Isn’t Anybody Happy?

Andrew Wincott (Adam Macy)

Ambridge is getting more like Albert Square every week, with long faces and people going around moaning. It wasn’t a good week for Adam, who was roped in as a chauffeur for the first shoot of the season. At the end of the shoot, Justin Eliot gave him £20 “to share with the other chauffeurs” and an incensed Adam tells his mother that he should have ripped it up in front of him because “he was putting me in my place”.

I wouldn’t be so hasty Adam, as you could well do with the money before long; on Friday Charlie tells Adam that the arable contract will not be renewed with Home Farm next year. The problem, explains Charlie, is that Debbie is trying to run the place from Hungary and he has no problem with Adam. In fact, Charlie has spoken to RB Contracting (the people who have been awarded the contract) and they are keen to have Adam on board. Even by Charlie’s standards, this is monumentally insensitive and Adam tells him to stuff it. Adam moans to poor, long-suffering Ian and nearly explodes when he receives a text from Charlie, which says ‘When you calm down, the offer holds good’. The man is tact personified.

The shoot was also responsible for making Will feel even more unhappy than usual, which is saying something. There is a distinct lack of birds on some of the drives and the comments from some of the guns afterwards are distinctly lukewarm, with the tips reflecting the lack of satisfaction. Will gives brother Ed his money for serving as a beater, saying “If it carries on like this, we won’t have a very good Christmas.” A morose Ed replies “Well, at least that’s something we’ve got in common.” In fact, this is probably the most that the two brothers have said to each other in years.

David and Rooooth’s decision to put Brookfield on the market has put the dampers on the mood of a number of people. The brochure has been printed and the ’For Sale’ sign is up. Kenton lets it be known that he could crown David for making Jill decide so soon whether or not to leave Ambridge. That’s not the only decision Jill has to make - should she take the bees up north or not? In the end, she decides against it. Kenton is mildly unpleasant to his brother David - at the fireworks extravaganza, David turns up with a petition against Route B and Kenton says that he’s surprised “Now that you and Rooooth have thrown in the towel.”

David broke the news about the sale to Eddie, rather than let him come across the For Sale sign, always assuming he can read, that is. Eddie pronounces himself ‘gobsmacked’ and realises that he might find it difficult to find dairy work to replace the time that he currently puts in at Brookfield.

One of the factors that influenced Jill’s decision to accompany David up north might have been that she will be getting away from Lynda’s Christmas productions. This year she is putting on a production of ’Blithe Spirit’ and has cast herself as Madame Arcarte. Time is tight, so there’s no chance of auditions and Lynda is casting on the hoof; picking those who she thinks will be best for each role. Susan is delighted when Lynda says that she is ideal for the part of Edith. Susan says that she is pushed for time, but she can’t resist the chance to dress up like Lady Mary (of Downton Abbey fame). This shows that presumably Susan hasn’t seen the play, or else she would know that Edith is the maid, not an aristocrat. I suspect that, when she finds out, she will join the growing ranks of unhappy people in Ambridge.

Someone who seemed reasonably happy is Jazzer, although I’m a bit perturbed about his attitude towards the pigs. He and Johnny are feeding the animals and Jazzer says “The lasses need entertaining” and he gives them something to play with. I suppose we’re lucky that he didn’t take them to the pictures. “Pigs are the queens of beasts” he tells Johnny. Let’s face it, Jazzer has never been this complimentary or sensitive about any of his girlfriends - I wonder if he’ll end up sleeping with the pigs?

Non-speaking inhabitants of Ambridge had big parts this week; Kenton was cursing Hilary Noakes, whose protest about the fireworks on the green meant that the display was held on Jubilee Field, making it harder work for Kenton to set up the PA system. Molly and Tilly Button made an amazing guy, for which Kenton led a round of applause.

Molly featured again later on firework night - at Bridge Farm, Johnny was very upbeat because the girl he fancied - Melanie - said she’d go to the display with him, but then she cried off due to a family party. This was a lie and Johnny was devastated when he found out that she was in fact seeing someone else. Johnny told Tony that he didn’t want to go to the fireworks and Tony decided to give him the benefit of his experiences with women. This appeared to be mostly a catalogue of humiliation and rejection and I’m surprised that Johnny didn’t go off to be a hermit or a monk. However, it worked, as Johnny did go and Tony said to David and Pat: “He must be feeling better - just look who he’s talking to.” We didn’t find out until the following night that it was Molly Button, which surprised me, as I thought Johnny would have set his cap at Elizabeth; after all, everyone in Ambridge knows that she’s a red hot certainty and she seems to prefer younger men.