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%.

no part of me is rooting for George. I like the actor, and don't want him to leave, but he's always been a wrong 'un

So what do you want to happen to George?

@BeatriceBatchelor , some good storylines.

How about a wheelchair? TA is overdue someone with that sort of disability. Or failing that, perhaps an amputation and having to come to terms with a prosthetic leg?

And we has the epic Helen/Rob DV storyline relatively recently. Think it'll be Brad getting toasted.

Having previously lived in the countryside, there were quite a few men in wheelchairs after work injuries and motocross. So yes agree it would be a good and realistic addition.

How about Tracy defending Brad with a cricket bat? And Lilian will give her an alibi.

I agree with all of this and wrt to the psychopathic tendencies, Brad’ll be more aware now of the risks to himself when George inevitably finds out about Bramber. He’d have been worried pre Ed and the push, much more so after it.

I wonder where exactly Amber's cousin lives? I'd rather not bump into her when out and about.

Ballyhadenough?

(Sorry. I used to call Ballykissangel Ballypissawful )

Why wasn't George helping to pluck turkeys? Or is that women's work?

I wouldn't be surprised by an incel/Andrew Tate style revenge storyline for George, but we also have Chekhov's gun-shaped Health & Safety of tree surgery to be resolved, and George has agreed to help Emma this week while Ed is incapacitated...

Why didn't Eddie ask George?

Or even perhaps do it himself?

I, perhaps wrongly, presumed he was!

It seemed to be presented as Pat and Clarrie having a lovely chinwag, just the two of them.

I don't think we've heard Eddie helping with this chore in previous years. Both his sons, both his daughters in law, but not yer man himself.

I think Eddie does the quick manly job of killing the turkeys, and Clarrie does the long hard work of plucking and Pat mentioned "hanging". Is that literally tying their feet together and putting them on a butchers hook, or actually drawing (removing innards)?

The health and safety aspects of the exposed motor in the turkey mangler are promising. I'm relieved they didn't chop Clarrie up into little bits, but maybe George will volunteer.

I am enjoying all the tractor primpers lying to Joy.

Isn't George helping Emma with some tree work?

When we had pheasants in my childhood, they'd be hung for a few days, then plucked then drawn. I didn't mind plucking, but drawing I was not at all keen on. Gizzards can be very smelly.

I would assume most other poultry would be similar process.

When I was a child (in what used to be called the Home Counties) we bought our Christmas turkey from a turkey farm. Long before Christmas my parents would drive there and choose the one they wanted while it was still running around. On Christmas Eve one of them would collect it and, although denuded of feathers, we still had to sit over it and remove any last remaining quills and down and detritus and singe the skin.

Then we moved and they started buying the turkey from the butcher’s. Christmas Eve was still just as convivial, but to this day (even though I’ve been pescatarian for decades,) I miss the turkey farm ritual.

She’s also got form for ‘falling in love’ at the drop of a hat.

Joy is worried about the Christmas tractor themes but she should be glad people are making the effort. It's up to them what they dress thier tractors up like. She loves being in charge but hates not being in control.
Amber and Brad as we know was on the cards, but I think George, if he finds out will not be violent like everyone thinks he will. I think he will go in on himself and never come out of his room ever again, and his family will let him live like that, because noone ever argues with George.

No, chickens, turkeys, pheasants etc are hung by their necks.

I'm just wondering how long it is before Bridge Farm aka Pat offer George Adams old job ?

I enjoyed last night’s episode. Pat and Clarrie—a long relationship that’s survived many ups and downs. Eddie’s latest cunning plan. It had an authenticity to it because it was based on decades of backstory. I know we need new people and themes but it is god to have this rootedness too.

I wondered if Pat was going to offer Clarrie her old job back.

that whole Pat/Clarrie thing was to bring Pat back into the orbit of the Grundys. I expect Pat to a) offer Clarrie her job back and b) suggest George as replacement-Adam.

Hope Clarrie turns her down, i suspect the rest of Pat's clan will be anti George but Tony will point out how knackered* Pat is and he will be taken on. (can he still drive tractors with a driving ban? presumably not on roads, but on private land?)

*Pat who is so knackered that she spent her few hours off that Tony literally gifted her (despite being old and knackered himself) plucking turkeys? that Pat?