Culvert operations in Ambridge - discuss The Archers here. It's not his baby by the way.

[PseudoBadger]

Is Ed's wedding very soon?

Stefan is just a plot device designed to point the finger at Knob - how he saw what he saw is immaterial. It wasn't made clear at the time that Knob was acting in a skullduggerous manner around the culvert so that needs to be made clear now whether it adds up or not. Enoch I don't understand why the cattle pen didn't flood when Charlie risked life and limb with his culvert clearance (I don't see how it could have been the same culvert in fact that being the case). Maybe Knob had blocked two culverts - but why block one which would prevent the tanker getting through?? It doesn't add up - maybe that's supposed to be immaterial too.
As for son-of-Knob-as-was, he will no doubt turn up 16 years hence and fall in love with yet-to-be-conceived daughter of Knob and Hellin for a true EE flourish. Knob, who will by this time be married to Tall Rachel who he will have seduced I a bid to cover up his culvert skullduggery, will be forced to admit the truth about Ethan's parentage.
I can see why regulars on here are stopping listening - it doesn't really matter whether you listen or not when there is so much random plotting.

Damn the Enderising of TA - I thought R4 was talking about Jess when she said 'Wasn't it Brine's baby'!!

I too think Pawel Stefan had seen Knob earlier in the day as he said it was 'just before dark'. According to the flood timeline (yes, I have just checked it ) the dramatic stable rescue was newsflashed at 2025. It's possible that he went to check on it, but we don't have any reason to think that, really. But the biggest red flag is how convinced Knob was that Berrow Farm would be safe. We knew he'd been up to summat didn't we?

I'm starting to really like Charlie, he's (sorry) 'straight-down-the-line' isn't he? Generally honest and open, and doesn't take the cowardly way when faced with conflict. Even if you don't agree with his views on things you have to respect that, really. I really really hope that he tackles Rob and doesn't back down.

Oh and as for J'lene saying David 'betrayed' Kenton - get a fucking grip, love!

Do we know that Charlie successfully cleared his culvert before he went under? There are definitely two culverts as (I think) Ed said one was fine and one was blocked. And Pawel Stefan is another one to mention corrugated sheets just so we really know it's the same one!

So do we think that Ed is going to get blamed for being the whistleblower?

I really hope not, but probably, yes.

We are/were reasonably sure that Rob had already blocked the culvert some time in the afternoon but his confidence about Berrow farm being safe might have been because he didn't expect the flooding to be so severe.
The fact that Stefan was strolling about suggests that Berrow is on higher ground but that also begs the question of why the flow from the culvert would take water up-hill from the road to Berrow!!!!!

He certainly got agitated when he left the pub, as did they all, and made every effort to get away. I was mouthing at the radio last night to David to ask Stefan exactly when he saw Rob do the culvert-stuffing.

I still don't understand why Rob blocking the culvert would protect the dairy business?

The culvert directed water to the cowsheds so he was protecting the cows (couldn't be bothered to move them or do any clean up after)

Isn't it more likely that Rob blocked the culvert not to protect the mega-dairy but to worsen the flooding in Ambridge in order to somehow make the new road scheme seem like a better scheme, or to further Demara in some other way?

Oh well. Perhaps it will become clearer.

My guess is that Rob was thinking about the effect on the dairy unit but didn't realise quite how it would also affect the road.

Oh, I see BuildYourOwn. THanks!

The culvert directed water to the cowsheds so he was protecting the cows (couldn't be bothered to move them or do any clean up after)

I think that's it exactly.
He was feeling all smug that he'd protected his own little fief and could take the evening off.

I wonder if when he came out of the pub he realised that so much water would cause back-flow through the culvert and so had to re-jig his plan.

I don't think rob did it to help damara or anything as he is smart enough to know the road flooding was a likely consequence

He is ultimately lazy and self interested. If it wasn't him who had to deal with the clean up he probably wouldn't have cared.

The reason the road being blocked is an issue is because not only could the tankers get in but it blocked out the emergency services?

Was this why they drove out poor Tiger - so Rob could be the only baddie in the village?

I really do think Helen would make an excellent prison visitor ...

You don't go round spending money on unnecessary things like holidays until you have the money. (Well, you shouldn't - Kenton has always been that way inclined, though.)

To be fair to Kenton, in the hospitality / tourist trade they have to take their holidays in the down-season so it was then or wait until Feb 2016. There's no way Kenton could have waited a whole year for The Holiday of A Lifetime - he would have spontaneously combusted before then!

J'lene sings-to the song of Stand By Your Man;-

Stand by your man, however stupid he is,

Stand by your man, even though he's a misery,

Sod it I've had enough, he doesn't deserve me.

I'm off down the road see yer later Kentoneee.

Sorry

In a way the whole culvert skulduggery does make quite a neat plotline with the EA one, because if Knob gets found out Hellin is going to have to decide whether to Stand By Her Man against the wrath of the whole village including people who will accuse him of being responsible for Freda's death.

Goodness! I posted that reference to standing by your man without having seen ppeatfruit's post. Telepathy really is a thing!

Maybe Kenton will shift the blame to Rob instead of David. Somehow I doubt that though.
Mind you, Rob did put him on a train to Wales a while back!

Have I mentioned that I really like Charlie?

I loved Rob's faux outrage earlier. When blocking the culvert to save Berrow he would've known the milf tanker wouldn't be able to get through though. What an arse he is.

Fuckety doo dah. Milk tanker. Can't blame autocorrect, just wrong fingers.

Is he going to:-
a) murder Stefan?
b) do a runner?
c) brazen it out?

I quite like Charlie too - he's a pretty well drawn character.

I've just thought of the best Eastenderisation though:
Pip is out at a Pub in Borchester with Toby, she's torn whether to take the job with (big agro company) in Canada (or wherever) or stay to be with Toby, she pops to the ladies, in pops Jess on a night out with Borsetshire SWs, Jess recognises Toby, Toby recognises Jess, it becomes obvious they had a one night stand, Pip returns from the toilet just in time to hear Jess tell Toby he has a son, Pip dashes out and off to Canada/Timbuktoo...

The SWs have calmed down a bit with Charlie. The early, stalker period, when he was constantly turning up at people's front doors, was not good.