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!

Welcome! The whole business of George's attack is a bit weird. He was being really horrible to loads of people in the run up to New Year, which was transparently so we could have weeks of 'Could it have been A? Oh no, after tonight, maybe it was B! Or C? But what about D, who seemed to be front runner last week ...' When we finally learned that it was Ruairi, it was preposterous as he hadn't been in the frame at all and it didn't make a lot of sense. He's got away with it so far, but I suspect we're not finished with this storyline yet.

Brian's a utter bastard, and unapologetically so, but I love
him as a character. Particularly when Keri Davies is writing his lines! He's got Brian's humour absolutely nailed.

Don't forget Rhauri has told George it was him that bottled George that night, but George didn't believe him and just laughed it off. I suppose George thought he couldnt get money out of Rhauri.

Brian told Geirge he did it. He would think Ruairi was trying to save Brian or maybe thought that Ruairi was too much of a wimp.

I definitely think George thinks Ruarie is too much of a wimp. Brian, even at 80 something is probably a big man who is used to handling animals and machinery.

There are many tax reasons why you wouldn’t want a farm in a company. Bad idea.

Gosh you lot of have been busy! Thanks for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g .

Absolutely loved Friday’s episode, and Brian and Kate on Sunday. Adam is losing it big style and the number of times Ian said ‘you need to tell them EVERYTHING!’ (just meaning the reneged on promise I think), leads me to Adam spilling the Ruairi/George clonking beans and Ian saying oh god I didn’t mean that. Or something.

My question on the Home Farm Partnership is - if Brian removes the land, what else does the partnership have?

The Borchester Land contract? (Really not sure, but maybe.)

If so, there’s really no reason why Borchester Land would prefer to give the work to a random team / person assembled by Brian.

Even so, it’s not much.

Just a random thought but maybe there is a huge double bluff going on and Brian really is in the early stages of dementia. He did act very oddly over that whole business about wanting to leave a crop to rot in the field (wasn't that what led to the departure of the efficient Stella?) and his behaviour over the Ruairi bottling George - making the false confession to George - was equally erratic. Plus his offering the farm to Alice and then Adam and changing his mind both times. A normal businessman would have had succession planning sorted out years ago.
(I know it's all to further the plot - but none of it seems the behaviour of a fully "compos mentis" person).

It’s clear how much he depended on Jennifer to keep him on a reasonable level.

Aaaaagh!!

Eating and talking at the same time.

Makes me cringe 😖

Excellent episode tonight - one of the best I’ve heard this year.

(Although the BBC penny pinching continues to be ridiculous. Obviously we should have heard Clive and Bert, not just Susan reporting from her car.)

I wonder what the SWs are planning. Will it really just be a short break for Tracy, with Bert storming back in a week? Or has Bert effectively left Ambridge for good? And, if so, is that because they have plans for the new spare room chez Horrobin?

A very enjoyable episode, with the nuances of What Happened at the meeting (and before) coming out.

Will Bert enjoy the yoga at Cloive's? Though there is chair yoga these days.

Brian has got himself in a proper pickle.

He can take the land and break up the partnership, but then what? Presumably the partners could vote to break up the partnership and take their money? Enough to release them from his tyranny?

Loved the sandwich chat.

I don’t agree that Brian would have sorted out a succession plan years ago. MLB (Men Like Brian) cannot bear the thought that they won’t be around one day and that their children will be swanning around living off money they don’t deserve and haven’t earned. It makes total sense that Brian has not decided how or where to leave it. Ideally he would take it with him. In addition, his playing God syndrome can be indulged fully by endless will-changing esp when you know everyone is wondering/hoping to be left the cherry pie.

Withdrawing the land and going it alone is exactly the kind of thing I would expect from someone who thinks they can outwit the clock. I agree with pp that the best plot twist now would be for him to have one final fling and father another child. Only then should he be allowed to have the long-awaited heart attack.

oh- I am expecting the partnership agreement to have in there a clause that Brian can buy back any of the partners’ shares for £1 at any time. I have encountered this clause before and it is a perfect mechanism for retaining control in a family business.

But what money? The only asset is the land...and the experienced farmers.

And the land doesn't belong to the partnership, does it? It's Brian's land.

We need a copy of the partnership agreement.

And - what does taking back the land actually mean? Kate was worried about losing income as Spritual Home doesn’t support her needs. But will she be able to keep running her business from Home Farm.

I don't understand how Brian is apparently able to take back the land now, including the land where Spiritual Home is, yet when he wanted to sell the land where SH is in order to raise money, Kate was able to stop it just by saying No.

Brian is not always a hard-headed business man - he is at least as often ruled by his emotions,whether anger or fear of upsetting the fruit of his loins or whatever else.