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!

God the shamtiques man was dreadful. The acting I mean.

For different reasons so was Justin's determination to rip off George via the lovely Brad. Shame on him, even by his standards.

LillianGish
Was It just me or did the actor playing Wesley appear to be channeling Bernard Cribbins character in Fawlty Towers, The Hotel Inspector episode

In Fawlty Towers the part of Mr Hutchinson was played by Bernard Cribbins, and this was another Mr Hutchinson. Coincidence? You tell me...

Whilst I'm here, does anyone who wants to buy something from a person who clearly has no idea of its value really start off by praising the item as "possibly unique" and "a very fine example"? Surely all that would do would be raise the asking price?

“Look into my eyes…”

That was shockingly bad

and there have been lots of competition for that honour recently.

But that requires the seller not to as thick as an extremely short plank.

To be fair to Brad, he wasn't terrible.

'Oh Mr Archer - it's even worse than I thought. From the photo I thought it was an ashtray from that series, but didn't realise it was that exact one! - You have more you say? You haven't been handling them have you? or breathing in the room they're stored in? You know, as it happens, I will be taking some for disposal next week - I have a handling license - you know that owning one without a license has been an offense under the Toxic Ashtrays Act since 2007? oh dear oh dear, such a worry. Since you are such a decent chap, and obviously have a trying life with those women, I suppose I could put yours in with the rest - for a consideration . . . .' 'oh, and do ask your vet to give that darling little kitten a check up'

I was surprised to hear Kenton concluding a deal. If someone had threatened me with walking away from a sale unless they spoke to my husband, with no clear indication of why, I'd be showing them the door.

Apart from anything else, they now know which items are worth something and could easily have auctioned them or whatever if they didn't want to deal with Don't Call Me Wes. So it's not even a case of swallow your pride for the sake of the cash.

I assume he wanted to negotiate with kenton because he knew he would be too arrogant to not sell but would also be rubbish at negotiating?

I think it was because Kenton would be unlikely to call him either "darling" or "moi darlin'."

Between them, Lilian and Jolene used the inappropriate endearment to him eight times that we heard, in the episode.

That episode effectively broke the fourth wall for me - both by referencing Mr Hutchinson (thank you for confirming my suspicions @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime) and also by calling out Jolene on her over-use of Moy darlin’. In fact it could only have been worse if Wesley had refused to do business with Jolene on the basis that she was clearly a pirate. I hated everything about it - if I don’t believe Ambridge and all it’s inhabitants are real then there’s really no point listening anymore (much less debating anything on here). I mean I know it’s all a figment of someone’s imagination, but I don’t want it to sound like that.

Yes, it was almost as if the actor didn't have to act because he found the script so utterly daft and bewildering.

What is the SW team up to? Are they laying bets on how many darlin's they can get into one episode? Did Wesley pay in cash or bank transfer or bouncing cheque before Jolene spots the goods on TV at ten times the value? Do they seriously expect us to believe that Justin reckons he could get anything useful from Brad by way of publicity material, no matter what he pays? Is the Elliott in jail related to Justin? Is someone trying to sabotage the whole show? Will a meteor crashland on the village next week?

I know we’ve said it before - but the billionaire oligarch (is that tautology, not sure - can you be one and not the other?) Justin Elliot, trying to get one over on a gormless teenager, and pretending it’s for ‘revenge’?

Nah.

That was such bollocks. Joanne does call people "m' darlin'" but she does also use their names, and Wesley did bang on about the import of names, so I reckon she'd have tried. Though obviously it was a set up for endless "comedy" moments where Kenton almost but not quite manages to catch her saying darling.

Brad will either produce something brilliant, or (more likely, given we know he's not adept with the drone,) it will be utterly awful and worth even less than the pittance Justin is paying him. Either way, it's going to interfere with hus u I work, and it will only be okay if he drops out if he ends up going to a decent uni away from home. Poor Brad.

I listen when I go to bed. And usually re listen when I am awake in the wee small hours. I couldn’t face it again.

Dear lord what was that.

I missed it but, on the basis of this thread, I don't think I'll bother to catch up.

TBH, although last night's episode was abysmally clunky and hammy I'm beginning to feel uneasy criticising it so mercilessly. What if the SWs do actually read these threads? You must need a pretty thick skin to write stuff for public consumption and then have your work torn apart by unappreciative randoms on the internet who seem more invested in the characters than you are as the temporary writer. I hope the editorial team are suitably supportive, not only of the characters themselves (whom they seem to have been somewhat neglecting of late), but of the SWs too.

It’s their job. If I do a crap piece of work my boss will tell me and if I did it continuously I would most likely be sacked.

perhaps if they read the thread they can see that the quality writing attracts conversation about the characters etc as if it is real - and whilst there may be a lot of complaining it is about the SL and how people would rather it went. And when the writing is shit they should perhaps take that on board!

Non-meat eater here too. The roast beef had all gone but there were beef steaks left. @ExitPursuedByABare

For once, yesterday's was a truly dreadful episode but it had one redeeming feature: someone pointing out that the my dar-lin's and daaaaarlings are annoying, tedious and patronising.

I do hope that JustanIdiot doesn't hire a hitman, but he might find a gag useful.

What is this strange ‘rivalry’ that has developed between the Pirate and Kenton? I always find the idea of ‘competitive couples’ a bit baffling (the tabloids used to position Kate and Wills like that - boat/running races/tug-of-war etc but thankfully they have dropped it now Kate is unwell). The Pirate and K now seem to be acting like six-year-old siblings.

Of course, IRL, K would have taken the ashtray to a local auction house for a valuation immediately after receiving Wesley’s initial e-mail. Selling him the entire box of Shires memorabilia without any clue as to what it’s worth is just so unlikely.

I imagine it’s because, as Jolene and Kenton are apparently happily married, they struggle to find any drama to bring them into the story. (That horrible dog attack thing was primarily outside of them as a couple.)

That doesn’t make them exceptional, of course. Beyond infidelity and / or babies there’s not much they can do with a settled couple. Lynda and Robert’s brief marital dysfunction was exemplary - don’t know if the Bull Archers could ever reach those heights.

I’m aghast that Barrie Rutter lowered himself to participate in that nonsense. I was only half-listening and even that was more than enough. And as for World's Greatest Businessman Justin and Brad….give me strength……

The Justin thing really irritates me. If you don’t know anything about business then why have the arrogance to think you can write it!! He is such an unbelievable character that I ignore anything he’s involved in

What did Justin actually want Brad to do?