Rob - dead? No, no, he's, er, resting. He's just pining for the Canadian plains. As Helen is taken into custardy, discuss the Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

24 hours for 1 thread!!

"Ursula has fed the misogyny with her sexist and outdated views"

Really? Sexist and outdated?

Vango - why do you keep pushing the idea that the baby is a girl? I know some would relish the shock it would give Rob, but it seems a bit far-fetched. (Almost as far-fetched as putting your son to bed, making pie and custard and then sitting down with your husband to tell him you are leaving... ).

De-lurking (whether welcomed or not!) to say:

1. I think the SW, if they've any sense, are going to fudge what happens with Rob/Helen because in reality it would be complicated legally (at the very least in terms of compiling the evidence), time consuming (listeners will complain that it's all dragging), harrowing (poor Henry, poor Helen, poor baby), and ultimately probably not entirely satisfactory at the end of it were to truly reflect real life. After such a high-profile SL, they just can't afford to get any of it wrong. The only solution is to find a miraculous "out", which would work in fiction but not IRL (eg Rob coming clean and repenting in hospital).

1. I love the stats, please don't stop D3!

1. I live overseas and TA and this thread are my lifeline to back home. So thank you one and all!

It's interesting that men who kill their partners are very likely to flee the scene, claim an attack by an intruder, or dispose of the body, very few admit to it or get friends around to help, possibly because few kill in self defence after years of abuse.

Women don't generally do this.

Sushi - thanks for delurking - always welcome (I can't think of an occasion when it has been otherwise!).

If the SW had any sense they wouldn't have created this sensationalist turn in the story in the first place...

Oh, and thanks for the positive comment about the stats.

DadDadDad I don't honestly know myself . All we've known, all along, is that R's always wanted a son. He said it. Ursula has said it. Jess said it last week. In fact he said it the second he found out Helen was pregnant if I remember correctly. So desperate was he to find out, that he booked the earlier-than-usual private scan didn't he? I'll be amazed (for about the millionth time this week) if it comes to nothing. I also think it'll be another stick with which to beat Helen (R growling: "You couldn't even give me a SON, you lied to me Helen"^). That's how I've written it. In my head.

Ooh! Perhaps Rob will have amnesia and Helen can say he fell on the knife.

Why is that far fetched 3dads? Have you ever been 34 weeks pregnant and living with an abusive and controlling man?

I had forgotten about the baby's name. With Rob 'incapacitated', Helen can choose to call him John Anthony Archer if she likes

Or indeed, Thomas!

I know Henry is Henry Ian but Helen could still use Ian as a first name for son no. 2. Or Kirsty. In gratitude.

Good idea Vango.. And if Rob's family complains about giving the boy a girl's name she can refer them to Johnny Cash

I have just laughed out loud, finally, thanks Marchate

Oh and she was a nagging wife is not an excuse to kill. Though this has been successfully used as a defence.

Marchate ooh yes, I think you might be on to something! I fully expect Ursula to be very scathing that Robert could allow such a pathetic woman to hurt him. But she'd only say it to Rob, her husband and son where Men Are King And Must Be Seen To Be Manly.

I half wonder if all this machismo is compensating for some latent homosexuality but I think that's a step too far. Much more likely it's just plain old hatred and bigotry and misogyny related (behaving like a woman to have sex with men).

I too still think it's possible Knob slashed his own wrist to make it worse for Helen (so he can use that to control her - forgiveness dependent on her taking him back) but seriously misjudged it. He's also so arrogant that he cannot conceive Helen wouldn't do anything to save him. It does seem a tad mellow dramatic but well, we've just heard Helen Archer knife someone on the radio so all bets are off.

I also wondered about the recording but thought it was so ridiculous for TA it was practically Hollyoaks-esque. So that'll be discovered on Friday if we continue in the current vein

She could call him Keri?

I heard the repeat and Helen seemed to think the 'body' had moved. Did I mishear? Did anyone do a transcript?!

Or Sean. The poor baby is Sean's creation. And he also is about to become an 'absent father'

So is one suggestion that he pretended to pass out, waited for her to leave the room and then slashed his wrist?

He would have to assume she would call an ambulance!!

www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/what-happen-helen-rob-archers-11140127

'Statistically this is an unusual case'

BYOS Maybe it's one of many seeds of doubt that are being planted. Leaves the trial storyline more interesting/open ended

Have you ever been 34 weeks pregnant and living with an abusive and controlling man?

You can probably work out the answer to that one. You got me - obviously, I'm incapable of putting myself in Helen's shoes.

Finding it hard to keep up with this thread but.....

Whether what Helen did was reasonable self defence or whatever is going to be based on the details of who went for who when, where they were standing, and other details which it wasn't possible to tell by listening to the episode.

I agree with Wannabe though that I'm not at all sure Helen was defending herself when she stabbed Rob. It sounded very much like she had completely lost it - there was fear there of course, but also rage, and as we have said previously, she seemed positively disappointed when Kirsty said he was still breathing.

However I do think the months of abuse stand her in good stead for a defence of diminished responsibility and it doesn't matter that she has previously denied abuse to friends and family - minimising it to others would be fairly normal in the circumstances I would think.