Follow the subtle trail towards the Christmas storyline climaxes in Ambridge - discuss The Archers here

[PseudoBadger]

So many possibilities.... A visit from the Titcheners Snr? Baby of the wrong gender? A ruined wedding? Re-housed Grundys? RuthRex?

Welcome Queen and bigsister.

(SOC will be thrilled to know how bestirred you are ...)

I blame social media

People think as long as there is lots of traffic they have succeeded whilst ignoring the fact it's 90% negative.

A bit like cadburys chocolate

Why change the basic formula of something that has worked for so long!!!

SeekEvery, Knob was also disgustingly rude and dismissive about Johnny when talking to Olly Foxbreath. Something about having to issue orders to people like him (Johnny) because essentially he was too thick to show any initiative. A typical Knob put-down uttered with that contemptuous little half-laugh indicating his own total superiority and the worthlessness of everyone else in the universe.

I'm actually developing a Pavlovian response, I think, and becoming almost delirious with rage every time I hear that laugh. And he's now doing it more than ever as his lunacy ramps up.

Meols - Yes, you're right - and indeed he is rude about anyone who is a bit working-class, isn't he? But I don't think Johnny knows that Rob feels that way yet does he?

Of course, in that respect, Rob's got a lot in common with Piggy. And aside from the Rob/helen story last night, one of the things which annoyed me was Clarrie's cap-in-hand grovel 'Mrs Woolley', who was sympathetic to her, I felt, because she appreciated the clear respect of status there. Susan, who doesn't kow-tow, is always treated with utter contempt by Archers and Woolleys who are putting her out of business!

The interview with Rob actor on R4 seemed to suggest he would be around for a good while yet. So obvs. SOC feels he's invented a wonderful SL. Yes but please get it right SOC. more gossiping, real reactions from the characters. Consistency. Come on Kirsty, Tom, Ian, Helen has to talk to someone. I would LOVE Ian to have been the sperm donor. Oh yes, whoever thought up that one.

Helen told Pat the accident wasn't her fault but immediately took blame on herself when speaking to Rob.
Then Pat did the rest of the brainwashing for him!

If Ian were the sperm donor I would expect him to have far more involvement in Henry's life and to be objecting a lot more to the odious rob. Ian was always keen to be a dad so I can't imagine he wouldn't have wanted to be known as the dad

I'd be happy for Rob to be around for a long time provided that it involves a long slow painful descent into failure and humiliation for him (sadistic? moi?). I can't take a lot more of him torturing Helen and being so utterly smug, and I definitely can't take any more of Pat helping him in that process. It would be great if tonight's episode could involve Pat talking to Tony and suddenly realising "What the hell was I thinking?", but I'm not holding my breath.

They appear to be gearing up for her having a girl and Rob having some kind of Henry VIII style cancelling of the joust in disappointment.
His anger management (I mean all that bad behaviour at the cricket) has to lead to exposure before too long. Maybe he'll row with Tony who will then drop dead and Rob will be found doing fine cardiac resuscitation, and they will only have been heard by a strawberry picker who immediately goes home to Poland never to be seen again.

Some things might justify Pat's reasoning:-

1. Her son died in a tractor accident
2. it's virtually a year to the day since Tony nearly died
3. Her daughter is a speshul snowflake

All of which will make Pat ultra sensitive to protecting Helen - especially as Rob has no doubt been making insinuations to her for the last few weeks about H's delicate state (in fact he did that during the phone call last night). But I still think it's unbelievable and I am Very Disappointed In Pat and/or the script writers.

Pat is very distant from Helen and that's not something she would have done. There is no way she would just think 'oh well, she has a man to look after her, all is good, I'll support him fully'

I'm quite happy for the Rob actor to be a cast member for a long time so long as the SL soon mutates into one where Helen talks to someone, escapes, wrests parental responsibility from him, divorces him and prosecutes him. All this while he's charged with endangerment for the culvert thing, assault over the SAB and for falsifying a DNA test so that Jess can get some justice too.

His final appearance should involve tar and feathers.

So when do we expect the preeclampsia to recur? Isn't Hell at high risk for that?

Pat is used to thinking of Helen's happiness as fragile and short-lived. I think she needs quite badly to believe that Helen is happy, and is happy that Rob seems so willing to be responsible for that. And so she's taking her support of him much too far, because she thinks that's supportive.

But Jess admitted it wasn't his!!!!! All the rest he is clearly guilty of

How about he has a riding accident and breaks both legs so is bed bound and Helen goes all Stephen King style revenge in him

Jess did admit it. I forgot that, but he did sleep with her and was a tad over-confident about denying paternity for my taste. However, that's the least of his crimes so I'm prepared to let it go!

Riding accident is fine with me so long as Helen doesn't blame herself for it.

Ruth has signed up to become a nun...

Well, at least it's not Canada ...

Maybe not. Then she has the cheek to always blame David for making decisions without consulting her.

Oh, ffs Ruth- you are such a brat!^

I need a recap! In laws here so missed it!!

Do hope they don't give her the "heart attack while jogging in a faraway forest" farewell.

Ruth, David, Jill and Pip go out for a meal. All pay fulsome tributes to Pip who is possibly the best farmer and all-round human being the world has ever seen and always has been.

Adam and Charlie chat. Charlie is very down. Harrison and Kenton chat. Kenton is very up.

At the end Ruth tells David she needs to get her head clear and it's obvious they can manage without her, so she's taking herself off to New Zealand.

Tumty tumty tumty tum.....

Wtf? Why New Zealand?