Archers thread #185: Some farming would be nice. 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, 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.)

Over to you!

@PatChaunceysFruitCake But Ushas the ONLY solicitor! Just like Harrisons the only copper.

@Sidebeforeselfyes, there is that 😂

Although, the number of duty solicitors is dropping so in this respect TA may just be ahead of the curve.

I'm quite surprised Usha hasn't retired, she's over 60. Do we know if she's a partner in the firm?

I suspect she might be, @Horticula.

And I’ve been assuming for a few years that the only reason why she hasn’t retired is that Alan has morphed from sexy to whiny and she needs an excuse to be out of the house every day …

Signing in for the next innings. Thanks for the thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

If Rochelle is involved with an activist group - wouldn't they have had discussions about your rights if you get arrested? Or perhaps they have just said, "say 'no comment' to everything."

I'm quite surprised Usha hasn't retired, she's over 60. Do we know if she's a partner in the firm?

Plenty of us over 60s working!

O I know that, I'm over 60 myself and retired, it's just that I know several solicitors who all retired by 60.

it is another reason, for me at least (not that i know or live with any criminals but you never know...), to fight hard against the digitisation of absolutely everything.

Because if my devices were taken due to proximity with a scrote, going to prison would be the least of their worries. The very least.

ETA: i am very hacked off with The Police in general so the no comment thing and not trusting them one nanometre is also my way of thinking

I used to work with a woman who worked long after her state pension retirement age for similar reasons. Her husband had been made redundant so started a consulting business based at home. She found it best to be out of the house as much as possible. Unfortunately her husband then went off with one of his clients, after 30+ years of marriage. From the sound of it, she was very much better off without him, but he behaved abysmally before finally coming clean about what had been happening.

I don't see this happening with Alan and Usha, but the SWs are capable of anything now, so who knows.

Recordings of radio drama are usually pretty quick, aren't they? They can do it with their scripts in their hands and there's no camera work to worry about. Minimal rehearsal required. I can't see this as the reason we've had such a limited cast recently, and as we have all said ad nauseam, if they really can't have more than a handful of actors each month, there's nothing to stop them talking about the others. We've all got to know and love a large cast of silent characters, after all, just by dint of the odd reference from speaking characters. Freda Fry was particularly successful in that respect.

In truth I suspect Usha is still working because the creative team had forgotten she has to exist and progress even when she isn’t in the cast.

I find it hard to believe that someone who had as much drive and ambition as she did when she joined Mark’s little solo practice, and who then went on to bigger and better things in a much larger firm, would have stayed in one place for all these years. No offer of a safe seat from the Conservative Party ? No prestigious teaching post at Felpersham Uni? No book deal focused on her probably unique position in late 20th c Britain? Really, the SWs have given her very little reward for her years of ‘first of her kind’ toil …

I completely agree. It just seems supremely ironic to me that it feels like we’re listening to Afternoon Theatre while we’re listening to The Archers these days while the actual cast are off recording something else. I mean why not just put them to work in The Archers, which is what they do best and use all the random blow- ins for the spin-off.

The activist groups that I know of have a list of specialist solicitors to contact if you get arrested. The advice is write that solicitor's phone number on your arm before you go to the protest, contact them if you get arrested, don't have the duty solicitor.

@MissMarplesNiecethe custody officer will ring a solicitor of your nomination if you prefer, you don’t need to write the number on your arm!

The alternative is for the officer to phone the duty solicitor call centre and whoever is on the rota will be allocated. They have to make contact with someone who is being detained within 45 minutes.

it’s really only on TV where there is an assumption a duty solicitor is crap. In real life duty work is important for bringing clients into the firm that may go on to pay privately.

But yes, there are firms who specialise in this type of work and as far as we know Usha doesn’t work for one!

Why would Joy be on Rochelle's side? Why would she support someone who is involved with an activist group who holds people hostage and threatens them with broken bottles? Most people would be horrified if their child was involved in something like that.
As for Mick saying Rochelle could stay with his friend, I can only assume he knows some really dodgy people. What normal 60 something wants to house someone they've never met, who's on bail for a crime? I can only assume Mick's been inside and his friend is a fellow crim.

I put this on the old thread...I probably heard incorrectly but did Rochelle admit to Usha that She Did It? If she did admit it, doesn't that mean Usha can no longer act for her? [Rubs hands with glee!]

Checking in.

I’m amazed that all devices belonging to Joy can just be seized. If that happened to me I wouldn’t be able to work but also quite important things like communicate with my child’s nursery etc.

Can they seize a device that belongs to your employer?

My local amateur dramatics group has just started planning for their Christmas panto. The fools obviously don't realise it can all be done in a week!

Adam and Ian are now firmly in silent mode.

Thanks for the thread.

Thanks for new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Public Service Announcement: Radio 4X are broadcasting Meet Me At The Museum with Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter this week. A real gem of a drama.