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

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

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 also confide only in your budgie, 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/5457344-the-archers-spoilers-thread-11-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.)

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 Given how out of date a lot of the other character pages are, this seems odd, but there we are.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.

Martin.

Bustard?

I thought Wren was a girl?

You are a very bad person @muddyford ... will you be my friend?

Absolutely!

It's a bird. It's a surname.
Baby name explorer says Wren (girl): Moved from zero to 128th
Wren (boy): Moved from zero to 602nd

I don't like it although I like the bird and the architecture.

If someone called a child Wren (nice name, I like it), I would picture the grown adult to be dainty. What if they grow up to be more like a big lumbersome turkey?

I know a male wren. Lovely name.

Why is Anna 'fixing up' Carols home? When it's an archers responsibility?

Helen is hilarious and so not self aware. I bet Tracey is dreading her moving in.

I must admit having someone not desperate to move into The Laurels is a novelty in Ambridge.

@snowibunni mobility aids and other safety features aren’t the landlord’s responsibility, (at least I don’t think so?). And Ruth was absolutely brutal in telling Anna that if any such adjustments were put in by the tenant they must be removed by said tenant when the contract came to an end. I know Ruth is a hard hearted cow - but it was nasty, even for her.

...if any such adjustments were put in by the tenant they must be removed by said tenant when the contract came to an end. I know Ruth is a hard hearted cow - but it was nasty, even for her.
Most landlords would have said what she said.

Maybe. But it was the way she said it.

To be fair to Ruth, it felt a bit like Anna was hoping that Brookfield would take on an unofficial caring role, being close by etc. I understand why Anna turned to Ruth and also why Ruth manifested herself as a landlord in that moment.

@TottersBlankly And Ruth was absolutely brutal in telling Anna that if any such adjustments were put in by the tenant they must be removed by said tenant when the contract came to an end.

Lots of luck with that, Ruth. Said tenant plans to die there!

I am liking Carol a lot. We have experience of an over-invested adult child - not mine, I hasten to add, and about 5,000 miles away - ("It's for your own good, Dad") and all I can say is that Anna needs to wind her neck in.

I think I’ve located part of my disappointment in the Glebe Cottage story. Beyond the blatant retconning and disrespect to listeners - I was actually looking forward to Shula and Elizabeth inheriting it. Which would have meant either Dan, or Lily and Freddie becoming the eventual owners. Lots of potential there.

Instead we’re having to listen to Dull Ruth and Dim David droning on. And Josh run away to escape his fate. It’s crap.

Poor Tracey. Living next to Helen is going to be an absolute nightmare.

How did down to earth Pat and Tony manage to raise two insufferably entitled children?

Get over yourself Helen!, why cant she sort the SUV owner out herself.. I hope Tracy leaves the dairy, Helen thinks Tracy will do her bidding in everything just because she is her boss, ( I know a new cheese must be so exciting,) I bet Tracy is dreading her moving in.
How comes its all about Carol and Anna at the moment? Has Carol just moved in?
No she has been silent for years, let's hope that it quiet's down again, its just a daughter wringing her hands and a grumpy lady wanting her independence. It's not new, loads of older children are going through this and im sure they dont want to be reminded. Also not everyone has got neighbours that will pitch in and help like The Archers.

No sign of Joy for quite some time…Carol and Anna may be dull but I infinitely prefer their scenes to those with Joy and Mucky. Now they just have to silence the Maliks and all will be well…

The Carol and Anna storyline about trying to care for an elderly parent from a distance would be much more engaging if Carol actually sounded old. The pair of them sounded the same age last night - Carol hears everything quite clearly, seems to have no need for any mobility aids (stick/walker) and was up and out of the house in no time for a trip to The Laurels. I don’t understand why she would have to move out of the house for hand rails to be fitted and I certainly don’t see why she would need a stay in the Laurels while this was happening. The fact that Jill was the one suggesting it - a character who really does sound her age and who is in real life a resident in such a home - only emphasised how far Carol sounds from needing such care. Don’t the SWs realise they are writing for the radio - her voice is all we have to go on. She could still be feisty, but she needs to sound old - otherwise it’s just another PSA which is all we seem to get these days.

If the tenant dies, it's not a problem. The cost of removing the stairlift will have to be borne by the estate. Or they could make a formal agreement with Anna for her to do it.

When my lovely MIL died, the stairlift people took it back promptly, paid for out her estate.

I'd have thought the answer for Carol would be to move into Ambridge Hall for a week. Surely putting Carol and Lynda together is a scriptwriters' gift?

If this were real life it would be pretty sad. Jill is no longer mobile and clearly unable to visit Carol. The other women of her own generation she would have known - Peggy, Christine - are either dead or disappeared into silent residence at the old people’s home. In all the years she’s lived there Carol doesn’t appear to have formed any new friendships or supportive contacts so she must have been incredibly alone in the village for years.

Because the creative team forgot about her.

And now she’s suddenly new entertainment for a whole heap of people who clearly never bothered with her before. I’d want to punch them all.

Some where I missed it was hand rails. I thought it was for eg gutter, roof, new kitchen

I feel I would pay money to hear this