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!

@Madcats , perimenopausal Helen, 46, mother-of-two by different fathers, is under the patio, along with her children, and the terrible two, no longer in the terrible twos stage, are dancing on it. Natasha (41) looks terrific for her age, the fillers and Botox being expertly done, courtesy of her credit cards.

@CaptainMyCaptain , I read a article about it and it didn't look like something I'd enjoy, but it's good that there seem to be more dramas with strong female characters in them.

It does seem a terrible cliche but at least they’re not starting a choir I suppose

ChersHeart
I looked to see how old the Adam character is and found 'Played the part of Thorkil Jensen in the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers.'
The name rings a bell but I can't exactly pin it.

Thorkil Jensen was a Danish agriculture student who worked on Bridge Farm in 1991. He was tall, blond, handsome and good-natured, and Sharon Richards made a successful dead set at him. He spent six months as her lover, but dropped her when he went back to Denmark, and quite failed to invite her to go with him.

Another notable airport "Bye-eeee!"

Or a book club or knitting circle, @Bruisername

Back to TA, I wonder where they're going with Amber. I think she is here to stay.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , I just about remember it now. Thank you!
That was a long time ago.

I like Amber. There.
I've said it.

Wincott didn't start voicing Adam until this century, as far as I remember. I suppose there was a ten-year gap in his work for The Archers.

Incidentally, the person who made it clear on air that she could no longer have children ("That boat has sailed") was Debbie herself, but she didn't mention the menopause when she did so.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , I remember that.
I can't remember when it was, but it was a conversation with Jennifer.
If she was in her 40s, she might have decided that she wasn't planning to have a child. I think she's 54 now, and Jennifer hasn't been heard for about 3 years.

Unrelated to the above, Oliver mentioned this week that 2 of his children don’t speak to him/want nothing to do with him. Why is that?

Answered above - they fell out with him at the time of his divorce from their mother, for reasons none of us have ever learned. Seems very odd to let your Dad get to 80 without trying to make amends. If I wanted to be cynical, I'd say especially as the father concerned is pretty well off. Maybe that's a good storyline for the future, when Oliver shuffles off this mortal coil and some or all off the three children descend on Grange Farm and give the Grundy clan their marching orders. He will have made a will, though. I have a very bad feeling that he will leave the farm to the clan and everything else to his children, or at least the one he's on speaking terms with.

It's a big clue that there is a reason for it being mentioned, @Eastie77Returns

Her and Justin …?

🙄

I wonder if it's me but yes it is good that the menopause is now talked about but I was a bit disgusted when I saw a Holloween costume in America which was a used sanitary pad. It was a human sized pad covered in red colouring with a hole for the girls head to poke through. I was really taken aback by it and I know it's not as big over here but even so yuk!

Sally Wainwright is incredible - all her programmes are female fronted and beautifully written.

I wonder if Oliver will die off stage in the US

I wondered if Brian might snuff it on holiday!

Esme is very strangely written (and acted) isn’t she?

The entire storyline is strangely written because it seems unbelievable David and Ruth didn’t even know Mulligan’s first name after living so close to him for decades.

I have no idea how these things work but if he’s a tenant farmer then this means he rented the land from someone? Wouldn’t the landlord be able to help with any of the admin Esme is struggling with?

She should apply to the council for a Public Heath Funeral (think they were previously called Paupers Funerals) if she literally has no money to pay for one, rather than putting it on her credit card.

Most new characters are. @TherapistInATabard . IIRC we posted something similar about George and Amber.

I don't know. Knowing men and farmers, it seems perfectly possible to me that he was always known as Mulligan and neither David nor any of the other male farmers ever thought to ask his first name. To contradict myself though, I would be surprised that Ruth wouldn't have known a bit more about him. Women tend to actually ask more about people - men, particularly farmers - don't tend to.

Funnily enough that’s exactly what I said the other day - in real life - David might not have known Mulligan’s first name but it’s a dead cert he’d have come home and Ruth would say “Oh Come on Deevid it’s Sven and you must remember his wife Dolores who died a few years back, their daughter Esme was at yung farmers with Our Josh. They’ve got that LOVELY herd of Jerseys.”*

*I am not up to date and have no idea of the mulligan names but then I don’t live next to them.

I think we’re still none the wiser re. Mulligan’s first name. David hasn’t asked Esme (on air) so perhaps he still doesn’t know.

I agree Ruth would definitely have known.

It's like Ruth's in the room with us now!

"Of course you know Esme Deevid, she dressed up as a bag of compost for that Young Farmers float when Josh was Six and he went as a Sunflower and you toooed the float with your old Fergie but it broke down and Dolores had made these cracking little Bird Seed cakes to give out but Joe Grundy ate them because he thought they were artisinal crackers from Lower Loxley, that was the year they sponsored the Best Dressed Gnome, you must remember that...."

Chapeau!

This thread is much better than the actual show!
Can you advise if Wednesday's episode is worth listening to?

Excellent, excellent.

I’ve just realised the Scottish castle is to show there will be TRAITORS in the midst of the family. <slaps forehead>