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

Pat is so busy weeping & wailing that she's not thinking straight about anything.

Bored now and there aren't any other sl to keep me listening.

And no prolly neate, I'm not bored of an abused woman. I'm bored of a stupidly written sl.

I'm beginning to wonder whether the reason I feel so uncomfortable with the Rob/Ursula vs Archer discord is because, actually, this must be a little how he-said-she-said scenarios go. I've never been in one (thank heavens), but maybe it is just excruciating waiting for justice to be done. Rob truly believes his version. Helen, when she finally comes out with it, will truly believe hers. So then we're looking at dramatic court scenes.

Either that or I'm so completely pissed off with the whole SL I'm desperately clutching at straws.

I think we should all be granted a break from Helen/Rob over the summer, come back to it in September.

I resent the fact that the story-line has completely desensitised me too domestic violence - I'm actually bored by the whole thing now - which is a terrible thing to admit really.

But it's not being bored of domestic abuse - it's being bored of a badly written drama

Sorry to be boring, but when did the old Tony disappear and the new annoying one arrive?

Perhaps Helen has registered baby as an Archer.

OK BYO you've made me feel better. It is just like torture though, I really don't think I can bear it anymore. I rely now on Lowfield and here. I actually stopped watching Eastenders when Tiffany died - I can only take so much misery!

when did the old Tony disappear and the new annoying one arrive?

07.01.14 according to the BBC blog.

And the old Tony was ill if I recall, so it wasn't just blindly replacing an actor.

I don't want a break from the storyline. What I'd like is more of it. I'd like to hear Helen's relatives talking about it. As they surely would in real life? I'd like to hear Jenny say that she couldn't possibly have her anniversary party with all this going on. The real Lillian would never have encouraged her. Surely Kirsty, Tom, Fallon, Emma, Ian and Adam would be talking of nothing else and putting their heads together to remember incidents that might help Helen's case? I'd like to hear Pat telling Rob that he can't come back to the shop. And Peggy encouraging Helen to breastfeed the baby exclusively to give her a better chance of keeping him longer. And Anna telling Helen, just once even, that she hasn't yet given her any explanation of the 'not guilty' plea.

I don't think most people stop their whole lives just because someone in the family or a friend has had a disaster. When my mom died suddenly we still had to go to work & change the nappies & job hunt & figure out the next holiday.

What we all want is for Rob to have a delicious downfall. Hard to be satisfied by anything less.

What I want is that, when Helen grits her teeth and spits out that Rob mustn't get hold of the baby, someone would just ask the simple question "Why?"

Precisely Augusta

Technically, Helen had raised BP during labour. Eclampsia would involve seizures, and nothing was said of that? Pre-eclampsia is the process before full-blown eclampsia - she didn't have that last time either, i think? Just signs of pre-eclampsia - and of course good care involves catching it before eclampsia sets in so baby and mother don't run into BIG BIG problems. My feeling about H was she was high risk to have a caesarean anyway - I can't imagine in her circs there were too many endorphins floating around helping her to labour 'efficiently', and she had had a prev caesarean - so the clock would be ticking.

So was Peggy actually present at the birth?

YY, the simple words from Anna 'And why do you believe the children aren't safe with Rob?' are long overdue.

Peggy is quite an asset. She is the only one (of that crowd ) with good lines just now. I too hope Kirsty doesn't take Tom back, but IMO it is okay if they are friends. That was quite a nice scene, just hope he doesn't get too used to sandwiches and flask being brought out to him!

Vango I agree. How could Tom and Kirsty have that conversation and Tom not mention Knob's involvement???? I was waiting for that to come up but it has been totally forgotten.

Me too Lillian "so how come you went to Canada?".

Were the screws at the actual birth? Somehow a woman lying on an ironing board having her abdomen cut open isn't much of an escape risk. I'd like to think Peggy was there - in her greens, sitting on the wee stool at the head end and talking sense to Helen.

I was actually relieved there was none of the talk from Tom about how 'someone else made me do it'. (enough of that on Relationships,sadly from real people) He took responsibility and was sorry. He also didn't give the impression he loved Kirsty even now in the way he needs to if they were to be married. If they can just stay friendly long enough to sort everyone else out that will be fine. Where's Patrick?!

Topaz we don't know who was at the birth. I totally agree about the police, I was surprised they didn't actually laugh when he said it. I must admit I've been reading too much Val McDermid too

Topaz I wasn't expecting Tom to blame Rob but I think Kirsty would have been interested to hear that Rob obviously had a hand in facilitating Tom's sudden departure. Any normal 'friend' would surely encourage a reluctant groom to at least forewarn his bride to be. Unless you really hated that bride to be!

I read an awful article about how prisoners are treated if they have to go into hospital. The guards stay in the room with them, actually hand-cuffed to them, even if they're on the brink of death. So I expect that H gave birth shackled to the bed and hand-cuffed to a guard.

Not any more. The wretched Anne Widdecombe saw nothing wrong with that practice but IIRC it was abolished when more enlightened counsel prevailed.