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!

A colleague of mine was from Newcastle but none of us knew as he had adopted a SE accent (we were all based in London). I only realised when I overheard him speaking to a family member late one evening in the office when he thought he was alone.

Anyway. When did Lily and Fallon become friends? The matchmaking episode and then Fallon pouring her heart out to Lily about her relationship woes was very odd. I know it’s all for plot reasons so Lily feels bad about Harrison etc but would a 40 something Fallon really be talking about all that stuff with Lily. Felt a bit random.

@LillianGish , I agree, especially with "someone with a sexy voice (bring me the voice of Anthony Head RIP)" (Swoon!).

Natasha's accent is distinctly Welsh (educated native Welsh-speaker from the Cardiff area) but not a strong regional one like characters like her mother or Gavin had. The Gavin actor is Welsh but the accent on TA was not the one where the actor is from. The Natasha's mum actor's accent is the one from where the actor is from AFAIK.
I think the tv/radio Welsh accents are often pronounced Valleys or Swansea accents. The Stacey Shipman (Gavin & Stacey) accent is the actor's own (Swansea).
Someone like Michael Sheen's accent is distinctly Welsh but not a strong one.

@Eastie77Returns , I wouldn't be telling Lily anything. She can't even be nice to her darling brother.
I wonder what she would do about Mr-SupermarketShopper's message?

Extremely ‘random’ and unsupported by any evidence whatsoever.

When I was in my mid-twenties I couldn’t even imagine being thirty. People of around forty might as well have been visitors from another planet (at least as far as friendship was concerned).

And Lily and Fallon have absolutely nothing in common beyond the fact that they might conceivably, once every few years or so, find themselves at the same dining table at a very large clan gathering. I’m quite prepared to believe they get on well when they bump into each other; I can see no reason at all why they would deliberately seek each out socially.

I think my point is that the actors don't need comedy accents to make them stand out

But Harrison doesn't have a "comedy" accent - it's how many Lancastrian men speak and, fortunately for them, many women find them "sexy."

If you want a comedy accent, look no further than Jolene the Pirate landlady.

I do think the actor over emphasises his Lancastrian accent at times. That may or may not be deliberate. I dont try to moderate my Leeds accent one bit ,but I do notice when I get together with a certain friend (also from Leeds) my accent gets significantly stronger!

You're roight there moi darlin'.
Harrison sounds fine to me. It's the 'mummerset' accent that are the 'comedy' ones.

Would '{nice town} will still be there when you're less busy' be ok? I don't want to spend the weekend checking my phone for replies that take several hours.
(Different song going through my mind now. )

I don't think Harrison’s accent is a problem. It's the way he sounds as if he's three steps behind everyone else and a sandwich short of a picnic. He just doesn't sound very bright, or on the ball like a policeman should.
I like all the regional accents, (even Jolene), it adds variety and distinguishes the characters from each other. I still often don't know which of the younger men is speaking, they sound so similar. It's the delivery, not the accent.

Someone had to point out to me that David Beckham was attractive. I can see it now but his voice is ok but I wouldn't hire him for a seductive voice role.

I used to work somewhere where there was a male employee that a lot of the women fancied. I just couldn't see it. Looked great but not phwoarr. Met his identical twin brother and got it immediately. They were identical but had different personalities.

Harrison doesn't have a sexy personality. For me, Jakob does. Brian does too in a 'player' sort of way.

Not many of the men are sexy are they. Told you I'm weird but I think I'd be more inclined towards Neil or Leonard than most of the others, and I always had a soft spot for Alistair.

I don't think DB is attractive now, but I hate all the tattoos which biases me.

I find an average looking man can be transformed (in my eyes) into an extremely sexy individual if he is intelligent or really skilled at something I could never do like furniture making. On the flip side I’m left completely cold by handsome men who lack personality.

When I lived in Paris I dated the best looking man I’ve laid eyes on, an American marine stationed at the US embassy (I can’t remember why he was based there). He talked about a brief stay on a base in Germany before coming to France and said he liked Germany but “couldn’t wait to leave and come to Europe”. It turned out he didn’t realise Germany was in Europe. When I asked him which continent he thought it was in he looked confused. I was very young and much more tolerant than I am now so we continued dating for several months before I called it a day😅

@Eastie77Returns , definitely. Jim Lloyd would be hot. I had someone argue with me that Israel wasn't in Asia.

@muddyford ,was going to say Chris Carter would be hot but he has at least one tattoo.

I've still not replied. I've just thought about it instead. And of course listened to the repeat of a dull TA episode.

Folk with northern accents are often deemed to be thick.

I am from the north. I was told this when working remotely with a nationwide team of a blue chip company.

I've been bullied because of my accent. Not fun to have a colleague mimicking you. Regional accent aren't a protected characteristic AFAIK.

I’d much rather listen to the two K’s be dull than hear more audible kissing. Far to much of that for my liking recently.

I'd rather listen to them speaking when eating than audibly kissing (or worse).
Giggling in the hay is my limit. And Jolene can stop with any references to...
Bleurgh!

I am afraid it's Keira's voice which is driving me doolally.

Give her time. I don't think it helps to know that the actor is about 10 years older than the character.

On a completely different thread, I got 23 reactions to a post I made. At least someone likes my sense of humour. Ironically, it was a 'stealth boast' thread.

New Emma took over well from Old Emma and does sound like she could be Susan's daughter. I don't really like Tracy's accent but I love the character.

I think he is attractive but the tattoos spoil it

I saw a photo a few years ago before he got so covered in ink and he looked much better. Apart from the budgie smugglers which had a weird angular appearance, as if he had the aviary in there too.

@muddyford , is there an aviary tax on here? I think you owe us a link.

Harrison and Fallon are both alleged to be very attractive, even by the high Ambridge standard.

I once kissed an ex colleague when I was about 25 and he was 40-odd, but that was a one-off. Lily has form though and I think handled well (for long term character development) a relationship between Lily and Harrison could have tons of story potential but it will probably just erupt into short term drama.

I thought Scruff had died/disappeared in the Flood! Which dog was it if not Scruff? I thought it odd that the Snells hadn’t mentioned it.

Scruff miraculously managed to make his way back to Ambridge after having been swept a few miles downstream by Ye Grate Fludde in March 2016. He arrived outside Ambridge View on Christmas Eve that year.

He died of old age on 31st July 2016.

On first reading I thought DB was MN shorthand for dear brother and I thought “ Ew!”

Thank you @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime! I don’t know how I had forgotten that. Must have been too ‘affected by the storyline’ of his sad disappearance.

I don’t believe Lynda wrote on or found that tennis ball but she and Robert are sweet so I will let it slide!

Hang on @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime - if Scruff was swept away in March 2016 and returned on Christmas Eve 2016, having died in July 2016, was this some sort of time warp? 🤔