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.

Apologies Gasp - it slipped my mind that your mum's unwell. Sending good wishes.

Goodness. Well at least we now know why Khalil has seemed so overprotected by his family. (Though it makes it all the more strange that his father would leave his wife to cope alone for so long.)

That was mostly rather good. Justin slithering out from interrogation was definitely in character. And, while I’ve never encountered anything like the current set up at Ambridge Hall, so can’t quite trust what I’m hearing, I did quite enjoy the vivid picture of domestic disharmony.)

If Azra was on MN she would be told to get help for her health anxiety. That went on far too long. But loved slimy Justin!

What’s the issue with khalil?

He's had leukemia. Twice.

Leukemia, two rounds of, now in remission, one hopes for ever, but Azra still understandably shaken. It explains the slightly spiky dynamic all round.

When is Emma-the-councillor going to reveal her preparedness to tackle the water company.

thanks

interesting. I hope they deal with this properly as that’s something I’ve familial experience of although that’s from a long time ago and I understand childhood leukaemia has much better survival rates these days

TBF, if one of my children had had something as serious as that I'd struggle not to be anxious and over-protective.

Ah I am Listening again but reading along at the same time. I wondered why Azra's son couldn't fast. I have Muslim family and the boys tend to fast from around his age. (Sometimes younger and a lighter version). My Muslim uncle cannot fast as he has diabetes so he does things like fund things at the mosque.

Azra doesn’t have ‘health anxiety’. She has a well founded and perfectly justifiable reason to be anxious about her son’s health.

Agree - there are plenty of threads on here that show an irrational anxiety but if you have a child with cancer who gets through it, relapses and gets through it again- well you are always waiting for the next relapse and looking out for it

I don’t think she is particularly overprotective though as she lets him wander round the countryside on his own when she barely knows the place

The leukaemia might also explain Khalil’s weird hair, if it grew back mad curly after chemo.
They really want us to like the Maliks, don’t they?

Shan’t.

At this rate they'll be renaming the programme 'The Maliks'

I want more of Fallon pissing Natasha off, not endless talk of fasting.

Agree. We made them unlikeable and now we're going to make you feel bad about not liking them.

I still don't like them and I'm bored hearing about fasting.

And why is Dr Malik hassling Justin about this? It isn't his or Damara's fault.

New thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5284185-archers-thread-182-the-shit-hits-the-am-discuss-the-archers-here

There were no customer who had been spoken to like that, they were laughing at Lilian.

Hope you are OK @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g , and that things are as good as they can be for your mother.

That's not how I heard it (twice). There was a customer who said something about Terum 'off screen' and they were laughing about that but it wasn't a particularly witty put down and did sound as if it had been quite rude.

Thanks. Will just briefly update on this thread so as not to derail new one. Heading for home tomorrow. Impossible to predict how things will progress but I expect to be back up here before too long, but this could go on for a while. Ah well.

Thanks for the update and new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g . Have a safe journey.

Any Natasha is good but I'm quite enjoying the thought of her and Tom struggling to buy their executive home despite their astonishingentrepeneurial skills. Maybe Bridge Farm has room for Little Bridge and Large Bridge. Obviously, Helen and the boys will be in the bigger static caravan.

Emma will be secretly delighted at how the mighty will have fallen

Thank you for the new thread and I hope your DM remains stable. Maybe the Spring will give her a boost.

I don't understand what was remotely funny about the "tearoom" criticism incident. I hope it results in a shitty google/Tripadvisor review for The Bull. (Grey Gables is still up on Tripadvisor, incidentally).

seems i've started listening again. I quite like the Malik's. I wonder if we are going to get a lot more of Kalil (sp?) and Brad together losening the apron strings with different outcomes?

All Azra had to ask Justin (but didn' even need that, her insurance and their lawyers are SURELY investigating the whole estate) is what risk assessments etc were done, at the same time as being all over the water company?

Great episode tonight. Natasha is up shit creek without a paddle isn't she, and BOOP for Freddie!

Paying nursery fees on maxed out credit card fees. Oh dear Natasha. Not even sure how that’s possible as most nurseries insist on taking payment via Direct Debit.