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

Not listened yet, but as regards the quality of Henry's acting, I've always had the impression that the Archers has never had a budget for child actors, they've just used any child child who's convenient and able to be coaxed into saying a few words. I think will Grundy is the son of either Mike or Neil who just happened to have a child of the right age who could pop into work with daddy. Similarly, wasn't Daniel KD's son before they got a grown up Dan? I suspect a similar situation with Henry. I have a child of similar age and certainly wouldn't be pressing them to show a realistic level of fear and trauma.

I agree Putthe. Has someone switched off the oven yet?

Wasn't Henry actually there when Helen stabbed Rob as well?

So the child (who is tired anyway) has heard his parents shouting at each other, been shouted at by his Dad in a terrifying way, watched his mother stab his father, believed his Dad then was just lying down on the floor having a sleep, gone and quietly watched cartoons, gone to bed (and sleep?), been woken up by the police in his room with a woman he barely knows (Kirsty) and seen his mum hysterical being taken away in handcuffs.

And hasn't so much as sounded worried, let alone shedding a tear.

'Interesting' child there...

(My DS1 is unobservant and unemotional, but even he'd be a little emotional about all that)

It's a good thing Helen didn't escape to Bridge farm. Pat would have sent her home and told her not to worry.

Mouth to mouth not recommend now . I mean in general, not just for Knob

So would the police REALLY have taken a highly emotional mother out in handcuffs to put her in the van after seconds earlier bringing out her 5 year old? They'd really make him witness that? I hope to god that's just crappy writing.

Perhaps Ursula can put the school fees towards some counselling for Henry about normal expectations of life.

No Sticker I'm sure oven is still on. 😬

I'm still really disgusted with TA though. After all the trauma of listening to the common tragedy of abuse for 'entertainment', justified as public service broadcasting, it has totally descended into melodramatic nonsense of the worst sort.

We've been abused as listeners that's for sure.

I have a horrid feeling this is going to go:

Rob survives.
Accuses Helen of DV agai at him and Henwee.
She hit him. (He says)
She scalded Henry.
She is delusional anout him sending H away.
And now she threw custard and stabbed him.

(Sadly this too, abusive men counterclaiming abuse, is v common).

Not surprised they cuffed Helen - on basis of security risk she wasn't really doing herself any favours.

And yes Pat didn't just seem a lot more concerned about Rob than Helen, she seemed to have entirely have forgetten she was related to her.

Perhaps Kirsty's parents don't like her?

First they failed to protect her from being prosecuted with Tom Archer over the GSM crop. Then they didn't prevent her getting back with Tom after he had dumped her once before. Then they evidently refused to drag her away from Ambridge when she insisted on going to work at GG. Then - knowing full well how risky it was - they didn't have her committed when she wandered back to Bridge Farm. And now she's back where she belongs - with an Archer and deep in trouble.

Heartless people.

Love taken into custardy.

Knob will be furious that Kirsty saved him.

Oh, and Helen had apparently put Henry to bed! How the hell did she manage that - she was completely hysterical. Pretty fuckin scary for Henry. I am kind of glad they're not traumatising some poor kid to get some good acting, but then it would have been better just not to have him speak in this episode. Easily done - people could be speaking about him or too him, they could even have got some generic child crying noises to play in the background - it's cot to be better than the weird calm delivery.

At least the police said Helen was arrested on suspicion of wounding rather than attempted murder

attempt murder is extremely difficult to prove as it is a crime of specific intent. wounding much easier to prove.

what will happen now is that they will take helen to custody where the custody sgt will have the abdabs about having a 33wk pregnant female in on a stabbing, she may well be taken to hospital on constant watch (ie with 2 officers)

she will get her legal rights and offered duty lawyer - she wont be able to use usha as a) she does not do criminal work and (b) it would be a conflict because she knows helen (c) on such a serious charge she needs someone that knows what they are doing.

she will be interviewed. she can be held for up to 72 hours then charged or bailed back while they investigate.

the reason they wont talk to her at scene is because she is a suspect under caution and to talj to her about the offence would be an interview which is governed by PACE. so as soon as you arrest they have to stop talking. any significant comments are noted verbatim in the pocketbook and signed by the prisoner

Mind, I'm not defending Pat but they were only told (at first) that there had been a violent incident and R was injured. Most people would assume an intruder

furious that it was Kirsty that is. Saved by the Hoi poloi.

And I don't think Kirsty will be at all sorry she saved rob, because she's actually saving Helen too (both because it'll reduce her sentence and because it will presumably be less traumatic for her afterwards. And for that poor unborn baby). I'm kind of longing for Kirsty to have a chat with pat and force her to face up to the truth. Oh my god, that's going to be tough.

Thank you Truffle

I think we're going to have to brace ourselves for more 'bewildered' Pat:

old Helen

I'm having a baby by a sperm donor and I don't care if you like it or not
I'm having a natural birth with whale music and dolphins singing and I'm going to exercise until I make myself ill
I'm having an affair with a married man, it's my choice so like it or lump it
I'm moving in with someone you hate and if you don't like it you're never seeing Henry again

Helen now

Rob says it's best if I don't drive
Rob thinks I need a rest
I'm just so busy (even though I've given up work and Henry's now in school)
I've decided on a home birth
We're going to have a quiet Christmas/Easter, just the three of us

And STILL, the Mother of an only daughter, isn't questioning any of it? Really?

In the old days, they had an adult doing a child's voice. Didn't Shula's actress do several children and stay as Shula, even though she is years older?

Medically it wasn't dreadful

Agree - it wasn't as ridiculous as I feared. The suggestion was that Knob had a tension pneumothorax - described here . They probably performed a needle thoracostomy as they weren't there long enough to put in a chest drain. It's a bit drama llama to call it "an emergency thoracostomy" as -the world's most wooden doctor did - we would usually just say a "needle decompression" but it is accurate.

Mind, I'm not defending Pat but they were only told (at first) that there had been a violent incident and R was injured. Most people would assume an intruder

True, but wouldn't the natural reaction then be "OMG, are my pregnant daughter and weirdly dim grandson also hurt?"

Rob dead? Tis but a flesh wound! Helen taken into custardy, will we ever find out about that pie?

Yes notnow, I do feel domestic abuse has been used for entertainment. I really don't see how recent episodes help those in similar situations to Helen.

I do think this story will just melt away in a month or two. Surely a new editor won't want to take it on.

And I just wish something would go wrong for Rob after all this time ( even being stabbed goes in his favour). Couldn't SOC muster the energy to clear up a few plot holes concerning Knob before he goes, for example:-

What happened to Stefan? Did Knob stuff him in the culvert or what?
Expose his financial mis dealings at Barrow Farm
Shula to come clean about the hunt sab

Does anyone know when SOC is actually going?