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!

Wasn't Ed with Emma all the time looking for Kiera though?

Didn't they have a conversation where she asked him where he had got to?

Thanks @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Cant help thinking the SWs have chickened out with this storyline. Not saying we needed a murder as such but they’ve tried to build tension and intrigue..except theres no tension and intrigue. Like the Markie storyline.

I wish they’d realise that character that come out of nowhere (Amber, Markie, Esme) hold no interest in a supposedly tense storyline. I mean, its a drama that has been running for 75 years for Gods sake..you’d think they’d work out how to do slow burn..

Edited to apologise for the amount of times Ive said “storyline”

Even though Ive said it again now.

Good grief! That made more sense once I realised it wasn't a mash up between EastEnders and Corrie, but even so.

John Finnemore is too good for The Archers, I'm afraid.

Ed and Emma split up to search.

Is it just another red herring that Keira refused to speak to her mum on the phone last night, or does it point to guilt?

Rhetorical question, who blinking knows anything any more…

Yes me too. I definitely thought ooh someone already called for the ambulance then scarpered…

My problem is that I’m not really bothered whether George lives/dies/absconds to Canada.

Is he still out on licence?

Oh I didn't clock they'd split up. I might to have a relisten.

I still can't put my finger on why Jazzer was so shifty, nothing quite adds up with that. Neil was getting really frustrated with his lack of urgency. Jazzer is no fan of George but I can't see how he would want to let the guy suffer if he knew. Maybe they just over egged it a bit as a red herring 🤔

The video of Tim Bentinck et al recreating the opening scene of TA in 1951, plus what the CA said by way of introduction!

Lovely.

www.facebook.com/share/v/1L9tYSX2hi/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I am sure Neil mentioned George had no pulse. He will be lucky not to have suffered some brain damage from the loss of oxygen, so may not be able to remember much. It also seems he was hit from behind (if he was hit that is)

So unlikely to be any quick answers to the whodunnit and the SW will probably stretch this out for months

No I think Keira not answering was just a teenager being a teenager. She wanted to make a point as up until now felt like no one was taking any notice of her. She had no idea of the drama unfolding with George.
Poor Keira, back in second place again.

Yes I wonder if they will go down the brain injury route (which he will miraculously fully recover from in record time). Although, in the panic, it's quite hard to find a faint pulse/check for signs of life so quite likely Neil just couldn't locate a pulse. His hands would have been cold as well which doesn't help.

@Madcats

Yes - he will still be on license.

Although I suspect he has breached the license conditions and so could be recalled back to prison when he recovers.

yep, @TheUsualChaos my thought was immediately: Keira is going to be really happy everyone is concerned with George and nobody is asking her what tipped her over the edge. I'm holding on with this storyline, but if the perpetrator is a throwaway character i am going to be Very Cross Indeed with lazy scriptwriting.

@Sidebeforeself loved your post and edit. Really got the Love Actually vibe there!

Attempted murder rather than assault? Unless mitigated by calling an ambulance (although I’m of the immediate dispatch mindset).

I do think is seems more of a spur of the moment release of anger (if premeditated then you’d use a knife). Bashing someone over the back of the head from behind is pretty cowardly and I think most men would have picked a fight rather than gone straight to the clobber. So who was wandering around with a bottle in their hand to smack him with (I think female).

Exceptions to my men idea are Brad and Brian as physically inferior and therefore less likely to pick a fight, but both have the guts to confront George and are too rational, and Harrison who is a petulant child (and possibly, if premeditated, might consider a bottle to be a harder weapon to trace than a knife).

Logically I think Harrison as on his way out anyway and would be the cherry of top of the worlds worst policeman’s behaviour. But that’s no fun, so who might be wandering around with a bottle to hand - younger folk drinking on the green (oldest would have glasses?) so Chelsea, maybe Lilly (has she buggered off yet?), Paul, Ben, Jonny (I mean, maybe he’ll be back one day…) or best of all Alice having fallen off the wagon. Not sure why though, esp as she was doing a good job counselling. I’ll have to think on that…

ooh or Henry? In defence of Amber or any other woman? Have there been any scenes he could have witnessed with George being an arse to women?

I at first heard it as Neil saying there was no pulse but I think he was actually saying there was a pulse.

George is speaking already, anyway!

Henry is an interesting idea altho also would be tragic.

@Brefugee Thanks. I try my best. Next week - scriptwriting for long running radio dramas!

After having heard so many negative reviews of Truth & Lies, I finally listened to it and thought it was great!

Brad’s part, in particular was so well written and acted; the timing was so Brad!

I guffawed several times.

Well done to David Payne.

Thanks for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Ed and Eddie were searching together but split up.

If it was a regular my money would be on Ed. But I really can’t believe that any of them are capable of a cold blooded attack on someone. No matter how much they’ve been wronged by them.

I too think Jazzer had already found George and phoned 999.

Unlike Nic's highly improbable but clearly unintentional hit-and-run, I don't think it is possible to hit someone over the back of the head with a bottle, hard enough to split their skull, by accident.

Don't think this has been posted before - continuity announcers talking about TA (only 5 mins).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mr96v5

Ooh! Well I can tell you that it's probably not true, based on that time I tried to ring my mum as I was walking to her house, and then somehow my phone screen didn't lock like it's supposed to when you hold it your ear while making a call, and then somehow there was a dial tone and then a voice asked me which emergency service I required

I gabbled some sort of apology / attempt at explanation, and then phoned my mum and told her what had just happened. Was definitely able to use my phone straight away.

Anyway, hello! I wandered in here to see what people who are sufficiently interested in The Archers to post on mumsnet threads about it think. Have I got this right - Archers fans take the piss out of it as much as I do?
...
(sound of penny dropping)
...oh.
Well I might as well get comfortable then.

That's interesting. But as you didn't actually ask for anyone to attend they may not have stopped your 'phone, iyswim.

TA threads are a lovely place in MN, hardly any bitching nor bad language, but yes, fair bit of piss-taking, especially with the scriptwriters. Often the threads are better than the prog.

A message with some garbled audio etc

Ref Emma’s phone, when George was hit/attacked/fell/whatever, he gasped “Mum” - was he already on the phone to her/recording a voice note etc before he lost consciousness? In which case, a message left might well have picked up the attacker’s voice telling George what they thought of him.

Or even just someone saying “Oh my God George are you OK? You fell over those stray fireworks!” before running for an ambulance but later keeping quiet about it for fear the finger of suspicion would be pointed at them.

The bottle could well be an earlier discard of George’s - after all, he drank something because he was shitfaced in The Bull.