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?

If they're sticking with the Kipling theme for subsequent siblings, it's got to be Rikki-Tikki-Tavi for the next boy, surely.

Am most annoyed, as I've clearly missed some important developments while doing other things at 19:02 for the past 3 nights. Roll on the Sunday film iplayer feels like cheating, somehow

... Next child will be Obb.

(You read it here first...)

Yawn - here we go again lurching from one predictable story line to another.....

Why can we not just have a week or two when everything bumbles along quietly without some new drama having to be introduced? Yes, I'm old and grumpy and getting grumpier by the minute! I've pretty much given up to listening, I dip in maybe once a week now it may have to be never if this carries on!

Yes I agree frosty Someone should tell the new editor that we don't have to be fed 'action' all the time. I fear that a lot of media execs. (and dh is one, though being more mature he agrees with me ) think that "If it doesn't contain sex or violence it isn't viable"

Which is actually an ignorant perspective given the popularity of Downton and GBBO

Plenty of sex and violence in Downton, ppeatfruit! Tempers were very frayed on this week's GBBO, too, although violence was only done to a Baked Alaska.

Yes but not gratuitously; "Game of Thrones" it ain't. You know what I mean I can't stand EE or corrie now too much bleedin' doom and gloom , there's enough of that in RL thanks.

Given the clunkiness of the whole Henry hit a child at nursery and Jess' job as a social worker I wonder if there has been some kind of child protection thing triggered and she's ringing up to warn Rob off....

Off to iplayer Dead Ringers while I clean the bathroom, I'm living the dream!

Blimey Henry "Hit a child" Have the sws got dcs? It's quite normal for them to fight over toys etc. Or were my dcs and their friends and the dcs in my classes unusual?

Deary me, pp, you sound like Emma Grundy. As if having first hand experience of children qualifies you to make any comment! Please be guided by Rob in this because he is An Expert in Everything and the Fount of All Knowledge.

R4 are you Scottish?

I suppose it's possible (though a tad contrived maybe) that Helen isn't telling Knob the truth about what happened at nursery. I did think 'What, toddler hits toddler at nursery, shock' when I heard, so maybe it's something more serious and has involved Jess the only social worker in Borsetshire. As others have thought, child protection. What has Knob been up to really?

I'm being a bit thick - and Scottish - in not seeing what about R4's post is 'Scottish'. Please enlighten.

On a second listening I'm prepared to admit the possibility that Jess, in her professional capacity, might have come upon some damning evidence concerning Henry's parentage. Though that would be rather far fetched.

Or perhaps she has somehow heard a rumour pertaining to Rob's somewhat precarious employment?

None of that would be as good as producing a mini-Rob out of a hat....

I LOVE Emma R4. Why Helen can't come here for child rearing advice I don't effing know !!

Oooh - this is Hardy!

Ooh the locket! In front of Freddie and Hayley too!

The classic envelope coming open scenario. No way Elizabeth could have predicted that, given how careful 14yo boys are.

I think Freddie opened it on the way there

Shit, meet fan. Freddie is not going to be at all impressed that Lizzie used the excuse of his deceased father to cover up her tears for lover boy, is he? Was anyone else shrieking "hypocrite!" at the radio at that point?

I can't work out which is more nauseating, Roy behaving like a petulant little boy, or Roy acting the bereaved swain/star crossed lover.

Was Freddie not supposed to catch Roy in the car park? Was he asked to take envelope all the way from LL to Ambridge? on his bike presumably. Another contrived scene IMO. I feel sorry for Freddie. His mother = selfish cow.

And is Hayley really that upset that Mike and family might move to Brum that she had to phone Roy in crisis? How far is Brum? 20 - 30 miles?

So will Hayley end up moving to Birmingham with Mike and Vickoi now that the cat is out of the bag (or rather, the locket is out of the envelope)?

I hope not as I like Hayley. Plus the thought of Roy and Lizzie being properly together and making more slurpy noises is too hideous to contemplate

If there was no accompaying love letter Roy could lie and say the locket was for Hayley; that he had been showing it to Elizabeth, remembered he was late for whatever and rushed out without it... If there's a letter they're sunk.

It's all a teeny bit rushed and clumsy.

I do hope Freddie hasn't done this deliberately.

Unless we hear subsequently that Roy had driven away before Freddie got to him, we'll have to assume F opened it on purpose. (Though I can't imagine he'd want to hurt Hayley, he's not old enough to understand the ramifications)

Mike & Vicky moving will def drastically affect Roy/Hayley, as the house is divided between the 2 families & presumably M & V would have to sell their half to fund a house in Brum?

So the sw have been watching atonement I guess

Ok , so I didn't really buy 'Lizbeth , as Roy irritatingly calls her, shagging the payroll but I could excuse it as a drunken ONS. But this star crossed lovers schtick is just nonsense. She's a witch and he's a dickhead. Freddie, I hope you made that trip on purpose.