet retired in 2001, just looking forward to being.

Didn't George leave a phone with Brad - presumably Justin has called the number for the video business. If Brad is trying to drum up business he must be leaving a contact number.

Good point well made. That's assuming Justin would want to employ a local who had already been sacked from one of his businesses, of course, and, since Justin likes to have the upper hand, George might be ideal for his purposes (whatever they happened to be). He was delighted to employ Rob after the court case had shown him to be an abuser and rapist, after all.

I want Pat to have a conversation with Helen about her concerns for George. Helen can then enlighten her on the prison "no grassing" code and perhaps they can put their heads together to think about a way to help that won't give rise to further grassing allegations.

Or they could talk to Vince, given that he seems to have some dodgy contacts, and he may be able to exercise some influence within the prison hierarchy.

We have no real idea what Justin wants Brad to do. I didn't think it was at all clear that the proposition he's offering is video related, although obviously that's the conclusion Brad himself would naturally draw. Whatever it is, it will be something underhand and dastardly. Brad should run a mile!

Perhaps Justin wants Brad to ask George to use his new contacts and pass on the name of a decent hitman to take out Lillian? I know I would think that worth a try. Of course, if I were Cackling Lil I'd be doing the same, with a view to disposing of The Phlegmeister, so Brad could be paid twice for the same task.

Make. It. Stop.

They must be reading this thread!

What the hell was that shit?!

Based on a (really rubbish) The Archers audio book something about the Archers at War that I started to listen to but didn’t finish Bert was a nipper who became pally with some Italian POWs during WWII so that puts his age at about late 80s.

What a load of nonsense! Hammy script, hammy acting. The old thing of parallel subplots, the two dodgy deals. And Wesley, FGS, where did they dig that idea up?

What on earth was all that drivel?

And as for Justinanidiot. Can he get any more vile?

Oh I so hope whatever crap was being sold to Wesley turns out to be far more valuable than what Wesley paid for it.

Oh boop to Wesley for the "my darlin" rubbish.

Well that was one of the worst episodes for some while. I must owe myself a grudge to be listening to this utter drivel.

That's about the worse written, directed and acted episode I've ever heard....

well you are not encouraging me to listen!!

so can someone tell me what happened with ma darlin? Did he ask her when she retired from pirating?

Have not yet listened, am now dreading it. I know from the spoilers thread that Wesley was to be played by veteran actor Barrie Rutter. He must be consoling himself with the thought that at least he got paid for his involvement. What's our excuse?

Wesley objected to Jolene and Lilian calling him "Moi Darlin" so frequently, and was only prepared to negotiate about the ashtray and other "Breweriana" with Kenton. Kenton took pleasure in telling Jolene this, Lilian having already left the premises when the fact emerged (from Kenton, because Wesley by then was avoiding the two harpies).

Excellent!

Blimey, I had no idea he was a famous actor. He was acting as if he was onstage at the playhouse, not on radio with a mic. He had a terrible script.

Honestly, if TA were always this bad no one would be listening.

That episode was like a terrace house I once lived in whose architecture was so awful (we called it "the cat-burglar's dream-house", and the style "loco rococo") that it came out the other side and became almost lovable. So bad it was good.

Was It just me or did the actor playing Wesley appear to be channeling Bernard Cribbins character in Fawlty Towers, The Hotel Inspector episode (would it be possible for me to reserve the BBC2 channel for the duration of this televisual feast?)