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 miss the days when we used to hear folk out riding.

You can pay extra to get your pet's ashes back. I've never heard of being offered a share.

I suppose they tell you it’s your pets…

this was about 15 years ago and I assume when it comes to very small pets it could be quite uneconomic

Yes, and the sound effects person doing something with yoghourt to make the right noises for lambing.

If your pet is euthanised and you leave the vet to dispose of it, it will go in with the rest of animals at an animal crematoria. If you pay for it to go to to an animal crematoria, it will be done individually. We have one a couple hundred yards from us, and it's just like a proper crem. Costs around £200 for an average dog. You abusolitely do get your own pet's ashes back.

Interesting - my kids have been asking for years if we will bury the dogs in the garden but this is a much better solution!!

Only had cats but I always stayed with them at the vets and took them home to bury in the garden and then plant a memorial plant where they're buried. It's always heart breaking.

Not for this pair.

I like Lynda, I realised it when we didn’t know if she’d survive the Grey Gables accident.

Same here, although I didn't put a memorial for the first two I buried here about 25 years ago as they went under grass. It's always incredibly sad. I'm having a new fence and am slightly moving where it's going, quite worrying as I can't quite remember where the graves are.

I'm going to be getting headstones for my parents' graves soon, and I'm wondering whether I'll be able to sneak some ashes in under them when they're set.

I've never wanted the ashes back. I've been mobile moving frequently so wouldn't have wanted to leave them behind in a garden anyway. The living animal has gone but I have my memories and photos and they are still with me. Hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits have been buried.

I wonder if Joy abandoned Rochelle for several weeks and while she was away her daughter got into drugs or similar? It would explain the mutual guilt.

Another Lynda fan here.

My grandmother buried her beloved budgerigar in my grandfather's plot, very discreetly.

For goodness’ sake! More Mick?

Shame we had to hear from Mick. I hate the way the sw are trying to force us to engage with mick and joy. Micks speech was a load of old stereotypical shite. And the conversation afterwards - do people really speak like that?

His voice has definitely changed - he’s softer some how with a milder accent?

Took them long enough to think of checking the website for board members 🙄. Do none of them have a smart phone?

thought Eddie saying he cares about Neil was odd. Saying he’s family was nice but the ‘I care about you’ seemed out of generation. And the toast to clarrie and Susan with them not being there was weird

Helen is getting off lightly

We buried my daughter's hamster in Père Lachaise cemetery which is just round the corner. DS and I found a hole next to a tree stump in a quiet corner and laid him to rest there.

Glad there are more Lynda fans. Robert has certainly become less likeable since his original actor died though.

Yes Mick actor has definitely softened his voice. I didn't even recognise him the other day. Perhaps they've decided to give him a bit of a personality transplant from the gruff and grubby van dweller he came in as.

Thought the same about the board members...no one thought of doing that before the protest? 🤦‍♀️

Well at least The Bull was busy tonight anyway.

@echt is not going to be happy with Eddie speaking with his mouth full. It was gross.

And the toast was weird.

Re "is Martyn Gibson on the board?"

Are they really unaware of Companies House website in Ambridge?

They clearly don’t use phones the way the rest of the world does. Really bizarre behaviour

i really feel the SL is going to follow a ‘big companies bad’ trope

My first thought on hearing that comment. I think the scriptwriters aren't aware of it more like.
Surely if you were protesting against a company you would have already looked up the names of the directors, not wait for Eddie's mate's friend or whoever it was to tell you.

I do think, despite their varied ages, the scriptwriters must live extremely narrow and sheltered lives, with the number of perfectly normal things that they don't allow the characters to know about.

The amount of stuff the SWs don't know about is weird.

Sweeping generalisation coming up but surely regardless of what their background might originally be once you're writing scripts for Radio 4 how is it possible not to know about stuff like insurance, Companies House, the Environment Protection Agency, etc, etc, etc.

Or do they know but think the Ambridgers wouldn't know?

Plenty of people in Ambridge run businesses. You'd think someone would have heard of Companies House...