The Cheese Queen needs to tread Caerphilly. Camembert the tension? Join The Archers thread and hope it gets Feta from here on.

[PseudoBadger]

Sorry but I couldn't resist an opportunity for puns galore

He's always careful around Pat, Itchy, which is why she's apparently now deluded besotted (though am still adjusting my jaw).

Given Helen's previous pre-eclampsia and its unrealistic portrayal she'll be at greater risk of it happening again. Perfect excuse for Rob to isolate her further.

Jessie, I'm afraid there are an awful lot of people around who have had accidental pregnancies who can attest to the fact that conceiving on your first unprotected shag is entirely possible. I don't want to hit any sensitive spots, but I really don't think that aspect of the storyline is that unlikely.

When Pat hears this 'it'll be a boy' business (assuming that in front of her, Rob doesn't say 'darling and I are just so happy we don't mind what it is, do we darling?' - 'oh Hellon he does look after you so well') then, in her new incarnation, she will say:

'Oh Hellon, don't worry so. It's natural Wob would like a boy, after all he loves Henry so much - I'm sure that when the baby comes along, Wob will love him or her just as much as he loves you and Henry, and after all it's really rather sweet how keen he and Henry seem to be on having a brother. You'll have your own little team of men to look after you, and I used to love it when John and Tom were small etc etc etc etc insert more dead-hearted drivel here'.

And that is my prediction.

Haven't heard Friday's ep yet but has it been confirmed that Hellin is pg? Her convo with Pat earlier in the week raised the possibility and she said she would get a test but not yet.

I'm not so sure she is pg -I think it's a ruse to defuse Rob's anger and provide an excuse to continue to avoid intimacy.

She says she is. She says she's done a test twice.

She could go a long way on the deception with a cushion, he would never know.

jessie ttc is soul destroying. Feels like everyone but you can get pregnant.
Best of luck.

I wonder if it's a ruse. She seemed very certain that she couldn't be pg earlier in the week. Maybe she said it to save herself when he got angry. Now she's in a world of trouble.

It makes me wonder anew what he did to her on Fateful Thursday that she's so convinced she couldn't be pg......

I can't believe that Helen was down at the gp the instant she thought she might be entering a sexual relationship and getting the pill or coil. She is such a control freak I doubt she would use condoms - or if she did not on their own!

I listened again, spoke to Mr Topaz, and all oyu or most of you reckon it wasn't a new Kathy. Now I've heard it again and listned carefully, yes, I agree it's not new Kathy. Just the same irritating one. No idea why i thought otherwise now! Only reached end of page 25 so can't comment much on last night - which i missed chunks of due to a family crisis at the time. I think I got the salient points though. Blimey, she is scared of him, no doubt about that.

Ppeat twins - yes! but I got there first !
Boy/ girl twins revealed at the Xmas scan? And then something dreadful happens to the boy one....
Let's see if Helen is so so much sicker in this preg than with Henry ...
If I'm right, do I get to officially join the over-infesteds?

Is there a correlation between bad morning sickness and Twins.

Not sure her morning sickness is that bad. She sounded very chirpy at times

Yes, twin pregnancy can make sickness much worse - due to higher levels of relevant hormone. I agree she isn't THAT sick but it does seem more than when expecting Henry so for her an increase. Who knows what the SWs have in store for us.

There is some established research that shows women who ahve pre eclampsia in one pregnancy, then have a subsequent baby with a different father often don't get pre-eclampsia 2nd time around. But with so much in the medical world, there are lots of exceptions and I am sure reseach has moved on since I used to read with with professional interest/obsession. I wonder if Amy will be back as the only midwife in Borsetshire ...

Regarding, Ruth's dad's name, i always assumed it was a northern English custom in rural & established families to use OT/Hebrew names. The only example I can think of is Josiah Wedgwood. Sure must be others.

please let her be pretending

When Helen was lurking in the bathroom when Rob was asking what she was doing, I assumed she was doing a pregnancy test. But I suppose it could just be the SWs' evil plot to lead us astray.

It does seem odd that she would rely on condoms alone, but maybe Knob insisted on it so that he could keep control, under the guise about caring for her deeply and not wanting her to risk those nasty chemicals/bits of plastic in her body. Though having said that, if he wanted to impregnate her you'd think he could have achieved it more easily simply by a few pinpricks in the condom rather than raping her.

Is Helen any good at telling a good porkie? Sorry! I always think of her as a bit too up front and honest, in an ingenuous way, and not always to her advantage. Though there are several examples of tiems she did lie - not telling Kirsty Tom was wavering pre-weddding, the time he ran down Mike, being BIG examples. She probably ahs some weird unwritten rule that marred couples don't lie to each other though.

she not he. obviously.

Seek - that was so good I could actually hear Pat saying that. As for the discussion whilst she was in the bathroom

I think Helen is a very accomplished liar when it is in her favour. This is the first time she isn't apposition of pure selfishness though and lying would be to protect herself.

Checking into the new thread, away for 1 week and I've gone to seed.

De-lurking to scream in company of those who understand,

"Helen, NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

She's not lying, I'm sure, and I've been feeling totally distraught since I caught up this morning.

Hello everyone, new to the thread, though have been reading for many months now. This is the first time I've managed to sync my thread-reading with my episode catch-ups.
Poor Helen: she's well and truly cornered.
It was awful when they were stuffing the news into little Henry, too, narrowing her options further.
I also thought straightaway that it must be twins - HCG that baby secretes is x2 and I believe that's what causes the sick feeling.
to Jessie. Ttc is heart-breaking.

Welcome newbies.

Yes indeed Seven - one doesn't expect to feel distraught about fict--n (!) on the radio but ways of escape for Helen were constantly running through my mind this morning. Luckily I've had some distraction since then.

I wonder blanket if hundreds of thousands of lurking listeners are regularizing their Archers habit in order to be in sync with the thread. It's a nice cosy thought - though surely deserving of some official invitation to re-write weaker stories recognition

I too predicted twins upthread having spent weeks being sick with mine. Yes it does make you more sick.
And also the fact that she did 2 tests made me think the 2nd one was the oh fuck.i hope the first one was wrong test.

And DadDadDad that clip reminds me very much of my dss very much unexpected reaction to finding out he was going to be a big brother

Thanks for the welcome Gruach!

Hmmm, not enjoying this twin talk much, being 11 weeks into a third pg that has left me feeling a lot sicker, tireder and more emotional than the other two...