Come in to The Archers thread - we've redecorated! Take a seat in that distinctive yellow chair and discuss events in Ambridge.

[PseudoBadger]

New thread for tonight's episode.

Do you like the decor then? My 'personal' assistant did it.

Yes, I think you're all right about the knife. I do think he'd have liked to have Hel under closer psychiatric supervision though, to justify excluding her from decision-making. She was starting to be a bit worrying, asserting her own ideas about the birth etc.

I do think he really, really cares about SOK. Gaining a stake in the farm is one thing but what's the point if you have no-one to pass it on to? I've no doubt Rob wants to be a great patriarch.

In fact I wonder if he's looked at Brian, been rather impressed at his ability to create a young heir and keep him in the wings, while the wife presents a perfect social front and her family toil on the farm and just not understood the humanity and compromise that's been part of that story. Another reason for him to despise Adam (though I know Adam does inherit but Rob may not know the full set up).

Knob might get from that, that if he can use Helen as brood mare and route to his son's inheritance, he can then push her aside in a manner that allows people to feel sorry for him, and find a more 'suitable' companion, to assist his social ascent.

In fact, I bet he thinks Jenny is much more put upon and powerless than she is, given that's the model his parents have given him. So he sees her as like Ursula, outwardly capable and determined to present the right impression for the family firm but in thrall behind closed doors. Not true.

Sara that's hilarious! (Speaking as one who's done something similar - I posted a very rude exclamation about Rob, in capital letters, on a very serious education thread a year or two ago.)

I'm trying to remember if it's likely that we were shown Rob's scar before or after SOC re-thought the story. If before - they may well have forgotten about it, as there's no archivist to remind them. If after, one would assume it has some yet to be revealed significance.

I fear the scar may have gone the way of the culvert.

I thought the scar like the mentions of Miles and the dinner that never was were all to signal that Rob had a shit childhood.

SmallLegs I fear that they rather signal that we have a shit editor with memory problems.

CUP
And no archivist. I am sure in the good old days, as well as a proper map, a record of rooms per dwelling and the infamous board of doorbells, the archivist probably had a body map of all the charactwrs showing ailments and distinguishing features.

Perhaps we could ask some of the TA crew on twitter and see if we can jog memories.

I thought the scar was mentioned again in the last six months?

I also love how Brexit was auto corrected to Brecht up thread, it puzzled me for a bit wondering why we needed a topical insert on Brecht.
BTW Felpersham Cathedral sometimes crops up on my Twitter feed, asking for some mention of the referendum (along the lines of Pips wooden mentions of voting in the general election). It is certainly not something that could be totally ignored, at least the result could massively affect farmers.

• I always look forward to BYOS' Brechtian responses to unsatisfactory episodes ...

I liked the kingfisher last night. It's the sort of thing we did with our grandfather.

Where is Rob's scar?

Well the archers does seem to be more brechtian each time I bother to listen!!

the result of brexit can be discussed but they can't be shown to have a political leaning. They always gone into purdah!!

The SSP is puzzling. Have they actually stopped paying him? In all the hoo-haa where they've not managed to do anything but be ditsy we are supposed to believe they stopped his pay??

Or is it a way to shoe-horn in them finding financial irregularities?

Also it's a fairly new business - they're trying to builds customer base they need to stay open.

The Ambridge Fairy needs to find them a shit hot employment lawyer now too!

Did they ever pay him. I thought he just took over Helen's job and they paid her - into the joint account for him to spend. There is a contract because they accepted his services in lieu of Helen's but I doubt the money traced back to his P60. Actually what did this year's P60 produced around stabbing point actually report for Helen and for Rob.

Yes they do need legal advice about this.

Can't find (or recall) the location of Rob's scar but came across this Huffington Post article on his new medical attachment.

I predict a very wooden conversation between David and Ruth / Pip reporting a discussion on brexit at an NFU meeting. 'Well some people said this and others thought that. It will certainly have implications either way'.

It was hilarious when they did that wooden public service thing on voting at the election, which went almost as far as telling people where to find the pencil in the polling booth. But it was somehow in character that Pip was so self-centred that it had apparently never occurred to her to make a decision on which way to vote.

Rob muscled his way into a position as "Project Manager" - though no one at BF had felt they needed such a thing - as the packing shed was being converted. Whether this was considered voluntary or paid was never, afair, clarified.

He then refused to look for a proper job and insisted on a job-share with Helen in the newly opened shop. And demanded that both wages be paid into their joint account.

He then pushed her out of her job entirely and was presumably doing both halves of the job-share. Again - no clarity as to his employment status.

Aha. Perfect solution. Kirsty does Helen's half when he's well enough to return. Actually on a rota with Lynda, Ian and Jezzer.

Yes I did too EBear and noticed the significance Tony explaining about the daddy KF "smashing' the fish on the the branch for the babies.

Reading that Huffington Post article, I wondered whether Knob and Arsula's obvious disgust about the stoma bag is is signalling the way the story's going to go. Henry will jump affectionately onto Knob's lap (preferably somewhere public like The Bull) and burst the bag, Knob will go ape and hit Henry, and the sight will cause the simultaneous restoration of the memories of people like Shula, Ian and Charlie (who will be visiting Ambridge at the time.)

I wonder which SW would volunteer to write that episode Augusta.

Yes, the kingfisher interlude was a breath of fresh air.

If we're gong to do it gruach Me Me Me Me ! What a brilliant idea Gussie

I remember we discussed at the time that the 'project managing' appeared to be offered free gratis and we speculated whether he'd present a bill for his services at the end.
If, for the couple of months the shop has been open, he has been paid for job sharing then he probably is entitled to SSP but they are under no obligation to keep his job open for him to return when he's fit because his length of employment is less than a year.

Oh, and I noticed that Arsula sneaked in a mention of the cost of keeping Henry.