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!

Oh I’ve just remembered David’s reaction to Esme saying Josh was nice or whatever it was 😤

Episode definitely worth listening to @CinnamonCinnabar

I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner date at Kate’s.

I mean Josh is usually a bit selfish but I’d expect his own dad to be a bit more generous to him. But then wasn’t it David who made his son move out on his birthday?

What does Josh DO? With the current inheritance theme I’m surprised it’s never discussed how Josh’s work relates to the farm.

David made it very clear a few days ago that neither Josh nor Ben follow occupations in any way related to the farm - because it couldn’t support them.

I must say, although it’s a trope of this thread, I hadn’t properly grasped how concrete Ruth and David’s disdain for Josh was until David struggled yesterday to recognise the description of the good person Esme had been hanging out with … It was gobsmacking! 😅

josh Is a product of his upbringing. Selfish or just looking out for himself because no one else does?

Weird on many levels that Esme would confide in David that she cried. Her Dad has literally just died and she is staying in the empty family home with a farm to run. Her situation is grim. I think IRL she would have rustled up an old boyfriend or friend from her city life to come down and give her a hand. Josh is definitely in her crosshairs.

It’s true, the absence of non-Ambridge connections is a glaring omission in her story. Of course she’d have people, or at least one person from her own life to support her through all this.

But it’s the same with Amber - denuded of her own people before she set foot in the village. It’s miserable, soapy writing.

It’s true and the absence of parents in both their cases doesn’t mean the absence of everyone. Where are Esme’s cousins, aunts or uncles, friends from school who still live in the area, housemate, boyfriend, old colleagues? I don’t think I know anyone who would find their father has died and be left utterly friendless to sort it out like a Victorian orphan in a novel. She seems a sociable girl.

I’ve just realised Esme sounds like Mia. Why directors why.

Maybe by making her a website designer or whatever they are portraying her as a friendless geek. Interesting she is able to WFH so can transplant to Ambridge overnight.
It’s fascinating watching this unfold. I wonder if this will be Josh’s chance to take on a tenant farm and make his own way separate from Brookfield. The Ambridge Fairy could make it happen!

Someone on here must know, is this the sort of property that Stella could somehow affordably get hold of? I’m not clear on the whole tenant farmer situation.

Stella and pip take the mulligan farm and leave the dopeys in the lurch and having to creep to their least favoured child

he works the farm for years and then Stella dumps pip and she comes crawling back. Josh is then kicked out to make way for her

There did seem to be something very deliberate about the way David has been required to explain to listeners, very carefully, in words of one syllable - through conversations with Akram and Esme - the exact details of Brookfield’s farming and inheritance structure.

Seems beautifully set up for disruption of everything he knows and believes!

@WeNeedToTalkAboutIT , the Young Farmers are much older than 6 years old.
@WitcheryDivine , she does sound a bit like Mia.

ohhhhh ructions within the sibling group! excellent.

Also: has anyone asked Helen? her offspring are at an age when missing school would be a problem.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I hate it when we can see the cogs turning.

I wasn't pointing my finger at this thread, just the general 'I'm being a complete arse/idiot/.. It's my perimenopause/menopausal brain fog/PMT/pregnancy brain/...' type posts on here

Oh it does my head in too @ChersHeart
Happens at work too and I cringe as a 60 odd year old woman trying to just get on with my job, hearing other women bringing up their hormones in front of our male colleagues.

Surely Esme, having grown up on the farm, wouldn't be so helpless.

@BeatriceBatchelor , Thanks.
I've not had much of the hearing other women bringing up their hormones in front of our male colleagues. but I'm in a male-dominated field.

I'd never comment on someone being pregnant, for example, unless they had discussed it openly.
When I met my boss for the first time. one of the first questions the other new start and I were asked was 'Do you have any children?'. I'm sure it was just small talk, but my colleague said 'No', which sort of shut it down. (Maybe I've been on here too long).

Surely Esme, having grown up on the farm, wouldn't be so helpless.
I'm guessing her to be 30-ish so would not be up-to-date if she'd not been at home since she was 18.

Imagine her reaction if she felt her opinion hadn't been sought...

I'm confused by the holiday - have the aldridges decided it’s only then going?

irrespective of school, how do they think the bridge farm archers are going to be able to sort that out at short notice? And what about James?

and does Kate not want her kids to go? Have they forgotten Debbie who is unlikely to get holiday at such short notice?

So just listened - Brian should just sell it all!! This is why family and business don’t mix

why the hell is ruari so involved with the holiday? This is all such a bullshit SL

as for Carly - why? The whole writing is so amateur. Have they got the gcse students back in? Not figured out ‘show don’t tell’ yet. And the constant use of names is irritating. We get it - Brad and Zainab were arranging things. All very chocolate box view of fostering too.

Miranda buying home farm 🙄. His new gf moving into Jennys beloved home that Brian lost

Jenny’s beloved home

that Jennifer herself insisted they sell.

So is this Scottish castle holiday going to involve Brian & Miranda AND Lillian & Justin?

I don’t understand why they write things like ‘everyone must go or the holiday doesn’t happen’ into the script and then completely ignore what they have said!

I don’t understand why they write half the stuff these days

I'm guessing we have a big fostering SL coming our way

I'm a bit tired of the mirroring SL. There’s no natural flow anymore. We should really be dropping in on the Hel-house every now and then for example