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.

And happy birthday topaz

Shula said that the issue should never have gone to court and wouldn't have if Rob hadn't been so unreasonable, and that it was just what you'd expect from him.

Go Shula!

I would imagine that Pat'n'Tone will have to allow Rob to stay in the cottage and work in the shop if they want to see Henwee. Otherwise he will take him to live in the Hell that must be Aresula and Brucie.

Gump and R4 When I first read on these threads that Louiza P was currently pregnant I went googling and couldn't find any reference to it anywhere. Just one to her being pregnant at the same time as Helen was with Henry. So I suspect she currently isn't and R4 may have made it up by mistake!

It's not up to P&T whether Knob stays in the cottage. I guess Usha will to let him stay if he pays the rent, but it's a bit of an odd situation when her colleague acts for Helen.

Now I tend to look at the clock and decide not to listen. Well done to all of you who have stuck with this awful sl.

It was good to see another delurker: welcome, AuldAlliance.

I'm glad Jazzer is moving back with Jim. With Shula's involved, I thought it was going to turn out that Jazzer is homeless and it will be a re-run of the HWMNBN story.

Eek, my last sentence took a wander away from English grammar in places...

High fives Auld

How do we know Louisa Patikas is pregnant?

I wish to call in my defence, m'lud, a certain Ms ljkk of Ambridge who said on 17.04.16 "Louiza Patikas is on maternity leave hence why Hell is so quiet, I understand. We'll hear from her again in 6-10 months I suppose."
Over to you ljkk.

Definitely got the feeling Shula was about to say something but stopped herself when she realised that it would have been tantamount to admitting she had perjured herself over the hunt sab. Not sure new granny Lynda would have been so unsympathetic to Pat and Tony's plight though.

I'm very worried about a storyline direction. It was bad enough that some woman blundered into my glade. Now it seems that she's blown my privacy to anyone that will listen. Hopefully they'll just think she need to up the HRT patches and it will just be another one of those random stories that is introduced for no reason and goes nowhere. Like so many others.

Massively unrelated. But AugustaFinkNottle do you think the stars are God's daisy chain?? **

I reckon George is hiding his pennies behind the fairy door.

Sara

AliceKeach I am so pleased that somebody else noticed VW's prescient custard foreshadowing as well

Actually I've discovered that was my friend Madeline Bassett.

it is very unlikely that solicitors would have done this hearing

I'm only familiar with Scottish system but there would be nothing strange in Scottish solicitors doing that hearing. What did seem strange was the non -appearance of an instructing solicitor with the QC

I like Jazzer and Jim

The slight stirring of Shula's conscience was well done; but I don't have high hopes that she will really help. In that broadcasting house interview SOC said that his inspiration was Thomas Hardy (the pretension!) and that it was only after great misery that Helen would be redeemed. I have a horrible feeling that everything will go wrong, Helen will be convicted and it will only be once she is in prison and thoroughly alienated from Henry and everyone else that evidence against Rob will come to light.

Where the Hell is Jess?

Nice to see that the rural housing crisis has yet again been addressed by the dispossessed tipping their caps and being favoured (or not) at the whim of the land owning classes (and Bert)

I think it's increasingly common for instructing solicitors not to attend when there is a barrister present. Changes to legal aid funding and the way insurance funding is often structured has had a big impact.

Re Rob and his job. I think the best he can go for is claiming that he is employed by Bridge Farm, that he does not have a right to claim unfair dismissal, but does have a right to claim breach of contract. As I think he was paid monthly then I believe all he'd be entitled to would be one months notice/payment in lieu.
I suppose he could claim that as a replacement for Helen that he had been taken on under a fixed term contract to cover her pregnancy and maternity leave and that he is entitled to compensation for that period. But I think that would be pushing it.
Re disability discrimination - even if he has a legitimate claim to be suffering from a disability then I think PatnTone can establish that his "sacking" was nothing to do with disability and everything to do with him being an odious shit.
But PatnTone are so wet they'll probably let him return to the shop in response to what will be his blackmail over them seeing Henry.

Oh my goodness, Annie, you could be right: once he's better, he'll sweet-talk / browbeat Pat into letting him continue working at Bridge Farm, playing on her sympathy and the thought that it's "for the sake of Henry and the baby", with the implied condition that they will be allowed to see their grandchildren more often.

He needs to be dismissed for SOSR some other substantial reason. Notwithstanding ill health capability and performance related capability.