Archers thread #191: Mulligan: stew made from odds and ends; second chance after poor shot. Both fit the bill. 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 like George you like your steak very well done, 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.)

Mulligan mostly makes me think of John Finnemore's Souvenir Show. This is good, and tenuously connected to a recent TA storyline

Over to you!

@softlyfallsthesnow ,ah yes, thank you. That scuppers my plan for bombarding the Beeb, unless I can garner support from RC public school and bog-standard state comp parents.

I think it was Siobhán's mother rather than Siobhán herself who insisted Ruairi had to be sent to an RC school. The question didn't arise until after she was dead; before then the child had been in Germany with Siobhán and there'd been no reason for Brian to have to organise a school for him.

I'm afraid I have absolutely no faith in the BBC changing anything on the basis of a complaint, given the response I got from them when I complained a few weeks ago.

I had never in my life felt the need to complain to them previously, but I felt I had to when I turned on my radio when I came into the house at 6.45pm one day to hear, in the space of 5 minutes, words and phrases such as cock, wank, dick, shit, not wanting anal sex on the first date, flip her over and stick it up her arse, coming out of the radio.

It turned out to be a purported comedy called Call Jonathan Pie. I complained because it's not what you expect to hear at that time of day and I've often got my granddaughter with me. Their reply more or less told me I was a prude, no children listen to radio 4, the language was moderate and fine to be heard then and Call Jonathan Pie was a brilliantly successful programme, plus there's no watershed on the radio.

So I doubt they'd care about some bad grammar.

It did make me wonder why, in the Archers, if there isn't a watershed, why the characters say thinks like "oh blast" when in real life they'd say "oh shit" if not something much stronger.

@Buxusmortus

😱😱😱

@Buxusmortus , I've not been listening to the comedy for ages, but I've heard CJP late at night, and was shocked to see it in the early evening slot. When was the episode, please? I'll listen and almost certainly complain.
(I'm not doubting you but can't complain without actually hearing it.)

I've had a few replies along the lines of 'well no one else complained'.

My most recent complaint was in the ‘Our BBC, Our Future’ questionnaire.

An example of the sort of thing I have complained about was something that if they aired it now, they'd be inundated with complaints.

It did make me wonder why, in the Archers, if there isn't a watershed, why the characters say thinks like "oh blast" when in real life they'd say "oh shit" if not something much stronger.
Dear me, I need smelling salts! I haven't got over Geowurge calling Emma a rude word yet.

Morecambe and Wise (unseen clips) is on Channel 5 right now.

It was on 16 October. Their reply said they'd checked the language because the series had originally been aired in the late night slot and they'd editted programmes where appropriate.
I thought that made it worse because that meant they really did think that language was absolutely fine at 6.30pm.

So what the BBC are saying is that no children listen to R4 and they don’t care if they do because you as the adult should switch off to protect them from the foul language

good luck with the future listeners - or perhaps that’s the plan

This is the section of their reply regarding children listening:

there is no watershed on radio in the UK and instead, in keeping with all other broadcasters, we are required to take account of the likely audience. In the case of Radio 4, it is firmly established as an adult radio station, covering predominantly adult topics throughout the day and with a predominantly adult audience at all times - research suggests that negligible numbers of children listen even when they may be at home in the evening and available.

I'm not sure how they then want to attract younger listeners to the station, or as you say, that may be the plan. When my children( now in their thirties) were young they had specific children's programmes on R4; one of my children won a competition on a programme. They also occasionally broadcast some adaptations of children's books in the afternoon drama slot.

But having had that reply it seems they are now not interested in getting children to listen at all or care if a child does hear a programme their parent/ carer is listening to.

I've never worried in the past about listening to R4 in the early evening while preparing a meal, not that my child or grandchild would specifically be listening to a programme, but they certainly might be wandering in and out of the kitchen. I now won't listen if she's around.

Sorry, I feel like I've derailed the thread.

I didn’t actively listen as a child but it was on in the background and so it was something I was aware of and something I knew was an option. As I got older there would be certain things that grabbed my interest

eg I remember as a teen having a conversation with my mum about what a twat that masterchef ‘celebrity greengrocer’ was - can’t remember his name now!!!

I remember the radio swearing thing from a previous time, they said something like they try to make sure things aren’t too sweary but if swearing is justified it can stay in. I’d complain right back about that CJP and say it’s excessive please look at it again before rebroadcasting it.

So if there is no watershed surely they would have George effing and jeffing and im sure Lillian has used a few swearwords if it was in RL.
Ive heard a lot of things on Radio 4 that have raised my eyebrows, shall we say.
I think there should be a watershed because some programmes have so called trendy comics on who say whatever they like and a lot of plays that are a bit near the knunckle on in the afternoon. I know I sound like Mary Whitehouse but even when editing they are still risky. Someone will come along now and say " now back to the Archers".

I couldn't agree more. I have R4 on most of the day and getting am pretty agile about leaping to turn it off. I hardly listen to the 6.30 comedy - even 'Just a Minute ', especially with that slimy filthball Alan Carr as a contestant, has its moments. We all hear these words outside the house but I don't want them in my kitchen or dining room.

I didn’t know Alan Carr was doing Just a minute now. It must be innuendo central when he and Julian Clary are on. The BBC certainly know how to overexpose their ‘talent’ - is there anything Alan Carr isn’t on

It does seem nutty to assume no child will ever be listening at 6.30. I regularly have R4 on when I'm cooking, and I certainly don't shut myself away in the kitchen so my children can obviously hear what I'm listening to if they're around, as they may well be. I would have thought that it's in R4's interests for that to happen.

Yep, lots of innuendo. We all know he's gay and really don't need reminding what he gets up to, multiple times in a sentence. Just gross.

I don't think I've ever heard Alan Carr on Just A Minute. I don't think he's a slimy filthball either, I like him. I like Julian Clary too and have done since the Fanny the Wonder Dog days.

I was all ready to say I’d been brought up by Radio 4 from birth - but actually it was only since I was 5. Apparently I was listening to the Home Service until then. Although that included TA and Listen With Mother.

https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/100-voices/radio-reinvented/timelines/radio-4

(It is incredibly disappointing to read that current Radio 4 policy is to ignore children completely. But I guess that’s why it’s always so weird when they suddenly decide to do something for children - and it sounds like something from the 1950s?)

That response is slightly perplexing, given that there are R4 programmes broadcast (e.g. Woman's hour - I'm a regular listener) that will acknowledge sensitive subjects by saying something like "we know there might be children in your presence right now, so you may wish to turn your radio off for next few minutes".

...I first started listening to the Archers as a young child.

The Archers is improbably free of profanity, which is slightly irritating. I tend to supply my own. I do not believe that no one would have told Lynda in so many words to fuck off, for instance, so I always do.

I don’t mind either particularly but Alan Carr is on everything at the moment and it’s tiresome. I don’t know why they have to use the same very small number of presenters/comedians for everything

Just caught up - I somehow managed to miss this thread.

When we were told Ruairi was going to a Catholic school I decided it was either Downside or the Oratory.

If Esme didn't know where the will was, seeing which solictor held it would have been helpful, but why anyone would keep that information on their phone is beyond me. Like so much else on TA.

Like others here, I remember the good old days when the BBC had an Archers discussion board, and not only was the programme profanity free, but if we wanted to talk gardening we had to mis-spell Fuchsia to get it past the filth filter.

I've never seen Alan Carr on anything till the Celebrity Traitors. I expected to find him irritating but he's playing a blinder there. I grew up with Radio 4 on in the background when my Mum was in the kitchen and sometimes in the car with Dad, so it was all familiar. I must have heard any number of double entendres on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, but they went over my head at the time. I rarely listen live to R4 now other than Today occasionally, and my adult children never listen to BBC radio at all, which is sad, but probably typical.

There was a recent thread elsewhere on MN about the licence fee where innumerable posters said they never watched anything on BBC TV, only streaming services, and the radio was scarcely mentioned at all (even though you don't need a licence to listen to BBC radio output in the UK, which is an incredible privilege). I can't see how the licence fee model can continue much longer. If a substantial minority of the population feel no connection to the BBC at all, how can it be justified? How awful, though, not to have a trusted national broadcaster. (I know that 'trusted' part is already debatable, after so many scandals involving presenters whose abhorrent and often illegal behaviour was ignored for the sake of ratings and a quiet life.)

Tricky for the residents of Scunthorpe to describe their fair town too!