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!

Another pointless episode. And if Joy is so horrible why doesn't Rochelle just bog off back to whichever foetid swamp she calls home?

I find it really surprising that anyone can seriously say that a "strong accent" precludes being "middle class".

Have to laugh at Adam's surprise at his half sister not wanting to engage with him.

I’m on another thread about Alice Munro as India knight. If the sw are going down that route then I may have more sympathy for Rochelle

sounds like Joy doesn’t deny being an awful mum

I can't stand the Neil SL. Suddenly coming out that he was fostered is one thing, if they had acknowledged that he had suppressed and hidden it for years (still stupid, but not quite as bad), but the fact that it's now the subject of every second conversation and the whole village knows about it but just never once mentioned it over the decades is beyond ridiculous.

In other news, I came home to find this open in the kitchen! It's a shame we've vetoed bridge chat, I could have genned up and contributed.

As an adoptee who has in fact traced a birth mother, and a longtime Archers fan, I feel quite insulted by this storyline tbh. For the first time ever I am tempted to turn off.

^^ to Bruisername - India Knight post. Where's that thread? That sounds interesting?

I've just seen this on another thread

Shirley Conran said that life is too short to stuff a mushroom. It’s also too short to bother about lining your drawers and listening to The Archers.

Miranda sounds as though someone has run a tacking stitch round her mouth and pulled on the ends of the thread. Ghastly woman.

Few (small) things bring as much satisfaction and optimism as lining drawers …

It’s in Aibu and has both India knight and Alice Munro in the title. It’s kids been posted on so quite active

Found it. I've never had any inclination to read Alice Munro.

@noodlezoodle you have exactly described my trip to San Francisco 🤣. Staying with friends in LA one sweltering July, refused to believe it would be cold in SF, ended up buying a huge hoodie from the pier. The following day we cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge and caught the ferry back from Sausalito - looking back we watched a huge bank of fog rolling towards us like something from a horror film. Had to be seen to be believed.

@muddyford a cat’s bum mouth.

My thought exactly.

I wonder if the SW just had Rochelle always as a mystery without thinking out the why of it. Then pulled on the loose thread.

The Neil backstory is bloody ridiculous. Not as a fact, but because it's turning up now.

There is nothing on earth like watching the fog spill over the headlands and I had the same experience - first time I saw it was on the ferry back from Sausalito and it really does look like a creature rapidly advancing on you.

I can see Sausalito from our living room and it is almost always sunny there because of the topography - evern when there's thick fog elsewhere we can see a sunny gleam across the bay. Must be one of the reasons why it's so prohibitively expensive over there!

There was also a very odd vibe from Adam 'discovering' his 'sister'. I was not convinced anything she said was true, and would be very pleased if all this makey-uppy cack about Neil resulted in a proper story about Paddy Redmond.

never mind that what about Rex shooting his mouth off? I can't believe anyone would be so tactless. Surely he could come up with a kind lie?

I'd assumed that Adam's "sister" was some sort of scam-merchant. She never got in touch again, did she? But perhaps the SWs just mislaid the post-it note.

Quite. Another example of the SWs having a character behave uncharacteristically in order to move another storyline along, in this case the Rochelle/Joy narrative.

I lived for a year closer to Sacramento, but drove into SF regularly. I was amazed at the massive temperature differences: it could be 35oC farther inland, but 10--15 degrees colder in SF. I lived in summer dresses that year, but learned to pack a jacket in my car!

Never mind the fog in San Francisco, what about the fog on the Am?

San Fran has a famous bridge... just sayin'

Possibly the rewards of the scam didn't outweigh aving to be around Adam for any length of time.

I think Joy is actually quite an interesting character. Salt of the earth but it is apparent there is a dark moral void lurking and her fragile wholesome life is going to be turned upside down.

My guess from the beginning has been she gave Rochelle up for adoption. Hence the massively clumsy Neil storyline and oh my god, way too much of Susan and her ridiculously hammy accent: it’s painful.

@Spambridge I also agree about Miranda being well acted and a very refreshing feminist change. Especially because she is older. That Brian needs bringing down a peg or two.

I think posters’ earlier ideas about Joy having had a breakdown (hospitalised maybe) and therefore not being around for Rochelle for v long periods seem most likely after tonight.

But also, that Rochelle went/ has gone massively off the rails.