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

[PseudoBadger]

Thanks to Lancelottie for the title

Balls That's an idea, I had another one , knob end falls off his horse in a hunting accident and is left in an incurable coma, leaving hell with the power to turn off the life support machine YAAAAAY!

I doubt Helen would be left representing herself in legal proceedings, the family would rally round and Bank of Peggy would be called on yet again. I suppose Arsula would cough up for Knob unless he finally stirs himself to get a job.

I think there's going to be a horrible bit where Helen is telling Pat that Rob hit her and raped her and Pat says....
"But... are you quite sure, Helen?"

On a lighter note, the MN algorithms seem to be paying close attention too - the ads I'm seeing around this thread are all for private schools in the Birmingham area!

This is very interesting with regards to Pat being oblivious:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03pm4fr?nsmchannel=social&nsscampaign=bbctheearchers&nssource=twitter&nsslinkname=radioanddmusic

Augusta If I were a SW I think I'd have more fun keeping Peggy in the stubbornly pro-Rob camp. She's tossed so many trillions at less deserving grandchilderly causes over the years - I can just see her absolutely refusing to help Helen. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what we saw the beginning of over Easter.

scary yes, podcasts fully downloadable in SE Asia (I listened for years in HK and on business trips all over the region). Just make sure you are on wifi and not data roaming, as I found out to my cost when I accidentally downloaded one in Malaysia without wifi and it cost me about 35 quid!

Google " archers podcast" rather than trying to use the BBC Radio Player app.

I've just caught up with Thursday and Friday and feel quite emotional. I hope there are lots of Helens out there this weekend making safe plans to leave and live easy simple lives again like Jess explained she did. I thought that was an exceptionally well written discussion.

I have the free "overcast" podcast app , which is better than built in ones, and it downloads the archers automatically for me. You can set it to not download unless wifi, and it should work world wide.

Kingscote I think I fell asleep while thinking about your post on SWs. As I understood it the continuity issues were between SWs rather than within any one SW's story. So a long experience of Archer's writing might not help if the structure (archivist/ production team?)) is no longer in place to ensure that everyone knows what everyone else has written and how that ties in with every word broadcast over the past 60 years.

I agree with whoever said that Twitter rather skews one's perception of who is writing. If any BBC blog writers are around - it would be tremendously interesting to see some articles on the entire writing team.

Listened again and it felt like talking to Jess might be the spur Helen's needed. It's not an outsider but finally someone who articulates what she's feeling and the sense of dread, the dementor effect that Rob has and the push and pull/hold over her. Kirsty is the girl Helen used to be; if a man hits you you leave, it's black and white. Jess sees the shades of grey and is empathetic but also, crucially, shows there is life after Rob, and joy. When she wistfully remembered how she and Henry used to laugh all the time, it was so sad.

What does surprise me about Rob is that he's not making any attempt to reel Helen back in, he's just ordering her around like a dog. I'd expect him to mix carrot and stick a bit more.

Regular poster, SmallLegs? - yes about once a thread to say I'm not listening

Will hoik my big girl's pants up and listen to Friday's episode sometime this weekend. Agree a realistic follow-up line re co-parenting would be nice - but they wouldn't do it, would they? It would go all over-dramatic and unrealistic.

Also that conversation with Jess brought it home to Helen that he really had slept with Jess while he was living with Helen. I don't think she had fully taken that on board before.

Rob may well be mixing the carrot in with the stick given that Helen was telling Kirsty that he was wonderful really. That's how abuse works.

I've listen-agained and it doesn't sound so good second time round. At first hearing, Jess was confirming what we - the omnipotent listener- know and we were all thinking "yessssss!!".
But it's all new to Helen. She hasn't finished processing it yet. She thinks that things will be better 'once the baby's here'. I fear that she will take a little longer yet to come to her senses.

Did you like the compare&contrast? At half term, Rob's mother was brought in to be guard dog; to stop Helen doing things or meeting people who are deemed unsuitable. At the Easter break, it is Helen's mum who provides the cover and alibi for the ultimate unsuitablenesses.

Not slept with. Raped.

I think it will be Rob's cruelty to Henry that will tip her over the edge.

I just had a row with my husband - he called me stupid and insane in front of DS. Shades of Titchener

Pretended to be magnaminous about the hospital birth decision.
Then used Henry to punish Hell for seeing Kirsty. Plenty of carrot & stick.

Gherkinsmummy I'm sorry to hear that. Are you alright?

Boop for the meeting with Jess , I thought J was well acted, perhaps her over acting before was to do with her hypersensitivity about knob. Helen should really listen to the fact that Jess is GLAD that she got rid of Rob. The 'friend' in Brum is obviously the father of Ethan ,that's cleared up that then .

Hello, lljkk, just been listening to More or Less and just heard you get a mention (indirectly as the first comment on the Nicky Morgan guest post). I was listening to M or L as someone up thread reminded me about it.

Anyway, on topic, it's good to hear Helen beginning to see the truth and possibly a way out. I know they are probably looking to move swiftly to a conclusion, but it's a bit breathtaking that on Thursday, Kirsty suggested Jess, by Friday, Jess happened to be in the area and had arranged to meet up.

I liked Jess in this episode, but why am I so hoping she went to my old Uni? I expect Ethan is with his bio Dad.

Emily, yes thank you, I'm fine. Husband is selfish arse. Should have left him years ago. Hey ho

You forgot to say though that the train would unexpectedly stop outside Reading for 40 minutes in one of those zones with no mobile signal then terminate, leaving Helen waiting at Felpersham until the softplay shut.

That hasn't happened to me, that's why I didn't mention it. It's rather disconcerting that the train changes direction at Reading, though. I still remember my confusion and slight panic I might be on the wrong train, the first time that happened to me (which was 1990. I'm getting old.)

Yes R4 but didn't Helln tell Jess she deliberately did not tell Pat that they were meeting?

I just listened to Helen & Jess and really liked it, jess was always lovely and went out of her way to help people/be liked and Hel is v entitled - so I thought it rang true. I am also irritated by the plot holes. Why on earth would Jess sleep with someone else a few days after being taped by rob? And if she did, it would be because she was trying to replace & erase him, so she'd be determined new man was the father.