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.

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 www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5244480-the-archers-spoilers-thread-10-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.)

*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!

Harrison has not changed at all: he's always been a nasty slimy little git, with a controlling outlook and a self-absorbed way of carrying on. And he has always been a lousy copper: he first appeared in order to look into Jill's house having been burgled while she was at Jack Woolley's funeral, and he totally failed there.

I don't think he has ever been in a SL in which he hasn't been essentially an unpleasant person, and what Fallon ever saw in him I have never been able to imagine. I think he simply stalked and harassed her and refused to take "no" and "go away" as answers until she was ground down by it.

Agreed, he's gone. I wouldn't be surprised if even the actor can't stand how his character was written in recent months hence his departure.
Only question is what happens now with Fallon?

The only thing about Harrison that has changed is his accent, which has now edged into caricature territory.

I’m strongly in favour of encasing Fallon in concrete from the waist down. Now, can we have a couple of sturdy volunteers to put her back in the Am?

I’m strongly in favour of encasing Fallon in concrete from the waist down. Now, can we have a couple of sturdy volunteers to put her back in the Am?

How can you suggest that storyline for Fallon (mostly harmless) when Helen, Kirsty and Alice are available?

Pip for the concrete!!!!

Poor Chelsea!

She poked her nose in where it wasn't wanted and had no business to be, and now it is out of joint.

Chelsea's an awful character, she talks like a 13 year old in a strop even in normal conversation, and it's so cringe-making to think that she's poking her nose into her brother's love life, no one normal would do that. She deserves to suffer with embarrassment, maybe it'll teach her a lesson.
We don't hear anything about her own relationships after Ben, so you'd think she'd be more concerned about that, it's hardly like she's concentrating on a marvellous career.

Jolene is very annoying.

So if your counterpart was taking notes from our programme, presumably you were taking notes from theirs. Poor you! It got me thinking that there’s some jobs that sound interesting and are mind-bendingly tedious, while others (like almost anything maths related) which sound dull but are fascinating day after day, year after year.

She deserves to suffer with embarrassment, maybe it'll teach her a lesson.

It wasn’t Brad she was mortified about, @ThoroughlyModernNotMillie - it was the obvious reciprocal attraction between Zainab and Ben. Clearly the reason Chelsea isn’t interested in anyone else is that she’s still carrying a torch for Ben - after all their drama 2 or 3 years ago.

Who are those boring young people with Chels?

And just how thick are Chels and Trace when the only worry they have about Brad is Valentine's day?

Edit I see it was Ben and Zainab. Blimey they are tedious.

Yes I think this too, she likes Ben and I think always has.

haha - no that wasn't my job at all. It was much more interesting. and fun. And i loved it. But, any intelligence gathering that is done, goes on all the time, so incidental things you hear will all add up. You'd be surprised

Hmmm
<makes note>

Aren’t pretty much ALL pregnancies in TA accidental? Unless of course they are surrogacies/artificial insemination.

Fallon and Harrison were mildly - I don’t know the word - to listen to. Not amusing or intriguing but - so patently just going through the motions of being a loving couple. Fallon could scarcely keep the joy out of her voice when she was recounting to her mother how very soon Harrison would be off.

All the grand restaurant gesturing … Each of them can hardly wait to see the back of the other.

All in all, although dull, tonight was a masterpiece of subtlety and subtext compared to … all we have recently endured.

Of course, yes, I agree with that, although I can't see that happening, Ruth and David wouldn't be at all happy with drippy Ben actually getting together permanently with yobby Chelsea despite Jill's ridiculous anti abortion stance.

Why wouldn't David and Ruth be happy for Ben to get together with Chelsea? I can see them being interested in who wants to take on the farm, but with his nursing he's clearly not interested in that. Chelsea is great and I don't remember David or Ruth not liking her even if they disliked the pregnancy situation?
Pip was 'with' Awful Toby for ages, and they accepted him eventually.
I think Chelsea and Ben would actually make a good couple...

Why wouldn't David and Ruth be happy for Ben to get together with Chelsea?

Because humans interbreeding with Horrobins seldom ends well?

I can’t imagine any poster here being particularly thrilled if their son were to bring home a Chelsea-alike, even without that pair’s sordid backstory.

Brad and Chelsea are okay, though - as is Tracy, and Chris-toe-furr.

"So if your counterpart was taking notes from our programme, presumably you were taking notes from theirs."

So do we reckon that there are some poor North Koreans or Russians who have been trying to make sense of scams, foundling and panto weeks?

One of my Uni friends had a parent at Caversham Park.

Exactly this! I would have found it extraordinarily difficult if my son's wife was like Chelsea, but he would never have chosen a woman like her anyway.
@StillSittingInACornerIHaunt did Ruth and David actually like Chelsea, I thought she wasn't really in their lives apart from the pregnancy situation so it was impossible to tell their true feelings about her as a person? As for awful Toby, I imagine whatever his commitment issues etc were, there was a part of Ruth and David( who do think they're a bit of a cut above, and actually are compared to people like the Horrobins) which would have thought that at least he came from the right sort of background so would be more acceptable.

So Chelsea isn't acceptable because she's working class, a hairdresser/beautician also working in a cafe?
But Beth Vince's daughter was OK because despite being from a working class family, her dad is rich, although often portrayed as having bad 'taste' and being 'new money'?
I'm just not certain how relevant the class system and whether someone's parents are 'landed' or not is to young people these days.
I'm not meaning to be difficult, just conversational. I do agree that David and Ruth might raise an eyebrow if Ben and Chelsea got together, but there really isn't anything they could actually do? Other then tell Ben to pack it in because Chelsea is too common for him? I wasn't listening at the time, but did Jenny and Brian do that when Alice chose Christopher?

Jennifer and Brian were horrified when Alice married Christopher. Out and out snobbery.