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!

Ruth, Pip, Debbie and Stella can all drive tractors, so the denizens of Ambridge have seen women driving tractors before. Odd that the First Feminist of Ambridge has not ensured that she and her daughter get their turn on the farm machinery.

I've enjoyed catching up with reactions to last night. Dearie me. Still, at least it doesn't involve scams or pantomime. Must away now and offer my services to any local business who might let me in and hand me the keys to the forklift. I have no driving licence, let alone insurance, but I'm confident no one will bother to ask about that.

Ruth probably can and does drive a tractor. Pat probably can but leaves it to Tony. Helen probably just hasn't because Tony, John or Tom was doing the driving.

It feels to me as if there's a great deal of older adults bullying teens and young adults - Eddie/Brad, Justin/Brad, Linda/Freddie.

It's in character for Eddie who is a loathsome grifter but serious business people don't behave like Justin and although Linda's always been pushy someone as obnoxious as she's become would never get any volunteers...

someone as obnoxious as she's become would never get any volunteers...

I’ve always regarded Robert as an enlisted man…

And she was very indiscreet referring to the difficult conversation she wanted to have with the ladies.

that was a class thing, she saw him as her equal
(regardless of race)

Why did she reach that conclusion? Because he said he'd worked on building sites?

I can’t see Helen seeing Akram as an equal. Maybe Azra but probably not tbh as I’m not sure Helen sees anyone as an equal!!!

Where did doctor Ma Malik meet plumber Pa Malik and did her family approve I wonder? He's kind and useful and reasonably considerate, if only in retrospect, but where would they meet? Not as colleagues, not at university, not as a patient? Maybe on a plumbing call out.

Maybe it will have been an arranged marriage and there’ll be a sl out of that. Although from the Adil fiancé nonsense it doesn’t seem likely

i’d be interested to know how Azras parents feel about him and what their background is. Khalil often talks about his gran - I wonder which one?

Weren't Adil's family and his dead ex's family close friends, and him expected to go to see them on holi(y)days? I have a memory of him saying he found it impossibly difficult to do so.

Maybe we're in for a topical storyline about cousin marriage. There's a Private Members' Bill being discussed in Parliament at the moment attempting to ban that because of the medical problems associated with it. It's strongly associated with communities of Pakistani heritage. This is an interesting article about it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c241pn09qqjo

I really hope not!

my friend is a paediatrician and worked in an area with high cousin marriages and it was heartbreaking. 20 years ago now so hopefully things have improved

Cousin marriage would be interesting though as a future storyline.

Wouldn’t paying Rex break league rules?

helen is a coward

Would it not make more sense to offer both of them reduced hours? Surely no sensible business would lose an experienced member of staff because of a downturn that’s lasted a few weeks because of one specific issue. I mean I know it would but there’s no drama in it.

I think it's meant to be an amateur league, yes. And Helen is indeed a coward.

Pay Rex! I'm astounded at the thought process from the Director of Cricket.

Helen is a bitch. I'm hoping that she's taken proper legal/HR advice. She should have had all this sorted out before she went to Clarrie and Susan. If she was being cowardly she should have got the HR consultant in to give the message. And isn't the whole enterprise considered as one?

Given that (if I remember correctly) Akram has been back in Pakistan for ages, sorting out his dead father's business affairs, he may have inherited control of a vast family plumbing empire that he used to work for.

Would make more sense to close the dairy two days a week? Keeping them working as a team must be more efficient than one person doing it

She knows he's married to a doctor and she has probably heard he'd been in Pakistan attending to his father's business.

I think Helen is a snob, but a rather right on snob. Vince Casey could buy Bridge Farm with little effort, but despite being a successful businessman she wouldn't think Vince was her equal. She wouldn't look down on successful builder / plumber Pa Malik for fear of being thought racist.

Isn't Lily annoying?

Remember the scene in Line of Duty where Jackie Laverty has her throat cut? I remember it fondly every time Lily opens her gob.

Ha! And do you ever think that on Stab Night, that knife was in the wrong hands?

God, Lily's awful. And Helen is lily-livered.

I’m ambivalent about Stab Night, but I definitely deplore that nitwit Kristy’s interference.