Archers thread #181: Panto Week's behind you! Was that the nadir? Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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Will it be onwards and upwards for TA now, or do we fear even more of these special weeks (Martin and a Christmas Carol, Scam Week, Panto Week) and sudden reinventions of long-established characters (Neil)? I for one have had enough of all that. I want a quiet period of change counting in the village shop, farming talk with suitable sound effects and village gossip over coffee at Terum or a pint in The Bull. Slowly developing storylines featuring the full cast, not a subset for a few weeks with no mention of the others, and all behaving in character. Not holding my breath we'll get any of that, though!

Over to you.

Two questions .

Where's Kirsty s voice in all this literal crap? Surely she would be beside herself as that would put a dampener on any sale and her onward purchase.

Where's the water company in all this? They would have/should have been all over this like a rash

Whiting is a member of the cod family.

I don't see why Fallon is so bothered about frozen pastry - I'm sure one of the TV chefs said that they tend to use the stuff

It's all very odd. And I was waiting so keenly for the episodes with Helen and TomTash etc al all living together in the house! We still don't even know if Kirstie still owns it... Instead we are treated to Fallon and pie-gate. I'd be amazed if any pubs except maybe the really posh Michelin star type made pie pastry from fresh.
I did enjoy Harrison's "Fallon ... It's just PIES".

It will be caused by a fatberg, no doubt exacerbated by hygiene products and wet wipes.

But as pps have noted, almost everything around this shit-hits-the-Am story is unrealistic, incredible and infuriating. Yes, it would be great if the MP could be brought in (where's she getting to with George's incarceration, btw?) but I can't see that happening because there seems to be zero co-ordination between one week and the next.

I'm sure Jamie Oliver has said he doesn't bother making puff pastry. Shortcrust is easy to make though. I wouldn't buy that.

With any luck, Kirsty has been struck dumb and her voice is off my airwaves forever.

The water company will be cursing its bad luck that Ambridge is inland rather than on the coast, where it could simply discharge everything on to the nearest beach.

Friends ... tonight we bid farewell to Sgt Burns. He is to be parted from his Beloved on Valentine's Day. Too cruel to contemplate.

Madcats
I don't see why Fallon is so bothered about frozen pastry - I'm sure one of the TV chefs said that they tend to use the stuff

I suspect she is personally outraged because her home-made pastry has been being unfavourably compared with the stuff Wayne has been buying in.

Tears are welling in my eyes.

At last.

If we are really lucky we won't even have to hear him, because he is leaving in the morning (I think they said before noon).

Maybe, currently topical, Ben and
Azra😱

Mrs Robinson style? He is Benjamin so that may have been their intention from birth…

From your mouth to God’s ear…

Caught up the last three episodes back-to-back today. Many regrets. Making breakfast while listening was the first.

It feels as if the SW, having read the various forum commentaries from faithful TA listeners, went, "Really? Shower of sh*t? OK then."

Echo pp plea for SW to do more research. Realism is often Acorn Antiques level now.

We already knew that in Ambridge, water may randomly flow uphill so that during the flood Adam spoke of things being washed from Ambridge down the river to Hollerton. So why shouldn't effluent flow uphill too? Or unexpectedly inundate a farmyard two fields away from the nearest watercourse?

Jolene is clearly a terrible manager. How long has Wayne been chef there? Given he’s a non speaker I’m guessing he won’t be coming back

Laurence clearly isn’t very nice - you can’t trust people who aren’t keen on dogs!!! Particularly those called Monty. his racism seems a little cliched though - with his general boorishness he seems a bit of a stereotype

Zainab has a very unpleasant manner - regardless of whether or not she’s right she always comes across as nasty.

At least Azras house is being dealt with

Interesting that the CA introduced the show with Lynda being offended.

Because of course, it’s her feelings that matter …

Zainab offended her first, I think. Then she discovered just how right Zainab was about Lawrence, and was offended again, this time by him.

And now she has to decide whether the interview tomorrow is important enough for her to consort with a racist in order to get it before telling him to sling his hook and never come to her house again.

Really stupid way of handling racial bigotry.

Khalil wouldn't say what the issue, Zainab wouldn't say what the issue was because she didn't know and was bloody rude to Lynda.

What are the SWs doing having two very vocal characters go schtum?

So... Harrison left?
But all we had was Jolene and Fallon talking about Wayne and scampi?
Lawrence may sound like a stereotype but I'm afraid there are plenty like him about, emboldened in recent years by Farage and chums.

That’s what made it even more of a stereotype though and even more cliche!!!

harrison leaves tomorrow. Fingers crossed super early

As a foreigner, I've lived in the countryside and had to deal with men like this. It can be really hard to a) know how to respond in the moment b) relay it accurately after. Especially when you're 13!

Lawrence might be a cliché, but it us accurate in my experience.

I'm really glad TA is talking about this issue.

It just a feels like they’ve flipped through he papers
farage alike check
bad water company check

I'm surprised they didn’t go back and rewrite Susan’s story so she was part of the horizon scandal

I can totally see the malik family being subject to racism but I wish they had been a bit cleverer about it rather than having a fly by night character dropped in so it can all be dealt with and forgotten

Unintended racism like Eddie's asking Lucas why he didn't wear his "tribal robes" would be realistic in Ambridge (it was!) as was Lynda assuming that Khalil was a townie who would be going home at the end of the day (though that may not have been actual racism at all, more like anti-townie sentiment, and racism is obviously in the eye of the beholder there rather than necessarily the intention); importing an odious git to be the token racist is almost as annoying as Sid suddenly being turned into the token homophobe was.

Zainab is so unpleasant I wouldn't be on her side even if she were in the right. I'm bored with her and her brother already.