Rogered by a hobbit in the LL undergrowth, buried in a raised bed with Bert or harassed behind the arras with Adam? Pick your Ambridge fate here.

[PseudoBadger]

A big showdown tonight I hope.

Thanks to Zero (I think?) for the great title.

Thanks Mimsy - it's all coming back to me now!

I couldn't recall the details but remember well the horrendous rows with Lizard - "I've got a heart condition you know, and if you don't do as I say I'll stamp my feet and hold my breath until I die and it will be YOUR FAULT for denying Frilly their heritage". Have despised her ever since.

Silent strangers, I suppose!

I dimly recall divorce being mentioned during the Great Inheritance Rows. I think it made David very angry, but that doesn't really differentiate it from a number of other family rows. I wanted them to divorce after the awful business with Sam, but of course they bottled out there just as they did with Brian and Jennifer. A juicy divorce storyline would be good in lots of ways.

Hmmm... an Adam and Ian divorce could be on the cards

Or Roy and Hayley.

Wouldn't have the same impact as the First Family being rent asunder though.

No, but I'd settle for either or both in the mean time!

Yes - a juicy divorce with two well embedded characters. It's boring if one just moves away!!! You want the awkwardness of warring ex partners!!!

Looking at the couples though - Alastair would leave, Ruth would leave, Hayley would leave, nic would leave

Ed'n'emnur are the only two I can think of but that can't be going to happen

Lol at Frilly! Daddaddad can I suggest you go and post your predicted date in another thread but not tell us where and then you can link to it when the thread actually ends!! May confuse people in another thread but people often post in the wrong thread by mistake.

Haha - me too Bore

Thank you for that awesome summary Mimsy. I knew the rest of them had some kind of legal hold over Brookfield but couldn't remember the details.

That was brilliantly done in that they managed to make Shula seem hatefully sanctimonious and Elizabeth just hateful.

I don't think Ed 'n' Em are actually married.

oooh though, how about a Pol Pat and Moany divorce? That would be terrific listening!

Mimsy..... Awesome.

I recall how before the division of the spoils there was some friction when P&J wanted to buy somewhere to live in retirement and pointed out to D&R that they had no pension, all their investment was in the farm, so they would have to either manually remove their dosh or have D&R pay the mortgage on a property for them. And D&R were shocked... I think it was almost unique in that they actually mentioned an amount of money needed to buy the sort of place the olds could be happy in. (Also unique because Jill got that speech.) Was it £250,000?

How interesting. Insight into the complexities of a family business that is effectively asset rich and cash poor

That's right, Zero, I'd forgotten that bit. Yes, D&R seemed gobsmacked that Phil and Jill might want a guaranteed pot of money to live on in their old age rather than just coming cap in hand to D&R from time to time to ask for a bit of money and otherwise living on honey and other farm produce. Mind you, what had been Phil and Jill been doing all those years in the run up to retirement? Surely in most family businesses provision of some sort would be made long before retirement?

Petula, yes, farms are fascinating like that. Worth a small fortune if you sell up but that's no good to the farmer while running the business.

Going back to the DIL point - wasnt there some muttering when Ruth was made a full partner? I seem to recall either David or Phil arguing that it wasn't fair for her to be working night and day (thus increasing the value of the farm) but still be effectively an employee. I'm sure someone objected but can't remember who...

It looks like Ruth will have to drop the plan when she recalls they'll only realise their share of the sale proceeds and won't be able to afford a farm in Northumberland anyway.

Or.......David does agree to do it and they have a massive fall out with Lizzy round about the time she has to pay off Roy'n'Hayley, which will be while Alistair is leaving Shula so she'll be wanting her share.......

The pleasing tapestry tableau is inspired. So much more tasteful than Banksy-like graffiti.

Meanwhile, what does Charlie mean when he says timing is all so enigmatically?

Is it -
a) being enigmatic is getting you intrigued so I'll keep doing it.

b) I'm not the sort of guy who gets into workplace affairs so I'll DTD with you then tell you BL isn't renewing your contract.

c) While you've been working through the night on my orders I've been having a torrid affair with Ian and he left you months ago so he'll be my plus 1 at the Hunt Ball.

Or (d) shag me or I won't renew the BL contract / shagging me will increase the likelihood of renewal of the BL contract

Or

e) Millions spent on this machine and the clock's wrong.

I cannot believe how selfish Ruth is being. Normally I quite like her, but really!

Tbf she did move away from home and invest her whole life in Archers business. David has never sacrificed anything for her (except perhaps marriage to a "traditional" farmer's wife with a well cooked hot meal on the table every evening and no back-chat...)

Is it actually saleable while The Road Scheme hangs over it?

What's the point of the sinkhole?

But that was the deal she made. She gets a share in a farm but that means moving to where that farm is!

I found that whole Ruth thing hugely unconvincing. There's no way she would ever suggest leaving Brookfield. She knows perfectly well that if they sold up, the proceeds would have to be shared out between the Dopey Duo and the B share holders. (I clearly remember Lizzie's "I may have married into a stately home but I still need a share of your farm" performance, and very unedifying it was too.) The Dopeys wouldn't clear enough to buy a farm near Prudhoe. I've just looked at rightmove (overinfested) and have found a lovely 150 acre livestock farm with a 3 bedroom farmhouse in Capheaton for a mere £1.8 million; if I can find this out in about thirty seconds, surely Ruth can too?

Whether it happens or not it does open up a festering sore as regards 'Poor' Lizzie.
Even if David entertains the idea for a moment he's bound to think, By jingo, it would be possible if we didn't have to pay off my greedy sister.

The Ruth thing has filled me with rage - how can she be so bloody stupid. Uproot your kids, your livelihood etc for your mam who realistically is only going to be around for a few more years. I also found it hugely unconvincing that her and Heather hadn't had discussions about 'when you're old and can't manage' already - I come from a long line of onlies and that is one of the things you do (or perhaps we've now just got it down pat after generations).

The only good thing (and it would be an awful thing as well as good) would be if Chadam results in poor silent Ian also finding out about Pavel as it's really pissed me off that that storyline just got dropped.

I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment of Roy/Hayley/Elizabeth but fear the SWs will once again tease us by dropping the Friday night cliffhanger until Monday/Tuesday.