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.

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 enjoy playing badminton with Derek Fletcher, 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.)

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.

No. Not knowing is not ok when it helps the producers of this programme to make shit up which is at odds with broadcast history. I think @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime performs a valuable service, and I also think you might be being rather rude.
Whether the programme is worth the energy is a separate question, to which my own answer is No, so I probably won’t be posting much here in future. Contain your grief, and play Bonny.
RegStur as was.

It is very odd that several of us seem to remember it although I totally accept that if Asking can't find the reference it isn't there.

I disagree. I absolutely saw unconscious bias in Lynda's behaviour. Didn't she say something about him going back to his urban home or something? I'm very glad she reflected and acknowledged she was racist. Because she was, and unconscious racism is extremely common and just as hurtful as overt racism.

The only thing I could find was alarmist speculation from Ruth in conversation with Lynda.

I suppose it could have been mentioned weeks or months after the event, but that wouldn't be much like Jennifer; when she was having her melt-down about the decapitated dog I would have thought she'd also have mentioned the kitchen if she knew about it, and that was when the Gills were back in occupation and playing loud music so the skip would surely have been gone.

I had no idea Gill was an Asian name, I've only heard it as a British name, for example Eric Gill the sculptor.
If they are Asian surely that would have been mentioned in passing as it's not possible to determine by the name alone, as it is with Malik.

I would have thought that it ought to be, but this is TA: Lucas being a black South African was never mentioned directly, as far as I remember, though Eddie asked why he wasn't wearing his robes. Blink and you'd have missed it, though back then there were no message boards picking up every hint.

Ach away ye go. I was aware I had set a hare running and did not want any more time and energy to be spent on skip diving on my account. I’ve been in these threads since the beginning and am well aware of Asking’s value to them.

Neither was I until it was mentioned here when they moved in. Here’s a discussion about it

www.quora.com/Why-do-people-from-India-think-all-those-whose-surname-is-Gill-are-Indian

I used to work with a "Gill". At the risk of outing him, his family were an established white British family farming down in my neck of the woods.

When my house had a £££ insurance claim plumbing incident (while we were on holiday, so it damaged a fair bit) I was able to reject some of the tradesmen/replacement furnishings proposed by insurance co.

It is mad that there are no professionals and water/CRT people involved in all the clean-ups.

Do all the scriptwriters live in cities?

Apologies, @HotCrossBunplease . And may I commend your taste in baked goods? (Well buttered, natch)

@Glorybox2025 well maybe, but out of all the characters in TA I just don't feel Lynda is racist, not even unconsciously, and if that was the intention with that first interaction with Kahil then the SW have done her character a disservice. Kahil though, having dealt with racism all his life, will have probably thought she was speaking to him like that because of his colour. But I can equally imagine her saying the same thing to a white teenager hanging around her house who she didn't recognise particularly if clearly not from the countryside (don't see what urban has to do with racism, most white people in the UK are urban).
I do think though, that Laurence's behaviour has made her realise how much racism there is around her and how even families like the Malik's (doctor, well educated) are deeply affected.

Agree x 1,000 times. This is just ridiculous beyond words that professional cleaners weren't brought in.

Yeah especially with so many livelihoods hanging on it! I just can’t believe having a huge family and lots of Dettol seems to be the right protocol.

I assume we, and Susan and Clarrie, were supposed to think that , when rhino hide Natasha bull dozed her way in that she was going to thank them for going above and beyond (and onwards to the place where no-one apart from Natasha and the other Bridge Farm idiots could possibly expect) and give them a bonus. Not order Susan out to the fields and Clarrie to baking.

She is truly awful.

Does Adam still work there?

Yes, where has Adam been in all of this?! Not a peep out of him!

What was up with the PSA about the bleeding llama today? I got the impression she had just a small cut? I can't really imagine an animal owner in a country village getting the vet out for a small cut; surely Robert ought to know basic llama first aid? Wouldn't bother the vet unless the animal was lame, the wound was in a problematic place (didn't get that impression here), or the wound didn't seem to be healing properly.

I’d actually have thought that insurers and/or the water company and/or local environmental heath had a duty to warn the residents of the homes that they were putting their health at risk by attempting their own clean-up. Didn't Azra say very clearly how dangerous the sewage was? I think that the Maliks have sensibly left it all to their landlord, who will have got contractors in. And surely Joy and Mick are not going to be shovelling shit all day and returning to wash it all off in the Gills’ luxurious master bedroom en-suite?

And where on earth are the water company reps (or their insurers?) And the Borchester Echo?

I am looking forward to the dramatic potential of getting a look inside Home Farm though. I just pray that Joy isn’t bullied by any of the locals into giving them a guided tour, though my money is on Susan inveigling her way in somehow. I mean, if it were me living in the village I’d be DESPERATE to see inside. I bet Alice and Kate are curious too.

It’s so long so we heard from Alistair I didn’t recognise his voice.

I too thought who is Alistair, it took me a minute to register his voice and name.
If he is back on the scene does that mean we have to put up with Denise and Paul. I don't mind Jackob he is a sweety.
Is Kahil stupid putting Roberts books in colour order he must have known this was wrong not that I care, with all the stupid story lines being chucked at us.
Who would want to sit in a cafe smelling of disinfectant. Who would go to the tea room as soon as it reopened after being covered in plip pops yuck! Dosnt anyone make a coffee in their office or home.
Surely after Fallon left it should have closed down anyway, because she was sooooo fantastic.
Natasha has got a cheek making sure Susan and Carrie work for their money. I thought slavery was covered with Phillip Moss.
I would think the clean up would be done by professionals too.

My best friend from my first day at primary school was a Punjabi girl, and her family name was Gill. But then my biology teacher from Northallerton had it as his surname too.

The Archers X Hot Fuzz
For the greater good!

Constanza’s a Drama Llama (an Am-dram Llama))

If Jennifer’s kitchen had ended up in a skip, Eddie definitely would’ve found it and sold it or installed it for Clarrie in Oliver’s kitchen.

The llama drama was there to further cement Khalil into his Gerald Durrell role.

Natasha has got a cheek making sure Susan and Carrie work for their money. I thought slavery was covered with Phillip Moss.

Why? She is paying them, so it's not slavery. They can't do their normal work. Surely it's better they do some work rather than not working and not being paid? Most employment contracts will have a clause about doing other duties as required by management.