Archers thread #183: The Scorekeeper's Apprentice. 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 like to share a hot tub with Mucky Mick, 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 @TottersBlankly who suggested it and @BeatriceBatchelor who coined this lovely phrase. (It's led me to take a look at the Wikipedia page for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I had not known before that the animation in Fantasia that goes with the Dukas symphonic tone poem is more or less unadulterated Goethe, and the story goes back to ancient times. You learn something every day.)

At the end of the last thread, there was an apocalyptic tone as we were all bemoaning the lack of continuity and farming storylines (especially lambing, which used to be a big theme at this time of year). Are there any reasons to be cheerful? (Not just Part 3 - another reference for the older listeners here. ) Over to you!

I can't believe the vegan Rochelle is going to sleep with an abattoir owner! She's buttering him up to get inside info and, being a vegan myself, I like this storyline.
I doubt knives will be involved but more likely releasing the animals.
The sheep here are kept overnight in the town's cattle market and loaded up for the drive in the morning.

I was beginning to warm to Mick a little out of sympathy after listening to the craziness of Joy and Rochelle but like another pp said, I went off him hearing that he couldn't feed himself.
An exP of mine lived off Chinese takeaways and kebabs though he could cook if he was bothered to.

Hope Will's alright.

Sunday's episode felt like TA of old, like I was eavesdropping on real people talking and not listening to a play.

TheUsualChaos
Agree it's such a shame about Will, it would have been nice if he could have felt ok to go back to gamekeeping eventually.

Eddie forbade Will to continue as a gamekeeper and confiscated his guns (which he probably then sold, and I do hope he realised one at least of them was worth serious money). His reason for this was Emma's alarmist assertion that Will cleaning his gun meant he was planning to kill himself.

Will has since told his father in so many words that this was not his intention, and that if he had wanted to kill himself there are plenty of ways other than a gun he could have used to do it. There was never any real reason for him not to go back to being a keeper after a bit of compassionate leave.

He's a highly trained keeper and has worked outside Ambridge before; I would be delighted if he got himself a job with a shoot in (say) Surrey or Northumberland and moved away from his loathly family, taking his daughter with him but not having room in his house there for his son. George has two other parents; Poppy only has the one. Also, Poppy is in her early teens and can't be left to fend for herself, whereas George is (technically) an adult..

George has become very sensitive to the feelings of others. Spotting that Ed was holding something back during their phone call. Worrying about Eddie. Strange effect the clink is having on him.

The abattoir storyline is making me deeply uncomfortable. Vegetarian for 45 years.

At the last three funerals I have been to, two had wicker coffins and one had a cardboard coffin. All were beautiful - the wicker ones were decorated with wild flowers type flowers and the cardboard one had been painted by the grandchildren (who were in the 20s) with symbols from their grandmother's life. I've put in a request for a wicker one when I shuffle off my mortal coil (although I gather they are more expensive than a run of the mill wood effect coffin).

It's an absolute nonsense that Will is no longer a gamekeeper. I can't help thinking it's just a lot easier for the SWs and the production team if there is no agricultural or country pursuits specialist knowledge required any more. So many recent storylines could have featured in EastEnders, Corrie or Emmerdale.

I'm surprised that George has come up with the coffin making scheme. We've been led to believe he is mixing with a bad crowd and going to the Dark Side with all the talk of him bulking up on steroids and having fights, and the coffin making scheme seems surprisingly tame in that context. Unless his idea is that Bono or one of the other bad boys is going to ensure a constant demand for Grundy Coffins in the tradition of Burke and Hare.

It’s a compare and contrast

lucky humans get a biodegradable coffin

poor cows get reggae and big knives

after the vomiting I think it’s pretty clear where Rochelle is going with this. I just hope the sw don’t end this very simplistically as they are prone to do - abattoir good - vegan bad

Talking of abattoirs, the dairy and egg industry kills millions of animals each year.
In the UK for example, 35 million day-old male chicks are gassed every year; 107,000 calves who are less than a month old are slaughtered every year.
Vegetarianism isn't the kindness we may think it is.

Is that aimed at me?

Your post prompted my response yes.
By being a vegetarian you are supporting abattoirs and yet listening to a scene set in one 'makes you feel deeply uncomfortable'.

There is no unkindness intended by me here I am interested in your view on this.

I’ve never understood why Will wasn’t shoe-horned into helping with Rewilding by PPE Phoebe?

That was another storyline that made no sense.

I’m a brian fan but I didn’t need to hear those martyn scenes. Finding the sewage sl a bit yawnsome and don’t need martyn to become a character

how old is his wife supposed to be? I thought similar to Brian

he’ll need to get a crime number for the insurance

sorry but bullshit the clients and suppliers sent messages to clarrie. What kind of business are they running? How on earth did they phrase the email asking for contributions!

the sw have really dragged out the clarrie redundancy - how many more heart to hearts between Susan and clarrie will we get

I can’t fix everything in the world. I can only do my bit.

Bruisername
Finding the sewage sl a bit yawnsome and don’t need martyn to become a character
how old is his wife supposed to be? I thought similar to Brian

Was it Martyn Gibson who turned up for a meal at Home Farm with a younger-model trophy-wife whose name Jennifer kept getting wrong, calling her by the name of Martyn's previous wife? If so, it may be a case of the biter bit, somewhat.

Actually I think the stuff about clients and suppliers sending messages in rings true. I've seen it happen in real life. It wouldn't take a lot to write an email to suppliers etc saying that Clarrie was retiring/leaving/decided to move on and would they like to send a message for inclusion in a card.

The crap we are getting from Martyn is ridiculous. It's only a few days ago he was storming the church over the bellring. The tantrum I guess we can put down to Pam leaving him. But it still makes him a 'bellend'.

Don't get me started about the cardboard coffins and George (he can't be in prison for much longer can he?).

The Rochelle story line is rubbish as well. Is she going to do some expose on the abattoir when on the face of it it's run perfectly well/inline with standards? In the past few weeks there's been a couple of occasions when there's been tours round the premises. At least Freddie has a gut feeling she's suss. I could understand it more if it was Kirstie, she at least has direct action heritage. To be fair so could Rochelle but we have no idea about her background. Although Joys daughter she's just been parachuted in. Was she a vegan last time she was in?

Its just a bit all over the shop at the moment with odd story lines all up in the air at the same time and none looking as though they are reaching a satisfactory conclusion.

Oh interesting! Well maybe she’s the same age as the gardener then (although I wouldn’t put a Pam as early 40s)

I don’t believe Helen would email the suppliers etc with a lie though. So did she say ‘because you sods aren’t buying from us anymore I’ve had to make clarrie redundant’

Um, I wasn't sure; I was asking whether Pam was Mrs G #2 and rather younger. I knew there was someone who came to a meal and was #2 and younger, but wasn't entirely certain it was Gibson.

A search in Lowfield with different terms has revealed that it was Benedict, from Rodways, not Martyn. "He brings his new, young wife along which elicits several faux pas from both host and hostess. Brian calls Amanda Amelia, the name of wife no.1, and Jennifer manages several embarrassing comments." So I am very sorry for the red herring; as you were, pigs....

Oh. Well it seems likely although it did sound a bit like a long marriage

Martyn sounded terribly needy. We know him better as an obnoxious bully. And he's a Bridge bore. Run Brian Run.

Very much agree we don't need Martyn to become a character. We already have plenty of long established characters we are not hearing enough about. I have absolutely zero interest in Martin's love life or any dark night of the soul he may be going through. That isn't his role in TA.

I wasn't moved by Clarrie's departure from the Dairy. Partly because it was daft as they would've just put her and Susan on reduced hours. And partly because I can't bear Clarrie's warbling voice.

I am intrigued as to what a knitting subscription box is.

I googled knitting box subscription.
https://knitinabox.co.uk/products/ladies-mystery-knitting-box

Yes Clarries voice is getting more shaky and "it does me head in".
Why are Helen and Pat carrying on like Clarrie is retiring instead of that they have ,for want of a better word sacked her.
"We got you these lovely presents, oh you want to churn the ice cream oh you don't have to do that, oh all right then if you insist." Clarrie needs a good kick up the bum, she has been so accommodating all her life, I doubt if she will change. Hope she wins the lottery and she and Eddie clear off.

My younger sister took her own life just over a year ago and we chose a cardboard coffin for her - at the funeral everyone present (nearly 300 people, strangely enough given the talk of Rochelle and her activism my sister was a lifelong activist and had a huge network of friends) was invited to write or draw on it. We provided lots of felt tip pens and post it notes for the purpose. The end result was chaotic, brightly coloured, deeply personal, and very very much suited to the person she was. So I'm all for a cardboard coffin myself, after all why spend big money on something that is either being burnt or buried?

Anyway that aside, I'm glad everyone else thinks Rochelle is Up To Something at the abbatoir.

I also got the absolute ICK when Vince described her as a "good little mover" at nets. Just 🤢

What a lovely send off for your sister @SelkieSeal

Wouldn't it be marvelous if the Grundys set up a successful coffin making business, Clarrie could work there part time and semi retire in comfort.