Anyone for a fondant fancy? Let The Archers eat cake...

[PseudoBadger]

TA is in a purple patch at the moment, rewarding listeners for wading through the dross of the previous year few months. Welcome all!

I should be sympathetic to Helen. She has had a massively shite life and yet I feel very little sympathy for her. (Secretly hoping that Jess turns up and decks her in the Bull)

I don't know if she is deliberately drawn as an unsympathetically sanctimonious, needy, passive-aggressive nightmare or the SWs don't fully realise that's how she comes across.

Yes Tony is certainly heading for something.

@ Sticky sending her DP to the pub so that she can listen to TA in peace!

I think we're all allowed to be deliciously gleeful about the HellRob thing as it's only make believe, and I'm sure we're all reeeaally nice people in real life!

Blimey, I missed the whole clothes talk last night, will need to listen again b4 tonight. It's a result of the prev carp storylines so that I think I stopped paying attention, and now it's improved so much I'm still in habit of doing various other things during it. Silly me! We used to joke here that you could miss TA for a week to 10 days and still be able to work out what was going on. Not the case now.

I heard TA as a child. My mum listened in the kitchen on a Sunday. Dad hated it with a passion. So mum skulked and got on with whatever 1970s housewives did. I was aware of the stories and some characters. my earliest memory is Polly Perks, 1st wife of Sid, dying in a car crash. My mum was terribly upset because Lucy their dd was so young at the time. Oracles, when was that then?

I began listening 'properly' in early 20s, living in Germany and getting it on British Forces radio. Then a gap till I hooked up with a man/DH who liked TA in the late 80s, but I worked shifts and never heard it regularly till I began mat leave with ds1 (born 1990). I wasn't bothered really, could take it or leave it, but now gripped.

bad things happen to mean people as well as good people. there's a woman who is leaving work soon due to horrible personal circumstances which are not her fault and i feel really sorry for her about that and don't wish any of it on her, but i am also relieved that she is leaving because she is bitchy and backstabby and that doesn't make for a pleasant atmosphere in the office

whether helen is a PITA because of the things that have happened to her or not is a matter of debate i suppose, but she really doesn't do herself any favours in terms of listener sympathies with how she treats other people like her parents and kirsty who are in the main trying to support her, knowing what a tough time she has had

I have only known post-crisis Hellin so assumed that the events that befell her formed her personality, but then longer -term listeners have assured me that her character traits were already apparent before John met his sticky end.

What age do we all think Rob is? He seems so much older than Helen - exacerbated by the way she is starting to defer to him and his patronising manner 'don't explode like a balloon Helen'.

I thought all the acting was brilliant last night. Even Tom weedling his way round Peggy with his "figures" - playing up to her own self image as hard nosed business woman.

Also loved the bit where Tim told Henry to have a good time and of course Ms MeMeMe thought it was aimed at her

Henry's eminently slappable, isn't he?

Not half as slap able as George though?

Rob does sound older, but he and Jess were still actively discussing having children without any of the stuff you might expect about risk, why they didn't get round to it earlier etc etc you might expect if they were in their very late 30s or into the 40s. They got together in their teens, so it wouldn't be the case that neither had the opportunity earlier. Helen will be 35 in April. My guess is he's a couple of years older than her.

This is nice. My money's on Jolene winning this one.

My top candidate for the wet haddock treatment is still Pip.

Shula and Daniel for the slap please.

Oooh Rob is married to the incestuous Georgia from Brookie in real life!

I remember her Polly.

I have decided to let the dc stay up later than usual so that I can guarantee catching tonight's episode. Can't rely on them putting it on iplayer very fast and I am not missing this.

Am ridiculously excited Humph - hence going on archers website and finding out fascinating Rob facts. Wish I hadn't seen the pic of Tiger tho - just not how I imagined Matt!

I really cannot look
I can't bear seeing them

I too laughed at Tom saying have a lovely time and Helen answering. Brilliant.

The SWs definitely know Hellin is repellant - I heard the actress being interviewed about a year ago

Jolene, on the other hand, is exactly right

Characters I'd like to fish slap:
Jeeellll
Roooth
Dayveed
Peep
Bin
Piggoi
Brine
Jennyfur
Soosan
Neeyull
Ed
Willyum
Emmur
Linda
St Shula of Smug
Darrell
Jolene
Ken'non
Hellin
Pat
To-nee
Rob the EA Chunt.
In fact if a nuclear attack was unleashed on Borsetshire I wouldn't be that bovvered.
I love it .

Polly Matt looks a lot older than I imagined and rather more like a retired librarian rather than a cockney wide boy wheeler dealer.

fun so is it only Clarrieluv, Lillian, Jim, Joe & Jazzerwho'd escape the sharp end of your haddock?

I can't thinknof anyone on you list who doesn't warrant a good wet fish slap though.

Oh and Robert Snell.

Here we go... "A quiet night in front of the telly..."