The Archers - We Listen So You Don't Have To

[PseudoBadger]

Happy(?!) Sunday everyone

What will this week have in store for us I wonder?

I think you have to have the trackee's agreement to being tracked, but Knob could do that pretty easily by nicking Helen's phone, assuming he knew her passwords - which he probably did. With hindsight, you can see why Rob was in a particularly bad mood the time she left the phone behind - that was when he threw Henry's teddy away.

This is lurking in my mind and bothering me.
Weren't we told that SOC had contracted to 5 years as editor when he first took over?

It's frustrating there is so little follow up to anything. Did anything happen at the party? What was Ursula telling the school about Henry's behaviour? What was the story behind the chickens? Why hasn't Henry had a proper chat to child psychology professionals?

Why have Pat and Tony not spoken to Kirsty? Is Kirsty (as a participant/ witness) allowed to talk to Pat, Tony, Tom? They need a proper conversation that sparks memories and insights not just question and answer.
Everyone is still being passive. They've just accepted their only daughter, who is in the late stages of pregnancy, is in prison. I want to shake them.

I know Pat's concern about clothes is how she is showing her anxiety but Tony! Helen is his only daughter and he's not even giving her the benefit of any doubt.

Tony also seems less than welcoming to Henry. He seems weary and maybe not up to looking after Henry on a more permanent basis. Is that the next SL. Poor Henry.

We've had Pat having quite a long conversation with Kirsty, haven't we - when they took Henry for the interview? Pat in particular wasn't at all accepting of Helen being in prison and specifically referred to the pregnancy as a reason why she shouldn't be there.

I hope knob doesn't die because he needs to be cross examined in the witness box and tie himself in knots describing how he was protecting Hellin from herself.

Prevented her from driving
Tracked her phone
Restricted family meeting
Ditto friends
Made her return maternity clothes
Forced sex
Etc etc.

If the defence lists to the jury ways in which coercive men operate and then ask him to explain it all away in the witness box he will expose how he manipulated Hellin.

Surely H didn't have a lock on her phone? Haven't there been a few instances where Knob has read emails/texts - eg on the day of the abortive train-jolly? and then the tracking app presumably allowed him to go straight to the school and make one of his silent and terrifying appearances. Just wondering how he'd react if she HAD had a lock on it - he wouldn't like that at all.

I heard another trail for the podcast of the Knob'n'Hell saga today, and wondered a) who in the name of 'entertainment' would WANT to listen to a woman being gradually and remorselessly crushed by a sadistic bastard and b) FFS - this story isnt finished. It's as though they're preening themselves that it's somehow over now, and they can milk it for all it's worth. As someone pointed out upthread, they even included the stabbing as the last item in POTW on Sunday.

I suppose the podcast might be to bring all their new listeners up to speed with the backstory, but it feels crass.

Listened again to hear the rather throwaway line about the phone tracking. It happens in the second police interview that we hear (although there have been other unheard interviews as the policewoman states that it's the fourth interview).

The policewoman is clearly trying to shock Helen out of her no comment stance. She says something like, we've checked both the phones, we know he was tracking your phone, was that with your agreement? Was your husband intimidating you?

Helen replies, "No comment."

While listening again I noticed that on the evening that Helen stabbed Rob, and just before Henry comes into the kitchen saying, "Stop shouting." Helen screams at Rob, "You're a monster!" Henry then refuses to go back to bed and when Rob turns on him he makes a sort of growling sound.

I can see how for a small child that would translate into dreams about Rob literally being a monster who is chasing him.

I'd expect the police found out about the tracking from Rob's phone or computer. As he wasn't have been expecting to be stabbed, so wouldn't have switched off or hid it. Especially if it gave handy little text messages/email saying Helen is now in Felpersham, and a map showing the police station.

But how did the police unlock Rob's phone? Rob can't help them and it was all over the news recently about the FBI being unable to unlock a phone.

Even if she had run away he would have been able to find her straightaway. Chilling thought.
I hope women's refuges are aware of the dangers of phone tracking.

I'd imagined the FBI thing only concerned Apple devices D3 (because I never read much more than headlines these days ...)

But otoh do other phones enable tracking? Confusing myself now.

It is worrying to think of a possible tracking link between refuges and abusers. I've known of women being sent hundreds of miles from home for safety. Not much use now. Will women have to give up their phones along with everything else they lose?

DadDadDad I don't think that either Rob or Helen had locks on their phones, though it's out of character for Rob, I admit. Otherwise how would Helen have been able to access Rob's phone to get Jess's number?

3^D he probably has an easy password

IAMTHEBOSS
or
BADLYDONEHELEN
or
IAMAMYSOGINISTARSEHOLE

His phone wasn't locked the other day when he told Helen to look up the pharmacy phone number.

I happen to know Apple phones have much greater security than androids, they have an extra bit inside which makes them a bit like a chip and pin machine plus other security features.
The FBI has just been arguing that just like they have to be able to get into all suitcases on airplanes, they also have a right to break into anyones phone. Which is a civil rights issue.

If Rob's phone isn't an iPhone, I think it might be relatively straightforward to get into, but even if it was a locked iphone - mine shows my notifications on the lock screen. I would also expect they must have some kind of computer (maybe at the shop) that he was also using. And any password for that would be known to other people (at least Helen).

Yes, Gruach, a friend of mine left an abusive relationship and the first thing she did was get a new phone, email address etc. She hung out at mine a lot during that period and we never arranged times or location except landline to landline if necessary or more often just agreed the next time in person when we saw each other.

red - you've gone back to calling me 3^D. I'm obviously going to have to punish you by calling you shoes, aren't I?

mummy - I took it that Rob unlocked his phone and passed it to Helen: that's why it was such a big dramatic moment - only hours before Kirsty had suggested getting Jess's number, but how was she going to do that when Rob had his phone with him all the time?

My phone is unlocked by tracing a pattern. I don't bother changing it, because my children always seem to learn it within a few days.

Depending on your relationship though you could quite easily track someone's phone purely through an app like find my friends. So it could even be that in the beginning they added each other and then she forgot about it iyswim.

I have both my DP and DS on there, and they have me (it doesn't have to be mutual although you have to agree to add someone). I know that my DS uses it to see where I am especially if I've e.g. Arranged to meet him in town

Dad
My phone doesn't have a lock on it - if it did I'd probably be the only person who couldn't access it

I love the thread title.

I am actually finding it easier to listen to now - there are more people on and it is nice to hear Tony, Pat and Tom (who have been silent too long) and Clarrie etc. Not sure about Susan though

My phone doesn't have a lock on as a basic phone and would just be hassle for me.
Also I've found a couple of iphones in streets in the past and if they were unlocked I would try and phone a contact to get it returned but as they've been locked and I was in unfamiliar cities with no idea where the police station was each time I just put them somewhere safe near where I found them.
Maybe more lost phones would be returned if people could easily trace a number to call to do so.

My lock screen displays my home phone number and email address* so a kind person could contact me if they found my mobile. It's a standard setting on my Samsung, and I bet it's available on other android phones.

*well it used to, it's been playing up and that message has disappeared.

Don't forget that Archers phones won't be Apple or Android but probably special Borsetshire phones developed in the renowned University of Felpersham.

Or even worse, they could be Windows phones.

Thanks R4 and trevortrevorslatterfy.