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

[PseudoBadger]

Is Ed's wedding very soon?

No, Charlie listed the 3 senior employees, with a meaningful pause before 'Rob'. Dave didn't confirm or deny, did he?

I heard him confirm it. Surely Charlie wouldn't have 'had words' with him if it wasn't confirmed. I did listen twice (blush].

David didn't say who Stefan (who he didn't name either) had seen. I assumed that it was because

a) Stefan was very nervous about talking to David at all. The more detail that David gives the easier it is to work out who said something.

b) He may be concerned about falsely accusing Rob, so wanted to put the onus on Charlie to independently investigate it and come to his own conclusions.

Charlie does seem to have lighted on Rob as a likely candidate fairly quickly. I liked the way he ran through the three senior employees: somebody, Becky... and ROB. You could almost see he going from annoyed about David casting aspersions on Berrow Farm employees to thinking, "That's exactly the sort of thing Rob would do."

What I'm curious about though is why Charlie immediately thought Rob was the most likely candidate. Is it because of the attachment of earnings order when it was thought Ethan was Rob's son? I can see how his estimation of him might go down if he thought Rob had cheated on Helen. Although presumably he'd also know that the order was cancelled following the DNA test. In addition I guess he might have worked out that Rob and Helen's relationship started whilst Rob was still with Jess. Has Rob given Charlie any other reason not to trust him?

I liked how David didn't drop Ed in it, just said the stuff from the culvert had been seen and didn't look like casually washed in rubbish - and the actor was great making it sound like he was thinking on his feet.

I think Charlie has seen through Rob for some time - Rob always tries to smarm up to him, and Charlie is often telling him off.

Charlie's been on Rob's back before about the amount of time off he takes.
Rob was absolutely hopeless and out of his depth during that tour of the mega wotsit and Charlie was definitely not impressed, said it was something every manager should be able to do. Rob was so livid that he tore into Jim.

There was mention of a 'duty manager'. Stefan wasn't on duty. Should Rob have been at the farm on the night of the storm but had done something in the afternoon to keep the farm safe and then gone out to the pub?

three senior employees: somebody, Becky... and ROB

I believe the other name was Ralph. I think you are just trying to protect Ralph by not mentioning his name, because you know it's him and Rob is innocent! It was Ralph all along!

what is the timing of the culvert blocking? Presumably between when Helen said "oh knob, you must go and help you'd never forgive yourself if you didn't..." and him yelling at Auntie Chris to jump out the window..

Has David told Tall Rachel about the culvert blocking?

Evidence against Rob

• he 'knew' berrow would be ok
• strange behaviour at time of flood
• he knew about flood warning
• he threarened Ed
• Stefan said it was him
• he is a Knob

The culvert directs water past Berrow. If it had overflowed it would flood parlour/ cowshed (as I said upthread, ridiculously bad design) but we have that from the Environment Agency bod who said 'that is one of ours, if it hadn't been blocked...' then something like' it would have flooded Berrow. ' so obviously this is an illogical plot device. No one would design a culvert to do that but if they hadn't no motive to block culvert.

(Bet this is the most culvert related posts on an internet forum)

I think Rob blocked the culvert before oh you must help because I think he was asked about Berrow and said it would be fine before that.

Think the other manager is called Raph.

David told it was blocked (not functioning).but not blocked (sabotage) i think.

Not obsessing about culverts at all.

ppeat I would love it if they did start calling him knob. Could Freddie start it and reach it to Henry

Arghh teach it obv

Yes, if he did it, it was sometime before they went to the pub. Rob wanted to slink off home without helping, or raid the shop - going off in the boat can't have been part of any plan.

The hen night actually sounded fun!

It did, that was nice. I'd be worried but they surely can't have any sort of disaster so soon after Kirsty and toms fiasco.

Mind you, I bet the only reason Helen got to go to the hen night and stay to the end was because Rob needed her gone for some reason...............

If there was all that fuss about Will being Best Man, why wasn't Nic invited to the Hen Do?

Mind you, I bet the only reason Helen got to go to the hen night and stay to the end was because Rob needed her gone for some reason...............

Such as silencing Stefan?
Or doing a runner?

That conversation about Helen being the next bride, Rob making her feel secure, seemed a bit like tempting fate and it is so unlike him to let her out of the house with friends.

Rob is somewhat constrained by adherence to social convention, and (other than actually poisoning Henry) it would be quite hard to come up with a good reason for Helen having to miss a nice village hen night.

I'd have thought Nic would have been invited to the hen night too. Maybe she declined because she wanted Will to be able to go to the stag and someone had to look after the kids (not just because the SWs needed her home to lecture Will).

I hadn't actually thought to wonder why Nic wasn't there. That's odd.........

First thing I noticed when she was nagging Will to go. Although you woukd have to wonder with all the women at one do and then nen at the other who was minding the kids.

wonder who was minding the kids.

Well Clarrie was apparently free because she wasn't at the Hen either, although Susan was. I don't know if Susan was there as Mother of the Bride or as Mistress of the House - if the latter, you'd think that she would make herself scarce (like Neil did?) and hang out with Clarrie instead.

Not impressed. After all the hand-wringing over Clarrie's dress we didn't hear her receive it or find out exactly how she felt about it. We don't know if it's from a designer shop or Borchester's finest purveyor of musty fox furs and 1970s psychadelic prints.

The night before the wedding and no honeymoon has been arranged. And no one at the hen night mentioned it or suggested some possibility for the future? No weekend in Brighton or going to stay with Rosie or anything? So they'll get married and go back to Ambridge View?

Also I thought people now had stag and hen does in advance - to avoid the hangover look on the wedding day.

Once again it feels as if the SWs don't actually have a clue. They were rubbish last year and it's just as bad now.

Clarrie was at the hen do - in another room with Jodie, huddled over a sewing machine. (At least, that's what I understood.)