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!

Oh dear. RIP Peggy - but it’s been so long since the character last appeared (obviously) that no one brought much conviction to their grief at her death.

And yes, the blasted SWs could have done us the courtesy of leaving Joy out of the family mourning.

Is there a friendly statistician who can tell us what proportion of episodes Joy has appeared in this year?

that week she ran away was bliss

Can't do number of episodes, but I can tell you she has appeared during fifteen of the eighteen weeks this year for which I have cast-lists as published by the BBC.

The Joy actress has got to be shagging the chief scriptwriter, or maybe all of them.

Fanning myself, after breaking pearl-string, at 'shagging' appearing in association with The Archers! May need to collapse onto a chaise longue and have my brow smoothed with rosewater.

Could the character ‘Joy” be more inappropriately named??!

I’m actually quite angry that they wrote Joy into that scene. She added absolutely nothing.

Thanks - it feels like she’s always there

I think that’s why I dislike her so much. Over exposure

i I felt the same about Helen when we seemed to be hearing her all the time when Rob was dying

I thought Joy made it normal, that other people are often there. She made her excuses and left.

As for Mr Racist and his "turned the cold shoulder". It's "given the cold shoulder", as I yelled at my laptop. I thin k he's rather a good character, an example of a throughly easy man hiding behind banter and joking.

Nasty, not easy!!!

But why did it have to be Joy!!!!

her presence is relentless

Joy added more than Laurence.

Where were they and why was he there?

I was thoroughly unmoved by that.

Laurence was only there to make Lynda look good. Total waste of time. Hopefully this is the last we hear from him

Good point. I don't mind Joy at all, but they could have got another character in.

Was it Peggy that was paying for Christine’s care as well? I was going to wonder what they do about that, but I’m assuming nothing. I’m surprised she had anything left given the cost of care homes, and The Laurels doesn’t sound like a cheap one.

Saw this, thought of TA …

We were birdwatching. A man yelled, ‘Go back to your own country’

https://www.thetimes.com/article/0cbf8137-1cf5-4dfb-be1b-4a871e435bdc?shareToken=d4f3c332cd96d8453d8e827bd19481a2

Coffee is a very subjective subject... an oat latte is my standard coffee order, I love them (and definitely not too much oat milk, in my opinion)!

Yes, Peggy was paying because the odious Matt Crawford (in cahoots with another piece of scum) ripped Christine off for all the money she got for selling her house to Fallon and Harrison.

I can't remember what the scam was but Christine, Peggy (?) and someone else (Carole Tregorran?) went to a presentation at GG and Christine fell for it.

I don't think Fagash knows, or knows that it was all of Christine's money. I hope it used up all of Peggy's money and Fagash finds out now; or even better, there's still plenty of money but the share which Lilian would otherwise get is going to Christine.

I seem to recall that Christine's son took over paying for her care after a while... (does anyone else)?

I'm looking forward to the potential arguments about inheritance.

Who bought The Lodge after it was put on the market? I don't think we've heard about that?

It's weird. Last year felt like Alice's World but at least we had lots of the main characters involved.

What I want to know is why Chelsea is working in two cafes instead of a hair salon.

Shameful behaviour.

I enjoyed the departure of Peggy, it was nice to hear "died peacefully in her chair" it brought a tear to my eye...

Laurence calling Lynda a "silly old cow" made me gasp aloud on the crowded train and almost clutch my pearls!!

There was lovely birdsong and chat amongst the usual characters... felt like the episodes which got me enjoying RA in first place... maybe/hopefully it's a cycle and we will be back into rural life gung ho soon

Thank god for that, they've got rid of Peggy at long last. Never liked her, sanctimonious old bat. And please don't tell me they are going to have Hilda die as though the cat realised her old mistress had died.

I've just realised why the scriptwriters have been writing TA like a soap opera (albeit 2nd rate). They are cutting their teeth on TA before hoping to go and write for bigger and more lucrative soap operas.

Surely Hilda must be the cat-equivalent of about 150 years old by now?

Agreed.