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.

Yes. It really surprises me that Chelsea doesn't have an apprentice/junior position in a salon. So many people have said that Chelsea's talented and have been pleased with her work (especially when they can afford to pay for a decent hairdresser and therefore know what a good cut/colour looks like, e.g. Lynda and Lilian), a salon would snap up someone with her skills.

Fallon sounded crestfallen that the punters prefer her dad's stodgy pies to her non stodgy ones. I wonder if she's started to think there's no place in Ambridge for her culinary skills and will decide to join Harrison in Outer Mongolia. That's clearly where he's been deployed as they won't be able to see each other regularly.

The Mongolians are very partial to a deep-fried meat pie, though, so Fallon's unlikely to do well there.

Yes I think Fallon was having a bit of a realisation that she is going to be left on her own and stuck with nothing to focus on career wise. I think she will be off before the year is out, skipping away with Harrison into the sunset.

For what it's worth, I quite liked that episode. Just a bit of slow dialogue about not a lot is ok sometimes.

At least Ben has got the message with Zainab now, I thought that was going to be dragged out painfully!

Judging by the thread my Archers hiatus was a good decision.

In other news: Beavers in the Czech Republic have built a dam the govt were going to have to fund otherwise. And sabmved the taxpayer 1.2 million Euros

Lots to say today! I was surprised Fallon was quizzing Ben so deeply about his thoughts on her pies/pastry. He is a student and I can’t imagine his palate has been exposed to anything more sophisticated than Jill’s home cooking. Also, why was he eating at the Bull alone on a Sunday? Isn’t a Sunday roast a staple on the Brookfield weekly calendar?

Btw really wants stodgy pastry on a pie? It’s 2025 and undercooked soggy pastry is just not acceptable nowadays.

And crowbarring in references to Halal for diversity points is lazy writing- esp including refs to slaughtering animals in the backyard.

Was about to make a lighthearted comment on the How To Marry An Heiress programme on R4 this morning - but then thought What Has Happened to Lily’s Inheritance?

She was to receive an unspecified amount of money - equivalent to the joy of actually inheriting Lower Loxley. But as we’ve seen, the SWs appear to be embarrassed about the whole succession thing - so have repeatedly shuffled their feet and looked in the other direction regarding Freddie. So what does that mean for Lily?

I don’t recall, but may have forgotten, any stipulation that she would only receive her money when she married - as a dowry essentially - so when is she going to get it?

I don't remember Lily being left any money - which is definitely not to say you're wrong, because it's far more likely that I wasn't paying attention. All I recall is a Gwen John painting, which of course I may have dreamed. 😆If there was money involved, it would have to be quite a lot to make her worth marrying.

Hurrah for the Czech beavers, who very sensibly ignored the vexations of planning permission and simply got on with the job.

There’s a business idea there - get a load of beavers to build your illegal extension. They could make a fortune

My feeling is that they are heavy-handedly highlighting a few of the cultural specificities of Azra’s family in preparation for an upcoming storyline.

What, like dad coming back from Pakistan with three extra wives? I wouldn't put it past them!

Suppose Ben just happened to be someone there that she knew and felt she could ask for honest opinions. They seemed to imply that The Bulls customer base are culinary uncivilised farming folk who apparently, despite being busy working the land around the clock, make time to pop in for a sit down meal on a regular basis. It's a wonder The Bull makes any money at all really.

I agree it was all quite odd with the snippets of info about the Malik family. It came across as though it's quite normal for Azra's husband to take lengthy visits to Pakistan. Am starting to wonder if they are heading down a sort of arranged marriage /matchmaking storyline. Perhaps he is staying there getting to know the potential Zainab husband.

It would be weird for them to go down the ‘taking her to Pakistan and forcing marriage’ route given Zainab age and the fact they don’t seem particularly traditional

i wondered if the husband is up to no good in Pakistan but Zainab said they visited and the uncle (forgot his name) went out there after he left ambridge so surely would tell his sister if something going on

i cant understand why they are keeping the husband away for so long. Perhaps he and azra are going to divorce. It did sound like she had no clue what he was planning in terms of returns

also, how small is the house that the boxes had to be kept in Zainab room?

No I don't think it would be a forced marriage story. But it's still fairly common for Muslim families to match make for their sons and daughters. Much like the upper classes of England used to do historically (and still do to a certain extent).

I worked with a doctor a while back who's husband spent nearly all of his time in Pakistan running his business. Her two sons were at university somewhere in the UK. She wanted to work here and support them. It was a perfectly normal set up for them.

Azra said her husband was sorting out his deceased father's affairs, which can take forever here let alone elsewhere. I'd love him to come back, rich as Akshata Murty's father, and stir things up a bit.

Someone to give Justin a run for his money!

doubt it though given the small house his family seems to be squeezed into

I'm not surprised Jolene had to tell Fallon to not change the menu. It's not a gastro pub but, Fallon thinks she is such a great cook she can do what ever she likes.
She should look for a job somewhere where she can be head chef and move away from living next door to her mums pub.

Fallon seems to have forgotten how pissed off she was when Tom tried to change the menu at the terum (how I hate that name).

Gonners
All I recall is a Gwen John painting, which of course I may have dreamed.

The Gwen John painting was nothing to do with inheritance. It was bought for Lily's eighteenth birthday present by Nigel when she was ten (he knew absolutley nothing about art, in the programme, preferring one of his Uncle Rupert's daubs to the valuable picture underneath it) and kept for her at the bank until Elizabeth got it out and handed it over. Freddie got his grandmother's emerald engagement ring from Nigel for his eighteenth, which had also been stored at the bank.

We all of us buy presents we can't afford, to be given to our children on the birthday they have seven years after we have died in an unforeseen accident, don't we? and we always give women's engagement rings to our sons.

Tbf my gmil gave me her engagement ring on the birth of my son as she was traditional and wanted it to go to him as a family heirloom. So ds gets that and dd gets my engagement ring.

was this discussed at the time or was this a surprise for the listeners when the twins turned 18?

was this discussed at the time

hahahahahahaha

No.

I don't think many people decide when their child is ten that just in case they die in an accident before the child is eighteen, they will buy an eighteenth birthday present now and put it in the bank for them to be given after the parent who bought it is dead.

No it is absurd.

I suppose if you are buying wine or something that you think is going to appreciate perhaps. Or if there are specific family heirlooms you decide to set aside and tell your soon to be widow about

An engagement ring is traditionally given by the man to his wife-to-be, though, isn't it? If you don't have any sons then I suppose you might give it to a daughter who did, or who might in the future have a son. When Lily finds some unfortunate victim, I'd not expect her to provide her own engagement ring.