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Discuss your favourite podcast, radio show or The Archers episode.

Archers thread #184: It’s a shambles! And we don’t mean Casey Meats. Discuss The Archers here.

992 replies

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 14/04/2025 12:03

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

Archers 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. Grin

Archers 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!

Archers 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. Hmm

Over to you!

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ArmySurplusHamster · 03/05/2025 21:52

I thought the ‘swan song’ was the sentimental tosh poor Peggy was made to spout watching the sleeping twins.

EBearhug · 04/05/2025 01:30

Didn't Pat say something about Peggy as a Landgirl in the photos she was showing Chelsea this week?

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 04/05/2025 07:27

EBearhug · 04/05/2025 01:30

Didn't Pat say something about Peggy as a Landgirl in the photos she was showing Chelsea this week?

She did but I wasn't paying attention. It wasn't very interesting. Pat and Chelsea's WWII exchanges have been very wooden.

Bruisername · 04/05/2025 07:31

listen to Victory in Ambridge at 3 and all will be revealed. I won’t be listening

Gonners · 04/05/2025 08:23

I see Chelsea is playing a character called Wanda Lafromboise. Is she going to attempt to speak English with a French-Canadian accent? That could be quite amusing.

Ambridge · 04/05/2025 08:39

The Kirsty actress (Annabelle Dowler) was doing the VO for a documentary about the end of WW2 on Channel 4 last night, and giving it lots of stern menace. No idea whether she’s also in Victory in Ambridge as I can’t bring myself to listen.

Madcats · 04/05/2025 08:59

Whilst we are waiting for the omnibus, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, I stumbled upon Keri’s helpful summaries of the Ambridge early years:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fthearchers%2F2010%2F11%2Fsix_diamond_decades_-_the_1950.html

I’d not seen them before (nor had I thought to look). The comments are a nice read too.

WombatCowgirl · 04/05/2025 09:18

@Gonners wasn't it a photograph of someone called Wanda that Chelsea was admiring, saying what cute hair she had etc? I must say I feel a bit hoodwinked if events in the programme are just laying out bait for this one-off special, and of no intrinsic value to the storylines or atmosphere of the regular programme.

MissMarplesNiece · 04/05/2025 09:19

That would be unlikely if she had gone there as a new mum for the last 6 months of the year as per @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime post further up thread. SWs rewriting history again, I think.

Bruisername · 04/05/2025 09:23

Well they are rewriting history because the synopsis talks about a pregnant Peggy coming to ambridge. Unless this is about a longer period before VE Day then that is wrong?

Bruisername · 04/05/2025 09:58

Talking about victory in ambridge on broadcasting house. Can’t say it appeals. They certainly take themselves very seriously.

the bbc self advertising can be quite tiresome

it starts on d day so perhaps they are being correct in terms of Peggy’s pregnancy

TottersBlithely · 04/05/2025 10:07

Why am I still always surprised that actors have beautiful voices? Listening to Emerald O’Hanrahan on Broadcasting House right now, and without Emma’s combination of truculence and hard-done-by-ness her speaking voice is so rounded and musical. (I’m fond of Emma but can never quite reconcile her whining tones with the stunning beauty she must clearly be.) Unfortunately my ears entirely rejected Tim Simpson (SW) so I have no idea what he said.

I did have a vague feeling yesterday that there might be a reason why I wouldn’t want to be out of the house this afternoon - but I went ahead and booked the cinema tickets anyhow. Ho hum …

MissMarplesNiece · 04/05/2025 10:14

It didn't appeal to me either @Bruisername . Walter Gabriel as a black marketeer. I know Nelson was a bit fly, but I don't remember Walter being dodgy. Surely it would be more likely to be George Grundy, Joe's dad?

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 04/05/2025 11:31

MissMarplesNiece · 04/05/2025 10:14

It didn't appeal to me either @Bruisername . Walter Gabriel as a black marketeer. I know Nelson was a bit fly, but I don't remember Walter being dodgy. Surely it would be more likely to be George Grundy, Joe's dad?

George Grundy was away fighting during the war. Or at least Joe attributed Phil Archer having stolen the Grundys' farm to George having been away and Phil being too young to serve. (He never said outright that the Grundys used to farm Brookfield, which is just as well given all the sentiment later about there having always been Grundys at Grange Farm....)

The suggestion that Walter was a person who'd run a black market operation is both nasty and absurd: he'd never have managed to be that organised even if he had been in the business of cheating his neighbours. He was an amiable blunderer, not a smiling villain.

PassivAggressivHaus · 04/05/2025 12:21

@Gonners , the Chelsea actress has a French mother.
BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Meet Madeleine Leslay who plays Chelsea Horrobin
"I was born and raised in Bristol. My father is English and my mother is French so was brought up bilingual speaking both English and French at home."

Brefugee · 04/05/2025 13:42

Bruisername · 02/05/2025 15:58

It’s like they think felpersham is a town in communist russia

jumping in to say that i went to several towns in the Soviet Union and they weren't as dreary as that...

Brefugee · 04/05/2025 14:06

have now caught up with the thread.
I am torn about a lot of the VE stuff i've seen. Liking all the poppy arrangements but am aghast that anyone thinks a Lancaster bomber is appropriate at all.
Sorry, rant over. The day is being marked here in Germany, btw, as the end of an awful war, an awful chapter of history, mainly with church services.

Loved goats. Signed and rolled my eyes at Rex. I really want someone to point out that Rochelle talks as though she has been brainwashed, and that Saskia talked to her in a very manipulative, coercive way.

WombatCowgirl · 04/05/2025 14:50

It's odd isn't it, the VE day stuff 20 or 30 years ago I remember as quite solemn military parades ( also commemorative retro KitKat and Fry's chocolate bars I must admit) but I suppose as that generation has died off it's become more of a recreation of those times. In my village at least it's cosplay as 1940s with a sing along in the village hall and a picnic on the green, all lovely but it has lost something of the act of memorialising the dead and the suffering.

I'm surprised the animal activists didn't make national headlines with hostage taking, violent protest, contamination etc. As for Rochelle agreeing to have a weekend with her children before turning herself in, why haven't the police arrested her yet? It shouldn't be up to her to decide she needs a trip to see the bairns first!

Bruisername · 04/05/2025 14:53

Note as well Rochelle said she is used to seeing the bairns in secret so she’s clearly well dodgy

ive always thought VE and VJ days were celebrations - end of terrible times. Commemorations on armistice day or battle anniversary’s.

I saw something about Trump wanting to rename VE Day but it was satire right?

Gonners · 04/05/2025 15:03

PassivAggressivHaus · 04/05/2025 12:21

@Gonners , the Chelsea actress has a French mother.
BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Meet Madeleine Leslay who plays Chelsea Horrobin
"I was born and raised in Bristol. My father is English and my mother is French so was brought up bilingual speaking both English and French at home."

That's interesting. She'll still do well to pass as a French-Canadian of that era speaking English, though! (I assume she's going to be from Canada, because there were Canadian land girls - they must have been mad!)

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 04/05/2025 15:16

He really has proposed to celebrate VE Day as being relevant in America because (as we all know) America contributed more in WWII than any other nation. Or something: his Social Media post is a bit confused there. And he's ignored the fact that America was still fighting WWII in the Pacific theatre at that point: VJ Day is on 2nd September. So he plans to celebrate 8th May as "Victory Day for World War Two", which given that's the day before when the Soviet Union celebrated, and Russia celebrates, Victory Day, is slightly irritating.

I think another part of his plan is to rename Veterans' Day "Victory Day for World War One", since the two are both on 11th November.

Bruisername · 04/05/2025 15:17

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 04/05/2025 15:16

He really has proposed to celebrate VE Day as being relevant in America because (as we all know) America contributed more in WWII than any other nation. Or something: his Social Media post is a bit confused there. And he's ignored the fact that America was still fighting WWII in the Pacific theatre at that point: VJ Day is on 2nd September. So he plans to celebrate 8th May as "Victory Day for World War Two", which given that's the day before when the Soviet Union celebrated, and Russia celebrates, Victory Day, is slightly irritating.

I think another part of his plan is to rename Veterans' Day "Victory Day for World War One", since the two are both on 11th November.

I thought I’d dreamt it🙄. Nuts

Madcats · 04/05/2025 16:03

I’ve crumbled and turned onto R4.

David, Ruth and Emma sound like…David Ruth and Emma doing a minor accent adjustment. This is slightly unfortunate for Londoner “Peggy” (I wasn’t expecting “Dick Van Dyke does cockney”, but it sounded so West of England). Tracey sounds as if she’s had a few doses of testosterone but I don’t mind her “Roza” or Julia P.

I had to double-check who Max was (George), I didn’t recognise Alun, Jazzer Rex or Brad either. Rex sounds like a long lost Grundy cousin!.

CBA to follow the storyline.

Knowing that some of the cast can really act makes the Archers scripts even more disappointing.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 04/05/2025 17:19

I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Cider with Rosie. Agree that this demonstrates that the problem is not with the cast.

OP posts:
ExitPursuedByABare · 04/05/2025 19:20

So was Wanda played by the Chelsea actress? Recognised most of them but certainly not her.