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Life in Ambridge
AGAIN....

Comments

  1. It wasn't me! Well, it WAS actually... I got horribly, horribly confused for a moment and accidentally erased the new blog. I apologise to all who had posted on it this morning. I am chastened and bowed...

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  2. Och, dinna fash yersel', hen - as Jazza might say.

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  3. All I can remember from the blog I deleted is that I was wholeheartedly agreeing with Esscee that nearly all of the 20 & 30 somethings in Ambridge were almost entirely incapable of standing on their own two feet - be it childcare, housing or employment.

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  4. What? No even remembering what I said about Aunt Laura living at Ambridge Hall? I was hoping that someone would share my memories, but no luck so far.

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    1. I mentioned Aunt Laura fairly recently and she was not as well remembered as I would have expected, could be that some younger bloggers too young to recall 😂

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    2. I think I also either mentioned Aunt Laura recently, or commented on someone else mentioning her.
      It must be something like thirty years or even longer since Aunt Laura died, so I imagine a number of those on this site would not remember her.

      Had she gone by the time Linda came to Ambridge ?

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    3. Aunt Laura died in 1985. She went in a quite forlorn way apparently. She fell into a ditch and stayed there overnight, was found but died a week later of heart failure whilst being treated for pneumonia.
      Lynda and Robert Snell came to live in Aunt Laura's old house after it was left to a relative in New Zealand, who sold it to the Snells. Poor old Freddy Danby, Aunt Laura's lodger was out in the cold and went to live with a friend in Bristol (according to mold records!)

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    4. I have added Aunt Laura to my list of fatal accidents in TA ( it was my fervent hope to add Matt Crawford to the list - I may yet do so!). My Archers book, published in 1986, says Colonel Danby looked after her in the “weeks before she died in February 1985”. I don’t quite understand that.

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    5. Wiki said she died after a week in hospital and died while Freddy Danby was reading 'Moby Dick' to her! She might have been ill proir to falling in the ditch I suppose so Col D was looking after her then and she could have been 'wobbly' on her legs?

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    6. It doesn’t hang together, does it? Even if the weeks in my book should be week..... and if the Colonel was looking after her so well,, how could she fall into a ditch and lie there all night without him noticing? I give up!

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  5. Replies
    1. I do recall that Sir Ron! And someone also mentioned a shepherd's hut. There was also talk of llamas and something about we were all to be given a million pounds each & the elixir of life if we clicked on some sort of link. Oh well...

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    2. That was me Gary - noticing that there were no llamas or a shetpherd hut in the picture of Ambridge Hall above. But of course these lovely little paintings were done before their arrival.

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    3. Ah.... memory returning, yes I had answered that these sentimental pictures were issued long before, decades before, the Llamas and the Shepherds Hut arrived.

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  6. There was also some discussion on whether Will is putting his job on the line by prioritising Poppy, and the impact on the Grundy housing situation.

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    1. I'm so glad people like your good self KP have a better short term memory than I do!

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  7. Listening today to last nights episode I can see how paranoid Will might be about Poppy, considering his experience with Nik. Understable !
    Long term friendship shown in Susan immediately telling Clarrie that she should leave and let her clear up. Short term anger and humiliation might linger a little longer.

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  8. I remember Lynda + Robert arriving in Ambridge, but nothing about Aunt Laura + Freddy Danby. This ties in with when I became addicted to TA.
    Who was she related to?

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  9. Aunt Laura was Dan Archer's sister and, of course, sister-in-law to Doris. She had spent most of her life in Australia but arrived in Ambridge to spend her twilight years. Although she was definitely not an unassuming little old lady. Quite the opposite - a strident Aussie with a typically direct manner. I had forgotten about Freddy Danby.

    To give ourselves a break from the Hollyoaks-like tribulations of the current cast, how about a reminiscence of bygone characters? Some of us will be familiar with John Tregorran, but how about Dan's shepherd, Len Thomas? Wasn't there some sort of scandal surrounding him in the end? And more recently, who was the editor of The Borchester Echo and with whom Shula shared an evening of nooky under the stars?

    BTW, I don't watch Hollyoaks (honest!); my daughter-in-law insists on telling me all about it.

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    1. May I disagree please Sir Ron? Laura was married to Dan's brother and actually not related to the Brookfield Archers.
      She was *very* strident and didn't mince her words at all did she?
      Freddy Danby ( played at the end by lovely Ballard Berkley who went on to play the Col (?) in Fawlty Towers) wanted to marry Laura and I remember there was some concern about him when he hadn't been remembered at all in Laura's Will.
      I can remember Ned Larkin (Clarrie's grandfather) who called Phil Archer 'Master Phil' even after he had taken over the farm after Dan retired, much to Phil's annoyance I remember!

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    2. I loved Ned Larkin.
      My favourite Archer character ever, followed by Neil Carter.

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    3. I remember Clarrie’s father was called Jethro and used to engage in combat with Joe! Vaguely remember A Laura and Freddy and that they were a funny old pair. Will never forget Walter Gabriel and Nelson who was so posh!

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    4. I have a vague memory of Aunt Laura with an Aussie accent. Walter Gabriel's voice was unforgettable and Nelson was a real smoothie, upper class and suave.

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    5. Aunt Laura was from New Zealand, to where Dan's younger brother Frank had emigrated between the Wars.

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    6. My overriding memory of Aunt Laura is that I didn’t like her! I remember her being loud, rude and bossy and she rubbed a lot of the Archer family up the wrong way - especially poor Doris. She was always telling Dan and others what they should be doing on their farms and trying to interfere. She did mellow a bit, especially with Col. Danby, but I’m afraid I didn’t miss her when she’d gone. Sorry, Laura lovers, she just wasn’t my cup of tea!

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  10. There were eight people tonight talking at cross-purpose: mysterious Peggy turning up at Brookfield, Ruth going round in circles instead of coming out with the good news, a scrounger turned samaritan Kate, Tracy with her good but premature intentions.

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  11. Kate is so up herself, it is comical. She & Jakob make great sparring partners - good move, Alice & Chris, deus ex machina via the Cartland route.
    Poor, poor Emma. Do hope there's a happy ending for her & Ed.

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  12. Just caught up on 10 episodes so now I shall do one of my little lists...

    Kate & Yakob - It's so close to amateurish farce that all that is missing are some French windows and a vicar with his trousers round his ankles.
    Jazzer - Time to move on out of Ambridge big man. You can't take those kind of decisions out of anyone's hands, never mind your landlord's.
    Will - Is he going to turn into a cross between a paranoid Howard Hughes germaphobe and a crazed "Helicopter Father"? Fingers crossed!
    Tracy - Err, a tad too soon to be having a "celebrating singledom" party for a deeply upset homeless woman with young kids and a relationship that ended about a week and a half ago? Thoughtless fool.

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    1. On the face of it tactless & insensitive in the extreme, but it caused Emma to realize she does love Ed, that in the excitement to have her own home, that somehow got forgotten. Could be a wake up call ?
      She had another yesterday, when she confided to Tracey how ashamed she was of asking all & sundry for money.

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    2. I really like your summing-up Gary but I don't want Jazzer to move out as I actually like him, although he's very wrong in what he's done. Also Tracy meant well but she was thoughtless - too soon.
      Agree with Carolyn that Emma's realized she does love Ed.

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  13. I find it very difficult to get interested in Kate and Jakob. I have never had any time for selfish Kate, and Jakob is still
    a bit of a nonentity to me so far.
    Let them play their game of ping-pong away from the microphone!

    It’s so long since we have heard from David I just didn’t recognise his voice at first. It sounded quite different and I wondered to whom Ruth was speaking; and why was Peggy being so mysterious about why she wanted to see Pip, something we don’t know about yet? Or was that exchange with R &D just a red herring?

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  14. Does everyone know that there are literally hundreds of clips from the Archers archives on BBC iPlayer radio? They stretch all the way back to the 50's and cover just about every major event that's ever happened, sometimes even condensing complete storylines into 10 minutes or less. You could lose yourself there for hours! They even have clips of Walter Gabriel...😉

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    1. That sounds like an excellent way of avoiding getting on with all those exciting daily tasks which clamour for attention. I have assorted audio tapes and CDs that the BBC have released over the years. The problem now is trying to find a cassette player and even my car no longer plays CDs, I have to transfer those onto a memory stick if I want to listen to those in the car.

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    2. You tube has some clips too, plus interviews- and I agree that hours can disappear so quickly! (Of course the plan is always to just watch one or two 😂)

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  15. Last nights episode started with the Wooden Tops. Morphed into a very poorly written (even by their standards) Mills and Boon, trying to be Darcy and Bennett! Then a Dum de Dum rendition of three female local yokels getting 😵 drunk. It all ended in tears. Predictable.

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  16. Well it didn't take long for Jakob's character to be completely changed did it? Even on the character page on TA website it says "Known by his colleagues as 'Mr Belt-and-Braces', Jakob leaves nothing to chance, " and he is 'reserved' and is 'a man of few words.'
    So we are expected to believe he would go on a 'blind date',' leave his computer behind, has suddenly has developed social skills and can now 'do' small talk? 😣

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  17. Ps. Tracy can invite me to a ‘girls night in’ anytime. Leave Emma out for the time being and we could have great fun, especially if Clarrie and Kate were invited. 🍸🍹🥜

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  18. I didn't recognize Deevid either, it must be turning sixty and Dr Feelgood (just listened - didn't feel good to me).

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    1. Oh good, Basia, I’m glad someone else thought David sounded odd. Not at like his old self. After a few sentences he seemed to revert to his normal speech pattern

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  19. After many attempts, I have managed to get onto this blog and able to comment. I have been reading the comments for a long time and longing to get involved.

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    1. Peggy Kay. Welcome to the community. 👍

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    2. Hello Peggy Kay! And congratulations on your dogged determination...☺

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    3. Welcome from me too Peggy Kay 🙋🏼‍♀️
      Did you used to contribute to the old BBC blogs before they were taken off, if so, you probably recognise some of the names here. We are a very friendly bunch, I hope you’ll find.

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    4. 👏🏻 a new blogger - welcome Peggy Kay ⭐️

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  20. Hello Peggy Kay. Nice to meet you.

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    1. Welcome from me too Peggy Kay.
      Hope you enjoy your time with us.
      Are you in the U.K. ?
      You have probably read that we have many reading but not contributing from outside of the UK.

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  21. I was thinking about Josh and his proposal. Were we ever informed he had submitted one and why was he not included in the Brookfield one? David, Ruth and Pip. Mumsy, Dadsy and special daughter Pipsy, all cosy in the Borrowgrove.
    Are Ben and Josh from a different planet?

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    1. Josh, some eco friendly machinery ? The favouritism IS sickening. If the 2 boys have children, they clearly won't get the lavish attention Rosie gets.Mind you, if their wives/partners suss out the set up, I imagine they'll happily keep a distance...
      Nor will the future children have an adoring Uncle Rex. I reckon Toby is keeping him close & attentive, leaving him clear to do a bunk when he feels like a return to the seedy attractions of Brighton !

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  22. I was appalled last night, when Kate said she was the carer for her elderly grandmother.
    How dare she suggest Peggy needed this, and Kate provided it.
    I found it a step too far and Kate will be found out by Jakob.

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    1. Yes, that's Kate all over ! She was homeless & her gran put her up. She was supposed to do some housework, but that consisted of leaving food s eats on the carpet for Emma to scrub off ( giving vegan cuisine a bad name - not fair !) I think she occasionally ferries Peggy to various places, like the supermarket, but that's about it.
      Neverthe less, it was quite a funny scene...

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    2. I was appalled along with you Miriam. How dare she.
      Caring is a worthwhile but difficult job. It also needs a great deal of patience.
      Kate is neither caring or patient, and baulks at anything difficult.
      If Peggy hears that Kate has described herself in this way, Kate will be hearing the edge of Peggy's voice with bells on.

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  23. I wonder if I am alone, in saying this?
    The death of Joe needs to come sooner rather than later. It is well known Edward Kelsey passed away in April and it is now August.
    Joe's sad demise needs to happen soon. This will impact + reflect on the future lives and abodes, for all The Grundy Family,
    I am just giving my own thoughts.

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    1. Storylines are planned six months before broadcast. Then scripts are written and episodes are recorded at least four weeks before broadcasting date.
      I would think we'll be hearing news within the next month.

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  24. Is Jazzer a simpleton? Jim told him he felt betrayed by him, so he tried another tack and the sanctimonious Shula told him to lean on friends just like the bishop (?) told her to lean on people. And the spiteful Susan, just to get at Clarrie, was she going to report Ed to the police? The truth will out without her interference, it always does, in Ambridge.

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    1. Is it possible that Jazzer's continued obsession with getting justice for Jim might have something to do with something in his own life! Just a thought.🤔

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    2. Basia Jazzer has problems due to the ketamine he obtained from Alistairs surgery, taking an overdose, ending up fighting for his life, in hospital. This left him with some slight brain damage.
      Should Jazzer be called a "simpleton" or not - he does at least, care, help and do his best, for those he loves, in return for their support + help.

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    3. Now that’s a point ,BB,it never crossed my mind until you mentioned it.I just wish he’d give it a rest.
      Harold Jayson obviously must not have remembered what he has done or he would not have gone to Jim’s party.

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    4. Jazzer does have a job which he enjoys + gives his all, be it now 🐟

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    5. It has been suggested on fb for some time that Jazzer's obsession might be due to something that has happened to him and which was never resolved.

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    6. I certainly don't think Jazzer is 'brain damaged.' How? In what manner does he exhibit this?
      He has always struck me as just a hot-headed 'fiery' Scotsman from a tough background.

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    7. I agree. He's impetuous, & heart always wins over head, very little emotional control.

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  25. Well done Neal! About b***** time! Ghastly woman. 😕 (Apologies if this post comes up again. First one seemed to disappear!)

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  26. I agree ,BB
    It’s all about Susan.
    She wouldn’t have been so annoyed had Emma confided in her rather than in Tracy

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  27. What a well written ( & performed) episode. I was impressed.
    For once, but in timely fashion, Neil didn't pull any punches with Susan whatsoever. With you on that, BB. It is rare, possibly unique, & it could just jolt Susan into a little self awareness.
    As for Shula, the usual dithery thing with her interviewer, yet he was wise & she clearly took his words on board. She was certainly not dithery with Jazzer but helped him unwind. Basia, I liked the fact that she advised Jazzer the same way she was advised - to lean on friends.instinct ( maybe even 'calling'!) g
    uided her. In fact, I reckon we are meant to think the priesthood really is for her. Note that she also put Jazzer first, perhaps jeopardising her own important meeting.
    Interesting thought, BB ( re Jazzer's past), I imagine he had a rough childhood in some ways, but not necessarily sexusl abuse. He's fond of Jim, respects him, & hates to see him broken.

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    1. I'm glad that he told Shula to get out of her comfort zone and try her luck outside Ambridge.

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  28. Wow ... Neil!
    That's telling her 🤤

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  29. I've only just listened and have NOT read any other comments yet.......

    Well Neil Carter, it's taken you many decades to get to this point and to speak the truth that you have always known to your spiteful wife.
    Well done that man !

    I am open mouthed in shock.

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    1. I thought well said, Neil! His acting was superb and a far cry from the calm and placid Neil we know so well! Susan was over the top and almost hysterical so short of slapping her face his words must surely bring her to her senses.

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  30. As for Jazzer, I seem to remember that after the Ketamine incident it was confirmed, after a brain scan perhaps? That he had some mild damage to his cognitive ability.
    Or perhaps some degree of damage to his emotional area of brain.
    However I think this business with his obsession with HJ is more likely to be a trigger to some unresolved event in his own past.

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  31. Oh, well done Neil!

    I have been thinking for ages that Jazzer may have his own demons to deal with.

    Also have this horrible fear that Shula will decide to go "help" the great unwashed in the fabled "inner cities" and will return occasionally to remind us ALL what life is "really like" for a lot of "really poor people". I hope I'm wrong and she just goes and does some charity work in a foreign country and we don't hear from her for quite a while...

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  32. Wow, I couldn't believe Neil. Well acted and about time he told Susan what's what.
    Jazzer may have some nasty memories from his past but I tend to think he's just a very sympathetic soul and hates what was done to his mate as a defenceless child.

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  33. I was only able to listen to last night’s ep. early this morning and have not had time to read what anyone else has said, but.....
    Brilliant, brilliant brilliant!
    As many here will know, I have never been able to stand Susan Carter and her gossipy, interfering ways so I was absolutely delighted to hear Neil laying it on the line at long last.
    It was high time somebody challenged her and brought her to her senses and the fact that it was actually her long suffering, mild mannered husband should have had maximum impact.

    As for the rest, thank goodness Shula was able to defuse Jazzer slightly, I thought she was very understanding with him
    But as for the interview about her ordination, I didn’t really understand what she was trying to say, not being a Christian religion person myself, but it sounded as if her interviewer had doubts about her reasons and suitability. Perhaps it will make her think again.

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  34. Jazzer learnt what an ordination is. If he has an 'issue' to resolve no doubt 'the Prof' will be most sympathetic.

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  35. By the way, TA featured in Feedback on R4 yesterday, with quite a bit of discussion on the Ed/Emma story with a member Archers Academics. Worth a listen, if you missed it.

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    1. Beat me to it Archerphile! The interviewee was not at all happy about the Shula SL that’s for sure. I’m thinking that the going away to another church line last night maybe a way for Judy Bennett to ease off her part 🤔 for a while.

      Not much hope of any brightness in next weeks episodes according to The Daily Mail write up, added to which a question is asked as to why we have not heard anything of Home Farm since “Jennifer’s lovely kitchen was ripped out”which poses another is HF being used as the headquarters of Mr Big 🤔

      NEIL last night 👏🏻🤗👏🏻🤗 I felt like pumping the air in triumph at last the worm has turned! Susan’s anger is because Emma will not confide in her (and not at Clarrie,) which is why she said to Clarrie only a day or so ago to go straight to the hospital don’t worry about here I’ll clear up and she will be at her side again very soon to comfort her over the loss ofJoe. In fact that is what will reunite them all imo.

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    2. Of course! It’s been staring us in the face - Gibb is Big backwards!

      Seriously (if one can take TA seriously these days). my current candidate for Mr Big is Matt Crawford.

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  36. Well done Neil! I have waited many a long while to hear Susan told the truth about herself.
    What a pity that still no one has told her the part that Emma played in continuing the illegal behaviour or of the unbearable nagging she subjected her husband to.

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    1. It will come out though Pierre les Corbeaux - in time.

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  37. Jazzer is an emotional child and his defence mechanisms may to some extent be limited by his overdose of Ketamine or his childhood experiences.
    My interpretation of the historic abuse is that Jazzer has introjected and identified with Jim’s experiences so strongly that he cannot separate himself from the others mans projected emotions. Jim sitting looking vacant etc.
    Jim is, in Jazzer’s world, an authoritative figure so any strong emotions expressed will have been internalised as if he has experienced them himself.
    The negative effect for Jazzer is his inability to reconcile how to resolve Jim’s projected turmoil of his past experiences.
    I suspect Jim is turning over exactly the same dilemma. How to deal with the years of denial, and now the ignition of the past and how to get on with life.
    I guess, Jazzer in his childish defence of Jim has possibly allowed a healing process or maybe the opposite if the police become involved.
    At least Shula was sensible in her handling of Jazzer’s anger.

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  38. I had not thought of Jazzers reaction to Jim as awakening past problems of his own (and possibly of a similar nature) but it is certainly feasible! He actually broke down last night when talking with Shula another possible indicator🤔 Well done to those that spotted the possibility - will now await with interest.......

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  39. I think it'll be interesting to see how Jim and Harrison will interact when they meet next, whether H will give and indication that he's guessed what's going on and will Jim just ignore him.

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    1. Harrison may have deduced this already, but his hands are tied because the victim has not made a complaint.
      Harrison bumps into Jim and is about to confront him about the bunting. Jim has just recognised his abuser and is in no mood for responding to Harrison’s confrontation. So he was rude in response
      Jim’s reaction at the party is to flee from the abuser and go into temporary self exile by avoiding all contact with the village and his commitments.
      Many villagers would have attended the party and witnessed his departure. A party without the main man?
      Jazzer arranges a meeting with Sargent Harrison to request his advice and cooperation in bringing a ‘dangerous’ man to Justice. He becomes quite upset when the police won’t investigate.
      When individuals try to talk to Jim, eg Susan, Lynda and others he is rude in response but later apologises.
      Jazzer then tells Jim he has spoken to S. Burns, and this sends Jim into emotional turmoil, again.
      And so Jazzer goes to Shula.
      I have therefore deduced that Harrison Burns would have to be totally oblivious to Jim’s behaviour not to realise who Jazzer was referring to, especially as he made it clear that the abuse took place seventy years ago.
      I know there are lot of elderly people in Ambridge , but Harrison cant be blind to the fact that Jazzer is Jim’s lodger.
      I think I shall apply to join the CID.

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    2. Apologies if I have bored everyone rigid. 🤦‍♀️😴

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    3. Not at all. I can't believe that Harrison hasn't realised, but he can't act. Hopefully, Jazzer will now see it is impossible/not helpful to take this any further & Kim will be weather this latest setback.

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    4. I thought that Jim just wants to forget about it all, and carry on as normal. Perhaps I have missed something.

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  40. I think that Jazzer is just doing want he thinks best for Jim, at this time, and nothing more.
    They are great together:- the bunting reappearing, Jim accepting the "spider", Jim helping Jazzer with Tom + the remuneration. I don't think Jazzer has a similar past, but is just a caring person, unlike Kate with Peggy!

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    1. Jim also seems to enjoy Jazzer's company, as much as Alistair's. He also compromised with the piano, reverting to a keyboard so as not to disturb Jazzer. They share cooking + meals and live companionably, side-by-side.
      I don't want this to become a problem, so Jazzer has to seek new "digs".

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    2. Does Roy have a spare room? Or perhaps Hannah has already taken it!

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    3. If Jazzer wanted what was best for Jim, he would have done what Jim wanted. Instead, Jazzer did what Jazzer wanted. (With friends like Jazzer.......)

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  41. Now to Shula and her need to be a vicar??
    So Shula, tell me why god is calling YOU.?

    He/She! By the way god is gender fluid, is speaking to me, some times in various tongues, telling me I have the vocation to heal and spread the word of peace and harmony.
    I have been to the top of Leky?Hill and practised making a sermon, but nobody came to eat the loaves and fishes, so I gave them to the hounds.
    Hounds?
    I have provided counsel to those in my community who are distressed, and agonise daily for those less fortunate than myself.
    I can be seen tending the graves in the church cemetery. I volunteered to keep the graves neat and tidy as penance for my wrong doings.
    I am frequently trotting around the parish on my horse listening to the voices in my head.....

    ✋ STOP. Thank you Shula, maybe a consultation with a psychiatrist might better guide you to best understand your needs.

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    1. Absolutely stasia! It's always been a source of wonder to me that more religious people aren't referred to a psychiatrist.
      I really do hope that we aren't going to hear Shula's "journey" to ordination - accidentally occasionally having to listen to "Thought for the Day" is bad enough as it is...

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    2. Can't deny Shula is a pain, Stasia, nor that she hasn't done any of the rather needy/pointless things you describe but I reckon she is in the process of 'pulling herself together' ( better late than never!) & really has found where she wants to direct the rest of her life.
      The way she's been with Alistair, & Jim, recently, but especially with Jazzer the other day, show that she can be sensitive, capable of insight, & certainly doesn't need therapy or whatever. Gone is the dithering indecisiveness, & self absorption.
      It's almost bearable to listen to her now ! Turning to the church may not sit well with many of us, but it has been the rock in her life so I suppose it's a natural, if belated, move for her to make.

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    3. I welcome the fact that TA is prepared to talk about religion in terms of personal faith as well as church-going village events - one of the very few things for which I respect the current editor. A far cry from EastEnders, I imagine.

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    4. ✓ convincing & interesting. Ties in with making a better fist at the Shula character, without demanding ludicrous suspension of disbelief. To me, the way she is behaving now does make sense

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    5. I'm afraid I will have to respectfully disagree! I feel strongly that if people want to explore matters of belief then they should keep it within the confines of a church, chapel, synagogue or mosque. (Or indeed a university - I've mentioned before that I started a degree in theology). I have absolutely zero interest in "learning" about anyone's personal faith and get rather irate when religious matters are given airtime in any way, shape or form on a broadcaster that I pay for. Here endeth the sermon....

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    6. To me it's Shula and her mid-life crisis. If her calling was so strong why did she walk out of her marriage instead of turning it around, only then becoming her husband's friend, as if she couldn't do it from within. Then karate and various art ventures before she found her real vocation which she then dismissed as another failed project only to pick up later.

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    7. And another thing, when Shula took Darren in Alistair pointed out that she nearly drove her son out, though Alistair looked after Darren too. Now she had to be free of her husband in order to find herself.

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    8. Maryellen - in answer to your ref. to Eastenders - there used to be a C of E character, Dot Cotton, who had a deep faith but she has been dropped I think. Now there is more talk of the Muslim faith with Eid being featured. Sign of the times I suppose.

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  42. carolyn. Thank you I do enjoy your comments.
    Shula only gets involved with issues when she needs to be needed.
    Like Gary I also respectfully disagree. When her sister had a breakdown she wasn’t there to support her, and it was Alister her son turned to when his relationship ended. I have forgotten why her ex is living with his father and she continues to live in the marital home. In most divorce cases a property is sold and individuals move on.
    Unfortunately the character is written in a rather sanctimonious style, and the lines are delivered in a pity me, an unfortunate person seeking redemption, manner.
    The actor is to be admired for playing a character who sets my teeth 🦷 on edge.

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    1. I thought Alistair decided that it was the best solution, as Shula re-mortgaged it, to pay off Alistair's gambling debts.
      I am totally not sure, I am just dredging the debts of my memory banks.
      I am sure some-one will be able to let us know.

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  43. I have no problem with Shula thinking she is suitable for ordination and doing what she feels is right for her.
    What I am objecting to, is just how so very often, she is being heard every week, talking about it.
    This, to me, means only one thing - Shula will soon be disapperaing from Ambridge, on extended leave from TA, leaving Freddie to take over, with Alistair moving back into The Stables.
    This way Jazzer + Jim will, hopefully, resolve their differences and become "The Odd Couple" again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OOP'S. I used the phrase "no problem"! 😣

      Delete
  44. GG 11.17 a.m.

    Thought for the Day.
    I am usually asleep when this is aired, but imagine my amazement once when 'accidently' listening to it, to hear my sister mentioned, due to a medical event she was involved in.
    I had not seen/heard of her for many years.
    What a shock.
    I literally sat up in bed and doubted my sanity.
    It was an awful start to my day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do I remember correctly, that she stayed with you, and all didn't go well and also that she is a church member of sorts?? Sorry, if I got that wrong.
      What a shock it must have been for you.
      I hope your day has then improved, to suit you. Miriam 😀

      Delete
    2. Mistral, no wonder you freaked out - that sounds like something out of a nightmare...!

      Delete
    3. Miriam, I think it was Cowgirl that had a cousin to stay?
      I wouldn't have my sister here at any price.
      This happened 12 years ago, but I still remember the sheer disbelief of hearing my sister praised on R4 in the religious slot.

      Delete
  45. Why couldn't Ed just give the money to Emma? Why the subterfuge and more lies? Why would Will agree to do something as bizarre as pretend to buy furniture from his ex-girlfriend? Who does things like that? Nobody, that's who!

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'm glad the coffee table is safe, people sometimes buy stuff back for friends who are hard up. Ed didn't give the money to Emma because he thought she'd refuse. I reckon there's a good chance they'll get back together.
    Gary, Will said he'd store it for her (at Ed's suggestion), that's exactly what I thought would happen, if not he than someone else, to me it was obvious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If Ed doesn't SHOW that he is giving money to support his kids, then all that does is fuel Emma's (and Susan's!) ire. And if Emma refused to accept it then she would be a complete and utter imbecile and not suitable for properly looking after children.

      Why couldn't Will have just offered to store the table? It's the laboured pretence of it all that sometimes annoys me about the Archers. So many times people are making life far more difficult by tying themselves in knots telling little white lie after little white lie or not saying what they actually mean. I know the drama is created by having characters NOT do what the majority of us would do, but the unrelenting emotional immaturity of many of them bugs me greatly!

      Delete
  47. Having watched the Test Match to its conclusion I have only just caught up with this evening’s episode.
    Two things struck me.
    1) How come Ed didn’t have an address for Tim?
    Tim seems to have vanished.
    Surely before Oliver employed him he would have known where Tim lived and not just employed someone who knocked on his door asking for work.
    2).Why did Will take Ed’s money?
    Had he wanted to help out he should have did what he did ,paid for it himself and then told her that she could buy it back when she wanted to.
    Now Emma thinks that he is Mr Bountiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but it wouldn't have occurred to Will to do what Ed did and it doesn't mean that Ed doesn't provide financial support. I am obviously very simple minded but that's exactly how I'd have written it. I repeat, to me the main thing is that Emma's coveted coffee table is safe!

      Delete
    2. I take so long to type a post or get distracted part way through doing it or try to change the wording ,that I often find that someone has made the same point as I was trying to make whilst I was still faffing about.
      As you did Gary.
      I don’t agree with you Basia I am afraid.
      The main point is nothing to do with the wretched coffee table but is that now Emma thinks that it is Will who is the thoughtful one ,not Ed.
      Obviously Emma and Ed will get back together .

      Delete
    3. Two main points IMO LanJan
      The coffee table is emblematic to Emma, not wretched at all, so it is not irrelevant, and yes I agree it would appear to Emma that Will was being thoughtful.
      However the plot device requires that at some point in the future Will will tell Emma that the money and the idea was Eds.
      or she will find out in some other way, such as Clarrie telling her perhaps.

      Delete
    4. Exactly MrsP, perhaps Emma & Ed will get back together over the coffee table.

      Delete
  48. If Emma didn't measure her happiness by the amount of material things she owned then possibly she wouldn't have had to have the yard sale.

    Maybe in 70 years time someone will discover that damn coffee table in a dusty attic a la Rosebud and there then will be a trip through the archives chronicling Emma's journey from chicken de-beaker to land owning nobility......☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally agree with your first para GG.
      And there lies the moral tale.

      Delete
    2. How long has the term 'yard sale' been in use? Do people not have car boot sales any more?

      Delete
  49. I found this "yard" sale cringeworthy. To me it seemed like Emma was begging again; this time begging other residents of Ambridge, to buy her unwanted goods.
    I assume that as she was selling these goods, she bought them, as she didn't seem to talk to Ed about the sale.
    I doubt she recouped the original costs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shula really did get a bargain with presumably two Brandy glasses for £5 and knowing Emma they would be expensive ones! I suppose that every time Emma looked at these things she was reminded about her loss. Suppose Susan heeded Neil and didn’t shop Ed but Neil is in the doghouse having to get his own Sunday lunch! I liked Shula’s comment that Susan couldn’t very well criticise others for gossip and followed by the glasshouses quote! Exactly my thoughts!

      Delete
    2. I think it is a pity that Will’s daughter is called Poppy.
      It is a pretty name but her father refers to her as Parpy which doesn’t sound anything like as nice.

      Delete
    3. Lanjan, that's hysterical! It's so true!! I can't stop saying "Parpy" now...😁

      Delete
  50. I thought it rather odd that Emma was having a sale of all the stuff she’d Bought for the new house.
    Surely some of it could have been returned to the shops for a refund?
    Had she not kept any receipts; had every item been opened and the packaging thrown away; had she been using the brandy glasses etc already?
    Or was this yet another rather clumsy plot device to wring sympathy from other characters - and us?
    Perhaps this is another example of what Gary was talking about yesterday - making a big deal out of something that could have been handled so much more simply.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emma or someone said it was stuff she couldn’t get a refund on.

      Delete
  51. Oh, forgot to say, I *loved* Shula telling Susan off with the ‘those in glasshouses’ quote.
    I wondered if it would go over Susan’s head, but she did apologise later.
    Perhaps the message is starting to hit home?

    ReplyDelete
  52. Didn’t Emma get the coffee table from Fallon?
    Wasn’t it one of those “up-cycled “ items ?
    I saw a programme on TV where a woman goes to the Council “ tips ”,picks up a few bits of unwanted, broken furniture and then pays someone to “up cycle” them into items that no sane person would have in his or her home but manages to get a large amount of money for what is essentially junk.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lanjan. Your wit has made me giggle. A good way to start the day after listening to another episode of disaster and misery in Ambridge.

      Delete
    2. I know the programme Lan Jan and watched it a couple of times thinking it might be interesting. What starts out as a rusty old filing cabinet ends up as a hideous shelving unit that someone, somewhere, pays a couple of hundred pounds just showing that some people have more money than sense! (The Repair Shop is much better programme!)
      I suppose Emma was too embarrassed to take the coffee table back to Fallon after her spiteful comments about Fallon and Harrison. In reality I would have thought she could have taken back most stuff. Most shops/businesses have a 28 day returns policy. If the purchases were older what was she doing buying new stuff when she was saving like billy-o?
      Her and Ed must have had some furniture of their own surely. Have they never had their own place?

      Delete
  53. Shula does seem to be morphing into someone of account, &, at the same time, it's being handled quite convincingly ( I think, anyway)
    Would she have been so incisive with Susan, & so effective, in the past ? No, a prissy, shocked reaction, off loading to Kenton &/or Alistair, who'd make the expected sympathetic noises.
    Now she's found a purpose, she's changing for the better.
    She was also effective with Jazzer, who seems to have come to his senses - thought he was spot on about Ed/Emma. They are both suffering much pain, but they'll make up eventually.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Emma liked the smell of new carpets (?!)
    Emma bought brandy glasses for posh guests.
    Emma is grateful to Will that her coffee table is safe, this is what she's supposed to think.
    Emma & Ed = IT

    ReplyDelete
  55. I have just had a thought.
    Has ’Parpy’ had all her vaccinations MRR, WC?
    I fear the next big issue in TA could be child immunisation. GB has now lost its UN status of being measles free.
    Does Will believe all the fake news about autism to be true?
    If he keeps taking her to A&E he could be seen as being over protective, and that could bring in the heavy guns.
    The dreaded social workers!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's done well before school age and would be in her records if she goes to A&E.

      Delete
  56. Stasia ,I think I have not spelt the little Grundy girl’s name correctly.
    It is actually spelt
    Paarpy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Poor little Poppy has long been Paarpy on one of the FB sites, along with many other derogatory nicknames for characters. Like ‘the dopeys’ for the Brookfield clan,
      ‘No-casha’ for Natasha and many others. I do not approve!

      Delete
    2. Thank your the correction Lanjan, I giggled again.
      She shall forever and a day be called Paarpy just as Will pronounces it.
      Archerphile, I don’t do FB so have no idea what they call Ambridge residents, and many non English listeners might just write the name as they hear it. My mother who had no formal education in written English did exactly that. It would sometimes make us laugh!

      Delete
    3. I don’ t do Facebook ,Archerphile.
      I know nothing about it except that some young people are apparently targeted by other Facebook users.
      I have never understood why people have “friends “who apparently can be blocked .
      If one has a friend,why not just text or email him or her?
      One excellent Archers blog is enough for me.

      Delete
    4. I only have three Facebook friends and they are all immediate family members. I really only joined so that we could share photographs of our gardens, holidays etc.
      Then I discovered several pages devoted to The Archers. One or two are full of bad language and extreme views and are not to my taste at all.
      The two I have joined (as a private member) are very much like our blogs here and ban swearing, personal comments or subjects other than TA. Because they have quite large memberships they are a useful way of judging listeners opinions on the programme.

      The nicknames I dislike are the derogatory ones, ridiculing a character, not the affectionate ones like Parpy. I understand those unkind nicknames are left over from a site called Mustardland from some years ago where it was thought OK to be quite cutting.

      Delete
  57. It seems that a great deal hangs over Joe's death now, Clarrie and Susan, Emma and Ed...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree Basia. Emma may be very materialistically ambitious, but she is also kind and caring. Looking after Poppy, sensitive with Mia when she had her first period. Also along with Carrie washing, cleaning and picking up after Joe and his ferrets. I would give her and Clarrie a🥇 for their commitment to the Grundy clan.

      Delete
    2. Perhaps Joe will ‘do a Kathy’ and be with us till he is a hundred.

      Delete
    3. Agree also Basia - Joe's sad demise, might just change things, but I have no idea what this might be
      I do wish, though, that this might be not too far away. Joe needs to be put "to rest" quietly and simply, uniting the Grundys again, as a close knit family, facing whatever happens, together.
      Do dreams come true?

      Delete
  58. I would so like Tim to be brought to justice, but again, he has dissapeared into the TA ether.
    I am dissapointed to think that this will not happen, but Ed + Eddie, will probably end up, taking the bulk of the blame + face the consequences.

    ReplyDelete
  59. It has just occurred to me regarding Emma’s Garage Sale (I refuse to call it yard) wasn’t she persuaded by Hannah to use her credit card to purchase items for the house? Should she gone down that route then how is she going to manage the repayments.

    Gary. Have you developed a new face?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was Natasha who told Emma about credit cards, but not sure.
      PS Where is Hannah + where is she now living? I would prefer to hear more about her than Shula. That's only my simple thought.

      Delete
  60. That must have been why Peggy wanted to see Pip, is it possible to be involved in two bids?
    It must be difficult to get a GP appointment for people in Ambridge, where is Richard Locke? It is called Accident & Emergency not a doctor's surgery.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Query??
    Will laid off his 2nd in command. Now he won't work until Poppy is recovered, regardless of offered help.
    Who is now looking after the birds, and running The Shoot - and will Martin Gibson take action, to the detriment of Will + his cottage, affecting another Grundy livelihood.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I loathed tonights episode? All those upward inflections in the scenes with Phoebe & Pip really annoyed me? And yet more shoddily constructed drama for sake of it? Give it a rest now scriptwriters...?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And Jim doesn't feel at home with the K;;;;s but he'll get his fill of coffee.

      Delete
  63. If it's not to be the drop back in immunisation for the next story line, then it might be the misuse of A&E.
    Or it could combine both, as both being high profile problems in society.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Pheobe is inexorably turning into the squeaky young Ambridge woman with whom we are, yawn, so familiar. Pip & Rex, as usual : former, flakey, latter, ineffectual.
    Did quite enjoy the Lil & Jim scene.
    Will panicking, we know why, but it's tiresome, neverthe less. At least he stuck up for Emma.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was well into the episode before I realised it was Rex! I thought it was Rhuari! As said before they all sound alike!

      Delete
    2. I have just listened again and yes Rex was mentioned but I had not even noticed having zoned out when that particular scene started. I remember Phoebe spouting on about putting in a bid re Peggy’s challenge but I had not noted it was with Rex. All too boring 😴

      Indeed Will insisted that he did not want any second in command as he could do it all himself and wanted to fill every waking moment after losing Nic - now a complete turn around and the way he is going he may well need No 1 “The Green” for hisself if like his brother he also ends up getting the sack!

      Delete
  65. It's unnecessarily tricky with Pip et al but that's what families do sometimes - maybe?
    Will is being OTT as usual. He really is most unpleasant. I don't know where that comes from. Clarrie, Eddie, Edd are, I think, at heart, kindly people?

    ReplyDelete
  66. I find I am disliking Phoebe more and more since she returned from Oxford.
    She doesn’t sound at all like an intelligent graduate who has spent three years at one of our top Universities to me.
    She seems petulant, immature and more like an entitled teenager who must get her own way and be the centre of attention all the time.
    I just dont understand
    how or why Rex has teamed up with her for this presentation.
    Let alone why Pip let herself be persuaded to join them.
    I even found myself hoping the Brookfield scheme will win the prize after Phoebe’s performance tonight.

    But I have a strong feeling the winner will be somebody we have never heard of before, which would save all the shenanigans of a family bust up between various members of the Archers/Aldridge clan.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I do agree that Phoebe doesn't sound like an Oxford graduate.
    However, I'm with her in standing up to Pip. (And goodness, isn't the standard of acting in TA very variable.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it is, but I've a feeling it's to do with the quality of the scripts.
      When it's meaty stuff on offer the actors rise to it.
      When it fluffle they fluff !

      Delete
    2. I’m not surprised Pip sounded a bit detached and less interested in Phoebe’s submission than she is in the Brookfield one.
      Remember how Phoebe almost gatecrashed Rosie’s birthday party and kept insisting on talking about her scheme when it was inappropriate, as Pip was entertaining guests and concentrating on Rosie at the time.
      As I said above Phoebe thinks her plans are more important than anyone else’s and demands attention.
      No, definitely gone off her!

      Delete
  68. I don’t know how Phoebe got into or even graduated from Oxford University.
    In real life She would have been awarded her degree in June sometime, so Why haven’t we to heard Jenifer extolling the brilliance of her granddaughter getting a first. She would most certainly have gone shopping for a new outfit and hat for the ceremony at the Sheldonian.
    I found her extremely irritating.
    Sounded more like she has just graduated from Temper Tantrum Academy for the seriously thick headed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My thoughts exactly Stasia. That was 13 minutes of time I"ll never get back.
      At last someone being more nauseating than Pip.
      Perhaps it wasn't Oxford University she attended but a playgroup in the city.
      The University should sue for defamation!

      Delete

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