Archers thread #179: Beavers, livestock, ferrets, but nododo! 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 be happy sharing a hot tub with 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 title started life with @JanglyBeads, whose autocorrect turned 'Oh no, nor do I!' into 'Oh no, nododo I!' on the last thread. For reasons of cowardice/prudence/lack of inspiration and the character limit, I haven't included @BeaLola's even more mysterious autocorrect - her phone had her asking Abdul if he'd always wanted children instead of Neil. Perhaps one of the mooted beavers can be Abdul.

For the first time ever I've added a poll to the OP. Over to you!

Pretty impressive nonetheless and surely what rewilding is all about - bringing a bit of proper countryside to places where there isn't much. I don't see the point of it so much in somewhere like Ambridge which is entirely rural anyway It’s rural but fairly intensively farmed.

Rewilding isn’t about bringing proper countryside where there isn’t much, it’s mainly about increasing diversity, bringing back the species we are losing. We’re losing birds like the yellowhammer, lapwing, curlew which never were urban.

Doing it properly, though, requires a large area or at the very least a good connection to other wild areas.

A massive swerve in conversation (and tenuously linked to rewilding), but have any of you lot been to Chillingham Castle (and mostly the grounds)? We've a teen-free holiday in that neck of the woods (might even drive through Prudhoe!) near Newcastle and up near the Scottish border.

That aside, I'm never too sure where Ambridge might be these days but I suspect that the (now navigable) hefty Am is currently in flood.

Maybe Rex will be washed away, leaving Krusty alone in the firing line? Goodness, how tragic!

Neo is a stupid name so agree with you David!!! Kirsty is a bit of a twat isn’t she?

would rather not have heard from Justin

nice to hear Brad opening up to someone. If they have him dropping out I will be livid!!!

nice to hear Brad opening up to someone. If they have him dropping out I will be livid!!!

Same here. A promising working class character pissing it all away to stay in the SL. Grrrr.

I'm still a bit cross with Brad for going to Felpersham, rather than biting the bullet, leaving the enclave and heading for a "proper" university. And, with hindsight, that would also have released him from George.

Neo is a stupid name so agree with you David!!!

I know a Neo who is nice and normal, although her mother is a bit bohemian (don't know the dad). Her brothers have quite boring names, I don't know where Neo came from. I notice that Archers Neo was being referred to with they/them pronouns; are we meant to assume that ecowarriors are all gender fluid?

I thought Lily could have offered to come with him to speak to his tutor. It would have been more use than asking if Mia had a boyfriend.

And what would his tutor have thought about a random student from a completely different department barging in and trying to teach him or her his or her job? Mine would have taken a dim view of it. (But I would have greatly enjoyed listening to the strip being torn....)

I don’t understand - surely Lily would be going to support Brad in speaking with the tutor about his struggles

If it was for a Personal Tutor meeting, I would have assumed (having been in that role) that the student needed dragging in by a concerned friend (so often, one doesn't find out that a student is struggling until it's almost too late, because the wee nitwits merrily ignore all our proclamations that we're really interested in helping them and they should please please bloody well come talk to us if they are having any issues), and I would have been quite grateful to the concerned friend. I would, however, then ask my student if he preferred to talk to me alone, or wanted his friend there.

Oh yeah sure Jolene, handle a bit of mild nepotism with some vague hints about hard work instead of having a proper direct conversation with the most direct person in the village why don't you? 🤨

are we meant to assume that ecowarriors are all gender fluid?

I think these days it’s mandatory.

It’s the hormones in the water system

Why did it take David about 3 raving sentences before he even mentioned the word Beaver. If it was me I would have burst in on Justin and Kirsty and said what the f@@k are you doing with reinstating beavers.
I really haven't got time for Kahil and Kirsty and Rex, ( got it right instead of saying Roy) telling him everything what the F@@k was that all about!.
Can't Brad go and have a chat with Jim. I'm sure he would have a nice calming chat and help him out.
Good that Tracy was so nice about the chef job, but you can't just serve up chips and different sauces in a pub. She could do ploughman's but how many pubs do that these days. Saying that I quite fancy a cheese and pickle baguette for me lunch.

Good spot, of course Jim is the obvious person to talk to Brad. Jazzer would suggest this, surely, if he clocks that something is wrong.

What is Tracy's accent -Worcestershire/Cockney? It sounded softer when she first appeared in TA.

Could Brad take a different Maths degree, I'm guessing there's more than one type to choose from?
Sad he can't talk to his mum because he feels he has to be brilliant all the time.
I know now when my daughter says 'She's fine' she's anything but.

Ian could do pineapple and spam pizzas for Hawaii night. I'd like that. He could probably hire a shave ice machine too.

My heart sunk when I heard Justin's voice. I was hoping the SW would be resting dedding him as he had so much air time pre Xmas.

I want Brad to get sage advice from someone sane and wise (I know, it's Ambridge, so the chances are low) to go and talk to his Academic Supervisor or whatever the equivalent is at Felpersham, and/or his Personal Tutor. If necessary he could take Lily with him for moral support. He should be perfectly capable of doing a Maths degree, given his stellar A level grades. His problems stem from missing a lot of lectures because of trying to run the drone business and visiting George. It's not good enough and somebody needs to tell him so. If the SWs make him drop out or switch to Business Studies, I will chain myself to the Mailbox.

whereas mine would have recognised that their student has social anxiety and has brought a safe-person to help them articulate their needs.

I'll be right there with you :) Brad is pretty much my favourite character these days and I will NOT see his potential wasted.

I seem to remember that Oliver was heavily involved in trying to persuade Brad to go to University outreach/summer school a couple of summers ago (didn't he pay for it?). I'm not sure Oliver and Brad have even mentioned each other since the start of term, let-alone feature on the same week.

Odd, but fairly typical for the current writing team.

He could do with a more applied degree, but realistically that’s probably what Felpersham are doing. Yes, uni maths is different, but it isn’t about problem solving per se, more about finding how everything hangs together and using that to move into new worlds. Brad’s description, that at school they tell you to do it this way,and now they’re telling you that’s all wrong, suggests a rather limited mind, either Brad’s or the SWs.

He could do with a more applied degree Applied maths at uni felt to me rather more pure than Pure maths at A level.