My first year on Substack... 40 articles written 3 radio appearances 3 podcast interviews A podcast created Workshop & talks delivered It’s been quite a year!👇 monkdebunks.substack.com/p/monk-debu... Thank you to everyone who has shared, commented, liked, subscribed, and caffeinated me 😜

I don't like to criticise the SWs, but 2 things about today's episode. 1. Twice it was said Tracy had been in the dairy a few weeks. She's been there 8 days! 2. Again no reference to Tracy working there 25 years ago. No need to go on about it, it could've been covered in 4 lines. #TheArchers

For those who are interested in such things, the missing #TheArchers credits for this week & next week have appeared on the BBC website.

If Amber is this anxious about the scan, what will she be like when the baby is born? Is she regretting the pregnancy & secretly hoping for a miscarriage? #TheArchers

Yes, at about 6 minutes 30. George: We know you're pregnant Amber: Do we? George: Yeh, it says so here. Of course I'm assuming George knows what a positive pregnancy test looks like. But why would Amber lie, knowing she'd be found out tomorrow? #TheArchers

My Bluesky has just come back after being down for most of the evening. Anyone else? Anyway, as I was about to say 3 hours ago... Helen probably won't go. The SWs are just getting our hopes up, like they did with Finlay 😄 #TheArchers

We need the government to decouple electricity prices from the the marginal price of gas generation, which usually sets the price we pay. It's madness that our prices shoot up when we're adding more cheap renewables, but the price is set by the international market price of gas.

An excellent post and an excellent article. Starmer has no easy options- and none that will please everyone.

Helen's new found enthusiasm for life is very wearing. Especially as we know it won't last. She was right about something last week though; there never are enough wee milks. #TheArchers

Since you asked 😊. August 1998. I appreciate the joke will be partially lost on anyone who wasn't reading @privateeyenews.bsky.social in the 1990s. #TheArchers I see there is a letter about false beards from legendary Ambridge Socialist & beard campaigner @keithbeard.bsky.social on the same page 🙂

100% this. #TheArchers

When they've thought about it, Tom & Natasha might realise they should be grateful to Finlay. Without him, Helen would probably have carried on drifting through life & never moved out. #TheArchers

I'm disappointed by the lack of reaction to the second paragraph 😆. Surely the character's name is a #TheArchers /Tony Hancock reference?

Does anyone believe Helen will buy this house, when she can move in with her parents? #TheArchers

'Martyn Gibson' on Father Brown on U&Drama at the moment 🙂 I've just noticed that the radio producer character is called Jeremy Mayhew-Bowman. Clever reference 😁 #TheArchers

"You would never guess from the headlines who was at fault for these payments. . . people blame Starmer, Labour, asylum seekers themselves and obviously those pesky European judges. None blame the Conservative government who acted unlawfully under British laws." open.substack.com/pub/monkdebu...

Good news here this morning. The two 'disruptor' candidates were not elected, so the Chair & Parish Clerk have not resigned. The turnout was 28%, better than I expected, which was nice.

More drama in our village currently than in #TheArchers. Waiting with some trepidation for the poll to close...

Never mind Gorton & Denton. Our village has an actual Parish Council by-election today. Seven candidates, 4 vacancies. Unprecedented in at least the last 30 years. Usually the PC struggles to co-opt enough people. Plus enough drama to rival the parliamentary by-election.

Tracy fails to mention she has worked in the Bridge Farm dairy before, albeit 25 years ago. #TheArchers

@bowsy.co.uk do you follow @mondomascots.bsky.social ? Did you see any on your trip to Japan?

Nope. Helen will have to decide between Ambridge, cheese & boring Dane or risking going to Scotland with Finlay. It's Shula, Richard & Alistair all over again. #TheArchers

Thank you for letting us know Keri. Very sad news. #TheArchers

@keridavies.bsky.social, I meant to ask earlier. There was a post here a couple of weeks ago reporting that there was a post on X saying Eric Allan has died. However, I can't find any confirmation online. Does #TheArchers production office know? Thanks.

This is popped up randomly on my feed. It's fascinating. I managed 1300 with a bit of a struggle but 1200 lost me completely.

As I've done the research, a short thread on a bit of the history of Brookfield 😊. Ambridge Dairy Farmers, later renamed Ambridge Farmers Ltd, was a co-operative venture started in 1961 by Dan Archer, Jess Allard & Fred Barratt. #TheArchers 1/4

@keridavies.bsky.social Hi Keri, hope you can help with a query. Some of us were surprised at David telling Josh he would inherit Glebe Cottage, as we think it is owned by Jill, not Brookfield. Also several of us remember Phil & Jill promising it to Shula & Elizabeth in their wills. #TheArchers

@bowsy.co.uk this is the quote you've mentioned several times. Turns out it was Douglas Adams.

FACT OF THE DAY. 21 February 1946. Aneurin Bevan announced the Labour Government’s proposals for a National Health Service. The service began on 5 July 1948. Its introduction represented one of the greatest social reforms in British History which helped every citizen.

Despite Pip being annoying a lot of the time I hope her & Stella have a happy marriage and make a decent job of running the farm mainly to annoy Brine Justin etc and Daily Mail readers #thearchers

Is this one of the many things you are involved in* @bowsy.co.uk? *I originally used a variation on a colloquial phrase involving pies, but it looked obscene...

15 years ago.

Maybe Pip should've brought up that, while she was making a fool of herself with Jude, Josh was covertly filming Emma in her garden... #TheArchers bsky.app/profile/bren...

I enjoyed that argument. Thank you @keridavies.bsky.social #TheArchers

I'm expecting Zach to be won over by the magic of Ambridge & completely change his tune by Friday. In other news, has there been enough agriculture for everyone so far this week? 🐖🐓🥕🌾👩‍🌾👨‍🌾 #TheArchers

I haven't read all #TheArchers comments from yesterday. Did anyone else notice Neil saying to Ruairi (in a pig context) that for any parent, nothing is as important as protecting your children?

I didn't know he was on (I listened to #TheArchers on Sounds tonight). Thanks for the heads up, will listen later.

I'm beginning to realise that we don't really know Ruairi at all. #TheArchers

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that today we were encouraged to laugh at some lighthearted slapstick involving a character who we discovered on Friday posssibly attempted to commit murder 🤔 #TheArchers

One notable difference between George & Ruairi's parallel stories. George's family implored him to to the police, but for a long time he refused. Ruairi wanted to go to the police, bit Brian told him not to. #TheArchers

Brian & Will, have both disastrously indulged their favourite son/child…… #TheArchers #Shakespearean

2020: Daily Mail runs a story attacking #TheArchers for lacking racial diversity 2026: Daily Mail runs a story attacking #TheArchers for being woke They can't win.

Good to see the 75th anniversary is setting up a new generational animosity between the Aldridges/Archers & the Grundys. #TheArchers Someone call Neil Kinnock 😆

Glad they didn't drag that out for ages. So it comes down to two stupid, reckless young men. The future of Ambridge 🙄 #TheArchers

A battle of wits & low cunning between Brian & George. The top & bottom of the Ambridge social hierarchy for the 75th anniversary. #TheArchers

For those who've read the RT article, presumably everyone spotted the mistake at the end of page 14? #TheArchers

I wondered that. Do we know whether the wine bottle was empty? Another possible inconsistency in Brian's story. #TheArchers

I'm obviously naive, but in the last couple of weeks I thought George was genuinely making an effort to be a better person. I only realised otherwise when he said he had to check a voicemail. Unlike most people here, it didn't occur to me he was recording the exchange. New start, pah! #TheArchers

Top marks for prediction 🔮. Did anyone else say this? #TheArchers