Come and play Grand Theft Combine through the quiet Ambridge streets. And by the way, ROB IS STILL MARRIED.

[PseudoBadger]

Bolloxfest is imminent. Will this thread make it to the big day?

maybe he will come and stay and they will put him in john's old room and treat him like john and he will play along and they will start to believe it is john and tell helen and tom to bugger off because they are too old to be their children

knob won't like a young pretender

in the real world, what happened with the invite is what would have happened. we expect more from the archers(but not so much more that it's completely unbelievable - roy/lizzie)!

Rob will have to be like Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets

Oh I love that film!

Giggling at "Grand Theft Combine" fabulous title :)

Poor Ed, he's not doing too well is he? He's going to be even worse once Susan gets through with him! I wonder if Ed will have the nerve to beg Charlie for a chance, giving him another stick to beat Adam with. Obviously it wouldn't matter what Adam has said, Charlie's looking for an excuse to get himself installed in Adam's place.

If the scriptwriters come up with some chitchat about Rob's divorce now, I think we can safely assume that they're reading this thread....

I must say if the SWs really did plan the Rich/John story all those years ago they deserve some applause.

It's so funny that the one thing Tom (pre-epiphany) would have wanted to avoid is the very thing he's opened the door to by disappearing. How could he forget that his parents had a ready-made replacement?

I wonder whether soon-to-be-Rich-John called P&T on his own initiative or whether Sharon heard about the wedding debacle and put it into his mind that profuse thanks for his birthday card might be ...timely.

If the scriptwriters come up with some chitchat about Rob's divorce now, I think we can safely assume that they're reading this thread....

I don't think Charlie wants to take Adams place as that would involve doing the dirty work!

I think Justin Elliott owns a company with combine harvesters driven by ruthless, faceless people and they want that company on the BL contract

I agree that they need a business consultant by the way (are you listening, scriptwriters?)... The whole Borsetshire Land ouster would never have happened that way in real life. And Debbie would have been back like a shot weeks ago.

Kirk Charlie can't really take Adam's place. He can seriously reduce his (and Home Farm's) income if he causes them to lose the BL contract, but Adam would still have a valuable role in Home Farm's own pursuits which are nothing to do with BL and not under the Damona (?) Capital remit.

(Unless of course the SWs have a dasatrdly plan to bankrupt Home Farm and hand it all to Mr Eliott...)

dasatrdly?

Should have gone to Specsavers just a little bit sooner....

I've always wondered - how the hell is Debbie supposed to manage Home Farm from Hollywood Hungary? Given the level of Charlie's involvement now, it seems even more unrealistic that it did before.

I reckin Johnnie, having had one life-changing visit to Bridge Farm, is going to turn up like a big cuckoo and be the dutiful son P&T never had, hauling feed for the big-bollocked bull night and day and experiencing some great passive aggressive behaviour from Knob.

Adam has had to try and explain how Debbie manages Home Farm from Matt LeBlanc's trailer Hungary before - apparently she does it by Skype? Doesn't sound very convincing though, I think all fictional farmers have to pick up a handful of soil and commune with it at least once every 24 hours.

Given the level of Charlie's involvement now, [Debbie's management] seems even more unrealistic that it did before.
Very true.

Re Johnny: to be fair, he was responding to a birthday-communication form P&T; it wasn't him that instigated contact.

Perhaps I'm alone in having thought Debbie's arm's length management was a rather innovative solution to a tricky sibling situation as well as an interesting farming sl. The SWs have never done quite enough with it though. (Whether that's because they never got much further than sketching out a newspaper article or whether Hollywood demands spoiled their plans - who knows.)

Yes, RichJ was doing something normal in ringing to thank them but I'd be surprised if there isn't more to it than that. And Rob is going to be utterly pissed off...

(Is it too early to ask for Cutted's bull in the next thread title? )

Do you think rich received the card and dollar signs started dancing round his head?

It will turn out now that patntone actually talk to him daily and that's why they mentioned him not having called

The Debbie thing is a pile of cak - she's manager in name only. Does she work for BL out in Hungary or wherever it is she is.

(On a side note, my hate of Debbie has detached on tamsin Grieg who snogged Stephen mangan in that crappy matt le blanc show. I keep seeing Stephen mangan in the park and can't help an involuntary shudder at the thought 'ewww, you snogged debbie')

Agree on both counts R4, yes IMHO "the invitation" plotline is very weak and doesn't do the SWs any favours if it's their attempt at comedy.

Oh another thing since when has having further education qualified anyone to be a "matriach" or 'patriach' for that matter? It's down to force of personality innit? And good sense, I've known a few highly educated people who lack both actually

Possibly he's "being 16" and maybe not getting on as well with his Ma and StepPa as they had previously claimed. Maybe he wants money for a car or whatever and can't earn it fast enough. We all know how charming teenagers can be outside their domestic unit.

Maybe his parents are giving him a hard time after the disappointing exam results.

Anyway, I guess he's hitching a lift to Borsetshire as I write.

Agree re education. Susan and clarrie are matriarchs. It's your position in the family not a promotion based on cv!

i'm the reverse and my love of tamsin greig the actress makes me much more favourably disposed to debbie! (i know, I know...)

in fairness i only started listening again properly in the last couple of years and i don't really remember her very well from my teenage listening years so debbie isn't such a well-formed character for me

I can objectively see TG is a good actress but as soon as she opens her mouth I just feel angry!!

Ppeat I agree with you that in the past leadership might not go hand in hand with qualifications. But I honestly can't see 21st century Emma being in a position to influence Ambridge thought unless she gains the education to command a slightly better wage. (Yes I know who I sound like...) She has to spend all her time worrying how to make ends meet.

Don't you remember the sistas are doin it all women WI episode? Emma couldn't join in the conversation because ....

On another matter, can I aim a Grr at the SW?

For years we have had Ed/Eddie. I can cope with that.
We now have John/Johnny.
I now also realise that we have Justin and Justin! Elliott as in BL/Damara Capital and Bamford as in Coriander & baby Oscar.

Stop it! Can we go back to having unique names please.

Did anyone see TG at the folk awards a few years ago. She was drunk (I hope) and really awful. I loved her in green wing and kept seeing her and the other cast members on my way to work- but I cannot forgive her the folk awards nonsense. Btw if anyone is wondering whether Julian Rhind-tutt is that good looking in real life I can confirm he is breath taking ( and I am very hard to bowl over)