Archers thread #202: How are you finding your visits to Ambridge? Fill in your feedback forms 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 think working as a hotel receptionist is a perfectly reasonable career choice for a graduate from a family with a stately home, 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-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.)

Over to you!

Wouldn't that at least need the consent of the employer paying sick pay?

I reckon Pat is sounding more and more like Helen.

You'd think George might remember that the Grundys had a farm, and went bankrupt because it didn't bring in enough money to keep going. People with farms = rich is bloody stupid thinking for someone from that family.

Except they are still living there and farming on some of the land they used to, so maybe he hasn't realised that they don't actually have a farm any more.

I think really as hard as it is Esme should give up the farm. She didn't visit it much when her dad was alive and she is not making any money keeping it going.
Nobody cares if you are going to have a baby soon, it dosnt mean that Esme should feel different because of George's imminent fatherhood, infact, it is really silly that Amber and George are expecting in the first place, considering thier living conditions, George still out on license and no permanent job. That is not Esme's fault or responsibility.
Also she may have Eddie helping but he is taking the piss out of her at every turn.
Never trust a Grundy.
Harrison and Lily put my teeth on edge the way they were so nice to each other.
They are differently going to do the deed and Harrison will be so riddle with guilt that he will tell Jolene ( because they are so close🤷‍♀️), and beg her not to tell Fallon..........

George showing his true nature at last. Ungrateful, arrogant, rude little twat.
Cant wait to hear Amber implode when she finds out he walked out in a fit of temper. But of course it will be Esme’s fault.
Esme, just block the whole Grundy clan!

What we need is for Josh to return, having made his fortune running a small but profitable drugs cartel, marry Esme, buy the farm (literally, not in the American figurative sense) and start producing more Archers. He might need a personality transplant, but don't we all?

Esme is an idiot if she DID employ George on PAYE, rather than retain him as a contractor. She’ll be paying for his pension, holiday pay, sick leave, not to mention Employer’s NI (the threshold for when it becomes payable almost halving in one of Reeves’s budget). That’s a lot of on-costs for a cash-strapped farmer.
It would have taken her about 30 minutes to cut out a few paragraphs from one of her own IT contracts.

In the interests of sometimes having an Archer in the programme, they should bring Josh back to Borsetshire and have him rescue Esme’s doomed farm (preferably without Esme as her voice is annoying).

Probably depends. I've had jobs where I could take a second job if the hours didn't interfere with my main job. More recent jobs have needed permission from main job, but main job also had on-call. Current job needs permission because of security clearance. And when I was a student, I successfully juggled three jobs over the summer, but they were all casual contracts.

Don't actually know about sick pay (but then, who ekse in Ambridge does?) I would expect main job to be aware (if only for tax etc.) I would also expect if they're paying sick pay on one job, the other job has to be substantially different, e.g. desk-based rather than physical.

But no one in radio or TV sospland ever worries about employment law unless it's a key plot point. No one ever goes through a full notice period, or disciplinary process or anything. So I don't expect any difference here.

I haven't heard anybody say 'a can of pop' since I was a child!

Made me feel quite nostalgic.

Yeah, right Lily!
"Nothing is going to happen."

Not flipping much it isn't!

She's obviously got the hots for Harrison.

Indeed she has. She seemed to have adopted an exceptionally sultry tone during their last conversation.

Ah, It’s good to have George back.

I thought this year he had really matured but looks like the SWs had me fooled.

He might need a personality transplant, but don't we all?
Most of us don't.

Nobody cares if you are going to have a baby soon,
Quite a lot of people seem to care

it dosnt mean that Esme should feel different because of George's imminent fatherhood,
She probably doesn't but she has cows that need milking.

infact, it is really silly that Amber and George are expecting in the first place, considering thier living conditions,
Blame the SW.

George still out on license and no permanent job. That is not Esme's fault or responsibility.
He did have one.

I thought this year he had really matured but looks like the SWs had me fooled.
He's not changed and I've not been fooled one bit.

If Eddie stops working at Meadow Farm out of solidarity with George, are David and Akram going to step back in and help out like before, until Esme sorts out a replacement?

And I've got a bad feeling about that badly installed gatepost, surely that was mentioned for a reason.

but how can he be an independent contractor (for HMRC reasons) if he only has one employer?

He has two, and he has his trombolese drone sideline.

surely he can be an independent contractor with only 1 contract, just not a very succesfull one
then he would be responsible for his own tax, NI, insurance, sick pay (hah!)
also iirc, he would be responsible for providing a replacement if he was unable to do the agreed work

what could possibly go wrong

I'm very behind on the thread so I missed your post @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g. So sorry to hear about your mum, but very glad that you were able to be there. Sending my best.

i am not entirely sure that George would be so up on HMRC rules as to be able to handle things correctly, but for the sake of not losing my mind, i can go with that.

But afaik the rules are that if you are self employed and you only work for one company, you are to be considered an employee with all the ramifications for the employer.

but as we so often say: the SW don't do any research whatsoever.

Plus the fact that small babies don't actually cost that much in the first months, if you're sensible about not going overboard on buying lots of clothes and equipment they'll grow out of and especially if you feed them yourself. It's not as if they're instantly a child growing out of shoes almost every term or needing lots of money for school trips and birthday parties, etc.

The pinch point will be when Amber wants to go back to work and they have to find childcare. Even Clarrie must be getting to a stage where she puts her foot down...

@SockPlant ,But afaik the rules are that if you are self employed and you only work for one company, you are to be considered an employee with all the ramifications for the employer.
Not true.

Should I know who Dom is?

Edit: ah they just said Repair Shop.

Have never watched it, but presumably Saws think it’s a good fit with demographic of their audience?

I've seen enough bits to know what it's about but don't know any of the people in it.

I love Dom from Repair Shop and enjoyed the interaction with Tony about John's old toy, one of those warm fuzzy Archers episodes!

Clearly I am!