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Life in Ambridge
Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
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ReplyDeleteProud to be Yorkshire - June 19, 2020 at 9:28 AM
I’ve stopped listening. I really have tried to be positive about these monologues but the vomit inducing Kate and Jakob were the final straw.
stasia - June 19, 2020 at 9:44 AM
Not to forget the sexy duo of Lilian and Justine.
One of my favourite hymns at the end. Mum chose it for my Dad's funeral and I have left instructions that it is to be sung at mine! And no closing Barwick Green!
ReplyDeleteAlso I think there were about five maybe six different scenes so it seemed a lot longer than normal. I know it was 15 mins as opposed to 11/12 minutes but seemed much longer. So much better! Loads of 'country/village life' content too! For those who are relatively new perhaps they can understand what us oldies keep complaining about! 😀
Feedback will have the listeners' reactions today.
ReplyDeleteLovely episode Gary.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Spicy, felt like twenty minutes rather than ten, and such variation in the content and number of characters.
So MUCH BETTER than current contents.
Even Maryellen will agree I'm sure.
Thank you for that Gary.
DeleteHow young Shula sounds, like a child.
“Shula gets more peculiar by the minute” well no change there.
ReplyDeleteGary, I had no idea who anyone was, it took me a while to realise it was Jill speaking and eventually Brian.
Stasia, there was Brian and George who was the keeper ( he trained Will ) and was married to Christine, ( who had the stables )
ReplyDeleteChristine and Shula, then Christine and Jill, ( much younger voice then ) and Jill and Shula. Uncle Tom was in there too along with Dan Archer.
And Doris was dozing, then dead, in the armchair.
Thank you MrsP.
DeleteWell I have listened to "Feedback"
ReplyDeleteThey had three or four listeners' views and then spoke about the programme to two women ,(presumably minor celebrities ) of whom I have never heard .
The programme is called "Feedback"
Once again I gave mine -via email.
I didn't expect to hear it read out but I did expect to hear the views of quite a few people.
Apparently those of us who dislike the monologue format are in the majority.
Not surprised
Oh and Roger Bolton did say
"Do let us hear your views"
I added
".....and once again we will ignore them."
....but there is also a "silent majority" who do not express their views.
DeleteThe question is:-
Is this silent majority -
for or against the TA as it is now.
No-one knows, nor can predict others, thoughts + ideas.
This was my thoughts only, which I decided to post (probably not a good decision). 😣
DeleteNo offence is intended to anyone.
You are not offending anyone Miriam by airing your views as I am airing mine.
ReplyDeleteThe point I was trying to make was that although we were told that the majority of listeners who had contacted the programme were not in favour of these monologues ,we were not told why that was the case .
My assumption was that they had received many emails ,letters or 'phone calls but because the majority of listeners were not in favour of what is happening ,the BBC chose not to air their-our- views.
Lanjan, I also listened to Feedback .The question was put to the two women who both disliked the current format whether it's better to carry on or take the programme off air until such time when it can be recorded as usual. One responded that she'd be for it to continue with some dialogue, the other that due to unprecedented circumstances it would be better to stop and resume later. Like one of them I have forced myself to listen out of habit but came to the conclusion that I'd like it to continue rather than stop and restart. I suppose my reasoning is that we might lose continuity or the programme altogether.
ReplyDeleteOne of the women made the point that I and others have made that it shouldn't be that difficult to have a duologue .
ReplyDeleteThey could even ,I would have thought ,have two different duologues in one evening's episode.
If four evenings worth of scripts could be recorded in one day then the pairs could mix and match .
This weeks radio Times states that Coronation St has started filming again. I think the arrogant attitude of the makers of the TA perceive the listeners as idiots who can’t work out digital media works.
DeleteHow.
DeleteAnneveggie - Shula used to play some male child character(s), someone will tell you which.
ReplyDeleteThanks Basia. The actress must have a voice she can vary a lot.
DeleteThere are recordings till the end of the month which is not long now, we'll see what they have to offer next. What I don't understand is that they dumped a lot of scripts which could have been used later, the stories don't move at a great pace and the current run doesn't offer much of new developments. Those scripts could still be of use.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right Stasia. I don’t see why those scripts couldn’t be used again by simply removing references to particular dates and inserting a few references to lockdown and the virus. The main threads of various stories could be picked up again without having to entirely re-write, surely?
DeleteSorry! That should have been Basia, of course! Apologies Basia!
DeleteThat's a good point, I think. It's matter of editing, surely ? Knock out some references & slip in appropriate ones.
DeleteUNLESS there are scenes, the sense of which depend on imagining close contact between a couple of characters, e.g Philip hitting Kirsty if she confronts him, or Harrison trying to arrest him.
I would welcome a little recap..3 or 4 episodes to segue us into the new ones because quite honestly I can't remember what was happening in detail..there have been too many distractions between old episodes and monologues ( which I haven't listened to , the first episode between David and Ben was enough to turn me right off).
ReplyDeleteSo the inability of The Archers to ‘do dialogue’ was commented on during a Broadcasting House item about the LSO emulating the Paris Symphony Orchestra in putting on a full orchestral performance under lockdown conditions. From being a national treasure, the programme has become a national disgrace!
ReplyDeleteFollowing on from Miriam’s comment about the ‘silent majority’ and the impossibility of knowing their views, has anyone seen any mention of listening figures recently? Falling or static, I wonder.
I thought of you Maryellen when I heard that but they didn't go into it any further, there was enough on Feedback.
DeleteWell, I wasn’t going to, but after all the comments this week, I thought I should listen to the omnibus to hear what it was all about, in person.
ReplyDeleteWhilst I found Lilian & Justin annoying and boring in the extreme, one thing Kate said rang very true.
She had told Lilian and Jennifer her news about being in the menopause and said. “ trust Mum, to make it all about her”: Jennifer complained that Kate’s menopause made * her* feel old!
I can just imagine that, and made a strong mental note not to say that to my daughter - who turns 50 next year!
That's rich, coming from Kate, of all the self obsessed characters !
DeleteStill, agree with the point in general, it's irritating when people rush in with something from their own lives, when one is is, just for once, telling a story about oneself.
Which reminds me of something that stuck & I vowed never to do to any one else : My mother said when I turned 40 that was 'young' to her. Well, it isn't when we hit that age, is it ? It doesn't take too much imagination to appreciate things like that from another's perspective. Anyway, all the '0's are milestones in a life.
My next milestone birthday, is my 66th (September this year).
DeleteThis is when, I will finally get my state pension. It has been a long wait, after financing myself for 5 years now.
Clarrie must not be too far off, either. This will help the Grange Farm finances.
Jennifer made a similar comment when Kate was pregnant for the first time, saying she'd be 'an old gran'. At least Kate rejected the idea of HRT which nowadays is coming under scrutiny. She didn't like Jennifer telling Phoebe to go on the pill but she chose hormonal contraception anyway.
ReplyDeleteI listened to the omnibus this morning.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed it, (even Lilian + Justin playing off each other), but then I listened to the week in it's entirity.
I will stand by my thoughts, not to listen to the nightly episodes, just the Sunday hour.
This was, after all, how listened to TA when I first started listening to it, in the '80's.
It is only since I stopped working, that I started listening at 7.00pm.
As my parents got older, I always went for an hour, to have a coffee and to help finishing the Saturday general knowledge crossword, in The Telegraph.
This was timed by TA!!
Poor Mum + Dad - but they knew to expect me at 11.30am. 😀
...obviously on the Sunday morning, just to clarify. I filled in the actors, actresses, film, modern books + the music clues, in the crossword puzzle. It was never finished though, but fun.
DeleteCorrect me, as I am probably wrong, but I thought the horses (does Lilian + Justin own them?), were in livery at The Stables. Now they seem to be stabled at the Dower House, with an excercise area.
ReplyDeleteI am confused...but that is not unusual.
I would love a clarification.
Yes I thought that was confusing too Miriam.
ReplyDeleteBut I think your correct, that they are at the Stables, not the Dower House.
For those hankering after Nigel, Helen Leadbeater has written some monologues called The Pargetter Triptych.com. Can listen on YouTube of just google.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy.
Or.
DeleteI read about this - the ghost of Nigel. I thought it was just a "wind up" but I will look further into this.
DeleteRead about it in the weekend papers. It’s real as I have listened. Much better than the crap we have been offered. Enjoy.
DeleteThanks for the info. 👍
DeleteThanks Stasia. Will listen.
DeleteI wasn't going to listen this evening but thought that because one of my favourite characters was being featured that I would listen whilst doing the gardening.
ReplyDeleteBig mistake.
That is it.
No more until we get back to the proper stuff.
The only thing that concerns me is that when we return to normal, what if the writing is as bad as it has been over these past few weeks .?
I suspect that might be the case unless there is a change is scriptwriters and /or editor..
At least we now know for certain that Kirsty has not married - phew ! Also that Philip is on edge....
DeleteThought Ben was rather nasty about Josh - more than the usual fraternal put down
I hope everyone is happy that Carolyn and I predicted that this week would provide some interesting information - (meaning from Kirsty.)
ReplyDeleteI think there are going to be 6 participants this week which will provide a bit more variety than last week.
Just listened to the triptych. Found listening to Nigel again lovely, so thank you Stasia.
ReplyDeleteFound the idea of the "disappearance basket" amusing, so true. Things like the rewilding storyline vanishing without trace.
I thought the oddest thing tonight was Kirsty mumbling about chops. I am positive that she is vegeterian.
ReplyDeleteSo boring.
I liked Susan, Emma, Ed and Tracy's contributions, as for the rest, I think it is drivel. I listened to Feedback, and agreed with the person who would rather have it stopped for the duration.
Mistral, thanks, I thought I had misheard about the chop.
ReplyDeleteThough I suppose that she, Kirsty, is loved up enough to cook a chop for Philip but not have one for herself.
But then ..... LJ tells us that she eats salad most of the time but cooks for Mr LJ.
Ah but I am not a vegetarian,Mrs P.
ReplyDeleteI am someone who doesn't want to be in the kitchen and isn't over fussed about meat.
I make whatever Mr LJ wants for his meal -very traditional -and I eat my salad.
On the other hand I have a friend who is a vegetarian ,possibly even a vegan who always cooked meat for her husband.
I am not at all sure that Kirsty is a vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteThere was a sting in the tail/tale for Ben.
At least I've found out what a honey super is, mentioned in the synopsis.
DeleteListening again today, Kirsty mentioning the chop was actually ' chops' , plural.
ReplyDeleteGavin?
DeleteGavin?
DeleteAs Kirsty is so 'loved up' with Philip, I think she'd cook meat for him even if she wasn't participating. Thank goodness they're not married though.
ReplyDeleteAnybody listen tonight?
ReplyDeleteSusan loosing listeners on her radio show; Kirsty still stressing about Philip and Helen coming up with the idea of having a virtual hen party to cheer Kirsty up.
Whatever could go wrong with that idea?!
What can go wrong is that the broadband or WiFi drops out or people have forgotten to charge up their devices - it”s happened at Zoom meetings, I’ve attended.
DeleteYes I listened.
ReplyDeleteLoyalty eh !
Didn't listen ( visitors), now needn't bother - thanks, AP, for the update 😊 Do hope the virtual hen party does NOT happen, be' Harrison does his job......sorry, Kirsty, but the sooner you know the truth, the better.
ReplyDelete'& Harrison does his job ..'
DeleteI was reading and nearly forgot, wouldn't have happened before. I think I'm following the motto: use it or lose it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good 28mins listen,
ReplyDeleteThe Pargetter Triptych is.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was lovely hearing Nigel again.
I could only find it on You-Tube.
DeleteThank-you Stasia, for the info.
DeleteYour welcome.
DeleteI listened to the first Nigel monologue (too hot to do anything more demanding!) but was put off by how much less likeable he sounded than I remembered him. I thought he was an amiable and unpretentious chap but his ghost came across as snobbish and judgemental. This isn’t doing Nigel’s memory any favours! Imo.
ReplyDeleteI had no need to hear Nigel again but I stopped listening for two years after his downfall because I thought it was badly handled, Vanessa Whitburn explained that his death was juxtaposed with Henry's birth.
DeleteYesterday was painful, I usually sit in front of the computer trying to catch every word, these days I stray away and prefer eating.
I was also very annoyed at Vanessa Whitburn’s handling of that Anniversary. If she wanted to juxtapose Henry’s birth with a corresponding death, why not pick one of the old crones in the village rather than knocking off one of the most popular characters. She did her reputation as an Editor no good at all with such an unpopular decision. I think many people stopped listening in protest.
DeleteYes I stopped listening for a while as well.
DeleteThe only thing that displeased me about Nigel’s roof top fall (young and popular people die too, and their would have been an equal outcry if an old crone of either gender had been slaughtered!) was the lost opportunity to tackle the life-changing results of permanent disability. I know this has been said before, but The Archers’ failure to handle disability in any depth is a blot on the editorship of Vanessa Whitburn et al. I think she was a very good editor for her time.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that there are very few comments here on the nowadays turgid offerings from TA.
ReplyDeleteFar more and greater interest shown in the editions from the past and many more comments on the other blog.
That sums up the present state of affairs for me.
100% Pierre!
DeleteThere was an article this morning in the Telegraph about "woeful offerings " from TA.
DeleteI am enjoying the current TA episodes, which I only listen to as the Sunday Omnibus. The episodes are seamless and all link in together. As such, they make sense.
DeletePerhaps this Sunday, I will post about what I have enjoyed and why..
Pierre, “turgid offerings”
ReplyDeleteI am persevering but I can’t help noticing that the episodes feel a lot longer than usual....
So Kirsty has gone public about her impending wedding, I presume. If not, wouldn’t she have had a virtual engagement party to replace the one that didn’t happen, rather than moving straight on to the hen night?
Only baby steps towards a realisation that things aren’t right with “grumpy” Philip. A long way to go yet, and weddings allowed soon.😱
Seasider, your post above is urging me to catch up with tonight's episode if I can fit into my-oh-so-busy schedule 😉 Have only listened to Kirsty on Mon.this week.....
Deletecarolyn, I decided to listen to last nights episode. Have now given up.
DeleteI don't think Kirsty has gone public because on Monday she said that she ought to have told David that it was really a wedding reception and not an engagement party then he wouldn't have cancelled.
DeleteThe whole plot is ludicrous and it is obvious that the scriptwriters do not talk to each other nor do they apparently listen to each others' episodes.
The sequence of the on/off K&P saga is this:
P&K get engaged
then they got un-engaged when K realised P didn't want to get married.
But they decided to have a non-wedding party (like Lilian and Justin)
Then they decided they did want to marry without a fuss.
They booked the new Wedding Barn under the pretext of it being an engagement party.
P discovered a special wedding venue and booked it
The plan was to then return to Ambridge and tell all the guests that they had been married and none of them was invited!
Philip had a stag night with Roy and Gavin (and maybe Alistair)
Kirsty's hen do never happened, anyway only Helen knew about the wedding so a hen do with two participants?
I did listen last night in case there was any more info about Philip.
ReplyDeleteAll we got was the fact that Kirsty had telephoned one if the ‘slaves’ (not the one involved in the explosion, the other one, cant remember his name) to see if he was OK. Not at all sure how she got the phone number. Apparently Phil was not best pleased.
Apart from that she sounded so happy with her virtual hen party and so looking forward to getting married 😢😢😢
Oh, and Ben eventually found the swarm of Jill’s bees - inside one of Josh’s Farm Machines....and Josh got stung, but only twice! 😂😂😂
Just listened. Not the worst I've heard, & have missed many, but it was still an effort, bothering to listen at all !
ReplyDeleteReally think the actors are doing their best, but the scripts are so mundane & predictable.
Causes me to think, well, TA IS pretty mundane & predictable in normal times, but it's the interactions between folk, the relationships, & the ongoing narratives that save it from extinction ( plus the habit of tuning in, hard one to break, as discussed many times)
The hen night involved a lot of people - Josh(or Ben) mentioned he was barred from the house because Pip was joining the virtual hen night, Kirsty said Lynda had sent her best wishes, Pat and Helen played on line charades with her and Tracy dared Kirsty to ring the last number called on Philip’s phone, as a prank call, which turned out to be Kensie. This was organised by Helen who therefore must have told all these folk. Oh Roy was mentioned as well, who of course was in on the secret. So will there be a wedding and/or an arrest on 4 July? Perhaps the script writers have been waiting for the govt announcement to plan this. As far as I can see Kirsty thinks Philip is grumpy because of the lack of business and I am not clear where we’re up to with the court case about the fire. She has no concerns about his workers and Helen referred to Philip’s nephew, with a question mark in her voice but sounded no more than slightly puzzled. Looks like Kirsty might be in for another wedding day to remember.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the above, it cleared up a few things as I wasn't paying attention.
ReplyDeleteKirsty rang the last number on Philip's phone, he left it behind?!
I think it was Kirsty who changed her mind about getting married and then changed it back persuaded by Helen.
Where did Ben find the bees?
Philip is good for Kirsty so I think it would be desirable for them to marry. He boosts her low self-esteem, makes her feel valued and appreciated, found her a job that suits her and encouraged her to go for it, and shares humour and intimacy with her. I certainly don’t think he is as black as painted. He has responsibly looked after the lads during lockdown (no need for temporary council accommodation for the homeless in their case). He remembers their names. He has made throwaway comments which show genuine concern for others. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteYou are having us on,Maryellen.
ReplyDeletePhillip is not good for Kirsty.
He is a bare faced liar .
He cares not a jot for his workers .
He most certainly is as black as he has been painted.
He has fathered a son in his own image who is presumably still living with him and Kirsty.
I think she is feeling that this is her last chance.
It isn't.
Message to Kirsty
Go back and live at Roy's, and see what developes
I am not having you on, LanJan. What I say is based on my own observations. and I don’t see the villain you do.
DeleteI would advise Kirsty not to marry Philip, let's see what she decides.
ReplyDeleteThe bees were under the cover of the equipment that Josh sold - his first sale after his altercation with the law.
ReplyDeleteGavin is staying with his mother. He left just before lockdown and Kirsty mentioned it again this week.
Kirsty is happy with the Philip she thinks she knows. I really hope she doesn’t have to go through another wedding fiasco but pre or post wedding she’s going to be really angry and upset when she finds out. Might be a lot of denial at first.
carolyn. You are spot on. In ‘normal’ Archers times much of the content is mundane and downright silly. Would a 26 year old junior doctor really fancy an 18year old numpty unless she is gaining extra practice on a real body.
ReplyDeleteDr Chloe to Bnumpty “now I’d like you to remove your clothes whilst I take a look at your nether regions”? Bnumpty, “yes Ok, Dr Chloe this bulge is very uncomfortable and I deed some help immediately”. She needs her head examined not him.
Stasia, how right you are. TA is now recognising the covid situation and Dr Chloe is suposedly involved. My Grandson, just coming up to his final year at medical school is one of many who have been working as auxilliaries on covid wards. His parents and I have each commented on just how much more grown up those 3 months have made him. People tend to find friends of similar levels of intelligence to themselves. The Cloe Bnumpty relationship is a ridiculous fiction.
DeleteSome of you listened a bit more carefully than I did!
ReplyDeleteHadn’t realised Kirsty phoned Kenzie as part of a hen party dare.
Archerphile, you probably have better things to do with your time. It’s becoming more and more like a teen comic by the minute. I particularly disliked some of the “youth speak” put into Justin and Lilian’s lines last week. Can’t remember the details but it really grated. As for Kirsty’s dare, she’s not a teenage bride, she’s a middle aged woman...
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, sorry I raised your expectations about last night... I think I was just picking through the bones to find something to chew on.
DeleteNot at all - you did say 'baby steps' , & that was accurate. More, thanks for filling us less than attentive listener in on the salen cies !
Delete.......but Maryellen, we have heard him lie - pretending that the young worker was his nephew .
ReplyDeletePutting words into the young man's mouth.
Not giving him enough money for food.
We have heard the way he spoke to his equally evil son :"Just do it"
He may have started in this way by trying to cut corners to save money, thought it worked and saw no reason for changing his approach.
HeRe was a character who suddenly appeared on the scene when he installed a bathroom for Lilian .
Then he became Alastair's best mate
Then he espies a youngish woman who having been jilted at the altar ,with no permanent home really and not too much younger than him who could make life more comfortable for him as he got older.
I wouldn't trust him an inch.
Maryellen, please tell me what I am missing .
I can’t believe you are condemning a man on the basis of three words spoken in a context you wot not of! How many of us have said in just such an exasperated tone Justdo it’? How is”suddenlyappearing” on the scene a crime? Characters do it all the time in fiction and fact. I don’t believe the Philip who Kirsty ‘knows’ doesn’t exist, and that man has undeniably made her feel happy and fulfilled. She’s certainly stopped moaning!
DeleteOn second thoughts, I’ve been unfair about condemning him on the basis of 3 words, because it was the tone of voice in which he said 2 words that confirmed my belief in him: they were, “poor lady”.
.
I don't like the fact that Kirsty was prepared to settle down with someone who supports blood sports.
DeleteTim also turned up out nowhere, though vaguely introduced by Oliver.
He did some work at the vicarage as a good turn, just as Philip at the playground.
He turned out to be trouble.
Plus my comment below.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason my comment appeared twice so I deleted the second one.
ReplyDeleteIf Kirsty agrees that Philip is being charitable by rescuing two young men, providing them with a roof and food as opposed to living on the streets, then that's OK between the two of them.
ReplyDeleteIf a family member kept workers in return for board and lodgings without paying them wages I'd feel uncomfortable.
Sadly, the latter might be the truth.
DeleteDidn't Philip make his appearance, at The Hunt hound kennels, which needed urgent repairs.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Shula "found" him, who could do the work the next day.
I hadn't realised that Gavin was with his Mum. If they were that close, that he went into Lockdown with her - then why did he move into Beechwood with Kirsty + Philip, instead of his Mother, when his girlfriend split up with him.
I bet he is in Lockdown with the workers...
Don't know why we are talking about this. The man's a modern slave owner. His nerves at the hospital, lying about Uncle status etc , etc. show he knows full well that what he is doing is illegal. He feeds & houses them in return for cheap labour on tap. They have no rights, no record of their existence.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Kirsty is not a pathetic jilted woman, looking to boost her dismal self esteem. She is independent, quite astute, was slow to become committed to Philip & was eventually fooled by his apparent genuineness, indeed, as some, not all, of us were - very much including me !
It is Kirsty is being duped.
DeleteIt was a S/L going on before lockdown and the revelatation of Philip, and his workforce, is now indefinitely, on hold.
Why not discuss this Archers topic?
Why not, indeed. It was not the SL I was questioning - I guess we all want to know the outcome to that - but any idea that Philip Moss is engaged in anything other than a criminal activity. That was signalled in neon lights before lockdown.
DeleteRoger Bolton on Feedback called Phillip “that rotter” and he can’t be wrong!! Phillip is not all he seems. Even the worst people have a modicum of goodness but don’t envy Kirsty if she marries him
ReplyDeletecarolyn. It is being discussed because it was the central issue calling for our attention before lockdown happened. Kirsty is the forlorn, left on the shelf spinster and the S/Ws want her to experience this over and over. It is in the crystal ball that she willExperience angst about always hooking up with an amoral conman. Tom is a conman but Philip takes it one step further by criminally exploiting vulnerable individuals, including Kirsty herself. We have, since that storyline was abandoned, been given material that doesn’t direct our cognitive energies into anything meaningful.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we are weary and restless and can’t focus on the mundane writing and the silliness of adolescent wittering of Ben and even Kirsty herself.
Put simply the current monologues are deadly boring and I for one am decidedly uninterested which leaves me unable to work myself up to say anything witty, funny or insightful about any of the characters.
I just stopping myself from being xxxxxxxx. 🥱 yawn I think is the word for me.
I am in such accord with what you say Stasia that I'm not even commenting on the subject...... for days on end.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, we are discussing this because we want to! No one has to read it if they”be made up their minds on all aspects of this story line and aren’t interested in any alternative views. Personally.I’m not playing the scriptwriters little game!
ReplyDeleteI would not have the presumption to say what anyone may or may not discuss about this SL. I repeat : the future unfolding of the story is fair game for speculation, but we knew before lockdown what Philip Moss was doing, plus his lies & concealment - what else can be said about that aspect ? The SWs used the device of presenting him as 'a nice guy', & then revealing his dark side only to listeners, whilst the other characters remain in ignorance (except Harrison, who has suspicions)
DeleteMaryellen, have you made up your mind on all aspects of this SL? Most of us haven’t so will wait and see!🤔
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking, Ev. No, I’m not presenting my personal opinion as unassailable fact. I think, repeat think, that Kirsty should marry Philip if (as Basia says) she wants to when she knows all the facts (which we don’t), because I think, repeat think, they are good together. As you say, wait and see.
DeleteI started out really liking Philip, defending him repeatedly from all the criticisms on here and elsewhere.
DeleteI was really pleased when he and Kirsty got together and thought she had found the perfect person to heal the wounds of her previous disappointments and spend the rest of her life with.
Now I don’t know what to think. I am very confused and find the apparent change in Phil’s character and behaviour difficult to equate with my first impressions of the man.
Did the SWs change their minds about his future place in TA and decide to turn him into a villain or are they playing games with us and all will be explained as being legitimate and above board?
I just don’t know anymore. But I’m looking forward to finding out when normality resumes.
The scriptwriters think we love to have a villain to revile - but take care to make him (always him) an outsider to cosy Ambridge.
DeleteOoh I don't know about the villain always being male,Maryellen.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Horrible Hazel?
As for Phillip, I have never prided myself on being a good judge of character but I didn't take to him much from the start.He turned up out of nowhere and was suddenly everyone's best pal
In fairness though that was not because I thought he was evil .
I doubt even the editor knew what he would turn out to be .
Then Leonard Berry is tarred with same brush - remember LB? He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, latched onto Jill, and was everyone’s best pal.
Deletemaryellen. I can hear neighing, braying, whinnying noises.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the HORSES need feeding.
That word horse to describe another human being says it all for me.
That describes my dissatisfaction with this storyline: an important contemporary topic has become all about Kirsty and her personal relationships. The same trivialisation occurred with the surrogacy topic which became all about Lexi and her personal dilemmas. Here, the so called victims who should be at the centre of our attention are so sketchy that listeners can’t remember how many there are or their names. A sad contrast to Sean O’Connor’s nationally praised handling of the topic of coercive control.
DeleteEach drama is game playing and taken at face value Kirsty may accept Philip's explanation that he's rescuing two young men from the life on the streets.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Philip take Blake out of hospital, said he was his uncle and that he took him to his parents' in Norwich?
If everything is above board why did he and Gavin put pressure on Blake to tell the police what they told him to?
Rob was introduced as a good man and then they changed their mind.
Basia, that was certainly true - and admitted as much by the Editor at the time. I’d really like to know if the same thing has happened with the character of Philip. Perhaps an editorial conference went along the lines of:-
Delete‘Oh, we need another villain to stir things up - who shall we choose this time? 😉
We had the conversation re Philip before the lockdown break. Certainly Lanjan and I crossed swords on his character.. Lanjan proved to be right on the revelation that P is a slave master. I can't see anything has changed since. Indeed, the reported comment from Harrison seems to confirm that he is a disgusting specimen.
ReplyDeleteBut was he always intended to be so? Originally he seemed to be just an extra, a handy builder, with a different accent, brought in to repair the hunt kennels roof - then on to Lilian’s bathroom etc. Did they intend him to be a bogey-man from the very start or has he been chosen to fulfil a particular storyline the Editor wanted to pursue?
DeleteWhether or not how he was originally intended to be, he is, at the whim of the scriptwriters/editor, as he is now. As I previously have said of his son, " a boil on the bum of the world"
DeleteI don't think they know from one day to the next what is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if there is a long term plan.
Different writers give characters different personalities..
I liked Leonard from day one.
Maybe it was the accent
He was nothing like Phillip,Maryellen.
He was not everyone's best pal.
I just felt he was a good honest man and he has turned out to be just that.
Leonard was given a background story when he was introduced, his wife had been in the Laurels and he had befriended other residents when he visited and continued visiting after his wife’s death. Jill met him when visiting Christine and they became friends.
ReplyDeletePhilip just appeared with no explanation as to why he moved from Wales and was then joined by his son when Gavin’s engagement ended.
Maryellen, I disagree with your comparison of Helen and Rob as the protagonists of the coercive control to Blake and Kelsie, the alleged slave workers who by the nature of this s/l are meant to be hidden and not in the forefront, unlike H&R who were among the main characters in the programme already. This portrayal is not trivialisation, they are referred to as work "horses" which are to be fed and watered. We don't hear Blake and Kelsie together because I don't think we are meant to.
ReplyDeleteTo continue with the speculation, perhaps they wondered: we gave Kirsty a non wedding, then a late miscarriage, how can we spoil it now, ah, she and Philip are going away together, Oliver has an emergency which Philip passes onto Gavin who fails to supervise etc and we can tie it with the modern slavery, third degree burns, resurrection of The Bull, hooray! Anything else?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds pretty convincing, Basia. I vote you take on the next big SL, figuring out all the useful linking possibilities !😉
DeleteKPnuts. You have made an important point.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Philip leave Wales and what was his reason for choosing to settle in Ambridge?
Would a builder simply just up sticks and decide to move his business on a whim to a small village without doing any research?
Did he banish Gav back to his mother because he was concerned he might catch Covid? I don’t think so.
Or has something more dangerous happened as a result of Gav loosing his temper. Gav was frequently sent to feed the slaves and resented having to do so.
I don’t think Blake was taken back to his parents. Why would Philip undertake a long journey with a man who suffered back injuries. Does Blake even have parents and if so would they want to look after him?
Did Gav in a fit of pique kill Blake?
Is the poor man now buried under a patio in an Ambridge residence?
I have just seen a short interlude, of some of the TA cast, doing a version of "Dum te Dum te Dum" together. It is a pretty dire, but they have made an effort and the "performance" stops + starts, so stay with it!
ReplyDeleteI do not usually like seeing the actors/actresses, who portray the residents of Ambridge, but this time I did, perhaps it was because they were in their own homes and gardens, so they were in a totally different setting.
The one cast member who surprised me, was the actor who plays Philip!
I will continue to listen to TA, with my own images as to the characters, firmly in place, which are so very different, both in looks and ages.
It is on the R4 web site of TA.
DeleteSorry Miriam, I thought it was super, all the actors doing their own thing, some singing, David playing guitar, somebody playing the violin, Leonard and Lilian very recognisable, lots I didn’t know as they are not named. But us was a very good effort I though.
DeleteAnd especially, at the very end, Eddie standing in a field and saying ‘Take Care’ to us all.
Oh, they do tell you who everyone is on the Archers website. I watched on Facebook where that part with the names at the very end wasn’t shown.
DeleteI agree with Miriam, pretty dire, technically and musically!
DeleteThanks Miriam, I enjoyed that, and had to play it over and over to identify everyone. Great to see ”Usha” and “Kathy” on there.
ReplyDeleteI loved Simon Williiams, in hisJustin persona, with a whisky in hand!!!
DeleteI would have loved to see Jim...
Yes, very good, it was interesting to see the actors but I think we all have our own images of the characters when listening.
ReplyDeleteWell I thought it was lovely !
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling us about it.
Phillip doesn't look at all like his voice and looks more like Phil Archer than Phil Moss.
They ARE named Archerphile.
Kathy was there but wasn't really taking part.
Yes, I know. As I said in a second reply to Miriam at 6.36, I watched the film on Facebook which ends after Eddies appearance at the end. The bit with names was left out. It was not until I watched on the BBC website after Miriam’s comment that I saw the names.
DeleteSorry Archerphile.
DeleteDon't know how I missed your 2nd comment.
I loved it but had to keep stopping and starting it at the end as I couldn’t read who was who quickly enough. Katy complained!😁
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it but didn't try to see names. Just liked the positive atmosphere with everyone's contributions. We all have our own ideas of what the characters look like.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the Roifield Brown Dum Dee Dum with Annabelle Dowler who is lovely.
Was it meant to compensate for all the bad press the programme’s been getting, do you think? The cast must be worried about their jobs, like so many others.
ReplyDeleteThe ones who should be worrying about their jobs are not the cast but the scriptwriters and editor.
DeleteWell, it invokes happiness so I don’t really mind about the purpose of it. I know just how to annoy Katy though so she’d better behave!!😉
ReplyDeleteEv, if she's not a fan it must be trying living with you, I watched the end several times, until I knew who's who, just the characters, not the actors names.
DeleteI was quite surprised to see ‘Kathy’ taking part, seeing as she has not been heard in the programme for years. The team are obviously still in touch with her so I wonder if she might appear again when normality returns?
DeleteArcherphile - I read an interview with Hedli Niklaus a few months ago. She said that she wasn't ill, hadn't been sacked or had a row with anyone, just hadn't been called upon to take part.! Which is strange because of the prominence of the story lines which could easily involve her. She added that she would have preferred it for the character Kathy to be written out instead of becoming a bit of a joke, now that she is often mentioned but doesn't appear.
DeleteMind you I always thought her a unpleasant character. She had an affair with Dave (?) the policeman, yet when Sid had an affair with Jolene she (Kathy) stormed off! I remember Tony getting fed up with her, constantly crying on Pat's shoulder and always complaining about either Sid or Kenton.
I don't think we'll ever know why she left the show. Personally I suspect bad feelings between the last but one editor and some of the actors. The same situation repeated itself a year later when the same editor moved on to EE! Some actors left after declaring there were no hard feelings etc yet returned to the show within a year of that editor getting the sack!
To be honest Spicy, I always found Kathy terribly dreary, a character with a very boring personality, and I haven’t missed her nearly as much as some listeners have done.
DeleteI only mentioned a possible come-back because of her appearance in the group Dum-Di-Dum sing-along.
I think Hedli Nicklaus was right - Kathy should have retired long ago and not have been preserved in aspic at Grey Gables.
So did I ! Not dynamic. When I started listening, there always seemed to be a problem she was sighing over. There was the son, Jamie, who faded away somewhere. No more SLs for them....
DeleteI heard a bit of the omnibus this morning and again very amused by Tracy. The image of Neil wanting to dive into Shula’s jodhpurs will stay with me for a long time! Basia, the Archers doesn’t figure in Katy’s world but she does tolerate it and I sometimes tell her snippets like this morning when Ben losing the bees brought a smile to her face! I wonder that since most of us were virtually brought up with TA will it be taken on with younger listeners or is it destined to die out when we do?🤔
ReplyDeleteI don't think it will die out, for a while anyway, if my younger neighbour-with-the -chickens' husband is anything to go by. He is a long distance driver taking delicatessen type Cornish food all over Britain and Europe, and often works at night. On the night of the Grey Gables fire he was driving and listening, but stopped to phone his wife to make sure I was listening and not missing it!
DeleteI have had a (silly) thought...
ReplyDeletethis is that the TA cast were testing out a new techological set up.
It is possible....but not probable, or is it.
Yet something else to agree about.
ReplyDeleteI never much liked Kathy, yet strangely can hear her voice in my head if I think of her.
Agree about her dull character but at the same time she was a useful a n other.
What I would like to know is, what happened to her son, Jamie. The last heard, he was working with Mike Tucker, and to be a tree lumberjack or similar.
DeleteI still haven't listened to this mornings Sunday TA Omnibus. It is downloaded, ready for tonight - in bed with puss-cat snuggled up close.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to listen to TA...
Mrs P - I can also hear Kathy's voice in my head when I think of her. She was in such a lot of the S/Ls in those days so we did hear a lot of her, and a lot about Jamie.
ReplyDeleteI listened to the Omnibus and I do agree that it's a better way to listen to the 'new version' TA. Seems to tie up the thoughts and makes it flow better.
Janice, someone told me a similar story about 30 years ago, there was a ferry strike (?) and long distance lorry drivers were stuck on the other side of the channel, when approached by journalists, all they wanted to know what had happened in the Archers.
ReplyDelete😊
Delete...and my post, not long ago, when on holiday only to find others discussing TA (the end of Helen's trial + result) at breakfast the next day and I joined in with this conversation.
DeleteIt is surprising how other TA listeners pop up, when least expected.
I think the rape storyline was the biggest storyline with which Kathy was involved, and although sorry for her, as for anyone in those circumstances, I didn’t feel as moved as I might have done if I had found her a more congenial character. She was so humourless, and her voice grated. So I wasn’t sorry she ‘retired’ into silence, just slightly surprised that she wasn’t written out. It was said at the time the actor wasn’t well (which can mean many things) , and I thought maybe the job was being kept open for her recovery. But who knows what to believe in theses case!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the omnibus, what with Tracy and also Kirsty's thoughts.
ReplyDeleteUs the listeners know all about Philip, but she still has no idea and I enjoyed hearing her inner feelings.
I enjoyed it. It proves that they can record more than one voice at a time.
ReplyDeleteI was aghast to see that **!!!^^ Pip Archer has 'borrowed' my dog. She had better watch out for any carrots they might be growing though....
I got SLIGHTLY interested tonight - Elizabeth, Freddie, Tracy. E. wants sex, F. wants to prove himself, T. is narked with with Susan....
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I thought it was the worst yet. I can't stand Freddie's voice, or the constant whining. I'm not sure that grown women fantasise about marriage like 1950's schoolgirls either. I don't think TA is ever going to recover unless someone GETS A GRIP.
ReplyDeleteHaven't they heard of RETHINK all over Radio 4?
DeleteI guess Freddie will tell us what's in Lynda's letter whether we care or not.
Absolutely see what you mean, Mistral, but they were all true to type...Freddie has that petulant vocal twang, but at least he tries to get out of his comfort zone, being entitled, these days by working at GG( which he actually came to enjoy) & now attempting some plumbing !! Elizabeth is the forever spoilt youngest, & yearns to be adored....
DeleteAha! So Ifty is back on the scene is he? How interesting that he has been brought back into the story.
ReplyDeleteI always rather liked Ifty, and had hopes of him and Elizabeth getting togethere. I was quite disappointed when Elizabeth turned him down. Who knows, if they had got together and Ifty had become a Step-father for Freddie, (who, I seem to remember, got on well with him during maths coaching) perhaps Freddie would not have ended up in the YOC!
So I hope that Ifty is not going to be forgotten about when normality returns and that he will become a regular cast member.
Haven't listened yet this evening but like Archerphile I liked Ifty and am pleased to hear that he might be back.
ReplyDeleteIf so..... one good idea IMO as I thought he was good for Elizabeth as well as Freddie, and still could be.
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