Big Farma in Little Ambridge - come and talk The Archers talk

[PseudoBadger]

New thread for the beginning of the pheasant season.

Hi all. Agree wirh post upthread about Ian being absent from all Hellins angst, surely she would have confided in him before Adam. And wouldn't Adam have at least told Ian that he is worried about her?
Ian hasnt been heard since alll the shennanigans when Caroline was away.

At last Alistair has confronted Shula re Darrell who quite clearly needs professional guidance and help( most of us thought this weeks ago)... We all get that they have tried to help but I am fearful my prediction about Darrell in a Manger' may come to pass, another crap Christmas for Ambridge!

Given that the thing with the videos happened when Darrell was startled when Shula came in, I assumed he could only have dropped them or spilt something on them. Either way a professional could rescue them, unless it was acid that he dropped or they fell into the fire.

I thought Alastair might have had something more constructive to contribute based on his own history of addiction. I can see his point about it being impossible to help Darrell till he wants to be helped, but I would have thought frogmarching him round to a counsellor or Alcoholics Anonymous might at least have been a step in the right direction.

Ah guineapiglet you've saved me the trouble of searching!

When Songbird suggested a rather good thread title yesterday I wanted to jump in and say "only after the Darrell in a manger Christmas thread!"

Then I realised that even in my imagination people were backing away cautiously. Overinvested?

I do now agree that he's not going to see 2014.

I'm a decent person, I don't want Darrell to die. I just want him to go and live in Outer Mongolia and have no way of communicating with anyone in Borsetshire by voice. The sooner the better.

nenny It's strange isn't it? The SWs must have discussed what they meant - but somehow they haven't managed to translate it to listeners.

When Alistair summoned Darrell for a chat it did seem that he might bring some empathy to the conversation. Are the SWs really envisaging them depositing Darrell in the street? (For one beautiful moment I thought that Shula, offered a choice, would choose Darrell...)

Part of me thinks he won't see 2014 but not without protracted story about asking him to leave. Frankly he is so whiny it's hard to care.

Yes sthing Alastair has obviously forgotten that he was addicted to gambling will Shula remind him??

Apparently Darrell just knocked over the video stand how could that destroy them? unless he then puked up on them afterwards or performed a hobnail boot wearing dance on them .

It's just bizarre and I am now intrigued as to what he did or quite what a can of special brew does to VHS.

The point about alistair is more weird as he mentioned directly what a disaster it was when he took in his charge (not sure what you call them) from ga and it went wrong.

But if it 'd been a can of special surely that would 've effed up their silk rugs and carpet! the vids could be rescued.It's not like Al and Shul ain't got the moula (sorry I was channelling my cockney there ).

I too find it strange that Al's GA friend has never been mentioned in connection with Darrell/ Darryl. Similarly I find it weird to hearing Ollie listing all his and Caro's fosterees. There were loads of them...I'm sure we only heard of one or two before they got bored no went back to playing country house hotels and conference centres .

I don't know who's more irritating, Darrell or Shula.

I think Shula needs training. I am sure the church do this.

Somewhere I don't know; I'm liking this "actually practising her Christianity Shula" it's making her more human IYSWIM though it isn't like the 'normal' Shula 'tis true

I just hear her being bossy and patronising, not being compassionate at all. I almost feel sorry for Darrell. I get the sense that he has filled the gap made by Daniel going away but she is ruder to him than she cold get away with to Daniel.

@Gypsy they talked about Ryan a lot when Darrell was first taken in, maybe you missed that episode?

She is just so patronising and exasperated with him all the time. The last thing he needs is someone sighing 'Oh DARRELL' and huffing around like he can do nothing right all the time. It's no help for his self esteem problems, is it !

I just hear her being bossy and patronising, not being compassionate at all.

It's funny how we can listen to the same words but hear different things!
Yes, I hear 'bossy' but I also hear 'exasperated'. She has taken Darrell away from danger (the other guy who beat him up), taken him off the street, fed him, given him money but what is he doing for himself? It's all about what he will do when he gets his tools ... when he gets a job ... when he has benefits coming in again ... next week. Always mañana.
He (almost) deserves a bit of rudeness - he is abusing her compassion. I think that Alistair might be right: you can't help someone until they are in a position to be receptive.

Maybe she should ask why she's doing it. He is safe, warm and fed. She did that, but it doesn't seem to be enough for her. If she wants to "save" him that takes much longer with more patience. If she wants him to be eternally grateful then she's doing it for the wrong reasons.

The training would help with this surely?

Shula's logic was that he was One Of Us - it was her community duty to help a fellow villager. It was done in the spirit of "I'd like to think someone would do the same for me".

Going back to previous conversations about where-was-Ian-when-Helen-needed-him? Where is Neil when Darrell needs him? I do hate this segmentation in TA. In the old days, Neil could have thrown in half a scene and then be off again. None of this six weeks on / six weeks off business.

Shula seems to think that tutting at someone is sufficient to help them out of the massive black hole they've got themself into. Unfortunately for both parties, she is wrong.

Tbf I'd probably find Darrell equally irritating if he lived with me. But that's the thing - people who are homeless, depressed alcoholics aren't generally great company and they tend to be pretty chaotic. That's why helping the can be such a frustrating business. Shula doesn't get this.

Agree R4 also the actress is acting better than usual because she's got something to get her teeth into.

There was that scene with Neil giving Darrell a meal or something when he was obviously smelly and dirty and Susan came home and couldn't hide her snobbish shock at his state (there ain't much christian compassion where Susan's concerned apart from her own family of course).

Neil did as much as he reasonably could without causing deep psychological damage to his wife. Susan's snobbishness is understandable; she's constantly running away from all the scandal and disgrace associated with being a Horrobin.

lljkk ah that'll explain my confusion

How many bedrooms do we reckon the Stables has then? Is Daniel going to be out of a bed on his return? Perhaps he will come home and work miracles with Darrell?

When Shula said £10 might help "mend some fences with Anna"....
I thought, why doesn't she get him to mend some fences around the stables?