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!

The only thing going for Khalil is that he’s a bit more believable than Henry

That cruise band doesn’t need a singer?

does Tracey have chef experience? The archers do seem to undermine professions and make out jobs that tend to require a lot of training can be done by anyone

how hard would it be to tell Tracey they want to ask Fallon - she has more catering experience surely. It’s not like they signed a contract

Khalil is very annoying. His stupid ‘research’. What a doughnut

why does Leonard live in ambridge?

I'm clearly heartless as I thought Ruth was a bit over the top!!!

Can they be used for tracking? As opposed to identifying a beaver that you’ve caught? You could do the same as for cat flaps or feeding stations, have sensors scattered around the area and record whenever a beaver passes. You wouldn’t know whether a beaver was missing or you’d got the sensors in the wrong place. And I don’t know whether introducing a wild species is compatible with catching its young to chip them.

I don’t know about this, just thinking aloud.

I didn’t realise that they would live in a river deep enough not to build a dam.

It annoys me that organisations seeking to attract younger people always seem to aim at 20-30 year olds, whereas it’d much more sensible to aim at the age group immediately younger than your current one. Replenish without driving away your existing audience.

Hello.

Long time listener first time poster.

I’ve listened since the 1970s as it was always on in the house. Also, nothing was to happen on a Sunday until after the Sunday omnibus had been listened too.

I still have no idea who anyone is or how they are related. I also don’t know anything about the storylines. I’m hoping that by reading the threads I might know what’s going on for once.

How about chips? Those aren't bothered by water or grooming.

They could use Tracy's special chips.

What an annoying episode.

The stupidity of Kenton and ole pirate in not thinking of Fallon in the first place is only believable because , well they are Kenton and Jolene and are demonstrably thick. But why on earth do they think they owe an employed bar maid more loyalty than their daughter?

As for that little shit Khalil- he had no difficulty lying to his mother about why he wanted to borrow Hilda- he could easily just have said he saw it on an online eco warrier forum.

Well, I suppose if they drove away all the listeners over 60, say, the average listener age would drop.

@TheDowagerCountessofPembroke - as regards who people are and who they’re related to - have you ever looked at the BBC character list? Very useful (if occasionally a bit out of date). There are actor photos though!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3VLG6MxxfQpKXF2Chky4Fmh/characters

Well, our planet, probably, since there are always so many relatives, friends and neighbours to berate you for not doing that. It’s only people with experience of looking after a frail elderly relative who have any understanding what’s involved.

But why on earth do they think they owe an employed bar maid more loyalty than their daughter?

In answer to the actual question, no idea - but Tracy was a bit of a bulldozer, and Kenton is a spineless and brainless (but despite Fido’s best efforts, not quite bollockless) people pleaser.

But NO, Fallon is not ‘their’ daughter. Kenton married her mother when Fallon was an adult, so he’s not even her stepfather in any meaningful sense, just the bloke who’s married to her mother.

PS: do we have any reason to believe that Tracy has the relevant Food Hygiene certifications? Because I bloody don’t.

Thanks for that. I can cope with actor photos as I’m one of those odd people who doesn’t visualise faces when listening to things.

There was a 20 minute slot including the news headlines, continuity stuff and the Archers. Now there's a 15 minute slot including news headlines, continuity stuff and the Archers. It was a reduction and caused a disimprovement in the quality of the programme. In my opinion. Which while obviously correct may not be shared by everyone.

It felt like listening to a pantomime when Jolene and Kenton agreed to let Tracey do the cooking - I was mentally shouting, "She's behind you!" at the radio in sheer disbelief that they had apparently forgotten Fallon's existence.

Though, to be fair, it it is a few weeks since Fallon last existed as a character so I suppose even her nearest and dearest might forget about her.

I still want to know who is doing all the cooking at the tea room. Are we to assume some other completely untrained and unqualified random person has stepped up and none of the customers has noticed? If so, it doesn't bode well for Fallon's future catering enterprises if she is so easily replaceable.

Like others, I was astonished at the casual way David and Ruth decided to ask an elderly, unrelated man to live with them. How did they not think through what might happen in the future as Leonard ages? Maybe the SWs plan to dramatise the reality of living with two frail elderly people with dementia - but somehow I doubt it. Apart from Jack Woolley, everyone in TA remains blessedly hale and hearty however old they get.

As I recall, the omnibus was an hour long. The daily episodes were 15 minutes long when they were Mon-Fri evenings 7.05-7.20pm. 75 minutes a week, so there had to be a lot of pruning to put the omnibus together.

When they changed the schedules, they moved to 7.02-7.15pm Sun-Fri. 12.5 minutes per episode x 6 =75 minutes a week. Omnibus went up to 75 minutes, so no pruning required.

They used to prune the omnibus? Blimey. When did they stop that?

In the region of 20 years ago, I think. As Totters says, it used to be great fun if you listened during the week and then also happened to catch the omnibus spotting the lines that had been cut out. Not whole storylines, just odd remarks.

I have no recollection of how long it used to last and, when I missed an episode, I missed it ... I didn't bother with the omnibus. All I can say is that every episode seems a lot longer recently, and not in a good way.

In my no doubt faulty memory the ‘written to be pruned’ bits in weekday episodes were always brief conversations on the threshold of the village shop. Or maybe two old men smoking pipes in The Bull. Or Phil having a deep and meaningful discussion with his prize pig. (Some of this may be wrong!) As Gasp0de says, nothing that materially affected the storyline, but those passages did help to populate the story in one’s imagination. I miss them very much.

Yes, like a virus that lays dormant 😂

As for David and Ruth - everyone they know / care about is rich and moves into The Laurels the minute they become incapable of producing a three course banquet or running up a fancy dress costume in half an hour. So I guess they assume having Leonard move in would scarcely impact them long term.

Will be hilarious when poor Jill shuffles - seconds after he’s handed the keys to his house to his new tenants …

DeanElderberry
There was a 20 minute slot including the news headlines, continuity stuff and the Archers.

When was this twenty-minute-slot happening?

Apart from the fact that both the times allotted to that date of The Archers in 1984 were fifteen minute slots, not twenty....

Not in the 50s: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_light_programme/1956-08-03
Fri 3rd Aug 1956, 18:45 on Light Programme
18:45 The Archers
19:00 News and Radio Newsreel

Not in the 60s: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_light_programme/1965-01-13
Wed 13th Jan 1965, 18:45 on Light Programme
18:45 The Archers
19:00 NEWS RADIO NEWSREEL and SPORTS REVIEW

Not in the 70s: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_fourfm/1976-02-09
Mon 9th Feb 1976, 13:30 on 13:30 The Archers
13:45 Woman's Hour
18:45 The Archers
19:00 News Desk

Not in the 90s: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_fourfm/1998-06-09
Tue 9th Jun 1998, 14:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM
14:00 The Archers
14:15 Afternoon Play: Conquest Marches On
19:00 The Archers
19:15 Front Row

Not in the 2000s: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_fourfm/2004-09-10
Fri 10th Sep 2004, 05:35 on BBC Radio 4 FM
14:00 The Archers
14:15 Afternoon Play: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
19:00 The Archers
19:15 Front Row

And at no date later this century that I can readily locate. Can you give me a clue as to where/when I should be looking, please?

The 1980s.

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_fourfm/1986-06-02

19:00
News

BBC Radio 4
Mon 2nd Jun 1986, 19:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM

Source: Radio Times
19:05
The Archers

BBC Radio 4
Mon 2nd Jun 1986, 19:05 on BBC Radio 4 FM
(Re-broadcast tomorrow at 1.40pm)
Cast for the week: [see below]
BBC Birmingham
Contributors
Writer:
Julian Spilsbury
Jennifer Aldridge:
Angela Piper
Brian Aldridge:
Charles Collingwood
Tony Archer:
Colin Skipp
Pat Archer:
Patricia Gallimore
Phil Archer:
Norman Painting
Jill Archer:
Patricia Greene
Shula Hebden:
Judy Bennett
Mark Hebden:
Richard Derrington
David Archer:
Timothy Bentinck
Elizabeth Archer:
Alison Dowling
Jack Woolley:
Arnold Peters
Walter Gabriel:
Chris Gittins
Nelson Gabriel:
Jack May
Caroline Bone:
Sara Coward
Det Sgt Barry:
David Vann
Mrs Antrobus:
Margot Boyd
Source: Radio Times
19:20
On Your Farm

I am delighted that they have finally put the whole lot up on the internet; it means I can find the credits for any week between "w/e Friday 29th October 2004, 19: 00 on BBC Radio 4 FM", when the old lot stopped, and "Sun 2/5/2010, Mon 3/5/2010, Tue 4/5/2010, Wed 5/5/2010, Thu 6/5/2010, Fri 7/5/2010" when I started collecting them from the BBC website for myself.

It will be laborious, because I will have to open every day until I hit the one with the credits, but I think they mostly went up on Fridays this century so I can start with each week's Friday (or Sunday, which was the other common day) and work backwards if I have to.

I still want to know who is doing all the cooking at the tea room. Are we to assume some other completely untrained and unqualified random person has stepped up and none of the customers has noticed I so agree @Godesstobe. This is an excellent storyline which has just fallen by the wayside. Who is producing all the cakes now Fallon has gone? How can there be no fall out? Are we just going to stay away from the tearoom until the SWs think we’ve all forgotten about the previous drama? It’s so disappointing.