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.

Just read that TA is the most popular on-demand BBC radio programme for the under-35s (more popular than Radio 1's Dance Anthems).

No information about listening figures though - perhaps under-35s don't listen to the BBC or Radio 1 in large numbers generally.

I'm pretty sure than non of my under 30's ever listen to any BBC radio live or on catchup so purely on that basis, I bet the numbers aren't very high.

I did try and indoctrinate them into listening but failed. They don't watch broadcast TV either.

I can't imagine what Harrison could possibly have said that was so funny.

Think I'm the only person on MN that has no hobbies.

MN is the only place I have ever heard (presumed) adults refer to what they do in their spare time as "hobbies". It has a quaintly 1950s ring to my ear.

My only hobby is this thread….

People on MN are always so weird about not disclosing the actual nature of any hobby pursued by their DH or DC. It makes me think there are thousands of people across the country who go out every weekend and twice on week day nights to sacrifice cockerels and drink the blood of virgins (often at elite level). I can't understand why you would need to be so cagey about it otherwise if it was just badminton or a book club.

I think there is The Fear that someone will put all the clues together ... this woman has a boy in Year 2 and a girl in Year 4, doesn't get on with her inlaws, has a bad hairdresser, can't drive and works part-time in retail. Ark! If she also goes to yoga and the girl is in the Brownies, it must be Jane from Number 23.

I do wish Chelsea wouldn’t say ‘fink’. Or anyone for that matter.

Eeek, this may be outing but DH runs triathlons and once won one. Please don’t out me if you know me now.

🙄 half of the midlife crisis husbands are doing triathlons and the other half are mamils - excluding the workaholics from scope

(dh doesn’t do triathlons btw)

I also think Chelsea is just a bit immature. Her angst over what she said and how she came across is how I recall some of my teens. Perhaps I was younger than Chelsea at the time but teens do go silly and OTT and then regret it. It makes you realise how you grow as a person... both more considered in what you say and how you act but also less angst about what others think.

Zainab, on the other hand, came across as smug to me. All that 'you wouldn't understand' and the massive leap from a cinema invite to 'jumping into bed' with anyone.

Re Harrison I also thought we were getting rid of him. Fallon didn't seem to care when he announced the secondment, now she seems to think she will miss him. Strange.

On a separate note why is the well-being thing going ahead? Surely when Rochelle left everyone would just breathe a sigh of relief and say 'thank goodness we can cancel that nonsense now'?

As always Brad makes the smart move of distancing himself from the colouring in table.

Chelsea thinks replacing all th with f will override her natural accent

I've always assumed Jane from No 23 would NC if she wanted to seek advice on the best brand of incontinence pads or her passionate affair with John from No 24.

Nice to hear an older woman being celebrated for beauty and vibrancy.

Ugh. Truly there is no accounting for taste.

The Fallon and Alice actors are dreadful. If trees could speak they would be less wooden.

Why on earth would grey gables want to encourage the villagers? I’m a bit confused about how high end it’s supposed to be or not

And how disorganised is the stables? Do they not all know what’s happening that day

and the Laurence situation is totally unacceptable - I don’t like Lynda being harassed!!! Sad that women can’t escape it even as they get older

I did love Lynda and Robert's conversation about Laurence's disgraceful behaviour, though. I thought they both dealt with it in absolutely the right way.

I found Lynda & Robert's conversation bizarre. If someone was daft enough to chat-up me (or MrG) we would obviously mention it, but there would be hoots of laughter.

I felt the conversation between Lynda and Robert sat oddly with her actions. She’s spent the last few days going at Laurence-seduction with an enviable amount of vigour. And fully giving the impression that she’s nothing more than Robert’s carer and someone who looks for entertainment outside her marriage. So how can she suddenly be surprised that he responded?

And honesty is one thing - but it was positively mean to flaunt her success in front of her enfeebled spouse. It’s not as if she needed either his advice or his protection.

I can’t work out if the SWs are giving a subtle portrayal of multilayered conscious and subconscious motivation - or whether they’re just muddled.

Denise jazzercise

I'm not sure that a trip to the dentist would make Robert actually enfeebled, though I suppose with Nu-Robert anything is possible Obviously, when I have a tooth out I'm quite sorry for myself and try my best to make the most of it ... I'd be a fool not to! Sadly, it never works.

Yes and I think the very last thing I’d eat after recent dentistry with more dentistry looming would be a tea cake? Lots of sugar. It would get all chewed and gummed up and need to be flossed out and is it worth it, Robert?

I would like to know what dental work Robert is having that means he's feeling ill and can't eat normally and has to be treated like an invalid. I had an extraction and then implant a couple of years ago, had my gum cut open and stitched and the titanium post drilled into my jawbone, all done under local, took paracetamol and ibuprofen, I felt fine and although I had to avoid chewing on that side for a bit I didn't have to have a diet of soup and soft food.

Might he be having them all out and dentures fitted?

Poor Chelsea, she was awful but she is clearly still suffering greatly from the abortion trauma. Ben had a breakdown whilst she tried to be all strong and seemed to move on very quickly from it all. It was obvious that was just her coping mechanism. She can be a bit immature but also tries to be strong for her mum and brother. She has seen her mum struggle and never wants to add to her troubles. Then there's Brad the awkward, shy one, easily taken advantage of by others and whom she is fiercely protective of.

I think the way she had a go at Zainab came from two separate feelings. One was because she can't bare to think her brother is hurt in any way and his pain is her pain. The other was because she doesn't think she is good enough for Ben, just a drunken mistake. She assumes Ben would automatically choose a middle class girl over her. Whether she actually has feelings for Ben or not, I'm not sure. I think it's more that she feels she isn't girlfriend material for a guy like him. Her self esteem is so low although she tries to act brazen and confident.

As for Zainab, I think what she was trying to say to Chelsea was that she has made a conscious choice to remain celibate until meeting the right person or even marriage. Apparently it's becoming more common amongst gen z, taking a more conservative stance to contrast the youth of their gen x /millennial parents. Less drinking, healthy life style, less casual sex.
Or it may be for religious reasons of course. Not really sure how much has been said about whether the any of the Malik family are practicing Muslims? Either way, she did have a tone of being smug and superior.

I just felt sorry for Chelsea in that scene. I hope she lands on her feet one day (marries Freddie Pargetter and inherits Lower Loxley).