Badly done Helen, badly done - you're as stuffed as a Grundy turkey. Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

New thread in time for Friday's episode...

Lillian has found another Matt!

'S ok, not a spoiler. Beware actress photo.

And Carol will be busy outside Ambridge as well. (On stage.) Unless they've recorded something unusually early it looks as if she won't be the one rescuing Helen over Christmas.

We don't quite write to customers to say "are you dead yet?",

Would they reply if you did, I wonder.

but there are ways of checking.

Mirror through the letterbox?
Ring and run?

DoctorTwo - OK I was being a bit narrow minded...

SmallLegs - just checking this thread at the end of work, and your suggestions made me snigger!

Actually, I believe databases are compiled from death registers, for use by insurers - used to be on a DVD. Each of us will be on that database one day...

And on that happy note, I'm off home.

Sorry, I didn't explain clearly. What I was getting at was that Justin offered 7.5 million out of which they had to pay a significant amount to three shareholders, buy another farm, pay for removal of house contents, farm equipment & stock, estate agent fees, legal fees and maybe have change for a milking parlour.
To now receive half a million free and clear must put them in roughly the same financial position as they would be in if they had sold up Brookfield and moved, probably better off.
In case that sounds callous HP probably would have SOTMC anyway.

Surely that's not Jill's desk?

Well it's all coming up Pipsqueak

The BBC is just taking the pee now ...

They are just PRing a very saleable story line.

It's social meeja don't you know, all the cool kidz were doing it a few years ago so of course Radio 4 has decided to get in on the act . Am still gobsmacked (and somewhat disappointed) that R4 listeners are not above confusing actors and characters and giving it out on Twitter!

It's very possible that HP has a very nice house - those of that generation who bought have benefitted hugely from the rise in prices - I know of plenty of retired teachers living in extremely nice houses (those in the SE worth well over £750k) that would be beyond the reach of the vast majority of the population today. I did like David pointing out to her that he'd been through a lot of this when Phil died; subtly done I felt.

I find it somewhat difficult to believe Lynda wouldn't have thought of Lil and Jennifer for casting those parts almost immediately.

I'm getting increasingly irritated by Ruth's passive aggression over being consulted about decisions. She's wasting time making major issues over a bill from the care home, she decided to ask Jill back without consulting anyone, but it's a problem if David doesn't give her a blow by blow report on where Pip is at any given moment. And the way she pronounces the letter l at the end of words (e.g. impossible, hall) sounds like Michael Howard and irritates me some more.

Absolutely. It's sometimes arguable that we should imagine the villagers having a much wider social circle than can be shown in 13 minutes and that they might spend less time with other high profile characters than we do. But in this case Lynda and Lillian are co-grandparents and the Snells are living in Lil's house!

On the other hand I'm struggling to believe that any am dram enthusiast would only cast people in roles as close to real life as possible. It seems very clumsy.

I'm finding Ruth's new anti-David campaign rather amusing. But I hope it doesn't escalate into all out war. She's put so much love and work into Brookfield, she doesn't deserve to be pushed out by David and his pseudo-wife.

David is being a dick, though. Of course they would have discussed Adam's offer to Pip, in detail. What the hell else are they talking about? Oh, that's right, silage.

Having said that, when she was giving the go-ahead to Rex I thought, "oh THIS again". The woman only lost her mother a couple of weeks ago Whatever we may think of her, she should be allowed to grieve without us losing any shred of sympathy for her.

I think it would be reasonable for David to make decisions without Ruth being there. But in this case, his hesitancy with Ruth about where the money for a loan was coming from when they discussed it was surely a pretty clear telegraphing that he was thinking "we can use some of your inheritance" but knows he can't make such a commitment without discussing that with Ruth first. (Well, that's what my feminine intuition is telling me ).

I am puzzled that David could consider lending Pip the money for the cattle enterprise out of the business, when a few months ago it was touch and go whether he could afford to lend Kenton money. It's a pretty expensive time of year for an autumn calving dairy herd, all the expense of feeding and housing cattle and the milk yield won't be peaking yet so milk cheques will be pretty low

I don't think anyone is failing to sympathise with a woman who lost her mother, though it was six weeks ago, not two. But that doesn't exempt any fictional character from criticism for being a passive aggressive twat. She seems to have objected massively that David dared to talk to Pip about her possible plans without immediately shutting down the conversation and saying that it couldn't continue unless she, Ruth, was involved. And as I understood the conversation about the loan, David was merely telling her about the sort of possibilities he was thinking about, not telling her that he had made any decisions about it. In fact, I agree with DadDadDad, if anything he was feeling his way towards the possibility of a personal loan or gift and therefore making it very clear that he wasn't making any decisions about it on his own at all.

What also pissed me off was when she was talking about her mother being miserable in the care home - yet at every opportunity she's having a lovely guilt-fest that she let her down by taking her out of there. But it just doesn't seem like she really does feel guilty, she's just saying it so people will rush in to sympathise with her and tell her she has nothing to feel guilty about.

Lynda figured out that Cathy had been raped, didn't she?
Lynda has extensive form for figuring out loads of stuff nobody directly told her.

From dramatic perspective, pretty obvious Lynda will find out Scruff truth sooner or later.

I'm struggling to believe that any am dram enthusiast would only cast people in roles as close to real life as possible.

Yes. It's like casting for actors whom you don't expect to act.

Pregnant woman in carrying paint tin shocker!!

Any accidents now and she'll get a big I told you so...unless of course Rob is the one doing the damage

How will he deal with Tom, I wonder ...

Good to see Helen at last beginning to call Rob out on all the bollocks about how much she has to do. As for that stuff about not doing things because she doesn't need to, due to being lucky enough to have a wonderful man to look after her - surely she does need to carry on working given his unwillingness to go out and get a job?

Also nice to see Helen tentatively suggesting the job opportunity for Rob (which must have taken some guts in the circumstances). Gives you hope there's a bit of fight left in her.

We all noticed, of course, how he reminded her about Henry's accident and pooh poohed any suggestion that she could get involved in Calendar Girls. He really does think he's got a mealticket for life at Bridge Farm, doesn't he? Just biding his time till they get Peggy's inheritance, although of course now she's changed her will that may mean waiting for Tony to SOTMC as well.

"Mistakes happen when you're tired Helen." Just waiting for the next scan and then a trip down the stairs.

Helen's going to be in big trouble when Rob gets home, after daring to point out a perfect (paid) job opportunity for him.

I'm beginning to dread listening to TA, the Rob/Hellin sl is so well done it is chilling. The way she was chastising herself for making the perfectly sensible decision to let Henry go to the fireworks with Susan, and then how she quickly crumbled and did an about face regarding the Calender Girls part, was just awful to listen to.