Archers thread #189: Brian reaps what he sows, in spite of himself. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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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!

Clearly a Russian phone, then, @WitcheryDivine

Martyn becoming a main character was not on my bingo card. And now he’s the great feminist

or Zainab or Chelsea playing golf. Although I feel there’s going to be a ‘campaign’

or having Laurence at the golf club - because we need a generic racist/mysogynist. Does he need to become a regular as well?

I thought Fallon and Harrison had a small house? Bit of an odd conversation between Chris and Fallon - felt a bit PSA.

as Martha is a fictional character it would be good if she did have FAS

Bruisername
I thought Fallon and Harrison had a small house?

Fallon and Harrison live in Woodbine Cottage, which was large enough for the Larkin family to live in: Jethro and Lizzie and their daughters Clarrie and Rosie. So two bedrooms at least, and Fallon did say that Martha would only get a cubby-hole really.

Which also would be what Martha has in the flat above the shop, where the second room was too small to fit both a bed and a wardrobe into when Helen was living there and offered Annette a room.

I rather enjoyed this evening's episode. Martyn seems to have progressed from dreary middle-aged man, via slightly creepy man pursuing Tracy's friend Marlene (or whatever her name was - a disposable character), to non-creepy middle-aged man genuinely enjoying the company of Chelsea & Zainab without ulterior motives and then having a go at Laurence. It was almost as though he had grown up! And I look forward to the ghastly Laurence being ousted from all committees, banned from the golf club and the cricket club and consigned to oblivion, where he belongs.

Martyn used to be Brian's contemporary, but has become a lot younger recently. Jon Glover, who plays him, was born in December 1952, which I feel makes him a little older than middle-aged, though I know the age of the character and the age of the actor are not necessarily the same.

I quite enjoyed that , although it's a bit heavy handed. I like Martyn's voice.

Chris and Fallon tho'.....

I think the SWs were being deliberately mischievous talking about Fallon’s hedge…

Oh thank you. Me too. Topiary .Fnarr fnarr

My phone autocorrects them to Gallon and Garrison.
Maybe they'll change the name of The Bull when they run it. (They won't be running it - he ain't coming back)

The Bull seems quite an apt name...
I liked the Chelsea scenes, even though I don't like Laurence.

Me too. There was a warmth in the delivery of his dismay at hearing about Khalil's treatment at the hands of Laurence that I liked.

Chelsea was splendid.

I've been thinking about golf attire. There are four enormous golf courses, one very exclusive indeed, one a council run course, near my house so I'll check out what they're wearing.

My late DH always said golf was "a cunt's game". This was in reference to his experience in the 70s and 80s in local authority work, where much private dealing went on on the golf course. He loathed it because it was out of office and secret, and excluded women, often formally.

Here in Melbourne it's very popular, I know so many who play but I don't see its charms, as well as being very expensive. I did once see an article in the Guardian about a couple? who always used the crazy golf range in whatever town or city they visited. I reckon I could do that.

I've found it!
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/18/experience-weve-visited-more-than-1000-crazy-golf-courses

Chris and Fallon seemed oddly close in the past couple of eps. Of course, I realise they’ve been friends for a long time. But I don’t think I’d expected her to want him Martha to move in. She must be very lonely. I wonder whether she’s finally realising she doesn’t need Harrison to return.

Oh me too! “I didn’t have you down as one for topiary” or whatever it was. Sounded like he’s just been giving her a good inspection.

re my earlier point about no shenanigans over the last 25 years - IMO in real life that would make anything happening between them much less likely. But in Ambridge who knows?

Found the golf scenes boring - like a PSA about being a good bloke on the golf course v a bad bloke.

The 🔮 says that Fall'n'Chris would do well to remember that familiarity breeds...

Trimming her bush, eh?!

Well Martin Gibson has totally changed personality's, but I do like the new one.
He is so nice to the two girls and I hope that Lawerence gets his come up ence.
I hope Chris and Fallon don't get it on. I don't know why but it seems a bit incestuous. Not that it is. I think Chris is too in love with Alice to do anything and that tyst he had with the Vicars daughter was just a rebound thing. Also Fallon sort of shamed her off, which at the time was none of her business and she was awful.

Oh that’s true - yes! I’d forgotten it was Fallon who ran Amy outta town!

Can’t remember if there were portents of possessiveness over Chris back then?

While I get the need to avoid having radio soap characters living alone (unless ‘alone’ is a whole personality) some of the TA pairings have been a little left field (aka not in a million years would that happen). I honestly don’t believe a youngish married woman (in a village like Ambridge, forsooth!) would move in a youngish single man plus child for no apparent reason. There’s something vaguely disrespectful (in the Love Island sense) about it.

Martin has done a real character swerve. Wasn’t he the scary mafia type at one point was leading George into believing the only way to get on was via dubious morals at the very least?

Yep - but clearly his wife leaving and his house being flooded by a disgruntled perso (did we find out who?) has led to a complete change

He was really shit to Kathy when she worked at the golf club, too.

It is possible for people to change, but...

NuMartyn is a nice chap and it is terribly bad luck for him that he shares a name, a job, an address, a golf club membership, and a circle of acquaintances with that horrible man Martyn we knew for so long.

I wonder are they cousins?

Trying again. Just posted this on the spoilers thread by mistake.

Thanks for the crazy golf link. It looks as if they have still to do the one along the road from where I am at the moment. When we brought the children here years ago it was a mandatory part of each holiday to go round that course. Huge news when the course was mostly replaced a few years ago. (We lead very quiet lives.) Fortunately they kept the best bit, the miniature Forth Road Bridge.

Ha! Isn't he just a changed man! I assume that he and his ex- (who I think ran off with the youngish gardener?) didn't have any children, so maybe he's enjoying being paternal and protective. He doesn't seem to me to be at all creepy about it.

It reminds me of when my dad took my sister out to teach her golf. She must have been about 15, and not particularly sporty. Bizarrely, she just seemed to have a knack for it: they played 9 holes and she won. She had no interest in ever playing again, saying she'd just rest on her laurels. 😆

Very neat!😁

Presumably the "we're all going on an Archers' holiday" has gone AWOL too?

Storylines going quiet on TA never means they have gone away. Look at the way they kept the Alice drinking SL bubbling along for years before it went into a full blown alcoholism theme. We are certainly going to be subjected to the nightmare holiday sometime soon. In fact, I'm not necessarily convinced we've seen the last of that stolen bunting from all those years ago

I don't think you have to be a strong swimmer for inland water? I've had a great time swimming in lakes and I'm definitely not a strong swimmer. I suspect the main motivation around the Ash SL is to get Fallon opening up about her fear of water, and maybe she'll end up resolving it somehow at Lake Buttermere.

I think there has to be something behind Fallon's new-found enthusiasm for having a child around the house. At the very least, it's going to get Harrison's hopes up about her changing her mind. I wonder whether it might lead to some sort of compromise like occasional fostering.