Archers thread #203: It's Affair Cop! 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 would love to attend Pip's wedding with Natasha and the starry twins, 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.)

Starting the new thread a bit early as I'm not sure I'll have much internet access for the next few days. Fill up the old one first. And then - over to you!

(Credit for the thread title goes to @TripleSulko.)

Aye!🏴‍☠️

Agree. It doesn’t seem long since she was asking Alan to pray with her when she was in hospital.

While glowworms seemed like a good alternative to releasing Chinese lanterns and balloons* what happens to the worms. Are they invasive? Do they suffer on release?

*Not that the good people of Ambridge would ever do such a thing.

Glow worms are small, and only females do the glowing, and I thought usually only when it's mating season, though I might be wrong about thst. They're also quite rare. I've seen them on Portland and at Lyme Regis. It seems a mad, impractical idea, and not one that Rewilding would be on board with.

I was certainly taken aback when Usha turned up moonlighting in 'Ann Droid' as a dodgy Northern fairground fortune-teller. She was very funny, though.

Maybe she did, but we didn't hear her because 19th was a Saturday?

I saw glow-worms when I worked on nature reserves in East Anglia. Yes, they are now rare but are not specifically protected, though local authorities can protect colonies in their areas. Rewilding should certainly have absolutely nothing to do with such a sick plan. So Kate is vegetarian but happy to suggest this?

Carol may not have been a churchgoer but several times she accepted Alan's Christian prayers without demur. Many Christians are very in tune with creation but by no means would they describe themselves as pagan. Another tickbox from the SW.

Brookfield lost a cow to a Chinese lantern once, I think. And one of the Montbéliardes ate a balloon in 2021 and had to be treated by Alistair.

She us a galloping groot and a scurvy knives and mist be kielhauled!

Are we of an accird

Agree this pagan funeral seems to have escalated rather a lot 🤨 carol wasn't that witchy

Carol was a herbalist. This may, absurdly, have been conflated with being a witch? Sort of the way a seventeenth century witchfinder would have done but which you'd think a modern broadcasting organisation might have grown out of.

Aye Aye and keep a weather'd eye out, Jim Lad.

Maybe the glow-worms will be attached to strings and reeled back in at the end of the ceremony. Kate becoming a celebrant is actually a brilliant idea and I’m amazed she hasn’t done it already.

I seem to remember Helen running over Mike Tucker (?) on a dark lane and Tom taking responsibility. But I agree Brad should pay for the gate to be replaced. Kate is deranged.

Helen ran Mike over on the road past the village green, when he was on his way home from The Bull to Willow Farm. As evidence of her superb powers of manipulation, he ended up apologising to her and comforting her for it.

I've been in this country since 1998 and it still blows my mind that anyone who has held a driving license for however long is allowed to teach someone to drive. Speaking of which, someone needs to point out to Jazzer that there is a world of difference between teaching someone to drive and being driven around by a complete novice driver (with no apparent aptitude!) whilst having a chat. Poor Brad, he really needed more intervention there.

Edited to remove rogue comma

I think it’s beyond credulity that anyone would be surprised that a young person in ambridge would have to learn to drive. I also think it’s no brainer that Brad would have a few proper paid lessons with dual controls to begin. It’s He’s been working and saving all summer, does not have extravagant tastes or ever even buys a pint.

Tracey is also working more than ever with increased dairy hours and the pub and every adult in the house works.

I know they’re really keen to show the financial disparity of Helen and Tracey but I really can’t see how Brad can work so much, live at home, have no social life and not be able to afford some lessons. I’d only move to family lessons after some experience with a pro. That said I can’t drive so my opinion probably not worth much.

You so ruined that at the end, @Geronimode! 😂

We've been here before with Paul having driving lessons from Ruairi, but that story fizzled out.
Didn't like Helen boasting about her expensive treat for the boys (when she said "to celebrate...." I was thinking for a second she might be giving poor Tracey a bonus - some hope!)

My Dad taught me to drive and I just had formal lessons at the end to teach me the test routes etc. But we spent a lot of time driving up and down a quiet country track while I learned clutch control, appropriate speed, braking and so on. He would turn the car around at each end and I drove in a straight line again. I don’t understand why learning to drive in Ambridge involves driving around busy roads when surely there must be lanes or farm tracks or car parks where Brad could learn the basics. Every teenager who has learned to drive in recent memory has been terrible at it and close to killing someone - it’s lazy ‘comedy’ imo.

Didn't like Helen boasting about her expensive treat for the boys

I don't think Tracey liked it. Particularly when Helen said she'd paid for fast passes which tripled the cost of the tickets. And Tracey seemed most put out when Helen said Brad should pay for a new gate.

Helen is oblivious as usual.

re the funeral. I think they all have their terminology crossed. (If I have been paying attention which I may not have been).
Anna thought non-religious => pagan. But I suspect she wants something more like Humanist, or simply non religious.
Kate hears Pagan and goes all in (as usual).
I'm sure it will get sorted.

In my experience rural young people obsess about starting to drive from the age of 16 at latest, and if their family owns or has access to any land they take their first lessons on farm tracks or in fields so they get the basics very early.

Yes, I have never heard Carol talk about pagan deities, just about the balance of nature and that kind of thing. A humanist service with various readings would be more appropriate.

Thanks for the new thread and good luck with the house, Gasp0de.

I have a hazy recollection that this weeks’ SW, Keri Davies, is a celebrant.