Thefts, arson and abuse: The Archers - it's an everyday story of cuntery, folks.

[PseudoBadger]

Thanks to Lancelottie for the title

but an ending i would find satisfying and realistic would be Helen trying to leave before the baby is born. she makes plans because jess has given her the "leaving safely" card alng with contact for an idva. rob finds out what she is planning and during the row he tries to strangle her (alarmingly common), pushes her down the stairs nearly killing her. she goes into labour. pat has come to drop in something for henry and finds the door open, rob gone and helen lying at the bottom of the stairs

the bruises are unhideable, the truth undeniable. rob is arrested for gbh and the case processed through the proper channels. then they portray sensitively the police support for victims of dv

Although death at the hands of abusive partner is far far too common when you compare it to the number of women who are abused, it really is an unlikely ending.

Most women end up with an either staying with an irritating partner or more happily an irritating ex.

So I too hope he just buggers off. But also hope the Ambridge DV fairy doesn't just make it magically better. The bit after you leave is sometimes as hard as the bit before. No more minimising.

However, I think.if she can get out before baby is born, she will be apprehensive abouts it arrival but with the help of Henwee will love it when it arrives. And fight tooth n nail to keep Rob away. Arsula sadly might be harder to stop (no real evidence). So she will always be a conduit back to Rob.

Anyway, my theory is that Knob is just going to bugger off. Helen will get the strength soon to make a break for it and Pat/Tony/Tom and maybe most of the village (via the village whispers) will find out what's been going on. After that, his position becomes totally untenable. He wants to be the golden boy - at the heart of the Archer family, manfully taking care of his troublesome wife and step-child, the big man in the shop, palling up with Justin and Brian. After it comes out (even if just to her family), this will become totally impossible - everyone will despise him and think he is shit and he really wouldn't be able to tolerate that.

I'd love it to be like that, but I suspect he won't let go without a fight. He'll definitely say that Helen has finally gone over the edge and is completely fantasising, probably as a result of the poison dripped into her ear by the awful Kirsty, and he'll laugh that horrible laugh and say of course her family chooses to believe her but we all know the real truth, don't we? I would hope that in practice a lot of people will start putting two and two together (and it would be great if Charlie could reappear and everyone could start investigating the culvert thing properly), but there are star-struck people like Susan who will probably be happy to believe him.

Maybe Jess decided not to open her letter with Knob's paternity test results as she didn't want it to be true. Did Helen actually see Rob's copy of the letter? There was also that weird moment months ago when Dr Locke and Rob recognised each other.

Yes, Helen did see the letter, and Jess acknowledged to Rob at the time that he wasn't the father, and had obviously also seen it.

It wasn't weird that Dr Locke recognised Rob as he did the paternity test. The only weird thing was that he said so, as it was potentially breaking confidentiality, but Keri Davies has confirmed that that was down to a mix-up on the SWs' part.

They can't have the baby die, but it will be such an agonising storyline to have Helen having to come to terms with bringing up a baby conceived through rape by an abusive husband. I hope the SWs manage this really difficult bit of the storyline realistically and sensitively without tipping into melodrama.

Sorry to sound callous, but plenty of women have children by obnoxious men and manage to detach their emotions about the two. I think Helen will be fine with the baby once Rob is out of the picture, although he'll probably still be involved fighting for his 'rights'. Jess seems to be coping well with Ethan despite a similar conception.

I am hoping Knob will be gone (as in arrested) well before the baby arrives. Helen gets the safe birth she wanted with Kirsty as her birth partner.
She instantly bonds with the baby and is strengthened by her determination to never let Knob harm any of them again.

It was a long time ago, Augusta - at least six years. I think they were playing by the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? rules and were allowed to phone a friend

Russell Crowe... that's the other face I imagine with Rob's voice.

No one on TA ever dies of cancer. A nice drawn out cancer. Or a bit of prolonged COPD & heart failure.

Obviously not nice at all. But they'd be a bit real. Even grimmer SLs than DA, I guess.

Wouldn't Clarrie & Eddie have put some money aside; they are living rent-free IIRC but they knew from start it's supposed to be temporary digs so they'd need to save up to rent a bigger place afterwards where Joe could live with them? So paying £400 shouldn't be such a blow...? Are E+E & kiddies at Grange Farm, too living rent free or are they still in William's cottage? Is Alan too nice to report the theft to police??

I cannot believe Dan found the only woman in England even more Smugula than his mother. I'd be horrified if DS brought home a girlfriend who was a younger version of me!!

Augusta (may I call you Gussie?!) - I agree that that is a possibility in the village and even with family like Peggy, but I can't believe immediate family (even Patbot) would be that gullible once Helen has really explained, backed up by Kirsty and with the Jess evidence. And if he isn't wanted at Bridge Farm, I don't think he will be able to create a position for himself that he is happy with.

I was scared of leaving ExP who was quite like Rob in many ways, but in the end it was absolutely fine and such a relief to be shot of him.

Ex-P confided to me years later about some pretty grim things that had happened to him during his childhood, when he was the victim of a horrific custody battle, and although I will never forgive him for some of the things he did, it was helpful to have the insight.

PS I think Knob will have a tantrum and then fuck off like Duncan who got Elizabeth pregnant and then abandoned her at a service station before she married Nige.

Cameron Fraser you mean ;)

Great episode, and I liked the way H and Jess ended by sounding as though they'd really bonded even if Jess is a truly awful actress

Worst thing was Ruth's terrifying laughing. They quite often write scenes in which she's required to simulate hilarity, don't they? Bad idea, SWs.

Regarding "coming out" as an Archerd listener. I'm convinced it's the reason my OH and I got together. Standing outside a pub smoking getting some fresh air, I overheard him talking to a mate about a current storyline and butted in with my opinion. A few years later and our baby is due in August. Perhaps we should name it Ambridge in tribute.

Archerd is a typo, but actually works nicely as an Archers Nerd portmanteau!

Ah yes, knew it was a Sottish dude

Ah yes, knew it was a Sottish dude

Jazzer is Lily & Freddie's dad!

Ignore this post if thread stats are not your thing

Following up from a post of Pseudo's earlier this evening, the evidence that the latest developments have caused a lot of excitement (and enticed some lurkers to join in):
in the 24 hour period from 20:49 last night, we had 343 posts .

That beats the previous record of 329 from 24 April 2014.

And of course 343 is 7^3, which will make it easy to remember.

I think quite a key quotation from tonight was the line where Helen said that she'd always sworn that if a man raised his hand to get she'd be off like a shot. She realised she wasn't living up to her own standards, and that it wasn't right.

Loved the "lalala I can't hear you!!" - I thought that was totally realistic. (Unfortunately 3yo dd loved it too, so I suspect I may hear it again!)

I know we can't talk about spoilers on this thread, but are we allowed to discuss the different writers?

Given we regularly discuss SOC the editor here and at least one SW gets regular mentions, I don't think there's any problem discussing the writers.

Or an Archnerd plimsolls. Ambridge would actually be a nice name. I am going to suugest it on all the baby name threads from now on

I am going to coin a new phrase to counterbalance bunny boiler. Bunny binner.

He seems like a right bunny binner to me. Best avoided.

Well then, it would be interesting to see whether Gillian Richmond's scripts (this week, frinstance) have less continuity glitches, considering that she wrote loads of scripts back in 87 - 91?

Ooh I think "bunny binner" could appear in the next title...