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!

And she has never ever apologised for trying to get out of a moving car, IIRC?

Why should she? She woke up to find herself apparently being kidnapped and her car being stolen, and she felt sick. George should have stopped.

I don’t have a much faith as you in the police. I think they’ll have taken one look at Alice in the drivers seat and job done

i I don’t think either should have been charged for what was an accident. George’s crime was framing Alice. And of course as she was drunk it wasn’t seen as an accident.

I’ve a friend who had a similar accident because she was distracted by a child in the back. As she wasn’t on a bridge (and mick must have been going quite a speed to go through the wall) and no one was injured the police weren’t interested and left it to the insurers to sort.

Come to think of it, the insurance issue is a bit of a loose end. Mick presumably lost his car, and he, Joy and Fallon would have had very valid claims for injuries, both physical and mental. Presumably Alice's insurers would have bowed out as soon as the truth was known. I guess they could all have claimed under the uninsured drivers' scheme, but we've heard nothing about it.

I don’t think either should have been charged for what was an accident. George’s crime was framing Alice. And of course as she was drunk it wasn’t seen as an accident.

The problem with that is that George had legal advice and pleaded guilty. So we have to assume there was strong enough evidence against him to justify that.

George was guilty of framing Alice tho, rather than causing the accident?
It's all a blur that i'm trying to get out of my brain.

Loved that Mick did a trial and turned the farm cover job down!

Or just poor sw again

And please please please can this be a lovely relationship for Chris and banish Alice to a coparenting past? (sorry, but i do loathe Alice, her voice, her attitude her everything - i know I'm irrational)

This this this. Perfectly rational to loathe Alice imo.

@JudyCoolibar Why should she? She woke up to find herself apparently being kidnapped and her car being stolen, and she felt sick. George should have stopped.Absolutely.

@Brefugee, You are irrational. I ❤Alice, I her voice, I ❤attitude, I ❤her everything.
I don't like Carly's voice or the SL.

@Maersk , He did not cause the road accident. He was trying to drive a hopelessly drunk Alice home. A well meaning act. Well meaning act, my arse!

So the farm job was too much and too cold for Mick, but if it had been Joy she would have said I can easily carry 3 boxes at a time and no pet I never feel the cold.

Er…Can we please discuss Chris’ terribly clumsy attempt at flirtation last night. He really is out of practice. That line about liking what we saw/found/whatever it was, was astonishing!

It’s also surprising Alice didn’t go into full meltdown over the rogue firework incident. I would prefer it if it were Chris and Fallon snogging on the sofa (so we could get Harrison out of the way) but C rekindling an old flame is ok for now I suppose. Hannah will be disappointed…

Hannah needs to be more realistic. She’s never going to have a chance of a long term relationship with any of the Ambridge aristocracy.

Carly strikes me as a wrong ‘un: at the least clingy and needy,but with the potential to go full-on bunny boiler. Please can someone provide Martha with a fluffy ickle bunbun to facilitate this development.
Re Alice, I cannot at all sympathise with @ChersHeart . Pretty much the only thing to be said in her favour is that she once heaved a brick at her MiL.

I ❤Alice even more for that!
🐰

I don’t understand how the saw’s brains work

so they manufactured a birthday drama for Oliver which was quite u dwelling in the grand scheme just so we could have Carly come on the scene and have a romance with Christopher (will it push Alice to realise how much she loves him and she’ll turn to drink 🙄)

so Carly who hasn’t seen Oliver for years despite being so close to him etc yet she lives close enough to see Chris regularly? I’d be pretty insulted if I were Oliver

She doesn't live nearby. She's travelled from t'other side of BoreSetShire to tempt the tame Chris. Poor Benji 🐇will be in the pot.

I don’t understand how the saw’s brains work The chainsaw's brain?

Ha! Meant sw!!

I was picturing Geowurge with a cartoon chainsaw with a mind of its own.
Wretched autocarrot.

I am not really listening any more as I got so fed up of the terrible, unbelievable SLs, but I catch the odd episode - and immediately remember why I have stopped listening.

I don't recall Carly and Christopher being a thing back in the day but I did wonder for a moment last night if Chris might be the father of Carly's oldest child. Decided that's not where it's going though.

Carly’s accent is weird and as Louise Brearly (sp?) is great I can only assume she’s been told to do that so she doesn’t sound exactly like Pip (which she does when the accent slips).

Louise Brealey (I think that's the spelling) is in the new series of Shetland which started last night. I wasn't quite sure whether she was attempting a Scottish accent or not, but she sounded totally different from Carly.

She just takes me back to cringey Sherlock tbh!

I wish Louise had stuck with her "Molly" (Sherlock) or her usual accent; the current one is so odd. Was she told to try to sound in her 20's/early 30's?

I don't think it is helped that either she or Chris is staring at the script, rather than the other actor. None of it sounds natural, like a conversation should.

Christopher Carter born 22.6.88
Wilf Scolding (actor) born 25.4.90

Alice Carter born 29.9.88
Hollie Chapman (actor) born in 1988

Carly - don't know how old she is but presumably very close in age to Christopher
Louise Brealey (actor) born 27.3.1979 - so far older than Carly, Chris and Alice.

Found this invaluable resource (I'm sure Asking has mentioned it many times) which indicates it was February 2006 when Carly arrived at Grange Farm to live with Oliver and Caroline (the Grundys must have been in Keeper's Cottage then) and she did indeed strike up a friendship (or more) with Christopher all the way back then. I'd forgotten all of this. https://thearchersarchives.org.uk/oliver-has-to-be-firm-with-carly-but-christopher-might-be-more-successful-in-bringing-her-out/

I also didn't realise Chris is meant to be slightly younger than Alice and in a different school year. Of course they never overlapped at school or college as she was sent to St Margaret's, a private girls' school never mentioned as far as I know except in relation to Alice, and then insisted on doing her A levels at Borchester FE College, while Christopher went to Loxley Barrett Primary School, Borchester Green and then farrier training from the age of 16.

I also didn't realise Chris is meant to be slightly younger than Alice and in a different school year. If your dates are right, he's older.