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!

Could that be seen as quite damning!!

That's really interesting, I take back my comment about younger people not listening to it!
I've listened on and off my whole life, I tried to get my now adult children into it, I only listen to radio 4 and the radio is on most of the time, but I failed, they think it's a tedious programme.
Maybe that's why we're having Brad and Chelsea's Young Person's Guide to the War. I wonder who the Dummies Guide to Islam was aimed at.

But how many other audio dramas are there on BBC sounds that people regularly download? I’m not sure saying it’s the most downloaded audio drama for those under 35 necessarily means a great deal in terms of numbers.

Oops take it back, I see it says most listened to “on demand programmes” - I’m surprised!! But still think R4 downloads will be swamped by podcasts, particularly amongst younger listeners.

I had a meeting last week, and while I was waiting with my coffee my colleague texted to say she’d be late. She eventually arrived, flustered, and launched into a tale of woe involving blocked drains, emergency plumbers and needing to have stern words with her water board …

She had never listened to TA. 😂 Was vaguely aware of its existence - recalled Barwick Green without much prompting - but had no idea where it might be located on the radio and hadn’t encountered BBC Sounds at all. I must remember to ask how she’s enjoying it next time we meet.

"It's Easter - I want to hear lambs and chickens, bees buzzing in the orchard among the apple blossom, birdsong as the sun comes up on Lakey Hill."

Except for Ed and his Texels, do any of the farms still keep sheep? What happened to Hassett Hill's lamb? We've not heard about any characters talking about lambing or shifts in the lambing shed etc. That was something that used to be woven into the stories. And what happened to Jill's bees? Have they still got an orchard at Brookfield? I think her hives used to be there. Is Jill worried about the Asian Hornets which I keep seeing a lot of publicity about?

I’ve been assuming Lily would be the new Caroline at GG since she first crossed the threshold with purpose. Me too @TottersBlithely. I'd like Ian to get back in the kitchen there as well - he's been silenced and I miss him. He needs a place to be that's not just at home with Adam who has also been mysteriously silenced at Bridge Farm. Home Farm was once shaping up to be such Succession type battle, but that's all fizzled out to nothing since Adam left and Ruari disappeared to what exactly? To honest with the farmhouse gone it feels more and more like Borchester Land - a business with no heart to it and all so Kate didn't have to move her yurts (could there have been a more portable business??)

jill has already had the Asian hornet scare so that’s been ticked off

Addressing a couple of points above:

• I still think Hazel’s foi to turn out to be the new wonder of GG - such fun!
• nope R didn’t run away from the cult/commune thing, she was turned out / banned - she said to Saskia “It’s been four months now…..” She contravened some ‘rule’ or something. V sinister sounding.

*Hazel’s going to turn out to be the new owner of GG

Perhaps she was kicked out for eating a bacon sarnie

Whilst hazel being the new owner would be fun - the new owners were at the party in the poly tunnel - unless they were stooges. Whoever the co owners are they clearly aren’t business people

I'd assumed Rochelle was kicked out because of her horrible whiny voice and ghastly personality. Could you live in a commune with her? I certainly couldn't.

She's very confused isn't she? (Or the SW are.) Wants to go back to the commune but also arranging dates with village local Rex.

Maybe a VE day death?

I couldn't stand next to her in a queue in Asda let alone a commune day in day out.

This could be like one of the most viewed you tube videos being Cocomelon (brain melting repetitive toddler songs) - it doesn't reflect quality and for TA may reflect it being quite a short programme.

Ah so the four months ties in with her appearance at Joy's at Xmas!

I reckon Rochelle isn't allowed contact with her kids for some reason (which would obviously have to be something pretty bad for that to happen) OR they are all a lie and don't exist and it turns out Joy had never met them OR Rochelle's ex is a carbon copy of her manipulative controlling dad and is blocking contact. She seems remarkably unfussed about them, whatever the scenario.

I reckon Rochelle isn't allowed contact with her kids for some reason (which would obviously have to be something pretty bad for that to happen) OR they are all a lie and don't exist and it turns out Joy had never met them OR Rochelle's ex is a carbon copy of her manipulative controlling dad and is blocking contact.

OR the whole thing has been a mass thought-experiment conducted by the BBC on behalf of the government, to find out just how much tosh the Great British Public will accept.

Hazel Woolley could have a 51% share in GG with the remainder owned by boring people who we’ll never actually meet?

Doesn't Oliver still have some remaining share in GG? I may be wrong but I thought that was why he was spending his declining years working himself to death there after Roy's unexpected departure.

And, given we haven't heard from him in goodness knows how long, perhaps he did work himself to death.

Which reminds me, have I missed the recruitment of a new manager or is this supposedly luxury establishment still relying on a combination of Oliver, Lily, Mucky Mick and Brad to muddle through?

A new manager could have been the opportunity to introduce a new character who had a meaningful role in Ambridge - love interest for Lily or Freddie perhaps. I do miss the good old days when events at GG were a key part of TA. I even miss Captain.

Very good point on the manager front - very odd that the minority shareholder seems to be running the show

and you’re right, a youngish male manager would be quite useful

Glad Kenton has made a full recovery from the dog attack

And giving away his profit

it really is a Good Friday 🙄

I am going to be charitable and assume Emma has no idea whatsoever what it is that Good Friday commemorates: a man being very publicly tortured to death over a day or two.

Oh well. It's all good, I suppose.

My guess is that it’s top download because a) there are hundreds of episodes a year (ie even if 1000 people listened to 300 episodes a year that would be 300,000 downloads where a weekly show with the same following would be on 52,000 downloads) and b) the listeners are addicts <waves >

Also unlike other R4 material it is an escape.

Although on the surface of it, recruiting a random Scot who is good at Ceilidhs to learn how to teach a random innkeeper how to do a folk dance from a completely different tradition based on YouTube videos seems completely ridiculous, my personal experience of giving historical dance workshops actually made these scenes ring surprisingly true.

The calling in rhythm, the frustration that Kenton couldn't remember a very simple pattern (I did it fine after just the one time hearing Jazzer call it, and can remember it fine 10 minutes later), and the way Jazzer is now stuck doing the workshop himself, seemed very true to how these things happen. I really hope he can keep his nerve, because if he does, he'll probably do just fine with a bunch of beginner kids and parents. Many of the skills are transferable between styles (people tend only to have two legs, and you can either move from one foot to the other, or hop on one foot. Everything else is just variations on a theme, really.), and he is wisely not trying to do really complicated patterns.

My experience running workshops for English kids and Scottish kids suggests that the Scottish ones tend to catch on faster, remember patterns, and are not afraid to dance with the opposite sex (not relevant for Morris, presumably, but for most other dancing). Then again, they tend to do folk dancing in school, and Ceilidh culture is alive and well.