Archers thread #199: Kaboom! The Aldridges are self-destructing, and it's GLORIOUS. 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'd drop everything to help Helen create a new cheese on national minimum wage, 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.)

If you haven't heard last night's episode (Friday 22nd May) you really must. It's episodes like that that keep me addicted. Funny how often they involve the Aldridges, the most dysfunctional and also by far the most interesting family in Ambridge. Also very well acted on the whole. How lovely to hear Tamsin Greig in TA, but I wonder if we ever will again.

Some cracking posts towards the end of the last thread, which is here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5518503-archers-thread-198-josh-sent-to-patagonia-pip-stays-put-wrong-way-round-discuss-the-archers-here

Over to you!

Does anyone else think Helen was slightly spurred into buying the extra Monty’s after Natasha talked about them needing money to send the girls to private school? She was being very sniffy about it, and it felt like a resources thing, as well as a ‘If it’s good enough for my precious boys it should be good enough for you.”

Totally agree Darker.

Brian is so used to being arbitrary and twisty in front of his family that he doesn't think about consequences. Being witnessed by a cop and by Martin Gibson accusing someone working on the land of 'stealing' a vehicle did not add to the number of people who think he is acting rationally.

Totally on Brian’s side but calling the police and reporting the Land Rover as stolen was a bit bonkers.

It’s good to see Tom call Helen out for being selfish. Everyone makes allowances for her because of her unfortunate history but she is undeniably and brilliantly self-centred. She disguises it pretty well most of the time but she really is a bit of a monster. The minute we heard there were 10 montbeliards available, it was clear she was going to buy them all.

Brad’s secret was that he is in love with Amber.

Me too. Akram's relationship with his children feels very unrealistic to me... there's no such thing as a perfect parent, and yet there he is...

Akram was absolutely awful the way he talked to Helen and Tom. There's no need to exaggerate and say they expect the peasants to obey.

He's been there for about 5 minutes, came up with a wholly unrealistic, ill thought out scheme, went into a sulk when they rightly turned it down and then started whinging about the direction Helen said they were making because it wasn't what he wanted.

He's ghastly - he's so self-righteous and I can't stand the endless imparting of wisdom.

He's been there for about 5 minutes, came up with a wholly unrealistic, ill thought out scheme - the care farm scheme is an excellent one as I know from @Piscofrisco on another thread. What is poorly thought out is the way The Archers has tried to raise awareness of such schemes by getting Akram, who is neither a farmer nor a mental health worker, to be its champion. I would have liked to see Pat (perhaps accompanied by Ben) going to visit an actual care farm to see what is involved before inevitably concluding that such an operation would not be possible at Bridge Farm. We could have had the PSA, but it would have felt more organic (pun intended!)

@LillianGish nails it again - care farms are a great idea. A lot of ‘social prescribing’ is fantastic, and my archaeological organisation is looking into it. Akram is just the wrong driver and it’s a great opportunity missed imo. He doesn’t feel real because the script writers don’t ‘know’ him any better than we do!

the care farm scheme is an excellent one as I know

It is a very niche idea. I'm not a farmer but a major part of my working life over 35 years involved and still involves farmers and this is so niche I can think of 1 case where it's come up and that was a non profit organisation.

Akram is a plumber. Why didn’t we have him installing a walk-in shower (with grab rails) for Carol, getting a contract for Grey Gables or the Laurels? Being a plumber gets him (and therefore us the listeners!) into places. We don’t need an in on Bridge Farm - there’s already enough drama there for an entire spin off series!

There is a Care Farm locally and it’s absolutely wonderful. It is however a charity set up exactly for this purpose. I think it’s hugely insensitive for the SW to paint Bridge Farm as unenthusiastic about the idea given the huge pressures farmers are currently facing.

And it’s a complete mystery to be why Akram doesn’t just get an allotment or indeed a small holding. How on earth could anyone fit in a career as a plumber around contracted hours on a farm where there is limited flexibility?

Absolutely. It would work in a non profit organisation or a much, much larger commercial operation which has the land, animals and manpower available to set aside for this, either altruistically or for good pr or both.

Bridge Farm is a small farm in terms of farming today. They don't have the land or manpower to spare. It's really unfair to paint the Bridge Farm bunch in such a bad light because they didn't go along with his half baked idea.

Having him adapting Carol's house would have been a sensible storyline. I think Akram, for all that he's annoying, would have been more sensitive to Carol's feelings than her ghastly daughter.

He gave up being a plumber to work on the farm, so he's not available for those jobs. Even if it were a one-off offer, he probably hasn't kept up his insurance etc. to cover him for the work.

As a care farm worker I can confirm they are a great idea and amazing! But I agree Bridge farm was not the correct farm for this .

If care farms are normally run by charities, I wonder whether Bridge Farm could have maybe linked up with one so that the charity provide some of the staff, training, expertise and oversight needed? That feels like it would be a much more organised way to run that SL, though it would need a lot of research for the SWs.

I’m a trustee of a community garden that is also part of a green prescribing programme. There are lots of similar spaces and groups around. I work at 3 currently and visit more.
There are so many other avenues for Akram’s passions and his mental health project.

The sad news made me think of ‘bring me the voice of Anthony Head’ 💐

@BringMeTheVoiceOfAnthonyHead was me.
The Archers, thread #104!

I'm imagining Bridge Farm Botanicals being made from the scrapings of the cheese/yoghurt vats and the stuff that's too wilted to go in the veg boxes.

Is Akram being lined up to stand in for Kirsty when she goes on maternity leave? If Rewilding can have a campsite, I feel sure that there must be space for a Care Farm.

I love the way that first Adam, then Akram, felt able to drop down to a min wage job.

and has lived rent free in my head ever since BOOP for you

Re 'care farms' - there's a similar-ish enterprise near us. A great idea (and a bona fide charity), but Akram's been working for Bridge Farm for 2 minutes and suddenly expects this long-established family business to adopt his idea and run with it, just because he says so?
I don’t think that’s how it works in the real world. Would a lowly new recruit anywhere expect to suggest a fairly major change to a business and be grumpy/moody because they don’t embrace it with joy?

Growing Care Farming | Social Farms & Gardens
So you want to… run a care farm? - Farmers Weekly

Thanks @Geronimode , I've had some brilliant usernames but every now and then I manage to log myself out of the account then have to start again.

I wondered that. Is there enough farming for him at rewilding?

What happened to the allotments (including the one that Adil used to have)? Presumably they were owned by the Parish Council so maybe they could set aside a small area for a man shed and small garden.