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!

Iknownothing '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.'
Very good point!

In rural churches, where there's no buses anyway, I could see that that wouldn't be a concern. No buses where we are either. In a city.

The Jakob - Kate - Alan thing confused me. I was prepared to concede that their 'midnight' service might not actually be starting at midnight - given that Jakob said he wouldn't be home until after midnight - but it must start late enough that Kate and Jakob could have their nice evening in together before he leaves for church, as is traditional in Catholic countries. I'll be going to an actual midnight Mass tonight, but I have to be there from about 10pm to set it up; I'm still going to have an evening with the family first!

And yes, Christmas Eve is generally very busy in pubs around here. Back in the day it was one of the few times the women in our family would go along with their husbands. Presumably someone stayed home to mind the kids but I can't remember who!

Eddie’s scams are usually unpleasant and often borderline illegal but always seemed to be accepted with an eye roll and indulgent laugh. He’s far from a loveable rogue, as evidenced by his recent behaviour towards Neil and Susan. I recall he actually said he didn’t care if Alice went to prison as long as George was saved. Despicable man.

According to my SIL who manages one, yes, if the pub offers food.

Way back when, didn't the sainted Pip include piano playing among her many virtues, taught by Phil? What happened to that?

Gonners '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!'
Oh! I think I was being naive with yurt etiquette😄

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

Exactly, @Iknownothing. He’s a nasty piece of work imvho.

Pip did indeed play piano and as my memory serves, she played the organ too back in the days when Phil wanted her to go to the Cathedral School (?) - am I remembering rightly?

i have been to one midnight mass in my life (with Catholic MIL) and i really enjoyed the singing and the peacefulness and everyone being kind and jolly. but that was about 35 years ago. It definitely ended after midnight though.

TA is... tedious. I don't need Eastenders * style explosive story line, but something a bit more interesting than what is being dished up at the moment would be lovely.

*other soaps are available

Trivium4all
Does St Stephen's have a real pipe organ, or is it electric?

There was a longish storyline in 2013 about raising the thousands needed to get the organ renovated in time for some event or other (possibly Easter in 2014?), so I rather assumed it was an elderly pipe-organ.

Lowfield, 9th November, 2010
"Pip, sounding all of ten years old," [she was 17] "tells Ruth that Alan has asked her to play one of the carols for the Advent service, and that Valda is going to give her organ lessons in preparation. Ruth is touched to think that Pip will be taking Phil's place."

So she didn't play the organ, just the piano, when she was being thought of as musical for the purposes of choosing a secondary school for her.

I’m a bit behind so I’ve missed the organist bit. I disengaged when the main topic of conversation was Eddie’s ticket touting. I loathe the Mechanicals, always have, every last one of them. I’m prepared to give Clarrie a pass because she seems fundamentally decent but the rest of them you can keep.

But she did at least play the organ in church later that month, Asking - after practising in secret.

Jill had been wondering why so many Archers have turned up at today’s service; all becomes clear when Pip heads for the organ to play one of Phil’s favourite hymns “Waiting for a Wonder”. Jill was touched and later congratulated Pip both on her playing and on keeping it a secret – so nearly given away

Perfectly prepared to be corrected here, but I thought playing the organ was much, much harder and more complicated than playing the piano. I wouldn't have thought a couple of lessons from an amateur organist would have been enough. (Heavily influenced here by listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols earlier. The Organ Scholars are so accomplished.)

There was a certain plausibility in doting grandfather Phil deciding that Pip was a musical prodigy when we could all hear from the mercifully brief snatches of her playing we were unfortunate enough to hear that she was anything but. If she'd actually got to the point of auditioning for a Music Scholarship at the Cathedral School it would have been a disaster. She'd have been up against kids with Grade 8 in two instruments and perhaps Cathedral choir school experience. Didn't come to that, though, as she became (understandably) very stressed at trying to reach the necessary academic standard in a couple of weeks, and David and Ruth wisely if belatedly realised she'd be much better off at Borchester Green. In the real world, nobody seriously thinking of putting their child in for an academically selective school like the Cathedral School would have applied in November or December of the final year of primary school and then looked around for a tutor. She'd have been crammed for months, if not years, before the January exam.

I was half expecting Anna Lapwood to be playing the organ... Expect she's busy tonight though .

Oooh - can we have that version of the signature tune every night? 🎄🎶

Loved the signature tune so much! I think I'm going to start singing that tune now!

I'm almost willing to forgive all the hopeless writing this year for the closing carol!

The signature tune was really rather good.

I absolutely loathed it!

I loathed everything about the episode and confidently expect tomorrow’s to be even worse.
Bah, and likewise humbug.

The singing was sure to be good. The filking of the carol not so much.

I have not listened yet but wound the podcast ahead to the closing tune. OMG - that's amazing! I love it.

It took me until the carol had almost ended to realise what the tune was! I knew it was one I recognised but assumed it was just one of those carols that has an alternative setting to the one most people know, like the holly and the ivy. It was a strange sensation, like seeing a close work colleague in an unfamiliar context and being unable to work out where you know them from.

I loved the carol. Took me back to carol concerts in Yorkshire where While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks was always sung to the tune of On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.