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!

I sort of agree, buts also think she’s quite self indulgent and may want a princess day rather than a busman’s holiday. I know this wouldn’t be typical of a lot of committed farmers. I think Stella would definitely prefer the tractor transport and Cleo as best man but she doesn’t seem to really care about what she wants and seems happy to just go along with whatever pip thinks, without really considering any alternatives (maybe different with farming but I can’t think of anything where she’s had any sort of input).

I think child-free weddings are perfectly reasonable. My son is at the age when he and his friends are getting married and so has been to lots of weddings over the past few years, the overwhelming majority of which are child-free.

His own wedding was child-free apart from his niece. Until a few weeks ago no one had a problem with it and all the parents loved having a day and night off without children.

Recently there was a bit of a difficult situation where there was another child-free wedding, had been known for at least a year this would be the case, yet one friend directly asked several times if they could bring their child because the grandparents were away.

The person was very persistent and it caused bad feelings and upset. No one could understand why they didn't just accept that they couldn't go or one of the couple couldn't go. In the end they did back down and one of the couple went and didn't stay long at the evening party. Everyone, especially the bride and groom, thought they had behaved in an entitled and rude way. The surprising thing was that the person was usually very laid back and amenable, but people can be very different when their own children are concerned.

My first wedding was child-feee because I was young (too young) and nobody had children yet. My second wedding was when I was much older My two grandsons were ring bearers but didn't come to the evening do and none of our friends had children. Child-free by default. If I had the sort of family with siblings and cousins with children I don't think I'd insist on child-free.

Stella being goaded into saying how she really feels about children will be interesting, particularly if she is challenged as to whether that means Rosie too.

A conversation that any couple planning to marry should have.

@CaptainMyCaptain same here. I was only 26 and the only people I knew with children were work colleagues. It does feel very different here because of Rosie and other children in the family.

I still can’t get over Stella proposing to Pip given what an unconvincing couple they are.

Apparently at an uncle's wedding, children were present and his brother's pre-schooler PFB was out of control, and her 'little prince' cousin a couple of years older not much better. The words used were 'completely ruined it for everyone'.
I was a young baby and wasn't there.

Weddings are probably really boring for children. Lots of standing about. Parents making small talk. Sitting down quietly in church for ages. Sitting down to a long meal. Speeches.

I had loads of kids at my wedding (tonnes of friends and family had young babies and toddlers by then) but quite honestly I can’t think of a single problem they caused. But that’s probably because it was mainly outdoors, no sit down meal, and we (delegated a friend to) set up a baby space with toys etc. Also my friends are carefully handpicked and not arseholes who would keep a crying baby around to ruin the ceremony!

I love a traditional village wedding though. If Pip and Stella want to go glitzy for their wedding who gives a crap. I’m not at all surprised they don’t want to do it at the farm as the family wouldn’t relax for a microsecond. And LL is still “family” of course but the sort of family that has a full staff rather than the MOB having to muck in and pull pints.

I can't imagine not inviting young cousins, nephews and nieces, god children to a wedding. What's the cut off age?

But then again, I wouldn't impose a dress code on my guests. I prefer a relaxed wedding. Both as a bride and a guest.

I'm intrigued what the brides will wear at LL. I've never been to a same sex wedding unless you include David and Patrick on Schitt's Creek which I do

Presumably Toby will be invited? I hope we’ll hear him, I like his voice. Where Rex continually sounds as if life is a battle he’s bound to lose, Toby always sounds as if it’s all a great adventure.

It’s a shame the creative team don’t hear what we hear - Pip and Stella are so drab together. And Stella might be fun with someone - anyone - else.

With the actor who plays Toby’s dad (so Rosie’s grandfather, too) dead, I wonder if/when they are going to get round to mentioning that? They ought to pick that up, somehow, even if they do have a growing list of cast members who need to be written out.

If nothing else, the child-free wedding has highlighted how few kids there are in the Archer’s family. If they get some of the “silent bachelors” back for the wedding, it will be quite a big do.

It sounded as if Stella was instantly willing to back down when the subject of Rosie's potential boredom arose. She won't want the brat running around bored and demanding Pip's attention.

If Lottie attends with her child (Maddy?) and Chris as her +1 then will he might want want Martha there as well...

Ooooh! D’you think Dan might show up for his cousin’s wedding? Wouldn’t that be splendid!

And with all the years of pulling pints you’d think Kenton could pay for Meriel to fly over for the Archer clan event.

Stella has a … sister? Or brother? I forget.

Slightly off topic but I was staggered at Natasha asking Ruth what they were going to do about Glebe Cottage? Really insensitive - who else but Natasha would ask that question before Carol’s even buried.
And mentioning to Stella she’d bought expensive outfits for the Star Twins ! Bit of emotional blackmail there. I thought her and Tom were meant to be cutting back
I don’t like Natasha, I feel she’s only concerned with Natasha.

If he does, I predict there will be a lot of dialogue on the lines of 'Oh, there's Shula! What a lovely hat. Dan looks smart in his uniform!' followed in the next episode by 'Wasn't it great to see Dan! Shame he had to get back to his unit so soon. Still, we had time for a good catch up at the reception ...'

Is it usual to invite your ex to your wedding, even when the ex is parent of your child? The etiquette of weddings appears to be very complicated these days.

Hopefully Natasha bought the twins' new dresses on Vinted/Ebay, having become distracted while selling her stuff. She can simply pop them back on, up for sale again.

It must be tricky to dress for an Autumn wedding; the temperature is all over the place (but great for an hour in the garden before supper).

It would be nice to have a few of the overseas' contingent over for the wedding. I feel as if it has been in the storyline for yonks, so they have had plenty of notice and are old enough to be thinking about "European hols with partners".

I thought that Toby and Pip had an amicable de-coupling; wasn't he still sharing her bed after the split at one point (or was I sniffing paint fumes)? I think I remember a conversation he had with Kenton?

They definitely co-parent amicably. And he’s wished her well with Stella, iirc. I think it would be fine for him to attend and take Rosie away at the end, since she surely won’t be going on honeymoon with them.

One scene and I can’t stop myself saying how thick Ruth is …

Oh my! Fantastic bit of acting. Anna sounded - suddenly - exactly like Carol fending off a nosy do gooder.

Did I mention how thick Ruth is?

back to Natasha, I did enjoy hearing her backtracking and downscaling her innovative new business idea

The word that sprang to mind with me too. How insensitive can Ruth get? Burbling on about her own mother's death. Ruth was lucky that Anna didn't dump the shepherd's pie on her head.

Going a bit against the grain here from previous posts, but I felt a bit sorry for Ruth (a character I usually detest). And she did rouse Anna who otherwise would have been late for the court appearance. Anna appears to have morphed into Carol already.

Brad should get a moped and Zainab could teach him.

I had hopes for those two

I really wish they’d bring the Natasha debt storyline back