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SOC has soaked Ambridge to the core across a never ending weekend. Discuss The Archers post-watershed here.

975 replies

PseudoBadger · 11/03/2015 17:26

Deluged damp squid or not? And has Peggy been assisted off the mortal coil by Rob yet?
And when will JD and Brian remember Debbie?

OP posts:
Northernlurker · 28/03/2015 09:51

Nice touch to have Rob driving Helen's car. Says a lot that. I think he reckons he can swab Ed Grundy's mouth and send that off. What a shock he'll get.

LillianGish · 28/03/2015 09:55

More likely swab Adam's mouth in return for not letting on he caught him with Charlie Thomas.

ppeatfruit · 28/03/2015 10:01

Oh swabs so it's a dna test or a blood or sperm test? or all.?

I'm ignorant about these things Grin

ZeroFunDame · 28/03/2015 10:13

Oh yes "the garage is a bit tricky to find and I'd have to keep giving you directions ..."

He's told her how to speak to her family and friends; he's told her how to dress for an event hosted and attended by her close friends; now he tells her she can't find her way around the area she has lived in her entire life ...Angry

minkGrundy · 28/03/2015 10:49

Dna test is usually a cheek swab (although you can extract dna from any/all of hair, blood, sperm etc. )

ppeatfruit · 28/03/2015 10:55

But she Luuuuuurves him Zero Grin He's her sole mate (sorry) Grin

enochroot · 28/03/2015 11:00

Was the car really in a garage or was he up to something else?

Is he going to try to blackmail Adam or Charlie into providing a sample? We'd be Eastendered with a vengeance, if so.

minkGrundy · 28/03/2015 11:00

I think he will take test. he is the father. He will act surprised "I was so convinced it wasn't mine after all she will sleep with anyone" blah blah
Then he will try claiming she got him drunk, took advantage of him, said she was on the pill, "he is only a man after all" or that she stole his sperm or some sge was a but upset I was only comforting her after all we were married for years story. And I reckon Hellin will be a bit frosty but she will buy it and stand by her man. (And/or turn out to be pregnant herself).

And I think there will be a lot of "he's my son" type manipulation going on too.
He's not just going to let Jess hang o to his on and heir and take his money is he?

even if H does kick off, I reckon he will be about making her life difficilt for a while.

Stranger things happen in EA relationships.

BuildYourOwnSnowman · 28/03/2015 11:09

Well the dramatic reasoning for him not being the da is so they can turn round and say 'ha ha, successfully fooled you'

I still like the idea of Jess being a complete psycho and he's not the dad tv all and she just played the game for revenge! Then we can get on with the ea storyline and forget about the baby nonsense

ZeroFunDame · 28/03/2015 11:16

Actually given what "David" said in the blog about how clever they all thought they were being re the faux Northumberland flit - I wouldn't be surprised if the rationalisation for the Ethan story is completely, utterly ridiculous.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 28/03/2015 11:32

Lovely blog piece, Zero, thanks for that. He does acknowledge that nobody really thought they would move. He and SOC don't seem to see that as a problem. They seem to have taken it as an opportunity to re-state why it's unthinkable for the Archers to leave Ambridge. Well, that's a point of view, I suppose.

Interesting to read about the recordings for flood week. I'd love to see the pictures of TB and Trevor Harrison standing in buckets and being doused with water.

ZeroFunDame · 28/03/2015 11:41

Oh yes, all the behind the scenes info was interesting and fun - but I'm distressed that Timothy Bentinck thought the writing was clever.

LillianGish · 28/03/2015 12:19

I think the flood would have been fine if it wasn't for the ridiculous and unbelievable farm move story. It was signposted over the previous months with pouring rain etc. I don't have a problem with it not coinciding with real life weather - very hard to react to real weather except in a very brief way like David and Ruth taking in the sheep last year. I think it ended up seeming preposterous because it felt like the apocalyptic end to a ludicrous storyline. Interesting that Tim talks about Soak wanting it to be character led - nothing about the farm move was character-led imo. That was the problem.

BuildYourOwnSnowman · 28/03/2015 12:46

I have this weir feeling that I'm not listening to what they think they're producing

acegik · 28/03/2015 13:15

To do DNA testing for legal purposes (if it is disputed) you have to go to an approved centre. Both adult and child although not needed to be at the same time (and there are centres across the UK). Ideally both mother and alleged father should be tested as well as the child as it is more reliable. Proof of identity is taken and then DNA. Pricey

If you want to do testing but not for court then you order a pack from the internet. It does both people (more reliable if do 3 and include both parents). You swab the cheek. You send it off. You log into a website and it tells you the answer. Cheaper

acegik · 28/03/2015 13:18

But remember that Helens internet sperm came in days when in fact the process takes many months as at the time there was a a shortage even in northern europe.

We assume that Henry is very tall and loves tulips and windmills (wasnt his sperm from the Netherlands)

R4 · 28/03/2015 13:38

I have this weir feeling ...

Typo, or are we still on fish jokes? Grin
I agree with the disconnect on what they think they are broadcasting and what I know I am hearing.

ErrolTheDragon · 28/03/2015 14:05

Was the car really in a garage

I'd have thought so - cars do get damaged in floods. It was a credible thing for him to have as an excuse for phone calls and also the 'you dont mind me driving your car' line.

Will be interesting to see where the DNA test goes (given that the procedure rules out the delightful 'well, Mrs Tichner, it appears your child was fathered by a Holstein' idea)

ChopperGordino · 28/03/2015 14:09

Lol at Henry's affinity for tulips and windmills. And feeling a bit dizzy at the top of Lakey hill

ppeatfruit · 28/03/2015 14:23

Lilian I've known people who get blinded with optimism and excitement at the thought of moving house in RL, it happens a lot,. Like the saying 'Marry in haste repent at leisure' Quite a believable story line IMO and E.

enochroot · 28/03/2015 15:36

Oh yes, cars have to go for repairs from time to time. It's just that I don't trust anything Rob says. You just can't take anything at face value with him so I automatically start to wonder where he's really been.

Icimoi · 28/03/2015 15:50

This from the blog made me laugh:

Sean told me confidentially that the Archers would be staying put. So I had to keep this knowledge secret for months. Unusually I knew where the story was going and was of course hugely relieved!

I don't know why anyone thought it was a secret. It was obvious to virtually every listener.

Bluestocking · 28/03/2015 16:10

Oh dear. Sounds like TB doesn't have to do much acting to play dear old Dopey Dave. Bless.

BuildYourOwnSnowman · 28/03/2015 16:25

Just read the blog

They really think they're channelling high literature when it feels more soapy every day!!

ZeroFunDame · 28/03/2015 17:04

The pity of it (to me) is that I would have found a well written and well pursued move rather exciting - a new departure. But since they were determined to fool us allHmmit was a bit silly to be so obviously unphased about teenagers having to change school - particularly in the middle of A' Levels! And to move for such spurious reasons (the 7 million might have been a good reason - Heather's sudden enfeeblement not so much and the at least ten year road plan quite ridiculous.)