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!

[WillieWaggledagger]

she really stuck the knife in with 'i'd rather henry were in a happy loving environment than stuck here with the two of you'

[WillieWaggledagger]

she's got the eastern european farm labourers i suppose, e.g. the one who misses his children

[OddFodd]

I think she'll just carry on leaving Henry with them because she'll twist the emotional blackmail knife by saying that it would be punishing Henry for his mother's sins if they withdraw babysitting favours.

[WillieWaggledagger]

i think they might well be begging her to let them look after him

[TallGiraffe]

Just listened to the podcast, Sundays are the new Thursdays! Brilliant stuff.

[TemperamentalAroundCorvids]

Some wonderful lines

"Come on Henry. Let's go upstairs and make ourselves respectable."

Kirsty and "fence mending".

And Kirsty, quite rightly, feeling the chill.

[ZeroSomeGameThingy]

The "fence mending" was FANTASTIC. And I felt a chill when Tom introduced the interchangeable woman to her new home. That's one of the scariest psychological revelations they've ever treated us to.

Cannot believe how full of wit and surprise TA has suddenly become.

(But assume it's at least half as a result of our influence....)

[WillieWaggledagger]

AND STILL NO ONE IS MENTIONING JESS

[TemperamentalAroundCorvids]

Also loved how Rob's charm offensive backfired - he obviously thought the line of what a wonderful old lady Tony's mum was bound to be a sure-fire hit. But we, dear listeners, knew he was walking through a mine-field

[CarolineKnappShappey]

I still think the actress who plays Hell'un has a lovely voice. Shame she's so vile.

Tbh I thought Tony only complained to Rob about Peggy, not that a married man was shagging his mentally unstable daughter.

[CarolineKnappShappey]

Oh and " won the lottery" = " get my hands on this house when I gaslight her"

[PseudoBadger]

And we still have Susan coming home as a millionaire to look forward to!

[pasbeaucoupdegendarme]

Just catching up :) Loving the awkward rugby conversation...

[pasbeaucoupdegendarme]

Oh arse, I obviously missed the salient line between Rob and Tony.... what did they say?? I got up to Rob saying he wished he looked as good as Pigs when he was her age, and then the next thing I properly processed was Helen raging. What happened?!

[ErrolTheDragon]

Rob chose the wrong direction of smarm and Tony just couldn't deal with it - Hellin of course has zero empathy for her dad's sensitivity re Peggy at the moment (TBF maybe unaware of it because they won't have burdened their fragile flower with his angst) ... so instead of even slightly asking her parents what was up (given that it was really nothing to do with H&R ... oh, Does Not Compute) throws her toys out of the pram bigtime. Can't believe how grovelling T&P were in response.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Yes, will be interesting to see how Helen tries to play this with Kirsty (and Tom). Kirsty of course has his measure from supporting H. during the break-up last year - Rob seemed less sure of himself around her I thought. So.... prediction must be that he will insidiously drive a wedge between H & K too.

[Songbird]

At last, I am up to date with TA and these threads – I bet you’ve all missed me, eh?

Things I am LOVING:

Susan and her lottery win – this is all just delicious, and even includes false details like the ‘lottery man’ coming to visit them, and them going down the ‘anonymous’ routew – ha!
Eddie growing a pair
David Troughton as Tony
Peggy’s insane bombshell - 2014’s answer to SATTC
Jill – poor duck has a storyline at last
‘Jizzer’ – how I wish I’d thought of this!

Things I am HATING (but also kind of loving):

Tom’s utter crapness - poor old Kirsty and her Last Chance Saloon marriage!
HellRob – I’m constantly enthralled but raging at this SL
PatnTone – ditto, but mostly raging, they’re so pathetic!
Ed vs Will – god, someone shoot the pair of them now! I hope Ed changing his ways means he’s not going to be such a bloody moaner all the time.
The fact that I got Pat in that quiz thing. PAT!! My only consolation is that it’s clearly years old, so maybe Pat was OK then

[Pollycazalet]

Can someone update me on the Tom and Kirsty house? Didn't understand that bit.

Loved Hellin's strop.

[ZeroSomeGameThingy]

Polly During Tom and Brenda's engagement he took her to look at a choice spot on Bridge Farm land and suggested it would be the perfect place to build their "forever" house.

Brenda was actually not that keen - and took her opportunity to escape for good.

Yesterday while Kirsty and Tom were on the farm he took her to view the same piece of land - with the same "dream home" intention.

Kirsty really was not pleased. And pointed out to him that he was forgetting that was a plan he had had with the last ready-meals victim.

Tom looked like this

Then this

And K is thinking

[Oneglassandpuzzled]

I actually really, really hope that Tony's stock-fattening project with the beef cattle pays off and he makes a tidy sum. i feel sorry for him. Though he is a bit whiney.

[GypsyFloss]

I do hope nothing goes awry with Tom and Kirsty , we need them to present an air of normality against the madness that is HelRob.

[Gigondas]

Same here songbird- a very neat summary tho I do feel a touch sorry for tony and hope his cow thing works.

Also I thought his rant was excusable tho not polite so if Helen had wanted to she could have smoothed it with rob but didn't. As didn't hear scene was rob following script ? Or is he Hellen's desperation relationship as much as Tom and Kirsty? I think Kirsty is smart tho- she will yell at Tom,he will get the point and so it will continue like a more middle class Neil and Susan.

[Sinkingfeeling]

Why on earth did Peggy gather the family together to tell them what's in her will? For an apparently astute woman, it seems completely out of character. Judging Tony not to have been successful in life as Jennifer and Lilian? Not leaving a bean to Debbie, Kate, Alice or Adam? Recipe. For. Disaster. Is it just me that thinks the way is now paved for Rob to conspire to bump off Peggy so that Helen inherits rather sooner than planned?