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!

I liked how Fallon gave the puzzle night that they didn’t make money as an example to Freddie - imagine that in an interview scenario. On par with how she justified that she should pay less than Harrison because he earns more.

Fallon seems very dismissive of Harrison's job and the value of his time. Sorry Fallon, but policing is more important than massaging Elizabeth's already large ego.

It is utterly batshit that Elizabeth/Trustees haven't started to involve Freddie and, to a lesser extent, Lily in the running of Lower Loxley.

If Fallon is only planning to work part time at LL, why isn't she still covering key shifts at The Bull (they could always use frozen pastry like Wayne did).

I want Elizabeth's heart to turn round and bite her on the bum so that Freddy has to take over. And be brilliant.

I just can’t believe that in reality anyone running a business like Lower Loxley doesn’t keep their kids close especially the heir! Lily and Freddie need to get together and tell Elizabeth to bog off to Australia for a year and let them run it.

And send her a bill for all the years her business has been using their premises.

As far as I remember Fallon was financially responsible for herself for several years; she didn't live with her mother before she met Harrison, she had a flat and worked at Jaxx. He moved into her living quarters, not the other way round.

"policing is more important than massaging Elizabeth's already large ego."

Only if you are any good at it. Harrison only ever seems to arrest members of the Archer clan, or people completely by accident; and he constantly blows his mouth about cases he is involved in to people whom they are to do with, in a way which would get him expelled the Force after the third offence.

They couldn’t have bought their cottage at market rate and even then I recall it being a tight budget.

I guess they’ve both had two big job changes since though. Fallon definitely can’t afford it and Harrison’s calling is clearly in the north. (Please!)

I think they need to get their head around putting it on the market asap really and hopefully discuss the split off air (or at least not at a meal time!)

Go Freddie - Lizard’s doing a Brian and it’s too stupid and beyond infuriating to listen to.

How did she afford the silent rennovations and prioritise that over bringing Freddie into the business, or at least at any point discussing it. Did he not know why it was happening? How did a whole project happen with no discussion between them!?!

I wonder if the trustees know about any of it. The problem I have with the trustees is that I imagine them ancient and mad. I'm sure they've been replaced over the years as they retired/fell off the perch, but they're probably all approaching (or beyond) retirement age. Nigel would have been 67, had it not been for Dayveed.

As an aside, is anyone else wondering whether the savaged sheep were still edible?

I think Khalil let Monty out.

Well, Khalil, that went swimmingly, didn't it?

Infuriatingly unrealistic. I hope no teen boys of Khalil’s demographic were listening and gained the impression that aggressively shouting at and accusing farmers of David and Ruth’s demographic in their own home would have ended with lots of concerned fussing and ‘darling boy’ and being led gently home. Because they’d be sadly disappointed if they were moved to try it.

People like Ruth and David would have called the police!

Stupid SW.

I'm finding it hard to comment fairly because I just don't like David and Ruth although obviously they are in the right, but I still feel kind of sorry for Khalil.

That was probably quite a good lesson for Khalil, and possibly also for Lyndipops.

Does anyone else feel a very strong desire to throttle Keira? Prissy little git!

I don't feel sorry for Khalil. He brought it on himself. He shouldn't interfere in something he has been warned off. I hope David and Ruth tell Harrison about this attempt to manipulate them and thus the justice system. Arrogant little scrote.

There was some reason Monty wouldn't get out of the car, and there was some reason the geriatric hound went on the rampage.

Keira will let the cat out of the bag at some point.

It wasn't Lynda or Robert's fault that he did that. I suppose you could argue that it was Monty's?

I don't think I mentioned Lynda or Robert. Khalil was the arrogant little scrote. His actions were bordering on threatening.

Sorry, @muddyford ... I agreed with your post and just phrased it badly. My point (if there was one ... and that would be a first!) was that it was entirely Khalil's own fault.

I know he's a teenage boy and therefore dim, but he seems to have a much younger mental age than Henry. On the other hand, Henry is old beyond his years, as you would be with Helen as a mother.

I think we might be meant to suppose that Khalil is infantilised because of having had childhood leukaemia and thus been kept rather in cotton wool for quite a long time. He's still a spoilt ten-year-old in his head, perhaps?

Yep, @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime - Compare and contrast with Henry's experience: healthy but pretty much neglected during the Rob years. Now 15 years old, going on 30. Adolescence seems to have pretty much passed him by.

It's ironic that Ruth talks about the sheep being innocent when she merrily sends them off to the abattoir.

The SL has been awful and Khalil made it even more do.

It's ironic that Ruth talks about the sheep being innocent when she merrily sends them off to the abattoir.
The abattoir doesn't maul animals.Ruth is a farmer but her involvement with the sheep is minimal.

I do think it’s striking that Lynda has at no point apologised. Unless of course she has and I missed it.