Archers thread #194: Bottled on the Bridle Path! Discuss 75 years of The Archers here.

[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 wishthat we'd heard the Reverend Shula preach over the festive period, 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 am all Archered out after the excitement of the 75th anniversary yesterday, the special drama (Truth and Lies), the podcast, you name it. Now it looks as if George is going to pull through, the hype seems a bit overdone. So it's over to you!

Is Esme not going to be the love of Josh’s life? I assumed that was what was being foreshadowed when David was reminiscing about meeting Ruth and said Josh could be about to meet the love of his life.

Or maybe not.

Why doesn't Akram get an allotment? Then he would be growing things himself, for his family, much more pleasureable than howking cabbages at the behest of Helen for a pittance.

Excellent suggestion!

I expect allotments are not permitted in Ambridge, for fear of impinging on Tom's veg-boxes. But I quite enjoyed Azra's intervention this evening, saying "Sorry, I was wrong. Go for it!" They're a really oddly loving couple by Ambridge standards, eh?

I quite liked the apology from George, it showed very quickly that it might not go down well. He needs to sit down with Alan who'll tell him that contrition must be unconditional, not contingent on its being accepted.

As for Akram in the poly tunnels, how bloody stupid is that? Didn't the SWs remember the recent idiocy where Adam was pinging between King Lear Brian and Pat, showing it can't be done, i.e. the ones paying him minimum wage will get pissed off when he goes to a lucrative plumbing job. That would be any plumbing job.

Lower Loxley has had allotments for years! Maybe Akram could take over the one Azra is looking after for Adil.

Exactly what I was about to say.

I would probably rather have a SO who smelled of curly kale than of random people’s undispersed shit. All else being equal, which of course it never is.

Also, I wish lurking Geo. had given Kenton a fatal heart attack. Jolene’s weeping, wailing and donning of weeds would be hideous, but hey, omelettes, eggs…

@RegimentalSturgeon ... Perhaps we need a poll of who we would eliminate?

Site architecture allows insufficient options, sadly, @Gonners

The SW have forgotten all about this haven't they?

Never a mention of how much Akram loves being out on the allotment, hands in soil, hell, he could even have a polytunnel on it...

Sure as hell Azra isn't there digging it and planting.

This is what I thought too but then remembered that the script writers never seem to employ bread crumbs of plot effectively, only drop red herrings everywhere to annoy us all (see the revelations of Peggy’s inheritance foreshadowed and then ignored…)

Yes I thought the same about allotments, would have been perfect for Akram. Why not have a few characters with allotments? It would make a nice location for conversation to happen.
But no, Akram wades in, doesn't listen, trashes a polytunnel and then gets offered a job. Riiiight. 🙄 He's actually taken Joy's number one spot on my list of most annoying characters, which takes some doing.

And there's no way George is being genuine.

Totally agree that allotments would make a great spot for conversations. Especially given the focus on flower and produce.

Adil acquiring an allotment was always so odd. No waiting list. No permanent address in the village. No kitchen of his own. I could never understand how the creative team could have sat around a table and decided that was the best means of conveying any story at all.

And now when there’s an obvious candidate for one, they decide instead to have him declare to his already overstretched wife that they don’t need his earnings and he’s happy to drag the family into the gutter.

I just …

George is full of it, so cowardly to get everyone to do his apologising.
Jolene was a bit on George's side, so why does Kenton have to tell Jolene his sorry. Load of crap.
Akram is a doughnut for working for Helen .she will never understand if he gets an emergency plumbing job, say, in a hospital or children's home, and he needs to go but her cabbages are more important. Also I don't think Tony was very impressed with the polly tunnel incident so how does he feel having Akram helping out?.
Mrs Akram must really love him, she held the fort while he was in Pakistan now she is letting him live his dream of working on a farm and losing money.
When will she have her chance?.

Skilled, white, British Adam skivvied for the Bridge Farm Archers.

Can you imagine Azra's AIBU?

I've got a very stressful job with long hours. DH wants to give up his self employed skilled trade to work in a polytunnel and pack veg boxes for miminum wage without giving a thought to how we'll fund DC's Masters let alone their PhDs (at RGs obvs). Should I LTB or book a spa day?

... for some meaning of "skilled" with which I was hitherto unfamiliar ...

Adam working at Bridge Farm made no sense to me. Akram working there makes no sense either.
And why is Helen offering him the job? Is Tom still away with the in-laws?

Yes, they’ve really missed a trick by not having “the allotments” as a ‘location’. Many of the villagers aren’t in well paid jobs yet they happily blow their wages eating and drinking in the pub.

Private/non-council allotments seem to be a popular thing round here now that many don’t have gardens. For a comparatively hefty fee, you rent a plot and have access to tools and instruction etc.

Why was Helen growing sweet peas, BTW? They seem an odd thing to pop in veg boxes.

There seems to be a tendency to call sugar snap peas "sweet peas" - I blame the Americans (always my scapegoats of choice). If she is actually putting sweet peas in the veg boxes, that will do her business no good as they're toxic. Ah, the memories of Clarrie and the e-coli ...

Maybe just packets of seeds as a little extra for the customer? I'm pretty sure the shoots aren't edible like other peas.

Sweet peas may be very pretty to look at, but the overpowering scent shouldn't be near food IMO.

I think Sweet Pea seeds are poisonous.

They maybe meant Sugarsnaps or Man get out