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.

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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%.

The story lines feel so contrived this week.

We have a contagious illness temporarily incapacitating 3 young adults who are then visited by elderly Leonard (who stops to help clean the house) and Joy bringing jigsaws.

We have Paul, at a rural vet despite not having a driving licence, and seemingly unlikely to ever get one, who hasn't thought to get a moped and travel on a provisional (or move back to wherever it was he was seconded from - how on earth did he used to get to work before he moved to The Stables!).

We have a Village Hall, that was deemed unsuitable as a temporary venue for the shop, but which Alan thinks it would be a perfectly suitable temporary venue for a mosque? [One of their prayer times are bound to clash with Brownies or puppy training (or whatever else goes on in village halls in Ambridge)].

Then we have racist Lawrence visiting a doctor in Darrington; quite a detour for somebody who presumably lives in Roserran in the Vale (which a quick google tells me is halfway between Borchester and Felpersham).

There so many storylines left flapping in the wind like Tibetan prayer flags, but we get this!

Madcats
Then we have racist Lawrence visiting a doctor in Darrington; quite a detour for somebody who presumably lives in Roserran in the Vale (which a quick google tells me is halfway between Borchester and Felpersham).

That is a first-rate point: what was he doing there? Apart from being a plot-token or some such?

Not to mention that he seems to have chosen to go to a GP with Pakistani heritage.

It might be a group practice. Our practice is now part of a group and appointments can be at any of the surgeries. Same goes for my Mum's practice. If you want to hold out for a particular HCP or surgery you have to accept waiting a lot longer, so most people settle for what's offered, even if it's inconvenient.

(I also suspect that L is less likely to be openly racist towards a doctor than a receptionist, although I wouldn't be surprised if he displayed his sexist tendencies.)

Yes, you are probably right about it being massively inconvenient for the patients.... We know it has a head office, because Azra was complaining about them.

Yes, my GP practice is like that. Mightily inconvenient when you turn up for your appointment and find you’re at the wrong surgery!

(Obviously my fault for barely glancing at the text they sent me.)

Makes no odds when it's a phone appointment, as most of ours are initially.

Not to forget he has also been racist towards aforementioned GP's children.

Indeed. I wonder if he made the connection. Also, we don't know that he was there to see Dr Malik. He could have been seeing the practice nurse for a flu jab, an asthma assessment, a blood test, any number of things. There might even be another doctor there. At our practice community pharmacists have been pressed into service to do some routine assessments, albeit usually over the phone.

I don’t believe Lawrence would be so blatantly and loudly racist. You’d have to be unbelievably dim, as well as horrible.

Oh god, Lawrence is such a stupid, pretendy character.

Oh wait - is he going to be saved by brown people? Thus having some kind of damascene conversion? 🙄

STOP THE EATY TALKY 😡

Agreed. They're really treating us like we're fools.

Hopefully he won’t make it and we will be spared more of him.

Sadly, I think there are a few more Public Service Announcements to come first.

A poster after my own heart. I'm wiring into my morning cuppa when TA is running (light mornings, so up at 5.30.) and don't need the horrible noises when prepping my porridge.

I agree the Australia SL is daft. Soooo tired of SLs being dropped like this, all so the inheritance issue can be revived. Lily's such a flake too, proposing bailing out on travel commitments. Upthread a poster remarked on its being an expensive time of year to be flying out. It is.

Laurence is such a cliche, though the actor has a nice voice. I always think's it's Brian at first.

I was going to say the same thing invoking the Road to Damascus - is this going to be Ambridge's Christmas miracle, reminiscent of Scrooge seeing the light, too?

Also, re Lily - does Australia let you in if you don't know where you're going to stay?

@BlueBarnOwl you need proof of where you’re staying and evidence of how you will support yourself. Given Lily will have chucked away about £1000 by flying out a week before Christmas she’s not off to a good start money- wise!

I’m thinking Lawrence may be just a plot device so Ambridge can do racism. Originally I thought they were going to do micro aggressions which would have been at least more nuanced … The alternative would be actually having one of their regular characters being a bit racist (see Avenue Q), but they couldn’t bear that. So bring a new racist character from outside! Who’s also a sleazy misogynist! And a snob! Don’t let’s wrestle with the fact that sometimes a friend or family member turns out to be a bit racist, or sexist.

I fear I may have jinxed things as last week I made the mistake of saying out loud that TA had much improved lately. Skip to this week and, well what can I say. I'm sorry!

I can deal with the PSA noro storyline (if indeed they are intending it as a PSA, not just a pointless filler).

But PaMalik banging on about farming. Give me strength! It's been clear since Meadow Farm suddenly came to light where they are heading with this. Somehow the Malik's will secure a tenancy. Despite not currently being on a waiting list or having any recent farming experience. Or any in the UK for that matter. I have no issue with them farming but, please make it somewhat believable! Pa Malik would be looking at several years before getting a tenancy in prime farming country.

They were fine, they just noted it was a mental adjustment because they simply aren't used to it.

I think the 'go back to Pakistan' issue is somewhat interesting, if clunky.
The kids are British born.
The Mum is a GP and happy.
The Dad yearns to return which was always the plan.
Then GP Mum is subject to racism.

There will be listeners with 'all immigrants should leave' views, and just as The Archers was originally set up with a public information remit for farmers, I don't have a problem with a story line that makes some Radio4 audience ponder the implications.

The Archers: Reaches an audience that other media cannot reach.

I'm intrigued by Asking's aversion to sofas. How many armchairs do you have in your sitting room? Are they upright or loungey? More than 2 upright armchairs would surely make the space look like a waiting room. Please upload a photo or at least a diagram!

Lily mentioning Emma. Has there been an episode where Elizabeth spoke with Emma about her experience of having an incarcerated son? Infact, where is Lizzie?

@BeatriceBatchelor I’m intrigued by the sofas too - I thought two was completely standard, even in a small cottage. How do you accommodate guests otherwise, much easier to budge up on a sofa.