Archers thread #184: It’s a shambles! And we don’t mean Casey Meats. 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're looking forward to Morris dancing on the radio, 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.)

Right, to business. I can't say I'm delighted that the focus is on Rochelle and Casey Meats at the moment, because I'm not. All far too peripheral to Ambridge and too new. As I say ad nauseam, more farming storylines please, and where are all the long-standing members of the cast? The discussion about inheritance tax in The Bull the other night was a bit clunky, but what a refreshing change to hear two familiar voices, both farmers, talking about farming-related stuff, even if BBC balance meant they had to be challenged by two non-farmers, and even if it is months after the Budget introduced these changes. Ah well.

I was tempted to put one of my Dad's terrible jokes into the thread title as an oblique reference to George's coffin-making idea, but it wouldn't have made sense to anyone else. He loved referring to the cemetery as the Dead Centre of the island, so I was pondering something about Grange Farm becoming the Dead Centre of Ambridge. It could happen yet. Emma and Ed could provide willow branches and Clarrie could sit in the kitchen weaving them. Surely it must be similar to knitting?

Finally, if the SWs are lurking and looking for new storylines, it's been very dry recently and there have been lots of wildfires in rural areas. There was a bad one on Gaspmother Island a few days ago. Many farmers are very worried about this at the moment, as reported on Farming Today last week. But what am I thinking! This is a story that only works in a rural setting, so in the current incarnation of TA, it's not soapy enough.

Over to you!

@Bruisername - there’s no way it can be dealt with internally! They were live streaming trespass with violence, threat to contaminate food intended for public consumption, (or actually doing so), false imprisonment, assault, and - worst of all - interfering with the financial wellbeing of a white, English businessman. As Foucault taught us - property is what the criminal justice machine was invented to protect. They’re going down forever. 😄

Ok I enjoyed it too! Hearing some of our favourite characters being thumped/threatened/handcuffed was a joy - what’s wrong with you all?

I was just hoping Helen would give the activist a few tips on the right places to stab with the bottle for maximum effect.

Well I found it hilarious- obviously it was bad, but I can't wait for Worrochelle to get exposed and gone with a side order of humiliation for joyless Joy. Of course it was always going to be slapstick bad 😆

If Vince supplies meat nationwide then this is a massive issue if they have threatened to have poisoned his meat.

i just don’t think the sw will be capable of reflecting the reality of that and they’ll fudge it

If Vince supplies meat nationwide then this is a massive issue if they have threatened to have poisoned his meat.

Irrelevant whether he supplies nationwide or locally, really. Although a mass extinction of Borsetshire schoolchildren would be nice, of course.

I really enjoyed the implication that they were outing the hidden truth about VINCE CASEY the owner of CASEY MEATS - that he produces MEATS.

Imo Ed Reardon's creative writing class could do a better job than the current SWs.

Or Ed himself. The man wrote an episode of Tenko for heaven's sake. He's clearly a writer of talent.

I imagine his photo is on the website as well

how many people were shocked by the fact an abattoir supplies meat to organisations that use meat. Crazy stuff.

I don’t get why they didn’t go down the animal cruelty route. It’s so thoroughly bizarre I can only imagine the sw is a vegan who only mixes with vegans

His cat could write a better episode

Are animals rights protests a big thing in the UK now? I remember them making the news years ago, mainly centred on medical research facilities and labs testing cosmetics. I wonder what Rochelle thought they were going to do.

Chain themselves to the machinery in one of the rooms

which would have been better as I imagine the machinery could be made to look barbaric

A friend of mine worked in a medical research lab until they retired recently. They had to take a lot of precautions and never told anyone where they worked. I have known them since they first started working in the field when it wasn't really a thing but they have had a lot of advice from the police in the last 25 years or so. They genuinely considered they were at risk.

Here’s mine:
Does the current Archers script - writing team appreciate that they hold the future of the much loved ‘soap” in their hands? Because, judging by recent plots and scripts, it would appear not. In fact, it seems as if they have very little regard for the programme and see it as something to be experimented with just for fun.

I have listened for over 20 years, but I am in danger of switching off for good. Over the last year, we have had to suffer ridiculous stories , plot lines that go nowhere and the over use of new characters to the point that anyone named Archer hardly appears now.

This isn’t a case of an old listener who doesn’t like change. I appreciate new characters are essential for longevity , and I can also cope with the odd story that might not appeal to me personally. But the recent storylines moved The Archers so far from what it used to be that I fear it will never get back to the programme I loved.

When new characters whom the listeners have no connection to completely dominate entire episodes for weeks it is like listening to a random amateur radio play. New characters need to be developed over time and also need to fill the right gap in the ensemble . The current batch serve no purpose whatsoever other than to have me shouting at the radio.

Please bring back our old friends. Oh, and a bit of farming wouldnt go amiss either

Did I hear Helen shouting to keep the camera away from her? About the only thing that was consistent recently, I remember her refusing to let a journalist photograph her

I don’t get why they didn’t go down the animal cruelty route.
For the last few weeks there's been a local(ish) news story about undercover filming at an abattoir that exposed cruelty to the animals going there for slaughter. Local people protested outside and the abattoir has now had its license withdrawn. It was even a news item on Midlands Today. It would have been much more realistic to have a similar storyline in TA, rather than the cockamamie debacle we ended up with. I suppose they wanted some kind of animal activist story without Vince & Freddie being portrayed as being in any way responsible for allowing bad practices or turning a blind eye to cruelty.

It would have made a great photo for the local paper: Stab Night Woman in Abattoir Horror!

Particularly if she’d been holding the broken bottle !

Can’t believe I’m actually looking forward to listening again!! 😂

i think they have cctv so Rochelle will probably have been recorded handing over the pass

Just accidentally listening to the repeat.

’We’re broadcasting to Felpersham Shopping Mall!’

I know it's the sort of thing some people do say, but I found the repeated use of 'innocent animals' a bit odd, as though there is a separate class of 'guilty animals that deserve to be made into burgers and pies.

If you had narrowly escaped conviction for filleting your husband, you’d probably feel that being pictured at an abattoir was potentially slightly embarrassing too…

It's so odd as well. Most people aren't shocked by the idea of abattoirs existing. Most people are quite pleased they exist, because they like eating meat. Exposés of poor practice in abattoirs are worth people's notice but generally speaking some footage of some people who run an abattoir having a nice lunch isn't going to shock anybody. If they had got into the bit where the animals get killed it would have been impactful - maybe - but also maybe not, if Casey meats do indeed adhere to best practices. Other than a few die hard vegan activists, who is going to be watching footage of some abbatoir networking event with any kind of abhorrence?

Well that was odd.

It was so dreadful I’ll have to re-listen to pick up further nuances. I wonder what the long term cast members thought when they saw the scripts!

I am greatly encouraged by the prospect of the Rochelle getting busted. I can’t see Helen or David ever forgiving her. Does David still have a gun licence?

Perhaps the shame of welcoming a vegan activist culty daughter to Beechwood and Ambridge will be so great that Joy will be left with no choice but to sell up.