No more walking on eggshells for Helen! Heading for an eggsplosive Easter weekend in The Archers - will Helen Archer be resurrected by the end of this thread?

[PseudoBadger]

Helen knows she's not cracking up - Knob is an eggomaniac.

Are we eggshausted with this storyline?

Yes, we just need Kirsty to email Emily's post to Helen...

Delurking to applaud emily

It's also one of the reasons I want Brian to somehow be instrumental in his downfall - and possibly Justin Elliot.

Definitely need Oliver to expel him from the hunt over Skype.

It's all very well Kirsty, Tom & Fallon wading in - but he has no respect for them. Even Tony.

He needs to be properly taken down by those he wants to impress - like that scene in Mary Poppins where the bankers punch out his bowler hat.

Personally I thought Piggoi was a brilliant device to show how abusers take in the families of their victims.
That's how it goes in real life, sadly.
Patbot too. The SWs have had to give her a character transplant in order to make Rob's smoke and mirrors deception of the whole of the Bridge Farm family look convincing.

Well put EmilyDickinson( today at 12.08.12) Do you have an English degree?

Whoops -cross posted as I hadn't read past your comment Emily- I can see others have been on & noted your fluency already!

De-lurking to offer my feelings. I agree with emily that Rob's particular disorder (or whatever you want to call it) is not evil machivellian genius with a master plan but a deeply disturbing desire to recreate all around him in his own image.
And yes - I was involved with a similar...
If you see yourself and your experience as a failure anyone else's success or happiness has no meaning, so attempts are made to turn the world into the place you feel most at home. And you are attracted, cleverly (?) to those who will make it easy for you. Until they fight back.
My ex seriously jeopardised both my mental health and my finances - funnily enough he was a serial bankrupt and mentally ill. Volia!
I can see so much of him in Rob so I congratulate the SWs.
(BTW I fought back every step of the way so in my case he chose badly!)
So Rob doesn't want the farm, he wants it to fail because he is a failure.

Hoping that brother Miles will turn up and shed some light - there have been some hints about how brothers ar, which all ties in with the sending one away when another arrives etc.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words.

R4

I know ...

Just don't seem to have anything new to say. However, my Archers books, the ones I ordered several centuries ago, are currently loitering in a Royal Mail warehouse. Cba to collect and cannot face an entire day waiting for redelivery. But once I have them ...

Are they history of Archers books?

Yes!

They were on sale from the closing down BBC shop a while ago. Put in my order mere seconds after red (perhaps) posted a link. Cheaper than Amazon! But I still haven't seen them.

TA is taking up too much of my time. Terrifying deadline today (done now!) but I stayed in bed an extra half hour on Archers threads.

Has anyone succeeded in returning a previous listener to the fold? One of my strongest memories of childhood is seeing my parents listening to it - and picking up the habit myself. (I was there in the 70s but only Dan and Doris linger in my head.) My one remaining parent, after years in foreignland, couldn't give a toss now. I want her to start listening again so we can talk about it. (Even though I'm struggling. )

My mum listened every night in the 50s but drifted away once they got a TV. She did put Radio 4 on in the kitchen when she was cooking, so we quite often heard snippets of The Archers, but never had any idea what was going on. My dad had R4 on in the car when he was on his own, so quite often also heard bits of TA, but made no real effort to follow it either. They know I am a sad obsessive listen, but it hasn't tempted them back.

My brother doesn't listen, as far as I know, my husband doesn't listen unless he's in the room with me (and that isn't really listening) and my (adult) children are quite determined never to listen. I am an abject failure.

This is an excellent storyline. So real and in real time, unlike other soaps where DA comprises a short-ish storyline and a beating. This is much more real, where the whole family is groomed, which is why we probably hate what Rob's doing. Have you all seen the funds it's raising for Refuge - don't forget to contribute

We have cappy

Have you perused the last few threads?

Have made next to no inroads into this thread as yet, but had to share my joyous news….

At my father's house and just came across copy of The Archers: The First Thirty Years

Oh joy.

Delurking to say YES to previous posters and offer my own two pence worth! Rob is a deeply inadequate and unhappy man and if there is a Machiavellian in this picture I suspect Ursula! She (superficially) appears much more plausible and reasonable than Rob (who does have a fair few people who don't like him!) and has the mask of gentleness and kindness (to external eyes) but I believe she is truly the puppet master. I think Rob resents his mother but falls in line around her. I want to send Helen a copy of toxic in laws!

Well, I really hope the 'puppet master' line isn't the one they are going down!

Me too Seek. I am happy to accept Rob as a flawed person due to his upbringing but do not want that to be his get out of jail card!

Gruach I'm trying very hard to return my children to the fold. Both grew up with it on during their tea and in fact we have photos of Ds bouncing in his high chair to the theme music. But it is only Dd who will listen to it with me if she's stuck in the car at the right time but she will allow me to prattle at her about it. My mother though is a late convert , she started listening with me when she visits and now tunes in from Dublin when she can. And my DH listens enough to know who I'm going on about.

You will be able to entertain us with useful archers facts once they turn up!

May I butt in with my two cents?

I haven't been listening to the "Knob and Hellin" bits too much because honestly, I just can't take it! Are there really people out there like Knob? Am I just amazingly naive? He's just soooo twisted. It seems like he's cunning and clever - but at times, it just all seems too much. What is going on in those SW minds?

I don't think Helen is "attached" to the baby - she seems distant from him to me: even now! Maybe when she gives birth Rob will steal away with the baby, go back to his mother, and Helen won't mind one little bit.

I just want for it to be over!! Maybe, like someone else suggested, Rob will beat the crap out of Helen, and be carted off to prison... How do you think it'll end?

Hi Momto4plus3, it would be unkind to call you naive, rather, you have just been very lucky never to come across someone like this in person. Or at least, you probably HAVE met someone like Rob, but as we can see from this story, men like that are very skilled at hiding their true colours. Look at the Women's Aid website - you will see many examples. I think it's 1 in 4 women who experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives. 2 women die every week. (UK figures). As for Helen's baby- remember it was conceived through rape. She may also sense that she will not be 'allowed' to care for the baby as she wants (just as she is not 'allowed' to care for Henry)- so not getting attached may be a way of protecting herself.

I wonder if the baby is actually a girl... cue terrible disappointment for Knob...

The one part of this that made me actually tremble in office, was when Rob said that if Helen kept 'over-exerting' herself that it could result in a still birth. I will never forgive him for that. I know they're not actually real...but it feels like they are.

Goodness!

Bloody hell. She won't shut up!

Ed for PM!

Great big signpost that eddy's brother has nicked the money in the vestry.