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%.

Voices have such an effect, I can't hear new Amber as the same woman as old Amber.

This one might or might not be more suitable for Brad, but I can't imagine her aspiring to Turkey teeth, no matter what notoriety they would earn.

Call You and Yours is You and Yours when it's mainly people phoning in.
I ❤Winifred Robinson. It took me a while to get used to Shari Vahl but I like her now.

Ha ha ha, I thought that was just me. Half an hour of listening to Winifred and I'm ready to end it all.

As for Amber, is she different now? I thought she sounded different.

It’s known as You and Snores in our house I’m afraid. It seems to limp on because it fulfils part of some Reithian remit. Only problem is it clearly has no budget, so is stripped of all bells, whistles (other SFX are available) and personality.

But what I like about it is that it is undemanding. Something like More or Less means that I can't not listen if it's on, but You and Yours doesn't demand any attention.
Did I say I ❤Winifred Robinson? I won't hear a word against her.

@BlueBarnOwl the original Amber was replaced with a different actress a few weeks ago.

(And it does seem to have brought about an alteration in her persona. The first was tetchy and weird and clearly rather reckless - distinctive enough to appeal to George. The new one seems much less highly strung, more cautious, more drama school bland - it is hard to see how she and he would ever have been attracted to each other. And she would never have been rude to Emma in a car park!)

£500 in turkey deposits is probably £10-£20/bird.

I’m struggling with Amber. It takes me a good few minutes to remind myself that ‘Amber is different now’. To substitute an actress who has featured so much over the summer AND change her whole character/demeanour is just disrespectful of the listeners.

They can hardly use the excuse of planning months ahead when she is so different.

I wonder if the Blackpool jaunt and Scottish bunkhouse will ever be mentioned again? The majority of Peggy’s descendants didn’t go, so they ought to be a tiny bit curious!

Oh God. Is Alice pregnant? If so, how and who with?!

Indeeeeeeeeeeed …

A card machine means HMRC will hear about it. I have some family working in rural cash in hand jobs, they love a bit of tax evasion.

OG Amber (as OG Amber would have said 😉) was far more characterful. Could def envision her as a content creator, busy on the Gram, type woman. This one is just - dull?

You think the Grundys pay cash into their bank account?!

What? I must have missed that bit.

All the emotion and brain fog and generally faffiness.

Ok. It's a long time since I've been pregnant. I wouldn't have guessed from that.

Those being the usual way that pregnancy is signalled, rather than my views!

I think maybe she is merely cross about Carly.

I thought she was drunk.

Don’t just talk about rope in the house of the hanged, Joy, bind it about with tinsel and fairy lights, why don’t you? Loathsome, encroaching, wittering bag of flesh.

Disclaimer: the above does not imply any grief or regret following the demise of John Archer. It is unfortunate, to say the least, that a Fergie emblazoned with ‘Good Riddance’ is open to misinterpretation in the current climate.
bah, and also humbug.

Ruth said ‘reeellllly’ tonight. Horrible, wasn’t it?

It seemed to me more like Alice was suddenly struck with a desire to flirt with Rex. Who, as we know, does have a taste for the less stable (sorry) woman.

WHAT is the point of Rex? He has been there for ages yet has no discernible personality apart from sometimes being a bit of a keyboard warrior. Yes I know men like that IRL, no I wouldn’t think to write them into a script. What is he for? He’s so incredibly generic.

Yes, I don't think Alice is pregnant, I think its the SW using her scatter brain as an excuse so Rex would go round her place and the romance can begin, even though they must have known each other for years. I don't know if Rex and Alice have seen much of each other over the years though.
I thought it was nice of the girls to have asked Tony's thoughts on the Christmas eve tractors run. So thoughtful.
We had the farmers going through town a few months ago when they were protesting the inheritance tax, my goodness they are so big and impressive and we're really noisy( the tractors I mean not the farmers ).I didn't realise how big they were. It would be nice if they did a Christmas run in our town.

Big and impressive and noisy definitely brings to mind the farmers I’ve known.

I’ve always liked Rex. Barring that trolling episode that was so ridiculous and out of character that I refuse to attribute it to him, he’s decent, kind, hard working and attractive. His judgement isn’t always the best (Rochelle???) but no one’s perfect. I think subconsciously Alice has been keeping Chris on the back burner and now he’s moving on, she’s allowing herself to consider other men. I don’t hate the thought of them as a couple as she needs someone solid and decent (like Chris but with more emotional maturity!) but It was very cringe.

Hooray for a tractor run at long long last, and even a hint as to why such a standard form of rural entertainment has arrived so late to Ambridge. I can understand why people may have thought something that always stars at least one little grey Fergie might have seemed potentially touchy.

Let’s not forget Roy’s brilliant idea for Tom & Kirsty’s wedding …