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?

I really think the end is in sight.

Hellin is looking for help and realising she has to use subterfuge to get it.

People are really sitting up and looking properly at hellins situation.

Knob is getting careless with how he talks to h in public, he is so confident he has her under his thumb.

So many people who have pieces of the puzzle look like they may connect them.

The end was sickening I agree. Rob is reasserting his control over Hellin by having sex with her when she says no. Showing her he is the master.

Surely Henry won't go with them tomorrow though as he will be in school. Although it could be a catalyst when he blabs if he does go.

I don't think this will be dragged out until the glorious arrival of SOK. Too many pieces of the jigsaw are coming together now in time for Rob to cast out in disgrace and return to scoop SOK from Helen's arms in a few weeks like a pantomime villain.

Jane Garvey has confirmed by Tweet that Helen will be appearing on Women's Hour on 29 March after mentioning it this morning.

Helen and SOC, I think.

Well if they take Henry with them to claim he is mature that will be disproved as soon as Henry opens his mouth!

Daddaddad - Helen went a bit father dougal in the middle of that chat!!

You're right gasp. I didn't pick up this morning if it was SOC or KD.

I do wish Patbot hadn't told Rob that Helen had thrown a wobbly the other day. More ammunition.

I'm still sticking with Harrison.

Fallon will almost certainly go home and tell him what went on. He thinks there is something dodgy about the whole hunt saboteur thing and he must have had some sort of DV training by now.

I think he just said tour, not coach tour, but yes, they could be off to the school.

Oh. I hadn't thought of that. I was just thinking, that's the sort of thing we always did with visitors, a tour of the county.

Erm, still do, actually...

But thinking about it, they wouldn't do something they see as non-essential without making sure Helen will be suitably occupied, whereas the school is important enough to risk leaving her unsupervised. (From their stand point.) Though you never know that Rob might not be setting her up to get caught out if she tries to escape and see someone else.

I agree, a trip to the school orphanage is a good bet. Don't think they would take Henry though, surely too much hassle making excuses to the school for absence and plus you can't trust a 5 year old not to blab! Saying that when does he ever speak to Helen these days anyway!

Yep, I think an Easter weekend showdown is looking more and more likely. They keep mentioning Helen being left behind when they go to the pagaent, it would be great if she takes this as her opportunity to get help but I suspect SOC has planned something more dramatic than that.

I do wish they'd tie up the annoying loose end of the famous chicken order. They raised all our hopes when Tom said he was going to check with the supplier, but we've heard nothing further. It would be a nice neat way of raising Tom's awareness that Rob is a lying bastard.

Father Dougal, BYOS? I guess reading it back it could sound like "ah, no, the ting is..." I was aiming more for more "aargh! No!"

I'm waiting for Helen to be in full labour, baby crowning, and Tom to burst in shouting

'AND YOU CANCELLED THE ORGANIC CHICKEN!'

I do think Helen's eyes are starting to open, but the second she tries to leave Rob will play his trump card - having PR of Henwee. I don't think he's seriously trying to get her sectioned, just to discredit her, so that if she tries to leave he will take Henry away and nobody will stop him, because look how crazy you are darling. Hardly fit to look after yourself, let alone a child

So she will stay, and probably sign Henry up to boarding school thinking that at least she will still see him in the holidays if she toes the line. But with a bit of luck Kirsty and Carol will convince her that she's not going to lose Henry and she will escape with him.

I'm worried that this is going to lead to Helen killing Rob. Not that I care about Rob but I'd like to see a resolution to this story that shows that women can get out of DV relationships without resorting to murder/manslaughter.

The Twitter msg said Helen actress will be on WH with "the editor". Hope that means the new editor. If not I'm annoyed that SOK will be accompanying the actress - it just mirrors Rob shadowing Helen everywhere.

Clearly it's fine for Rob to whip Henry out of school for a day out, but was utterly beyond the pale for Helen to do the same for the train trip.

I don't think rob really wants henry for himself, more that he sees henry as:

Evidence that Helen has a history of making life decisions without involving men, therefore a massive threat.

The one thing Helen loves the most in the world, and therefore if he controls henry he controls Helen.

As a minor plus, being seen to be a good daddy makes him look good to Helen's family and the community.
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Yes, It's definitely getting rid of Henry, someone else's child, through appearing to be his best parent ...

Rob uttering the words "her tour of Borsetshire" was the aural equivalent of the baddies in ScoobyDoo doing that sideways glance. What terrible, terrible school would agree to meet them for this purpose?

Here's a brief review from The Independent.

It will be Sean O'Connor. The new Editor hasn't been announced yet. I have no issue with SOC being on Woman's Hour. He's in overall charge of this storyline and knows how it's going to go. Vanessa Whitburn went on WH several times in similar circumstances. I'm actually cautiously cheered by how many men are publicly saying how utterly unacceptable this sort of behaviour is. It needs a concerted effort from the whole community if we're going to move to a position where any form of domestic abuse is as shocking as child abuse. A generation ago a lot of people would have stood back and ignored blatant evidence of child abuse, or refused to believe children who tried to get help. I hope that's much, much less likely to happen now. It needs a mindshift like that if there's going to be a real attempt to tackle abuse between partners.

This sl will only work if it is ended with rob being prosecuted. I really hope rob doesn't get an iron in the face on Easter Sunday

I suppose in Rob and Arsula's eyes, it doesn't matter if Henry has a day out of school when he's going to a much 'better' school. I can just hear Rob using that horrible laugh as he talks about how surely Helen doesn't want him to stay in that awful common little school with common little children when his mother is being so, so generous with her offer to pay for a much better school.

If she does kill him.I will be doing no end of complaining to the beeb.

The only other time I have complained has been about EE

My Mum said last night that when Richard Locke came back, at the paternity test thing, he said to Knob "I know you from somewhere" and was most emphatic despite Knobs protestations.

My prediction is that something is going to precipitate Hellin needing to see Richard and that penny finally dropping of Where It is I know Knob From hopefully DNA Clinics I Have Run

No he said that at a party after the paternity test and the sw admitted it was an error because a dr would never say such a thing due to patient confidentiality

I thought they only realised it was a mistake, because the actors told the sw's they had actually met, and the new bit was just badly written.
At this rate Pseudo will be needing ideas for a new thread title by the weekend.
Much as I hate Knob I do not want him to die. Its lazy, and unrealistic. and been done elsewhere

Definitely do not want Knob dead. I want him bundled into a police car preferably in front of the whole village!