Helen is drowning in the Cow Pat of Destiny. Please SWs - when will it be curtains for Rob?

[PseudoBadger]

Come on Kirsty!

Fluffi - I think that you may have missed some of the nuances of the Pat-Helen-Rob relationship.
Helen worked so hard to convince and persuade Pat that Rob was the greatest man alive, and Pat walks on eggshells with Helen. In the light of this Helen would never lose face and admit freely that she made a complete mistake in her judgement. So why would Pat be thinking anything different? It's still 'sweety darling' in their relationship as far as Pat is concerned as that's all Helen has ever allowed her to see.

Spot on, Pseudo.

It's fair to say pseudo that I don't listen every night these days as half of it drives me up the wall (especially the 'issues' based stuff when they try to educate you about farming, gambling addiction, anorexia etc). Also I have increasing difficulty telling the younger male characters apart.

I'm really hoping that Knob's manipulation of Henwee will come back and bite him on the arse. Having firmly persuaded him that secrets and lying are a no no maybe he will be the one to reveal the true situation at home to Patbot - or possibly Kirsty who would probably interrogate him if ever she were asked to babysit (although knowing Knob he'll try to wriggle out of it and will accuse Henwee of making it up saying surely no one would take the word of a small child).
fluffiphlox - it's easy to say it's melodramatic and think that could never happen, but remember the listeners hear everything (I nearly wrote see everything). If you think about it, Knob is being his nastiest when he has no witnesses - with Henwee yesterday for instance, or secretly changing the orders, blocking the culvert etc etc if anyone does catch a glimpse he gets rid of them (Stefan quite literally). In public he manages to keep up the impression of being a loving and concerned husband (which is how he dresses up all his abuse - and no doubt how he thinks of it anyway in his twisted mind).

Totally agree with fluffi about distinguishing the characters - surely that's the whole reason for having a casting director. I think we've said this a few times. But I think the Knob character has been very well written. In the early days of his abuse I remember thinking "is he that bad?" as he went out of his way to be nice to various people. Sadly fluffi there are many men like Knob - the play "Gaslight" was written as a showcase for the behaviour.

I think I'm going to see the show that Tony is in soon. I might heckle things like "Go back to Ambridge, Helen needs you" at an appropriate moment

Yes Argy I know that there are Rob like characters around - many years ago my mother's friend lived with us (me, mum, dad) for some months after her husband beat her, among other things. She rebuilt her life and remarried very happily. In fact she's in her eighties now. I'm not unaware that domestic violence exists but I sort of see Rob in my mind's eye twiddling his moustaches and cackling in a sinister fashion when nobody is looking.

But Patbot didn't want to accept Knob, Hellin aid she would keep Henwee away. Patbot had no choice but to be civil to Knob, that's why it is wrong that Patbot would be in his thrall. As for Knob we have discussed it many times on here - that he has been vile to so many people, so it makes no sense that no-one discusses him.

DH is becoming over-infested too so he's just listened and I heard the end again.
She did make some peculiar strangled sounds so some sort of seizure is on the cards and that his tetchiness turned to alarm as she fell to the floor.

Best outcome now is that she's admitted to hospital.

Yes I'm sure that he'd have been sabotaged by now - either physically eg ambushed in the dark or morally/professionally by the likes of Ian. (I am now also falling into the trap of thinking these are real people)

'Hope' not 'outcome'.

I want the outcome to be retribution. He should suffer.

Sadly it may be more realistic that nobody calls him on his behaviour. We all know prize twats surely? You just say to yourself/your friend/husband "God what a twat, how on earth does his wife put up with him?" and nothing else gets said. And most people have the attitude that unless someone explicitly asks you for help then it's none of your business.

Well in the case I mentioned up thread about my Ma's friend there was some retribution. The husband in question was a complete coward. Can't say much more if you understand me. I am aware there are some real charmers around. Often literally charming but frequently it's a superficial charm.
I think a discussion about real nutters like this is not the same as talking about a fictional character - surely anything goes if you're talking about a radio serial?

Yes exactly Pseudo.

Tom and Tony aren't exactly mates with Knob, it's much more of a "we're just being civil because he's family" type of relationship.

I suspect Patbot doesn't really like and agree him as much as she makes out but is playing the act because she believes H thinks he's Mr Perfect and she is just trying to protect her relationship with her daughter and grandson. Doubts are creeping in but Knob seems so caring and protective from the outside, she doesn't dare rock the boat.

Kirsty is the only one who can point the finger at Knob because she doesn't need to tread on eggshells around him. Her only fear is pushing H away but she is being careful and quietly putting all the pieces together.

Rob has been too devilishly clever where Pat is concerned. First he seemed to "understand" her difficult daughter, then he bashfully revealed that he was entirely wedded to the organic ethos - had been all his life, only took the Berrow job to put food on the table etc. How Pat crumbled when she heard that ... And how wonderful that he pulled Tom up on the non organic stock. He's a treasure.

Totally believable that Pat would be enthralled by him- remember the speech he gave about Helen at the shop opening?

Rob is unfortunately too realistic, because there are men all over the world today, doing what he is doing to Helen, to their living and breathing spouses and children.

CuttedUpPear You can listen surely on the internet? iPlayer doesn't work for TV programmes unless you find a workaround but it works for all the radio programmes. I even get it on my phone (the BBC podcast app) when I'm somewhere else in Europe.

I have a horrible feeling Rob will take Helen home to look after her. She'll be stubborn and refuse hospital so people will let him.

echt I do, I "also read stuff on AIBU or _Chat and gag to post: is your husband Rob Titchener?" definitely!
It's hard to listen to and has really upset me. But I think it must be realistic, re. the way it happens, if perhaps a bit speeded up - for dramatic effect.

We really need Radio Susan on the case. Where everyone else seems to keep the dirt about Knob to themselves, if she saw him doing something despicable she would certainly broadcast it far and wide, probably starting with Pat and, with any luck, Kirsty. And just maybe some of the people she gossips to would begin to join the dots and the whole Knob edifice might start falling apart. Pleeeeeeease, SWs?

Well scary you may well be right but I haven't heard every single episode so perhaps not as clued in as some.

Excellent aeticle in Guardian (a paper after my own typos) on the difficulties of partying with the Archers cast www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/06/tim-dowling-wife-radio-times-party-archers-nadiya?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

My wife introduces me to Helen, and Rob, who is really called Tim. Tim introduces me to David, who is also called Tim.

“That’s weird,” I say to Rob-called-Tim, “I’m called Tim, and my real first name is Robert.”

He looks at me for a moment, as if trying to gauge the precise extent to which I understand that Rob isn’t a person.

I caught up this morning. He sounded like "Knob you're hurtin..." I don't thing it's a faint though I think he caused her to fall. Gripping her by the wrist is unlike to induce a faint. Agreed Joleen will have noticed.

But with Henry was desperate. Pig.

I can almost get Pat becoming enthralled by Rob or at least happy that someone else is looking after Helen.

However, I can't believe that Shula, Kenton, Jennifer and David who have all seen the horrid side of Rob could all be quite so ready to now believe him to be the most lovely person.

I'm not sure why they started the culvert/saboteur storylines if they just don't really finish them. In a village those people would have gossiped with each other and Tom would surely be bitching about his bil trying to muscle in on the family business.

Also in any normal family - Pat would have had a quiet word about how Helen and Rob were managing for money since he left his job.