Archers thread #180: Burgeoning backstories! Continuity, what’s that? 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 think it's a great idea for Helen and the boys to lodge with Tom, Natasha, Seren and Dippity*, or other unusual views.

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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.)

*Can't remember who coined this, but it's genius.

I was strongly tempted to use one or both of the posts suggested for the title of this thread on the last thread, but went for something a bit briefer. However, they're brilliant and will kickstart this thread very nicely, so here they are:

@Sidebeforeself: Beavers, bridge, bunny boilers and busybodies - it's all a load of bollocks!

(I couldn't agree more!)

@DeanElderberry: I don't usually speculate much on the appearance of characters, but do wonder what it is about Miranda that is bringing out the chest-thumping silverback in Brian and Justin? One little bridge game and the course of Ambridge rewilding is set. The face that launched a thousand beavers.

Over to you!

Yes I’m no fan of drag queens

or men finding it so hilarious to wear fake boobies 🙄

I also have a visceral dislike of drag, but somehow I've never considered pantomime dames to be the same thing. I can't put my finger on why. I guess it's connected to the fact that I like a classic family-friendly panto which might have a few stupid double entendres but isn't actually risqué or rude.

I can imagine Eddie or Richard Thwaite volunteering, but Tony seemed a bit incongruous. Which I suppose inevitably means it will be him. Has he previously shown a huge interest in Lynda's productions and the chance to embarrass himself in public? I don't remember him being a major figure in any previous years' Christmas shows.

I thibk with panto it’s because you have the gender switch in a few places. Ultimately a woman could play the dame but a woman couldn’t play a drag queen iyswim

I think in pantomimes everyone bar the leads are up for ridicule so it feels on an even footing.

I've seen fabulous drag acts that I've thoroughly enjoyed and others that are just crude, vile blatant misogyny.

Unfortunately Muck's gesture would indicate that we probably won't see the back of him come the weekend (lest he plays horse person #2)

Well I did ask if Tracy's lost shoe was significant so it was heavily signposted. Which presumably signposts Tracy and Susan as the ugly sisters and Chel as Cinders.

Such a weird name - is he real?

surely we've had other Ambridge pantos complete with Dames? David comes to mind somehow

Yes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berwick_Kaler

aha
Berwick Kaler: Final curtain for UK's longest-serving panto dame - BBC News

I think Nelson played an Ugly Sister once, which led to Hilarious Misunderstanding when Julia found the bright red high-heeled shoes he wore for the part. And that is a lesson not to nosy in other people's wardrobes.

I must look out for that - I love the Killeen Gouda.

I think Jazzer is going to be Buttons.

Well, tonight's been an education I didn't need. 😐

Weird blurring of reality (Ambridge) and fiction (York panto) in that storyline. Weird that this chap and “Mick” and Jeremy Howe worked together before and now want to again but one of them is in character?!

It is too weird - Mick is meant to be a former roadie so realistically you’d expect him to be helping with the scene shifting etc, but as he and Berwick Kaler are a double act in RL presumably he’ll be walking the boards himself. My problem is that by doing this they are as good as dropping all pretence that any of this is real (I know it’s not, but if noone’s even bothering to pretend any more and it’s all just a jolly good theatrical in-joke then what’s the point engaging?)

Just walking through the fourth wall.

Though tbh it's all lost on me as I'd never heard of BK. Apologies to him as a real person and no reflection on his acting if right now in listening to TA I'm starting to lose the will to live

No nor had I but they said his name 1400 times to make sure we had by the end!

So let me get this straight, the panto dame is a real person and the actor who plays Mick is his husband?

Contrived doesn’t begin to describe this storyline.

The bit where Mick was all “I used to go to the panto in York and just fantasise about treading the boards next to Berwick Kaler” was laughably bad.

like others above I do like a panto and don’t associate dames with standard drag at all. But the idea that anybody gave a toss about going to a panto at the end of January is ridiculous.

The bit where Mick was all “I used to go to the panto in York and just fantasise about treading the boards next to Berwick Kaler” was laughably bad. Next well have Carole Boyd (Lynda) raving about how much she loves Postman Pat or Angus Imrie (Josh) making some knowing nod to his famous mum. The huge contrivance of the two pantomime bus trips at the end of January and then Vince’s challenge to Lynda to put on a panto in less than a week was all leading up to this because whoever said downthread that TA is not really about farming anymore was absolutely right - it’s all about thespians darling. And that is where it has lost its way.

It feels as if someone is trying to win a bet.

I think you're right. It's the only explanation for that ridiculous missing shoe scene "ooh, do you think they'll guess it's Cinderella?'

It makes Justin's Christmas Carol almost seem well written.

So let me get this straight, the panto dame is a real person and the actor who plays Mick is his husband?

The panto actor is real. He is a double act with Martin Barass in real life but they're not in a relationship.

This is one of several Guardian articles about them.

Berwick Kaler and Martin Barass

I can't stand panto, been once in my life and hated it, so I'm not up on who's who in that world, but if this actor has done panto in York for decades, how do people know about him in the Midlands and talk about him as if he's famous across the country?

These storylines are getting more and more bizarre, every time I listen now I'm feeling like I did with the episode with Justin's imaginary voices talking to him, basically wtf is going on. I miss the proper Archers.

Couldn't be further from being a conspiracy theorist, but I do wonder if the BBC is doing this deliberately so that all the old faithful listeners stop listening, then they can scrap the Archers because the listening figures have declined so much.

Words fail me.

I went to a panto once in Wimbledon, it was Jack and the Beanstalk. It was organised by my late daughters school when she was about 7. It had Robin Aswith, Anita Harris and Harry Worth. I was a bit apprehensive because of Robin and all the confession films he had been in, but it was very funny and he was great.
Used to like the pantos they used to put on the TV on Christmas day when I was a kid. Followed by The Circus which I hated. This must have been in the 60's. It has brought lovely memories back.
Why is Mick so upset about Rochelle, he like the rest of us , don't know her really so he should have minded his own business.

Good god. This reminds me of the year I had to not listen for ages during those plays that Linda did.

I absolutely hate this stuff instead of a nice rural life story.