Is Helen Archer the most annoying pregnant person ever, but is heading for a fall...

[NigellaTufnel]

... maybe from her step class.

Although I cannot stand her, and find her smugness annoying enough to batter the radio, I feel a bit sad that they may make something bad happen to the baby becuase she is a bit organic.

Really? Damn. How very dare they steal Helen's comeuppance an Archers storyline?

Northernlurker: "the nasty Simon Pemberton hit either Shula or Debbie - can't remember which because he was seeing both of them".

I think he hit Shula and she stopped seeing him but didn't report it. Then later when he hit Debbie, Shula felt bad that she hadn't reported him.

(It's how I remember it anyway.)

And yes, Humphrey, I'd forgotten that Helen was awful to Hayley after John died and Helen came back from college (I think?) and found how involved Hayley was in the family business.

I said on another thread that I'm sure Helen's baby will be born with a disability. As someone else pointed out, that would fulfil a Radio 4 'pc'-type requirement as well as puncturing Helen's smug little bubble.

But am now liking the idea of her pregnancy being either phantom or ending in disaster - so that she nicks Emma's baby.

(God, even though these are fictional characters I feel so horrible at just typing those words!)

slightly off topic but Peggys cats have gone from silent to central speaking parts - is this part of the big storyline build up....

Maybe the cats will kill her! They'll lurk on the stairs in the dark and she'll trip on them (or maybe I'm just thinking about how my cat behaves )

Peggy's cats are being primed for their central storyline. Peggy will arrange a trip to see Con(?) in the US but no one will here from her. When they break eventually down her cottage door, they will find her half eaten by the cats.

I'm not sure about the cats; I have a sneaking suspicion that the scriptwriters enjoy lobbing in non-stories so they can see all the message boards and fora go mad with speculation. Evidence for the prosecution: Brenda's non-pregnancy, Kenton&Kirsty's non-relationship, the artichokes. They are playing with us.

Having said that, is Helen's knee significant? Is it an early symptom of something?

I agree with SHJ: the whole point of the Archers is that nothing ever happens. Or, if it does, it takes months; not like TV soaps where they can introduce a topic and have its dénouement all within the same episode.

I think that the Lower Loxley family get together may turn into a blood bath.

I don't think anything bad can happen with the Peggy / Con storyline as it's part of a big BBC/Govt drive to get old people online. Although they could do a bit of education around staying safe online/people not being what they seem, I think they are going to have to have it all turn out ok, otherwise they'll put their target audience for that message off going online...

I'm wondering if it's going to be a big Christmas drama storyline (maybe it all comes to a head at the panto ?)... am just hoping they do it better than that stupid one that left David at death's door pinned under a cow or something one NYE and then it transpired someone had found and rescued him about 2 mins after the show ended as I seem to recall he was totally fine in the next one!

Oooh Helen sounding very fishy about the midwife appointment!

She is annoying the whatsit out of me. Gets upset because Tony isn't taking an interest but then gets upset at Pat for taking too much of an interest. Forces ante-natal class info on Tony who doesn't want to know but when Kirsty asks about the midwife she clams up.
Apparently no-one can get it right.

Ooh, my first Archers related post (on MN) but certainly not my last! Archers and Mumsnet all at once, it's like Christmas!

Tony is such a grumpy old git, I rarely feel sorry for him but winced on his behalf tonight when Helen told him about her pelvic floor exercises, poor fella. My dad would curl up and die of mortification if he ever found out I have a pelvic floor . (how did the lovely Pat end up with such a vile family?)

Kidnapping or disability storied aside, I'm intrigued as to how Helen will parent this poor little bugger. Obviously a traumatic birth followed by PND is a given, given her unrealistic expectations of the birth. But after that she's bound to take her chosen philosophy / dogma to the extreme. Hippyish organic background may lead her to some extreme attachment-style parenting whereby she doesn't let go of the infant at all until dropping it off at first therapy session aged 4, and breastfeeds until at least GCSEs. But Helen's controlling nature may lead her down an equally extreme routine path a la she-who-shall-not-be-named. I predict a frightening hybrid of the two, with much accompanying hand wringing from Pat. Marvellous.

Has Helen actually got a MW?

Maybe she's avoiding MWs, knowing that she's damaging her baby with her ridiculous dieting. Or indeed, she isn't pregnant at all. I like that idea. I can just imagine her finding it utterly impossible to accept that it might take her more than one attempt to conceive.

The starvation thing. Social services are going to get involved I reckon (assuming there is an actual baby).

Oh she's so not pregnant. After that odd MW appointment comment yesterday (or was it the day before? Anyway). And I reckon something odd with Emma's baby. Like baby-snatching or something.

If this was in any way real, Helen will have difficulties BFing because she's not got nice fat thighs and won't eat cream cakes like any sensible new mum, but of course she will be adamant she won't FF and that will seem to her like a huuuuge problem, worthy of months of dire BBC trailers.

Unfortunately I think she is pregnant - remember the cringe-making episode when she forced a very reluctant Tony to feel the baby kicking? Though I wouldn't be remotely surprised if she'd rigged up some sort of mechanism inside a cushion to fool them all into thinking there's a real baby in there......if you ask me, she really is that loopy!

She'll kidnap Emma and force her to be her wet nurse.

yes but Emma's quite a way behind her so meanwhile her baby will starve. Except Pat will wade in with organic formula.

Does anyone think it possible that Helen won't develop PND?

I'm beginning to feel sorry for her.

Having been sad thorough and looked through the little trails I reckon Amy steps in in the next week.

To do what, I don't know. But I reckon summat is definately up.

And I would feel more sorry for her if she wasn't SO BLOODY SMUG.

You woudl think that no one had ever had a baby before...

Oh yes, Amy. I'd forgotten about her.

Hmmmm.....

She is definately pregnat because Pat went to the scan ,but there was definately something odd about her response to Kirsty the other night,I think she had a row with the midwife

slight segue...I want to go to Deck the Halls - it sounds lovely and I am very