He's behind you! Rob's not the messiah - he's a very naughty boy! Watch The Archers pantomime here.

[PseudoBadger]

Oh no he isn't! Oh yes he is!

ha DDD naturally occurring custard - love it!

I thought Deevid would have a lightbulb moment re Grundies/Rickyard when he was talking to Eddie but sadly he is as much of a dullard as ever.

What happened to Elona's daughter? Wasn't she still working at Mike's bottling plant (that isn't Mike's any more)?

Rosa - couldn't remember the name for a minute.

What infuriates me is the way that the Grundys are comical working class knock-about characters. They work hard, live by the rules (mainly!), have inherited neither businesses nor land, do their best by each other yet are treated like figures of fun by the middle-class, entitled, land owning farming families who have had everything handed to them on a plate. Jill's almost total disinterest in their plight (homeless at Christmas) even though she was recently devastated at having to move from one of her children's huge farm houses to another's stately home, illustrates this very well.

This times one million! Great de-lurk .

I know, I should catch up on TFT and then post, not do loads of separate posts.. sorry

naturally occurring custard - love it!

Me too, but apparently you need to try it still warm from the bore hole to really appreciate it.

De-lurking to suggest that in fairness to Pat, it's terribly hard when you are so deeply involved in the relationship dynamic to perceive the nuances. It has taken how long of observing Rob and Helen (just how long has he been around?) to realise that this has enabled me to articulate the discomfort that I feel about a relationship within our family. I know for a fact that others closer to the couple will not see it unless something catastrophic happened (perish the thought) and would understand only in retrospect. I think when one has been so bought into the idea of what will make a child happy (husband, family, stability, "normality") then it takes a lot to see beyond the image and there is a desperation to make it all okay almost at any cost.

Frosty Don't beat yourself up! It's all in fun. Keep posting.

hanahsaunt I had similar unease about a boy my DD was seeing. A situation rather like Phoebe's. Fortunately she saw it herself, ended the relationship and went off to the university of her choice.
Helen has done her share of browbeating so that Pat was scared into accepting Rob. I feel though, that she has gone far beyond that now and seems to be leading his fan club. There was a moment at a cricket match where it sounded as though Helen was going to confide in Pat but Pat raved about how wonderful Rob is and the moment passed.

DDD I bet - imagine being there the day they struck custard! The gusher was probably hundreds of feet in the air!

Whilst I too love the Grundy family, didn't they actually lose their family farm through debt?

My god that man is relentless ...

BOOP point for Lynda and Susan - Lynda not having time to finish Mungo's fabric advent calender because of Calender Girls, and Susan saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure someone will have bought him a proper one!" I laughed.

So, we have just seen (or rather heard) the future.

The next Master of Brookfield has arrived.

I know some of you disagree but yeuch! The weirdness continues with David presumably finding his daughter's underpinnings strewn about the cottage.

Surely David would have grilled Matthew on his background when they hired him the first time?

Humphrey Yes I believe so. Wasn't it several relatively small debts rather than one huge one? I'm sure my childhood was very slightly clouded with worry over Ambridge tenant farmers having to find their rent ...

I wondered if Rob was planning some sort of move on Elizabeth, and I did like the way his nose was so obviously out of joint when Elizabeth did the equivalent of sending him to the tradesman's entrance.

Altogether a rather more subtle episode than some we've had recently.

I'm afraid Rob is beginning to look rather like one or two people I've known in RL - Olympic levels of dedication to the cause of sliming up to the vulnerable, rich and influential. He's like something wild and cunning, sniffing out opportunities to use people, preferably by making himself indispensable to them.

I would join in with the "where is Tom" cry but I don't think he's clever enough to fathom the pattern in Rob's behaviour.

I too thought he was sniffing round Elizabeth. I was always faintly surprised he didn't head towards her rather than Helen when he first arrived in the village.
He really didn't like being sent to the tradesman's entrance, did he?

I thought that was Tom being shown into Rickyard. Sounded like Tom!

But Tom appears not to like Rob, which is at least a start.

Tom's total and utter absence from the opening of Bridge Farm was peculiar, to say the least. Maybe the actor has another job on at the moment.

Elizabeth would make mincemeat out if him

I got the feeling that Knob was about to ask Lizzie for a job but then he changed his mind and tried to show off his wine n cheese skillz instead.

Loved the comments between Lynda and Susan.

And yes to the arrival of the new King of Brookfield. Shame he has an identikit voice though.

I wish someone would make mincemeat out of him. Anyone? It is Christmas.

I'm not so sure DSClarke ...

So much fortune in the hands of a silly little woman. The humiliation she dealt him will just sharpen his determination. Rob has probably effectively "finished" with Helen now; she's impregnated and he has the family business in his grasp. Time to move on. And Elizabeth, not to put too fine a point on it, wants a (noticeably powerful and charming) man. She lacks scruples and likes to get what she wants. She looks quite a likely victim ...

I thought Matt's voice was half Tom/half Johnny. Very subtle accent, I'm wondering if he's from Nottingham, and when Ruth finds out he is from the county that killed her mother she'll be even more constantly fuming than she already is.

Big boop for Liz's subtle put-down of Rob.

DS Clarke your name - are you a Rebus fan?

What infuriates me is the way that the Grundys are comical working class knock-about characters. They work hard, live by the rules (mainly!), have inherited neither businesses nor land, do their best by each other yet are treated like figures of fun by the middle-class, entitled, land owning farming families who have had everything handed to them on a plate. Jill's almost total disinterest in their plight (homeless at Christmas) even though she was recently devastated at having to move from one of her children's huge farm houses to another's stately home, illustrates this very well.

Well said. There's always been that element to TA, although I think it was more obvious even 20 years ago - lots of deference and the landed classes being addressed as Mr, Mrs etc - never by their first names.

I liked Darryl.

Ner ner ner ner ner

It was Pip who appointed Matthew the first time - David has never met him before. Loved Elizabeth putting Knob in his place - and was her instruction to see Eileen a ref to Mrs Pugsley (or is it Titcome now?) A rare (not quite) appearance.