Tis the season to be jolly, Fallon, Alan, Helen, Lillian; Deck the Hall with boughs of Holly, Lily, Will and Jill, Tilly Button. Celebrate Christmas with The Archers!

[PseudoBadger]

Thanks to SmallLegsOrSmallEggs for this thread title way back in November!

can someone fill me in on the bank thing?
pesky poorly people interrupting me!

I don't know if I'd be terribly impressed if my husband bought me my Christmas present out the joint account!

What's all this about? Where is he thinking money will come from? I don't get it. I know he's totally deluded but surely he must realise that £10k just melts away. It's not even that much as a deposit for a house.

Would he have to have paid to go hunting anyway?

What's Shula thinking?

Spit it out, Deevid!

Are we thinking that Rob sabotaged Shula's horse's bridle?!

He spent over 2 grand on Christmas. But for Peggy's money they would now be £2500 overdrawn. She has the temerity to ask how they're going to save for the house they plan to buy?
She's so ungrateful that he spent all that money making a perfect Christmas for their family in their own home and won't eat the food he so lovingly prepares that he gets really frightening and snatches the food away to throw out.
What's more, she's failed to contact Ian.
She's sorry, sorry, sorry. So very sorry.

She was meant to find that statement, I think, so he could stage that scene.

Any horsey types out there notice that Shula referred to "the cheek piece on my harness" when retelling the story to Pat and Helen? I have done a fair bit of riding and never heard a bridle called a "harness". Is it a specific name for a hunting bridle or a mistake?
I can't decide if we are meant to think he sabotaged it, or whether that part of the story is going anywhere further. He is SO evil though.

Are Tom's missing pigs in Eddie's new sty?

So are we supposed to think that Eddie has snaffled two of Tom's pigs? I can't believe it of him. I hope the pigs are microchipped/tagged so he's able to prove he's innocent when the finger of obviousness points at him.

Hah! Just had another listen to the first couple of minutes.

So the bank statement came in the post. Helen deliberately didn't hurry Rob - partly because she's taken to lurking by the front door so she actually sees their mail and wanted time to look at it. And partly because she resents the stupidly expensive hunting and hoped he'd be late.

He immediately got back at her for mentioning the statement by sneering at her laundry skills.

They're so sweet together.

Welcome back doceodocere (almost sure I recognise you ...) and welcome Eve - when I saw Rob's name in tonight's episode I was tempted to skip listening and find out here first ...

I'm hoping Helen can find Ian, he will have it out with her properly this time - so she knows exactly what happened and what Knob's intentions were - then she can breakdown and tell him what's been happening. Why doesn't she just try Adam?

Also Shula's response to the jittery horse and subsequent need to be "rescued" after what sounded like a pretty minor incident before the hunt even set off was not at all realistic for the local very experienced riding instructor.

Thanks Jessie. I'm a non listener for the duration of the Hellnob unpleasantness.

Olly Findo Gask is a great name.

Plan B BYOS

What pig action have I missed? Could catch up tomorrow afternoon, but your take on it is far more fun. I was listening, but DH took a phone call loudly.

The harness rather than bridle sounds like shit research doesn't it?

Yes I wondered what a horse kitted out for riding was doing wearing a harness. Even when a horse is in full harness, the bridle is still called the bridle and a cheekpiece would just be a part of that.

DUH SWs.
DUH and DUH again. For all your fecking pointless SLs and non sequiteurs of plots.

SOC is Sean O'Connor - Archers editor.

Please, please can we have Plan B in the next title?

Was just popping on to voice my annoyance at tonights episode with the hunting "incident" but I see you've already covered it!

Shula, a life long horsewoman, needing rescuing by Knob just because her horse was a bit green! And...harness??? Just such rubbish scripting!

Knob will soon be ensuring Helen no longer has access to the bank account now she has started asking questions "Just let me look after all that darling, stress is no good for our son now is it?".

She still genuinely believes he is going to get a job doesn't she.

coldtea ahem, I think you'll find its my son, not our son!

Rob: "I want to treat you like a queen".

I was dying for Helen to reply "well you'd better find the income of a king then!"

Yes, you're quite right......sorweeee

I want to treat you like a queen - and use your own money to do it.

abraid I was wondering if Rob did a bit of horse sabotage - but I know nothing about horses so I'm not sure if that's even feasible.

I want to treat you like a queen - and use your own money to do it

My thoughts exactly. At least they are talking about money. I've been wondering what was going on money wise with Helen and Rob.

Surely a harness is what you put on a horse when you're hitching it up to pull a cart or carriage?

Anyway, whatever the terminology, I reckon that was staged by Rob, because he knew that hunting might trigger Shula's memories of the hunt sab, so he had to be seen as the hero. Nonetheless, with 9 million years of horsehandling or whatever she's got, i.e. a lot more than Rob, it wasn't credible, as has been pointed out.

And Helen's still trying for Ian, because she hopes Ian will realise it wasn't her fault at all, it's all Rob, and Ian will save her.

I'm a Phoebe fan, too, and as much as I'd like Jenny to be brought down a peg or two by Phoebe getting a rejection from Oxford, I don't want it enough to sacrifice Phoebe's future.

Did Debbie ever actually graduate, or did she get drop out because of shagging Simon whatsisface?