Archers thread #178: Ambridge or Scambridge? 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 fancy Mucky Mick, 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.)

The scars from Scambridge week will take some healing. Most of us felt we were the ones scammed - where was The Archers we know and (very occasionally) love?

Anyway, onwards and - almost certainly not - upwards. Will it be the best Christmas ever in Ambridge? Do we still care? Over to you!

But it was mentioned, by her, last week.

Prisoners' visitors have to be pre-approved by the prison authorities, so in RL Wicked Uncle Clive might not be granted permission to visit George given his own time served at His Majesty's pleasure. However, as we know, TA has only a tenuous relationship with RL (as evidenced by the ludicrous house sale SL).

I meant more in the intervening period, after it first came up. It seemed to be one of those storylines that fizzled out. But now that it’s been mentioned again out of nowhere, I just wonder if it’s going to be a Thing.

Oh dear, what a bore that would be. Sort of preachy about spending within your means.

What have I been missing?

Has everyone finally given up on TA? Have there really been no posts on here since @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime posted at 15.30 today? No reactions to this evening's borefest of Eddie's rapid ticket-touting-outing, Alan's pathetic plea for an organist (prayers doubly answered), Jakob's noble change of heart and his and Kate's complete lack of tension?

Not even one voice raised in dismay?

I had to reboot the computer to double check I wasn't missing anything. Still wondering if it's really just a glitch in the system.
Honestly, the only thing that makes TA worth listening to these days is the commentary by the wits and pundits on here.

I suppose I can still look forward to Brian learning about Kate's Christmas dinner in the yurt.

I think everyone may have lost the will to live after that lot.

I'm a new Archers listener and have already started checking the comments here before listening on catch up! Partly as I still can't quite tell who everyone is though.

I haven't listened yet but did check on here and was surprised there were no comments.

It wasn’t worthy of comment, Wagners!

Christmas Dinner in a yurt will be worth a listen.

I'm quite confused about the Midnight Mass/Christmas Mass sick organist situation. An organist would have to be very very sick indeed to cancel at this point: it's just not done. So assuming the organist is very very sick indeed, why did Alan ask Jolene, who as far as I know is a C&W singer with no clue how to play the organ, to sub?! I know he said "keyboard", so I'm guessing that he was planning to haul out an electric keyboard, rather than point her at a pipe organ that she presumably wouldn't even know how to turn on? Does she play keyboard? Has she ever accompanied a congregation? Does she have appropriate prelude/postlude music ready to go? Does St Stephen's have a real pipe organ, or is it electric? Will we now have a situation where either Jakob and Jolene BOTH show up to play Midnight Mass (which in any Anglican church I've played has actually been a bit earlier, so you're out of there at midnight at the latest), or will Alan have the awkward situation of having to cancel Jolene?

Yes, please let us hear Brian's unfiltered reaction to this horror. Will Miranda be there too?

in any Anglican church I've played has actually been a bit earlier, so you're out of there at midnight at the latest
No, 23:30-00:30. Definitely not out before midnight.

(which in any Anglican church I've played has actually been a bit earlier, so you're out of there at midnight at the latest)

St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh starts at 11.30, finishes at 1. The organist usually finishes with a Messiaen organ voluntary. That's the Scottish Epsicopal St Mary's, not the RC one.

I can't think of anything to say about tonight's episode.

In my experience, that's quite late (High Church or Cathedral services)! But tbf (viz. posting on a thread surprised at shutdown of public transport for Xmas in UK), that's mostly been in Canada/US, and it was usually with a mind to making sure people could catch the last subway or bus of the evening. In rural churches, where there's no buses anyway, I could see that that wouldn't be a concern.

We (it was a flat full of church musicians) used to catch that last bus (before the night buses, that come rarely and have inconvenient routes, kick in), and go to an all-night rotisserie chicken place for a chicken dinner at about 1am! Xmas dinner was on the 23rd (I remember a memorable occasion when we somewhat miscalculated all the timings, and the dog, a perpetually hungry greyhound, gave up and went to sleep before we finally had dinner at 22:30. But it was a great dinner! Perhaps all the better for not being pestered by a large hungry greyhound!), the early-hours chicken dinner was after Midnight Mass, and then after Christmas Mass, we all ran for trains. My family celebrates on Christmas Eve, so that would be a day plus a few hours late, and then Christmas Day would be postponed to St Stephen's Day.

Sometimes, I had the organ bench until the New Year. I recall one Feast of the Circumcision (New Year's Day) when I had the mother of all hangovers, and was seeing 6 manuals rather than 3 on the organ...I shudder to think how I played that day, but it would not have occurred to me to cancel!

Oh and is Christmas Eve really the busiest night for a country pub?

Dieu parmi nous? Or something else from La Nativité, obvs...

I'll report back. It isn't always Messiaen, but always feels as if they've given the organist a free hand after the traditional stuff.

St. Mary's choir is magnificent. The choristers are trained at St Mary's Music School.

Haven't posted recently because I am too busy hosting family. I am afraid that if I suggested we all gather round what my DM still calls the wireless to listen to TA it would be regarded as a major mood killer. I think they'd sooner play Monopoly (which is only marginally one up on sticking pins in their eyes). So I have just listened to Sunday and Monday's episodes in bed. Can't think of anything to say - Eddie's ticket tout scam was over before it started and I always hate it when the SWs attempt humour. I'm wondering if Joy asking Mick to marry her will be worth listening to.
In the meantime, I need to place a festive order for rat poison on Amazon before I go to sleep as a super confident and healthy rat sat by the kitchen doors watching us have breakfast this morning ...

I think suggesting family gather round and listen to The Archers would be an excellent way of making sure no-one outstays their welcome.

How far are the yurts from Kate and Jakob's house?
There would be a lot of bother carrying not just a dining table large enough for them all to sit round, the chairs - assuming they're not going to be seated on bohemian pouffes (fabric not leather) which would make the diners too short for eating comfortably at the table.
Then there's all the hot food to carry in, unless Kate has a heated food trolley but I assume there's no electricity supply to the yurts. Jakob was very cold on the night they stayed in one of the yurts during scam week.

Even the original price of £20 seems a lot to charge for a church carol service.
Eddie sold all 20 tickets at £30 each. Brian bought 2, who else could Eddie have sold the remaining 18 to at that price?

I didn't mind Kate's calmness and love for Jakob, I'd rather have that than a forced pre-Christmas row for drama.

Jolene bought 2 tickets for Fallon and Harrison of course.

So Eddie’s making £10 for each of the 20 tickets. Is £200 enough to buy a decent commercial drone?

Dining table? Chairs? Hot food? What are you thinking, @Ficklemind ? You'll be suggesting they eat with knives and forks - possibly even off plates - next!

I only just got round to listening to tonight's episode..
I think Jakob is playing organ for midnight service and Christmas Day and Jolene is playing keyboard for the crib service (usually late afternoon on Christmas Eve so I can well imagine the pub being busy)

I am puzzled (well not really cos you know - the Archers) as to why they did such heavy handed scam sign posting a few weeks ago and yet when Eddie scams people it's a lovable rogue 'comedy' story line.