Don your paisley tabards, feel the static crackle, and join our Archers thread team hug.

[PseudoBadger]

Chocolate Chip cookie anyone?

[BYOSnowman]

I still haven't got over the wtf feeling from the dowry conversation. I mean wtf?

Still think its bad sw - trying to make Helen appear so blissfully happy an in love that the fall will be harder. But they've just made her sound insane.

[EBearhug]

^^

If they don't listen to TA, they should. You have a duty to introduce them to what they've been missing.

[SchwarzwalderKirschtorte]

That was a corker of an Archers, wasn't it? Rob is showing his true colours so quickly! And Hellin a fucking dowry? WTAF? For gods sake give your head a wobble woman!

[TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet]

DOWRY? I need to re-listen?

[WipsGlitter]

Yes, dowry, it's all so mad. And the veiled references to their sex life. Boke.

[BYOSnowman]

Yes - after the phoebe debacle why do they think its reasonable to have pat and Helen giggling at her sex life. All sorts of wrong.

Rob is going to lose it and end up in prison, Helen will show how insane she is and be committed to a secure unit and Henry will end up living with Uncle Tom.

I am clinging on to the idea that Helen is badly written

[ErrolTheDragon]

I've just turned on my radio so I catch the repeat.

Have any of the women on TA not changed their name when they married? what was it pat said about Emma - 'but only once' - how would you know unless she'd been Mrs W Grundy?

[BYOSnowman]

Yes that was a bit bitchy from pat

[TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet]

Where were the veiled refs to sex? Am I being thick???

[TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet]

Have just relistened!
Oh the twinkle in her eye!

[peppapissinpig]

TBH I'm not sure about the character of Helen either. On one hand she's very independent and strong minded, on the other she's a spoilt, cosseted little girl masquerading as 1950's housewife.

I've only be listening to TA for about 5years (newbie!) And can't understand WTF is Hellin so fucked up!!

[ErrolTheDragon]

peppa - well, for one thing her last serious relationship ended in his suicide, after which she suffered from anorexia. Also, Pat suffered depression after John's death (Helen and Tom's older brother) - so the family is sensitive to possible MH issues and inclined to be overprotective of Helen.

[BYOSnowman]

I'm inclined to believe Helen will burn to death in an attack after setting the fire herself

She is stubborn (strong minded in parent speak). And independent means won't listen to reason doesn't it?

[Gruach]

Her DM's best friend died in a car crash when she was small.

Her brother died in a farm accident. Her DM suffered depression.

Her partner commuted suicide. She suffered anorexia.

Her partner's daughter came to stay with her, slept with Helen's bf (unbeknownst to H) and terminated the pregnancy v Helen's wishes.

She stalked another bf unsuccessfully.

Gave up on men.

Had Henry. etc.

I may have misremembered some and have probably forgotten other significant mishaps.

[Icimoi]

I must say if my dd got married and came to me wittering about giving her dh a dowry I'd be thinking about marching her round to a doctor. In fact, I think the BBC need to think about doing that with whatever SW thought that idea up, it is quite seriously weird.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Her DM's best friend died in a car crash when she was small.
I've forgotten, who was that?

it is quite seriously weird.
I think it's supposed to be - hence Pat's reaction about her having the strangest ideas about 'romance'. Urgh 'it makes me feel I really belong to Rob' - it's meant to make us go 'WTAF?' and check what century we're in.

[Seriouslyffs]

Gruach
Her partner's daughter came to stay with her, slept with Helen's bf (unbeknownst to H) and terminated the pregnancy v Helen's wishes.
Wha'!?!?

[Gruach]

That was Polly (Sid's first wife) Errol. I have no idea how old the children were at the time but Pat was in the car with Polly so it was quite traumatic.

Wiki-checking my facts (missed out Helen's drunk driving running over of Mike ...) I note that Ruth has an Aunt Rose - from whom Pip takes her second name. Is Rose living? Is she a maternal or paternal Aunt. If living, how much time, exactly, has she spent at Heather's bedside lately?

Where is that archivist when she's needed?

[Halsall]

Gruach, the Cheese Straw also knocked Moike Tucker down with her car, only to be rescued by Tom who idiotically manfully declared that HE was the one driving.

Seriously yes indeedy. It was one of those SLs that promised much but rather petered out. We were all waiting for Hellin to find out about the pregnancy but iirc she never did. But I seem to remember that her sudden decision to have a baby sans partner coincided with Annette being up the duff by H's slimy ex....am I right? Or imagining that?

[Halsall]

I mean she never found out WHO Annette had been upduffed BY (I don't think). Didn't she want A to have the baby and got quite unreasonably agitated when she refused to go through with it?

[peppapissinpig]

Exactly Seriously...
Partners daughter slept with Helens boyfriend??

[TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet]

@Gruach

She stalked another bf unsuccessfully.

WHO was this???


I find Helen insufferable despite all of this. She is SOOOOOO self centred
"Oh I didn't think of that."

And "all my friends took hubby's names" SHE HAS NO FRIENDS apart from Emmer - who she couldn't be arsed to tell face to face about not being maid of honour. And what about that one from Antenatal Sarah?? who she USED for childcare all the time???

GRR

[peppapissinpig]

Wonder if SWs just use character of Helen as a tool to vent all their 'edgy' creative juices

[Halsall]

Olivia I thought exactly that! Who are these friends?

The boyfriend was called Leon iirc. Was he Australian...a barman or something? He was quite clearly a Bad Lot.

[Gruach]

peppa It does sound as if she's always in some drama but it's all been over so many years - it's not like Emmerdale.

So yes, Helen was shagging an (Australian via) Borchester barman. She had moved into the teeny flat over the village shop (owned by Peggy who caused a lot of ill feeling by letting Helen rent it when other people needed it more,) just to show how independent she could be. Annette ran away from her mother's home in France (this was long after Greg's death) and Helen became rather possessive of her. The barman (who only pretended to be nice) visited the flat when Annette was there alone and Annette proved entirely disloyal to Helen.

As I remember it Helen started planning a lovely life for the two of them + baby. Poor Annette ran away again to stay with her DGM - possibly in London.