Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/archers archers_20130801-1920a.mp3

You are listening to Thursday's episode of The Archers from BBC Radio 4.

Thanks, Maurice. Night. / Rob Titchener. / Hi, Rob. It's Tom. / Oh, hi, Tom. How is it going? / Good, thanks. You? / Well, huh, I'm getting there. / Good. Well, when you do get there and pack up for the day, do you fancy a drink? / Oh. ... Yeah. Why not. / Great. Look, uh, I've got some stuff to drop over to Bridge Farm, so, why don't you just come over there and ___ crack open a beer? / Oh, uh, well, look, actually, Tom, do you mind if we meet at The Bull? Then I can grab something to eat as well. / Oh, no, no, that's fine by me. I can eat there too. / Oh, brilliant. I mean, your ready meals are great, don't get me wrong, but, uh, even you might get / sick / sometime / Me? Never.

It's kind of you to offer, Pat, but they have one of your hampers in the raffle at the swishing. / Oh yeah. I suppose they did. / I mean, it's not I'm not grateful, but it's something Oliver said ... I've been wondering if I can ___ ___ changes? / think / a month's supply of icecream, veg box, maybe? / how about cheese / __ of Borsetshire Blue sound? / Oh, now that would be something different. / we can dress it up a bit, put it in a box with some straw and ribbon or something. / Yeah, that will be fantastic. Yes, please. Oh, thank you. / Ah, that's all right, Kathy, no problem. ... So, how are you getting on with the Film Night? Is it all coming together? / More than that. It's completely sold out. / Good grief. Didn't know there was so many old film __ around. / neither did I. Alan suggested we have a second showing / screening at seven and again at nine. / Good for you. That's great. / Yeah. Well, I'm glad something's going right. / Oh, oh, yes, you had a meeting with Martyn Gibson this week, didn't you? How was it? / It was awful. / What? / He really put me on the spot. He wanted to go through the last three years' figures with the finest of toothcombs. / Oh, dear. / He had me trapped here for hours. Then he went off to chat with the staff to get their feedback. / me as a manager, I suppose. / He is taking it seriously. / Huh. He's made it his mission. / When are you seeing him again? / I'm not sure. End of this week, he said, but he wasn't specific. ... Jamie called him The Terminator. You know, as in "I'll be back ... " / Ha ha / I hope I am not interrupting. / Well, thank you for your inquiry. Do let me know if there is any more I can do. / What? Uh ... oh, oh, right. / Thank you, again. Good bye ... Martyn. / Kathy. it's no good pretending. I know that wasn't a work call. / All right, no. But it was a friend, and she called me. Anyway, I'm off duty. I should have left 10 minutes ago. / I don't think we are here to clock-watch, are we? ___ case of staying ___ job's done. Uh, may I? / Yes. / put as much effort into your work as your social life. / I do. And, it's not my social life. It's an event. I'm organizing for the village, as it happens. / Please. Excuses are so demeaning, don't you think? Now, I've got your proposals. Functions and daily menus. Is that it? / I'm still working on special events. / I see. / I wasn't quite sure when you were coming back. / Well, here I am. Shall we make a start?

Cheers, Tom. / Yeah, cheers. / What's that doing there? / What? / Uh, the stool, behind the bar. That's new. / Ah. It's for Nic Grundy, Will's wife, so she can rest her legs or something. / What for? / I don't know. Something to do with the baby? Pregnant women, you know. It's all a bit of a mystery to me. / Yes. / I think I'll stick to s__. ... So, what's the latest at the dairy? / Ah, well, we seem to be on course. We can't wait to get the cows in now. / Oh, come on, Rob. The walls are only half up. I passed the other day. / Yeah, yeah, but it's all on schedule. And / staffing in hand. / Oh. Via this agency? / well, contracting / recruitment was the only way in the end, but I'm, I'm still sorry / I couldn't source all the key people myself. / just want it done, don't you? / you sound like Brian / not / I didn't mean that in a negative sense. He is an interesting guy to work for. / You could say that. / Very results-driven, which suits me most of the time. / Most of the time? / Ah, well, you know, there are times when you wanna talk something through. Might not have the answer / discussion might generate the right answer. / Huh. And then it's, "What on earth am I paying you for?" / Something like that / Yeah, I remember it well. / I've had my own experience of working with Brian. / Have you? I thought his approach to farming is __ from yours. / it is. I was pretty desparate at the time. / What happened? / Ah, anyway, it's a long story. Basically, Brian put in some money to bail me out of a hole. Actually I had my pigs over at Home Farm for a couple of years. / Really? / Yep. But our partnership fell apart pretty spectacularly. So, I know just what you mean about Brian being ... well, shall we say, uncompromising. / That's one word for it. / But, I have to give him one thing. He does generally know his stuff when it comes to business. / Oh, I can see that. / He's been a pretty good sounding board for my ready meals. / Ah, ha, your ready meals. Now, come on, Tom. You've been very polite up until now, taking an interest, but I know you've got something you want to tell me. / Well, ... there has been a bit of a development, actually. / Oh, that's great. Go on. / OK. ... I had a phone call this morning from ... I'll tell you what. Shall we go and grab a table?

So, turning to the lunch time menus. / Oh, hang on. I've got them somewhere. / I don't think you quite got my drift / here they are / concerned with my new changes to the set menu, then some kind of strategic vision. / Vision? / A way forward, Kathy. That was the phrase I used, I believe. / yeah, well, but / hardly think replacing tomato and basil with carrot and corriander / soup of a day, is quite gonna cut it. Do you? / Oh, that was only for starters. / __ __. I'm not interested in what's for starters. I'm interested in the bottom line, getting it back into the black. / Yes. Quite. / seems to me, in order to increase profits, we have two options. / Go on. / Perfectly simple. You either have to increase the number of customers, or we put our prices up. / But we can't. I can't do either of those things. / so negative. / I've told you, Martyn. Circumstances dictate how many people come through the door. / Here we go. / I can't drag people in off the street for lunch or for any other reasons. / You have to make them want to come. / How? / Well, that's your area, surely. You don't seem to be having any trouble attracting people to your "Film Night". / Ah. Well, that's a bit different. / Is it? / Yes. ... Anyway, ___ ___ putting up prices / Go on, /  hear your objection to that / my objection is / simply drive the customers we do have away. / All right. I hear what you are saying. / You do? / Let's say you are right. / What? Oh. / So, what's the alternative? / Yes. I know what you are going to say. Cut costs. / Good. At last we are getting somewhere. / No we are not, because I've been through with all the suppliers. There are no better prices or discounts to be had. / You see? This is the problem, Kathy. You are not thinking creatively, or widely enough. / I thought I was supposed to be focusing. / There's still another way to trim costs. / Please. Let's save time. Just tell me. / Serve smaller portions. / Oh ...

So, it looks like, we are back in the pattern of the first week. / That's great. / Yeah. / Bellinghams want an extra delivery tomorrow in time for the weekend / so, the flattening off / last week / looks like it was an exception / extra delivery's gonna be / What did I say? / Yeah, yeah, I know. You told me. / So, the big question is, are you going to increase production? / Hhhhh, I don't know. I'm still wondering about that. But I'm starting to think you are right and I should. / Oh, yeah, I, I know Bellinghams haven't actually increase their order yet, but all the signs are there that they are going to. / Yeah. And, like you said, I don't want to be caught out / you two look very serious. / Oh, hi, dad. / Hello, Tony. / it's a serious business, Tom's ready meals. / I can't agree more. Mind if I join you? / No, of course not. / Ah, thanks, if you don't mind being joined by an old dinosaur like me. / Ah, dad. / Now, I couldn't help hearing, you are not really gonna up production already, Tom? / far more / Bellingham's / that's not what I said / I think / be very premature. / I never said I was going to / selling well at the moment, and that's great. But Bellinghams are really pushing them / people / I know. / and / on their special offer / when the price goes up, sales may drop off. / Yes, all right, dad. / all I was saying, Tony, is, uh, if Bellingham's done their job and established a market, and, Well / as good as we know they are / excuse me / eaten them quite a few times. / Dad, Rob's one of my best customers. / If Bellinghams suddenly increase their order, Tom doesn't wanna be caught out. It's the sort of things / supermarkets are pretty unforgiving about. / Oh / well, I did see it happen with the producer in Canada / Oh, yes yes yes yes, of course. I'm forgetting you've done it all. / Ah, well, all I'm saying ... Ahem, look, ah, maybe it's time I went to order some food. / Yeah. Will you order for me as well, Rob? Uhm, I'll have the special, with chips. / Sure. / Do you want some money? / No, no, don't worry. I will sort it out later. / Thanks. ... Dad, honestly. / What? / There's no need to get so worked up. / I wasn't. / Yes, you were. We were just chatting. I'm not gonna do anything hasty. / Oh. Really? / No, of course not. / Oh.

Honestly, Pat, I couldn't believe some of the things he came up with. / Smaller portions? As if people aren't gonna notice. / I know. And, smaller portions, how, exactly? ___ take a cheese salad / in the bar / right / what / want me to do? Cut the ends off? I can't / together / to someone else. / Of course not. / our fillings aren't / generous, to start with. / So, what's next? / Goodness knows. I'll have to make a few of the changes Martyn suggested just to show / Poor you. / not that / he'll be the one getting complaints from the customers. / Pat, wait till you hear ... oh, hello, Kathy. / I'm sorry, Tony, I'm just going. / Oh, don't let me drive you out. / No, really. I'll let you get on / your evening / I'm afraid / enough / to Pat. / you can, anytime. / you'll regret you said that. But thanks. See you. / Bye, Kathy. / Bye. / Wait till I hear what? / Rob Titchener, holding forth in The Bull about ready meal production, and Tom, hanging on his every word. / He wasn't. / He said he wasn't, but he was. / What would Rob Titchener know about ready meals? / Yeah, exactly. Who the heck does he think he is, sticking his nose into this family's business? / Absolutely. And not just with Tom, either.