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

[AugustaFinkNottle]

I do agree, it seems mad that even the defence team hasn't apparently thought about getting a psychiatric report. Surely the information from Kirsty and Pat (if she's got around to giving it to the solicitors) is enough to tell lawyers with experience in domestic abuse that this looks like emotional abuse and needs to be looked into? Plus they've got the evidence of previous psychiatric involvement and the return of Helen's anorexia?

And surely it's occurred to Pat, Tom or Kirsty by now that it would be a good idea to go round to friends and see whether they remember incidents of Rob being ultra controlling? And indeed to check the shop accounts?

[HalsallRedux]

The minute Anna T said they'd do a drugs test, I wondered if H would turn out to be positive for some substance that Knob'n'Arsula have been slipping into her tea all these weeks....

[glowfrog]

Halsall that would be amazing but after a month it would have cleared out, surely?

[EasyToEatTiger]

What, like strychnine? Or Rhohypnol? Or heroin? Or maybe just some of those nice snoozy barbiturates. Perhaps Ambridge is just another snoozy village in the middle of nowhere where mental health services have been cut to the core, and despite Helen's referral, the next appointment available in in July 2017 for a psychiatric evaluation in Birmingham. There are no psychological treatments available and the only option is the asylum, AKA custardy. Her GP has retired and the local practice has closed down due to financial problems. Helen's friends and relatives really would rather she were back home and locked in the attic. Then Ambridge can get on as normal.

[Minimammoth]

Laudanum

[LillianGish]

Dare I say this, but I'm actually finding it quite boring. It's being dragged out in real time, but I've actually stopped caring too much about Helen. I thought her reminiscence tonight was actually a bit tedious - obviously it's not a real memory from the programme (heaven forbid SOC should actually bother with any continuity from before) it is just something made up to illustrate what exactly? Helen was fired up enough after to seeing Jess to go back home, pack her bags and then stab Knob - but has still made no mention of this. We still don't know what happened in spite of being the only witnesses apart from
Henwee. Everything else seems to have been dropped (Phoebe's A levels anyone?) apart from some rather feeble plots about building henhouses and shepherds' huts.

[BYOSnowman]

It's not really in real time though - still waiting for Jess to turn up and for anyone to ask Helen about da

And Ian is still about to go 'hang on Adam, you slept with charlie'

[leliondemer]

So when is Anna going to start asking Helen WHY the baby shouldn't go to rob? As so far Helen has been locked up for over a month and still no one has thought about asking her why she wanted to leave and why she doesn't want Henry with Rob.

Agree that the abuse of Henry is absolutely awful to listen to. Even worse than listening to Rob's abuse of Helen.

Hate this storyline and just want it over and done with.

[BYOSnowman]

They've done the worst possible thing they could have done with this sl - make people not care. It's boring and it's dragging and it's badly done wrt realism

[LillianGish]

In fact thinking about it, if that reminiscence was intended to illustrate that she's the kind of person who always gets the blame even when she's innocent then that's far from the truth - in fact it was quite the reverse when she ran over Mike Tucker.

[BYOSnowman]

If there was a multiple choice test

Which character is always blamed Even when innocent
A) ed Grundy
B) Helen Archer
C) Kate Aldridge

I would be picking b last

[EasyToEatTiger]

Perhaps it is Our Dear Leader's idea that we follow him to EA?

[shinynewusername]

I wondered if H would turn out to be positive for some substance that Knob'n'Arsula have been slipping into her tea all these weeks...

Sadly, I can't think of any that would be present in urine at this stage. They could test her hair, but it sounds as if that is not what happens in prison.

[LillianGish]

When did we last hear Jill coo? Surely she should be baking Hellin a cake - with a file in it.

[BYOSnowman]

Why would they drug test her after a month when she has had no access to any drugs?

[mummytime]

There are plenty of drugs in prison. But I'd have thought they should have drug tested her first when she was remanded in custody. I'd have expected a full blood work of a pregnant woman at regular intervals at this stage anyway (admittedly my veins didn't co-operate last time - so they made do with which tests they could get blood for).

[Joskar]

Phew! Finally caught up.

Josh is going to fail his exams I reckon.

[BYOSnowman]

True - not convinced Helen would have the wherewithal to obtain them

[leliondemer]

It would be pointless having her test positive. She'd just say she didn't take anything and no one will believe her... So given the way the sl is going, it's very likely that she will test positve. And be refused MBU. And become even more despondent. Arghhhhh

[R4]

it is just something made up to illustrate what exactly?

Helen recounted a story of how a boy stole a teacher's sweets while the teacher was out of the room. Boy (I've forgotten his name already) distributed them to classmates. Teacher came back and confronted all the DC. Helen probably did the usual guilt-written-all-over-her-face thing but seems to think that the teacher picked on her due to teacher's supernatural powers. Helen then
a) started a persecution complex, but decided that troubles can be avoided by perfectionism
b) was terrified of being shopped to Panettone and being a disappointment to them
c) had a trauma connected to food. This was the start of her anorexia?
The tale seemed fairly illustrative to me! But it would be more helpful for Anna to hear about recent events, not Junior school.

[BYOSnowman]

I bet she's never read Henry Robin Hood then!!

[WannaBe]

"I wondered if H would turn out to be positive for some substance that Knob'n'Arsula have been slipping into her tea all these weeks..." too late for that presumably, however, another possibility is that if she had previously been drugged, the baby could be born with drug-related brain damage?

[AugustaFinkNottle]

I've been wondering about Josh's exams too, Joskar - he spends far more time dealing with the hens than he does revising. Perhaps the idea is that he fails abysmally and decides not to retake so that he can pursue building up his poultry empire.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

apart from some rather feeble plots about building henhouses and shepherds' huts

And gypsy caravans. What's all that about?

And fairy grottos. Or did I imagine that?

And where has every one gone? Roy, Phoebe, Carol Tregorran, Clarrie,Younger Grundys, Kenton, Jolene?

[mummytime]

Emma and Eddie? are involved in the Fairy grotto plot. I can't see where that one is going, but I'm hoping it will be worth listening for eventually.
I assume SOC will be moving on to EE sometime after Peggy Mitchell's death next week. So every cloud has a silver lining.