Archers thread #190: Carry on, Cleo! Best new character for ages. 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 be delighted to have your wedding reception across the lawn from the local Flower & Produce Show, 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.)

Charlotte Smith must have been delighted to get back to Countryfile and Farming Today. What a pile of piffle tonight. Ah well.

When is George expected back? It can't be long now, surely. It occurs to me that I can't recall whether he's ever spoken on air to Ruairi. As their actors are currently the best (IMO) amongst the younger members of the cast, I hope they will cross swords in some way.

And finally, I can't mention Carry on Cleo without squeezing in one of the best lines ever written (Denis Norden and Frank Muir have the credit): Infamy, infamy! They've all got it in for me! Currently, Lily probably feels this way.

https://youtube.com/shorts/eRnd48yTC5A?si=N05njp3uLfpSjAmI

Over to you!

sorry, can I claim it's too early for me to read properly?

Absolutely. After two cups of tea I realised what 4W&F was. But RC? Anyway, the main charm of TA for me is not knowing anything except what we hear. I only know Ruth's real name as it's so memorable. I don't listen to the podcast either.

4 weddings and a funeral => RC=Richard Curtis,I guess.

The podcast is worth listening to. It was strange listening to someone who sounded like George but with a mild Scottish accent.

I've never listened to the podcast. Maybe I should. I've had little exposure to Emma Freud in the past but wasn't she the presenter/co-presenter of one of those long, self-congratulatory programmes they used to put on Radio 4 full of interviewees with something to promote - book, film, new TV series? I find those pretty tiresome, especially when there's enforced jollity, so have always avoided them.

The reference to Richard Curtis is because he is married to Emma Freud. At the memorial event for June Spencer (Peggy), I was very surprised to see him walking in until I remembered his connection to Emma Freud, who was the MC for the event (and did a decent job).

Loose ends - can’t bear that smug, self congratulatory program

That's the one. Eurgh.

The combination of Emma Freud and Clive Anderson (another personal bugbear) made Loose Ends unlistenable.

It’s also the guest interviewer ‘so Emma, you’re interviewing this random person , who also happens to be a mate of yours, for 2 mins - I obviously could have done it but then who would have helped pay for your new kitchen!’

’and then we’ll speak to some random musician who is performing at some pub for 3 men and a dog and will first explain the pretentious background to the music and introduce all her backing musicians before playing a song that sounds remarkably similar to the one we heard last week’

i meanness good they promote up and coming artists but I’ve never been convinced they pick them entirely fairly

...and the (female) musician has that annoying breathy voice, she would in past years have been performing streets of london

I'm assuming there's a reason why David found his neighbour dead, not just a random story.

Neighbour's daughter clearly has nothing to do with the farm so is there going to be (yet another) new character buying it? Or will one of the existing characters take it on?

Wouldn't surprise me with how the SW are at the moment if Akram helps David once or twice then declares his lifelong wish has always been to be a dairy farmer and the Maliks then become the first Asian farmers in the county/country.

The deading theme is tied in with next week's book of the week, and last week's episode of Screen shot

@Gonners , CA is odious.
Loose Ends is bearable when somebody who isn't CA does it, but I can't stand the music bit.

Maybe the daughter is someone who lives on the Beechwood estate.

There's a few Asian farmers already

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04l44h5/player

Punjab is big farming culture

I thought the 'is this your first dead body' question was a bit odd - they're both middle aged, at a stage when most people will have seen a few, I presume, even in England. The novelty for David would be one he hadn't been responsible for (as far as we know - maybe he sabotaged the bit of kit he lent Mulligan).

Agree. I think it will be a newcomer though

I am not sure the Maliks would have the funds to buy (120? acres). Also the new owner will need to be somebody who rubs up David the wrong way.

with the warning from the CA I really expected the farmer had taken his own life

still not sure he didn't and they were covering it up

Why would they do that though, what would be the point with a character no one's heard of before? They talked about how the man was wearing his milking clothes and keeled over. No hint of suicide.

They've already had a suicide with Greg and I think I recall Will was suicidal after Nick's death at one point.

farming is a very high risk industry for suicide
I must have zoned out when they said he keeled over
if they wanted to help out the NFU with some awareness raising, using an unknown character would be a simple way to do it

If David did kill him (and it's a while since he offed anyone in Ambridge, he could easily have been feeling the urge) it was uncharacteristically clever of him to bring Pa Malik along to witness him NOT doing the deed at the time the body was found. With any luck though, Borchester CID's bulging 'David Archer' file has been digitised and will be noticed quickly.

We don't really know much about the Maliks' financial situation, except that PaMalik spent quite a long time back in his home country dealing with his deceased father's affairs. I took that to mean that there may have been a fair bit of cash involved?

I agree that it's high time David was hanged for his transgressions and I may have to write to my MP about bringing back the death penalty. I am pretty sure that said MP would agree.

Strewth, one waits for ages for a corpse in Ambridge and it turns out to be a silent. Silent pre mortem, that is. Still, like buses, maybe they come in threes. I vote for Jill (kindest thing all round) and Neyull (be nice for George to feel guilty about something he hadn’t done, after all). Plus the actor is in the danger zone and the programme doesn’t deal too well with surprises.
Yes, I am a heartless bitch and no, I have nothing against Brian Hewlett. A lot against Neyull, mind you, chiefly his not having taken an axe to Soosan years ago.

1. how weird David shouting MULLIGAN when farmers IME either address each other by their first name or as “Mr/Mrs X”

2. why not ask someone to come and help who’s got some milking experience and isn’t missing his son’s birthday? Eg one of David’s own children.

@RegimentalSturgeon ... So much to agree with in that post, though I'm slightly alarmed at the "silent pre-mortem". I do hope you're not anticipating ghostly words from beyond the grave? No, that wouldn't surprise me either.

I fine Neil is mostly likeable, apart from his completely inexplicable failure to build a Susan memorial patio. But there seems to be competitive "how long can I last"-ing in the cast.

Clumsy phrasing on my part, @Gonners . A silent we’d never bleedin’ heard of was what I meant. (So why not say that? Ed.)