Archers thread #186: Eavesdropping on a home for the terminally confused. 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'd swipe right on Dane, the new Grey Gables manager, 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/radioaddicts/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/radioaddicts/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.)

Thanks to @WitcheryDivine for the title inspiration. Over to you!

Underwood's is supposed to be like Debenhams, (upthread)?

From it's location it seems more like a little Waitrose maybe. Which made me realise that most ppl in rural areas almost certainly would be able to drive to the nearest out of town ASDA or Lidl

I assumed it was more like Bradbeers in Romsey than a big national chain. But yes to Little Waitrose.

I was thinking a mix between the John Lewis football and M&S

Underwoods (the original) was surely closer to Fortnum’s than Debenhams? Certainly cosier and more upmarket than Peter Jones. (At least in my mind.)

So I guess I’m imagining Underwoods Local as being the physical embodiment of Selfridges food department online. Essentially the sort of food one puts in other people’s Christmas stockings.

But I suppose it must be less elevated than that if visitors are talking about it taking custom from the village shop.

Minus the unbearable amount of tourists...

I've never pictured Underwoods as being upmarket! If it's not like Debenhams then I'm imagining Binns in Darlington or Owen Owen in Doncaster - both in the 1960s - or perhaps Arding & Hobbs at Clapham Junction in the early 70s.

No idea if I've posted here before or just lurked, but did anyone else wonder if Lilian's comment about Justin not having any heirs that he'd admit to was a hint that a coachload of people will soon be arriving in Ambridge claiming he's their long-lost father? Probably played by Simon Williams's actual kids...

(Incidentally I can't not picture Justin as Simon Williams, his voice is so distinctive!)

Yes - maybe Justin will drop dead and an illegitimate child will appear. Very likely with these sw

Why are Adam and Ian being so fecking weird about Helen having a date? It's not like she's in the middle of big, scary London! 🙄

Wait, so she's just had one short date with this guy, and now she's inviting him to a family event?

Oh wait, it's Helen. Of course she is making an precipitous decision.

What a superb username @JustinElliotsBeaver

l can’t remember who on here hates Justin’s croaky voice but I finally agree with them - he sounds like he smokes 50 a day at least.

Surely nobody in their right mind would invite or go to a family party the second time they met? Helen's a middle aged woman with children who are more vulnerable than many, wtf is she playing at? I really hope that Adam, Ian or someone will try to stop her, but of course she won't listen. Those children are going to have another stepfather living with them in a month or two. Knowing the way the SW are behaving at the moment, everyone will think that's great.

Whose party is it?

Isn’t it Harrison’s party? So not ‘family’, and no reason to assume Henry and Jack will be infesting it. (This should not be taken to imply any support for Helen’s parenting or any belief in her ability to pursue a romantic course that will not end in catastrophe.)

So Helen has invited Dane, who she has just had a first date with, to an event in the village where he is now a manager of GG. What could possibly go wrong?

Anyone else singing “ There is nothing like a Dane!” ?!!

No? Just me then.

Phew - I thought you meant she’d invited him to the funeral

😂You definitely need to apply for a job as an Archers scriptwriter.

I don’t think you apply, you can just wander in off the street and throw a few ideas into the pot.

I would love to know what other cast members think about the volume of episodes Joy is cast in. I don’t dislike her but am starting to just because of overload. It’s just… odd?

She has a very strong accent which stands out and it also reminds me that we’re not hearing from ruth

her interactions feel inauthentic because it’s hard to believe she has those relationships with most of the people she speaks with

Yes, IMDB says she’s been in 148 episodes since 2019.

I like Joy! So there!

(Well, perhaps "like" is overstating it, but I dislike her quite a lot less than most of the characters and actors.)

She wasn't so appallingly ubiquitous before. In 2019 she was in the cast-list for three weeks, in 2020 for three weeks, in 2021 for ten weeks, in 2022 for seven weeks, in 2023 for thirteen weeks, in 2024 for nineteen weeks

She's been the cast-list for sixteen weeks of this year so far. (And she is in next week's cast as well.)

We are now in week 23.

Same here.