The Archers: Tom’s on about pies … Shula! … Brenda makes mistakes … Kathy’s on about Kenton
- Tom, let your pies cool down first. Let them cool down …
- Ooh – catty Brenda
- I nearly got as big a shock as Susan!
- Joe’s cartful
- A ploy or just dim?
- Kathy “just seems to be an irritation”
- “You don’t go into my counter!”
- Will Kenton rise to the occasion?
Tom, let your pies cool down first. Let them cool down …
As @JunkyardSoul mentioned on Twitter – Tom is now just all about the pies.
Will no-one think of the sausages?
Ooh – catty Brenda
That’s why Brenda’s doesn’t care that Tom’s ‘stolen’ Vicky’s veal and ham pie idea.
She can’t stand Vicky. I’d totally forgotten about that.
I nearly got as big a shock as Susan!
Shula!
You’ve been so quiet of late. And then you walk back into the most controversial, hotly debated, excruciatingly political Village Shop. I think you could have chosen better …
Joe’s cartful
Well, it’s better than the one man boycott. He’s at least making a point, and making a few pennies at the same time.
Naughty naughty Shula for buying his veg, then being daft enough to let it be seen in the Village Shop.
A ploy or just dim?
So do we think Brenda is deliberately trying to play Lilian, or is she just really that stupid?
As Lilian said, all she had to do was remember (and say) three simple words when answering the phone.
Infact, almost any combination of words would have been okay, except
“ Matt’s Crawford office”
And later, it turns into “Lambside Properties”
She knows Lilian doesn’t want her there, so why not be extra careful to avoid any confrontation?
Or does Brenda think (or know?) that Matt’s the real boss of the business?
Somehow, I don’t think Lilian is going to be walked over by Matt this time. Brenda better become Sweden quick sharp.
Kathy “just seems to be an irritation”
Her words, not mine, but oh so true.
“You don’t go into my counter!”
That’s seemingly “not allowed”, but it sounded like Susan was more angry about “her space” being violated, than any Post Office regulation being broken.
Volunteers stealing, swapping shifts, mucking up the till, buying veg off of Joe … and now going against all of Susan’s Post Office principles.
Susan is going to blow up properly, any second now …
Will Kenton rise to the occasion?
Probably not.
Well, not at his joint birthday party with Shula. He’ll likely miss it by being at Jaxx, then spend another night at Kirsty’s while Kathy gets a head of steam nicely worked up.
“ I can’t keep up appearances anymore”
says Kathy
But she again turns this into Jamie’s issue (that he needs a “man around”, but Kenton just isn’t there for him).
The split surely has to come soon, it’s just whether Kirsty is going to be cited as the reason for the acrimony …
- When is a Tricycle a Till?
- Not good for reputation being seen with criminals … not ones that have been caught
- Spam – adverts for things you probably don’t want
When is a Tricycle a Till?
Seemingly when Susan Carter finds fault with Sabrina Thwaite being in charge with the village shop.
Having mucked up the till, Sabrina seemingly abandoned her post to flounce to her next seaweed wrap.
Leaving Jim to explain the problems to a very angry Susan (she has a course to go to, don’t you know!) and then a fairly nonplussed Peggy.
Accussing Sabrina of “fluttering her eyelashes” to get Jim to sort the problems out, Susan reckoned that this was all destined to happen.
Still, it is a whole new way for Sabrina to create excitement. As Kenton put it, it’s normally her jogging which makes that happen …
And what was Jim’s point about the ‘”principle of the nonsecretor”?!?
Not good for reputation being seen with criminals … not ones that have been caught
Ah Brian – you’ll eat Matt’s food, drink his wine, but you’ll also happily rubbish him when he’s not in earshot.
But what can we expect when you and your colleague escape Susan’s ‘interesting’ chat about her course by telling her your off to see a Marquis? Snobs ahoy!
“Out of jail 5 minutes and already getting in our way”
That’s just the start of it, Mr Aldridge
Spam – adverts for things you probably don’t want
Bless Jill for not being able to switch on her computer.
But why did she have to keep it secret from Kenton?
- Jude is getting ‘inspired’
- Sabrina can’t count?
- Ambridge Heritage Group
Jude is getting ‘inspired’
While he may not be as callous as Leon (as far as we know), Jude’s behaviour is starting to really grate. The fact that Pip is falling for it just makes it all the more irritating.
He cares what “the guys” think.
But he couldn’t care less about Lower Loxley’s website – even though he’s studying website design. Though, does his lack of interest in work related to his studies suggest that he has some sort of trust fund? That might also explain where the car came from.
He reckons Pip is boring for studying, and isn’t quite supportive of the fact that she probably needs to study at his due to the atmosphere at home
And now he’s into film making. Of the gothic variety. I thought the Goth phase was more early teens (and isn’t it now Emo?).
Anyway – he’s so ‘inspired’ that he’s cornered Pip into staying overnight at his place.
“Who would you rather keep happy?”
Emotional blackmail of the lowest form, especially on an inexperienced lass like Pip.
David will be reaching for his shotgun any second now …
Sabrina can’t count???
Or is it just her reputation for being a bit flighty?
Very very glad that the Village Shop has worked out for Susan. It’s been lovely to have peace from her for the last wee while. I only hope it doesn’t start up again when the reality of the new Village Shop kicks in.
Ambridge Heritage Group
You cheeky monkey Joe!
“in aid of one of the oldest families in Ambridge”
was your biggest mistake. That’s way too obvious, and founding anything with ‘Group’ or ‘Committee’ was bound to get the attention of all those civic minded folks.
I wonder what rumour Oliver has in mind?
- Biscuits are for royalty …
- Is Paul a nuisance or a potential amusement?
- Will Susan now shut up?
- Bedding two brothers is seemingly ‘the long way round’
Biscuits are for royalty ...
... and posh cars don’t break down
Damn it! Sports car v. tractor is postponed for another time.
Did Pip and Jude ‘bottle it’, or did Jude’s sports car really break down?
Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how Ruth and David can be ‘cleverer’( sic)
Is Paul a nuisance or a potential amusement ...
Nice to hear the grunting tones of Matt again.
Though, no surprises over his reaction to the death of his mum.
And what do we think to Lilian’s reaction to Paul’s text?
Was the “oh dear” because he was in touch yet again?
Or was it because of the funeral?
Is there an affair in the offing?
Will Susan now shut up?
Thrice Hurrah to Peggy!
With 2 months wages in pocket, some work at the new style Village Shop and a job at Bridge Farm, will Susan finally be satisfied?
I think she was right to push for a fair deal, but my word – doesn’t she go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on ...
Bedding two brothers is seemingly ‘the long way round’
Thanks for clarifying that Susan.
There was me thinking that Emma was a wee madam who put herself before Will and Ed’s feelings, relationship as brothers, family, kids, sanity ...
- Susan even starts to bore herself
- Lynda’s sucking of lemons may have lost her the chair?
Susan even starts to bore herself
This might have been Pat’s intention all along, but Susan is finally so fed up that she’s considering resigning from the Village Shop committee.
The ‘hurrahs’ heard throughout Ambridge are tinged with worries that Susan will be successful at a tribunal.
Unless, of course, Pat can buy her silence by giving her a job at Bridge Farm.
Susan has been a complete nightmare over this whole Village Shop scenario, but I do have a grudging agreement with her that she was entitled to be treated better. If she does go for a tribunal, she’d be well within her rights – even though the rest of the village will probably see it as churlish.
Best scenario would be for her to take the Bridge Farm job, but still pursue the tribunal.
Yes – the shop was losing money, and yes Peggy was right to do something about it – but the Archers can’t ignore that their actions do impact on other folks. It can’t be much fun sitting around waiting to hear if you have a job or not (though the day that Susan can shut up about it will be a happy one for us all!).
Lynda’s sucking of lemons may have lost her the chair?
Though Neil’s in for a rough ride by a very disgruntled Lynda – lemons to hand or not.
I’d have been more concerned about Jim being added into the mix. Yikes!
- It’ll be a sad day indeed
- Ambridge sorted Annette out
- You never know who you’re going to meet next
It’ll be a sad day indeed
Looks like the rumours are true that Phil will be leaving us. Jill’s already heading down memory lane.
The difference between Jill and Peggy will be stark and awkward. As Jill said, Jack’s still here.
The last scene Norman Painting recorded, Stir-up Sunday, was a lovely one. He’s sorely missed, just as Phil Archer will be.
Ambridge sorted Annette out
“She was a real mess when she turned up. As least she sorted herself out.”
Come now Helen – even without you knowing who the baby’s father was (that bombshell will keep) – one can hardly say that Ambridge was a good experience for Annette.
Being treated like a shag-buddy by Jazzer, having to put up with Susan’s continuous moaning about the new arrangements for the Village shop, living with Helen (constant nagging about tidiness, stimulating (!) nights in with wine and DVDs, never being left alone to sort out her own thoughts etc), all the memories of her dad, not really making any friends of her own age, having an abortion ...
All Ambridge has done is scar Annette even further.
And, leaving to go and live with your Gran is hardly going onwards and upwards (no disrespect, but it’s still hardly the life that a young lass should be leading).
You never know who you’re going to meet next
Kirsty’s bird man is back, seems like quite a decent bloke and has a name (Patrick).
For a moment, it sounded like Kirsty was going to turn him down, and Helen seemed interested enough to volunteer to take her place.
Perhaps a bit of a cat-fight over a man in the offing?
Or, is Helen about to sample the delights of the veg man’s son?
- Not particularly interested in incontinent pigs
- Pip’s getting on very well with one of her tutors
Not particularly interested in incontinent pigs
What a nightmare Susan must be to live with at the moment. I hadn’t spared a thought for Neil at all. Poor man.
Not sure about Susan going for unfair dismissal. Didn’t Usha say she’d have a case, but that there wouldn’t be much money in it?
Sometimes it is better to walk away, but sometimes is also right to fight for what you’re entitled to.
But, it sounds like Susan’s isn’t just aiming to get what she deserves.
Pip’s getting on very well with one of her tutors
Jude must be a very old looking 20 year old!
I’m with Pip on this one, but can see how hard it must be for David and Ruth. I wonder if they would have reacted so vehemently if they hadn’t actually seen them snogging – I don’t think any parent particularly wants to be witness to that.
So Pip’s right to be so annoyed at her folks for stalking her, then flipping their lids – but I do also understand why they’re worried. It’d all be far different if Pip had shown any maturity over the last few weeks.
- Susan’s new job: stopping all those blessed do-gooders getting lost in the stock room
- Brian shows his hand
- Will: the damn good son
Susan’s new job: stopping all those blessed do-gooders getting lost in the stock room
Which, surely, will be amply covered by 2 mornings a week?
Brian shows his hand
Aha - annoy Susan enough in the hope that she’ll walk away. You old rascal you!
By-the-by: someone needs to tell Brian that very few retailers pay their staff extra for the weekend as ‘unsociable hours’. That was the norm back in the good old days, but most retail staff are lucky to even get a lunch break nowadays!
Will: the damn good son
Which I won’t argue with – but there may be trouble ahead …
Money and family. Ouch!
- Ruth was absolutely steaming???
- Retail is not a gentle pursuit
- Audrey nominates Lynda
Ruth was absolutely steaming???
Did I miss a bit? Did Ruth hit the bottle after having words with young Pip?
Retail is not a gentle pursuit
Susan isn’t doing herself any favours, but I’d also be driven to rage if everyone around me was nattering on about a new project which was (probably) about to make me unemployed.
Also surprised that no-one seems to understand that running a shop isn’t just about standing behind a counter. As a receptionist, Lynda should know better.
If there’s one job I’d be loathed to return to, it’d be working in a shop. As well as standing for long hours, it’s a thankless task where you’re more likely to get shouted at than praised.
Maybe they’ve all misunderstood, and are thinking that it’ll be like running a charity shop. Only problem, in a charity shop you accept donations (and some stock sent from head office) – in the Village Shop they’ll be dealing with suppliers, invoices, sell-by dates, the joys of Sunday supplements etc etc etc
Do I detect a complete failure in the offing? Shall Susan start a new career, only to be begged back to her counter?
Audrey nominates Lynda
Hurrah to annoying David.
But who is Audrey? So silent that she’s never been heard of before? Do tell …
- Like the fresh pasta thing all over again
- David moaning and groaning about Lynda
- Pip hasn’t played fair
Like the fresh pasta thing all over again
The fresh pasta debacle must have passed me by …
Susan isn’t doing herself any favours - methinks she should be trying to engratiate herself with the folks who’ll be major players in deciding whether she’ll still have her job.
Instead of being obstructive and taking it all personally, she should button up and give her *considered* opinion to demonstrate her true worth.
Still, she’s ona bad footing consdiering the shop was making a loss under her management. Maybe that Bingo job is the best option.
David Moaning and Groanign about Lynda
That’s the sum of David – stress dreams about Lynda being chair of the Parish Council.
The man really needs to take himself, and his animal-feed-waering wife, out and about a bit more.
Pip Hasn’t Played Fair
Wait on for just a second – isn’t Pip 17 this year?
Surely old enough to go out later than 11pm and not need to be collected by her parents?
And what a palaver over her returning home with mates, being an hour or so later than she said she’d be, her new style and not answering texts from her mum.
You’d also be forgiven for thinking that she was a teenager.
If Ruth can’t handle a Pip going VERY slightly off kilter on a wee night out with her pals, good lordy knows how she’ll react to Pip discovering sex, booze and proper partying.
Then again, would we expect anything less of Ruth and David than complete overeaction to anything other than the normally drudgery of their lives???
- Lynda can spread herself here, there and everywhere
- Someone should dress up as Daisy the cow
Lynda can spread herself here, there and everywhere ...
... according to Susan
Finally, the Village Shop committee starts, and comes to blows.
Susan’s bang on in saying that Pat (et al) thinks she’s not capable, and that she should be kept ‘in her place’.
Snobbery abounds, spearheaded by Pat.
Which shouldn’t be surprising. Lest we forget that Pat managed to bring Tom’s Sausages and Cheesestraw into this world.
Someone should dress up as Daisy the cow
*groan*
Please don’t. Leave that sort of thing to Last of the Summer Wine.
- Annette’s getting a bit claustrophobic
- Brenda wasn’t good enough
Annette’s getting a bit claustrophobic
Oh my – as if we hadn’t guessed – Helen spelt out exactly what this baby could mean for her ...
...a two-way relationship – it would love you too – you would be the centre of its world – you would never need feel lonely again ...
Yikes! That’s a pretty heavy load for a 20 year old to think about. Annette hasn’t even dipped more than her pinkie into the world, yet her ‘friend’ Helen seems hell-bent on ignoring her needs, replacing them her with her own warped sense of what will make her happy.
Helen really, badly, desperately, needs to get out a bit more.
Brenda wasn’t good enough
Most of us will have been there at some point, but it can’t be easy being rejected for an interview when someone you know has been asked along.
Especially if you think that you’re *better* than that other person.
You gotta love Mike’s loyalty and sheer blind belief that ‘having a degree’ equates you as the right person for the job BUT is anyone else thinking that there’s a wee hint of snobbery about this yet again?
Okay – Susan comes from Horrobin stock and has been detained at her Majesty’s pleasure – but why is everyone suddenly treating her like she’s a moron? She hasn’t exactly made the Village Shop an outstanding success but, with many other village shops suffering the same fate, I don’t think that explains why she’s taking such a character kicking from all and every.
Face it Brenda – a degree does not automatically make you the best candidate – and sometimes (just sometimes) experience is valued over youth.
- Hang out with Helen or sit in a village hall?
- Tom and Helen: thank-you for being a friend
- Pat comes right in the end
Hang out with Helen or sit in a village hall?
Each to their own Brenda, but you must’ve known that Cheesestraw and a bottle of wine does not often make for a fun evening …
It was obvious that some sort of baby-story was about to happen (Helen babysitting for Nic and Will – you can always tell something is afoot when someone suddenly starts helping/spending time with folks you wouldn’t have thought they were on speaking terms, let alone have each other’s mobile numbers).
My bet was on Helen, but (shock and horrors), of course it’d have to be more twisted than that.
And, not satisfied with a mere ‘will Helen ever find out it was Leon’s?’ – I reckon we’re going to experience the deepest and darkest days of Hellin yet. And that’s surely saying something.
Helen will have to first ‘persuade’ Annette not to have the abortion, then cajole and nag until the baby is handed over. Or will she just grab and run?
Seriously - just how far can that rather neurotic woman be pushed? Mike better stay off the roads, and Leon best keep clear unless he wants to be an unwitting father for the second time (if all else fails).
Tom and Helen: thank-you for being a friend
Maybe it’s just because neither of them have seen much of life outside of Ambridge – but Tom and Helen are simply awful confidantes.
Not sure if they’re trying for a middle-England version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, but every secret or personal titbit from the lives of their ‘mates’ tends to be exposed to someone (anyone!) else the moment they can spill.
Did Pat and Tony skip the lesson about how to keep a secret?
Pat comes right in the end
Odd, but what changed Pat’s mind about Susan being a committee member?
“Your offer to stand would be gratefully accepted.” Since when?
Or is she trying to water down Brian’s influence?
- Annette’s Abortion
- Gardner Matt
- Susan Carter: the Alan Sugar of village shop retail
Annette’s Abortion
And there was me thinking Helen had found a used condom in the bin (which would have been *eugh* and also a bit disturbing considering it is a fair while since Leon seduced Annette).
Annette’s not proving the most popular of new residents, but you do have to feel for the wee lass. The morals of sleeping with one’s landlady/friend/pseudo-mother boyfriend aside, Ambridge is proving to be as destructive to her as it was for her father.
She’s making a tough decision – only question is whether Helen will try and stop her.
We all knew there’d be some sort of pregnancy coming up – but, with Helen’s babysitting efforts for Will & Nic, it seemed like she’d be the one. Could Annette change her mind so that Helen can adopt?
Gardner Matt
Enjoying Matt as a bit more of a laid back chappy (the constant shouting was getting a bit much), but finding it hard to reconcile his new attitude to others (“they never stood a chance”) with the Tiger that we know and love. Does a few weeks in prison really change someone round that much?
Either way – I hope Lillian does get her tomatoes.
Susan Carter: the Alan Sugar of village shop retail
I do think that there is snobbery afoot with Susan not being asked onto the village shop committee, but does Susan also not realise that she’s not entirely the retail mogul that she imagines?
After all, the village shop committee is happening because the shop was making a loss. And who was the manager ….?
Brenda: she's a flyer!
Not sure what Brenda's tutors were thinking, but she seems to have graduated thinking that marketing = “flyers and press releases and stuff”
And what sort of those state are those flyers?
Did I miss something, or did she take a graphic design course? She made have done so instead of turning up to the PR section of her course (she secured press coverage for Deck the Halls AFTER it had taken place. No grumbles about that being a good brand building exercise, but methinks the point was to try and get more folks to the event that year, rather than the next). I think we should be told – and graphic designers should be taking a huff over the assumption that any old fool can plonk together a design.
But, after the offer of two projects in one day, I think Brenda might even ponder starting up her own business. I think the Marketing moguls of this world need not be concerned: Tom’s Sausages is joined by Brenda’s Flyers?
Pat's Village Shop Mafia
As has been mentioned in an earlier episode, Pat seems to be only asking Archers, or the partners of Archers, onto the village shop committee (Usha aside - but there simply isn't a lawyer in the clan).
A ploy to make sure that it stays in the family (though Peggy is technically a Woolley)? Or a very small social circle? Or is it sheer snobbery that's making her avoid the likes of Susan Carter ...???
