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!

I think Gavin said he was, but that they're not really in touch.

In April, 2021 Philip was given eight years to Gavin's five, and Gavin didn't come out until last year, so I'd expect Philip still to be inside.

Gavin seems (rightly in my opinion) to regard himself as having been a victim of his father's abuse, even if not as much so as the "horses" (about whom he did seem to care at the time, being strongly opposed to the sale of Blake), so he probably wouldn't much want to visit his abuser in prison. I have a feeling that his asking Kirsty if Blake, Jordan and Kenzie were doing OK was a genuine wish to hear they'd come out of the whole business without further damage, but then I was the one who thought he had a cold rather than "consumption" or lung cancer, so what do I know?

Ah ok. I was fortunate to miss the whole SL tbh

Thank you WitcheryDivine for posting the link to the article about Charles Collingwood, I've booked a ticket for his show and looking forward to it.
Could someone fill me in please on Phoebe, Rex and Pip's 2019 rewilding project (270 acres of BL land plus 12½ acres of Brookfield land?) All I can remember is Phoebe moved away to Scotland and that Kirsty and Kate were both interviewed for the job to run the rewilding site, is Rex still involved but not Pip? Thanks

They got 40 acres from Home Farm as well as 270 from BL and 12.5 from Brookfield.

Pip had walked out well before Phoebe left for Scotland, because they wouldn't do what she said all the time. (She gave some other excuse, but I think that was the reason.) Rex is still involved, but made it fairly clear, when Peggy decided she would be in charge of interviewing a replacement for Phoebe, that if Kate had anything to do with it he wasn't going to remain involved for long.

That was mostly church-led, though, and they (the state, not the church!) changed the rules in 1960: see here: Table 30. A woman can marry her former husband's son (and a man his former wife's daughter) provided that the younger person was not treated as a child of the older person's family and never, under the age of 18, lived under the same roof as the older person. So as long as Gav was over 18, Kirsty can have him! Lucky Kirsty, eh? And, for that matter, Lucky Gav.

www.genetic-genealogy.co.uk/Toc115570145.html

Thank you Asking.

I guess with the number of blended families around nowadays it was a sensible move to make. When the main method of acquiring a step-son was to marry a widower, it wasn't a situation that arose that often.

Thank you, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g!

So the BBC has started the Bidding Goodbye to Brian campaign? Or will it just be a late marriage to shock all his clan to the core? Or both?

Perhaps he will marry Shula and this will be (wrongly) viewed as incestuous so they will have to flee Ambridge for ever!

When I prepare the papers for couples marrying in the Catholic Church, we just ask them 'are you related to your intended spouse by blood or marriage?' We don't list all of the prohibited relationships of affinity and consanguinity unless they say yes, which they never have so far, but I'm expected to know them just in case.

Just out of curiosity, @Fink, will the Catholic Church marry "anybody" or is at least one of you expected to be Catholic? I ask because I'd put money on the local CofE vicaress agreeing to conduct a wedding ceremony for Richard Dawkins or (worse, because we are not-even-atheists, we just don't know/don't care - I believe the term is "apatheist") MrG and I, if it got bums on seats!

I'm copying the kale stew recipe from the other thread, in case @noodlezoodle doesn't see it there, or anyone else wants it.

From "Die echte deutsche Küche":
6 portions

1.5 kg green kale (curly kale) (if it's already been stripped off the ribs, you only need 1 kg)
salt
a bit of sugar
2 onions
2 Tbsp goose fat or pork drippings
250--500 mL broth (usually beef)
1 big potato (soft-cooking kind, not salad kind)
400g fresh pork belly
250g smoked streaky bacon
1 ring "Pinkel" (it's a kind of pork fat sausage, smoked, with groats; you can substitute any smoked sausage)
250g smoked Mettwurst (another kind of smoked sausage)
(Note that you could also use gammon or pork cheek instead of the sausages.)

1. Peel the kale leaves from the ribs. Boil vigorously for about 10 mins. in 2--3 L saltwater. Drain and blot off the water. Chop coarsely.
2. Peel and chop the onions. Heat the goose fat in a large heavy pot. Lightly braise the onions. Add the kale and some broth (so that the veg don't stick). Wash, peel, and grate the potato, and add it to the veg.
3. Put the fresh pork belly in the middle of the kale, cover it up, and stew for about 1 hour at a fairly low temperature. Then add the bacon, and stew for another hour. Then put the sausages on top, cover it again, and stew for another hour. Throughout, add more broth as needed. Season with salt and a bit of sugar before serving.
4. Serve with potatoes if you like, and mustard. Traditionally, accompanied by a beer and followed by a "Korn" (a grain spirit...vodka would do for a substitute)

It tastes amazing, possibly because it's got enough fat in it for a large cohort of cold agricultural workers!

Oh I'm so looking forward to Helen finding out about Gnasher and TT.

I wondered if this was a soft way of signalling the end of Brian. And if so, that might be the end of it for me. The Archers has had a good 35 years of my time but I'm finding it more and more missable, and only tend to go back for episodes with great characters like Brian.

Charles Collingwood's 50th anniversary in TA in March 2025 would presumably be a suitable date for him to retire, if that's what he wants to do. I'm quite happy for him to keep going though as long as his voice is still up to it. I wouldn't say I like Brian, but he's a well rounded, well written and well acted character and there aren't enough of them in TA atm.

There aren't enough characters atm full stop. What has happened to the Lower Loxley lot, or Alistair and Denise or Jazzer and Tracy?

I'm happy for Brenda to come back, but only if she stays for a bit and contributes to the SLs and is not another rootless and pointless blow in.

I always thought Roy and Brenda's names were very ill judged btw. I know it was intended to emphasise their status as horny handed sons of toil (compared to the Kates and Alice's of this world) but surely absolutely no one was calling a child Brenda in real life when Brenda was born? I felt at the time that the SWs were being tone deaf.

@Gonners At least one has to be baptised Catholic. Quite frequently neither are regularly practising, but they mostly seem to have some vague openness to the idea of God. Either that or they're prepared to jump through A LOT of hoops for the sake of some photos with nice architecture (which in our case has been covered in scaffolding for years and wasn't all that nice to start with). The CofE are in a more difficult position as the established Church. And they also seem to give their priests quite a bit of personal discretion in choosing who to allow.

Doris was acted by more than one person over the years. So was Clarrie, so was Tony. Continuity of story and character is more important than continuity of actor (sadly, it would be lovely if they could always coincide). But - for instance - Shula and Neil are both relatively young and if the actors want to (or have to) stop, give us new voices with convincingly written stories, we'll adapt.

There was (still is?) some hostility more recently to the introduction of NuRobert because people generally liked Robert and he was simply "wrong". It no longer bothers me, which may be because I've got used to him or may be because he's adjusted his delivery to the part.

As I have no particular affection for either Shula or Neil (okay, I do feel sorry for Neil, but being married to Susan is a problem of his own making!), I probably wouldn't be bothered if they were replaced.

I think they did not write nuRobert very well during the transition period - they needed to stick closely to the phrasing and character we were used to. But ultimately that was a SW problem, not an actor problem.

DeanElderberry
Doris was acted by more than one person over the years. So was Clarrie, so was Tony.

Doris was acted by Gwen Berryman from the first programme until she was forced to leave by ill-health in 1980 or so – Doris died. Dan was the one who was played by more than one actor: Harry Oakes, Monte Crick, Edgar Harrison and Frank Middlemass.

Clarrie has had three different actors; the present one was also the first one, and the second I think killed herself.

Tony was played by Judy Bennettt (I am fairly sure, but possibly also by Philip Owen) when he was a child, then by Colin Skipp until Colin's health forced him to retire in 2013 (Colin died in 2019).

ah.

Doris, Dan, all sound the same these old people . . .

Doris, Dan, Dean, Gonners ... 😄

There was a rumour that if they took the part away from her it would kill her, so Gwen Berrymore carried on being Doris to the bitter end; there was a feeling among some of the other members of the cast that she did actually think she was Doris, which made it all a bit edgy sometimes because they had to be a bit careful what they said. She was well-loved, even so.

To lapse into Mumsnetese, she sounds unhinged.