50 ways to leave your lover. Get on the bus Gus, give a knife to your wife, Rob. How not to write helpful storylines masterclass from The Archers.

[PseudoBadger]

Poor poor Henry

ppeatfruit - yes, he was. Told her to 'do what Greg did'. Maybe the story about Jess's overdose and flight to Canada might prove pivotal after all!

Dad^3 Will it have smiley faces like your age of listeners graph? (fond memories)

Wow. This thread has certainly ploughed on. They better not stitch Helen up with a sodding stint in prison because of knob.

Even my long suffering DH asked me today if I had heard the archers and was coming up with suggestions about how I can listen to it whilst abroard. It has certainly grabbed a lot of attention.

Both my DD and DP (neither of whom listen to TA no siree!) texted me last night full of horror faces about it!

So, there's definitely going to be a court case, even if Rob survives.

Who do we think will be called to give evidence?

For the defence:

Kirsty
Jess
Woman's Aid call handler?
Helen's Psychiatrist (diminished responsibility defence?)

For the prosecution

Ursula
Pat
Midwife (Helen was asked if she was in an abusive relationship and said no)

Ursula will be devastatingly good on the witness stand I think.

Pat will be compelled to confirm Helen's threat to kill Rob.

Shula will agonise as to whether to come forward about Rob having hit the hunt sabateour as she will then have to explain why she lied to the police about it. Only Rob, Sheila and the hunt sabateour were there when it happened so unless Shula says something Rob's behaviour won't come out.

Henry will give evidence via video link. I'm not sure whether what he says will be helpful or not.

Henry will say

So Henry, how did you feel about your daddy? Was he kind?
Awwight

This is what Rob looks like in my imagination

Like others, woke up this morning still cross about this. Have had to go and plant potatoes to work off my bad mood. It was such a golden opportunity to do something different to the usual soap trope of abusive bloke gets bumped off followed by trial and associated publicity. I can already see CallMeDave wearing his 'free the Ambridge One' t-shirt, sigh.

Off to catch up with Woman's Hour etc on catch-up.

Thanks Vango I don't remember those stories though

Emily

Kirsty - hearsay
Jess - wronged wife/grudge
Call handler - confidentiality/did Helen actually say she'd been raped?
Psychiatrist - H told him she'd attacked Rob

Ursula - will confirm scalding incident/bed-wetting/Henry saying he 'hates' Helen
Pat - heard Helen say "I'll kill him"
Shula - will keep well out

Henry can only say that he saw Mummy shouting at Daddy and holding a knife?

Maybe the story about Jess's overdose and flight to Canada might prove pivotal after all!

Was this revealed when Helen met up with Jess or have I missed this elsewhere?

ppeatfruit

Vango Sun 03-Apr-16 19:52:05
I think Mumsnet wants to stop talking about Jess. I've been trying to post this all afternoon! A final word about Jess and consistency (sorry BYOS). When Jess turned up drunk on Valentine's night her words to Helen (who had just told her that she and Rob were 'in love') were "Well good luck with that Helen, you have no idea what you've taken on". A few days later, when asked directly by Helen, Rob admitted that he'd been to visit Jess. That he'd done it because she'd threatened suicide (he mentioned Greg!); that Jess had taken an overdose before (following a child-related incident at work) which is why they'd moved to Canada. He finished his little speech expressing his upset/disappointment that Helen had allowed Jess to 'poison her thoughts against him'. Helen apologised of course. I'm happy to infer from the few scenes we've heard that there'd been similar levels of gaslighting and abuse in that relationship.

Henry will give evidence via video link. I'm not sure whether what he says will be helpful or not.

Henry's evidence (if he gave any) would be given via prerecorded ABE and cross examination via prerecorded questions submitted by counsel. Henry would not appear in court

I think, Elendon that it may be possible as an adult to recover, although there will be shadows. As a child I am not so sure. My own family on the outside seemed a bit odd to other people. Under the surface it was hell. The consequences were catastrophic in terms of life chances and sense of worth. Poor Henry.

Pat as a witness for the prosecution.

'And how often did you see Helen, your daughter who lived just up the road and was causing you a lot of concern.'

'Not very often.'

Pat is not going to come out of this well.

Looobieloo

Ursula could undermine Pat as well. "I had to come all the way from (wherever I live) to help poor Rob to cope with unstable Helen. Even though her parents are both retired, they chose to give her a wide berth - she's just so difficult and unpredictable. They rarely offered to help."

Hardy meets TA:

A Pair of Black Eyes or, less depressingly, A Pair of Bert Frys

Following the title for this thread. need a new plan, Stan, need a new plot, SOC

Alternatively; still seething, after all these years.

If it's got to be Hardy, surely we have to have, "because we are too menny" in there?

I wonder if anything will ever come of Carole's "bad feeling" about Rob or was that just another dead end?

I don't think smileys would work for this graph. Posting rates from the beginning of time...

On World at one now...

Vango

Good point. I'm starting to feel for Pat. It's all so

Need to zoom out a bit to show current thread...

Is that what they call The Singularity DadDadDad?