Archers thread #187: Send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for Peggy. 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 like Harrison to hasten home, 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.)

Thanks to John Donne for the title inspiration. The funeral of the century beckons. How much of it do we think we will hear? Kate confirmed tonight that Shula, Debbie, Noli and Sipho are all coming. If we hear one peep from any of them I'll be amazed. Bets on Hazel turning up?

Over to you!

I quite liked Giri/Haji!

I have a horrible feeling that they’re setting up Kenton and Jolene to retire and Joy & Mick to take over (brought using her mysterious millions) or joint business partners with Fallon (using money from the inevitable divorce)

I'm sad about Deadloch as I don't have PrimeVideo. Yet another Australian series not available on free to air.

I don't mind the cricket at all, we've deplored the TV soap SLs so this is what we get.

Surely Joy is around Kenton's age herself, assume Mick is around the same age, I think Jolene is a few years younger, so I doubt they'll be wanting to take on a pub in their sixties. Neither of them have hospitality experience whereas Kenton had already run a bar.
Although knowing the sw it'll probably turn out that Joy, as well as all her other numerous supposed attributes, successfully ran a whole chain of pubs in her heyday.

So Kenton is 67 and I seem to remember Jolene is older?

Joy I am thinking is 60 ish? And Mick a similar age?

So Kenton/ Jolene are at a prime age to take a step back for Fallon and ? - but she doesn't actually need a plus 1 to be landlady, she could do it by herself with mum, Kenton and Lilians help.

Joy and Mick as mine hosts I think not.

I want to know what Joy lives on.

Actually, I dont.

i don't mind the cricket, you get the opportunity for them to have a tiny bit of cricket related chat (could have done without the cheating scorer tho) and they talk about other things too. The Clarrie thing for eg.

(are we working up to the cheese business taking off again and Clarrie being offered a job in the dairy? I so want her to say no)

But Joy? i don't need Joy sticking her beak in everywhere. No. Thank. You.

I think the SW have told the Joy actress to try to sound "cosy and welcoming" so that it's more understandable why people would want to confide in her and to set her up as some sort of matriarch figure( failed on both counts).

But to me her tones just sound false and as if she's relishing hearing about everything, ready to gossip about it. That's one of the many reasons I dislike her so much.

Brad’s hayfever was a little too graphic for my ears.

I so hope Clarrie finds her inner fierce and sorts those pesky teenagers out.

While the BBC official podcast is mostly brown-nosing and zero criticism, the most recent one with Will / Philip Molloy is more genuine, and it's nice to hear his thoughts on the character. I hadn't realised the actor who played/plays Mike Tucker is his real life dad.
Plus Graham Harvey, former scriptwriter.

Hate that they keep bringing in third party C-list 'fans', but at least this one has been listening for decades.

I obviously don’t recall exactly which several hundred episodes Graham Harvey wrote - but I miss him dreadfully as Agricultural Story Editor.

I have been punishing the BBC by never, ever listening to the podcast. (I’m sure they’re suffering greatly.) But I’d be quite curious to hear from ‘Will’.

I listen to "Ambridge on the couch" with Lucy V Freeman and Harriet Carmichael (Shambridges). Lucy used to be on the Dumteedum podcast before it went a bit weird (not sure what happened to it, think there was some kind of falling out?).

Anyway, Ambridge on the couch do a synopsis of the week and then listener's emails which often have the same opinions as this thread. There's usually a clip from the archives and a sketch - the sketch I often skip, but I generally enjoy the podcast. Comes out on a Sunday morning.

Brad’s hayfever was a little too graphic for my ears.

Agreed. And I'd love to know what antihistamines he used as they were nothing short of miraculous!

i tried Ambridge on the Couch before i started the Cider Shed - it seemed more like a lot of chatter and in jokes. Maybe i'll give it another go now the Cider Shed is pointless.

I've never had anything that worked that quickly except nasal spray and hopefully he wasn't sharing someone else's nasal spray.

I couldn't understand why it was so difficult to find him some antihistamines. Surely someone could have nipped to the village shop or Underwoods to pick some up?

Susan’s kicking herself that she forgot to stock antihistamines

Yes, a village shop well stocked enough that it sells DIY tools would surely have a few packets of antihistamine alongside the paracetamol.

My God, this interview is the sickliest thing I’ve ever heard. I agree - she’ll be revealing her heart transplant surgery qualifications tomorrow. And her Premier League footballing skills on Wednesday …

<makes note>
<remembers there are other notes from this thread>
<finds I've killed the vicar!>
<also finds references to Father Christmas>
<head explodes>

Harrison is an idiot. There's no reason why Kenton can't go back and explain what happened. Not going back is worse.

Oh, that's horribly plausible.

Surely Kenton bolted from the room because he couldn’t take another second of Joy's inane wittering……just imagine having to work with her yapping on like that? 😱

But she is, of course, a superwoman, the world's top chip-fryer, and all must bow down before her 🤬🤯

And Joy Division ! ( blatantly promoting my own work !)

I've killed the vicar was a brilliant line but it seems like ages ago now.