Archers thread #201: Tempting fête in Ambridge? Free entry to 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 love to administer Bert's mucus medicine, 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/5538836-the-archers-spoilers-thread-12-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.)

There's a fair amount of stuff going on at the moment but I don't feel inspired to say anything more about any of it for now. Over to you - I hope you all have more enthusiasm than I do!

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime , of course younger and sprightlier.

It smacked to me of 'let's get a vilified breed for Lynda and Robert,and have is savaging sheep sometime in the future'.

It must be all that swimming in the once toxic River Am that is giving these geriatric dogs such gusto!

I think the young in Ambridge save their energy so they can spring to life in their later years.

Madcats
Monty decides to escape up to Home Farm

Let us not forget that he swam the Am River where ford there was none, or else went round by the bridge; Home Farm and Ambridge Hall are on opposite sides of the Am.

He might have even flown. I'm sure the Berrow livestock fly about freely when only the SW are around.

LA to the episode on June 16 when Monty savaged the sheep it seems vanishingly unlikely that David will be feeling merciful when it comes to Monty. I think the incident has very much put paid to any illusions that Monty is a lovely dog who wouldn't hurt a fly. I'm trying to imagine scenario where he is left home alone, escapes through the gate (has he ever escaped before?) savages the flock then bounds back, through the gate to be tidied up by the children of the B&B guests. I don't think David is going to be satisfied even if the Snells construct a prison for Monty and keep him tied up and muzzled for the rest of his days. It was a savage attack.

But it must have been by swimming back across the Am that he washed off all the blood, which had been puzzling people.

The only trouble is that you'd think Lynda might have noticed he'd been wet; but that's not too likely with a short-haired breed like a Doberman. If he'd been a collie or a German Shepherd or a Gordon Setter it would be a different matter!

There is a newish bit of legislation, Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025, that came into effect in December '25.
Whilst there is now potential for unlimited fines, there is a new defence for dog owners where their dog worries livestock whilst it is in someone else’s charge without the owner's consent (such as if it had been stolen or taken without permission).

The dog does not necessarily need to be destroyed under the new legislation.

Forgot to add that there must be some reason for Monty's refusal to come out of car at the fete otherwise what was that all about? Just as the wholly unnecessary emphasis about him not harming a fly was there to remind us of his existence and indicate his culpability.

Madcats
The dog does not necessarily need to be destroyed under the new legislation.

The trouble there is that regardless of who was (clearly not) in charge of the dog at the time, the sheep are still dead and the dog still killed them.

Although Archers listeners might not be the people that need to hear it the most.

Whilst there is now potential for unlimited fines, there is a new defence for dog owners where their dog worries livestock whilst it is in someone else’s charge without the owner's consent (such as if it had been stolen or taken without permission)

I can see that being the key part of this plot line. Even if Monty is spared, I should imagine that's going to make things very difficult between the Snells and every livestock owner in the area.

I'm so disappointed Stella's dog wasn't the culprit.

Linda became very matter of fact about it all once Monty's guilt had been established and quickly moved to "when can we get our precious boy home" without uttering a word of sympathy about the dead sheep. She doesn't seem to care about the damage Monty has caused at all.

Anway the whole storyline is ridiculous. Teenagers are pretty self absorbed and it is extremely unlikely that the two young guests would have taken the time to find a hose and clean up an unknown dog because he appeared to have blood on him. Not to mention they did all of this without their parents noticing.

I expect he borrowed Rex's boat.

Eastie77Returns
Not to mention they did all of this without their parents noticing.

Or did they...?
I'm still suspicious about the decision to cancel the extra night and go home the day of the funeral.
I know they said they were upset and didn't feel like staying post-funeral, but, sometimes, people lie.

Like in "Swallows and Dobermans" by Archer Ransome.

I've long since come to the conclusion that some of the writers treat the plot progression like a lengthy game of "passive aggressive" consequences.

The first writer to pick up the sheep mauling thread, popped the flock in Brian's field to cause an argument with David...because Brian was under stress and rowing with just about anybody and everybody...then another SW had to find a new role for our hopeless Harrison....etc etc. By the time the turn came for a SW to cover the "fête worse than death" it was far too late for that writer to point out that it was unlikely that a geriatric dog would have swum across the (now deep) river, jumped over (presumably electric) newly installed fences to maul more than a dozen sheep, before trotting home to be hosed down and scrubbed clean by a couple of strangers.

Madcats
I've long since come to the conclusion that some of the writers treat the plot progression like a lengthy game of "passive aggressive" consequences.

Bit like the multiple authors of Sexton Blake who apparently tried to leave Our Hero in as inextricable a position as possible before the next took up the story.

I love how we all care so much more about Monty than any of the human characters 😂

Thank you to everyone who has filled in the geographical details relating to this story line. I guess with something as long-running as TA, it's inevitable that eventually part of the audience will have been with the program for longer than the people working on it. Although that's no excuse for not having someone with a good overview of who, where, what and when.

And once again, SW don't understand animals at all. Monty has not only got out of his kennel (or did the B&B kids let him out?), he's also got out of the garden. Then, instead of mooching around the immediate surroundings of his own home or wandering off on one of his usual routes like a normal dog, he sprints / swims / levitates to the other side of the village to maul some sheep, and then sprints straight back home, and nobody sees him. He gets back in time to be cleaned up and dry off, and is pretending to nap peacefully in his kennel when L&R get back. If only he had tinkered with a clock so that there is a witness who would swear they saw him at home at the very time of the attack, it would be a perfect Agatha Christie story.

Well, I suppose he would also have to poison Lynda's coffee to stop her admitting to Chief Inspector Japp Harrison that Monty must have done it.

before trotting home to be hosed down and scrubbed clean by a couple of strangers.

Who were just off to a funeral.

"Come on children, put your shoes on now, we have to leave in time for the start of the service. And just wash off all that blood and mud from the dog while you're at it, quick as you can..."

There’s really no point to TA when a Pargetter and a Grundy-baby-mama sound vocally indistinguishable.

I couldn't work that out at all. They sounded so alike.

Carol is a complete cow.

Anna should either step up or keep her nose out.

I quite like “New Amber”. I wonder what they will do to her in years to come. I have a bad feeling that she’ll have a successful career and George will become insanely jealous and retaliate.

Unless there is some batshit plan for Lily to somehow run Grey Gables or bits of Lower Loxley, she should seize that travel bug and head east (I believe none of the Archers cast has ventured into Asia, though I seem to know plenty of parents whose kids have).

Did they mention the near- eclipse? It was quite a “thing” a few miles south of Borsetshire.

Madcats
(I believe none of the Archers cast has ventured into Asia, though I seem to know plenty of parents whose kids have).

Shula got as far as Bangkok, I think.

I feel vindicated that Lily's carping about Freddie's lack of skills to do LL work while saying the abattoir job is perfectly fine for him.
When Amber asked Lily all about Australia, did this imply she's actually got there?

Carol is a piece of work, isn't she? I'm not sure Anna can insist Carol tells her all about her financial matters, though.

TA has done dogs off-lead, is it time for elders who can't use a smartphone?