Archers thread #182: The Shit hits the Am! 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 be delighted to oblige your employer by cleaning up sewage spills without proper training or equipment in place of your normal duties, 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.)

Credit for the title goes to @echt. Can't think of anything much to say about current storylines. Credulity is strained to its limit on many fronts, unfortunately, but there are a few nuggets in the slurry. I did enjoy hearing Natasha's outrage that Fallon is doing obvious, sensible things at The Bull even though it might hit Terum. I thought Natasha was supposed to be an entrepreneur!

Over to you!

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , poor you with the drains. Reminds me that I think I have a collapsed drain in the garden, but I think that's for the water company. Fingers crossed.

@Madcats , i do listen to R3, but hearing that orange monster this morning made me want silence.

@Bruisername , the last time I called out a plumber I used Checkatrade, but I don't think that is any guarantee of good workmanship. Previously I went for ones advertised in the local paper. All were fine, but the ones from the ads were really nice people who I used again.

I do hope it is the Water Company's job to sort out your drain, but I fear that if it is under land you own, it is your responsibility. We were told clearly (both here – yesterday, and as a consolation that anything past our boundary-fence was not our problem – and at a previous house where the drains gave trouble) that water boards do not accept any responsibility for anything going on, or indeed not going anywhere, under land belonging to a householder.

So sorry to hear that, Asking. Drains are a nightmare.

They feel completely outwith one's control, and a potentially disgusting mystery!

(Though not as mysterious as electrics do sometimes.)

Condolences to @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime re the expensive drain problem. We had sewage backing up in the loo (though mercifully not a flood) when a pipe became blocked in our building. The situation got gradually worse and worse and culminated in poor DH having the bail out the loo and it’s disgusting contents at hourly intervals (or whenever anyone above is flushed a loo) on the day of the Queen’s funeral (which was also his birthday). When the French equivalent of Dyno Rod eventually turned up, the coffin had arrived at Windsor and the slightly bemused operative had to work to the accompaniment of the full pomp and circumstance of the ceremony. I think he just thought we were very patriotic English people as we didn’t want to miss a moment. Unfortunately the moving spectacle of the Queen’s funeral will be forever bound up with the smell and inconvenience of this incident. DH later joked that the incident presaged the downfall of Huw Edwards. He subsequently chose the day of the King’s coronation to replace the loo seat (cue lots of throne jokes!) because royal pageantry triggered some kind of Pavlovian response in him.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , You may be right but it's a lateral drain.

@LillianGish , was that story just a pile of shite?

I am still puzzled as to how three houses (out of the eighteen in the estate) which are almost the last on the edge of the village, with only Bridge Farm beyond them on that road, would be getting "untreated sewage" backing up out of (according to the BBC synopsis) "the plugholes, shower and toilet" in their downstairs utility and shower rooms. Where is all this effluent supposed to have come from? The other two houses and Bridge Farm? They are literally at the end of the mains drainage for that part of the village. I am especially intrigued about it flowing out of the shower and (presumably) the basin and sink plugholes, which in a new build like the Beechwood Estate (2019) ought not to be directly connected to the foul water pipes.

(The sewage can't be originating in the other fifteen houses in the estate, because their waste is flowing away freely and not getting onto their downstairs carpets.)

sorry for laughing @LillianGish but that anecdote was très amusant

they need the flood as an argument for the beavers...

is rochelle bungled up with the bunting?

Joy bought the scarf in a jumble sale.

I feel for you @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime, had a bit of a drainage issue last week, fortunately fixable but not fun.

I hope the robovac turns out to also be a robospy relaying footage of the invaders back to Gills, wherever they are.

Is that the scarf Joy said on 12th March she had bought at a WI bring and buy sale in Hollerton the previous week? That was interesting because Adam (on Brian's instructions) took Jennifer's stuff to donate to a WI sale in Darrington after sorting through it with help from Susan it on 9th March.

Is the fact that no one is commenting on this evening’s episode an indication that it’s not going to be worth listening to?

I just can’t be bothered to listen - I tend to read the synopsis and this thread. If it sounds like it was a good one I’ll listen on catch up

I'm more interested in askings drains than the archers tbh

I am glad to be able to report that the drains are now all sorted and flowing freely as far as we can tell. Since the inflow from the road had to be replaced when we had been here for a couple of years, and the entire run of the outflow has now been renewed, we ought to be ok as regards water so long as the cistern in the loft doesn't spring a leak ...

Oh god I ought not to have said that! Avert!

Why would anyone leave a testimonial on Pat and Emma's website? Testimonial for what?

I just listened in the car on the way home and it was all a lot of nothing really. And then it occurred to me that those kind of filler episodes used to be quite enjoyable, like a comfortable old armchair. But lately even the old characters are being badly written. It just seemed so weird Brian wanting to see his old home, why on earth would he want to put himself through that? Him and Lilian snooping about was farcical and why does it feel like that bloody robot hoover has become the newest silent character?

It’s almost like the house was travelling all these years and is suddenly back. The fact the same family has lived there the whole time and no one in the village has befriended them is just bizarre

why does it feel like that bloody robot hoover has become the newest silent character?

my DH bought one and is now obsessed and the sodding thing is not silent! And it bloody stalks me! The other day I came home and it came out of the lounge into the hall - bumped my feet and then went back to what it was doing in the lounge. Once it figures out stairs I swear it’s murdering me in my sleep

It contained no Maliks. Pat and Tony were doing a lot of moaning. Tony was a bit nasty.

Kirsty did a bit of moaning.

Brian and Fagash got to see inside chez Gill. Brian stood on the robot vacuum cleaner.

Oh yes Brian deaded the robot hoover didn't he, I'd already forgotten that! Guess robot hoover's fees were too high.

I need Brian to come visit because our robovac seems indestructible

The ones that also mop floors look amazing! I wonder if that's what the Gills have? I would need one that can do a couple of steps as well though. Don't think the dog would be impressed.

If Daleks can fly these days, it won't be long before robot hoovers follow suit, surely.

I've had 2 instances of my downstairs loo not draining when flushing and ominous bubbling sounds in the sink pipes. The first time about 25 years ago I got dynorod out and it was sorted. It turned out that part of the drain on my land was shared with my next door neighbour.
The second time about 7 or 8 years ago I remembered that the water board had sent some info that if shared drains were blocked the water board now had the responsibility of dealing with them. They came out and luckily the blockage was in the shared part so I didn't have to pay a thing, they sorted it, put a camera down to check and put in some new drain covers.
So if your drain isn't shared it's your responsibility on your land but if it's shared even if it's all on your land , they'll sort it for you.