Each week the BBC are transmitting a mere 50 minutes of events in Ambridge. Our hosts this week Roifield is joined by the returning Keri Warbis (aided by tramadol) and Pete Fickling] manage to witter on about the Ambridge happenings for 94 minutes – nearly but not quite a factor of 1 to 2.
Of course the car crash better known as Alice Carter is given another good going over; it is a bit like being knocked over with the car then driving back and forth over the body a couple of times just for good measure! Alice has the alcoholic gene from grandfather Jack (the first) whose descent into alcoholism was treated far more decorously. Those of us with long memories will recall the way that Nora McAuley rescued George Barford from six years of alcoholism – she even lived over the brush with him until she found comfort elsewhere at which point George took up with Christine. Roifield has forgotten the scene when Alice was watching the wine delivery van and her need for it to arrive which was the first real evidence that she was heavily addicted.
Meanwhile we have all ended up in tiers this week and my next excursion to Derbyshire and Lancashire has been cancelled as both were propelled into tier 3. It is almost unrealistic to listen to the parallel universe in Borchester and not even get a mention of the ongoing restrictions even if the details cannot be inked in. I feel that the team ought to tip their caps at events, although ignoring it does avoid criticism for complete inaccuracies.
Kosmo
On this week’s episode, we hear views from Glyn, Young Keith, Jenny, Quentin, Hanna-Rotherham, Witherspoon, Allie and Christie.
Hello Roifield and dumteedummers,
Long time listener, first time caller-in-er of the vintage “Emma – Will – Ed love triangle “ here.
Am interested to hear the positive response to the storyline of Alice and revelation of her alcoholism as I really disagree!! Wonderful acting and I don’t want to take away from that, but as a spouse of an alcoholic I found the whole scene unbelievable, over dramatic and made me cringe. Although every experience is different and I am sure these dramatic situations happen, I think it risks reducing the portrayal of this issue to one of high drama instead of the mundanity and secretiveness that many alcoholics and their families live with. I don’t think the writers gave us misdirection on how much Alice was drinking – I think it was an accidental omission rather than intentional. They could have built that understanding and secretiveness of her drinking much better as a long term storyline. Very very pleased to hear such an important issue getting airtime but less overdramatization please and more exploration of the day to day mundanities of how she and Chris deal with her addiction. Thanks!