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

[PseudoBadger]

Is Ed's wedding very soon?

Charlie's another personality transplant, though.

What are the odds of Helen getting to the hen night? Or if she gets to it, staying for more than about an hour?

I have a feeling we are working up to a court case one way or another.

Have just caught up with yesterday and today's. My heart sank yesterday when the CA mentioned Pip...

I agree zero re the earlier Charlie writing. I have grown fond of him which is a surprise

Well that clears up my culvert confusion. Knob did block the one Charlie was trying to clear. But it doesn't explain why the dairy didn't flood when Charlie unblocked it or why Charlie was demanding such secrecy from Ed over the culvert clearance operation - surely clearing the culverts would be a sensible and responsible thing to do? Love to hear Knob squirm though. Hellin won't be going to hen night or even to the wedding probably in Knob thinks it was Ed who grassed him up (which no doubt he will).

Presumably by the time Charlie unblocked the culvert, lots of the water had already gone elsewhere (i.e. into Ambridge).

I think he asked Ed to clear the culvert quietly because while he may or may not have suspected deliberate blockage by someone from Berrow, he surely knew that there shouldn't have been corrugated iron etc in there. Even if it was the council's responsibility to keep it clear, it wouldn't look good.

In a severe flood like that would the blocking of one culvert be the cause of mass destruction that wouldn't have occurred if culvert clear?

Genuine question! I also didn't realise Berrow farm was so close to the village and that there was only one road in and put of ambridge (which rob blocked with his excess water)

There are more than one road into Ambridge, just most of them involve crossing the Am, which was in full flood.

I see. So he did basically block the village

I'm still suffering from culvert confusion syndrome. If Charlie's culvert & the culvert Ed subsequently cleared are one and the same then wasn't the whole point of Charlie risking life & limb to clear said culvert & therefore why would it need unblocking again!

I thought the only corrugated thing in Ambridge was Aunty Cardboard.

Do you think Rob knew all along that it was one and the same culvert? Or do you think that eas the first time he realised that it was the one where Charlie nearly drowned?

If you get the corrugated sheeting across the opening, the water will hold it in place, debris will build up behind it as the flood rises. You see it happen when a fallen tree lodges under a bridge, in one flood I remember it was enough to bring the bridge down.

I fear that they will use the culvert thing to get rid of Rob - it's a much easier option for the SW than writing years of domestic abuse storylines. Go all in on the 'he's a baddy' endgame, have Damara fire him, Helen's eyes are truly opened (she was saying how stupid someone would have to be to block the culvert) and he toddles off to his next victim. This leaves us with Pip who is clearly worthy of a job in BigFarma as she will have passed the second interview by then and who will ultimately decide to accept Charlie's offer of Rob's newly-vacated role at Berrow. Thus Pip gets to spread her wings away from Brookfield and spend her days programming robots whilst not having to pass up a chance to shag a Fairbrethren.

YY to Team Charlie - I think he's an excellently drawn character if I'm honest, fundamentally likeable and tries to do the right thing but with enough flaws (he's lurve for Adam, his careerist having to be Damara's henchman side) to make him human and believable.

I really don't understand. Either water was not supposed to flow from the river to Berrow, in which case Rob did what any other householder would do and tried to block the culvert (although most use sandbags and you'd think that BL would have installed a more efficient system than bits of rubble). Or water is supposed to flow from the river as a flood management technique, in which case it would be designed not to put Berrow infrastructure in danger so what is he worrying about.
It would make more sense if they were complaining about water flowing from Berrow into the river too quickly because of concrete, loss of absorbent soil and consequent run-off.
I really must remember to try not to think too deeply about it.

Have we ever worked out where Berrow is on the Ambridge map?

On a completely different note - does anyone think we're going to have a early dementia storyline for Alasdair?

"On a completely different note - does anyone think we're going to have a early dementia storyline for Alasdair?"

I wondered that! When he went all vague about something, can't remember what (oh the irony!) when Richard came to lunch..........

That all sounds horribly possible RnRN.

Meanwhile, I'm fed up. The accomodation fall-out from the flood is out of control and I have no faith that it will all be resolved properly.

How many displaced people are still living at GG? How is that affecting the hotel's business? (Even if insurance is paying for rooms it means the rooms aren't available for new guests. Although perhaps Ambtidge isn't attractive atm.)

What on earth is going to happen to Joe, Eddie and Clarrie?

Ed n Emma will be starting married life back at her parents. Clearly unsatisfactory.

Did they get rid of Matt in order to have Lillian leave The Dower House? How much longer will she be willing to live at Home Farm. While Lynda and Robert rearrange her furniture ...

How much more tea can Jim drink in Borchester with Christine as they try to give Shula alone time with her reluctant DH?

What about Bert at Brookfield?

Surely once the weather improves Jazzer will want to pitch a tent somewhere rather than facing more 3 lentil bake?

I know these things take time in RL, but the SWs struggle with normal day to day life in Ambridge - I fear there will be people who never go home ...

Good point. Shula is about to run off with dr Locke when Alastair gets his diagnosis (from dr Locke no doubt) and the guilt makes Shula stay.

Very soapy though.

I am disappointed that the sw have decided to turn rob into an all round baddie rather than having a realistic DV sl

I feel sorry for ed that he has to have a best man not of his choosing. Was will put under pressure to have ed as his best man? Seems inconsistent.

And I feel sorry for will being pressured to be best man for his ex and the man she cheated with. No matter how much water is under the bridge it is going to hurt.

I'm not convinced about Alistair and dementia - we've not long put to rest Jack and his dementia.
I can't remember what Alistair said either - I think that I had zoned out because it was such an uncomfortable scene.

We need a map. I'm sure some of you are imagining the water flow all wrong.

I am actually pleased the SWs have elected to reveal the true horror that is Knob. Was deeply frustrated when potential baby blow up blew over. Longing to see him get his come uppance and Hellin coming to her senses.

Oh, and nice work Emma….

Just thinking - there hasn't ever been a menopause story line in TA, has there? Last taboo no doubt, but I think it could be woven in at some stage.

I think Charlie is fundamentally the same character that arrived and got everyone's backs up but I think he's been softened slightly by contact with the good folk of Ambridge.
He still has that stiff formality but he deployed it so well in his interview with Rob. Rob tried to have a blokey chuckle with him about animal rights idiots and so forth. It simply didn't work. Likewise when he told Rob about the maintenance deduction from his salary. Charlie dominated and was in complete control. Rob must loathe that.

The debris was blocking the in flow to the culvert and so being held there by water pressure. When Charlie unblocked it he was sucked in. I think this was run-off rainwater which was meant to flow through it towards the river. Instead it was pent up, flooded the road and flowed towards the village. I don't understand how the cattle pens were at risk though and I suspect Rob blocked the wrong culvert.

That's exactly what happens here where a stream flows under the road to the river but the culvert frequently gets blocked if it's not cleared of tree debris, footballs and plastic bags often enough and so the stream water floods the road in heavy rain. If the river's also very high there is a risk of that water flowing towards our houses. We are experts on culverts!

It looks to me as though Rob's going to tear up the place looking for the whistleblower - he might go too far. Helen and Emma are going to have an upset about it at the hen party. I think the Lentil Bake will not make an appearance at the reception and there's a good chance that Helen and Rob won't either.