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!

And of all the menus guaranteed to upset a person with food issues of any sort........
Or who even just had any pregnancy queasiness. Or who was trying to eat healthily......

What happened to Alex?
And Spencer for that matter? Wouldn't Pip be talking to them to apart from these Fairbrethren and Matthew?
And yes the whole horsey thing was Veh annoying.

I'm almost glad I don't know about horses, or there would have been another thing to be annoyed by last night!

Sorry sorry sorry.

Spencer got the elbow some time ago. I suspect Alex will pop up again shortly if Phoebe gets the Oxford offer.

I'm just wondering - didn't she try for Cambridge? Or weren't they interested?

don't hunting horses sometimes have 2 bits?
maybe the thingy for one of the bits was broken and therefore the bit wasn't enough to reign in the horse?

You try for one or the other. And only Oxford offers PPE

Ah I thought Jonny was flirting with the buttons on NYE or the young farmers' ball or something. Must have been someone else!

^^ not a very relevant comment. Just finding something to post to mark place as I've been following on my phone over the xmas hols and keep having to look for the thread now I'm back on a computer as it wasn't on my TIO.

Har DDD

Great episode! I actually think Helen is working out how to handle him and this will be good in the long run.

"Great episode! I actually think Helen is working out how to handle him and this will be good in the long run."

What, by grovellingly apologizing for every action?

I think this is the start of it getting worse, she's not going to question anything he does now as that will lead to some great over reaction from him.

I'm still baffled - what are Hel/Rob living on ? He's not been employed since August. He did slip up letting Hellin see a bank statement. I'm sure he will make sure thatdoesn't happen again.

I must be really stupid as I don't understand why he is pushing her back to not eating, surely he would want her to be healthy until she has SOK. Surely she must be due to see a MW unless I missed it

I was pondering whether or not they do any type of research into listener figures.

I rarely listen anymore and was a dedicated listener for over 20 years - I know the Helen and Rob story has drawn in lots of new people but wonder how many older listeners have switched off.

I will listen again I'm sure once the Helen/Rob/personality transplants are resolved.

I hate the way Rob says "Good girl" to Helen. If my DH tried it I'd probably smack him.

Couldn't agree more, Gruntled. I suspect I'd do worse… I was shrieking at the radio last night; not sure my blood pressure can take much more of this story line….

It does reflect how he sees her. In a similar position relative to him of a dog or a child.

That is often a question 'does an abusive man actually love his partner?' Yes or at least they think they do. But they don't really understand how to love. Mistaking control for concern. They love them in the way they love their dog or one of their possessions.

I totally don't see how she is getting to grips with him in anyway. The only thing she has a grip of just now is her calorie intake.

Glad I wasn't the only one shouting at the radio when harness was mentioned. If a cheek piece had broken the bit could have easily fallen out of the horse's mouth, and I'm quite sure Shula would have noticed and not just thought the horse was a bit green. It's the sort of situation where you'd get off immediately, not faff around waiting to be saved. All totally, annoyingly unrealistic.

Delurking to green how annoying the horse incident was. No experienced rider would shout at a green horse - you'd dismount if that worried, and why didn't she notice when she tacked up that the BRIDLE was broken. (Goes back to muttering at the radio).

Agree!

Let's face it. Shula can't control the Palm Sunday donkey!

If he's Master how can he just give up a day's hunting? Doesn't he HAVE to be there, if only to brown-nose the great and good?

He left her with the bank statement deliberately then cooked the fabulous meal because he saw it as an opportunity to make her cower even more.

am still that the nation (well, a bit of it) is listening to a woman being abused purely for entertainment

there isn't even an 'ifyou'vebeenaffectedbyanyissuesraised' bibble at the end*

it's for fun

ksake!

*correct me if I'm wrong, I keep switching off in a huff

Agree with everyone saying how annoying (and just WRONG) the horse incident was. Even if it did happen, Shula would just have done a running repair with baler twine (an essential in every horsey pocket) and carried on. There's a great picture on FB at the moment of the end of a hunt and showing one guy with a baler twine rein.

Most hunts these days are run by a Committee, there are very few where the Master can afford to run the hunt himself (I don't know any, but then I don't know the elite hunts). The Committee do the fundraising and organising, including appointing a Master or Joint Masters. There is no way that Rob would have casually picked up the Mastership when Oliver went on holiday, it's just not credible.

I switched on in the middle of Shula being rescued, and I assumed that she had been out driving and that Rob had come upon a runaway horse and cart! And you're all saying she was riding! And she said her HARNESS was broken?? Rubbish scriptwriters!

It also doesn't sound very realistic that Oliver has just abandoned his MFH duties and Rob has just picked them up. It takes up a lot of time and he should be running a few horses, surely??

Mum and I have decided we can't listen anymore for a while. Last night's was too awful!

I agree with you muddha . Although all sorts of evil plots are put out as entertainment.
Perhaps Rob has trained as a hynotist, such is his power over others, they go all Google eyed and forget his previous form, or maybe he uses 'the force'.

It's obvious isn't it - women are ultimately stupid and their brains turn even mushier when a good looking man speaks to them. Look at pat, even her feminist ideals can't withstand the power of a man.

Like I've said before,soc hates women and doesn't understand them. The fact the female sw let this nonsense get through is the worst part!!

I guess he thinks it's all been a success because of all the media mentions it's getting at the moment.