The Archers spoilers thread #11: Can't wait for 7.02pm? Join us here!

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Spoilers thread for The Archers on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. All Archers listeners are welcome here, whether you post on our main Archers thread or not. There's just one rule: please keep all spoiler-related discussion in this thread and do not spill the beans on the main Archers thread.

We usually add the BBC teasers and cast lists for forthcoming episodes as they become available, plus the Radio Times and Daily Mail previews when possible. Feel free to add anything else you come across, e.g. cast news, scriptwriter tweets!

The actor is probably quite different to the character. I wonder who the other cast characters were.
With which character would you least like to be trapped on a cruise ship?

If it's a Beechwood residents and their name is a virtue name, just use the initial.

The content of that article was unexciting in itself, but (as I posted on the main thread yesterday) I’m a bit worried by the fact it exists. TA actors appearing in the papers almost always carries some valedictory portent.

Might Adam actually be about to leave Ambridge???

Noooooo! Adam must stay cos of Dander.

Lynda Snell. There is strong competition, of whom Adam is definitely one, but she is so determined on her own importance that she would be intolerable.

I think these things used to be organised by Hedli Niklaus (Kathy)* and her staff, as she ran Archers Addicts, providing useful additional income for Archers actors to offset the fact that none of them are on a proper salary - they are just paid by the episode, I believe, so if the work dries up, so does the money. It probably put a bit of money back into the BBC. I had no interest in any of their cruises or face to face events, but I still mourn the Archers Addicts calendar, which my Mum gave me every Christmas until it disappeared a few years ago.

*80 this year, I see.

I didn't know that her real name was Celia and that she was born in Chapel-Henry-the-Fifth.

Do you still have the old calendars?

I hope that Adam isn't thinking about retiring (though I find his character annoying). I struggle with an overnight ferry so can't imagine an Archers Cruise. Imagine being stuck on the boat with Jolene or Esmee's fluctuating accent.

I can post Ambridge Diary for 2-8 May (and it makes no mention of the County Show so hopefully I'll be typo-free):

Is this the watershed moment for the George-Ruairi-Brian storyline? Whilst Brian and George strike a deal, with Lilian smoothing the way, Ruairi finally cracks and tells his secret to another family member. That leads to more soul searching for the Phantom Claret Clobberer of Ambridge, he makes a decision that horrifies Brian.

Natasha rubs shoulders with the rich and powerful, but it isn't all she expects and a heart to heart helps Brad decide whether or not to see his dad.

Wasn't it Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay?

Natasha rubs shoulders with the rich and powerful Intriguing. I hope it isn't a cameo.

Thanks @Madcats .

Edited because I LAed the 31/12/25 episode.

I too was sure it was Chardonnay. Thanks for listening so I didn't have to!

It's about 2 minutes in and Lilian said 'Everyone seems very happy with their free bottle of chardonnay'

I'm amazed totally unsurprised by how many BBC radio ack-tors seem to spend most of their time voicing video games. "Adam" is one of them.

I noticed it because one of my daughters was at school with a girl called Chardonnay.

Arf! I remember that trend. I wonder how many of them have changed their names by deed poll?

The only two I knew personally, did; you didn't actually need a deed poll, so long as you used the new name "for all purposes", as far as I remember. And then there was Zowie Bowie and Luella Mountainborn Robinson....

Those were innocent days when self-ID was just a way of saying you'd changed your name, and opening a bank account didn't require all the hoo-hah it does now. (In 1968 we moved house and I turned up at our nearest bank with a twenty pound note and a letter addressed to me at our new address and in a name that was not on my birth certificate, and they were ok about opening an account for me then and there. I got a cheque book in the post two days later.)

Arf! Happy days! In 1969 I went to work for Barclays and at the time it was all cheques. The Barclays cheque guarantee card was Barclaycard, though junior staff weren't allowed to use it as a credit card. I left that job within a year and have banked elsewhere ever since, but the Barclaycard remains to this day. As I have always paid it off in full, the credit limit has crept up to about 50% of my annual pension income.

For reasons I won't go into, I once needed to borrow two thousand quid from RBS for three days and take the three spare cheque books they kept in the safe for me at the local branch, with which to write a large number of small cheques and get them to the recipients as soon as possible. The two thousand quid duly came to hand three days later and I took it in to the RBS with a sigh of relief. This got me a remarkable credit score, and every six months or so they sent me a letter saying that since I hadn't failed to pay off any overdraft (mostly because I hadn't had one) my credit limit was being raised. Again. It reached a quite absurd level before I managed to convince the local manager (Dave, his name was) that I didn't want an indefinite overdraft limit and could he please convince Edinburgh this had to stop.

I’ve heard some of that Video game and he was amazing. He really deserts award

Wow, this caused one of those whooshing memory things you see in films. I’d forgotten about cheque guarantee cards (I’m ‘only’ 49).

I suppose it just goes to show that whoever writes Ambridge Diary CBA to listen to the programme. I too thought it was 'Chardonnay' as I don't like the heavily oaked wines many wineries produced a couple of decades ago and haven't bothered to try them since.

I banked with Barclays as a student and still have the account, although the branch is long gone (which is a shame because the bank manager used to host drinks parties for students in my day). Whilst others' banks had low limits to the amount of cash they could withdraw each day, it seemed odd that Barclays gave us a credit card. I can't think when I last wrote a cheque!

"... the heavily oaked wines many wineries produced a couple of decades ago ..."
They were dreadful. They gave Chardonnay a bad name, which is a shame.
I avoid southern hemisphere ones still.

I opened my first account with one that's changed it's name. The branch is no longer there but I still have the account. I also walk to my nearest branch for banking, it's quicker than online banking as long as I don't go to any shops while I'm in town. I've timed it.

There's a big difference between claret and chardonnay. Shouldn't it have been an empty fruit cider bottle?

Video games can pay really well, especially a high profile role in Baldur's Gate 3.

Thanks for the RT and here are some more previews, courtesy of Mustardland.

TV Times 2nd - 8th May
Brian and George come to an agreement this week, with Lilian’s help - but it’s not long before a tortured Ruairi makes a dramatic decision. Over at Bridge Farm, Natasha is on a high, while Tom must pay for his mistake when he takes his eye off the ball. Also this week, an unexpected heart-to-heart provides Brad with some clarity, while Tracy and Anna both have their hands full.

Total TV Guide 2nd - 8th May
The daintily named Blossom Hill Cottage takes on the gravitas of the Oval Office this week, being the venue for a deal between Brian and George, with Lilian providing diplomatic emollience. But Ruairi’s well beyond such delicate machinations and all Brian’s efforts to shield his son threaten to collapse when Ruairi comes to a decision. Ever the aspirant, Natasha is thrilled by her important assignment, while Tom pays the price for being dismissive. Brad wonders whether to resume contact with his dad, while Tracy deals with grandad Bert ‘Horrid’ Horrobin and his quest for female company. Don’t all rush at once, ladies! And at Glebe Cottage, Anna struggles with caring for her mum while running her own busy life.

Some more spoilers too.

10/05/2026 Alan gets involved in village life, and Brad faces an uncomfortable encounter.
11/05/2026 Adam sharpens his strategy, and Ian is presented with an unexpected opportunity.
12/05/2026 Ruth tries to stay positive, and Pip’s worries spiral.
13/05/2026 Adam seeks support, and Pip looks for answers.
14/05/2026 Ruth lends a hand, and Anna worries about her mum.
15/05/2026 All is not going to plan for George, and Kirsty faces an emotional moment.

Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Peter Leslie Wild
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge … Charles Collingwood
Pip Archer … Daisy Badger
Ruth Archer … Felicity Finch
Lilian Bellamy … Sunny Ormonde
Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman
Ian Craig … Stephen Kennedy
Alan Franks … John Telfer
Amber Gordon … Olivia Bernstone
George Grundy … Angus Stobie
Jakob Hakansson … Paul Venables
Brad Horrobin … Taylor Uttley
Adam Macy … Andrew Wincott
Kirsty Miller …. Annabelle Dowler
Stella Pryor … Lucy Speed
Oliver Sterling … Michael Cochrane
Carol Tregorran … Mia Soteriou
Anna Tregorran … Isobel Middleton
Den … Laurence Saunders
Erik Hakansson … Steven Hartley
Helpline Volunteer … Yasmin Mwanza

Thanks @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g . How's things?
AIBU To ask if anyone lives on a small Scottish Island? | that made me think of you and the ferry.

A Christmas baby by the look of things and some PSAs in May.

Yes, I sat on my hands over that thread! Things are much the same, thanks, i.e. not great.