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.

The late queen was 'The Queen'. The current queen is 'Queen Camilla' or 'Camilla Parker Bowles' (I know about 4 Camillas).
The King is still 'Prince Charles' to me and the Princess of Wales 'Kate Middleton'.

Jolene is still Jolene Rogers and Shula has always been Shula Archer.

It’s so odd - Carol’s dialogue is really beautifully written. Such a shame they’ve decided to describe her as desperately frail. (Obviously not unusual, as we’ve discussed, and as I know from close experience.)

And how odd that they didn’t include even a single reference to Jill, who is/was her closest friend in the village, as well as her landlady.

I have just read something about the Princess of Wales and I was really puzzled..till it dawned on me that they meant Kate and not Diana!

On the Carol storyline, whilst I do think its good to finish a characters story rather than have them never been mentioned again, it does seem a little off to bring someone back only to have them die ( which I presume is where this is going). I was never satisfied by the way they conveniently deaded Rob either.

She's still Lady Di to me.

I hope the SW don't kill Carol off too soon, I like listening to her. I think TA needs a much older character now that Bert Fry, Joe Grundy and Peggy have died and we no longer hear from Jill or Jim though I'm not sure how old Jim is?

Well Alistair will be 64 in September, so I'd assume Jim must be well into his 80s, if not 90-ish. He had a "Big Birthday" party in 2019, so perhaps that was his 80th? In which case he would be 86 now.

The actor, John Rowe, is 85.

This is a bit rubbish, isn’t it? A major thing happening at Brookfield but the relevant character not voiced.

At least the unfortunate unwanted son has finally escaped, before he's thirty.

And hey, they have even noticed that he has been getting a raw deal from them.

I wonder what he has done about his hens.

Did they say Patagonia?

Yup.

I mean … I’m always complaining that Ambridge Young seem trapped by a force field and rarely travel. But given they’ve had a quarter of a century to plan Josh’s exit, it all seems ridiculously rushed and imprecise. I would have liked to hear some planning and anticipation and handing over …

Hmph!

Yes, Patagonia.
Ruth saying all that matters is that he comes home safely implies that actually he won't. Very odd the actor wasn't recorded at the meal, possibly the actor himself left very quickly.
I think josh will die somehow eg falling off a mountain on a hike whilst on his travels before the placement, leaving David, Ruth and Pip with a lifetime of guilt and what ifs.

Nah … He’ll be gone for twenty years and return a billionaire with half of Patagonia’s farmland in his pocket …

Or Josh could marry and settle down on a Patagonian farm?
I enjoyed Lillian, Miranda and especially Justin's conversation in The Bull.

Cross post 'Totters'

So long as Trump doesn't decide he wants Patagonia.

I think they farm sheep rather than chickens in Patagonia. And Josh will have to learn Welsh!

Only if he is going to Y Wladfa.

Infuriating episode! So annoying having the departure of a character without hearing their voice. And no one suddenly moves intercontinental flights to tomorrow when they've got three weeks in hand. And Ruth had an almost glimmer of realisation that they've never been fair to Josh, but David dismisses it because of Saint Pip. "Shes farmed this land her whole life!" Well no she hasn't, and certainly no more than Josh. They both helped out growing up, both still work on the farm, and Pip went to uni (better than Oxbridge) in Felpersham, whereas Josh didn't go to uni so probably compensated for the age advantage that Pip has when it comes to contributing more. Yes he has the egg business so isn't on the farm full time, but that's only because they made it very clear that he had to stand on his own two feet. I was shouting at David by the end!

If I were Josh I might have misled my family about my planned departure date, purely to avoid some sort of hideous farewell party.

This.

Thank you, @Ambridge.

Bet Josh would've been chuffed with a travel journal 🙄 "Dear Diary, I've come to Patagonia because my parents are giving the family farm to their favourite child ..."

Why on earth would someone going travelling want to clutter up their luggage with a diary? If they were desperate to keep a record, surely they'd do it on a laptop or iPad?

I've just listened to it, and yes his voice sounds frail, mostly speed and diction, though at others he sped up to his usual delivery. Vocabulary and emphases were all perfect.
I immediately logged on to my local library and put a reservation on "Enough Said".

Thinking of TA and Josh, there's shop called Patagonia near me, purveyor of outdoor and hiking clothing. Maybe that's where he'll end up.