Archers thread #188: New Order, please! 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 love to spend time with Martyn Gibson, 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.)

In some haste as we are going out for the day. I was asked weeks ago to put I've Killed the Vicar in as the new title but I agree with more recent comments that Peggy's funeral feels like old news now. Great line, though. Sorry not to have used Markie Malarkey, though. I've settled on something that will only make sense to people who were also youngish in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Here's a clue. If a certain person appears in tomorrow's episode the title will be relevant.

Over to you!

It didn't take long for Amber to slither into George's bed. Even if he's miles away in clink.

Yeah...I'm done with TA for now. I'll return whenever the Amber nonsense ends. She's such a poorly written 'comic' character and the entire storyline is ridiculous. Another personality transplant is taking place as I don't think Emma would welcome a girl like that into her home. Is she aware of her awful behaviour towards Neil? Honestly, who on earth is writing this absolute crap.

Oh, I loved that episode!

So satisfying to hear Emma, in particular, morphing into a new role.

Will had better get busy on that shed …

It's probably Jolene and Fagash drowning their sorrows in the tequila.

I was rather hoping that Emma plans to "befriend" the ghastly Amber and make her life so dull that she runs away. I don't believe for a moment that she has told her parents ... if she even lives with them.

That's harsh. I'd save Kenton and Kate. And Freddy and Henry and Johnny. And maybe Meriel. And for we know, Dan is a wonderful human being who is shunning Ambridge for good reason.

The rest - is there actually enough slurry?

The Archers is at its best when it does realistic storylines with actors who can actually act. It's at its worst when it has stupid fanciful stories, which are extremely unlikely to happen in real life, with unrealistic, poorly drawn characters played by poor actors, such as the Rochelle activism and this ridiculous Amber story.

The Amber character is a caricature, no one in real life would be getting married in this silly situation let alone turn up with suitcases at their prospective in laws and demand to be able to stay there. Nor would Emma let her stay. As she's so rich it would be more realistic for her to go to a hotel or Airbnb for a while to let her parents cool down.

I don't normally listen to the podcast but saw that the Usha actor was on there so listened. She's been on there for 34 years! They had some excerpts from the roy the racist story and the acting was excellent, very moving and shocking, put recent stories and acting absolutely to shame.

@DeanElderberry I'd hold Kenton face-down myself, and if he struggled I'd call for backup! I'd perhaps give Kate a break ... Jakob seems quite fond of her and I might spare her in exchange for certain "favours" from him. Freddie's a Pargetter really, isn't he? I never think of him as an Archer, despite Lily being one of the worst degree. Johnny (like Dan) has escaped.

I'd forgotten Meriel ... can't remember if she's in Oz or NZ, but I'd spare her if she turned whatever land she inherited into a wombat/tuatara sanctuary. That would be a poke in the eye for Kirsty, Rex and Justin.

I don't think Amber's parents are rich and the "annexe" is a very basic boarding out of the garage roof space at best. I don't think she has told them about her engagement either.

You see I don't think there is any nuance to Fagash. She's just unpleasant. I can't stand her voice and her no doubt "trademark" laugh.

That was utter tosh.

@muddyford I agree with all of that.

Sigh. Well I don't believe Amber told her parents anything. It's all an act. Why is no one looking at her social media?!

Well either it's all an act, or it was so badly acted it just came across as her making it all up. Can't decide which tbh.

Dreadful. Noises off of the bottoms of barrels being scraped.

Nice they decided to go with gritty realism wrt the prison sl

Why don’t they ever mention wildlife or the climate or even farming these days? The last time was Ruth mithering about her cows for five seconds and the nonsense storyline about beavers and the rewilding. Are none of them bird watchers? I find it sad there is so little sense of rural life in it…

Robert and I think Jim are keen birdwatchers. The last time that was mentioned was when Robert took the Malik children to the hide and one or both enjoyed it, but it's never been mentioned since.
The lack of farming talk is a very sad loss indeed. You wouldn't know what season it was by listening nowadays. There's been no mention of harvest, shearing, there was no mention of lambing, Jill/Linda and keen gardeners would be talking about fruit and vegetables ripening etc. Do they still have a flower and produce show?

It was really bad. The ridiculous Amber story line, but worse than that was Kenton giving that waste of space Eddie a replacement pint and crisps, where Eddie was taking the piss, and Jolene thinking it was amusing. I would bar him from ever coming back to the pub ever. " Get out my pub".

@dotdotdotdash Yep, you'd barely realise it was a rural life drama anymore.

Yes, just what was that with Eddie? Like the sw thought let's remind everyone he's a scrounger but everyone just puts up with it 🤷‍♀️

But it was just so stupid given Eddie has frequented that pub for years

on nature - don’t forget Justin’s stupid rewilding. Even when they do bring it into the SL it’s badly done

Exactly, it was ridiculous..why would a local suddenly start taking the piss at a pub he's been at for decades. I think they are just going to morph him into Joe.

She'd keep the baby from George just because it's a storyline, and probably quite a dramatic one given his incel tendencies.

I think I'm done with TA, at least for the time being. It's no longer sparking joy. (Probably the wrong choice of words!)

What I liked about TA was that it was a fully realised world and that, although it was imaginary, it was believable because it followed the same rules as real life and the characters were realistic. Having come from a very rural background, I also valued the link with the countryside and farming, particularly during the 30 odd years I was living and working in London. Like real life, it was sometimes boring and sometimes a bit silly, but its saving grace was that I felt I really knew the characters and that their development over time and their relationships with each other made sense.

I just don't recognise TA at the moment. It no longer bears very much relation to real life and it might as well be set in suburbia for all the mentions of country life. Long standing, well known and well understood characters have been elbowed aside to make room for new ones I neither know nor care about, and the current crop of SLs are just completely unbelievable.

I'll keep following this thread in the hope that things will start to improve and I can listen again, but for the time being I think my aging brain cells deserve better. I'm very sad that such an enduring part of my life has fallen into the hands of people who do not understand or value what made TA special.

i am hanging on by a thread. My only hope is that as with other recent storylines, the Amber stuff will be over in a week or so.

Meanwhile: is she after George's drone?

Brefugee
Charlie Taylor said "there is a risk of inmates using drones to escape".

That would be drones the size of a Shehad, and more than one of them, to lift the inmate over the wall? Or just teeny-weeny inmates?