Archers thread #198: Josh sent to Patagonia, Pip stays put. Wrong way round! Discuss The Archers here.

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Not feeling greatly enthused about what's going on in Ambridge at the moment, tbh. I'm annoyed at Brian's hypocrisy about Ruairi given the furore over George's attempt to frame Alice as the cause of the accident. I do hope we don't have a slow drip drip drip now as one after another the members of the Aldridge/Archer clan find out what really happened and endlessly agonise over what to do. Frankly I don't care. There! I've said it.

Pip's OK. Well, good, but what was the point of that story, I wonder?

I suspect I'm in a minority of one in rather enjoying hearing (a) from Bert Horobin and (b) about Fletcher. I surmise Bert is here to stay for a while because the BBC has (amazingly) updated his character page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1wQP3mKR6yr9LVs05jddxcY/bert-horrobin (prominent actor photo warning). Given how out of date a lot of the other character pages are, this seems odd, but there we are.

That's all I can be bothered to say! Over to you.

I may have to recuse myself from this thread, not because of any conflict of interest but rather a lack thereof. Listeners have known for years that the storylines are inconsistent and often downright contradictory. This amuses me and is why I listen! I mean, otherwise it's just dreary nonsense.

When Carol learned she had bats in the belfry attic, I immediately assumed we were going to get a rabies public-service storyline. Perhaps they are going for comedy? Does anyone else remember the US series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, in which someone drowned by in a bowl of chicken soup?

They're probably live cricket bats. The Ambridge Wildlife Fairy again.

What would Natasha's cast offs be like, I wonder?

Ha! to the cricket bats.

Natasha's cast-offs would be 2 sizes smaller than she is post-stellar-twins and never worn.

Hadn't thought of that. Might they fit the Thin Controller?

I liked the bats, and hearing Carol laugh so heartily was nice. As was her championing of their habitation rights.

Years ago I went to a holiday place in the sticks in Victoria - I still go there every years it happens. On entering the cabin and walking down a narrow corridor, a bat flew out of an open bedroom door, and right at me, face level.
Though I wasn't afraid, on reflection I can see how disconcerting it is to have something coming right at your face at speed. I knew what it was immediately so that was OK.
The poor bugger got caught up in the net curtains so I found a tea-towel, disentangled it, and let it go. It was very small, possibly even a micro-bat.
The owners were embarrassed when I told them, though I wasn't outraged at all, just informing them.

Bats are great. I found an injured one as a child. They roosted in the barn. We saw owls too.

I once had a (nasty, stinking - sorry!) pigeon fly through an open window and around the house until it landed on the windowsill of a closed window. (Imagine its confusion.) There was a not at all comical moment when we looked each other in the eye, each wondering who was more afraid of the other. That was A Very Bad Morning.

Sounds like something from The Birds. Not Bird's - that's custard.

I remember there was a dead bat in my hallway, and an alive one on my kitchen window sill. We think they may have come down the chimney and that my cat had killed one.
I phoned the vet about a rabis jab for my cat and they said its very rare for a cat to get taxis but he can have the jab it was £50 , I said I would wait until he started foaming at the mouth.
The alive bat was put in a tree in the garden and I joined the Bat protection society.

Rabis not a taxi.

Agree re Summer Orchard. Although it never really rang true. She was supposed to be hugely successful but all it was was an organic fruit business. As if nobody else is selling organic apple juice.

Then again the SWs are obsessed with thinking organic immediately means innovative and therefore hugely successful- see the veg boxes. And remember when Helen thought she’d hit upon the totally original idea of organic baby food?

Rabies ! Your post is funny enough anyway without rabis and taxis! “ There was this rabi in a taxi” ..

I guessed that but had a momentary vision of you sending your cat on its own to the vet in a taxi.

One of my favourite autocorrects for the vision of the cat-about-town it produced...

Natasha did mention Summer Orchid the other day. How she could try getting more sales - along with hawking clothes on Vinted.

Did they move production to Ambridge?

I would send my cat in a taxi but the vet is only 3 doors away. Auto correct is a pain I did mean rabies but it was spelt wrongly.🤦

I don't think I can take much more of Carol Tregorran sounding a) at least 30 years younger than she’s supposed to be and b) treating everyone, including her own daughter, with such unrelentingly venomous contempt and rudeness. Yes, I know she's covering up her terror at being old and alone but she would never have talked to people like that back when she was Eleanor Bron (whose languid, slightly amused delivery I rather liked).

Obviously don’t get me started on the cottage ownership nonsense.

Carol also sounded deranged; all that nonsense about spirits. My immediate thought was squirrels or rats - she lives rurally for goodness sake.

My parents had a bat come into their bedroom one night. Dad opened the sash window wide so it could find its way out but instead it was joined by its friend. Mum said they were lying there, watching these two bats circling the ceiling!

My Dad called bats inside “ natures air conditioning “ !

My immediate thought was squirrels or rats - she lives rurally for goodness sake

We had a squirrel in our roof-space and it sounded like someone was clog-dancing up there. We live in a 350 year old house and lots of people must have died here but I never thought it might be a ghost causing the racket…

I find the autocorrect on MN very assertive indeed, including favouring the least likely spelling in any sentence, e.g. it prefers "too" every time. Git.

I don't think I can take much more of Carol Tregorran sounding a) at least 30 years younger than she’s supposed to be and b) treating everyone, including her own daughter, with such unrelentingly venomous contempt and rudeness. Me neither! The idea that Leonard was going round to set up an alarm pendant for her was laughable. Even if the actress is 30 years younger, she must know what a 94 year old sounds like, surely it’s not beyond her acting capabilities. It’s the equivalent Shula, who back in the day used to voice some of the child characters, playing them all as her actual age rather than the small children they were meant to be.

I listened last night for the first time in ages . Carol sounds ridiculous. No disrespect to the actress, but why on earth couldnt they cast an older actress?! We are used to having voice changes for characters but this is so unnecessary. You can only ask listeners to stretch their imaginations so far and voice is particularly important to get right on the radio!

I too find Carol a bit of a tartar. I would wait until the milk and newspapers pile up before I'd ring her door bell. Moaning old witch.
I wish Ruth would stop with the grumps and go and have the test if only to put her mind at rest. I would do it if it could affect my children. Prevention is better than cure.
I wonder if George is going to carry on asking Brian for money? I hope he does, I dont believe he has changed even though he has been in prison and is having a baby. A leopard never changes it spots and all that.

I said I would wait until he started foaming at the mouth.

😂😂😂

Thank you! Just finished a tricky bit of work and needed some stress relief!

As for the downgrading to disappearance of Summer Orchard - I cannot find the words … 😡