Life in Ambridge
Let’s hope Fallon’s plan is up to snuff.
Life in Ambridge
Starter kit for Ed & Emma
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Life in Ambridge
Following todays news
Life in Ambridge
Nothing to do with the current story-line but rather cute
maryellenOctober 19, 2024 at 5:39 PM
ReplyDeleteThe Tea Room was a Bridge Farm concession. Fallon ran her cafe business there on a fixed term rental basis. (I believe she ran the business on a similar footing elsewhere before moving to Bridge Farm.) The expiry of the rental period gave both sides a legitimate opportunity to reconsider their options.
Fallon prepared a business plan in the expectation of the concession being renewed (but apparently had no contingency plan for non-renewal, which she must have known was always a possibility. Bridge Farm did indeed decide to drop the concessionary approach in favour of the same model as the Farm Shop, run directly by Bridge Farm with the addition of a paid manager.
Fallon was offered the manager's post, to retain her baking and day-to-day management skills and soften the blow. She took the post because she and Harrison needed the regular income, and temporarily put her business on hold. Fallon is now doing the obvious thing and restarting her business in rented accommodation elsewhere.
It all sounds perfectly logical and legitimate to me. The Farm had every right to alter the way it ran its tearoom operation when the opportunity presented. So what have Natasha and the Bridge Farm directors done that's so wrong?
AmbridgesMrsPOctober 19, 2024 at 7:37 PM
ReplyDeleteSo what have Natasha and the Bridge Farm directors done that’s so wrong?
IMO Maryellen they have failed to take any account of the emotional aspect of the individuals concerned.
You will say, I presume, that it is a business arrangement and any emotional content is immaterial.
In my memory- I’m willing to be corrected if wrong - Fallon was part of the wider Bridge farm ‘ family ‘ before Natasha came along and pretty soon took over as queen of business at Bridge Farm Enterprises.
I would never deny that Natasha is an effective business woman.
She sometimes allows a little of her heart to be illuminated, but as far as I am concerned she is a hard headed manipulative nasty piece of work.
I’ve never liked her and doubt I ever would.
Logic and legitimacy is I am sure what is required in business, and as you say Bridge farm has every right alter it’s business model as it sees fit, but it seems to me that in a village setting, and with Pat and Tony at the helm, a little humanity might be evident.
But I imagine that you will counter that Pat and Tony have not been at the helm for a number of years now.
In addition to all the above, it is without doubt Fallons ability and vision and damned hard graft that has made the tearoom such a success as Natasha has made it clear she and the company understands.
I’m sure they will find someone to take over but I will not be surprised if the BF Tearoom starts to become less popular.
maryellenOctober 20, 2024 at 9:03 AM
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing nasty about Natasha that I've detected. (My definition of nasty is Mat Crawford!)
Two points: I suspect that, consciously or not, Fallon was becoming stuck a cosy rut at Bridge Farm. Admittedly, with the concession renewal looming, she had prepared a plan for her business, based on bringing in her previous business interest in outside catering.
That didn't happen, and Fallon is now excitedly anticipating the rebirth of her business in a new venue with an equally new and trendy cafe cuisine. It has the potential to bring her to the attention of a new and hopefully influential clientele. Not forgetting the local clientele too. One could say Natasha had done her a favour. Unless it turns out to be a venture too far for Fallon.
As for the Bridge Farm tearoom, yes, it will continue to be a success, if only because TA runs on dialogue and characters need places to meet people to talk to other than in their own homes or workplaces. The teashop is one of them. The changes made since Bridge Farm ended the concession (including Tony's interference with the decor) have not been the deterrent other bloggers predicted. Bridge Farm should have no difficulty in finding a competent manager/baker, even if it means looking outside Ambridge!
DELETE
MiriamOctober 19, 2024 at 5:32 PM
Natasha + Tom did not renew Fallons lease of the Tea Room.
At that time Fallon could not set up her own business so her best option was to become the Manager.
Now Fallon is moving on, it is up to Natasha to organise things to suit her thoughts and ideas, as to the future of the Tea Room. It is her project after all.
BTW Can Natasha cook cakes, make bread/quiches and provide food for group bookings?
Probably not Miriam, which is why she tried to hang on to Fallon. She'll now have to find someone who can.
DeleteOr negotiate a deal with a local artisan bakery.
DeleteOr deal with Fallon as a supplier?
DeleteFallon’s father Wayne was a baker (obviously where she gets it from!) Time for him to emerge from his kitchen at The Bull?
DeleteFollowing that train of thought, it's interesting that The Bull is doing the catering for Home Farm's ploughing event. I don't know if that's a one off for The Bull or a regular catering service, but if the latter, then had Fallon been able to introduce outside catering at Bridge Farm, she (and they) would have been in direct competition with her parents. As it is, it opens up some intriguing possibilities for future collaboration, especially if the EV venture falters and Fallon needs a bolthole.
DeleteLike Miriam in an earlier post, I have some doubts about it, not so much finance as the apparent lack of market research. Just offering Harrison a sandwich to try doesn't quite cut the mustard! Maybe Fallon has indeed researched the likely effects of the EV charging station setting, and the behaviour and preferences of its customers, and just not mentioned it in my hearing. I can think of relevant questions and would like to hear the answers as my knowledge of EV stations and their clientele is zero.
(Congrats to KPnuts on the adroitly-chosen header!)
Great header KP.
ReplyDeleteHaving listened to yesterday’s podcast a new SL is about to start that will go through until I think it was said 2027 anyone 🤔
It would be nice if it wasn't a miserable one, but I'm not holding my breath.
DeleteI am loving the podcast and the gasps from Tracy + Kirsty, when the producer said he was working on something for as far ahead as 2027.
DeleteIt is a great listen in so many ways.
My guess, for what it's worth. Freddie + Lily reach 25yrs in November, so will Freddie finally inherit Lower Loxley, but with conditions. Could this then lead onto a low burning but continuing S/L?
DeleteSorry that should be 25yrs in December.
DeleteThe big birthday in November is of course, Peggy reaching 100yrs. I hope this will be acknowledged and celebrated, in the way it should be.
That's a really convincing theory, Miriam! Mine is that Henry turns 16 on 2 January 2027 (the producer was specific about the month) and will be entitled to non-identifying information about his sperm donor father, such ethnicity, marital status and medical history, also number of donor-conceived siblings if known. (Identifying information isn't available until age 18). Parents can request non-identifying information on behalf of a child under 16.
DeleteI'm not sure if that would make January 2027 the beginning or end of a storyline for Henry. Will he even be interested in finding out about his father, who I reckon must be a good bloke. I think Miriam's idea s more likely!
Didn't Nigel die in January, but then 2027 is not a specific anniversary as such..🤷♀️
DeleteI just hope that I am still here to find out!
Actually Nigel died on the day Henry was born, 2 January 2011. I 'd forgotten that.
DeleteBoth good theories Miriam and Maryellen.
DeleteI wonder how many other theories might appear now that this information has become public property.
The profile of TA is definitely rising at the moment.
On the whole I am reasonably comfortable with the changes that seem to be aimed at a younger and more diverse listener base.
I thoroughly enjoyed this weeks podcast, full of very interesting information of how storylines are conceived.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there is a two page article in this week’s Radio Times about Angus Stobie who takes the role of George. How he was recruited into the cast, and the way he sees the character and decided how to play him. A rather handsome photo of Angus/George too!
I thought it was nice that with Alice's help the breach between Chris and Emma seems to be healing. I wondered if Chris's change of mood was helped by the fact that Alice's apple peel fell in the shape of a C.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t work out who Ian was talking to about the school’s PTA. at the beginning of last nights episode.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought it was Alice, then when Rosie was mentioned I guessed it was Pip or Stella but the voice wasn’t quite right. So who the …… was it?
I think the women’s voices are becoming as difficult to determine as the young men’s these days.
Appart from Kirsty and Ruth of course.
It was Pip's friend Lottie Summers who is also Ian's best buddy on the PTA. Her daughter Madison is Rosie's school friend. Ian did call Lottie by name but quite a way into the episode, sooner would have been better.
DeleteYou were not alone AP.
DeleteI do not seem to be able to ever recognise Lottie when she appears, and like you, often feel that some of the female voices are not at all distinctive.
Thank you Maryellen. I had totally forgotten about Lottie.
DeleteI read recently that public health officials are concerned about the drop in take up for the flu vaccine. Listening to TA tonight, I wondered if that had inspired the programme’s plug for the flu jab?
ReplyDeleteI imagine George wants to see Brad to discuss his media business in the relative calm and privacy of a prison visit. Remember him saying to Brad that he needed something to focus his mind on, and look forward to resuming when he comes back? It sounds as if he needs it as a morale booster even more than anyone thought. So please go, Brad! This is George's road to a positive future and you are the only one who can travel it with him.
ReplyDeleteIgnore whatever your mother or stepfather tell you and do what you know you should!
George hasn't been a good friend of Brad in the past yet now expects him to help him in his hour of need. I hope that he isn't going to treat him in the same way again.
ReplyDeleteI wish that Brad had gone away to university and gained independence from all that's going on in Ambridge.
I agree that Borsetshire isn't the best place to broaden your horizons, and Ambridge itself can feel quite claustrophobic. Still, Brad may go to a major and more distant university for his further degrees, and only return to Felpersham as Chancellor!
DeleteWhat a wonderful wish for Brad’s future ME.
DeleteSomewhat longer than 2027 to come to fruition though.
CC - I take your point re the unequal relationship between George and Brad, but in recent times that dynamic has changed, by George taking seriously much of what Brad has said to him, as well as Brad coming into himself far more in recent months. And George has also treated Brad with far greater respect than he used to, finally realising that any hope he might have for his own future, his media business, would be best placed in the hands of his friend with the steady outlook on life, Brad.
I reckon Chelsea-could specialise in period hairstyles.....
ReplyDeleteI admit I am squeamish but I have never been able to bear reading about, or listening to, accounts of bullying or torture. Probably comes from learning about what happened to family members in the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteSo I really do not want to hear about what’s happening to George in prison.
This is too much reality for me and if it continues I shall have to curtail listening.
This may well be the SL that was eluded to on the bbc podcast last week that is due to run until 2027 - George’s sentencing period 🤔.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow’s (today now of course) “All about The Archers “ podcast or visual version on YouTube is an interview with Jeremy Howe chatting and answering questions posed by their Facebook members should be worth a watch - or listen if preferred.
You may be correct Lady R in what was said about the SL going into 2027, but I thought he said in that interview that TA team were currently formulating a SL that would extend into 2027. As I understood his remark, that would be in addition to the current George SL.
DeleteWe all hear differently, so I’m not disputing your theory.
According to the pundits on other blogs, George could serve only 40% of his sentence inside prison and be outside next summer. I think and hope something like that will happen. As things are, George stands to be the last of the male Grundys (I’m not counting Jake whose Grundy surname is only adoptive) so I guess George is with us for the duration!
Delete..but for George to get an early release, he has to do what he says, and that is to keep his head down + not get involved in anything.
DeleteHopefully he can do this.
Goodness, Lilian is such a hypocrite! She has helped criminals in the past, including Matt and Justin too. I can’t bear her when she is in that self-righteous mode.
ReplyDeleteRemind me what criminal offences Justin has committed - I can’t recall any.at the moment! Lilian has certainly turned a blind eye to Alice’s lawless behaviour, eg. chucking a brick through the shop window.
DeleteARCHERPHILE - I can’t bear Lilian at any time or in any mode.
ReplyDeleteAnd she has always been a hypocrite.
Oh, for goodness sake! Why don't they just call the kitten Queen which is the traditional name for a female cat and, like Tom, has the advantage of telling the uninitiated what sex it is. Please can we move on!
ReplyDeleteI do agree ME, though I must say I’ve never heard of a cat being called Queen.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYes, I should have said traditional word for a cat instead of traditional name. Apparently, a female cat is a Queen, like a male cat is a Tom, and if it is spayed is a Molly. Both Queen(ie) and Molly would sound good as a name too (imho).
DeleteI am puzzling over why Ian was at Grey Gables interviewing an applicant for the job of patisserie chef. I thought Ian had stopped working at Grey Gables and set up his own mobile food business. Something must have passed me by.
ReplyDeleteThat makes two of us, Janice!
DeleteI vaguely remember something about Ian being called in to project manage the refitting of the new kitchen at Grey Gables when a mess was made of the first one. Maybe he stayed on in some advisory capacity.
ReplyDeleteAfter all the hype of Grey Gables closing and Adil overseeing the project of the revamp, I am surprised that nothing more has been heard about it. All there's been is Mick as a security person, Lily now working there in some capacity, but not sure im what position,and Brad doing portering and that fiasco of the suitcases.
ReplyDeleteI thought more would have been heard, hence the confusion with Ian.
The other thing which was quickly swept away, was the selling of The Lodge, when Peggy moved into The Laurels. Again the last thing heard was the mix-up of the black bags so Kate lost her clothes.
It must have been sold, but like The Gills who purchased Home Farm, the new owners are not known nor heard from.
These are not important as such, but I just get irritated as to the lack of continuity at times. Rant Over 🙄
You and me both Miriam
DeleteAdd me to your list of Ambridge Irritations.
DeleteAnd me!
DeleteI was interested in the buffalo cheese storyline, discussed by Helen (potential producer) and Adil (potential buyer), which went nowhere. And what’s happened to the Edible Garden? Adam seems to do anything at Farm except tend it.
Delete✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️agree with all
DeleteI can’t quite work out what’s happening or who does what at Bridge Farm.
DeleteAs Maryellen says, is the edible garden still up and running? If so, who looks after it daily?
The yogurts occupy Clarrie & Susan but does Helen still do the cheese? Presumably the cows are milked by Tony, but who overseas the growing and harvesting of the vegetables, packs them for the boxes and delivers them? Tom?
Natasha doesn’t work full time in the shop/cafe but does she still supervise her fruit drink business? And where does Pat fit in these days, filling in wherever there is a gap, babysitting or does she just make soup for everyone’s lunches?
It’s become very confusing.
What does Pat do with the goats milk?
DeleteDon't worry Archerfile, Natasha will come up with a plan
Delete😂😂😂
DeleteI share Jolene's misgivings about her daughter's new business venture. Fallon's lack of attention as to which unit she'd been offered was ominous. And unless there is a conventional cafe on the site as well as Fallon's, EV drivers who want a 'proper' flat white (as I would) will be sorely disappointed and react accordingly. For Fallon's sake, let's hope the EV station's future clientele contains more vegan sandwich addicts than coffeeholics like me!
ReplyDelete✔️✔️✔️
DeleteIf everything goes pearshaped maybe there might still be a vacancy for a patisserie chef at Grey Gables.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I used to like about The Archers was that you knew where everyone lived and worked, every character had their place and you recognised where they were, what they were talking about, and to whom they were talking. You knew their relationships and backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteNowadays the programme seems to have become fragmented. Family members live all over the place and it’s difficult to remember who lives with whom, and where. There are so many different locations and combinations of people living in those locations I get confused, e.g. The Stables - which youngsters live there now? Where are Alistair and his new love both living, are they at Jim’s together or does she still live at her husbands home?
I also find it difficult to identify who is speaking when there are several girls/women together whereas I always knew exactly which character was in the scene e.g. Lottie, Stella, often confuse me.
Oh well, maybe I should accept the fact that I am getting old and can’t keep up with things!
I’m with you AP 🙃
DeleteI have precisely the same problems ARCHERPHILE- and I don’t think it is our age, but is rather that the style of TA has changed and is now very fragmented.
DeleteI will back that up with the following.
I am not confused when I hear Jolene and Kenton because I know they are in poor at The Bull.
When I hear Pats voice, or Tony’s, I know that they are at the farm just as if Clarrie and Susan are talking then they are at the dairy making the yoghurts.if it’s David or Ruth then we are at Brookfield on the farm somewhere.
Most of the other characters seem to ‘ float ‘ around Ambridge, without belonging anywhere.
Others that seem to belong in my head and have a proper home are ….. Fallon and Harrison, Jim, Linda and husband, Helen I suppose. Joy does seem to be fairly fixed and of course Susan at the shop and Susan and Neil at home, as well as the Grundys and Emma and Ed in the caravan.
I noticed this week the very realistic sound of the caravan ( mobile home ! ) door being opened.
But as you say, most of the younger members of the village seem to be floating.
Perhaps Kirsty worrying about not being settled has brought this to the front of our minds.
Lady ROctober 31, 2024 at 2:04 PM
ReplyDeleteMajor budget news for farmers I wonder if a topical insert will be the order of the day or at the very least will have to be written in before too long imo….
Thanks KP 🤗
DeleteMy immediate reaction when I heard this in the news was Brian won’t be happy, although he’s probably in regular contact with financial advisers, David & Tony will certainly be unhappy
ReplyDeleteToo true, KP, and I am so grateful that we no longer have a farm to pass down the family and that they are all occupied in different professions now.
DeleteWell I don't know how Ambridge in fantasy land will fare but in reality it will be the destruction of small family farms who will have to sell land to pay the tax leaving not enough for their children to inherit a viable farm.
DeleteHopefully the Archers will do what they traditionally did and give farmers some useful advice.
DeleteI don’t know any farmers or any farming folk, but what I do know is that farms and farming are of the utmost importance to this country and this is indeed a terrible blow to most of the farming community.
DeleteIt is a very small minority who buy farms as a tax asset.
I was under the impression that you could create a trust to put your assets. (eg. farm) into, so they are no longer part of your personal estate and therefore not liable to inheritance tax when you die. I imagine Brian Aldridge has a similar arrangement with the Home Farm Partnership. But I don’t really have a head for financial affairs so could have missed something there!
DeleteThis afternoon, at 3pm Radio 4 is repeating the play about why Grace Archer had to die in the stable fire and the treatment of Ysanne Churchman who played the part of Grace. I remember that there were also scenes about the rows with Godfrey Baseley who was the producer at the time, and much more Archers history.
ReplyDeleteSorry if this info is a bit late, but only just discovered the news myself. It starts immediately after todays repeat of the Friday night episode.
I did listen to the play when it was first broadcast, but newer TA listeners might well be interested in hearing it, ( and there might be some on here ) so thanks for giving it a heads up AP.
DeleteI've always said Justin was a kind man at heart, but you could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather when Miranda of all people corroborated it!
ReplyDeleteThere’s some discussion on other sites that there is a Christmas Carol storyline unfolding featuring Ebeneezer Elliot , we had Martin Gibson as Jacob Marley and yesterday Miranda was the Ghost of Christmas past.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a fascinating prospect!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMiranda referred to Justin as Scrooge (before recalling his ability to show kindness) and I suppose a storyline mirroring A Christmas Carol is a possibility though it seems terribly corny. Plus they’ve got the three ghosts in the wrong order.
DeleteRe my last sentence - that’s depending whether you think Miranda is the last or first ‘ghost’ to appear. Some bloggers think she’s the last, but first would clearly make more sense.
DeleteBrad was enthusiastically telling Justin how brilliant and knowledgeable Robert Snell was helping him with George's site, so he is being bombarded from all sides. Maybe Justin will feel he would like to bask in the admiration of a younger generation and share his expertise, with Kirsty and Rex as a start.
ReplyDeleteTrying to think what part Brad would have been in A Christmas Carol. Maybe a slight similarity with the young nephew who every year comes to wish Scrooge a Happy Christmas and invites him to join the festivities.
Is Justin going to transform into a Mr Woolley type character I wonder?
Oh, I can’t see Justin turning into Jack! But I wouldn’t be surprised if Lilian morphs into Peggy! She is already halfway there I think!
DeleteSo there are just 3 retail units at the EV charging set-up of 30 charging units + 20 parking spaces.
ReplyDeleteFallon has one for her own style of cafe, but what could the other two be?
As the charging station is not opening until sometime next year, can Fallon and Harrison manage until then, especially as to fitting out the unit and installing all the equipment, along with paying the interest of the necessary loans??
Food for thought...😉🫣🙀
DeleteWhat's the betting one will be a nail bar???
DeleteOr perhaps a Turkish barber ?
DeleteMaybe Fallon will buy what she needs second-hand like Ed and Emma did when they were successfully setting up.
DeleteWe seem to be getting a lot of new voices in the programme recently, but probably only temporary ones.
ReplyDeleteThere was the chap (Wesley ?) who came to buy the pub memorabilia. Then a new lady to whom Justin, reluctantly, gave a lift. At first I was convinced she was something to do with Joy’s daughter but she turned out to be Kirsty’s Mum. I think there have been others as well. Are regular cast members dropping out due to age or changes in story lines…..or do the powers that be want to refresh the whole programme to make it more universally popular?
I thought the M.P. was Denise and Megan was Joy, both filling-in.
ReplyDeleteI heard as you heard Mistral.
Delete✔️✔️me too!
DeleteI don't mind these extra characters popping into TA, as long as what they do and say, becomes relevant as to how these new S/L's start to evolve.
ReplyDeleteAn example:- The pub memorabilia was worth a fortune and Kenton sold it for peanuts..be it the salted or dry-roasted ones. 😆
As to these finds in the cellar, wasn't this totally flooded in The Flood?
Nit-picking again, a bad habit of mine.
Is it any wonder that I was "banned" from a couple of TA sites..🤣 😆
DeleteLike Miriam, I don’t mind the extra voices popping in and out, they give.a sense of a world out Ambridge which otherwise feels a bit claustrophobic. But I get a bit peeved each time new regulars are introduced when there are existing characters I’d rather hear from. A recent example is the arrival of the new GP and her children. No disrespect to them (and I do understand about diversity conscious casting), but I’ve been hoping for years that some or all of the Button family would develop into speaking roles.
DeleteWhat ?
ReplyDeleteWhat was that all about tonight ?
Was it TAs answer to the current concerns around A I ?
Was it a spoof ?
Was Robert Snell pulling a fast one on Justin ?
I await others thoughts………
To me it was Rex setting Justin up, along with Robert.
DeleteDon't forget not long ago when Brad mentioned Robert was helping him, Justin sad he was past it as so out-of-date.
That's my take + thoughts.
I took it to be the next instalment of the Christmas Carol takeoff, featuring Justin as Scrooge (clue empty packet of humbugs in glove compartment), Martin Gibson as the ghost of Jacob Marley, and Miranda, Meghan and Rex (AI version) as the Spirits of (Past, Present and Future respectively. It’s highly contrived and completely unconvincing. One can only hope Justin wakes up and finds it was all a dream!
DeleteI thought the whole thing was ridiculous MrsP.
DeleteDoes anyone think it was a guest writer aiming to demoralise and take the p…ss out of TA ?
DeleteWho is this imposter, and what has he done with Justin?
DeleteAs if hard-nosed Mr Scrooge of Ambridge would melt like snow just through watching an AI Rex singing a lament for Rewilding.
Or perhaps Miranda put some long-lasting mind altering drug in his drink the other day ....
Give me strengh. And get a grip. Is this tripe supposed to be funny?
ReplyDeleteConsidering Ambridge always puts everything it’s events together at the last minute some what early for it’s Christmas Carol pantomime 🤭🤣🤭
ReplyDeleteMy take on it is that it wasn't AI at all but Rex that Justin was talking to, a ruse to try and save the rewilding. What I found far fetched was that Justin would have such a change of character and fall for it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who think it was Robert. He is the computer expert and would be aware of how to use A.I. voice cloning techniques to substitute Rex's voice for his own. What I don't find credible is how Justin prompted by the commentary suddenly recalls the names of grasses and butterflies. A dream like sequence and a most odd episode. If they stay true to a Christmas Carol then Justin will have to turn into a transformed character. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI can see that Miriam, CC and Janice’s explanation is the only one that restores TA’s credibility as a reflection of the real world. Miranda comparing Justin to Scrooge (and the humbugs) were the scriptwriters’ little joke and the whole Christmas Carol scenario was the product of listeners’ vivid imaginations, perhaps egged on by the scriptwriters who must be laughing their socks off if so.
DeleteBut it doesn’t explain the extraordinary transformations of Justin and Martin, not to mention Miranda’s odd encounter with Justin and her unexpected burst of sentimentality. Perhaps this week’s TA podcast will shed more light ......
I'm waiting for Sid to step out of the shower ....
Delete🤭 😂 👏🏻 😉
DeleteJust heard on the news that June Spencer has died, I wonder how that will be woven into the programme
ReplyDeleteGiven a period of time Peggy will also pass away peacefully in The Lawns 🙏
DeleteBless you and many thanks June now
RIP with your precious husband.
R I P June Spenser aka Peggy Woolley at 105 years.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the SW will gently bring it in within a few months.
I’m sure tributes will be made within the programme in a sensitive manner.
Yes, we heard the news on lunchtime news programme.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure the scriptwriters will have already prepared for June Spencer passing with a suitable story. I just hope it doesn’t lead to wrangling over a suitable memorial, like a special stained glass window in the church, or trouble from the dreaded Hazel.
I also wonder if Peggy’s death will lead to consequences for the rewilding site, after all it was her money that financed the scheme.
Umm did TA know of this possibility and the odd scripts of late a preparation the Rewilding not heard of for ages suddenly sprung in from nowhere really - or just a spooky coincidence?
ReplyDeleteThat is so possible, as in one episode didn't Lillian say to Justin, something like "This is my Mother's dream"? Whatever was said, it related straight to Peggy and her wish.
DeleteI just hope that the passing of Peggy, which now includes June Spencer, is not rushed into. It all needs to be done in a dignified way..
ReplyDeleteI was glad that Fallon has passed on the unit, it sounds as though she was being messed about. Maybe she and Harrison could take over The Bull and let her mum, dad and Kenton retire.
ReplyDeleteIn the short term maybe she could apply for the Patisserie chef's job at Grey Gables.
ReplyDeleteMistral, I think you may be right, I along with others wondered a while back if that was on the cards, after the dog attack on Kenton I think, but now the stars seem aligned. Harrison really wants to leave the police and I don’t think Fallon would want to return to the tearoom. The only slight problem might be that Kenton is just 66 & I suspect Jolene is younger, I don’t think either will have much in the way of private pension provision so finances may be an issue.
ReplyDeleteWhat do others think about the Pod Cast?
ReplyDeleteI love it.
I was surprised to learn that there are two serving Police officers, who give guidance as to related issues and to how this has guided Harrison with some of his S/L's.
I used to love Ambridge Extra, but this is a good TA extra.
I hope the standard can be kept up.
I haven’t listened to this weeks Pod Cast yet, but enjoyed the previous ones.
DeleteDid Helen say this evening that Lee had taken the boys out ?
We had not heard that he was back in the UK had we ?
That all seemed to me rather out of the blue.
And Tony wants to have an Eco house !
That will be an exciting SL for me, as long as the idea doesn’t get hi jacked by Tom and Natasha.
I've found the TA podcast interesting Miriam.
DeleteEnjoying the BBC podcast and “The all about TA” too. I watch that one on You Tube but available as a podcast as well. Saturday an 48min interview with David (Tony Archer) Troughton was broadcast - interesting. Normal weekly discussion programme is on a Wednesday.
DeletePoor Kirsty is likely to be let down by Helen about the Beechwood house and will lose her present home again.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the Ambridge Fairy 🪄 is starting to play her favourite games again, namely:-
ReplyDelete1) Musical Job Changes
2) Musical House Changes..
all played to the tune of -
Dum de dum de dum de dum, dum de dum de dum dum 🎶 🎶
Hum it out loud..
At last! Didn't I advocate introducing beavers some years ago? Only I imagined it as Toby 's initiative, not his brother's. I just hope this storyline doesn't fizzle out, like the one about the archeological dig which I'd also hoped for.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it will fizzle out Maryellen, there are a number of beaver initiatives happening now throughout the UK for the BBC to use it in TA.
DeleteI was very pleased to hear about it, as I’ve written about the Beaver project here on the local Holnicott / Exmoor area on the other thread in the last few months.
At a local climate change day recently, I was very interested in wearing a special headset that enabled me to see the local project. I was able to see the beavers actually swimming about and building their dam, all in 4D.
( I know that’s the wrong term to use but I’m afraid I don’t know what that special equipment was called! Not being technically minded. )
But it was certainly fascinating particularly since when I had tried to book my space on an open day to see the beavers, all the spaces had been booked.
I imagine the conversation with Tony, who they expected to be ‘ for ‘ is a run up to adverse criticism from other local farming folk.
The NT here had a very long consultation period with the farming community prior to the initiative going forward.
As soon as I heard Rex mention beavers , I thought the SWs must have been reading Maryellen's posts! An excellent and topical addition to the farming/environment stories in the programme.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if now Rex and Kirsty have job security, for the time being anyway, if together they could afford a mortgage on Willow farm. Kirsty might be able to take out a loan against the Beechwood house and Rex could sell his boat to raise a deposit between them, and then Kirsty could pay off the loan and maybe the mortgage when Beechwood sells. That would mean Rex had a lesser share in the house, but shared ownership seems to be a way forward for young people with the present high cost of housing.
ReplyDeleteGood on yer Kirsty 👏🏻
ReplyDeleteI think Helen is being very unfair to Kirsty, taking so long to decide about whether buy Kirsty’s house and on what terms. She must know the house really well and what does or doesn’t need doing to it.
ReplyDeleteKirsty needs to sell that house so she can get on with the rest of her life, both emotionally and practically. Meanwhile Helen flimflams about curtains and suchlike. I was pleased Kirsty had a go at Helen, time someone told her that other people have problems too.
Wow that was some episode played for real and super acting from all three actors ⭐️⭐️⭐️
ReplyDeleteThe ongoing SL’a for the next 2 yrs would appear to be George’s sentence and the building of Tony and Pat’s new abode. Pioneers yet again years ago it was organic farming. Mind I agreed with all that Pat said myself.
It would appear that George has already succumbed to the hard man principle of being inside, presumably pragmatically deciding it to be the best possibility of his survival for the duration of his time there.
ReplyDeleteAnd another example of Neil changing his attitudes and behaviour in his very senior years.
Neil certainly sounds older than 67 (so should be retiring from Berrow), that’s 6 years younger than Tony. I thought both he and Susan were actually embarrassing, not that I blame them, I’d probably have been just as inept in a similar situation, but telling a bitter and angry man who believes you grassed on him that you love him to bits isn’t helping.
ReplyDeleteI blame that shortsighted sentencing judge.
That should be ‘acutely’ embarrassing....
DeleteThe eco house storyline is one that captures my imagination. Our youngest daughter has bought a house in Edinburgh that was built in the 1970s and has had very little done to it since. It was a one off build by a couple who lived there till they both died.
ReplyDeleteDaughter and husband have plans to make it as eco friendly as possible. It's going to be a long haul but an exciting project, possibly running in tandem with Tony and Pat's.
That really is an interesting project, CC (possibly one that’s best experienced second hand ?!?). Then all they will need is an edible garden to go with their eco house......
DeleteHere’s hoping Pat and Tony get the two decades in their eco built home. To do so the current actors will have to remain in TA to 94yrs David Troughton and 100yrs Patricia Gallimore! Maybe they will follow in June Spencer’s footsteps….
DeleteBrian Hewlett (Neil) is 85yrs ! so no wonder he sounds older than his Archers character to you maryellen.
It’s odd, to me Neil still sounds much younger than his actual years or indeed of his characters years.
DeleteWe all hear differently !
I thought that when George was consigned to jail, that would be the last we’d hear from the brilliant young actor, Angus Stobie for a while. I assumed that he’d probably been offered an acting job somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteBut is seems that we will keep in touch with him though various means and learn about his experience in prison and what it does to him.
Though I very much dislike hearing violent or bullying behaviour I think it’s good for TA to be following this storyline and I am really happy that Angus is being given the chance to shine. He certainly knows how to portray very different emotions.
He is a natural, that’s for sure.
DeleteAgree with your sentiments AP.
I too thought that George would become another silent character, and when he returned to Ambridge, he would be a different actor.
DeleteI am so glad I am wrong, as Angus Stobie has certainly made "George" his own and is great in his portrayal. 👏👏
The scenes in which Angus (George) is teamed with Emerald (Emma) are a real treat with both being such fantastic actors. The scriptwriters must enjoy letting their hair down, knowing they have the range to cope with complex plotting and characterisation. Whereas I feel they often soft pedal scenes with less skilled actors, who mainly say the same sort of thing in the same sort of way, and for whom range consists of talking louder and/or faster.
DeleteAnd all done with voices alone !
DeleteMaryellen, were you possibly thinking of Adam?
DeleteYou might think that, Archerphile, I couldn’t possibly say!!!
DeleteWow nothing for 2 days!
ReplyDeleteCome on Kirsty get an instant sale be it Tom and Natasha or another. Usual Helen she can’t keep a steady life going for her boys and she seems to have always been the same one minute she has everything she has always wanted then dissatisfaction creeps in….
Yes this is one occasion when I will be pleased to see Natasha bite the bullet and in doing so, help Kirsty in her ambition to sell up and buy out Roy.
DeleteAs I mentioned before, I think Helen has been very unfair to Kirsty over the house sale. Showing interest in buying, keeping Kirsty hanging on for ages, prevaricating, finding excuses not to buy, then pulling at at the last minute.
DeleteAs for having the front lawn ruined by dragging a caravan over it, poor Kirsty can’t win.
Oh, and planning permission would be needed for living in a caravan in a front garden, and I can’t see the neighbours being too happy about it!
Anyone from Ambridge going to be marching to Parliament today to protest at Rachel Reeves new tax on Farms? David, Brian? I can imagine Stella would, even though she doesn’t actually own a farm but it could well affect her future. A topical insert? Probably not.
ReplyDeleteI can see Tom preferring to buy Willow Farm regardless of what Natasha wants.
ReplyDeleteNow this would leave Kirsty in an even bigger mess, and Tom will leave her in the lurch once again.
Anythings possible.
Good to hear the topical insert this evening.
ReplyDeletePresumably the two actors were available by telephone to enable that.
And although Josh mentioned tonight, his being so highlighted for me his very long absence.
I was delighted to hear that topical insert. I didnt think they could possibly ignore such a big issue in farming that is so worrying and affects so many in agriculture.
ReplyDeleteWell done script writers!
And Ruth/David even referenced philosophy, and that must have been intended because today (third Thursday every November) is Philosophy day, so well done on all counts.
ReplyDeleteI too was very glad to hear the main insert.
Well, I've never been Justin's greatest fan but today's behaviour takes the biscuit. Clearly his new-found sweetness and light doesn't extend to students.
ReplyDeletePoor sweet, loyal Brad didn't stand a chance against his rail-roading. Someone needs to stand up for the poor lad. I'd hate him to end up being the first Horrobin to drop out of university.
Brads mother Tracey seems to be constantly standing up for him, worried that he is over extending himself for others to the detriment of his own needs.
DeletePerhaps fearless and outspoken Tracey is the person to take on Justin, but perhaps initially through talking with Lilian.
I wonder how Brad is handling the finances for George’s business. Can he access George’s banh account? Does Damara require time-invoicing invoicing or is Justin paying cash in hand? Is Brad taking any payment for his work?
DeleteThis is what’s bugging Tracy, I think. Not only Brad”s lecture-skipping, but the fact he’s doing it for George to whom she was so vile, when he was down. Wise beyond his years in some respects, Brad knows the business is the only thing keeping George sane and only he can help keep it going. He’s impressed me by standing up to his awful mother - but depressed me by his limpness when confronted by Justin”s old-man-in-a-hurry approach.
We haven’t heard he’s been reprimanded by his tutor (yet) so presumably he’s still managing to keep up.
Sorry, should be ‘time-consuming invoicing’.
DeleteI don’t think Brad’s mother is awful. She is quite rightly worried for her son. Worried that his university work is being compromised by George’s demands and Justin’s cheese-paring tactics. She is very proud that Brad is the first in the family to go to University (as I was with my daughter) and doesn’t want her very bright son to fail.
DeleteI agree AP - Tracey Horrobin is not awful.
DeleteShe may be considered a tiger mother, but with her background she has managed to raise a son and daughter who, though different to each other are both striving to make their way in life, as she, herself has done against many odds.
She has been a good example to her children. And a good mother.
She has a vibrant personality however rough and ready that personality may be, and she has found love later in life and had the courage to go ahead and make life work for her and her rough and ready partner.
Tracey is fast becoming a favourite for me.
Now………. what and where did that come from tonight ?
Presumably it’s destined to be the beginning of a new story line.
For the first five minutes I was expecting the continuity to break in with an announcement and apology to the effect that the wrong programme was being played. Then when Jakob and Kates voices appeared I realised that we were actually listening to TA.
All very strange !
Why I call Tracy H. awful is because she is completely self-centered (her children being an extension of herself), and has a moral compass nearly as dodgy as her husband’s. She can be vitriolic, accusatory (without proof), superstitious, and ignorant of the world around her. The cricket team is where Tracy’s bossiness excels.
DeleteSusan is worth three of her.
I agree it’s amazing how well Tracy’s children are turning out, considering what uncontrollable little brats they both were as children. The scriptwriters have given them brains, sensitivity, moral integrity and a sense of purpose in life.
Well, once again we’ll have to agree not to agree Maryellen. I don’t think Tracy is entirely self-centred, certainly no more than her sister who has spent much of her life trying to climb the social ladder. Making Neil apply for that job as a feed representative that he hated and a dozen and one other things, too many to list but often involving poor Neil trying to ‘better’ himself. As least Tracy has never put on airs and graces but has always been just Tracy. And I find her pleasure and pride in having a son at University very believable and enjoyable.
DeleteBBC is having programmes about avoiding scams all week and The Archers is part of this ‘season’.
ReplyDeleteThe entire week is going to be featuring scammers and the whole village will be under threat apparently. I expect many people thought they had tuned in to the wrong programme tonight but fortunately I had been forewarned, though I hadn’t expected American accents!
In yesterday’s BBC podcast a question was sent in regarding Brian and Jennifer’s old home and the answer was to watch this space so first of all I thought the Americans had arrived as the new owners 🙃 but not so. All will be revealed of course!
ReplyDeleteAh ! I see….
ReplyDeleteThanks AP, I should have realised, I did know about the season of scams and did think ‘ oh this is a scam ‘ but didn’t make the connection, not expecting Ambridge to be part of the season.
I thought it quite funny that Jacob who is so particular about things, and going to lock up his valuables for the Americans overnight stay, should leave his house key under a flowerpot.
ReplyDeleteExactly!!
DeleteAny guesses as to which Ambridge resident will be the next to find their home has been let by scammers? I nominate Jim!
ReplyDeleteThe Gills. It’s time we heard from them.
DeleteI always thought they sounded fishy.
Delete👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
DeleteWell, that sounds like a couple who needn't plan anything to celebrate their next anniversary. 'THough if they've managed to bicker their way through 40 years perhaps there's still hope.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, two 16 year olds off school for 4 days (in their GCSE year) to stay in a holiday cottage on a farm? Methinks Mum may have over-estimated their enthusiasm for the family bonding exercise!
ReplyDelete(Not to mention the unauthorised absence fine the school will impose on top of the £350 she's also been scammed for ...)
Aha! The script writers didn’t think of that, did they!
DeleteI wonder if this SL - re scams - was brought to the planning table rather late - enforced perhaps ? - and therefore is a bit of a botch up, not thought through thoroughly enough.
DeleteFurther wonderings….. is David’s solution to the unwanted visitors a message to us all to be kind ( if we have the facilities to be so ) to those poor souls scammed out of their holiday ?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Faith and her family would still have been living in Ambridge when Jill married Phil, if so she might remember the family, and be able to reminisce with Faith now they are staying in the barn. If the latter is in her 70's and left when she was 10, say 65 years ago, and Jill is about 93 now and she married when she was 25, then if my arithmetic is right she would have been 28 when Faith and her family left the village so she might remember them.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean Faith was at primary school with Eddie Grundy (and other Ambridge-born- and-bred residents of the same vintage) ?
DeleteCould be. It will be interesting to see if this is explored.
DeleteMaybe they were childhood sweethearts???
Delete(Thinks!) Both Eddie and Faith are finding their marriage partners uncongenial right now.......
DeleteI guess you were right as they got married in the playground!
DeleteFirst we had a Christmas Carol, now we have travellers from afar having to stay in a barn because no room anywhere else.
DeleteI agree with you Mrs P. This feels like a very clunky story line, brought in to coordinate with one of the BBC’s themed weeks, necessitating new characters being squeezed in and an unlikely script being cobbled together.
ReplyDeleteI’m opting out until Sunday.
I’ve only just caught up with last nights TA.
ReplyDeleteFurther thoughts lead me to promulgate the following.
Perhaps, given the necessity to include scamming within the Ambridge community this has given the planning team the opportunity to consider a prequel.
With Peggy now gone and Jill rarely heard as well as other long standing characters fading into never never land - think Brian and Neil - and young characters being introduced, returning to the 1950s, when children were not featured in those early broadcasts - Eddie Grundy and Faith reminiscing about playground nuptials - could this be the golden egg ? A gift which keeps on giving.
Prequels being very popular in the film world, perhaps the powers that be are thinking that a touch of memories of Ambridge prior to 1950 could be a rich seam to mine.
That’s an interesting suggestion, Mrs P. I picked up somewhere that Neil was.going to open up about his past which would fit with your theory (assuming I haven’t imagined it!)
DeleteThough I suppose there’s a limit to how many personal reminiscences and blasts from the past you can include in a contemporary narrative.
PS. Maybe one of the younger characters could take up family history, which is popular hobby, and that would be a way into the past......
DeleteThat’s another suggestion taking mine a little further ME.
DeleteAnd a good start could be Peggy, who if i remember correctly had just come out of the forces not too long before meeting Jack on a station platform.
Now was that in a book I’ve read or was it in a play ( TV play ) that I’ve seen at some time ?
The image is so clear in my memory that I’m sure I’ve seen it either in a play or perhaps a photo.
Then Peggy brought her mum Mrs Perkins - MrsP - up from London to live in Ambridge.
Both of those lives could be mined.
Tom Forest has already been mentioned this week as having been a gamekeeper I think. And Clarries father or G father was also mentioned.
Then there is the original Mrs Archer who was a ladies maid up at the big house before she married Dan.
All possible evidence that the TA planning team are already using past characters to give some substance to the past for new listeners perhaps.
And I might suggest that long term listeners such as AP and myself and presumably many others both inside and out of our blog, with a wealth of memories, along with the paper archive that the BBC holds, could dredge up many more memories.
PS - They could resurrect Ambridge Extra and make it about the past, pre the fifties.
DeleteYes indeed they could, especially if they decide to dramatise the past, when an additional narrative channel would be ideal. Listeners could opt for it or not depending on their interests. Incidentally, have you come across Peter Hesketh’s Chronology of The Archers, from the programme’s beginning to the early 1990s if I remember rightly? It’s a bit gappy and probably selective, but quite interesting to dip into.
DeleteThe Chronology actually begins with Dan Archer’s birth in1896 and ends with Elizabeth and Nigel’s wedding in 1994.
DeleteNo haven’t ever heard of that one. A book I presume ! Sounds interesting.
DeleteIt’s a chronological listing I stumbled across on the Internet. If you google Peter Hesketh’s Chronology, you should get the website housing it.
Delete(My favourite quote from it comes from 1951:
Doris reveals Dan hates pyjamas and always wears a nightshirt........)
Good grief !
DeleteI remember that.
I’m afraid I had an unedifying thought when I first read it and wondered what Dan revealed!
DeleteNow that really goes back in time! I am about half way through reading it and finding it interesting. Some things I had forgotten. I wonder if its published in booklet form, a nice Xmas present for an Archers fan maybe. I was surprised recently when the new-to-me car was delivered and the person who brought it was showing me how it worked ( lots more things to press than my 20 year old Chrysler) and he asked which radio station would I like him to set it on and I said I liked to listen to the Archers, and he absolutely lit up and told me how he does, and how like me as a child, he sat and first listened to it with his father.
ReplyDeleteOne funny bit I had forgotten was when Walter Gabriel, as a surprise and a thank you, rotovated Mrs P's garden but she was less than grateful because she had just planted a lot of seeds.
DeleteIt has set me wondering. First there was Walter Gabriel as light relief, then Joe Grundy. Who is meant to be the light relief now? I suppose it must be Eddie?
DeleteYes I agree Janice, I suppose it must be Eddie, but you and I both know that Eddie Grundy is not a patch on Walter Gabriel, and Joe G was not anything like as funny as WG …… ever !
DeleteI’m wondering if the new Walter could be Joy’s friend Mick. No particular mummerset accent of course, but does seem to be a bit accident prone and not the brightest of characters.
DeleteThanks Maryellen, I will do as you suggest.
ReplyDeleteNow the scam-warning week is, hopefully, over it occurred to me that the SWs were quite clever in creating one particular scam that affected several a people in the village.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read that the BBC were planning this themed week, I imagined they would feature several different types of scam, such as credit card fraud, people’s identity being stolen, fake goods being sold and children WhatsApping parents saying they needed money. Each one affecting a different character.
But that would have taken a lot of research and complex scriptwriting, so to concentrate on the
one type was very practical and the results will not drag on for weeks which might have happened with other types of scam.
The scam may have ended but I wouldn’t mind betting that one or two of the characters within the scam become attached to Ambridge.
DeleteI can immediately think of two possibilities.
Either or both Clarrie and Eddie saving up to go to America, and Kate and Jakob also planning a holiday there in the future.
( Of course if C and E were to go on a jolly it would be a repeat of their trip many years ago to France )
Secondly - have not caught her name, but the woman who brought her teenage daughters for a three day break leaving husband to - ‘ pack his bags ‘ - seems very taken with farming life and I can imagine she might be coming back again if only for visits.
A new friendship for Ruth ?
I think Kate and Jakob are my favourite Ambridge couple. Have we ever been told that Jakob is neurodivergent/on the spectrum, or is that a listener speculation which has become entrenched? Could be he's just a Virgoan!
ReplyDeleteI just think Jakob just likes to be organised and in control of his life, as he has to be in his work as a vet. Mistakes can cause problems, as he so well knows. His work life has spilled over into his home life. I still do not think that he is on any sort of spectrum, but I will admit to being wrong, when this is proven.
DeleteAt least Scambridge showed a different side to him and his relationship with Kate in a very positive and lovely way.
I am so loving the Podcast, but I would so much prefer to hear Ambridge Extra again. Anyone else remember + enjoy it?
ReplyDelete