Discuss The Archers here. There's hut construction, new teen arrivals, pastured eggs, pining Pip and other fun Spring-like stories to choose from.

[PseudoBadger]

Maybe if we don't look directly at the other storyline it will disappear?

Sourdough - I probably meant pulled apart by horses racing off in opposite directions.

But any suitable torture would be fine.

Finding these threads very helpful, while listening with my fingers in my ears....thanks everyone.

My heart lifted though, when i was reminded by the PP of Rob's role in talking Tom out of getting married to Kirsty. This makes it perfect for Kirsty and Tom to join forces, expose Rob and free Hel and Henwee

I can breathe again.

Gypsy Tom thinks he's a prize twat too.

Good call ppeat I'd forgotten about him!

I would imagine Adam and Ian don't think much of him either!

Speaking of...wonder when Ian is going to reappear...

Managed not to listen this lunchtime thank you, threaders.

Gruach I think being pulled apart by horses would be a fitting way to go!

He's been really winding Tom up lately about the black pudding scotch eggs etc - I can't believe he isn't more keen to keep him on side.

I loved Edfie and Joe asking Linda how much she weighed, good old nice easy listening Archers - I still feel tense throughout even those bits now though. It's somehow more stressful than watching similar stories on eastenders or similar - maybe because just listening in makes it more real? Or the shortness of the episodes means the bad incidents are more sort of intensely nasty? I can't stop listening though.

I don't agree that Rob should be the subject of gossip in the village. The incidents, as far as anyone who has witnessed them are concerned, have been one-offs. Everyone has a bad day so they may assume this is what they've seen. Shula has real evidence but revealing it would require her to admit she lied to the police. Against this they've seen a man who Helen has told them she loves, has joined in with community events, been seen caring for Henry.

Also, I think it's true to life that people just don't think about other people that much unless a problem is in their face. When Susan asked Jenny if she'd seen Helen much it seemed obvious that it hadn't even occurred to Jenny that she hadn't.

Kirsty and Tom both think he is a twat but it's always amazed me in real life that 'twatdar' for these types of men seems pretty rare. Voicing your concerns often just ends up with other people thinking you are judgemental and nasty (voice of experience!).

I can't believe People haven't gossiped tbh -especially about a newcomer to the village

And where was the gossip about him/Jess/Helen?

my mum came from a small village and the thing she hated was that everyone knew your business and talked about t at great length - just not to the people concerned!

As Knob's wife, is Helen the only one who can use Clare's Law to find out about his past or can concerned bystanders ask?

Google is my friend. It can be any concerned person. Go, Kirsty!

Rob reminds me of someone I met 40 years ago. I was doing my psychiatric nursing module and the consultant psychiatrist introduced me to a young male patient. He stayed close beside me while we all had a chat. This young man was charming, pleasant and good looking. My 19 year old self thought he was lovely.

When the senior nurses came to take him back to the ward, the consultant asked me what I thought. Then he showed me a few details from the records, and explained that the young man was a particularly dangerous psychopath. I have never, ever forgotten that day.

I have a friend a bit like Rob.

Everyone this he's great, pillar of community etc.

I think he's a twat but I would never dream of saying that to anyone else. Except DH.

A realistic conversation would be between Fallon & Harrison or Emma & Ed but they haven't been drawn in enough yet.

And you can bet when it all unravels there will be a queue of people saying they never liked him.

A realistic conversation would be between Fallon & Harrison or Emma & Ed but they haven't been drawn in enough yet.

But they must see him in the shop and pick up his sneeriness about the tea rooms?

Ed has already implied he's not a rob fan

Someone very close to me grew up in a family where the father was a popular, sociable man. However, behind closed doors he was utterly vile to his wife and (I think) to his children. Eventually his wife left him, taking the children with her, and given that this was in a time when divorce and marital breakdown were very shameful, this tells me that things must have been absolutely intolerable. The 'child' I know has never, ever talked about his father, except to his wife, early on in their marriage.

His sister did once talk to me about it, and so did her mother (the ex-wife) but only very briefly. It was clearly still extremely painful decades later. I believe he was an alcoholic. In present day terminology, he was emotionally abusive and also (I think) occasionally physically abusive. From what I know about his family he must have been a piece of scum to treat them as he did. They are lovely people.

Two pertinenta addenda:

1. His daughter married a man who drank very heavily and was also not very pleasant to his family. That pattern is hard to break. The ex-wife's father was also a heavy drinker.

1. His grandson once met someone who knew his grandfather in later life and I vividly remember him telling me that this casual acquaintance said the gf was good company, just liked a drink etc etc. The grandson told me that he thought in the light of this conversation that his gf was probably just misunderstood and his gm's and mother's view of the gf's behaviour was an overreaction. I was gobsmacked. I understand that his marriage has recently broken down. I don't know the circumstances but I've been thinking about that conversation and the way his father behaved when he was growing up and wondering if perhaps the apple didn't fall far from the tree (again).

Ed saw Rob disposing of the rubbish out of the ditches after the flood.
Ian and Adam talked after the dinner party with steaks and vowed they would keep an eye on the Hel/Rob relationship. So much for that!

Thinking about my interactions with hcps though:

• I was never asked about abuse by any mw or hv at any appt despite the fact I went to most on my own.
• not asked in the hospital despite being in floods of tears because he had been standing there screaming at me in the hospital.
• never asked by psychiatrist except about my childhood (not abusive)
• not ask by CB therapist (only had 1 appt tbf)
• counsellor at PND unit did say "why don't you just leave him?" But never said "you do know that is abuse don't you?" (I didn't. I also did not have pnd just an arsehole for a nsdp)

But otoh I did find that once I had 'woken up' I was immediately believed by GP, next psychiatrist, and all I had to say to counselling service was "he wasn't very nice" and they knew what I meant.

Friends were 50/50 half of them knew but didn't say other half were surprised.

Tbf I have a diagnosed MH condition so psychiatrists are not looking for an unknown cause. Most of my interaction with psych was before horrid ex and v infrequent during that period.

So...they don't always pick up on it especially if you are unaware but I fully expect if I had been subjected to intense therapy or inpatient care they would have noticed.

But I think Rob has previous.
He said "saying the most abusive things"
It's not language most people use unless they have experience or are on MN

Jess cannot be his only previous partner surely?

I seem to recall that Jess and he had been together since they were in their teens. Does anyone else remember this?

Yay. Carol is twitching, Kirsty is earwigging, Pat is worrying and Jill is gossiping with Ruth. They must have been reading all our comments above.

Less than 2 minutes to go - I think we can sound the klaxon! To be frank, I have little idea what has happened in the last 10 minutes, but it is all perfectly safe. No one from BHC at all.

Oh poor Pip, my heart bleeds hardly romance of the century now was it!