Archers thread #197: Runs, Ambridge, runs! 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 find it credible that Kate, who changed continents twice to get away from her own children, has now morphed into Grandmother of the Year, 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.)

Well, Finlay may have made good his escape, but we're all still stuck inside the Borsetshire forcefield. The cricket team is rising phoenix-like from the ashes but will now be The Bull's team, not Ambridge's. Will Alice and Rex make a go of things? Will George cope with a month off the booze? Will the real Brian Aldridge re-appear? Will we hear a bit more about farming? We did get a lambing scene the other night, which was good.

Over to you!

P. S. The pointless new AI title generator MN has introduced in spite of absolutely nobody ever asking for it wanted to call this thread something like Discuss The Archers here, no spoilers. I won't be following its suggestions.

My, my, my …

Peter Mandelson to be fined for urinating outside George Osborne home

https://www.thetimes.com/article/d00f1e21-f165-438c-8deb-a19a9e11aeb9?shareToken=5b2ec2d305383ba6b2d5bef8675a53dc

Well well.

"A fixed penalty notice does not require a court hearing and is not a criminal conviction."

Sorry, George.

Why are all the adults seemingly incapable of saying no to any of the children? Lynda's flailing around the other day was just unbelievable (as well as embarrassing), and what was that with Azra tonight? Why can't any of them sit Khalil down for a plain conversation about animals and responsibility? You can tell none of them is horsey.

I love birds( in the wild) but dear god, I want to wring Fletcher's neck( or more accurately, those of the people who are looking after him, or actually the SWs').

He is now being used as a plot device for characters to witter on with their inner thoughts because the SW are too stupid to think of another, more realistic, way of doing so. Surely it would have been better to have Zainab's actual parents talking to each other about their worries about her lack of ambition, instead of Azra saying it to a caged bird, for crying out loud.

I talk to my cat. 🐈

So do I but only to ask him if he wants his tea or to go out, or to tell him he's very pretty etc.

I don't talk to him about any personal concerns or worries, do you?

I find my cat's not too good at conversations or giving any kind of meaningful advice.

Amber makes me think of Pulp’s ‘Common People’… ‘if you called your Dad you could stop it all’. The SW have been at pains to let us know she has wealthy parents. There will come a point where she calls her Dad to come and get her.

"He is now being used as a plot device for characters to witter on with their inner thoughts because the SW are too stupid to think of another, more realistic, way of doing so. Surely it would have been better to have Zainab's actual parents talking to each other about their worries about her lack of ambition, instead of Azra saying it to a caged bird, for crying out loud."

Well put, absolutely agree, this was my thought too tonight.

I hate to think what would have to happen for Amber to call her Dad

@ExOptimist , She usually tells me if she's hungry or wants to go out.

I would do if I had anything to tell her - I have personal concerns and worries but I don't feel the need to tell anyone. I probably need proper advice and "Dreamies" is not that advice. If she could kick me up the jacksy that would be great.

She doesn't say much at all. Her predecessor was very vocal.

She does reach out. She extends her leg and paw to tell me she wants something.

As soon as that news item popped up on my laptop I crowed with laughter.
Talk about life imitating art.

I also agree Fletcher is a very coarse device for inner thoughts. If the SWs want to bring in something off the scale, a ventriloquist's dummy would be better. And way more scary.

@echt, don't give them ideas.

Spoiler alert:

🎵dumb-not-dumb-birdy-not-dumb 🎶

Fletchling will become a chatty little bugger budgie and will spill the beans. Nina Conti has been secretly recruited as his actor. You heard it here first.

It made me think of the dark days of the Covid monologues. Please let us not go back to those. Or worse - AmbridgeXtra or whatever it was called 🫣

Ambridge Extra was do bonkers it was actually fun!

I’ve tried to like Azra but she’s utterly charmless isn’t she? Is it the way she’s written or acted, or a bit of both? Khalil is obnoxious but I’m willing to give him a bit of time to grow out of that. I don’t mind Zainab’s sparkiness, but they’ve done nothing interesting with her. I liked Pa Malik (name escapes me) more when he first appeared but him jobbing about and fucking things up at Bridge Farm is just too bizarre. The budgie storyline does not bear scrutiny, it makes no sense at all.

Oh yes it was my guilty pleasure!

@TherapistInATabard , Akram

Completely off the point, but that report raises a number of fascinating questions. He'd just been to dinner with George Osborne but was waiting outside the house for an Uber rather than inside? He was desperate for a wee but didn't go before leaving the dinner party, and couldn't go back and ask his hosts if he could use their facilities? Did Osborne chuck him out in disgust at the Epstein revelations?

And why can't the council find an address for a prominent public figure after 5 months?

It was a suitable address not an address. Maybe they wondered if they should address him as 'The Right Honourable The Lord Mandelson' or ' The Prince of Darkness'.

George is on parole, though.

Yes, but the offence does not merit a court appearance. It carries a fixed-charge penalty. Like, you know, a parking ticket. Would he be taken to court within a week or two of getting a parking ticket?

I prefer Petey. Never in all my 66 years have I ever heard the name Peter abbreviated to Petey. Just love it 😂

I normally just read these threads but I’m feeling so annoyed by the Khalil / budgie storyline I had to post.

Do we know where he got the budgie from? Didn’t someone say up thread you can’t buy pets if under 16?

And the bit of the storyline that’s annoying me the most is his school doesn’t seem to have an Easter holiday. He’s been going to school and having to do homework all week. As Easter is so early this year is there anywhere in England that has been back to school this week? (I know Leeds and Leicestershire sometimes have unusual school holidays, maybe the script writers are from there?). It just feels so sloppy and therefore unbelievable (yes, I know it’s not supposed to be believable but they could try a bit!)

No idea how accurate TA was here, but I was assuming that as George is on parole any incidence of criminal or anti-social behaviour could trigger a recall to prison, or some other restriction on his liberty.

Good points, well made! I dimly remember when my children (now in their 30s) were at school there was one terrible Easter holiday when my son's school stuck to the traditional approach of making the Easter weekend the midpoint of the holiday, even though Easter was very early that year, but my daughter's school took just the Bank Holidays and then returned for a few more days so they could break up properly in mid-April. I think we had about two days of April other than the BHs when they were both off school. As we wanted to fit in a trip to Scotland to see the grandparents, it made life very difficult.

We no longer have any contact with schools, so I'm always slightly taken by surprise when I see lots of children around during what is normally the school day.