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!

I can't for the life of me see what Lilian ever saw in Justin. His behaviour towards her and everyone else is repellent. Too much to hope, I suppose, that he'll drop down dead in the near future, leaving everything to Lilian in his will. He really should have had the decency to do that after he talked her out of marriage, which would have made her his heir even without a will. If by some horrible chance he doesn't leave a will she will get diddlysquat.

Yes, who is going to inherit Justin's debts if he dies intestate? He's divorced from his wife and I don't think we have ever heard that he has children.

You think he's in debt? I had wondered if his horrible mood was because he's lost all his money or got into some sort of difficulty.

If it did come to intestacy, it would go like this, I think. No spouse, no children, parents presumably long dead, so everything would go to his siblings, if he had any, or their issue if they've predeceased him (can't remember if full siblings have precedence over half-siblings). If there are no brothers, sisters, nephews or nieces to inherit, then it would go to more distant cousins.

We had an intestacy storyline many years ago when Aunt Laura died and a distant relative (great-nephew?) inherited Ambridge Hall instead of her great friend and lodger, Colonel Freddie Danby, because no will could be found. Poor old Freddie left Ambridge Hall and may eventually have had to go back to a very badly run hotel in Torquay where he'd stayed when only a Major ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fthearchers%2F2010%2F12%2Fsixdiamonddecades-the1980.html

I had wondered if his horrible mood was because he's lost all his money

No, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g , I’m sure he’s got piles…

I was just thinking how amusing it would be if it were discovered after his death that his supposed wealth was effectively a mirage.

They did find a copy of Aunt Laura's will leaving everything to Freddie Danby, but she had forgotten to sign it, and the original could not be found (because her solicitor was as good at the job as Usha....?) The Sainted Mr Keri must have forgotten about that.

Piles would put anyone in a bad mood.......

Wow - well that was quite an episode between Justin and martyn. So strange

glad Brad spoke to ed

Prison break!!

That episode was absurd on so many levels. I rather enjoyed it!

But why the hell wasn’t Brad googling sources of support and advice for prisoners’ families and friends. Going to be a lot more useful than talking to some who was in a women’s prison, on remand.

The way Ed’s talking, he’s going to come up with a harebrained scheme to help George escape.

I do hope not. That will ruin Brad’s life, and won’t do anything to improve George’s

What on earth was the first hearing from Martin Gibson for - years? many years? rambling drunkenly at Justin about being a changed man supposed to tell us?

Why did the car stop for a while and start like something off the X files. Will aliens abduct anyone? Probe them? Return them subtly altered and with little metal capsules up their noses?

Is Martin an alien? Is Justin? is Hilda?

I assumed it was supposed to be a reimagining of A Christmas Carol (without Christmas) with Martyn as Jacob Marley and Justin as Scrooge. I think at the very least Martyn's changed man story could have done with a little background.

Gibson will turn out to be dying (we can hope, anyway). No idea about the car. It was all bizarre, and not in a good way.

Oh, and Ed’s a moron.

I just knew it was going to be Ed who was told about George, because his and Emma's relationship hit the rocks when she hid what she knew from him, and now he's going to hide what he knows from her and that's not going to go down at all well when she eventually finds out.

Somewhat optimistically, I think that his desperate 'we've got to get him out of there' will involve trying to hire a lawyer to plead for a transfer rather than digging a tunnel under HMP Whatever It's Called. Probably much anguish over where to get the money for a lawyer.

If it weren't for the entertaining chat on here I'd have given up on TA.

What on earth is Ed talking about? The most charitable interpretation is that he's hoping to find a way to get George transferred to somewhere less bullying. Good luck with that.

And as for Martyn being bored with his wealth, I reckon @Fink is right - it's him recast as Marley for no reason whatsoever except a few letters in common in their names and SWs desperate to take Justin in a new direction.

Maybe Justin's car is going to conk out again but in more dangerous circumstances. The roadside assistance won't come out this time because he didn't cancel his last call-out, and he'll be tail-ended on the motorway and land in hospital wondering after all about the meaning of Life.

But probably not.

Justin/ Simon Williams sounded very croaky.

Maybe his is some oblique comment on EV cars which I'm assuming they were driving.

I'm assuming they are working up a farm inheritance tax storyline as we speak

i forgot to add (have not heard today's ep yet, i only listen the day after) I did quite like Justin pontificating on the very much discussed and debated philosophical concept that there are no truly altruistic actions.

I haven't been able to listen tonight as we are having yet another power cut. We have had so many power cuts in the village in the last couple of months (because of "a fault with a power cable") that the village shop can't keep candles in stock and it feels like we are all living in the past - or possibly a dystopian future.
But the silver lining has been that I have realised that reading this thread is a significant improvement on actually listening to TA.

@Brefugee I agree that Justin’s comment that all apparently selfless actions are fuelled by self interest and people doing good deeds are storing up moral capital was a very interesting topic for debate. I bored DH with my musings, while struggling to explain who Justin Elliot might be! All those good people helping out at church or in charity shops are just making themselves feel good. Or possibly storing up points for the afterlife reckoning.
Tonight’s episode was very strange. Was Martin Gibson just a bit drunk? Or is there some deeper message being given? We really aren’t going to be subjected to a Damascene conversion where Justin turns full on philanthropist I hope.

Just checking in. I keep thinking Harrison is going to charge into the next violent crime he sees being committed and get himself killed. But then I remember the Ambridge Widow List and think they can’t do that again.

But then I remember the Ambridge Widow List and think they can’t do that again.

Oh, I feel they could, @WitcheryDivine. A sort of bookend event. If Fallon hadn’t miscarried, she’d have terminated, and if Burns hadn’t been killed she’d have terminated divorced him.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g thanks for the thread. Been away so catching up with episodes.

Justin vs Lillian seems to be an annual storyline. I just don't really care.

Henry and Khalils conversation was hilarious
Do they not get actual teens to read it at least?

I really hope Brad doesn't get caught up in anything with Eddy or George.

What's happened to Joy?

Well, this is a rare instance of agreement …

I expect it will all be made clear when we learn that it was all a Dallas-style dream. Justin just got rat-arsed at the "do" and will wake up alone in his car, still in the car park, having dreamed the whole thing.