KPnuts - July 19, 2021 at 8:25 PM Rather intense episode. Will Kyle’s character be developed or will his moment of fame be brief as so many seem to be recently, thoroughly unpleasant so far, although I thought it was Vince at first. Alice’s return caught me by surprise, the Aldridge household won’t be happy tonight!
MrsP Ambridge - July 20, 2021 at 1:15 AM Alice's return probably caught us all off guard KP. And as Miriam says, how did she get there ? Brought back an awful lot of memories for me. Very realistic performance from Alice.
Archerphile - July 19, 2021 at 10:34 PM Yet another new character and a very unpleasant one this time. I gather they were at The Bull, so why did no one else stick up for Helen and turf Kyle out of the pub? Surely others must have heard his nasty tirade?
MrsP Ambridge - July 20, 2021 at 1:11 AM I thought this was the purpose of that scene being set in the Bull, so that the locals could stand up to him in defence of Helen. Plus we might have heard from some more locals on ' freedom ' day. A lost opportunity ?
Sometimes people prefer not to get involved. Emma was not there to stand up to Kyle like she did with Rob. I'm not surprised by Alice's return and how, she hitched a lift and walked. I can understand her reasoning, she'll be an outcast forever, always under surveillance and rehab gave her a taste of just that. I don't believe though that she can do it on her own, as she doesn't think a drink or two goes amiss. Strange that unlike Gavin, they didn't pair her off with Alistair.
Thank you for the new page Gary. Re Thé Bull - where is Kenton when you need him? I was certain that either Kenton or Jolene was going to make a rare appearance and ban Kyle from the pub. I don’t like this story line at all. More bullying, another nasty, intolerant character. I don’t know how Helen is going to deal with this, I appreciate she wants to show she is now strong and able to deal with blasts from the past but I think this invention of a nasty neighbour is totally unnecessary
And strangely, I had always imagined that the houses in Beechwood all had back gardens facing out over open countryside, or the Bridge Farm land. I had never thought that there would be a house behind Helen and Lees, with nosy neighbours able to keep tabs on them!.
I agree Archerphile that the scene with the new bully confronting Helen could have done with Kenton and/or Jolene intervening. The unpleasant rant could have been interrupted by Helen's supporters but instead he was allowed to carry on. What a nasty piece of work he sounds. I too had imagined that the houses where Helen and Lee live would look out over open fields and woodland and not be like an estate with houses directly behind. What a nasty situation to have a person like him living so close by. Alice turning up was a big surprise and I'd thought we wouldn't hear from her for months. She can't kick drink on her own and desperately needs help from somewhere.
Seems we have a new set of sound-alikes: Vince, Mr Possibly Now Married PE Teacher, and Kyle the bully. I wonder if they're related in any way?
Perhaps the delightful Kyle will trip up and fall face first in a cow-pat on the way home. Second thoughts, he'd probably get the pat DNA tested and then sue the offending cow's owner for allowing said bovine to soil the highway of this peaceful, middleclass village. Have to put your foot down somewhere (preferably not in a cowpat) or, before you know it, people will be growing crops and keeping livestock all over the place. Villages are for villagers, not muddy, uncouth farmers. Or was there something the estate agent didn't tell me when I signed up for my bijoux semi on the Beechwood Estate?
Some time back Helen complained about the kids from Beechwood who had done something dreadful. Well she's been hoisted by her own petard!
I have a horrible feeling that one or two 'extras' may have a permanent fixture and then it will be like the many soaps we have on all TV channels. Heaven's above!
My thoughts are, that these are just, short-term fill in characters. Here today then Gone tomorrow. These are filling in the gaps for others, who for whatever reason are not recording. Remember, all these episodes have been recorded weeks ago, under guidelines at that time.
At least the SW's have given us alternative and different, characters + S/L's to think about.
Well that was fortuitous Amy's flat mate has just moved out ..... Who will payAlice's portion of the rent ? Brian I suppose. What does Alice do when Amy is working? Drink a bottle or two of vodka? Who thinks up these daft plots.? On the other hand if Ihad had such a ridiculous mother as Jenny I might have wanted to go and live in Nottingham too. I have missed something. Who is the married male tall PE teacher ? I thought they were looking at female teachers.
Lanjan, male, tall PE teacher to be married was the one stuck in the back of Eddie's limo. The three that Phoebe and Kirsty were looking at were all female so far, but one exceptionally tall, so if 'T' that would be her. When I heard that Kirsty was digging I thought it might be more about 'the horses' but they seem to have bolted, though got a mention from Kyle yesterday.
I wonder if Usha is going to make a return ( as predicted by Spicy) as a solicitor acting for Helen re Kyle’s slanderous writing about her in the blog - or In connection with Alice staying with Amy.
Overthinking by Christopher equals a lost opportunity. And that specific opportunity will never return because the act of leaving Ambridge for Nottingham will have changed the dynamic for Alice.
Very sad !
And that is the second week that we have had something of a cliff hanger on Wednesday rather than Thursday.
Yes, it seems to be quite frequent now, perhaps to make up for the quantity, they try to make things more dramatic, let's see what we get tonight. Christopher is rational and Alice impulsive, these characteristics can be both positive and negative, but it's true that once something is said or done it cannot be reversed.
Good that Helen got me better of her detractor though it would have been more satisfying if she had not resorted to blackmail based on a lie to do it. Hopefully that’s the end of that brief storyline and Kyle will be heard no more. I agree with you, LanJan, about Lee being ineffectual.
Lee was in a difficult position though because Helen had hamstrung him by insisting she wanted to deal with Kyle herself. Lee is a martial arts expert, and although trained to use their expertise only as a last resort in an altercation, he could have flattened the Kyle easily. I do wonder if Helen is going to act as too much of a controlling anchor on Lee.
I think It’s a circular argument - maybe the reason or part of the reason Helen said she would handle Kyle herself was because she didn’t want impetuous Lee using his martial arts inappropriately and flattening Kyle - with all the unfortunate repercussions that could bring. Perhaps better ineffectual than having the wrong effect?
Quick thinking on Helen's part to come up with that fake photo story. Let us hope that we hear no more from that nasty character Lyle. So sad that Chris missed an opportunity to see Alice. It might just have proved a turning point in their love story.
I am slightly confused about the Kyle ending. When Phil bought the Beechwood house, Kirsty loved the big back garden and was planning to plant trees, well as I recall. If this was the case, then how did Lee see a strange woman in the spare bedroom? It was definitely poetic licence, and I admired Helen. For 2 reasons:- Her quick thinking as the photo bluff......and She at last, stood up to a hard faced man, and won. This must have helped her bury a lot of her previous experiences. This shows how stable she feels with Lee.
It was a fill-in but as I have already said, was it done to show that Helen has changed, and no longer feels intimidated - or was that just coincidental?
Absolutely agree with you, Basia.The episode didn’t show either Lee or Helen in the best of lights. But although Joy succeeded in talking Kyle into taking down his defamatory posts, the same method wasn’t going to win for Helen. So sadly it took blackmail, which seemed to come easily to them both.
Maybe it was a fill-in but Helen hasn't been timid for long. Helen made Hayley's life a misery when John died by working with Tom in keeping pigs alive. Then she told Hayley that she was to leave the room because they were 'family matters.' Then she told Tony how she failed to get him onside about the AI thing.. so he wouldn't see the baby. When Pat found out about her moving in with Rob she said they would never see the baby again. She has been a spoilt brat all along!
I may be on my own here but I thought the whole Helen/Kyle thing was ridiculous. How would Helen have felt had the woman been Kyle's sister or even his mother? I presume they were not standing in front of the window showing how they feel about each other. Would anyone who was having an illicit affair in his own home not even close the bedroom curtains? Sorry .I thought that was daft and do not admire Helen.
No you are not alone! I think the story line of Kyle and Helen was ridiculous. As they haven't been a couple of years I doubt the trees wouldn't have grown much, even Leylandi wouldn't have grown then! Pity they didn't have net curtains! Pity that Helen said that the kids from the' scum estate' are now neighbours of their own. Lovely neighbours to have: Kyle and Joy!
I don’t think Kyle and Joy can be bracketed. She is very far from being the objectionable neighbour that he is. In fact, I think she is a lovely neighbour in that she is kind and generous with her time, advice and worldly goods, plus she was a model of sensitivity when staying with Helen at the latter’s request while Lee made his abortive visit to Kyle. She has come out of this storyline in a better light than H&L.
The other thing we learned from last night was that Rory is still dead set on leaving Ambridge. So Brian Aldridge is losing three of his children, Adam to a new job, Alice to Nottingham, and Rory to London, in addition to losing Debbie to Hungary. That just leaves Kate on the Home Farm fringe. Serves him right!
Ah, no, it's Kate who's staying. Perhaps she'll decide that Spiritual Home needs a new vibe and set of on a year long world tour in search of inspiration. Can you buy pop-up back-packing yurts?
Very interesting interview with Gareth Pierce (Gavin Moss) in next week’s radio Times talking about accents and how he makes his role in TA and the new role in Coronation Street sound different, even though they are both Welsh characters. He is a native Welsh speaker and went to the Welsh College of Art and Drama
As a Corrie St. viewer, I have totally forgotten that the character Gavin Pierce now plays, was once Gavin Moss in Ambridge. There are no similarities and shows what a good actor he is.
What a boring episode that was! The only good point was Ben, saying that he is now on the nursing course. The rest was just not interesting, well to me. So Adam is being secretive again, but what's new.
I'm with you Miriam. Again ! All that stuff in a nightclub ? Give me strength ! Do we have to go through this ? And Ian being suspicious caused by anguish at Adams secrecy. This is the pattern of your relationship Ian. Get used to it.
Can somebody tell me what those scenes with Ruairi and Ben were all about? I didn’t have a clue what was going on, where they were or who they were talking about!
As for Ian and Adam, I despair. Poor Ian thinking Adam is cheating on him, again, What is the matter with Adam, can’t he see how much he is hurting his husband and how that will reflect 'on Zander. He really is a thick as two short planks emotionally.
Thank you, Mrs P. Got in via a new google account, but not sure if it is all ok,so avoiding signing out. I was disappointed in to night’s episode,especially,the Ben/Ruiri segments when it was sometimes hard to distinguish between the voices..Also,I found Adam’s casual lies irritating. No doubt there will be some fraught scenes ahead before he finally comes clean to Ian.
Thinking again about last nights episode - just who were the night club shenanigans scenes aimed at? Was this another BBC effort at trying to attract ‘yoof’ listeners? Because I don’t think such tactics are going to work. Amongst my personal acquaintances nobody under the age of around 40 has the slightest interest in listening to TA and the younger ones only use radio for music.
So Ben and Ruairi’s activities were, as far as I am concerned, inexplicable and a waste of airtime.
It was all about money, sex and lies. Adam chasing after money disregarding Ian's feelings, who thinks it's sex and lying. Ruairi used his sexual charm on Spence to gain entry and he's dreaming of megabucks in London. Jennifer will be unconsolable that another one of her children is leaving the fold.
What irritated me was the dropped 't' (plural) whenever Ruairi said Nottingham. It was so put on and fake that it grated on me. Sounded as if he's taken in by 'influencers' and that kind of empty lifestyle culture. I agree with Archerphile that it will not work to attract the yoof audience that the BBC craves.
So Ruairi will now go off the rails, causing more angst for Brian + Jennifer. Can they cope with this, along with Alice, Martha etc. and whatever Adam is up to? Hence my continuing thought, that Brian - not forgetting his Berrow Farm commitments along with Pheobe and the re-wilding - will have a health problem, be it minor or major, which will help bring them all to their senses...
The only way I know is:- Highlight + click on your name Unknown. This should bring you onto your profile. Scroll down and there will be a box saying "display as" or similar. Enter your name then save. I am not sure if this will help you but it just might. 🤞
I have always liked Fallon,considering her to be straightforward and dependable,so was disappointed when she renaged on her promise to Alice by telling Chris about the plan for the move to stay with Amy.No doubt it was with the best of intentions but caused great distress to Chris by leaving it so late.perhaps,when he calms down and gets his thoughts straight he may consider writing to Alice as it is often easier to express oneself accurately that way than face to face when emotions are high.
I agree with your suggestion re writing Portia. However, it's Radio, the wireless, how would you suggest the SW do this ? I am really interested in how it could be done, not criticising.
I do agree with what you are saying Mrs.P. I suppose we would have to hear them sharing the contents of any correspondence aloud with whoever they are with. at the time.Probably feasible now and again.
Reading a letter.aloud to oneself while writing it (or repeating it aloud if you’re the recipient) has been standard behaviour in stage productions for centuries, if not in real life. Either that, or give a summary (i’ve told her..../He says that...). Same with emails, text messages etc. In productions set in the present.
I think that Fallon was right to tell Chris, as surely as Alice is still his wife, and mother to Martha, he deserved to know. What he does now, is up to him, but at least he has a choice and knows where Alice is, for the short-term. Both Fallon + Harrison have been confidants to both Alice + Chris, so what Fallon did, was out of true friendship. There has been enough secrets kept about Alice, which if they had been known, the situation now might have been different. Who knows?
What concerns me is that, Amy as a midwife, does not have a 9-5 job, so will away for very many hours at a time. This will give Alice the time to do, exactly what she wants. PS How is she funding her chosen life-style?
On listening to the omnibus today, something was clarified for me. This was to do with Alice. She did, at least, go into re-hab but then withdrew her consent, so left. I misunderstood the situation...
Who will take over as Manager at Home Farm, now that Alice has left, and Adam is now working part-time along with job hunting? Brian cannot do it all himself, surely.
Well said Ian. A lesson in etiquette for Leyla. I'm sure she had a daughter last time, now it's two boys. Two new characters, one just gone, the other one to stay?
Roy should be wary. All is not as it seems.Leyla played her part so well, that is the innocent and naive person, even though she is meant to be a teacher. By that I mean, she should be able to stand up for herself and be firm. I don't trust her...
I was a teacher, and I think at times I'd put up with what I was given rather than 'making a fuss.'
She seemed nice to me. But then I liked Mr Moss... I don't remember what was said before about her children. If you've remembered correctly Basia, good spot! What are the script writers planning?
Poor Roy deserves a decent relationship for once. No hope of Hayley returning. Is the stage being set for Roy and Kirsty after all?
Ha! I’m so pleased that Ian confronted Adam at his meeting. It serves Adam right for constantly keeping secrets from his husband, whom he should trust enough to confide in. And he has been hoist own his own petard about the ‘borrowing’ money from the estate. It has come back to bite him, lost him the job he wanted so badly and also let Ian know where the money for the roof repairs came from. I have wanted Adam to have a fall for a long time and tonight it happened. Good!
But I just hope Ian and Xander will be OK. If Adam and Ian were to split, what would happen to the little boy? As Adam is his biological father would he have more right to take custody? If so, Ian would be distraught and I should fear for his mental health and his future.
I don't think Ian and Adam will separate but it's a time for "rethink". As for Leyla's daughter, that's how I remember it, but will I go back to check?
Regarding Leyla, I was just relieved to hear that she sounded normal and nice, ( mind you, I was completely wrong about Philip Moss) but so far I don't see any problem with her and am wondering if the previous scenes concerning her were just to make us suspicious.
Rob, Philip, Tim, they were all nice and still think they are. Someone "nice" would be boring. We still don't know all about Joy and there was Bella and Jade...
I have never understood why Adam and Brian decided it would be a good idea to keep their plans secret. Adam and Ian have a happy marriage (at least I think it is) and surely people in happy marriages do not keep secrets from their other half. I don't think Adam and Ian will part over this however. They'll work it out but it may take a long time. Not sure about Leyla. She sounded very pleasant but is she too good to be true?
Brian didn't want to tell Jennifer during the trouble with Alice, as she would be even more upset that another of her children was leaving. He probably didn't want to explain what triggered it, Adam's "borrowing" of money and his accusations of favouring his other children. She still doesn't have to know any of it, but... As for Adam, he certainly didn't want to tell Ian that he was caught red-handed but now it has cost him a new job and Michael may spread the word.
Jenny will be so angry with both Adam + Brian, when she learns about what is going on, basically behind her back. She rarely see's Kate's children in S.Africa, has only limited access to Martha, so surely Xander cannot also be denied her love + attention. Who's left - Phoebe and Ruairi, who both do their own thing. If Ruairi is still lodging in Honeysuckle Cottage, will he be the one to tell her things?
I am still not convinced about Leyla? I have had a thought, in that, is this the same person Roy was talking to on-line or a stooge/stand in. By that I mean, was she someone just sent, to be Leyla for a short-time, so to totally win his attention...
She very well might be and so, Roy will be happy + content. I always read more into things than are needed. It is a very bad habit of mine, which I must stop doing. Sadly I have an overactive imagination....🤐🤐 from now on.
I just got a text from my sister: We listened to the Archers at dinner, JR was covering his ears in horror (LOL smiley) My reply: I quite agree, the worst kind of introduction possible! Oh well, some of us like to suffer... At least it's given me a laugh! The pompous Adam and Lynda!
You said it all ,Basia and P tbY How on earth could anybody recommend the programme ? I feel almost ashamed to be listening to it and rarely bother to catch up of I miss an episode.
I was going to start listening again as Alice’s problems don’t seem to be centre stage for a while. However reading all your comments I’m not sure it will be worth it!
Ian and Adam’s scenes might have been more believable and listenable if only Adam’s actor could actually act! He only seems able to portray two emotions; bored and patronising or outraged and angry. If he were to leave Ambridge in search of a new job, I shouldn’t miss him one bit.
I still enjoy TA, as addicted, and always will. I agree, it is not as it was, but times are changing. I actually admire the S/W's for keeping TA on air, throughout the pandemic. They are also reflecting life, as it is now. After all Ambridge cannot stay, in an earlier life-style.
I just hope that, in a very short time, depending on how recordings will be done, some of the absent characters + premises/business, will become prominent again. By that I include Oliver with Grey Gables, Tom + Natasha with their Bridge Fresh enterprise, Johnny with his cows at Bridge Farm with Tony + Pat, Kenton + Jolene at The Bull, Lilian with Ambridge Properties...etc. etc. It will take take time, which I totally accept. All that is being broadcast, along with the current S/L's, is still intriguing and I, although I might be alone, I am enjoying my nightly escapism.
You are not alone Miriam in enjoying T/A. I stick with it for entertainment and, although I may complain about certain characters and S/Ls, overall I like it otherwise I wouldn't listen anymore.
I am so glad to know, that I am not alone. I am intrigued with the Roy/Leyla S/L. It would be lovely if it was real and genuine. However, it could also be a set-up for a scam aimed at Roy This type, is so prevalent at the moment.
I like listening to TA too when it’s as well plotted and scripted as it was under Vanessa Whitburn and Sean O’Connor. I think the deterioration in quality is due to the low calibre of the current editor, and scriptwriters rather than lockdown restrictions. I keep listening because I hope it will improve and become fresh and engaging again but I never listen to an episode more than once.
What a load of tosh this evening. What was the point? If there is to be any change in the quality of writing it is a releif that it can only be in the direction of improvement , for we have surely hit rock bottom! 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
Monday's episode was far funnier than last night. They never do comedy right! The idea that Adam would admit to stealing money from his employer was really dumb! Ian calling Michael a liar added to the joke. Funny ha ha, I don't think! As for Layla one night refusing to complain to the waiter and then next night screaming like a Banshee at Phoebe was surreal. You couldn't believe it! I think Maryellen is right. The editor doesn't seem to have a plan and the scriptwriter are mostly useless. There are about three s/w's who have been employed for years and the newest ones (who amount too many of the writers) have no idea of character build-up, keep the character the same and novel storylines.
Yesterday an announcement was made that the episodes would be five a week coming from Sunday to Thursday! Sometime in August!
I should reiterate that I do like to have contrast in The Archers, drama, humour, everyday life. Joy getting around Lynda is vaguely amusing, Tracy ( where is she ?) can be very amusing, but last nights effort was not. I just found it formulaic, like a Whitehall Farce and a bit desperate. Surely the powers behind the Archers throne can do better than this?
Oh, and by the way, I hear rumours that there will be a return of the Sunday episodes on 15th August. Why Sunday and not Friday as most people seem to prefer……because then they can do the repeat on Mondays.
A townie with no idea about camping decides to do just that on a second date. First the innuendo about keeping warm in a tent and then by pure coincidence she meets both mother and daughter. I thought Kate was going to offer at least a night in a yurt. Anyway, Roy had already had an incident inside a tent which cost him his marriage and job, so he had a lucky escape this time with only a cow pat in the eye.
I also thought that Kate was about to offer a complementary yurt to Leyla and wasn’t surprised when the facial was spurned.Also,who left the gate open?
Whatever else last night's episode showed, one thing seemed obvious, well to my thinking. This was, that the re-wilding project is not as perfect as it sounds. Thank goodness Rex was available (despite his pigs + taxi work) to sort things out.
Sorry about the deletions, my comment got repeated for reasons unknown. I was saying the Iimagined Rex was in charge of the livestock and land management while Phoebe did all the admin. And remembering Portia’s point about the gate - was it Rex who left it open?
Miriam, if calves are left with their mothers and drink from them then the cows don't need milking, they develop the natural cycle they would have in the wild. Knepp castle have a semi feral herd of longhorns, and Isabella Tree writes about them in their book.
Now as it seems, that TA will be expanding back to 5 episodes a week, does this mean longer S/L's with more Ambridge residents, will become the norm. again. I hope so.
At first I was disappointed that it is Sunday, rather than Friday, but it means one thing:- Cricket + Tracy plus the cricket teas. If this happens, then at least some of more senior "missing" residents, will hopefully be heard whilst at the cricket ground...watching Ambridge getting beaten. I refer to Jim, Oliver, Jill, Justin, Lilian, Pat as an example.
Memo. to Rex Apologies for implying you might have left the field gate open, allowing the Longhorns to escape. I understand irresponsible visitors were to blame.
May I suggest that you routinely check gates etc to prevent a similar Carry on Camping episode in future. This would be much appreciated by the listening public.
Visitors to the countryside should read and learn the Countryside Code which says you should always close gates behind you. It shouldn’t be necessary to put up notices if people would only use common sense!
I would like Bert to do this, as a long time resident. Why should there be a "celeb" or Linda, to open it. I would prefer a true local and senior resident, to do the honours.
Lynda really has let the MBE go to her head hasn’t she. Thinking she is so important because of her gong that she should open the Fete herself. Her arrogance knows no bounds these days.
Do you know, I can’t remember when the explosion at GG was, last year before Covid lockdown, or the year before? It may well have been the case that the villagers wanted her to open the fete after her recovery but wasn’t last year’s cancelled? And the village did recommend her for the MBE. But , nobody has suggested Lynda should open this years fete as far as I recall, it’s just Lynda herself who thinks she is important enough. After last night’s hospital fiasco I’m not so sure Lynda is as on the ball as she thinks she is. But my memory, rapidly ageing, could be completely wrong.
She definitely was asked, and had to be persuaded, to come and make a speech for something but I don't think it was the fete, something to do with the new sign at the Bull I thought. Do you remember Basia?
Yes Janice you have remembered much better than me. Lynda was still in a wheelchair and didn't she feel she was not up to the occasion and left discreetly? How can she appoint herself to open the fete, getting ideas above her station.
I thought the Lynda and Lilian shenanigans over access to the celebrity were ludicrous and more the behaviour of two silly teens! If this is an attempt at comedy bring back the more believable ferrets! Maybe Eddy took them over from Joe. They were far funnier and more appropriate in a rural setting! Just lately, far from being an avid listener of TA with sacrosanct time set aside, I tend to have it on in the background whilst having a read or doing a suduko. It has become mundane and hardly worth listening to. I carry on listening in the hope of improvement! ☹️
I have just been called a whinger on another TA site for daring to criticise recent episodes and saying I would prefer the extra episode to be on a Friday rather than a Saturday. I was told I should be jolly grateful there will be 5 episodes a week and not moan about which day it’s on ( I was not moaning, just expressing a preference) I should not dare to criticise the scriptwriting, it was a good effort at lightening the mood and Wed and Thurs episodes were hilarious.
I must be on a different Archers planet! Or is it just that the critics to my post have not been listening to TA for many, many years and think the current quality of the programme is the norm? How sad!
I'm on the same planet as you Archerphile. At a stretch Monday might have been amusing but the rest of the week the absolute pit. I'd prefer a Friday's episode but as you said Sunday's will fit in with Monday's schedule and I'll probably listen then. Front Row have been given an extra 15 mins, probably to compensate for the cut of Saturday Review.
My comment above about the gates was about the townies who visit the place. In my day of horse and cart, the cows were kept as livestock and not for amusement. We had plenty of cowpats to navigate and gave them cute names.
I thought Lynda was saying that she would take responsibility for finding an appropriate celebrity, not that she would *be* the celebrity. Or did I mishear? I can't imagine the denizens of Ambridge turning out in force for the chance to get an autograpg from Lynda Snell, or even Dylan Nells should he choose to come out of retirement.
Gates: I think the Country Code says to shut gates if you open them but to leave open gates you find open. Not assume the previous walkers forgot to shut them and close them behind you - there were cases of livestock being unable to walk themselves in for milking/sleep/whatever because someone had 'helpfully' closed the gate for the farmer. Although I suppose it might be hard to know if the gate is open because the farmer wants it open, or because lazy walkers haven't shut it. Perhaps farmers already put signs on their gates telling people whether they are supposed to be shut or open.
OWiasS Yes, Lynda was going to find a celebrity to open the fete, hence the nonsense at the hospital when she planned to hijack the celeb they had to open whatever it was. As it turned out such a disaster and Lilian refused to help any further Lynda suddenly announced that she, herself, as the holder of an MBE would be the perfect ‘local celebrity’ to do the job!
So Archerphile is a supposedly a "whinger", according to another site...how awful. We all listen to, interpret and comment about TA, in our own ways and as to our different understanding and feelings. As long as posts give a point of view, in a suitable way without any vindictivness, then every-one has the right to comment... I so hate - name calling + labels.
I wonder what site that was, not that it actually matters. What I don't like, is that others has been so very not respectful, to AN Other giving their point of view. This I am sure, would have been truthfully told relating to the latest TA episodes. Some people, just do not respect, others.
At least 5 is a start. This is, as long as there are more sustainable Ambridge Village S/L's to make it viable. By that I mean, hearing life again in Grey Gables, The Bull, The Stables, Lower Loxley, Brookfield (with their wedding venue), plus all the normal characters who run these enterprises. If this doesn't happen, then expanding the number of epidodes, is pointless.
My after the Omnibus comments. There is just one. This is that, Roy declared it is the single life from now on. There is nothing wrong with that. After all, he has 2 daughters Phoebe + Abigail and has lost both his "loves", Hayley and Lexi.
But who knows after saying this. It only takes a chance meeting, such as Nick + Will at a bus-stop in the rain, to change his ideas. This also applies to Kirsty. I would hate them, to continue just be sharing, Willow Farm, ad-infintum...and into their dotage. Oops, that sounded like a Jim latin saying. 😣😯
*** FROM PREVIOUS BLOG ***
ReplyDeleteKPnuts - July 19, 2021 at 8:25 PM
Rather intense episode.
Will Kyle’s character be developed or will his moment of fame be brief as so many seem to be recently, thoroughly unpleasant so far, although I thought it was Vince at first.
Alice’s return caught me by surprise, the Aldridge household won’t be happy tonight!
MrsP Ambridge - July 20, 2021 at 1:15 AM
Alice's return probably caught us all off guard KP.
And as Miriam says, how did she get there ?
Brought back an awful lot of memories for me.
Very realistic performance from Alice.
Archerphile - July 19, 2021 at 10:34 PM
Yet another new character and a very unpleasant one this time.
I gather they were at The Bull, so why did no one else stick up for Helen and turf Kyle out of the pub? Surely others must have heard his nasty tirade?
MrsP Ambridge - July 20, 2021 at 1:11 AM
I thought this was the purpose of that scene being set in the Bull, so that the locals could stand up to him in defence of Helen.
Plus we might have heard from some more locals on ' freedom ' day.
A lost opportunity ?
Sometimes people prefer not to get involved. Emma was not there to stand up to Kyle like she did with Rob.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised by Alice's return and how, she hitched a lift and walked. I can understand her reasoning, she'll be an outcast forever, always under surveillance and rehab gave her a taste of just that. I don't believe though that she can do it on her own, as she doesn't think a drink or two goes amiss. Strange that unlike Gavin, they didn't pair her off with Alistair.
Thank you for the new page Gary.
ReplyDeleteRe Thé Bull - where is Kenton when you need him? I was certain that either Kenton or Jolene was going to make a rare appearance and ban Kyle from the pub.
I don’t like this story line at all. More bullying, another nasty, intolerant character.
I don’t know how Helen is going to deal with this, I appreciate she wants to show she is now strong and able to deal with blasts from the past but I think this invention of a nasty neighbour is totally unnecessary
And strangely, I had always imagined that the houses in Beechwood all had back gardens facing out over open countryside, or the Bridge Farm land. I had never thought that there would be a house behind Helen and Lees, with nosy neighbours able to keep tabs on them!.
I agree Archerphile that the scene with the new bully confronting Helen could have done with Kenton and/or Jolene intervening. The unpleasant rant could have been interrupted by Helen's supporters but instead he was allowed to carry on. What a nasty piece of work he sounds.
ReplyDeleteI too had imagined that the houses where Helen and Lee live would look out over open fields and woodland and not be like an estate with houses directly behind. What a nasty situation to have a person like him living so close by.
Alice turning up was a big surprise and I'd thought we wouldn't hear from her for months. She can't kick drink on her own and desperately needs help from somewhere.
Seems we have a new set of sound-alikes: Vince, Mr Possibly Now Married PE Teacher, and Kyle the bully. I wonder if they're related in any way?
ReplyDeletePerhaps the delightful Kyle will trip up and fall face first in a cow-pat on the way home.
Second thoughts, he'd probably get the pat DNA tested and then sue the offending cow's owner for allowing said bovine to soil the highway of this peaceful, middleclass village. Have to put your foot down somewhere (preferably not in a cowpat) or, before you know it, people will be growing crops and keeping livestock all over the place. Villages are for villagers, not muddy, uncouth farmers. Or was there something the estate agent didn't tell me when I signed up for my bijoux semi on the Beechwood Estate?
Some time back Helen complained about the kids from Beechwood who had done something dreadful. Well she's been hoisted by her own petard!
ReplyDeleteI have a horrible feeling that one or two 'extras' may have a permanent fixture and then it will be like the many soaps we have on all TV channels. Heaven's above!
I'm inclined to agree with you about new extra characters Spicey.
DeleteMy thoughts are, that these are just, short-term fill in characters.
DeleteHere today then Gone tomorrow.
These are filling in the gaps for others, who for whatever reason are not recording.
Remember, all these episodes have been recorded weeks ago, under guidelines at that time.
At least the SW's have given us alternative and different, characters + S/L's to think about.
When Alan mentioned Amy a while ago I said she might come back, well not exactly, but play a part.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it's "the tall one" then?
Yes Basia, I thought so too.
ReplyDeleteKirsty and Phoebe need to look more closely at those photographs.
Well that was fortuitous
ReplyDeleteAmy's flat mate has just moved out .....
Who will payAlice's portion of the rent ?
Brian I suppose.
What does Alice do when Amy is working?
Drink a bottle or two of vodka?
Who thinks up these daft plots.?
On the other hand if Ihad had such a ridiculous mother as Jenny I might have wanted to go and live in Nottingham too.
I have missed something.
Who is the married male tall PE teacher ?
I thought they were looking at female teachers.
Lanjan, male, tall PE teacher to be married was the one stuck in the back of Eddie's limo.
DeleteThe three that Phoebe and Kirsty were looking at were all female so far, but one exceptionally tall, so if 'T' that would be her.
When I heard that Kirsty was digging I thought it might be more about 'the horses' but they seem to have bolted, though got a mention from Kyle yesterday.
Basia, now its you and me who are both guilty of stereotyping !
DeleteSo the Ambridge Fairy rides to the rescue again - this time in the guise of Alan.
ReplyDeleteHow fortuitous!
And as for Jennifer- her ‘oh dahrlings’ would send me away too.
I wanted to hit Jennifer dahrling tonight more than ever before.
DeleteGo Alice Go !
So, we’ve got:
DeleteJenny Darling
Jazzer Hen
Neil Grunt
Lynda Sniff
Pat Only Soup
Any other vocal characteristics?
(It’s the silly season!)
Jill - giggle
DeleteLilian - cackle
Ruth - oh noo
Eddie - Clarrie love
Robert - Lyndiee
I thought:
DeleteJill Shrill
Adam Drone
David Moan. (Or could be Emma Moan)
Lee Youthful
Brian Outrage
Justin Cough ( sounds as if he needs to)
Lilian Boozy
That’s a good start! And how about Jim O Tempora (or Latin quote of your choice)?
DeleteI wonder if Usha is going to make a return ( as predicted by Spicy) as a solicitor acting for Helen re Kyle’s slanderous writing about her in the blog - or In connection with Alice staying with Amy.
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps to fulfil the BBC’s commitment to diversity?
DeleteThe casting policy on diversity might explain Amy’s reappearencre too.
DeleteInteresesting thought about diversity.
DeleteI am standing by my thoughts, that there should be a resident in Ambridge, who is registered disabled.
This could be for so many reasons...
Perhaps Alice will let Brian negotiate with rehab, so he can recover some of the money to pay her board and lodgings away from Ambridge.
ReplyDeleteA very sad outcome...
ReplyDeleteOverthinking by Christopher equals a lost opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAnd that specific opportunity will never return because the act of leaving Ambridge for Nottingham will have changed the dynamic for Alice.
Very sad !
And that is the second week that we have had something of a cliff hanger on Wednesday rather than Thursday.
Yes, it seems to be quite frequent now, perhaps to make up for the quantity, they try to make things more dramatic, let's see what we get tonight.
DeleteChristopher is rational and Alice impulsive, these characteristics can be both positive and negative, but it's true that once something is said or done it cannot be reversed.
Good that Helen got me better of her detractor though it would have been more satisfying if she had not resorted to blackmail based on a lie to do it. Hopefully that’s the end of that brief storyline and Kyle will be heard no more. I agree with you, LanJan, about Lee being ineffectual.
ReplyDelete...got the better!
DeleteSo perhaps Lee’s name should be Lee Usless?
ReplyDeleteLee was in a difficult position though because Helen had hamstrung him by insisting she wanted to deal with Kyle herself. Lee is a martial arts expert, and although trained to use their expertise only as a last resort in an altercation, he could have flattened the Kyle easily.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder if Helen is going to act as too much of a controlling anchor on Lee.
I think It’s a circular argument - maybe the reason or part of the reason Helen said she would handle Kyle herself was because she didn’t want impetuous Lee using his martial arts inappropriately and flattening Kyle - with all the unfortunate repercussions that could bring. Perhaps better ineffectual than having the wrong effect?
DeleteQuick thinking on Helen's part to come up with that fake photo story. Let us hope that we hear no more from that nasty character Lyle.
ReplyDeleteSo sad that Chris missed an opportunity to see Alice. It might just have proved a turning point in their love story.
I am slightly confused about the Kyle ending.
ReplyDeleteWhen Phil bought the Beechwood house, Kirsty loved the big back garden and was planning to plant trees, well as I recall.
If this was the case, then how did Lee see a strange woman in the spare bedroom?
It was definitely poetic licence, and I admired Helen.
For 2 reasons:-
Her quick thinking as the photo bluff......and
She at last, stood up to a hard faced man, and won. This must have helped her bury a lot of her previous experiences.
This shows how stable she feels with Lee.
Miriam - ✔️✔️✔️
DeleteLee is long sighted
DeleteKirsty is short sighted
Phil bought bonsai trees by mistake
I was very disappointed by the salacious gossip and blackmail, but if that's the only means to remove Kyle, so be it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fill-in but as I have already said, was it done to show that Helen has changed, and no longer feels intimidated - or was that just coincidental?
DeleteAbsolutely agree with you, Basia.The episode didn’t show either Lee or Helen in the best of lights. But although Joy succeeded in talking Kyle into taking down his defamatory posts, the same method wasn’t going to win for Helen. So sadly it took blackmail, which seemed to come easily to them both.
DeleteMaybe it was a fill-in but Helen hasn't been timid for long.
DeleteHelen made Hayley's life a misery when John died by working with Tom in keeping pigs alive. Then she told Hayley that she was to leave the room because they were 'family matters.'
Then she told Tony how she failed to get him onside about the AI thing.. so he wouldn't see the baby. When Pat found out about her moving in with Rob she said they would never see the baby again. She has been a spoilt brat all along!
.Portia.At long last I’ve made it back to the blog though I’ve been following regularly.I am with Miriam on this one.Well done, Helen.
ReplyDeleteI may be on my own here but I thought the whole Helen/Kyle thing was ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHow would Helen have felt had the woman been Kyle's sister or even his mother?
I presume they were not standing in front of the window showing how they feel about each other.
Would anyone who was having an illicit affair in his own home not even close the bedroom curtains?
Sorry .I thought that was daft and do not admire Helen.
No you are not alone! I think the story line of Kyle and Helen was ridiculous.
DeleteAs they haven't been a couple of years I doubt the trees wouldn't have grown much, even Leylandi wouldn't have grown then!
Pity they didn't have net curtains!
Pity that Helen said that the kids from the' scum estate' are now neighbours of their own. Lovely neighbours to have: Kyle and Joy!
I don’t think Kyle and Joy can be bracketed. She is very far from being the objectionable neighbour that he is. In fact, I think she is a lovely neighbour in that she is kind and generous with her time, advice and worldly goods, plus she was a model of sensitivity when staying with Helen at the latter’s request while Lee made his abortive visit to Kyle. She has come out of this storyline in a better light than H&L.
DeleteThe other thing we learned from last night was that Rory is still dead set on leaving Ambridge. So Brian Aldridge is losing three of his children, Adam to a new job, Alice to Nottingham, and Rory to London, in addition to losing Debbie to Hungary. That just leaves Kate on the Home Farm fringe. Serves him right!
Quality not quantity.
DeleteAh, no, it's Kate who's staying. Perhaps she'll decide that Spiritual Home needs a new vibe and set of on a year long world tour in search of inspiration. Can you buy pop-up back-packing yurts?
Very interesting interview with Gareth Pierce (Gavin Moss) in next week’s radio Times talking about accents and how he makes his role in TA and the new role in Coronation Street sound different, even though they are both Welsh characters. He is a native Welsh speaker and went to the Welsh College of Art and Drama
ReplyDeleteAs a Corrie St. viewer, I have totally forgotten that the character Gavin Pierce now plays, was once Gavin Moss in Ambridge.
DeleteThere are no similarities and shows what a good actor he is.
Now for a cliffhanger we have straight face lying (though at least we know it's not infidelity) and cheating.
ReplyDeleteWhat a boring episode that was!
ReplyDeleteThe only good point was Ben, saying that he is now on the nursing course.
The rest was just not interesting, well to me.
So Adam is being secretive again, but what's new.
I'm with you Miriam. Again !
ReplyDeleteAll that stuff in a nightclub ? Give me strength !
Do we have to go through this ?
And Ian being suspicious caused by anguish at Adams secrecy.
This is the pattern of your relationship Ian.
Get used to it.
Portia / unknown
ReplyDeleteWelcome back.
Sorry your having problems.
Now that you've made it, I hope the problems are sorted.
Can somebody tell me what those scenes with Ruairi and Ben were all about? I didn’t have a clue what was going on, where they were or who they were talking about!
ReplyDeleteAs for Ian and Adam, I despair. Poor Ian thinking Adam is cheating on him, again,
What is the matter with Adam, can’t he see how much he is hurting his husband and how that will reflect 'on Zander. He really is a thick as two short planks emotionally.
PORTIA
DeleteThank you, Mrs P. Got in via a new google account, but not sure if it is all ok,so avoiding signing out.
I was disappointed in to night’s episode,especially,the Ben/Ruiri segments when it was sometimes hard to distinguish between the voices..Also,I found Adam’s casual lies irritating. No doubt there will be some fraught scenes ahead before he finally comes clean to Ian.
Meaning of Ben/Ruairi episode? Simples - one or both of them has caught Covid and will go on to infect the whole of Ambridge.
DeleteThinking again about last nights episode - just who were the night club shenanigans scenes aimed at? Was this another BBC effort at trying to attract ‘yoof’ listeners? Because I don’t think such tactics are going to work.
ReplyDeleteAmongst my personal acquaintances nobody under the age of around 40 has the slightest interest in listening to TA and the younger ones only use radio for music.
So Ben and Ruairi’s activities were, as far as I am concerned, inexplicable and a waste of airtime.
It was all about money, sex and lies. Adam chasing after money disregarding Ian's feelings, who thinks it's sex and lying.
ReplyDeleteRuairi used his sexual charm on Spence to gain entry and he's dreaming of megabucks in London.
Jennifer will be unconsolable that another one of her children is leaving the fold.
Maryellen, having read your post, I was thinking of Alice and Adam as I always assumed that Ruairi would leave and Debbie had done long ago.
DeleteWhat irritated me was the dropped 't' (plural) whenever Ruairi said Nottingham. It was so put on and fake that it grated on me. Sounded as if he's taken in by 'influencers' and that kind of empty lifestyle culture. I agree with Archerphile that it will not work to attract the yoof audience that the BBC craves.
DeleteSo Ruairi will now go off the rails, causing more angst for Brian + Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteCan they cope with this, along with Alice, Martha etc. and whatever Adam is up to?
Hence my continuing thought, that Brian - not forgetting his Berrow Farm commitments along with Pheobe and the re-wilding - will have a health problem, be it minor or major, which will help bring them all to their senses...
My prediction is an angina attack..
Delete..not that I actually wish this, obviously.
DeletePortia - welcome back aboard!
ReplyDeletePORTIA.
DeleteThank you very much Gary.I’m pleased to be back,but don’t know how to get rid of the ‘Unknown’ bit.
Don't worry Portia...... we know it's you when we see Unknown
DeletePortia. Are you android or i-phone?
ReplyDeleteI know how to do this on android, which I think also works on a pc.
It's great to see your posts about TA.
The only way I know is:-
DeleteHighlight + click on your name Unknown. This should bring you onto your profile. Scroll down and there will be a box saying "display as" or similar.
Enter your name then save.
I am not sure if this will help you but it just might. 🤞
PS You might need to find Edit Profile (top R Hand corner).
DeleteThank you ladies for your help and suggestions.Will see if this helps.
DeleteI can see the lovely name, Portia, again.
DeleteSo far, so good. 👍
I have always liked Fallon,considering her to be straightforward and dependable,so was disappointed when she renaged on her promise to Alice by telling Chris about the plan for the move to stay with Amy.No doubt it was with the best of intentions but caused great distress to Chris by leaving it so late.perhaps,when he calms down and gets his thoughts straight he may consider writing to Alice as it is often easier to express oneself accurately that way than face to face when emotions are high.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your suggestion re writing Portia.
DeleteHowever, it's Radio, the wireless, how would you suggest the SW do this ?
I am really interested in how it could be done, not criticising.
I do agree with what you are saying Mrs.P. I suppose we would have to hear them sharing the contents of any correspondence aloud with whoever they are with. at the time.Probably feasible now and again.
ReplyDeleteReading a letter.aloud to oneself while writing it (or repeating it aloud if you’re the recipient) has been standard behaviour in stage productions for centuries, if not in real life. Either that, or give a summary (i’ve told her..../He says that...). Same with emails, text messages etc. In productions set in the present.
DeleteI think that Fallon was right to tell Chris, as surely as Alice is still his wife, and mother to Martha, he deserved to know.
ReplyDeleteWhat he does now, is up to him, but at least he has a choice and knows where Alice is, for the short-term.
Both Fallon + Harrison have been confidants to both Alice + Chris, so what Fallon did, was out of true friendship.
There has been enough secrets kept about Alice, which if they had been known, the situation now might have been different.
Who knows?
What concerns me is that, Amy as a midwife, does not have a 9-5 job, so will away for very many hours at a time.
DeleteThis will give Alice the time to do, exactly what she wants.
PS How is she funding her chosen life-style?
On listening to the omnibus today, something was clarified for me. This was to do with Alice.
ReplyDeleteShe did, at least, go into re-hab but then withdrew her consent, so left.
I misunderstood the situation...
Who will take over as Manager at Home Farm, now that Alice has left, and Adam is now working part-time along with job hunting?
ReplyDeleteBrian cannot do it all himself, surely.
Two scenarios:-
DeleteAdam doesn't leave....or..
Debbie returns (but played by a different actress).
You were right about Adam.
DeleteWell said Ian.
ReplyDeleteA lesson in etiquette for Leyla.
I'm sure she had a daughter last time, now it's two boys.
Two new characters, one just gone, the other one to stay?
Roy should be wary. All is not as it seems.Leyla played her part so well, that is the innocent and naive person, even though she is meant to be a teacher. By that I mean, she should be able to stand up for herself and be firm.
DeleteI don't trust her...
I was a teacher, and I think at times I'd put up with what I was given rather than 'making a fuss.'
DeleteShe seemed nice to me. But then I liked Mr Moss...
I don't remember what was said before about her children. If you've remembered correctly Basia, good spot! What are the script writers planning?
Poor Roy deserves a decent relationship for once. No hope of Hayley returning. Is the stage being set for Roy and Kirsty after all?
Ha! I’m so pleased that Ian confronted Adam at his meeting. It serves Adam right for constantly keeping secrets from his husband, whom he should trust enough to confide in.
ReplyDeleteAnd he has been hoist own his own petard about the ‘borrowing’ money from the estate.
It has come back to bite him, lost him the job he wanted so badly and also let Ian know where the money for the roof repairs came from.
I have wanted Adam to have a fall for a long time and tonight it happened.
Good!
But I just hope Ian and Xander will be OK. If Adam and Ian were to split, what would happen to the little boy? As Adam is his biological father would he have more right to take custody? If so, Ian would be distraught and I should fear for his mental health and his future.
I don't think Ian and Adam will separate but it's a time for "rethink".
ReplyDeleteAs for Leyla's daughter, that's how I remember it, but will I go back to check?
Regarding Leyla, I was just relieved to hear that she sounded normal and nice, ( mind you, I was completely wrong about Philip Moss) but so far I don't see any problem with her and am wondering if the previous scenes concerning her were just to make us suspicious.
DeleteRob, Philip, Tim, they were all nice and still think they are. Someone "nice" would be boring.
DeleteWe still don't know all about Joy and there was Bella and Jade...
I have never understood why Adam and Brian decided it would be a good idea to keep their plans secret. Adam and Ian have a happy marriage (at least I think it is) and surely people in happy marriages do not keep secrets from their other half. I don't think Adam and Ian will part over this however. They'll work it out but it may take a long time.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about Leyla. She sounded very pleasant but is she too good to be true?
Brian didn't want to tell Jennifer during the trouble with Alice, as she would be even more upset that another of her children was leaving. He probably didn't want to explain what triggered it, Adam's "borrowing" of money and his accusations of favouring his other children. She still doesn't have to know any of it, but...
DeleteAs for Adam, he certainly didn't want to tell Ian that he was caught red-handed but now it has cost him a new job and Michael may spread the word.
Jenny will be so angry with both Adam + Brian, when she learns about what is going on, basically behind her back.
DeleteShe rarely see's Kate's children in S.Africa, has only limited access to Martha, so surely Xander cannot also be denied her love + attention.
Who's left - Phoebe and Ruairi, who both do their own thing.
If Ruairi is still lodging in Honeysuckle Cottage, will he be the one to tell her things?
I have said before - there have been many secrets in Ambridgde recently, all in the same family..not a good thing, as only leads to heartache + angst.
DeleteI am still not convinced about Leyla?
ReplyDeleteI have had a thought, in that, is this the same person Roy was talking to on-line or a stooge/stand in. By that I mean, was she someone just sent, to be Leyla for a short-time, so to totally win his attention...
There are few enough likeable characters in The Archers. Please let Leyla be one!
ReplyDeleteShe very well might be and so, Roy will be happy + content.
DeleteI always read more into things than are needed. It is a very bad habit of mine, which I must stop doing.
Sadly I have an overactive imagination....🤐🤐 from now on.
Adam's free of Home Farm, so what will he do, help Ian with his van idea?
ReplyDeleteI just got a text from my sister: We listened to the Archers at dinner, JR was covering his ears in horror (LOL smiley) My reply: I quite agree, the worst kind of introduction possible! Oh well, some of us like to suffer...
ReplyDeleteAt least it's given me a laugh! The pompous Adam and Lynda!
🤮🤮🤮 to all of it tonight.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteYou said it all ,Basia and P tbY
DeleteHow on earth could anybody recommend the programme ?
I feel almost ashamed to be listening to it and rarely bother to catch up of I miss an episode.
I was going to start listening again as Alice’s problems don’t seem to be centre stage for a while. However reading all your comments I’m not sure it will be worth it!
ReplyDeleteMy feelings exactly Soz.
DeleteIan and Adam’s scenes might have been more believable and listenable if only Adam’s actor could actually act!
ReplyDeleteHe only seems able to portray two emotions; bored and patronising or outraged and angry.
If he were to leave Ambridge in search of a new job, I shouldn’t miss him one bit.
Ian is not much bette4 - his emotional range is limited too.
ReplyDeleteI still enjoy TA, as addicted, and always will.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is not as it was, but times are changing.
I actually admire the S/W's for keeping TA on air, throughout the pandemic.
They are also reflecting life, as it is now. After all Ambridge cannot stay, in an earlier life-style.
I just hope that, in a very short time, depending on how recordings will be done, some of the absent characters + premises/business, will become prominent again.
By that I include Oliver with Grey Gables, Tom + Natasha with their Bridge Fresh enterprise, Johnny with his cows at Bridge Farm with Tony + Pat, Kenton + Jolene at The Bull, Lilian with Ambridge Properties...etc. etc.
It will take take time, which I totally accept.
All that is being broadcast, along with the current S/L's, is still intriguing and I, although I might be alone, I am enjoying my nightly escapism.
You are not alone Miriam in enjoying T/A. I stick with it for entertainment and, although I may complain about certain characters and S/Ls, overall I like it otherwise I wouldn't listen anymore.
DeleteI am so glad to know, that I am not alone.
DeleteI am intrigued with the Roy/Leyla S/L.
It would be lovely if it was real and genuine. However, it could also be a set-up for a scam aimed at Roy
This type, is so prevalent at the moment.
I like listening to TA too when it’s as well plotted and scripted as it was under Vanessa Whitburn and Sean O’Connor. I think the deterioration in quality is due to the low calibre of the current editor, and scriptwriters rather than lockdown restrictions. I keep listening because I hope it will improve and become fresh and engaging again but I never listen to an episode more than once.
DeleteYesterday it was Shakespeare, cow pats and philology...
ReplyDeleteToday just cow pats...
Ha ha ha
Thought I'd give The Archers a try this evening, I'm afraid that I won't be in a hurry to do it again.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of tosh this evening. What was the point?
ReplyDeleteIf there is to be any change in the quality of writing it is a releif that it can only be in the direction of improvement , for we have surely hit rock bottom!
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
The Archers does slapstick!
ReplyDeleteWas that supposed to be funny?
Reminded me of one of Ernie Wise’s plays ‘wot he wrote’ for a Morecambe and Wise Show.
Carry on Camping,Ambridge style ,and probably the end of Roy’s hopes for a beautiful
ReplyDeletefriendship.
Monday's episode was far funnier than last night. They never do comedy right!
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Adam would admit to stealing money from his employer was really dumb! Ian calling Michael a liar added to the joke. Funny ha ha, I don't think!
As for Layla one night refusing to complain to the waiter and then next night screaming like a Banshee at Phoebe was surreal. You couldn't believe it!
I think Maryellen is right. The editor doesn't seem to have a plan and the scriptwriter are mostly useless. There are about three s/w's who have been employed for years and the newest ones (who amount too many of the writers) have no idea of character build-up, keep the character the same and novel storylines.
Yesterday an announcement was made that the episodes would be five a week coming from Sunday to Thursday! Sometime in August!
I should reiterate that I do like to have contrast in The Archers, drama, humour, everyday life.
ReplyDeleteJoy getting around Lynda is vaguely amusing, Tracy ( where is she ?) can be very amusing, but last nights effort was not.
I just found it formulaic, like a Whitehall Farce and a bit desperate.
Surely the powers behind the Archers throne can do better than this?
Oh, and by the way, I hear rumours that there will be a return of the Sunday episodes on 15th August. Why Sunday and not Friday as most people seem to prefer……because then they can do the repeat on Mondays.
Sorry to repeat you Spicy, your post was not there when I started typing.
DeleteGreat minds think alike!
DeleteA townie with no idea about camping decides to do just that on a second date. First the innuendo about keeping warm in a tent and then by pure coincidence she meets both mother and daughter. I thought Kate was going to offer at least a night in a yurt.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Roy had already had an incident inside a tent which cost him his marriage and job, so he had a lucky escape this time with only a cow pat in the eye.
I also thought that Kate was about to offer a complementary yurt to Leyla and wasn’t surprised when the facial was spurned.Also,who left the gate open?
ReplyDeleteWhatever else last night's episode showed, one thing seemed obvious, well to my thinking.
ReplyDeleteThis was, that the re-wilding project is not as perfect as it sounds. Thank goodness Rex was available (despite his pigs + taxi work) to sort things out.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteExcuse my ignorance, but why don't the Longhorn cows need milking??
DeleteIs it that they don't have calves. - no idea.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSorry about the deletions, my comment got repeated for reasons unknown. I was saying the Iimagined Rex was in charge of the livestock and land management while Phoebe did all the admin. And remembering Portia’s point about the gate - was it Rex who left it open?
DeleteMiriam, if calves are left with their mothers and drink from them then the cows don't need milking, they develop the natural cycle they would have in the wild. Knepp castle have a semi feral herd of longhorns, and Isabella Tree writes about them in their book.
DeleteI can add nothing but agree with other comments.
ReplyDeleteDire !
I actually enjoyed it....but that's my usual wierd way..😀
DeleteNow as it seems, that TA will be expanding back to 5 episodes a week, does this mean longer S/L's with more Ambridge residents, will become the norm. again.
ReplyDeleteI hope so.
At first I was disappointed that it is Sunday, rather than Friday, but it means one thing:-
Cricket + Tracy plus the cricket teas. If this happens, then at least some of more senior "missing" residents, will hopefully be heard whilst at the cricket ground...watching Ambridge getting beaten.
I refer to Jim, Oliver, Jill, Justin, Lilian, Pat as an example.
Does Lee play cricket?
DeleteIf so, a new team member and a future potential captain.
I'm so glad this week is over...
ReplyDeleteMemo. to Rex
ReplyDeleteApologies for implying you might have left the field gate open, allowing the Longhorns to escape. I understand irresponsible visitors were to blame.
May I suggest that you routinely check gates etc to prevent a similar Carry on Camping episode in future. This would be much appreciated by the listening public.
Thank you.
Mary Ellen
I'm not sure I'd have closed the gate, there should have been a sign
DeleteAs I hinted at earlier - Lack of attention to detail or even a type of mis-management....
DeleteVisitors to the countryside should read and learn the Countryside Code which says you should always close gates behind you.
DeleteIt shouldn’t be necessary to put up notices if people would only use common sense!
Follow up memo. to Rex
DeletePlease ensure that:
Your PLEASE SHUT THIS GATE signs are clearly visible and the gate’s closing mechanism is easy to operate.
Literature containing dos and don’ts for visit includes shutting gates, available other languages, Braille, audio, and BSL
Gates to areas containing livestock are frequently checked because none of the above measures will prevent some visitors leaving gates open.
Listeners will then be spared a repeat of last nights episode.
Thank you
Mary Ellen
R
Who to open the village fete?
ReplyDeleteI would like Bert to do this, as a long time resident. Why should there be a "celeb" or Linda, to open it.
I would prefer a true local and senior resident, to do the honours.
A very good idea Miriam.
DeletePlease write to Lynda and tell her to stop being ridiculous.
Lynda really has let the MBE go to her head hasn’t she.
ReplyDeleteThinking she is so important because of her gong that she should open the Fete herself.
Her arrogance knows no bounds these days.
I thought Lynda was asked to open the fete after her accident because people were sorry for her. Have I get that wrong?
DeleteDo you know, I can’t remember when the explosion at GG was, last year before Covid lockdown, or the year before? It may well have been the case that the villagers wanted her to open the fete after her recovery but wasn’t last year’s cancelled?
DeleteAnd the village did recommend her for the MBE.
But , nobody has suggested Lynda should open this years fete as far as I recall, it’s just Lynda herself who thinks she is important enough.
After last night’s hospital fiasco I’m not so sure Lynda is as on the ball as she thinks she is.
But my memory, rapidly ageing, could be completely wrong.
She definitely was asked, and had to be persuaded, to come and make a speech for something but I don't think it was the fete, something to do with the new sign at the Bull I thought. Do you remember Basia?
DeleteYes Janice you have remembered much better than me. Lynda was still in a wheelchair and didn't she feel she was not up to the occasion and left discreetly?
DeleteHow can she appoint herself to open the fete, getting ideas above her station.
(Miriam see my reply of 10.14pm)
ReplyDeleteI thought the Lynda and Lilian shenanigans over access to the celebrity were ludicrous and more the behaviour of two silly teens! If this is an attempt at comedy bring back the more believable ferrets! Maybe Eddy took them over from Joe. They were far funnier and more appropriate in a rural setting! Just lately, far from being an avid listener of TA with sacrosanct time set aside, I tend to have it on in the background whilst having a read or doing a suduko. It has become mundane and hardly worth listening to. I carry on listening in the hope of improvement! ☹️
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly Ev.
DeleteWhen we thought the programme had sunk to a new low we hear an episode like last night's .
ReplyDeletePathetic but predictable .
I have just been called a whinger on another TA site for daring to criticise recent episodes and saying I would prefer the extra episode to be on a Friday rather than a Saturday.
ReplyDeleteI was told I should be jolly grateful there will be 5 episodes a week and not moan about which day it’s on ( I was not moaning, just expressing a preference)
I should not dare to criticise the scriptwriting, it was a good effort at lightening the mood and
Wed and Thurs episodes were hilarious.
I must be on a different Archers planet! Or is it just that the critics to my post have not been listening to TA for many, many years and think the current quality of the programme is the norm?
How sad!
I'm on the same planet as you Archerphile. At a stretch Monday might have been amusing but the rest of the week the absolute pit.
DeleteI'd prefer a Friday's episode but as you said Sunday's will fit in with Monday's schedule and I'll probably listen then. Front Row have been given an extra 15 mins, probably to compensate for the cut of Saturday Review.
My comment above about the gates was about the townies who visit the place. In my day of horse and cart, the cows were kept as livestock and not for amusement. We had plenty of cowpats to navigate and gave them cute names.
Absolutely my planet too.
DeletePlease may I climb on to your planet, or is it getting rather crowded ?
DeleteThe more the merrier Mrs P. Space reserved for true Archers afficionados! Climb aboard.
DeleteOne more for your planet!
DeleteI thought Lynda was saying that she would take responsibility for finding an appropriate celebrity, not that she would *be* the celebrity. Or did I mishear? I can't imagine the denizens of Ambridge turning out in force for the chance to get an autograpg from Lynda Snell, or even Dylan Nells should he choose to come out of retirement.
ReplyDeleteGates: I think the Country Code says to shut gates if you open them but to leave open gates you find open. Not assume the previous walkers forgot to shut them and close them behind you - there were cases of livestock being unable to walk themselves in for milking/sleep/whatever because someone had 'helpfully' closed the gate for the farmer.
Although I suppose it might be hard to know if the gate is open because the farmer wants it open, or because lazy walkers haven't shut it. Perhaps farmers already put signs on their gates telling people whether they are supposed to be shut or open.
OWiasS
DeleteYes, Lynda was going to find a celebrity to open the fete, hence the nonsense at the hospital when she planned to hijack the celeb they had to open whatever it was.
As it turned out such a disaster and Lilian refused to help any further Lynda suddenly announced that she, herself, as the holder of an MBE would be the perfect ‘local celebrity’ to do the job!
Our experience is that farmers fix the gates open if they want them left that way.
ReplyDeleteJanice.
ReplyDeleteI have seen, see my reply at 10.14pm. Sadly I can't see it 😩
So Archerphile is a supposedly a "whinger", according to another site...how awful.
ReplyDeleteWe all listen to, interpret and comment about TA, in our own ways and as to our different understanding and feelings.
As long as posts give a point of view, in a suitable way without any vindictivness, then every-one has the right to comment...
I so hate - name calling + labels.
I wonder what site that was, not that it actually matters.
DeleteWhat I don't like, is that others has been so very not respectful, to AN Other giving their point of view.
This I am sure, would have been truthfully told relating to the latest TA episodes.
Some people, just do not respect, others.
Yes, I just heard it on Feedback, back to 5 episodes from Sunday 15 August.
ReplyDeleteThey are hoping for 6 but don't know when.
At least 5 is a start. This is, as long as there are more sustainable Ambridge Village S/L's to make it viable.
DeleteBy that I mean, hearing life again in Grey Gables, The Bull, The Stables, Lower Loxley, Brookfield (with their wedding venue), plus all the normal characters who run these enterprises. If this doesn't happen, then expanding the number of epidodes, is pointless.
Now breathe..😃
My after the Omnibus comments. There is just one.
ReplyDeleteThis is that, Roy declared it is the single life from now on.
There is nothing wrong with that. After all, he has 2 daughters Phoebe + Abigail and has lost both his "loves", Hayley and Lexi.
But who knows after saying this. It only takes a chance meeting, such as Nick + Will at a bus-stop in the rain, to change his ideas.
This also applies to Kirsty.
I would hate them, to continue just be sharing, Willow Farm, ad-infintum...and into their dotage.
Oops, that sounded like a Jim latin saying. 😣😯
Surely ,eventually ,Kirsty and Roy are going to get together .
ReplyDeleteI suspect I am not the only one who has thought this will happen.