Archers thread #191: Mulligan: stew made from odds and ends; second chance after poor shot. Both fit the bill. Discuss The Archers here.

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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!

Josh getting the tenancy of Mulligan RIP's farm and winning the hand of fair Esme would be a good way of justifying the Archers being called the Archers. They could found a dynasty of Mulligan-Archers and annoy Pip for decades.

Quite.

It was certainly somewhat puzzling to hear about the ‘decent turnout’ at the funeral and then have Alan assuring Esmé that people certainly hadn’t forgotten her father despite his reclusiveness. Made me 🤔 given that David didn’t even know his first name. Not to mention the fact nobody’s ever heard of him in the whole chronicle of TA.
Strange ideas the SWs have nowadays.

(Oh and yes, Susan is a fool)

At the least I'd have expected an overheard post-funeral conversation to the effect that 'oh, so his name was Andrew (or Arthur or Aloysius), good to know'.

With Esme deciding she wants to stay on the farm, we now seem to have a disproportionate number of women farmers - Stella, Ruth, Pip, Pat (although is she more of a farmers’ wife?), Helen (to a degree with the Monty’s)…Is this typical? It feels very unusual.

And still no mention of the owners of Meadow Farm?

Esme said she wanted to keep it going essentially for the next tenant?

It makes no sense to me. Had she been living in Australia, she would surely just have informed the landlord, and they would have organised immediate care of land and livestock until a new tenant was found.

Also see: 'the owners' of Grey Gables, for whom approaching-80-year-old Oliver apparently had to find substantial amounts of money out of his own pocket when Adil (who'd been put in place by said owners) ran away and left everything in the lurch.

Whilst Susan is daft to give a ultimatum, she does have a point. What do the villagers expect George to do? They don't want him in the pub, they don't want him volunteering, he can't get a job. He was punished by going to prison, now he needs to rebuild his life. He's only 19 for Pete' sake.

I didn’t get the impression that Esme had written the eulogy. She just seemed to be rambling than reading.

And keeping the farm going for next tenant - how does that work 🤔.

It’s a bit odd. Isn’t it a bit like me dying tomorrow and DS deciding to do my job until they hire a replacement

I know nothing about agricultural tenancies except what happened to the Grundys and what I’ve read online recently - but surely there must be a stipulation where the tenant either appoints someone suitable to deal with emergencies or sets up a way for the landlord to be informed.

I don’t see how it can be sensible for it to be left for your distant neighbours to discover something’s amiss and need the police to find your even more distant next of kin.

It’s a bit odd. Isn’t it a bit like me dying tomorrow and DS deciding to do my job until they hire a replacement It isn't.
The phrasing was a bit strange, but I understand what she meant.
Land left fallow would go to pot and not reflect well on the previous tenant.

I don’t understand why the landowner hasn’t stepped in - they must have procedures in place for this kind of thing happening?

Changes to farm tenancy succession - what you need to know - Farmers Weekly

Interesting. I guess the sw haven’t read it.

i don’t want the archers to be pure education but it would be nice if they did explain some of these things

Have I read it right-esme would fail the tests for succession?

There's a lot more info if you look for it. I'd have thought it was obvious where the SWs are going with it.
Neighbouring tenant farm previously not in existence suddenly becomes available in Ambridge complete with a daughter of marriageable age...

@Buxusmortus , she'd get it because the Ambridge Property Fairy would make it happen.

The Agri. Advisor would back it up because you only need a Barbour and some green wellies to qualify for the job.

She wouldn't get it on eligibility, but Josh would if he applied, and he will apply unless he is nuts.

I think the villagers expect George to find work outside of the village where he has caused so much distress and trauma.

I expect the villagers want him to behave as anyone normal would do - drink in another pub without making a fuss; don't volunteer in the local shop, do that in the next village or town, of which we know there are several, he can cycle there; look for work in those places too; keep a low profile; appear remorseful and contrite.

What they understandably don't want is for his rehabilitation to take place right on their doorsteps, and for him and his stupid mother and grandmother to realise that just because he's been in prison the people he hurt don't magically forget or accept what he did.

Interesting. I guess the sw haven’t read it.

i don’t want the archers to be pure education but it would be nice if they did explain some of these things

i do like the idea of Josh getting a farm and sticking two fingers up to his family

Repeating myself - and wondering if the SWs have become so creatively scattered that one set up a topical storyline and others don’t know about it …

i do like the idea of Josh getting a farm and sticking two fingers up to his family
I can hear Pip's 'It's not fair!'

The opposite might happen, and Stella applies for the tenancy, but unless the APF wand is at hand, it will be too small for Stella.

No doubt there will be some succession-related drama to come.

Talking of succession, will there be deddings on the Peggy's Descendants Holiday?

I only know of two tenanted farms personally. The first was farmed by a friend and her husband, and had been farmed by his parents. The problem with the succession was that the farm (mixed sheep and beef, but mainly sheep) couldn’t support two full time adults, so the son had to work elsewhere, meaning he wasn’t eligible to take over the tenancy. To solve this they bought the farm (at a reduced price because of the tenancy) but this of course means they now have a mortgage and friend works in three jobs to subsidise the farm income. Daft thing is the house is beautiful, with lovely barns and would be worth a fortune, enough to retire on and give son a decent amount, but they won’t hear of it and continue to work themselves to the bone.

The second was taken on by a young couple, and formed part of a large estate. They had to prove their farming nouse and commit to comprehensive modernisation at their expense. It ended in tragedy but I don’t know whether that was caused by the pressures of what they had taken on or other factors.

But Esme is talking total bollocks, she should sell the herd, and have a farm sale. Future tenants are highly unlikely to want Mulligan’s clapped out machinery (other than perhaps a grey Fergie tractor).

@Molecule , if they bought the farm, they could rent out the fields and convert some out buildings to make holiday accommodation.

I know many tenant farmers, and if the offer to buy is there, they usually do buy them.

What I find mind-blowing is that over the last 20-odd years, the Dopeys knew they had 2 or 3 children interested in farming, but despite Ruth's inheritance, they did not try to buy more land.

Families aren't always fair tough are they. I can think of some I know who got naff all but the older brother got the farm.

I wouldn't put it past Brian to leave HF to Ruairi, but I'm hoping that Brian won't ever die, and the others have some sort of shares or something anyway.