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

[PseudoBadger]

Is Ed's wedding very soon?

Perhaps Rob will threaten Ed and that will induce brotherly solidarity in Will?

But I suspect that Rob will somehow escape from this one as well. The Stefan thing seems dodgy, maybe he is indeed an employee with a grudge - it could set up Rob nicely as being the guy who keeps getting blamed for things that aren't his fault (even though often they are, as with the sab, and 50:50 could have been with Ethan) and so issues being raised against him will be seen as crying wolf. He'll become Mr Teflon - nothing else will stick to him.

A menopause story on TA could be dreadful, imho.
It couldn't be done with humour because that would be interpreted as ridicule.
If done seriously it would just be tedious.

Done as a kind of 'All my chicks have left the nest & my hormones have gone doolally' could be balanced sensitive, but tricky.

Another thing is that from the way David explained his findings to Charlie, it didn't look like Ed could come into the firing line. But I'm guessing Rob will be gunning for him - he's already had a go at him for talking to David. And he'll probably use that to try and split up Emmur and Hellin's friendship. He tried that before didn't he? He must be mad as hell that they're still spending time together. How chilling was his 'I wanted you all to myself'? He arrived home about 30 seconds before Emmur left ffs!

I love the interactions between Charlie and Knob. Charlie has a really strong moral core, I think, at polar opposite to Knob!

Errol but there will always be people who believe that there's no smoke without fire. I think everyone will hate him for different reasons and it will take yonks for them to discuss it and put 2 and 2 together.

There has been a menopause story on TA. It involved Pat, Kathy and a menopause cake which Joe Grundy ate by mistake. It was an absolute side-splitter.... not.

But why did he block the culvert??

And the creepy "I was looking forward to having you to myself" comment. Boke.

He'll become Mr Teflon - nothing else will stick to him.

It's possible Rob will survive. As I said upthread, I don't think Sock intends the flood story to be explained away by one man's actions and it would be a terrible cop-out from the EA story.

OTOH, Charlie almost died and he's taking it seriously enough to investigate. He might want to cover up poor maintenance but I don't think he will protect Rob. Sock could continue to make a statement about flood-risk by using Adam and David as land-management advocates.

Maybe the outcome of the HellRob story depends on Helen's reaction in the next few days. Will she be blindly loyal or will she be critical? How will he react if she starts to doubt him?

Missed the menopause cake saga…. Have only been listening properly for the past year or so.

I predict Hellin will be called back from Hen night early by the needy controlling Knob who will need supper cooked for him or similar.

Merse IIRC Caroline was star of a menopaause story quite a few years ago.

Yes Charlie has the right managerial attitude esp. with Rob. who is coming across as more and more of a loose cannon, he should be getting a warning for his sneery manner if nothing else.

BUT don't forget that Charlie has also warned Ed to keep quiet about things he might see on the estate, that's not exactly freedom of information friendly is it?

Oh good grief!

What sort of fool would book theatre tickets (weeks ago) for tommorow evening?

And I'll miss Ed n Emma's Q & A.

Please tell me that you are seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream. That would be very SOCesque.

I'd like David to chat to Shula about his discoveries and she could casually mention the hunt sab fracas and what a good liar Rob is.

And agreed the 'all to myself' comment was creepy in the extreme. Although how annoying is Helen going to be when it all does go tits up with Rob.

Yes and David can also talk to Shula about her twin at the same time! Someone needs to have a word with Kenton!

Can I check something as I've missed a few episodes? Do we as listeners KNOW that Rob blocked the culvert, or are we relying on the eye-witness accounts being true and ASSUMING that Rob is at fault?

(ie is there room for the SW to do another paternity test on us and for it to turn out that Rob's not guilty?)

DadDadDad - you're right, we are assuming he's at fault but this is based on the combined evidence of non-specific Eastern European Stefan, blabbermouth bridegroom Ed and Tall Rachel.

I may be developing an inappropriate aural crush on Charlie when he's being all masterful.

LOVED that Knob came "straight from lunch" to his meeting.

No WAY is Helen going to be released from the kitchen to attend the hen night. Another "mysterious" illness for Henry..??

3D I think we only have Stefan's word for it, but Rob did seem very defensive when Charlie spoke to him given that Charlie didn't say who Stefan saw.

We only "know" from Stefan.

But I think Charlie has had suspicions for a while:
He saw the culvert blocked during the flooding, he tried to remove the blockage, he would have realised how rammed in it was (not just swept there), and he got nearly killed by the blockage.
He may have been distracted from the blockage for a while, as he recovered, but then realised there was something "not right" about the blockage.
So he got Ed to clear the ditches etc. keeping things quiet.

At this point, he could have suspected the culvert was deliberately blocked, but not that it was blocked when there were flood warnings out. I do think this makes a difference.
Then he hears a report that someone blocked the culvert during/just before the rainstorm.
I do think this will make a difference, the fact that someone blocked it, not to just stop some water going berrow farm way, but to stop it when there is a major flood danger - and thus endangering life (Charlie's).

Charlie also worked out quickly who had done it.

No, we don't know for sure that Rob blocked the culvert, and Stefan may well be an unreliable witness. But the conversation he had with Ed points to him having been up to no good.

Story line about Will as best man is the stupidest ever.

The Will best man storyline is basically unbelievable, but is actually well written and acted.

Its like someone said they had to write in the Will is the best man and this leads to a thawing in the relationship between Will and Ed. And the poor writers have done their best to make it believable.

Yes, it's ALL about how Helen reacts when Rob's culvert-blocking is rumbled- her line today was "What kind of a person would do that?" That has to come back to bite her, surely?

Yes agree Will/Ed beat man story bollocks, but like the idea of Rob going for Ed and Will stepping up instinctively to protect him.

Yes, I did think Helen's line had the ring of a line from Greek tragedy - the irony to be revealed when the culprit is unmasked...

What am I saying? Rob is innocent until proven guilty, it's all hearsay, a great man is having his fine reputation besmirched! I'm off to march with my placard now "Free Rob Titchener."

Er, no-one else joining me?

Why didn't David say it was Knob who'd been seen?

songbird He definitely did say Rob was seen, not knob, of course