Life in Ambridge
Which one does Pat choose?
Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
Nothing to do with the current story-line but rather cute
ArcherphileApril 14, 2023 at 9:54 PM
ReplyDeleteCan George get any worse?
At least Brad has seen through him at long last and I sincerely hope Oliver does too.
REPLYDELETE
Proud to be Yorkshire.April 14, 2023 at 10:23 PM
Right , I predict titchner will come back to attempt to see Jack and Pat will do him in. How Bridge farm will continue without the supply of “ only soup” to feed em when Pat’s in the clink I can’t imagine. 🤭
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PortiaApril 14, 2023 at 11:17 PM
Oliver is very generous and kind but he is far from stupid.and I too think that he doesn’t trust George,who he can’t have forgotten,feigned ignorance about the Grey Gables break in when it first came to light,and as already mentioned, spent tonight’s conversation mainly bad ,mouthing Brad.It remains to be seen how the repair job on Caroline’s bench pans out,but it is outrageous that George expects Oliver to pay anything at all towards the costs.
Lady RApril 15, 2023 at 12:37 AM
ReplyDeletePatricia Gallimore (Pat) will be 79yrs in August are we heading for her exit next! Either to prison or getting herself killed. I’ve not been aware of her nights of torment in recent times…
George - I detest you and hope that was Oliver sussing out the real George towards the end of the episode (the conniving so and so!)
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maryellenApril 15, 2023 at 6:20 AM
I know Pat has had mental health issues in the past but not as extreme as this gun thing. How would it help anyone or anything to repeat the Helen in the dock/iprison scenario for murder/attempted murder of Rob, with Pat instead of Helen? Or is she just going to wave it? Stale thinking, scriptwriters!
Just missed the changeover, so will repeat.
DeleteWhy bring a gun into it and where from?
Will he, like before, put it into her hand?
Oliver was also testing Brad by telling him that George has been to see him first.
ReplyDeleteYes, no time to waste about getting his money.
Can't understand how George is turning out so badly with caring grandparents (Eddie a bit of a chancer but basically good-hearted I think) and three parents doing their best.
ReplyDeleteI found the Rob thing last time too intense and ended up having a break from listening. I hope Pat doesn't do anything over the top. Lee with his judo/ taekwondo? would be the one to tackle Rob and send him packing.
Ambridge is such a depressing place and there seems to be no let up.
ReplyDeleteGreat Scott KP you frightened the life out of me 🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteWhich one's the Kalashnikov?
ReplyDeleteKP forgot to include an old fashioned catapult, borrowed from one of the boys, perhaps.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteLady RApril 15, 2023 at 8:40 AM
‼️Todays Saturday Daily Mail tv book has THE ARCHERS on the front cover and a double page spread inside (yet to read) I thought at first it was a spoof but no a real article about the grittty issues now covered and some of the actors commenting why this has to be to carry the programme onwards.
Will return…….
Thanks a lot KP 👏🏻
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine Pat shooting a gun to harm anyone - even Rob!
ReplyDeleteShe is more likely to swing it by the barrel and knock him out.
I still have my theory which I am sticking to, in that Rob has no interest in getting anywhere near either Helen or Jess, as why repeat the history of years ago?
He will return to the USA to his "perfect" wife and kids, who do exactly what he says..
I have said this elsewhere also...which some might have seen.u4
Rob is not listed in next weeks cast list but if he is to appear my guess is he will not do so in order to keep the element of suspense/ surprise going 🤔
DeleteR.E: Lady R's comment on Rob not listed in next weeks cast list. The Radio Times usually has a short synopsis on the following weeks activities in TA but I can't find it anywhere this time. Are the SW's playing with us by keeping their powder dry?! 😳
DeleteI noticed that, BB, and wondered why.
DeleteI can’t imagine that Rob would be mentioned as back in the country if he were not to be part of a resurrected SL concerning his son especially as Henry now has a stepfather to add fuel to the 🔥
DeleteI noticed that in the Radio Times and wondered why the synopsis wasn't there.
DeleteJess was not listed this week and I'm more interested in Oliver presiding from the bench over the two culprits.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought - surely as they are farmers Pat and Tony would have a licensed shotgun on the premises as a matter of course?
ReplyDeleteWell I’m assuming so Sarnia.
DeleteI too tried in vain to find the usual Ambridge Diary slot on this week’s RT. and assume that the possibilty of Rob’s appearance and the continuation of the George/Brad/Oliver saga are being kept under wraps by the BBC to keep us guessing.
ReplyDeleteI,did notice,two unfamiliar names in the cast list i.e.Den and Erin.Who are they?
*Spoiler Alert*
ReplyDeleteMy TV/Radio guide has The Week in Ambridge short paragraph, as usual.
There is a lot as normal, but the two most salient points are:-
1) At Bridge Farm, the family gather for Helen's birthday (April 16th so is today) but an incident has everyone re-evaluating their lives.
2) Adam makes a breakthrough in his search for Paddy.
In my mind the first is a red herring, as Tom + Natasha spoil things by announcing the twins advertising campaign.
Then Syksey gives a clue to help Adam.
....and to think my cheap TV/Radio guide came up trumps 😆
DeleteAt the state of high alert no one noticed when Jack slipped out into the garden.
ReplyDeleteThen they all turned against Pat who was for staying together in time of crisis.
Pat is loosing it, isn’t she? A breakdown on the way or alienating herself from Helen and Lee, if she cannot contain her anxiety.
ReplyDeleteYou were right about the red herring, Miriam.
ReplyDeleteNow we know who are the two new characters Portia mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThe whole episode was full of undercurrents: Ed and Jazzer taking sides over Grey Gables and then Den turning up; Lee seeking Ian's help but not being open exactly why, because Helen wouldn't like it.
So is this Dennis the father of Chelsea and Brad who Brad and Oliver went to see, and who tried to con money out of Oliver?
ReplyDeleteIf it is, how convenient he turns up just when Tracy is about to marry and be more financially stable.
Getting all matey with Jazzer could be the beginning of another con.
I think you could be spot on there AP I always read the BBC teasers and that would tie in with one for later this week.
DeleteHe did seem a bit full-om matey for someone Jazzer had just bumped into.
DeleteIf it is Brad and Chelsea's dad, it seems something of a coincidence that he just happened to be in the pub Jazzer and co were visiting. Or was he tracking them?
I do hope nothing comes to put a spanner in the works for Tracey and Jazzer.
There again, it could be another red herring. Does anyone with a better recall of accents than I have remember if Dennis the Menace sounded like Den when Brad visited?
I was wondering that myself OWIAS.
DeleteI thought last nights Dennis was more animated, voluble and chatty than Dennis the Dad. But maybe that he was putting on the ‘poor me’ when Brad visited to get sympathy and showed he needed money?
Rob will definitely be back in TA shortly - why else TA on the front cover of The Saturday Mail tv mag and a 2 page spread. After all the original SL was massive in all areas of the media so a return, even a relatively short one of “that” man may well relight that flame for the issue itself and - would no doubt (be hoped) ratings!
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Brian” Charles Collingwood stated he hopes to be in the programme for as long possible then added that he took both of his wives out for a meal together following their retirements 🤣 and all other interviewees agreed drama needs to be a large part of the scripts otherwise too boring for both the listener and the actors…..
I have so many conflicting thoughts and ideas about Rob - especially - will he appear or not?
ReplyDeleteWere the SW's teasing us when Jack went off hiding, so causing a panic, so that if this when or perhaps even it happens again, then is it just another game by Jack, or one by Rob?
To add my new profile photo is far from clear, but it is one of the two twin female tigers cubs, now about 4 months old with Mum.
Delete(Chester Zoo but have not seen yet).
I didn't know about the tiger cubs at Chester Zoo Miriam, that's fantastic news!
DeleteI'm glad there won't be a tearful reunion between Adam and Paddy, he wasn't interested in meeting him before and why did they have to make both his parents die at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI don't see why Pat needs to apologise, for what, being overprotective.
How convenient. Paddy apparently dies just before Adam gets to meet him!
ReplyDeleteI am becoming very distrustful of Archers scriptwriters, but I can’t help thinking this may be another story scam. Is Erin really Adam’s half sister? Will she suggest a meet up at which she pleads poverty and cons Adam into handing over some money, just as Brad’s Dad did?
Just don’t know what to believe in TA any more!
Try just taking it as it comes, AP - far less stressful. Have you booked that landscape gardener yet?
DeleteWell that was a short SL Paddy has gone to join Jennifer! Maybe the half sister is going to join the cast but I hope not personally I would rather have the return of one of the many silent characters if a vacancy has occurred.
ReplyDeleteIt's just been announced that Arthur Hughes (Ruari Donovan) has won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance for his role as Richard III at Stratford-upon-Avon last year. I only read the reviews which told us what sort of character he and the director were putting across but not much about how well he succeeded. I think KPNuts saw the actual ;production?
ReplyDeleteYou remember correctly, It was a terrific production & Arthur Hughes deserves the recognition. No plans for Stratford this year, but lots of visits to Chichester, 3 operas at The Grange, 1 Glyndebourne, Fascinating Aida & Bruce Springsteen to look forward to.
DeleteGraham Seed is currently in the touring production of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which I saw before he joined the cast. I’ve seen Tim Watson in a couple of productions in Chichester in which he was very good.
Thanks, KPnuts - that's good to know.
DeleteThat’s wonderful news to hear. I have read great acclaim for him online.
DeleteI don't think the "Paddy" Erin spoke about, is the same one, but then I often think too hard!!
ReplyDeleteInclined to agree and is Erin an imposter the type who home in on certain ads by emotionally hit people….
DeleteI think that’s a reasonable assumption, Miriam. Amateur family historians are known for jumping to conclusions (not anyone here, of course!) so it could well be a genuine mistake on Erin’s part. If I were Adam, I’d be checking it out.
DeletePS. A quick check of FreeBMD shows Patrick Redmond is not an uncommon name in England, and presumably even more so in Ireland.
DeleteIndeed so, Maryellen. Some of my own searches became so mired in people from different families with the same name I had to admit defeat. My mother's paternal line was particularly frustrating, with a man called D***** T***** in every parish - all with daughters named Betsy!
DeleteI must be a bit thick because, even though listening twice, I can’t make out what Freddie meant about ‘that night at Grey Gables’ - presumably the explosion - and what it had to do with him wanting the portrait removed. He got into such a state absout it but I don’t understand what Grey Gables has to do with his ancestry and the slave trade. Can anyone enlighten me.
ReplyDeleteDavid seemed to understand but I didn’t.
As Sarnia says, Freddie said he saw what slavery does to people, but I think it far fetched to draw a comparison with his ancestors. Let's say we are having a season of ghosts from the past: Freddie's, Helen's, Adam's and Tracy's.
DeleteArcherphile, I was impressed that you guessed who Dennis was, I really thought he was some random bloke.
Wasn't the explosion caused because Blake and the others were being kept as slaves without adequate food?
ReplyDeleteAh yes, that could be it. But it doesn’t mean his own ancestors were slaves, does it, unless he just meant in a general way as all, of ours could be?
DeleteAnd thank you Basia, my suspicious mind doesn’t trust any new characters at the moment.
Really hope Tracy doesn’t fall for his blandishments
I think the inference was that the Pargetter ancestors were slave owners, not slaves themselves.
DeleteYet again TA taking on one of todays big (social) issues.
I didn’t catch on that Dennis was who he now appears to be.
But then again, my mind immediately went to my daughters new family dog, called Dennis ( ! ? ! ! ! ? )
I shall be meeting him for the first time on Saturday.
Sorry Sarnia, I meant ‘slave owners’ not just slaves, half asleep when typing!
DeleteI think Freddie is troubled by the fact that while many people think that slavery has been consigned to history, as slave owners themselves, his ancestors were no better than Philip Moss - they just made a lot more money out of it. He is therefore due to inherit a stately pile built on the backs of victims like Blake. Lizzie sees no connection, but then, they weren't her ancestors.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you are right, that’s it. Thanks for the insight.
DeleteThough Lizzie doesn’t seem to have any feelings about having married into a slave owning (or trading) family and living in their mansion.
What about Lily, I wonder?
It was Lily who originally suggested selling the painting and using the money from the sale to make some kind of reparation, but that seemed to be more as a way of calming Freddie down than because she herself felt strongly about it. I expect it will end up hidden in an attic somewhere for future generations to find.
ReplyDeleteThank you Janice. If Freddie feels so strongly about profiting from his ancestral past, selling one picture will not do much. Where will it stop, turning LL into social housing?
DeleteInteresting thought Basia your last sentence. They could be bang up to date if an approach was made by the government to do just that. Hotels down here, even when also the family home, have been approached to take refugees/immigrants. There has recently been a bit of bother involving an hotel in Newquay who took in people over the Winter but then needed for them to move out because of their summer bookings. The government has now, under pressure, just recently moved them to the east coast.
DeleteWhat was all that about? More ghostly flashbacks? There's no tuna in a paella?
ReplyDeleteI imagined that Lee and Helen were on the sofa/settee and he tried to kiss her.
DeleteThat move took her back to the occasion when Rob raped her.
Perhaps that up until now they have kept their intimate moments to the bedroom.
That was my interpretation…… I could be wrong !
I agree Mrs P.
DeleteJudging by what you read in the papers Lee and Helen are going to be disappointed in San Francisco! Lol.
MrsP, yes, that would make sense, I knew he made some move which triggered memories of Rob, but it was the set up and with the ghost of him looming over.
DeleteWe're introduced to the repercussions and subtleties of coercion, but it can happen to anyone, something that brings back an unpleasant memory.
Currently enjoying hearing the secrets of one of the sound artists from The Archers, absolutely brilliant!! Not being streamed but I think recorded so will probably be posted later on Academic Archers website/facebook.
ReplyDeleteThanks. This is an area of TA which has always intrigued me for some wierd reason.
DeleteI will look at the website, as I have noted the approximate date and time to find it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNot weird at all, Miriam. That was part of the drama module in my teacher training, and it's fascinating. You can make the sound of a fire crackling by scrunching cellophane next to the mike and all sorts of other inventive ideas.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I want to learn more about, as to how the sound effects are done.
DeleteIt is not farming, not a TA S/L but is just another insight into how TA is done so to provide entertainnent for somr.
This reminds me of English National Opera's production of The Magic Flute back in 2016, when the set included a glass booth at the side of the stage where the audience could watch the Foley effects operator using various techniques to produce the sound effects for the opera. There was a similar glass booth on the opposite side of the stage where an artist was creating the graphics which appeared on the stage backdrop as part of the continuous flow of video images which were a major feature of the production. So, for example, when the title and composer were shown being chalked up on the backdrop during the overture, the audience could see the artist actually writing them. The orchestra were also raised to stage level so the characters could wander among them, and also pay the occasional visit to the Foley box to attempt a sound effect. themselves.
DeleteEven more fascinating was the National Theatre of Scotland's 2010 production of Peter Pan, with the aerial artists exposed to view at the side of the stage, attached to flying ropes and using their bodies as counterweights to the actors at the other ends of the flying ropes. It might sound distracting but they and their equipment were in semi-darkness so you could watch or ignore them and the flying ropes as you wished. I was full of admiration for their physical and mental agility, scaling ladders at precisely the right speed not to whisk a child of its feet or drop it on the floor.
Sorry, that's not much to do with TA - except that it's always interesting to see how the mechanics of illusion work!
Well, it is in a way, as if the audience had been allowed into the studio to witness the recording being made.
ReplyDeleteMy last production, some years ago now, was the story of Tobias and the Angel adapted for 'radio', ie the speakers could work from the script, gathered round a microphone so they didn't have to learn the words. It was expanded into a church service appropriately interspersed with carefully chosen hymns and the congregation joining in the crowd scenes.
Cousin Angela said it was like sitting in in an omnibus edition of TA. Isn't that something we would all love to do!
Thinking about it, nowadays wouldn’t they use recorded sound effects more, eg. an audio file of an actual fire crackling instead of scrunching cellophane (which Or maybe the cellophane and someone to scrunch it still comes cheaper in terms of creating the recording, storage, retrieval, and use? Perhaps the programme KPnuts mentions has the answers.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure I remember seeing a documentary on TV some years ago about the recording of Atchers episodes. Probably to celebrate some anniversary or other.
ReplyDeleteWe saw the actors turning away from the microphone as they turned the page of a script. The staircase covered with different materials, wood, carpet etc to make different sounds. The soundproof room lined with egg boxes to isolate their voices, the box of recording tape they shuffled their feet in to sound like walking in straw, even the scrunching of wet plastic bags to imitate the birth of a lamb! The sink with various kitchen implements and china for washing up scenes. And the packing case ‘bar’ with a beer pump for The Bull.
It was fascinating but did take away a little of the magic!
I'm probably behind the times here, Maryellen, but might it not still be more straightforward to cue in one of a team handling the actual material?
DeleteThey will probably go for the cheapest option.
DeleteAP I remember that and loved it. I would love to know if things are the same, or have moved on.
DeleteI don't recall, why or how I saw this...
Surely Paul had seen or met Lynda before? Hasn’t she had to take Scruff to the vets recently?
ReplyDeleteIf Paul says he's not encountered Lynda before, that's good enough for me. I reckon he's better placed to know this than I am. If he's lying, no doubt he has his reasons, but I don't want to know. I think he's a pain and the less I hear from him the better.
DeleteIt's possible Paul has not met Lynda and Harrison knew who he was talking about.
DeleteThey are looking for funds, not someone sniffing around.
Alcohol is not a necessary accompaniment to a meal, was he cooking for the stables?
Paul is here to stay, at least for the Eurovision.
I too was surprised that Paul hadn't met Lynda before, as he has been in Ambridge for over 6 months already. Granted Monty the rescued dog, might not have needed to go to the vets in that time, but I still find it strange.
DeleteI don't recall any of the locals going to the vet's recently and Scruff has died.
DeleteStella took on an abandoned dog (name?) and Lynda has Monty?
Paul certainly knows all about Hilda O! Well I think so.
DeleteOne week is enough, she'll be back before the time's up, at least we're reminded the dog is called Weaver.
ReplyDeleteAs for Eurovision if the venue is the Bull I took the big screen for granted, how else?!
Thought they were hiring a hall. Presumed it was the village hall. I’m with Maryellen, the less we hear of Paul the better. He started out sounding normal and now sounds as camp as anything.
DeleteThanks Ptby, because Jolene is involved and previous discussions were at the Bull I just assumed incorrectly. As for Paul the s/ws think we need prompting, hence the voice and the standard: she'll be safe with me (Hannah), though as you say, he sounded reasonable when interacting with Ruairi.
DeleteI don't think we've been told Brad is on the spectrum so I guess we're being left to work it out ourselves.....
ReplyDeleteIsn't everybody these days?
DeleteNo
DeleteIt’s probably just me feeling glum after this on/off Spring we’ve had, but I can’t work up the enthusiasm to comment on any of TA’s current storylines and characters. Even the return of Rob is leaving me cold since the narrative doesn’t have much momentum now it seems fairly obvious he’s not going to be heard. It demonstrates how much better Sean O’Connor and his team were at handling it than any editor since. I gather we’ve got an episode with a tv personality coming up but someone I’ve never heard of, famous for being famous, perhaps? Or is that being a bit mean spirited?😕
ReplyDeleteI agree Maryellen, I find TA really boring now, I think the S/W are trying hard to engage younger people, but is it working? I would like to see some evidence of listening trends.
ReplyDeleteI wish TA would stop inviting 'celebrities' to appear, they never seem to do very well and make episoes very stilted. (The exception was Terry Wogan, but he was a professional radio broadcaster which gave him the advantage.)
I often find better things to do at 7 p.m. these days.
It is boring because it describes life as it flows and no high drama, perhaps like the film All or Nothing which I only know second hand. There will be coronation and Eurovision which don't interest me. Many lives are "boring " but that doesn't mean that people who live them are bored. I thought that meeting with Dennis, Chelsea and Brad was close to real life, nice seeing you but no thanks. It's supposed to be a drama though.
ReplyDeleteI still think Rob will appear as he no doubt will remain in the country to sort out his mother’s affairs and the plan now is for us the listener to assume it was all a red herring and then “bang” 🤔
ReplyDeleteI tend to 'clock in' at the end of the day to see what they've all been up to (or not, as the case may be). Whatever they're not doing is usually more interesting than my day has been.
ReplyDeleteI can't help wondering why nobody much is interested in the Coronation. Events surrounding the last one are burned into my memory - I even saw a television for the first time!
I, with Sarnia and BASIA - it’s life !
ReplyDeleteLife in real-time.
I don’t require full on drama six days a week.
I think the small developments in the Horrobin family have been very true to life and given at a realistic pace.
I’m also inclined to agree with Lady R about RT.
Either we are being given a red herring to soften us up, and he may not appear on this occasion. But then the next time he returns to the UK his appearance in Ambridge is for real, but we, having been exposed to the possibility will reject our concerns only to be hit on our heads with a real humdinger !
Let me correct any impression that only full on drama six days a week will keep me interested enough to comment on this blog. I’m perfectly happy with everyday characters I like listening to, doing everyday things I find interesting. That’s what I’ve been used to in the past and what I’m not getting now. To me, Lynda’s caricature of a sniff has become as stale as Jill’s flapjacks, though I appreciate it’s a topic of interest to others.The only Horrobin I enjoy listening to is Susan. Tracy’s claim to be an all-caring mother irritates me: originally (ie. before they acquired voices); she did only complained about how much work they made for poor overworked her, and Chelsea’s adenoids and Brad’s autistic tendencies have passed her by completely. I’m not keen on listening to Jazzer and Jim either, or Freddie, so that eliminates about a quarter of the current cast,
DeleteI love all the characters in Ambridge, as to me they all add to the S/L's in their own and differing ways.
ReplyDeleteBored with The Archers - Never!
I don't really like any of them but they do act out some close to life scenarios.
ReplyDeleteLike Susan worrying that Chris may fall for Alice all over again, did she sense they were talking about when they first met?
Stella struggling between personal and professional.
Unusually, eight characters tonight and like real life people, with money in mind.
ReplyDeleteI think Justin’s Coronation Illumination idea is literally brilliant and a much better use of his funds than the proposed Eurovision event. It reminds me of the bids for Peggy’s trust fund money when I wanted Tom and Natasha’s Ambridge in Bloom Project to win but it went to the Rewilding Project.
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame about the unconvincing Kenton/Jolene angle muddying the waters. I’d have preferred the competition to be straightforward like before. My hunch is that Bridge Farm and The Bull will be joint winners (Justin will scale up his funding) and both buildings will get lit up.
And no, I refuse to spend the next x months or years speculating what’s in Brian’s will!!
Here we go again- barely a week to go to The Coronation and Ambridge as usual just deciding what to do! Justin can get someone to light up a building be it small or massive at the drop of a hat and
ReplyDeletepitches similarly thrown together at the speed of light 😂
(Brian was of course meant to say equal share all round 😉)
I think TA is very true to English village life today. There are things going on at the pub, the village shop, the church and other locations. ( sadly no village school in Ambridge though)
ReplyDeleteThere are people we like and get on with, and those who are annoying and we try to avoid.
Much as I have loved various characters such as Jill, Neil, etc I have to accept that they will not be around for ever and must get used to the many new characters, just as I do in my own village when residents move away and new, younger families move in.
So, all in all, I am happy with The Archers and the way it is going.
The last thing I hope for is a return to the Sean O’Connor era of Editing with constant drama, highly disturbing scenes and issue-led plots. I don’t listen to TA for those things, I can find them a-plenty in other radio plays, dramas and serials.
Ambridge is, for me, a microcosm of living in the country in modern times and long may it continue
...and it is also pure escapism into a true and idyllic village life, as I imagine Ambridge is.
DeleteIf TA is so true to village life today, why do listeners spend so much time and energy pointing out that it isn't true to life??
DeleteThat's myself and AP told off - for having similar thoughts!. Ambridge is after all a fictional village, so why shouldn't it be like a village many knew and also lived in?
DeleteAs said the 12/13 mins of escapism, is fine by me.
Perhaps because they don’t actually live in villages ?
DeleteOr have moved to a ‘commuter village’ which so many near larger towns have become. They are just places for people to sleep between trips to work, the supermarket, Nando’s and multiplex cinemas. They just don’t know what real village life is like.
Of course I wasn't ticking anyone off! I totally get and respect that there are listeners who see Ambridge as a fictional replica of real life, and listeners who enjoy Ambridge as a fictional escape from real life. Fine either way, but what I'm remarking on is the inconsistency when listeners then complain that Ambridge isn't true to life (In sentences that usually start 'Surely...') How 'real' do listeners really want their Ambridge to be?
DeleteI suppose the answer is - some more than others!
DeleteSo no matter that the current editor decided to ignore reality and give us a ‘Covid-lite’ Ambridge, as long as we get a daft story. about Eurovision which wouldn’t happen in anywhere but Ambridge!
DeleteThere are lots of S/L's still ongoing:-
DeleteWhen will The Twins advertising video, be broadcast so becomes known and the repercussions this will bring?
Will Rob appear?
Who will win the Justin Illumination contest and what it will this illuminationv actually be?
Eurovision is just a light-hearted interlude, to get Lynda and Paul together.
If Ambridge decides to do things differently, then why not??
It makes a good listen at 7.00pm.
Lynda and Paul seem to be getting on famously, so I wonder if they will combine efforts for a Christmas production this year? If poor Robert is to meet his end before then, Lynda will need Paul to organise scenery etc and do all the jobs that Robert carried out so efficiently.
DeletePerhaps Robert will become ill and Linda will nurse him. A repeat of the Peggy Woolly and Jack scenario.
DeleteAm I correct in thinking that the actress has in recent times attended to her own husband in his illness or demise ?
Yes that is true. I belive she has been nursing her husband after a stroke, or maybe a heart attack.
DeleteWhat’s the betting that Bridge farm gets the light show, the world and his wife turn up, and Rob is enabled to sneak in under the radar ?
ReplyDeleteI think it's more likely that Lee will jump to conclusions again and launch a full scale physical attack on some innocent member of the public who he thinks is Rob, just like he beat up poor Blake.
DeleteEither of the above get my vote!
DeleteAll I want is "cease-fire" so that whatever Justin has planned for whoever the recipient is, is a true, just, and meaningful light show, to mark this historic event, whether others agree with it or not.
DeleteAmbridge is celebrating and why not 👑
What’s puzzling me is why Rob, having left the UK to avoid being picked up by the police for the attempted abduction of Jack (aka Gideon) has now returned for an event as public as his mother’s funeral? Was he reckoning on being able to slip in and out of the country before they caught up with him? If so, he’s probably succeeded.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised by the implication that Helen and Lee didn’t sleep together (at least, that’s what I thought Helen’s trauma-related frigidity implied).
I think it's since Rob's reappearance. She rejected Lee on their first date, when she ran off.
DeleteThey then got back together and spent the night on New Year's Eve when she was very keen to go back to his place. The following morning Lee glowingly remembered how he liked waking up next to her and Helen added etc etc...
My understanding is that all was fine in the bedroom between Lee and Helen until Rob's return. She is unable to cope with intimacy now because of the memories of what Rob did to her.
DeleteIt seems to be when outside or away from the bedroom that is Helen’s problem.
ReplyDeleteI was as confused as Maryellen when it seemed to be that lovemaking or sleeping together was missing from the relationship. But I am sure that they have been until now.
Quick guide to who Rylanisfor the benefit of the listeners, but no mention of his teeth, which are one of his more distinctive features
ReplyDeleteSo Joy is revealed as the Ambridge Fairy with Mick as her little elf! Where would Ambridge be without its ,incomers Lynda, Leonard, Joy, Mick and Natasha....?
DeleteDidn't he have his "veneers" removed at the end of last year?
DeleteI was surprised that his time on Strictly It Takes Two wasn't mentioned, as after all this is a BBC programme.
I am looking forward to his appearance in TA as I like him.
Is Tom worried about giving in to Natasha and keeping Pat and Tony in the dark?
ReplyDeleteI think you are right. And perhaps worried that Helen will spill the beans about the twins photos being taken for that company. Tony and Pat will definitely not want any bad publicity. I remember the damage done when Clarrie infected the yogurt after going into work with a cold and it got into the papers that Bridge Farm produce was unsafe.
DeleteCongratulations to the TA researcher! My book says Jill was wearing a yellow dress with "her blonde hair in an urchin cut" when Phil first set eyes on her.
ReplyDeleteIt was Sykesy's memory when she was shelling peas.
DeleteThat's right. Sykesy must have seen her in the yellow dress early in the 60s when it had been relegated to a working day dress before eventually wearing out.
DeleteI found the situation over the B & B bookings ridiculous. Surely somewhere like Ambridge Hall would have an online system and Ruth mentioned that Ben had an app on his phone for Brookfield. All Linda had to do was check for availability on the spot and get it booked instead of making asumptions and waiting to get in touch with people personally and then missing out. All very contrived.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Ambridge style, so will he stay at the Bull?
DeleteSPOILER Alert! Reading ahead, I’m delighted to see a character I liked from the Helen and Rob story is coming back, though I suspect not for long. If only we could have Sean O’Connor back as editor with good plotting, scripting and acting, and intelligent ‘light relief’ interspersed with the serious drama. I’m thinking of Lynda, Joe and Eddie and the construction of the shepherd’s hut as an example, with the humour arising From the verbal interactions between the characters, not some farcical,mishap.
ReplyDeleteYet when Sean O'Connor was the editor, there were (if I remember correctly), very many comments against him as to turning TA into an equivalent of Eastenders....
DeleteNow the current editor is also being ridiculed.
Is this just down to what some expect to hear in TA, rather than what is actually heard??
Yes, Sean was accused of making TA too like EastEnders (though not by “very many”, I think). So was his predecessor, and even earlier, the programme nearly foundered because of complaints it was becoming too sensational. I assume the complaints have come from people who regularly watch EE so should be in a position to make comparisons. I watched EE occasionally in the past. It wasn’t sensational and the scripting etc wasn’t as good as we got with TA in Sean’s day. But it wasn’t farcical like the TA we get now.
DeleteI think the complaints probably came from the escapists who found the coercive control story too uncomfortable (though okay with the historic abuse and modern slavery stories, perhaps because not so near home).
I wouldn’t say the current editor is being “ridiculed” as such, just criticised for poor motivation and judgement imo.
Agree that this is not a direct comment against the current editor, but rather an indirect related one.
DeleteThis relates to comments read from others (on other sites), giving dissillusion about the current TA.
Now come on, give Tracey and Jazzer a break! Surely the script writers aren't planning to scupper the forthcoming nuptials, are they?
ReplyDeleteMy list of Fatal Accidents in Ambridge is up on screen, and my fingers poised above the keys!!!
Deletemaryellen, Jazzer is NOT going on your fatal accident list! If he does I shall lobby for T❤O❤B❤Y to join him.
DeleteOkay, I’ll scroll down to the subsection of the list headed Miraculous Recoveries and Escapes......though I suspect last night’s cliffhanger will be tonight’s passing reference and all he’s done is drop a hammer on his toe!
Delete😅🤣😂
DeleteOnly a broken ankle, thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteBut caused by a silent electric car, fodder for Jim’s campaign
Apparently since 2019 electric cars have had to have a sound generator. But it only kicks in when reversing or going at under 12mph. Not sure that's much good when our urban speed limit is 30mph. It's going to make life harder for blind people crossing the road.
DeleteI agree owias even for us sighted people they are a concern I’ve been alarmed when walking in our local Waitrose car park (the lower floor of which is under cover) and therefore normally better to hear approaching vehicles when suddenly there the car is and it is totally weird.
DeleteI have heard it is possible to switch the sound generator off. I’m not sure if this is true but is is very dangerous for pedestrians, children and animals if so.
DeleteAh, poor Adil and poor Freddie.
ReplyDeleteEven though Freddie sounded like a thwarted toddler I do think that solicitor went above and beyond his brief. How is it possible that they could overturn Nigel’s will, which was for Freddie to inherit LL at age 25, even if they are trustees?
Surely they don’t have any authority to do that?
Perhaps someone with legal knowledge could explain?
"Thwarted toddler" is an excellent description of Freddie's behaviour last night. His reaction fully justifies Nigel's decision, when setting up the Trust.to give the Trustees the power to delay Freddie's inheritance until they judged him mature enough. It was unexpected - perhaps Nigel was thinking of his own wayward youth - and I haven't come across it in the Real World ( I don't move in landed gentry circles!) but hey, it's obviously okay in Soap World! If Freddie wants to demonstrate seriousness of intent, I suggest he follows his sister's example and gets some formal training in estate management, or at least broadens his horizons by investigating how others do it.
DeleteTo be fair, Elizabeth has never encouraged him to take part in the running of the estate and has made it fairly clear that she does not trust him to take on anything more involved than organising the volunteer guides. I don’t think she truly believes he has completely learnt from his spell in the Youth prison.
DeleteHe has recently wanted to have more to do with the running of LL but has been treated like the wayward teenager he once was. He has not been helped by Elizabeth to ‘grow up’ and take on responsibility.
Also, I don’t remember hearing that there was a clause in Nigel’s will that Freddie could only inherit at age 25 if he was ready and responsible and that the trustees could make that decision. I may well have missed that detail.
Anyway, I think it is now a bit academic wondering who will take on LL because Freddie has been well and truly put off by recent events. Step up Lily perhaps?
Maybe I’m easily pleased, but I enjoyed tonight’s episode, apart from the slightly disturbing closing moments where enjoyment isn’t quite the right word.
ReplyDeleteAnticipation on my part.
DeleteAs soon as the telephone rang I just knew who was on the other end of the line.
Although, I must say I expected the voice, rather than the silence.
Rob could have done that any time in the past 5 or so years. I don’t think it was him or that we will actually hear him. It’s all in Helen’s mind. Sean O’Connor said the.effects would be felt for the next 25 years, and I must admit was thinking more of Henry at that point.....
DeleteI think you are right ME. Jack’s future will also always be overshadowed by Rob.
DeleteIt seems the that the stress of knowing Rob is in the country is enough to drive Helen into a compete breakdown and this may be what the writers are aiming towards. Showing how long the effects of such treatment can last. As you say, I also doubt we shall ever hear his voice again, although it seems to be constantly inHelen’s head
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ReplyDeleteI wonder what Helen has told Jack about who his father is, and why he hasn't seen or knows him.
ReplyDeleteUnless the calls can be traced to a phone in Rob's name, or to which he has access, silent calls would be an ideal way for him to torment Helen without breaking any court orders
ReplyDeleteThere are ways to check 'phone calls. If it is a private number, then this can't be done unless the police can try.
DeleteHowever it is possible to find out if it was a scam call, one from a call centre or similar.
I hope Helen or some-one else did this, purely for elimination purposes.
I understand that calls from a PAYG mobile are difficult to trace.
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised if someone suggested it was Jess who made the phone call, on Rob's orders, and played a recording of him saying Helen (which we didn't hear because it was one of those fictional phone calls when you only hear one side of the exchange). I think poor Helen imagined it, as Archerphile said, a woman rapidly nearing a nervous breakdown.....
ReplyDeleteI do hope we hear the confrontation between Tony and Tom/Natasha now he knows about the twins photos.
ReplyDeleteBut must admit that I was fooled into thinking the parcel of toys was from Rob ……anyone else?
Yes me Archerphile 🫢
DeleteNot me.
DeleteYes, me as well, which I think shows how effective the scriptwriters are being at present , and gives us a taste of how it must be affecting Helen. I thought it despite hearing the words " baby" things, whereas Rob would have sent older toys for Jack.
DeleteI initially also thought that the parcel had come from Rob as a twisted reminder of how he wasn’t allowed to send toys or have any contact with Jack over the years, but I think I did hear someone say that the parcel was addressed to Mr T Archer obviously meant for Tom and not Tony.
ReplyDeleteMe too !
DeleteI thought it was from Rob, but at the same time was confused by the parcel containing baby things. And agree with Janice, we are being coerced into suspecting Robs hand in anything related to Helen.
Clever stuff eh !
Regarding Helen’s phone call when she says she heard ‘that voice’…..
ReplyDeleteSurely she would have changed her phone or got a new number after he left?
So how would he have got her present phone number?
Any ideas?
It was the Farm Shop phone, presumably publicly available on the Bridge Farm website. But in any case, it couldn’t have been him at the other end. The police have evidence that it wasn’t.
DeleteI’m impressed by the skill of the actor playing Helen, reminiscent of the original storyline and raising radio soap to the level of ‘real’ drama!
The Rob Tichener actor said in an interview at the end of the original SL it would be inconceivable that Rob will not return at some point in the future …….
ReplyDeleteBet the actor's agent would like to think that!!
DeleteAm I alone in thinking that Helen is hearing things - with what she imagines could happen.
ReplyDeleteI am not yet convinced that it was Rob on the 'phone - but it might have been.
What I don't understand is why Helen does not want Tony + Pat, knowing about this "so-called" contact.
DeleteThey need to know, in case of potential and further problems.
Probably because she's too overwrought from coping with her own anxiety levels to want her mother's hysterical reactions on top of it.
Delete..but what happen's when Pat is in the shop and get's a similar 'phone call?
DeletePass!
DeleteIf Pat were to answer a call from Rob, he would recognise her voice and make it a silent call by just cutting the line.
DeleteRob isn’t going to call the Farm Shop, silently or otherwise. Despite his proven innocence, he’d obviously be suspected, so it would be a daft thing to do, and as Helen keeps saying,, Rob isn’t daft. In any case, there’s no concrete evidence that he intends to make contact. He may be back in the States now. Harrison was very reticent about him.
DeleteI must admit to having rather enjoyed the showdown between Tom and Tony last night.
ReplyDeleteStrange to realise it was a massive argument between father and son, both in real life, and in character!
But I was annoyed that Natasha didn’t speak up and admit it was her that wanted to cash in on the twins photos and had to persuade Tom to agree, against his principles. He at least, and more loyally, took responsibility for the decision. I feared Tony might be about to trigger a heart attack, but perhaps one heart-related death in the Archer family is enough for a while.
I wasn’t at all surprised that Natasha did not speak up and own her responsibility in the matter.
DeleteShe did speak, but included Tom in the decision making without explaining that he did have doubts but was coerced by her to disown those doubts and agree with her argument that the fee would be a nest egg for the girls.
We knew from her first appearance in Ambridge that Natasha was money orientated and although she has appeared, so far, to keep that side of her character controlled, it is still evident in driving her ambition.
Natasha’s character as written and acted comes across very clearly to me.
What a rubbish episode tonight, wonder who wrote the script?
ReplyDeleteAll totally unconvincing, especially Martin Whatsisname steamrollering George into a job at Berrow.
What a car crash of an interview that was tonight.Martin Gibson’s behaviour was unbelievable in his determination to give the job to George ,completely disregarding Neil’s opinions and also insisting that to properly qualify, for the post at Berrow,
ReplyDeleteGeorge should move in with Neil and Susan with immediate effect.
I thought George had his sights on management, not getting stuck in with the pigs. He won't enjoy his stint. Mind you, I'm sure he'll go back to Martin with a list of 'improvements' management could enforce.
DeleteSo what if one of the other candidates had been ideal except for daily contact with other pigs? Would Martin have felt able to impose them on Susan and Neil's hospitality too? Perhaps Neil should have said that if Martin was so keen to employ George then *he* should provide his protege's board and lodging.
I felt that in contrast to former times Neil was actually quite assertive but in this instance he was truly steamrolled by Martin Gibson.
DeleteI rather hope that Susan will seek out Martin Gibson and give him a lashing of her tongue.
Go Girl Susan !