Will it be porridge or curtains for Knob? Await a sensible and sensitive ending to That Storyline on The Archers thread.

[PseudoBadger]

Threads are moving so fast! Will this thread be here to welcome SOK?

I can't get round Toby being the feckless one and Rex being the goody-goody. Entirely the wrong way round, nominative deterministically speaking......

So, to be clear, there was an episode a while back where Bert showed the FBs the henhouse and was exasperated when they said they wanted some automatic opening device. At which point, Josh stepped in and said to leave it with him. I don't think we've heard anything since, have we?

So, are they now picking up this loose end and will it turn out that Josh's solution caused the fire?

I know Rob's an evil bastard, but it seems an unlikely turn (and an odd direction for the SW to take with the abuse story) for him to be behind the fire.

Aah BYOS I understand now.

So it was Josh who did the electrics - that kind of explains it. I wouldn't mind that, then, because Josh is a bit full of himself, quite frankly. But it's also Toby's fault for being a lazy arse and not wanting to get up to open the doors by end.

I LOVE your "because he's a northerner" theory BYOS. And I wouldn't put it past Rob to try to blame Johnny.

It would be great if the fire had some input into the unravelling of Rob because that would be some clever plotting and integrating of storylines.

Do we think PC Plot is going to do some sleuthing and break the habit of a lifetime by actually, you know, solving a crime?

Bertrand - I think we decided the way to use the names to tell them apart was:

Toby = twat

Rex = rugby

We did have the door opening device being demonstrated (by Josh to Pip?) a little while ago. It must have been the electrics.

Yes BYOS I loved the scathing tones that were used by Bert when Toby said he didn't want to be up early to open the henhouse by hand.

Ah. But that doesn't really help me because I thought it was Toby=rugby as well...........

That's not good farming either , because the 'stock', fencing etc. have to be checked first and last thing. Toby's feckless.

And here's another Hel/Rob blog post.

Dont know of the blogger but apparently respected and respectable. MH expert.

Thanks Gruach, interesting reading.

So, how many crimes has Harrison not noticed or failed to solve so far?

Rob blocking the culvert and causing the flood.

Stolen bunting.

Rob fiddling the books at Berrow Farm.

Alf stealing money from Clarrie's purse?

Rob's domestic abuse of Helen.

Any others?

Oh and Ed's stolen cows.

And, and, the burglaries at both Lillian and Caroline and Oliver's properties.

What is Harrison doing to justify his salary. When you list everything it actually looks like Ambridge is experiencing a crime wave completely unnoticed by its solitary policeman.

now picturing Ambridge like that town in Hot Fuzz.

I should point out that I have nothing against northerners (half my family Are scousers).

Arson would be a little odd wouldn't it? Must be an accident.

Agree about Harrison - what does he do all day?

Are we sure Harrison is a real policeman and not an elaborate con?

Though I think it's a bit much to expect Harrison to pick up on book-fiddling, money from a purse, or domestic abuse not noticed by family of someone he doesn't see!

Maybe he's related to PC Plum from Ballamory, though.

I use Terrible Toby and Reliable Rex. Still can't tell them apart though!

Loose ends I want tidied up...Ages ago Helen asked Rob about the scar on his arm and he said it was nothing. In the big showdown I want it to come out that he got that whilst doing time in Canada. Perhaps Harrison can be the bringer of that news

I love the idea of Harrison being related to PC Plum from Ballamory😀😀

Surely though he has wake up to his responsibilities and solve the mystery of the hen house fire? I had forgotten Josh & the electrics. It does sound a logical explanation.

But I think having PC Plum Harrison unmask Knob as the perpetrator, might lead him to discover some of his other criminal activities. Bit far fetched, but I think it's the sort of SL that would appeal to SOC.

Thanks Gruach for link, it's a good article. So nice to read a balanced piece of writing on Knob/ Hell story.

If the Fairbrother's go ahead with using the caravan - it could end up being brilliant publicity. Certainly the local papers and even the nationals would want the story.
I can see it in a Sunday supplement now: plucky ex rugby players don't let a fire on the dawn of their new venture stop them , and give up their own home to provide for their pampered chickens...

I thought Harrison was based in Borchester or Felpersham or some such and just gets involved in Ambridge stuff if an incident is reported i.e. He's not the local Bobby on the beat. He's probably busy dealing with "the kind you read about in the paper" domestic abuse on the Meadow Rise estate.

Agree that Toby littering was a step too far- what is the world coming to when we can be sure that even the tissue-thinly-characterised Fairbrethren are acting out of character?

I'm a relatively latecomer to the Archers, although fully invested now in the Rob/Helen story line.

I was aware of culvert being blocked & causing the flood, but what was Rob's reason for doing it, and did others find out he was behind it?

I think Rob blocked the culvert to divert the flood waters away from Berrow Farm, thus causing worse flooding elsewhere. Was he indirectly responsible for Freda's death?

Charlie realised that the culvert was blocked and when he tried to clear it got pulled underwater and had to be rescued and resuscitated by Adam

There was some investigation of it afterwards by David Archer but it all ground to a halt when Stefan, a Berrow Farm employee who saw the culvert being blocked went back to Eastern Europe unexpectedly. Rob was the only person who spoke to him before he left and there's always suspicion among listeners that his disappearance was rather too convenient.