One Flue Over The Shepherd's Hut - Discuss The Archers Here

[PseudoBadger]

I do hope Lynda has a carbon monoxide monitor in there...

Why is everyone saying that Rob is Henry's father? He isn't. He's lived with him for what, 2 years at most?

What cold tea said

And how hard is it to play a game where he says 'daddy' in lots of different ways?

My 5yo would be very questioning if she was constantly asked to say 'where's my mummy?' - that would bother her enormously!

It just puts another dagger into the heart of my suspension of disbelief atm

It would be psychologically incorrect to have a 5 year old 'acting' (especially heavy stuff). Because they can hardly tell the truth from pretence at that age.

But, if they have to do something distressing, a bad actor or a non-actor would be just as liable to be distressed as a good actor. And in practice they're scripting it so that he isn't heard saying anything distressing, e.g. we haven't heard him having nightmares or talking about the stabbing, so again they could just as easily get a good actor to say what he is saying. However, I admit that he isn't helped by the script - no actor who has to keep saying "Awwight" can exactly give his all to his art.

I would hope Anna will be onto safeguarding the baby after birth, as soon as Helen starts talking.

I'd actually get quite cross if she starts getting involved in that. As I understand it, she's a criminal law barrister, not a family law expert; plus, as a barrister, she's only supposed to act on the basis of instructions from a solicitor - unless there's a direct access arrangement, and I doubt that that's possible in a crime case.

Do we know who actually plays Henry?

The actress who plays Shula is quite well known for doing children's voices and has done several in TA over the years.

He obviously IS 5 years old !! How would you audition one at 5? Unless they use a light voiced adult (but I think you can always tell the 'fake' child voice) .

I think they do awwwight with what he has to say

The scriptwriters are to blame for this mess altogether, they didn't have to include the child in Custard Gate.,

Though thinking about it Hell wouldn't gone for Rob without the provocation of him going for Henry.

Totally agree about Henry, they need to get an actor who can do child voices if he is going to start having more in depth lines, it sounds beyond ridiculous at times. I have a feeling though we won't be hearing much from him for a little while now he is being held hostage.

Soviet it's so irritating isnt it! Knob has played the doting father and Henwee has been squealing Daddy! at every blimmin opportunity. The whole of Ambridge has fallen for it because they are mostly dimwits

Yes polly where are all the Archers?! So much for family pulling together!

It is a child playing him, and they record his lines separately. Helen actor has said that she's never actually met Henry.

Finally plucked up the courage to listen to the two last episodes.

The policewoman sounded very neutral to me and just doing her job, not sceptical as such pity At least she wasn't falling for his fake charm.

Funny hearing arsulla urging knob to lie down. Sounded just like knob urging Hellin to lie down.

Henwee definitely said grandma arsilla!

Annoyingly knob sounds very kind and sweet to henwee.

And Pip is just plain annoying

Pat and Tony need to get their bloody act together and clear henwee's residence with the police, SS and hellins legal team

Hellin needs to be told knob has henwee and it may make her see sense and start asking for some kinda of counsellor. Unless the actress has gone into labour!

Pat and Tone ...... Bah.... I listened......come on SW get a b**y grip.

I think at the moment Helen is unable to articulate what has happened to her. The decision to stop driving, the changing of her clothes, the banishing her from the shop.... were not orders. It can take a while for the full realisation of the brutality to unfold. Guilt, disbelief, pride and shame all get in the way. Someone else has mentioned Henry's kidnap. Arsela has no rights whatsoever over Henry and Rob is in no fit state to look after a 5 year old boy. I really hope Pat 'n Tone wake up and smell the coffee. Has anyone else noticed that all the really crap ideas seem to come straight from the mouth of Arse?

Yes I know he's a ghost child in the studio. Much kinder to the child, but doesn't help any 'acting 'skills I suppose. Maybe his real life mum or dad gives him the cues.

Soviet - love to see a delurk, don't go away! I can't see that anyone has answered your question, so in case you weren't aware, Rob got parental responsibility for Henry last year (less work than adoption but involved some sort of legal process), and he has taken the role of father - for example, Henry calls him "daddy".

If we didn't know what an abusive person he is, I'd think we all say that of course Rob should be looking after Henry while Helen is detained.

I think that Hell is a very proud person, too proud, she wouldn't let on about knob to anyone initially esp. her parents because of her pride. Now it has come back to bite her on the bum .

I find it concerning that PR seems to give the same rights as adoption? It was way too easy for rob to get and would be easy for a woman to be manipulated or bullied into (as she was)

I would hope PR is given to help blended families bit can be revoked by the parent at any time.

I think Helen might have to prove she was coerced into signing the parental responsibility thing. It seems to be pretty nigh impossible to revoke and there's absolutely no evidence that he has harmed the child or that H is in any way fearful of him.

I don't know if the parental responsibility process has changed, but when our first child was born dp had to get it because we aren't married. It was a simple matter of signing a form in front of a commissioner for oaths. Obviously, I had to agree to it, but that was it. Took 5 minutes.

.

Interesting. There must be differences though or no one would go for adoption surely?

Considering the circumstances of the case (alleged DA/CC/Whatever), I'd love to know the legal position of H staying with Knob - I wouldn't have thought it would be legally allowed, either on the basis that he isn't Knob's son by either biology or adoption and isn't he some sort of witness and therefore required to be kept separate from both parties for fear of undue influence?

And why didn't Pat get straight on the phone to the police? He has, to all intents and purposes, been kidnapped. Pfft. It's all getting so so silly.

I've just listen to that Victoria Wood pastiche that mango linked to. It's brilliant (natch) but there are only 4 out of the 5 episodes - we are missing the last one.

Re the PR
find it concerning that PR seems to give the same rights as adoption?

It's actually worse than that. Afaik Rob is perfectly within his rights to keep Henry. They would have to apply to court to get him back (as is the case if the NRP refuses to return a child after contact. As P&T are not the RPs they have not much chance although H has right of contact with them)

Rob can also stop Helen moving, changing schools, going abroad, or getting medical attention for Henry.

But unlike an adoptive parent afaik he isn't obliged to pay maintenance.

Helen really should have looked into a bit more carefully before she signed away her pfb.

Maybe she can get him back in a straight swap

Surely to god though the first thing you would do if your dd was imprisoned for stabbing someone who it was suggested might be EA AND you had care of a traumatised dgc you would be frantically reading up on EA, FA, child psychology and anything else you thought might help instead of taking up advanced ineffective hand wringing as a pastime.

You'd think by now tgey'd be asking questions like do you think he sexually assaulted her? Thinking about it she never seemed very happy about the pregnancy...

It is perhaps understandable not asking what goes on behind closed doors when you have no reason to but right now they should be asking questions.