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!

Why the fuss about George, why is he what everyone is talking about. He is nothing and a nobody who is nasty and not even a land owner or anything important, yet everyone is talking or rowing about him. Just ignore him for heaven sake he will eventually go away.
Why all the fuss and worry about him.
It's like when the parents of a child is murdered and they say I forgive the murderer. I know I wouldn't.
Wish they would stop about George and get back to farming, but I guess thats too much to ask for a programme about farm ers.

There is a long back story to George and his conception/ birth/ upbringing. It's one of the things about the Archers when a long term story like this is picked up on unlike some of the nonsense lately like Neil being a foundling. It's what keeps long-term listeners listening.

George isn't a nothing and a nobody to either the listeners or in the village.

As pp said longer term listeners remember his parentage story, but also the birth of his Dad and Uncle/Step-Dad. The Grundys are entwined and integral to village life, Jo and Eddie with their schemes, Clarrie with her work ethic. George was named after George Barford the gamekeeper.

Within the village the Grundys are well known, Clarrie working in the pub and Bridge farm, Eddie at the market and anywhere for casual work. George's other grandmother was a Horrobin but has pulled herself away and works hard to make a better life.

George is one of my favourite characters! He's complex with a good actor playing him. Whilst I absolutely don't want him to get away with his lies and other bad behaviour I definitely don't want him to end up back in prison or written out of the show. He's got decades of potential good storylines ahead of him 😂

I agree sometimes the farming/countryside chat is a bit lacking but it would get boring if we didn't have any drama going on as well. People in rural areas do have lives that we talk about, not just the weather and who's sheep got out today.

I do find it unconvincing how last year's storyline of hostage taking in the abbatoir by Rochelle's pals has been forgotten, (any charges? Conviction?

Actually that's one thing that seems quite realistic. We know criminal charges take ages to come to trial, particularly when the accused are out on bail.

So so so so bloody annoyed that apparently the off-screen baddie is apparently going to apparently be the culprit.

I really don't think Markie is going to turn out to be responsible, mainly because of the call for an ambulance. Why on earth would he or his cronies care enough to do that?

To be fair, there was rather more to it. He clearly has quite major social communication difficulties.

None of it adds up. I think George woke up in hospital to find out everyone was assuming he'd been attacked and he decided to go along with it.

Re. Brad, yes I can certainly see why people might label him but people can just be very shy and lacking in confidence without being ND.

I agree, but I feel like the story has fizzled too quickly into a redemption arc for George. The whole hell is unleashed as George goes on the rampage (or whatever we were promised) was frankly a bit of a damp squid and then he was only in hospital for what seemed like a couple of days before it was all done and dusted. I wanted to see Emma and Ed torn between Keira and George - which happened for all of five minutes shd I still don’t really understand what George was doing that caused Keira to run away. The George storyline has been his whole lifetime in the making so I don’t see why it has to be tied up in a couple of weeks. Don’t even get me started on Akram, Bridge Farm and the disappearing allotment - do the SWs actually listen to the programme they are writing for or do they just have very short memories?

i am ignoring all the tedious red herring seeding. The SW have lost me on that plot completely.

to be fair to Kate (much as it grates) she was doing that on purpose to show how hard it is. But if you go to a meditation session, you are a willing participant, not a twit trying to make a point.

Oh, I like that. That is very much the sort of thing George would do.

Kenton could easily have wiped the CCTV in error, as mentioned by PP, and Jazzer found him, panicked, called the ambulance and left.

I doubt George has changed. It would nice if he was rehabilitated but I think the actor is too good for the SW have him not be a villain.

What did you all make of the Apology? I thought it was well done with George making a fist of it and getting angry then back tracking but Ruaridh was unusually vehement given that he had treated Alice pretty badly himself. She was a bit saintly as was Brian which was unconvincing. I guess Brian does actually have history with the Grundys going back a long way and has known George since birth so might cut him some slack. I thought it was well done, left a bit inconclusive and unsatisfying rather like real life.

Couch??? Brian would have a sofa, like the rest of the civilised world.

And I bet I can guess where Ruairi would like to shove the olive branch.

Sickening sycophantism from Susan. Nearly put me off polishing off some stray Celebrations.

Well, I've no love for George - but Ruaridh was an utter pain.

Yes, Brian would definitely not have a couch, Susan is more of a couch person.

Susan unbelievably referred to George's intentions as "noble". Even for a grandma that's just too much of a reach.

I could perfectly well understand ruaridh's behaviour. He simply hates George, perfectly understandable. I would imagine he can't see any correlation between his forgiveness of Alice's behaviour and potentially forgiving George. That's understandable too as there isn't any. They both behaved badly but in very different ways and are completely different types of people.

There has to be a range of reactions shown, I can see that, but Ruaridh was an utter twat, especially as @Topofthecliffs notes, his behaviour towards Alice doesn't bear close inspection. I suppose it's also because as one of the gilded youth of Ambridge, his SL will cross George's in the future.

Got to say the George actor is so very good; the change of pace when he gets a bit ratty with Clarrie then pulls it back to say sorry - he's still himself, so no Damascene conversion.

Nicely done episode.

Oh god, did Brian say couch? Never mind George, that was badly done.

Not Brian but Alice talking about Brian's sofa!

echt
There has to be a range of reactions shown, I can see that, but Ruaridh was an utter twat, especially as Topofthecliffs notes, his behaviour towards Alice doesn't bear close inspection.

Huh? Alice was utterly vile to Ruairi and by her lies and vitriol caused him to be estranged from his family for what turned out to be the last years of his mother's life, and if he has forgiven her for it that's because he's behaved very well indeed towards her.

Ruairi IS an utter twat so he behaved just as expected. He's so self righteous and absolutely looks down his nose at the lowly Grundy's.

Kate and Brian were great. Very fair. I'm not sure how George came back and told Clarrie only Alice had any time for him. They listened. Kate's explanation about it taking time was perfect. George just can't handle it not instantly going his way.

#couchgate is now a thing.

Ooh, goody! Do I get a prize?

Exactly this. Jenny was the only mother he knew and Alice deliberately set out to destroy their relationship by falsely claiming Jenny didn’t love Ruairi and saw him as an interloper. Vile but of course she had to be forgiven eventually because it “was the drink talking”.

Yes, you get a 'Live, Laugh, Love' etching to go on the wall above your couch.

Thank you...