Our modest little The Archers thread has its very own radio celebrity! Join us for the hottest chilli in town, and await the impending doom as all plans go into reverse in Ambridge.

[PseudoBadger]

It's all getting rather delicious. I feel sorry for Kenton the fool

Is it a cue for Brenda to return?
(I doubt if she would work for Lillian again though.)

I knew it! Smugula is nothing but a sanctimonious lying liar who lies!

Ah, but Shula is another bod who now knows he's a wrong'un.

I'm sure robs help will dry up causing problems. Glad pat can see he's forcing it.

I find it a little out of character that Shula lied. Glad to hear Caroline and glad to hear robs character is being seen in its true colours.

Helen undermining rob was bad of her. She just can't cope with everyday life though can she? One day and she's ready to throw in the towel. I know rob is a manipulative bastard (Henry's noticed the change my arse) but she isn't taking much convincing.

Why is rob keen to get rid of the shop? Is it because it gives her no escape route? Again she didn't take much convincing. She's so flighty.

Well that didn't take long did it? He's such a wrong 'un.

God. I despair.

Shula would not have lied to the police. She just wouldn't have. Hate it when they get the charqcters wrong!

Rather depends who actually owns the shop though, doesn't it belong to Bridge Farm, rather than Hellin?

Caroline and Shula diagnosing Rob as a bad 'un is good.

Helen deciding to ditch the shop that quickly is rubbish.

She required no manipulation and I don't feel she is under the thumb enough yet to explain it that way. Helen can't deal with life so being in a domineering relationship probably suits her. This episode was not good!

And Shula lying also not good. I find that completely out of character. Do you think rob will hold it over her at some point

I agree Shula lying is TOTALLY out of character. Would have been better for Oliver to see the attack and lie as a result to protect the hunt. HOWEVER Shula of course has been in a violent relationship with the horrid Simon Pemberton so may be food for SL progression there.

I think Helen deciding to sell the shop is pretty likely actually given how controlled by Rob she is. Very clever from him - the shop kept pulling her back so he lets the leash go a bit, makes sure he is as 'helpful' as possible all the time whilst rubbing in what an effort it is and how much Henry suffers and then wham - she's ready to sell it. I'm thinking Tina left in a hurry because he threatened her.....whilst she was there Helen was going to plug away trying to fix things but once she was gone it caused a crisis he could exploit.

Thing is, Shula isn't intrinsically deeply ethical, is she? Remember the affair with Usha's fiance? She's got sufficient conventional morality to feel deeply uncomfortable about it though - and have to say I did admire her tackling Rob head on and not letting him dismiss her.

Perhaps she will go back to the police. I think she might burst otherwise, or it will be self whipping during lent.
Rob is getting nastier though.

Oliver lying to protect the hunt would have been out of character.

Neither Shula or Oliver have any loyalty to rob and keeping him on the hunt is surely worse. I really don't get why she lied. It seems totally implausible and out of character.

And Helen - I'm not seeing her as abused tbh. I think she actually quite likes it. I can see why pp's dad can't see the abuse tbh!

And Henry sounds a horror.

Can Shula go back to police without incriminating self? Perjury or summat?

Missed all of this week's so far but just had a good hooty laugh at "I do wonder when Jill found time to mock up all those old diaries from 19tumpty-tump onwards, outlining in painfully accurate detail exactly how to run an outdoor dairy and make a (what was that milking thing again?) from bits of old toot that you'd find in any farmyard." :) Bluestocking

Can't wait to crack through Sun-Weds.

My gob was smacked tonight. I did not expect Shula to have lied to the plodster. She IS quite a hypocrite though - all that hand-wringing over HWMNBN, but she wasn't that helpful to him in the end. And, yes, the other past stuff too. She needs a wee session with Alan - he will tell her how to deal with this. As clearly Alastair is at another conference or some such. Good conversation between Caroline and Shula though. I wonder what Pat will say/do about the shop now. I can't believe she'll let it just go.

If something happens to Jolene in Oz, do you think she'll have life insurance? I'd think not (hippy stereotypes rule!!) - but maybe so if she has a mortgage on the Bull? Though I suppose that would have been paid off when Sid died. Just when we need an actuary DDD decides to go all Lenten on us.

Oh well, that's me marked my place on the new thread ...... . Lovely title. Thanks, Pseudo.

Utterly ridiculous - I did it for the hunt! And Helen because she's family??

& rob said 'yes we are'

We???

An episode of anti-BOOP for me I'm afraid.

St Shula wouldn't have lied to the police. She can be hypocritical but lying to the police is simply not consistent with her character.

Helen going "oh all right then, I'll switch back to deciding against the shop, in fact I'll even close it". This to me is a bad sign of the SWs feeling they need to hurry this SL along.

It's just completely ridiculous that Helen is so unable to cope with the simplest ups and downs of normal life. I presume (although admittedly I'm shaky on Ambridge geography) that the shop isn't a million miles away, she doesn't have to fight her way through a London commute, and marking down a few chocolate baubles is hardly taxing. Her mother babysits without a murmur whenever she fancies it, and the devil child Henry is at nursery for most of the day.

Yet everyone goes on about 'how much she has on her plate' FFS.

I agree re Helen, Halsall. She is the single minded woman who decided to have a child even though she was on her own, she must have thought she was capable of single parenthood then and with loads of family support. I must admit I am longing for some kind of showdown.,where Rob is driven out of town.