Will Lynda agree that the Grundys are fungis? And is Peggy finally realising that Helen is faaahmly? Await the Ambridge Fairy on The Archers thread.

[PseudoBadger]

"Get outta my village" screams Peggy Mitchell

Have been avoiding TA and just reading this thread. Had it on in the car last night and agree Helen playing ditzy stressed air head is really unbelievable. She was fairly together when she discussed leaving with Kirsty although stupid to not leave whilst he was out. The not stringing a sensible sentence together just drags out an already past its best story line. Was thinking I will return when SOC leaves and someone sensible and interested in the characters not dramatic plots takes over. Looks like I'll be waiting a few years though

Agreed, vaara total panic stations because of an entirely predictable event...

Quite a few of the Archers scriptwriters are female. Just saying.

Doesn't mean they can't also be mysogynist arseholes!

Are there not people whose job it is to interview people who have been traumatized?

I listen with disdain at the moment. The waters breaking is so heartbreakingly cliche that it is as if I'm listening to a totally different radio programme.

True, but I wish we could stop calling the scriptwriters that. Organ-grinders, monkeys...

I agree with Bertrand. Soc may come up with the overall story arcs but the sw are the ones actually writing this bilge. So it was a woman who wrote the waters breaking scene. I can't imagine she was told she had to write exactly that - just told to make it dramatic. Which it wasn't. It just took another step away from being credible.

(On another note, I see they have a murderous child on EE - given how soc doesn't do original thought do you think it will end up being Henry!?!)

I expect H has PTSD. In fact I don't believe anyone really knows what to do with her or anyone else. As SOC said himself, She shouldn't have stabbed Rob. I think he was planning to kill off the Archers in one fail swoop.

The lack of mental health care is quite astounding. Surely Anna has had enough conversations with her to realise she needs a mental health professional to be involved. Surely diminished responsibility is what they are going for?

Love Archenders and PiRex.

As for TA
PTSD can be the only explanation for Hellin. If I was Anna I would be on an assault charge by now

shiny
Complexity of it's characters.

BYO diminished responsibility is only a defence to murder

I've been wondering why the scriptwriters can't keep us up to date with the other characters by way of normal village conversations. The kind where Jenny meets The Vicarage coming out of the newly opened but never mentioned village shop.

JD: Gosh Alan I haven't seen you in ages.
Alan: No, well it's the busy season what with weddings and needing to exercise the St Stephen's werewolf.
JD: I've been meaning to ask you, how's Amy getting on in her new job in (insert name of random town)?
Alan: She's really enjoying it thanks, although the hours are long and she's working too hard, as always.
JD: And the token ethnic aunts, how are they?
Alan: Keeping well. We're considering brining Aunty Satya down next time the scriptwriters have a target to meet.
JD: Dis I tell you that Justin brought his friend Latif for drinks. He just raved about my kitchen, of course I said "oh this old thing".
Alan: Gosh Jenny, must just go and sweep another petty theft under the vestry carpet.

So you can be mentally unwell enough to kill someone but not to attempt to kill them?

Surely diminished responsibility can't only be used for murder?? How is attempted murder any different- it is just less successful!

How can it be that Helen got it together enough to think, yes, it was self defence and I'm not guilty.... but not enough to say a single word about anything Rob's done, to not comprehend why Anna might ask about the phone, to stoutly insist that she never asked for the phone and she has no idea why Kirsty insisted on giving it to her? Surely she knows that she has said 'self defence', so she has had at least a tiny think about what she was defending herself from?

I'm fast coming to the conclusion that she, Pat, and Tony, should all both be thrown in a dungeon and the key thrown away.

MH care is in tatters in real life. Can't imagine it's any more available in prison unless Pat and Tony pay for it.

Yes Beau but I thought she saw someone soon after custardgate, to assess if she was fit to be interviewed.

I'm moving on to more important issues -

Where is Psuedo ?
and When is JessieMcJessies baby due ?

That would only have been a duty doctor though.

I'll miss Monday due to a school thing.

But if you were Anna would you not be suggesting that instead of the hours they are paying her to discuss blossom - they should be getting her mental health help? I would have thought it would help her case

If I were Anna I'd expect the solicitor to be doing the dog work. Is Anna doing this as a favour because there's a family connection?

DH is corporate but only sees the client after he has been fully briefed by the solicitors and that includes a lot of documents usually. Perhaps criminal law is different.

MH care is in tatters - but back in Ambridge, she had a whole psychiatric care team (of which Rob claimed to be the most important person, of course.) And now there's nothing, despite her having stabbed someone.

I have a vague memory she had some sort of assessment not long after she was first arrested, and they decided she was of sound mind, but you'd think someone could be having a conversation about her avoiding any talk about the incident for which she has been arrested, and checked her medical files, and think, maybe we need another assessment, which could be referenced in a scene where someone says it's been requested, but pressures on mental health services means she's still waiting to be seen.

Except we'd probably just have another scene where Pat blames herself...

Perhaps criminal law is different.
... in Borsetshire.