Archers thread #176: In which Ian puts the I in PTA. 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'd like to hear more from Wesley the ashtray collector, 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 @DeanElderberry for the pithy phrase in the thread title and @CaptainMyCaptain for suggesting it should go in there. At least we've got the spooky disco out of the way for now. Plenty of wooden dialogue in the last few episodes that could go on the village bonfire next week. It's all been too dispiriting to discuss in greater depth. I'll just say that I don't hold out any great hopes that the production team will make a good job of reflecting concern in the farming community about the changes announced in the Budget to inheritance tax for farms. So often they get an expert to talk them through stuff like this but instead of ending up with a realistic storyline they pick out the bits they like the sound of and cobble them together in a totally unrealistic way. Maybe I'll be proved wrong this time. I hope so.

Over to you!

Well it’s nice they gave the gcse students a break

WTF have I just listened to?

It seems a bit too long in the future if they wait until Christmas to give us "An Ambridge Christmas Carol"? But that's the only possible (bad) excuse for this ridiculousness I can imagine.

It's really annoyed me because it's like breaking the fourth wall - it's making plain the thought we Avoid At All Costs. (<<whispers>> The Archers isn't real).

Sorry, washing my mouth out before putting myself to bed now!

Isn’t it more “It’s a Wonderful Am” than Scrooge? Will Justin be skipping through the high street shouting “oh you wonderful old Borsertshire Land!” etc?

I thought it was quite funny, excellent trolling from Robert but of course should never have actually worked on cynical old sod Justin who doesn’t give a toss about THE PEEOOOPLE let alone the fluffy nightingales and so on.

That was so bad it was funny. I laughed.

I had to leave this episode unfinished while I went off to work. Just heard the rest.
I know we eschew strong language on this thread as matter of course but WTAF? What Damascene conversion does this portend? As noted upthread, the Scrooge elements are strong in this utter shite.

As my dear dead dad would have said: By the crin.

I'm glad the sun is out in Melbourne because I need a livener and a lie-down.

I worry that anyone new to listening would never tune In again after that.

I

Was Justin actually speaking out loud in that strange childlike voice or were we being treated to the workings of his mind - like the Ambridge lockdown monologues?

What's happened to Rex's voice? He sounds like Adil (Paddington). He used to verge on morose but now he's positively perky.

Yes I feel old it's a different Rex.

*like not old. Although also true.

The problem with Justin having a Scrooge moment is that the sw are reliant on him being stereotypical mean business man

The problem with Justin having a Scrooge moment is I just don’t give a fuck.

Apologies for the language. I tried other words and phrases but none of them conveyed how strongly I feel 😂

You speak for many of us @TherapistInATabard

I listened on catch-up. Sorry to inject a boringly realistic note into the oh-so-hilariously clever/funny/whatever it is the SWs think they're doing, but I've had a bit of involvement with interactive voice systems and the likelihood of lone IT bod Robert Snell (retired) coming up with anything as intuitive and sophisticated as that - able not just to know exactly what Justin was going to say, but predict his responses, answer back when it suited but deliver the standard 'I didn’t quite catch that' stock reply when it didn’t, guide the course of the interaction and steer it to a pre-determined conclusion - is, to put it mildly, roughly zero. Huge companies work on these systems for years worldwide, employing literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people developing this stuff.

Unless we’re supposed to take all this as magical realism and none of it is actually happening, in which case was Martyn Gibson not really in the car with him when it broke down? Has TA gone meta?

I just listened, and laughed the whole way through. Absolutely ludicrous.

I have to say I am loving Justin's ghosts of Christmas storyline! It is a bit ridiculous but I'm enjoying the light distraction from life at the moment.

And obviously never programmed a Spectrum to say “hello world”.

He is probably a bit old for it. I’m in my 70s, and was in a 20s when affordable personal computers arrived.

Just listening

why is Kirsty’s mum so keen to tell her how happy Fallon was to see her. And this leaving party was so bizarre. And her stories from living on the boat - honestly? All these stories of ‘closer to nature, closer to god’ are getting boring

And Rex putting his feet up and not helping Kirsty on Megan’s day so was unrealistic. I’m kind of with her though - Kirsty needs to get a life

do both Kirsty and Rex get paid for their rewinding work? That seems unlikely

and agreed - Robert should hot tail it to Silicon Valley where he will be in high demand. Also I assume he wrote the beta version for Justin’s benefit so he should also get a prize in psychology.

why did the computer sound like he was playing space invaders?

why was Justin wasting all his valuable time on trying to watch the rewilding AI. The whole thing was so painful. Why does Justin care about Kirsty so much all of a sudden?

Just so many whys. that was such a load of crap I can’t believe the sw and actors weren’t cringing themselves inside out

DH has just emerged briefly from his breakfast reverie to say “oh! Kirsty was Tiny Tim”. Who’s Bob Cratchit?

And Rex putting his feet up and not helping Kirsty on Megan’s day so was unrealistic. I’m kind of with her though - Kirsty needs to get a life

See I think Kirsty has got a nice life.

She's always been passionate about the environment and now she's being paid to Make A Difference.

She's tried marriage twice and both attempts failed (the first before it got off the starting blocks).

She has close, long standing friendships. OK so it's with the likes of Helen but ...

I don’t think getting a life means having a relationship but she’s tied herself up with the rewilding so much that it’s like there’s nothing else about her

And her stories from living on the boat - honestly? She hadn't actually lived on a boat just a holiday on the Norfolk Broads. She was trying to impress Rex. Ridiculous.

But that makes it even stupider. And the stupid otter story. What is the point of her other than to have been Justin’s ghost of Xmas present