Archers thread #192: Village of the Dammed. Discuss the beavers here. Throw in the odd word about the Archers if you must.

[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 you'd love to have Kate present as you give birth, 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.)

I'm more excited about the arrival of the beavers than anything else going on in Ambridge at the moment. I hope there will be a webcam.

Bets on how much of next week is set in the castle or on the way there/back? I'm bracing myself for at least 50%.

Yet another very common real life thing of which the SW appear to have no knowledge.

And cannot bring themselves to check by using a search engine. It took me approximately forty seconds, apart from typing in "Christmas Pudding Recipes", to establish that they are steamed (or can be boiled), not baked. On the BBC's own site, no less.

I would have thought that at least one of them would have actually made an actual Christmas pudding in their life.

Leonard did mention Stir up Sunday, but in the past when Jill made the puddings they always had the young family members there to stir and make a wish, would have thought Rosie could have come to do it. He also said he was going out as soon as he'd washed up, no mention of the pans that should have been boiling/ steaming away for 7 or 8 hours.

Perhaps the SW got confused and he was actually baking Christmas cakes, not making puddings.

Slight devils advocate here… given Brookfield probably has an Aga, could they not be steamed in the oven? Maybe some on the hob too?

A slight aside - I saw this in The Times today and I'm crying with laughter. It's worth a read:

Drunk priest crashed bishop’s car into Archers actress’s partner’s vehicle

Father Sion Hughes Carew was barefoot and three times over the limit when he hit a Skoda owned by Brian Meagher, whose partner plays Clarrie Grundy

Free link: https://archive.is/2amPk

Drunk priest crashed bishop’s car into Archers actress’s partner’s vehicle

I just looked at my Mary Berry pudding recipe as she gives aga instructions too( I don't have an aga).
She says to bring it to boil on the boiling plate then cover with a lid and transfer to the simmering oven for 12 hours. I still don't think you'd refer to cooking them as baking though, but I could be wrong. Presumably in the simmering oven you still need to check water levels as you do when they're on the hob.

Could George not join Shula and do Good Deeds in the north east and then come back and make a Fresh Start, because things aren't going well, are they? Especially not with New Amber who is quite normal and boring.

It is shockingly awful that she thinks he could be a thief.

There’s surely no coming back from that?

It is shockingly awful that she thinks he could be a thief

But she doesn't really know her fiancé, does she? To Amber he's just an ex-con that she chose to prey on.

Thanks for the fish lesson. Im sure I didn't need the exclamation mark.

Could fit 4 puds in the bottom oven of the Aga.

Yes, and quite a change from telling his grandparents he was a victim of a “miscarriage of justice”

I think you are right about trust. Hopefully it’s over for them

I suspect the SWs will drag out the pain of two strangers getting engaged …

Unlike the story of Leonard and Jill! I honestly cannot see the point of the long build up to a joke that was over in seconds. They could have kept it up for a few days at least, with Ruth becoming increasingly perturbed but too embarrassed to question what she was told. Such a shame.

It is shockingly awful that she thinks he could be a thief. Money goes missing, convicted criminal has recently been splashing the cash...
She hardly knows him. Not shockingly awful at all.

No - I mean it’s perfectly logical. But it’s dreadful if this is the person you’ve agreed to marry.

To be honest I can’t see Amber being happy with an engagement ring that cost whatever wasn’t spent on the evening out from Will’s £500. She would surely have been able to cadge something blingy through instagram sponsorship?

Poor George. Now he’ll have to tell her about Will’s ‘loan’. Humiliation upon humiliation …

Do we really believe that Eddie Grundy, of all people, would just leave that amount of cashing lying around?!

He’s lived his entire life doing cash in hand jobs, though. The shoot, landscaping, chauffeuring, cider, the turkeys … There must be odd bits of cash lying around in envelopes most of the time at Grange Farm.

He needs a card machine for Christmas!

Oh yes 100% he would. I can imagine most months is a rifle through various piles of paper and envelopes to find odd notes to pay the rent. Or are they rent-free from Oliver? Does Oliver still live there? I lose track.

And how much turkey would £500 get you?!

Enough to feed the whole of MN if you added a mahoosive salad.

You've been listening to Shari Vahl.

😂

Oddly enough I did hear her earlier today, though not talking about cash. I usually switch Call You and Yours off, but listened since it was on scams. Was fascinated and horrified to hear about much more convincing scammers than the ones who wasted so much of my time recently.

Trying to think who’s been in and out of the Grange Farm kitchen (?) in the last two weeks. Clarrie probably saw it and paid the cash in at a machine at the charging station but forgot to mention it …

I like You and Yours. It's something that's on and I can have it as white noise or actively listen, and it's stuff we should know. I find the scam ones quite fascinating because they seem to obviously be scams but quite sensible-sounding people get caught up in them.
The card readers featured yesterday. If you didn't hear it, it's worth a listen.
Don't tap in your number when someone is holding the card reader.

You said 'Call Y&Y' not 'Y&Y'. I'm strangely fascinated by phone-ins especially Any Answers.

Amber and George won't be getting married. Mark my words.

Even though taxi drivers’ card readers are contactless I’m often quite worried that the driver might be emptying my account as I’m racing to the train platform. I’d rather give cash than tap in my PIN number, certainly.

I find phone-ins infuriating. Is Call Y&Y a separate entity? And has Winifred Robinson left? I found her demeanour could cast a cloud across three whole days, so avoided listening to her.

Maybe they will - giving plenty of time to repent at leisure … Big blingy insta-wedding stuffed with free stuff (because they each want to show their families they can do something fabulous) and then a slow burn as she and Brad fall more and more in love. (Chastely and guiltily.)