Archers thread #195: Run, Amber, run! Discuss 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 think 19 is an ideal age to have a baby with a convict, 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.)

Emma spoke sense to George and Amber tonight. Goodness only knows where this storyline is going. I can't see George being Father of the Year. Oh dear.

Over to you!

So Peggy’s memorial is a not especially big chunk of wood with a glass insert? I can’t see that lasting outside for more than a decade. Her holiday bequest was also a bit awful too: What a legacy!

She should have commissioned Chris to do something (though I seem to remember that he forged something dreadful for the Snells a few years back)

AnneWhittle
actually I thought Ruth was unnecessarily mean about George. Fair enough to mention what had happened but she more or less threatened her with ostracism if she employed him

I don't think Ruth threatened Esme with ostracism; I think she warned her that quite a lot of local people wouldn't think employing George was a good idea and might ostracise her, which is not quite the same thing.

I think a fair few wouldn't be happy with her for it, and it's only fair for her to be warned of this.

I still want to know when Helen is going to find a new house. How long has it been since Natasha and Tom moved in?

Then Neil, who previously had the measure of George, now proclaiming that he and Amber are going to be wonderful parents. On what basis has he made that ridiculous decision? Because there don't seem to be any clues that 2 selfish, self-obsessed individuals, who hardly know each other, are teenagers, one is an ex-con, no jobs worth having, no home, are going to be great parents. Yes to all of this. I wondered perhaps if it was because he and Susan were pregnant with Emma at a similar age (and before being married), history repeated with Emma and Will, so being pregnant at 20 is really not that big a deal in the Carter family. @DadDadDad - I thought you had disappeared off the radar so delighted to see you back with such an erudite observation (and not even stats related - though I’m sure you are wondering what percentage of people think Hamlet and how many think Audrey Forbes-Hamilton and presumably there is another subset who aren’t aware of either).

Was George about to tell Esme he'd been in prison and then changed his mind and said that he couldn't drive instead?
Of course she will give him the job despite the warnings. Is this how George is going to prove himself?

Think Neil and Susan have to make all the right noises as they've only just got George back again.

Hi, @LillianGish - yes, I often come back to these threads to lurk, and catch up my rather sporadic listening to TA. I'm still keeping the stats - great to see the posting rate is healthy (averaging over 40 posts per day since the thread started mid-December). Exciting to think we'll reach our 200th thread this year, probably around June / July - and then bonus of 100th thread started by @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g before this year is over.

My on-topic question: is Akram being offered a job making dairy produce despite that role being made redundant leading to Clarrie's departure? Sorry if I've missed that discussion!

I agree regarding Ruth, it was mean, nasty and self sabotaging given who is currently helping Esme. She could have warned Esme in a more reasonable way, suggesting she take care, keep an eye and have a back up plan.

Esme doesn't have any loyalty to anyone who has an issue with George. Most of the village wouldn't fancy working with George but wouldn't have an issue with him working somewhere they don't have to interact with him. Most of those affected by him now are making noises about forgiveness even if they aren't there. The only obes with a major grudge still are Mick, Harrison, Lillian and Rhuari.

Esme can take George on for a trial period. She doesn't have to take him on for life. (Nor does Amber for that matter.)

Yep. I agree. Ruth was very ‘gossipy’ about a serious issue. Esme just needed to be given the facts. Let us not forget Josh was arrested over the farm machinery. ‘But for the grace of god’ and all that.

There is no real risk to Esme here if she gives George four weeks casual work. I think Pat would have given a different view to Ruth.

And, yes, I think he was going to tell her and then changed his mind. He needs to start to learn to own the narrative because —Ruth— someone will tell anyway.

Ruth was quite nasty. George needs to work and Esme needs a farm hand. She's in no personal danger from him.

Same, thought it was literally about being born to inherit a manor, makes sense! From now on I will use it correctly.

I can remember when the series To the Manor Born started and I knew then that it was a play on words with Manner.

Ooh! Good to see you here, @DadDadDad. Thanks for keeping up with the stats.

I hope that Esme takes on George and that he does well.

I would hate a storyline where George works for Esme and it goes wrong.

So do I.

Also this.

Why would you hate it?
The way he sucked up to Esme and tried to be ever so humble wasn't genuine.
Surely with George's personality and work record it's more likely to go wrong than not. He absolutely hates being told what to do by a woman for a start( eg Hannah).

I’d hate it because George has already hurt so many people and it’s horrible to listen to.

And I’d be very cross if the Esme character turns out to have been brought in to service a horrible George storyline.

Neil and Susan sucking up and "oh you'll be wonderful parents" turned my stomach, easy to see why they did it - they are now the favoured grandparents. Urgh.

Esme can now ask George about his background. She has the facts so she can see how he reacts. Given his drone stuff, there is another path they can both go on here, it might turn out well if George doesn't mind having a female boss. I want him on a slow(er) path to redemption. i have had it up to here with the horrible george and Alice super-fast-recovery. i need a few small bumps in the road.

When Clarrie was let go, was there talk of getting her back when the business picked up? I don't think there is anything underhand about employing someone else at the arm now Adam has gone: they have enough work for that person, and Adam always had a role as extra help if the dairy needed it.

What i really want to know is if the dairy is now up to pre-contamination business levels.

Also pleased to see @DadDadDad resurfacing, even if only briefly.

There's currently a positive rash of novels swamping my kindle suggestions all based around 'The Little Cake-Shop in Pyongyang' or ‘Comfort Food in the Shinagawa Bake-Shop' or similar (repeat ad nauseam, with variations on the Japanese/Korean theme). Akram's plumber ➡️ Zen Master shift is giving me horribly strong vibes in that direction, finally cemented by the Meal to Heal. 🤮, is all I can say.

(I haven’t read any of those books, I hasten to add)

I think George should be a given chance but I do worry that he might turn on Esme the way he did Hannah.

I quite enjoyed Susan’s meal to heal in the end. All the passing of dishes certainly leads to greater connectivity, not something I’d ever considered.

Thanks for kind words. Sorry if it's baffling to newer people here, but I'm touched to see there is a longstanding community some of whom remember me. I'll try to comment more often.

Something I've missed - but I take it Amber has decided to continue with the pregnancy, and George is happy about that? How doomed do you think they are, or could it possibly be the making of George? Personally, I keep thinking George should move away from Ambridge and look for work elsewhere, just so he's not constantly butting up against people who hate him and getting provoked to lash out in response.

@DadDadDad Hello again. Im dipping in and out of these threads too. Not because I dont enjoy the chat ( I love how good natured they are and you always learn something!) but because Im hardly listening to TA these days because ..you know..crap !

I think George's best option would be to move away and find a job elsewhere (there are companies that run ex-offender employment schemes) then look to move back when he's proved he's changed.

I don't think he would, however. Ambridge is all he knows and he's very enmeshed with his family. The Grundys strike me as the sort of family where no-one ever leaves the fold for fear of Elsewhere being different...