Can I PLEASE just have 13 minutes? 13 measly minutes to myself to listen to The Archers?

[PseudoBadger]

Come and enjoy awkward dinner parties galore!

I thought that was a 100% depressing epi. Poor Ruth really doesn't want that baby, and bloody David is railroading her into it with all that sentimental maundering on about toddlers and tractors.
Tom doesn't care one scrap about his poor dad, only about his sodding bloody pigs.
And Kirsty is so desperate to fill the gaping hole in her life that she and Tom are going to take on the national debt of a small country to pay for an overpriced dress, an ostentatious venue and a newbuild which (gasp) isn't even in Ambridge!

I thought David was being a bit rose-tinted specs about it, and he wasn't really listening to Rooth about her concerns (after all it's her who will have to be pg/give birth/do a lot of the childcare and burn more of the dinners)

David's like 55, no?! And he spent ages counselling Mike about being a new dad again at an older age. I can't believe he wouldn't be more worried. Bad form to SWs.

Eek! Was just updating my Ocado order and I found this

When Kirsty said that she didn't think ambridge needed another mrs archer I did think it would be interesting if she chose to keep her surname

Her conversation with Tom seemed to assume that she would become archer though so I will likely be disappointed

Isn't Tom just horrific??!! (Sorry, a bit late to comment, I know, but I was pouring dd's bath at the time so unable to access mn..!)

I think Pat & Tony should have told Tom first thing as it would have been the first thing on their minds. They are not acting as partners and letting him know what is going on. I thought they'd agreed he wasn't just an employee/herdsman when he came back from Brian & Home Farm,. The working relationship has broken down so far it's hard to see how it can recover. Without Tom the business would have collapsed after Tony's heart attack, he couldn't do all the milking & it wasn't financially viable, however much P&T like having cows. I don't have experience of heart attacks but it does seem that Tony has made an incredible recovery.

However I don't understand why Tom & Kirsty are going spending crazy and as we have had the Grundys lose everything & Ed & Emma have to move back in with Neil & Susan it seems a bit repetitive to have the same thing happen to T&K.

I think Tom has every right to be aggrieved with Tony. I think tony has behaved very badly with the cows. And Pat seems to actively dislike Tom as well.

As amused as I was by Tony buying the cows I agree it wasn't professional. Pat and Tony have moaned constantly about Tom and the business. They grumbled all through the selling of the dairy herd, even though it couldn't have happened without their say so and they didn't turn down the money it made.

Tom's constant running to Gran annoys me too. I really hope she tells him to bugger off when he next visits carrying his mooching sack.

Yes I agree tony behaved badly, but I also enjoy tom being put out!

They really need to thrash out the lines of decision-making. Pat and tony seem to view tom as a sort of tenant rather than an active partner so from their POV he needs to wind his neck in. Tom has his grand plans that he announces to his parents without any consultation or collaboration which puts their noses out of joint. Plus of course the tension between Peggy and tony and tom's actions there. Of course if it was all harmony it wouldn't be interesting to listen to

What is Kirsty's surname? Agree it would be great if she kept hers.

She's Kirsty Miller according to the cast list, but I don't recall ever hearing her surname used.

Where do Kirsty's family live? Why do they never make an appearance? How did she appear in the Archers?

i would just love all those "she doesn't want to be an archer?! " comments. like it's some kind of prize

Yes! It's not the keeping your maiden name but rejecting the archer crest! I'm trying not to rub my hands together in glee as it'll make me look weirder than I do already.

I know it's petty but I am looking forward to Rob falling flat on his face at the race! If he wins and H fawns all over his muscles and superiority I shall be sick.

I don't think they'll make Tom (and Kirsty) bankrupt but I'm hoping Tom will have to eat Olympic quantities of humble pie.

And yes, this would be a good time to bring in the bride's parents....

Yes Zero but it might be a way of showing how easy it is to get into big debt even when you're MC. I sort of understood Kirstie changing her mind about the sensible wedding dress but why not go for one on ebay or those classy 2nd hand shops? she's green so I'd 've thought she'd be more up for that.

Our dd2 bought 5 wedding dresses before she made up her mind they were £60 jobbies from the high street though!

What did she do with them all??

She'll sell them on ebay I suppose, she's not very organised though. I'm looking after her cat soon and I'll need to do a 'clear up' again in their flat.

Is Rob going to do badly (ie come 2nd!) in the race and take out his humiliation on Helen or Henry I wonder.

The way Tom is behaving is appalling, he has absolutely no respect for Tony. And the way Tony bought the cows may have been unprofessional but it was as a result of Tom's treatment of him. Recipe for disaster, I love it.

Also, harking back to Brenda. I don't think she was being a bitch, I think it was just all incredibly awkward. She was trying to be all bright and breezy and acting like nothing was weird and came across as smug. Except for the genius 'not that independent then' comment, which was long overdue.

I still think that when Tom asked Peggy for £18K and she said 'let's not agree a figure now' she might not be giving that much. Fingers crossed!!

interesting, Songbird. It would be great if Henry were in some way held responsible for Rob making a complete arse of himself doing badly in the race, and he turns on Henry in public, causing Pat and Tony to intervene and take Henry into safe custody.

Not going to happen though cos the SW are going to leave poor old Henry being picked on for a while longer before Helen sees the light.

songbird do you like think they'll be lots of jokes about Rob coming second?