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?

Ah - maternity leave! How on earth are they going to pursue this storyline if we don't hear her voice?

And yes, you'd think there'd be some kind of victim support for Henwee

&why is Pat content to have not seen her daughter for weeks when she was trapped by Knob & Arseula but is now wailing because she can't see her in prison?*

Because she thought Knob and Arsula were lovingly looking after her?

Why is no one unpicking with Henwee what has been happening?

If I were in Pat and Tony's shoes, I suspect I wouldn't try to push him into trying to talk about it for fear of the damage it could do, and for fear of being accused of interfering with a witness.

Is she on maternity leave? She's done plenty of interviews and webchats recently. She's self-employed so would get no maternity pay or official leave. My impression is that actors are desperate to keep on working and in her case all she would have to fit in is a few days at most every six weeks.

CAMHS is a whole other thread, but in these circumstances you would think they would pull their fingers out. Even they for a five year old boy who has seen his mummy wield a knife and kill someone would surely be short of excuses not to see him. They can't offer group therapy in this instance.

Surely a professional child psychologist/psychiatrist needs to debrief Henry before much more time passes.

If it's in all the papers, why hasn't Jess contacted the police to say she'd spoken to Helen?

Ah, Augusta, I didn't necessarily mean Pat'n'Tone with Henwee. I had in mind a professional of some sort. The Ambridge Child Psychologist Fairy, for example. He's clearly struggling so I'm surprised (to say the least) that they haven't sought some sort of medical/professional help here.

CuttedUp, yes! Re Helen being like Clare in the C

I drift in and out of TA. I was convinced on one return Helen was played by Sally Philips.

Augusta - they could Nick my local CAHMS, which does see people for assessments quickly and even runs evening clinics. Of course I'd be worried it wasn't the same if I moved to the next town.

I am very surprised we haven't heard from a SW, this is so "high profile" they'd be making sure they were seen to be involved.

mummytime maybe they are looking at how SOC said they had fully researched this, involving mw's and wa, that they don't want SOC to say we have discussed this with Social Workers - then done the bloody opposite

Am I the only one who thought Patbot's meltdown at Tom was bordering on hysterical nonsense? The character who is supposed to be one of Ambridge's Strong Women starts shouting at Tom about losing precious Hellin - awful awful awful.

Agreed margy but you have to remember that she is a woman on the edge. Not only has her daughter disappeared but her husband is also noticeable by his absence. I think I'd be upset if my DH put panto before his DD.

I thought that Adam's take was really lame, as was what he reported Ian having said- Ian has direct experience of Knob's utter knobbishness and would of course have been saying to Adam that he suspected abuse, surely? Even without admitting to Adam what Knob knew and said about Charlie, there is the punching incident and what must be patently obvious to be his isolating if Helen...plus wouldn't Kirsty have been to see Ian in the GG kitchens by now?

And wasn't Adam a witness to the cricket cheating and homophobia?

As a pp said, they have written the "charming" part of the "charming psychopath" character very badly and are now just glossing over it and pretending everyone thought he was marvellous. SO frustrating!

I also think - everywhere I've ever lived - even with the most charming lovable character. If something happens there are always people saying "I never liked him" "No smoke without fire" etc.

There would definitely be someone saying " I never liked that Rob - never trust a man who ... has his eyes too close together/is too charming/smiles too much/never smiles/chases after a woman with a child...that's what my Mum always said".

At present it is too one sided, even though we know people have seen the other side of Rob.

Having said for ages that I had stopped listening and then sneaking in the odd episode, I can honestly say that I am an ex Archers fan. I have radio 4 on for most of the day and have always cooked the evening meal with TA on in the background. Now I reach for the off button as soon as it starts. All I feel is indifference, the death knell of any relationship.

Poor Ian would have been battering down the door at Bridge Farm the night it happened, wailing and crying and demanding that someone should tell him what had happened.

And it could have been shown in one minute or even through a secondhand comment from Tom about how distraught Helen's erstwhile best friend was. And after that he wouldn't have moved from Pat's side - guilt would be killing him. They've completely failed to address this part of the story with any sense or energy.

R4

Sad to think Helen has so few people on her side. Even as I try to remind myself some of this will be dictated by practical concerns such as actors' availability or budget for cast etc, it's getting increasingly frustrating.

I is five awwwight you get me

If Helen morphs into Clare they would release her on bail immediately to get rid of her. I picture lots of tough women prisoners kneeling on the ground, hands over their ears, screaming, 'Get her out of here.'

I had to switch off when Pat became all a bit hysterical with Tom last night😡

Im not surprised at Ian's lack of appropriate reaction. Yes an editor that took past events/ personality into account would have planted him firmly in the pro Helen camp by now.

Ian's witnessed Rob's abusive manner more than once ( apart from the stag night revelation, there was a race ( must have been a run - can anyone remember, about 2 years ago maybe?) & Rob shouted abuse at Ian, and made his homophobia quite clear I thought.

But SOC seems to forget anything not suitable to his current SL which is to show that everyone thought Rob was charming & thus demonstrating how people often don't recognise signs of an abusive partner.

Also why would so many characters just think the stabbing is a product of Helen being unstable? She's had a history of eating disorders but nothing more.

If SOC knew this SL 3 years in advance ( as he said on Newsnight) why would he bother to show so many people witnessing Rob's verbal abuse, but then showing those same characters ( Shula, Ian, Adam to name but a few) all assuming that Helen stabbing him is simply Helen being Helen, not Helen reacting to a man they have witnessed as being verbally abusive?? Why didn't SOC show Rob being universally charming to all?

This is why Henry needs a SW (social worker), surely any decent one would see a 5 year old needs contact with his Mum, and get him a supervised (maybe even recorded) visit.

Surely they would also get Henry's evidence videoed pretty quickly for court, otherwise he will have forgotten everything, or it will have changed (via nightmares etc)?

Josh = do you mean George? I think its become obvious George has taken the money/or Alf did take it, but left it for Clarrie etc. when he left, but George got there first.

Tulips, I think that's what I'm finding most unbelievable and annoying about the aftermath. I know we've had a couple of 'you don't know what happens behind closed doors' comments but none of the usual 'remember that row he had with Adam at the cricket' or people like Jim and Shula recalling the less than pleasant side of him, let alone Ian.

The other thing that struck me was what about Debbie? Didn't she have some sort of abusive partner (this was before I listened regularly so can't remember how that played out) so wouldn't Lillian or Jennifer have reminded Peggy of that, even if they didn't mention their own father? Sigh.

TPL yes I wondered about that watch. I bet it does turn out to be George who pinched the church money (presume you meant him and not Josh the Egg King?). There have been too many hints, I think.

I think Shula and Caroline, years ago, were involved with an abusive charmer. Might have swindled on if them too. Certainly remembering him walloping Shula. Surprised that hadn't come up either but I must be going back twenty or more years. Cd have been called Fraser - certainly Scottish I think. Caused a rift between them. Didn't Shula have some hanky panky with Richard too behind Usha's back? Or am I imagining that too? Makes the Elizabeth liaison seem unrealistic unless of course the Richard now us a different Richard or not Richard Locke???

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