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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!

OP posts:
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ArmySurplusHamster · 15/04/2025 19:27

IHeartHalloumi · 15/04/2025 18:29

Stupid question - is Helen's sole source of income the dairy? Or does she get a share of something else from the main farm - if the dairy can't support 2 part-time minimum wage employees it can't be turning a significant profit

And yet we were told by Tom within the past couple of years (I think) that her filthy Mankwold accounted for a large chunk of the overall farm profits…

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 15/04/2025 19:30

Wasn't that Tony, not Tom?

Bruisername · 15/04/2025 19:35

Couldn’t be bothered to listen but am I to understand the abattoir SL is moving fast and we may be lucky enough for it to wrap up soon?

ArmySurplusHamster · 15/04/2025 19:36

Quite possibly. But the point re the contribution of the cheese is, I’m fairly sure, accurate.

Godesstobe · 15/04/2025 19:36

Do we think Brad's sudden (and fairly fleeting) appearance suggests someone read this thread and panicked?

Bruisername · 15/04/2025 19:39

If that’s the case, why wasn’t there more panic about her crashing sales

ArmySurplusHamster · 15/04/2025 19:41

Bruisername · 15/04/2025 19:39

If that’s the case, why wasn’t there more panic about her crashing sales

Because they are basically too stupid to breathe unaided?

Whether ‘they’ here indicates the Bridge Farm Nest of Idiots or the prod team, I leave as an exercise for the reader.

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 15/04/2025 20:03

I loathe Jazzer.

Gonners · 15/04/2025 20:20

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 15/04/2025 20:03

I loathe Jazzer.

Ooooh! I may have to Shun You for that!

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 15/04/2025 20:37

Gonners · 15/04/2025 20:20

Ooooh! I may have to Shun You for that!

Edited

Oh please don't.

I hate his accent and the professional Scotsman schtick. And I want to slap anyone who says Sassenach. And most of all, he's yet another one taking advanatge of Brad. Brad used to irritate me but I warmed to him over the George prison visiting.

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 15/04/2025 20:42

Bruisername · 15/04/2025 19:35

Couldn’t be bothered to listen but am I to understand the abattoir SL is moving fast and we may be lucky enough for it to wrap up soon?

Yes. The police issued a warning about animal rights activists. Ma Casey has fallen and broken her hip so that's taking up Vince's attention. Freddy however managed to locate a tiny camera hidden in the lairage. [No explanation how he found it]

There is no CCTV available to show who planted it, but Freddy is on the case. Vince thinks it some sort of in work prank.

Mumblechum0 · 15/04/2025 22:04

Pmk

echt · 15/04/2025 22:17

I'm another in high hopes of the animal rights SL being wrapped up soon. Preferably with Rochelle being found as guilty as a guilty thing and buggering off back to wherever she came from.

DeanElderberry · 15/04/2025 22:48

buggering off back to wherever she came from.

taking her mother with her

followed by the faithful Mick . . .

TheUsualChaos · 15/04/2025 22:51

Oh I do like Jazzer but I get what you mean about the professional Scotsman thing. When was he last even in Scotland?

Brad really should have gone to uni further away and lived in halls.

How on earth could Vince not take the hidden camera seriously?
And why is Elizabeth finding out about Vince's mothers medical situation via Freddie? It's just inconceivable that Vince wouldn't at least text Elizabeth with the updates. God, the writing is dire these days.

EBearhug · 15/04/2025 23:21

How on earth could Vince not take the hidden camera seriously?

Yes - if he doesn't think it's animal rights activists, he should be considering things like a potential harassment case, are there any others in the loos or elsewhere?

I'm prepared to forgive Jazzer for Sassenach, because it led me down an etymological thought path about it probably being related to Welsh Saesneg (English).

OverArmourer · 15/04/2025 23:54

Obviously we’re supposed to be thinking it’s Rochelle, but it makes no sense at all.

Undercover, hardcore activist decides to target the abattoir in her own mother’s village. But first determinedly romances a prior pig farmer, has multiple meltdowns with her mother, swiftly organises a random wellbeing event that she has nothing to contribute to, then disappears before it happens.

Then comes back and falls out with her mother again and then gets an unpaid job in the shop. Then works in the abattoir and makes herself more conspicuous by pushing to progress on her first day, getting caught wandering into restricted areas and then asking for an actual floor plan, while also randomly playing cricket. Then apparently being skilled enough to place a cam in a blindspot.

If it’s her it’s ridiculous and if it’s not her it’s ridiculous.

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 16/04/2025 02:04

It might be a red herring , like the assumption by some (not me) that Russ up duffed Chelsea.

When would Rochelle have got into the lairage?

BeatriceBatchelor · 16/04/2025 04:37

I share @IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle's antipathy towards Jazzer. He moans about his lot in life but does nothing to try and improve it. And he sounds unwashed.

WeaselPax · 16/04/2025 04:43

OverArmourer · 15/04/2025 23:54

Obviously we’re supposed to be thinking it’s Rochelle, but it makes no sense at all.

Undercover, hardcore activist decides to target the abattoir in her own mother’s village. But first determinedly romances a prior pig farmer, has multiple meltdowns with her mother, swiftly organises a random wellbeing event that she has nothing to contribute to, then disappears before it happens.

Then comes back and falls out with her mother again and then gets an unpaid job in the shop. Then works in the abattoir and makes herself more conspicuous by pushing to progress on her first day, getting caught wandering into restricted areas and then asking for an actual floor plan, while also randomly playing cricket. Then apparently being skilled enough to place a cam in a blindspot.

If it’s her it’s ridiculous and if it’s not her it’s ridiculous.

Edited

There was that scene a week(?) ago where she threw up in the toilets and said something like ‘come on, you can do this’. And we know she’s vegan from past chats and the recent scene where she told Joy she’d got a job there.

OverArmourer · 16/04/2025 06:53

WeaselPax · 16/04/2025 04:43

There was that scene a week(?) ago where she threw up in the toilets and said something like ‘come on, you can do this’. And we know she’s vegan from past chats and the recent scene where she told Joy she’d got a job there.

Yes, that too!

OverArmourer · 16/04/2025 07:11

I feel like if it is someone else then it’s also going to unsatisfying because it will be someone who we’ve not had much other, if any, interaction or knowledge of. That’s kind of breaking the rules of storytelling…

Bruisername · 16/04/2025 07:53

Neo

Sidebeforeself · 16/04/2025 07:55

I swear that the story lines ar so poor these days that it wouldn’t surprise me if they use the “ it was all a dream” trope sometime soon

TheUsualChaos · 16/04/2025 08:48

If Rochelle has been involved with activism before then surely her new job would be raising alarm bells with Joy. So perhaps she has only been involved online and been recruited by a group to help others get access to the the abattoir so Joy is oblivious.
Surely though, it's just bloody weird a vegan wanting to work in an abattoir. Yet no one has mentioned this!

If it's not Rochelle planning something then why the weird questions about floor plans. And I know Freddie isn't the brightest spark. But, new employee with a fairly strange backstory, vegan but super keen to progress in a meat factory, found somewhere she shouldn't be already, asks about floor plans, police have given a warning....I mean come on Freddie!
Like @OverArmourer says, whether it is her or not, it's all complete nonsense.

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