Exeunt, pursued by a sow. And so on, for the next 60 years of The Archers.

[PseudoBadger]

It's all about the Sons at the moment. Tom is having an identity crisis, Dan is off to Sandhurst, and poor old Adam is working his socks off.
Follow the undulating Ambridge pastures here!

Helen isn't an organic-or-nothing purist, though. She makes/made Sterling Gold cheese from the Grange Farm herd which is not organic.

i don't know... while rob doesn't run his own business he does have experience wrt to feed/yield equations (though on a much larger scale)

have just listened again, and it's never made clear what advice tom sought in the past (it might have been financial, personal, business etc), nor what advice he's asking for now

I think the Rob / Tom thing is slightly contrived. They haven't been particularly pally in the past - he was only invited to the stag do because he is Helen's boyfriend. The fact that Rob took the call secretly and didn't seem that surprised by it suggested they had been in contact before. Someone was talking previously on this thread about the fact that recently plots no longer seem to be character driven and I think this is a good example. Great idea to say what happens if Tom comes under Rob's influence, but it is not convincing done this way and leaves me thinking - well it's only a story, it's not real you know - which is is a bit coming from a die-hard Archers believer of many years standing.

Are you all forgetting - or am I mis-remembering? (I'd go for the latter option...)

Tom was mightily impressed with Rob when the evil so and so first appeared. It caused friction with Tony. He only started mouthing anxiety about Rob when it came out that he was being unfaithful to his wife. I think he expressed some concern for Helen.... But it was Kirsty who was constantly egging him on to turn Rob into an enemy - there's no evidence that he actually, personally felt the same way.

So - there are several ways in which he may be revealed to have been, as he said, "a fraud". Secretly taking Rob's advice, secretly conspiring with him to buy non-organic feed, secretly not hating him at Kirsty's behest, secretly undermining Bridge Farm....

It is interesting that Peggy has, apparently, misjudged everything. She's more than a match for Hazel but it is odd. I must say Tom, although reasonably successful on the whole, has been singularly unfortunate in the people he's chosen to trust: Peggy, the buyer he dumped Kirsty for the first time, Brian, now Rob.

I agree there do seem to be anomalies in the current story. People are slightly having to argue against themselves. I guess it's inevitable when the new Editor is clearly trying to build a very different future for Ambridge. I think it's an exciting process to watch listen to but only as long as it can still be distinguished from a TV soap.

(But anyway, the upshot of all the Bridge Farm turmoil is that the spotlight must be thrown onto Maurice. It's all good.)

I don't think TV soaps have litters of hoglets with a brave little black-nose .

Finally caught up on thread and listening. I think the SW are doing a great job with Rob - just when you think maybe he isn't so bad he gets involved with sneaky phone calls. Helen will just go along with what ever he says but can't see Tony or Pat giving up on their organic-ness - it surely isn't a pure businesses decision but something they believe in - like a calling almost?

But Pat is 62, Tony 63 - so if their offspring aren't fully onboard with maintaining the organic status how much of a fight would they put up?

I do hope Helen stands up to Rob on this - after all, she runs a shop called 'Ambridge Organics' and her cheeses would presumably be significantly affected if they weren't organic (I'm not always convinced of the difference between organic produce and non, but I'd guess it could discernibly alter the character of a cheese). But I fear she'll cave.

But Zero, if Tom's crisis of conscience about being a fraud had to do with secretly taking Rob's advice, why would he still be doing so?

And didn't get get his fingers burnt that way before? Something about overexpanding when he didn't have the market to take the extra production?

Lilian I reckon that Zero is right about Tom quite liking Rob when he first turned up and he actually listened to his advice which was an anathema to Tony who couldn't (and can't) stand him. Almost like a rebellion on Tom's part as if he was 14 IFYSWIM.

Errol the difference here (in Fr.) between organic and non goats cheese is extraordinary; one tastes of creamy sweetness and the other has a harsher flavour. They are keen on BIO (organics) here. There's not much difference in price especially on the market stalls.

Fair point re the hoglets. Where are the animals in Emmerdale now?

Tbh I'm not entirely convinced of any profound difference between supermarket organic and not - and I'm simply not scientifically knowledgeable enough to discern the truth in competing arguments about chemicals and additives etc. I'm prepared to believe that organic stuff doesn't add anything, healthwise but that (properly produced) it's likely to do me marginally less harm. I think my strongest reason for continuing to buy organic is that I think it encourages (and mass production discourages) biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity worries me because I think we're going to need it when the trouble comes....

Bows to Zero's superior powers of recollection.

< This is Mimsy laughing (at my "memory".)

Weren't the two prospective Grandmas lovely at Chelsea?

There are some things that taste loads better. Organic carrots are much nicer than non ones for some reason. And I agree about cheese and also milk. I only ever buy organic milk although I'm no purist.

Anyway - back on topic :o
The motif of Kenton/Jolene vs Rob/Helen is still alive and well I see. And actually I'm quite enjoying the way this is playing out - there was jealousy there but it was good tempered and based on a solid foundation.

zero - I think your perspective about Rob and Tom is VERY interesting. Hadn't thought about that!

The grandma thing was very sweet and glad that James is (so far) stepping up to the plate.

< This is Mimsy admiring Zero's powers of recollection - mine are very erratic and not all that reliable!

Yes, the two Ls were indeed lovely tonight.

Wayne is set to return! This has made me very happy. On the old BBC TA MB I was one of two people (I think) amongst hundreds who really, really liked poor old phlegm-ridden Wayne. Most people found him repulsive and a walking health hazard and dwelled at length on the folly of employing him as a baker given his productive cough.

Forget Wayne... I have been longing for Rollo. They teased us with the promise of this apparently delicious youth once before - but we never met him. (And I wanted the story - so far only in my head - of Fallon falling in love with her dad's partner's son....)

I think Organic carrots are nicer for two reasons: less residues, and they use a wider range of varieties.
Organic milk was shown in Denmark (?) to have more of some essential oils. I do prefer that they pay a more reasonable amount to the famrers too.

I'm beginning to suspect that Rob isn't as great as he thinks - thats what his squirming with Charlie was supposed to show. Cf. Adam who doesn't "make excuses", and an outsider could have come in expecting him to be a slacker as 'the bosses son".

Are we also thinking that Rob might have been advising Tom not to marry Kirsty? That perhaps Tom spoke to him before and Rob planted seeds of doubt? Because Rob knew he would be better able to control Tom and Bridge Farm without Kirsty being around?

Well Kirsty would definitely be on the side of organics

I could imagine Rob reminding Tom that his own marriage didn't end well, or telling him that he married the wrong woman and regretted it for years

I don't think Rob has engineered either the organic sabotage or Tom jilting Kirsty, but he has been quick to take advantage of both situations.

Oh, no, I've just realised that Wayne was that bloke who annoyed me almost as much as Darren. Gloom.

Still, glad to have Fagash back after her lengthy silence, she always strikes me as one of the more sensible Archer women apart from the mega aberration with Paul. I reckon she needs to go round and slap about talk sense into both Helen and Tom.

I really enjoyed Tuesday's episode, so nice to hear other characters and get away from Bridge Farm. I admired the way they recorded L&L at Chelsea once the Best Garden in Show was announced, I like the topical inserts and I think Lilian's boredom with the show was typical of her.

East I agree, though it was silly of Lindypops to attempt Chelsea without the Benadryl. I loved the two Grannies in waiting bonding and Fagash making an effort to learn what agapanthus is to make Linda happy.