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!

Do Alridge genes wipe out Archer genes? Of course she's still an Archer.

I loved Kate’s Scandi meal in the yurts ..

I'm getting a bit annoyed at all the "Scandinavian/ let's go to Scandinavia" stuff as if "Scandinavia" were one country.

I was astonished to hear Kate talking about Freetown Christiania as if it were the first time she'd heard of it.

That was a load of cobblers all round tonight.

I thought that tonight
Children have been removed, ex junkie and alcoholic former prostitute. Been in prison.
She is going to try and seduce Mick and it is all going to go tits up.

Mick’s already married, isn’t he?!

In a way I almost hope it does. I think Joy might be better off without both of them.

Not as far as we know.

LillianGish
I loved Kate’s Scandi meal in the yurts

Why is it being called Kate's? From what we heard, she made herself a beetroot and onion pie, while Chris did all the non-vegan food, so I would say it was Chris's Scandi meal.

I’m pretty sure Chris and Martha had places at the table inside the Christmas yurt!

Purely because she was wiffling on about Christmas dinner in the yurt @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , sending them off on a woodland walk etc etc. I liked the fact that for the first time I was able to picture Spiritual Home as a real place - I haven’t ever managed to do so before. It actually sounded rather lovely and I loved the fact Brian enjoyed it so much. A complete contrast from a Jenny Christmas in the Home Farm kitchen.

With the Rochelle storyline the things I'm thinking about is all the years Joy was in Ambridge and she would mention her daughter Rochelle but no one ever commented on the fact that she never visited, Joy never visited her etc. Then when Joy was in the accident Mick commented on Rochelle visiting to which Joy got flustered and made up the lie that she had and then there was the incident where Mick visited the last known address but she was there and Joy flew into such a rage about the fact that he had gone there .... yet now she has turned up from seemingly nowhere ....

It's just a boring storyline. The patchiness of the writing standard is getting to me. I only listen now to read the comments on here. It's all these tedious characters parachuted in with no back story. Joy, Muck and the strange daughter are the worst, though I dare say we haven't plumbed the depths of poor plot and terrible writing just yet.

Based solely on your narratives, this week's episodes sound worth a listen!

I struggle to picture "Mick"; country hotel security guards tend to be quite smart IMO. It's the scruffy campervan that appeared out of nowhere that's puzzling me. It has to be in the Bull carpark for some reason. Is something going to happen on NYE?

The operational Archers cast feels a bit thin on the ground. No Peggy, Roy, Jenny, Shula....Jill sounding her age..... Brian rarely on the cast list...

I think they need to get a few of the "nearly 30's" back and settled, even if it means getting new actors (or bringing Sipho or Meriel over to the UK).

I think the camper van has been towed away now.

I like the idea of Rochelle seducing Mick. Then they can eff off and Joy can go back to being a good neighbour and babysitter until she meets someone else who hasn't got smelly feet.

@Madcats I think they need to get a few of the "nearly 30's" back and settled, even if it means getting new actors (or bringing Sipho or Meriel over to the UK).

Please spare us Meriel, as that would entail more Kenton!

Based on his reaction to when Rochelle jokingly asked him about his intentions towards her mum.

She has the same qualification as all the other Archer offspring - one parent was born an Archer.

Probably what he needed. Is this his first Jenny-less Christmas or his second?

It's all these tedious characters parachuted in with no back story. Joy, Muck and the strange daughter are the worst, No objection to Joy per se, but the end of last night’s offering was like listening to an episode of Vera - no one tuning in randomly at that point would have guessed they were in Ambridge. The problem is, Joy, Mick and Rochelle don’t even come with any accompanying countryside sounds (cattle lowing, sheep bleating or even just general birdsong and chainsaws).

It’s the second Jenny-free Christmas.

And ffs, re Kate’s Archerness. It was suggested that the sole Archer representatives at Christmas were ‘Kenton and his wife’, and then someone mentioned Kate.
I suppose I could have written ’But Jolene is only an Archer by marriage, not birth, whereas Kate, though first an Aldridge and later Madikane, is of the True Blood’ but I couldn’t be arsed didn’t expect it would be necessary.

For the avoidance of doubt, imo Jolene doesn’t count.

In my book true Archers are of the Blood Rural. Married-ins don’t count. <gavel>

It would sit better if the storyline had not been so keen on Brian emphasising all his family gathered for Christmas. (Well, two out of five children ain't bad, I suppose, plus one out of five grandchildren.) That underlines them being Aldridges.

I suspect if you asked them they'd go with the more upper-crust Aldridge farm rather than the impoverished Archer one, particularly snobs Kate and Alice.

Where were Adam and Ian and Zander?

Anyone have any thoughts whether Alice should stay at the Stables or return to engineering. Or was it marketing?

I think they were having an Amazing Meal somewhere else. Debbie no interest, no mention, and Ruairi ditto.

I honestly couldn't care less about what Alice chooses to do, though I think anyone who employs her is clean daft: she can't cope with not being molly-coddled by her family.