Out, damned SOC! Out I say! When will Ambridge be free? Discuss The Archers here

[PseudoBadger]

A once-great soap is going down the Beverley drain.

When do they ever go on foreign holidays? Does anyone other than Brian and Jenny?

I would like to think it was a ploy - get him to say they can't possibly take him out of the country but doesn't actually say no to a holiday

My first thought was that Tenerife in August would be too hot for Henry. But I suppose lots of people do take 5 year olds on hot holidays.

I suppose Pat thinks (as many of us do who are dealing with unreasonable people) that being straight and giving the facts ie acting reasonably, would give a reasonable response back - her last utterance suggested she was realising that does not apply in the case of Rob.

The passport is a glaring hole. As big as the one that will appear in the Persian rug - I did think taking JD's Naice Things might be a step too far and she would at least draw the line at the rug.

Pat and Tony could fly within the UK, if H's first plane flight is so important to them. It can be surprisingly cheap. (If they do fly anywhere, I could track their plane on FlightRadar24, my recent addiction.)

strikeout fail!

The trouble with taking Henry on a plane in the UK is that he'd still need a passport or some form of ID, and I suspect Knob won't let them have anything. Frankly I would have thought Tenerife isn't a great idea for a 5 year old anyway, and they would be better off taking him to the seaside - if only to deprive Rob of the chance to make life difficult for them.

At least Pat can be in no doubt now why Helen stabbed him.
He was taking a bit of a risk mind-gaming another Archer woman whilst standing by the knife drawer.

enoch Why don't PatnTone ASK him why Hell did it? No one has effing asked him (if they have I haven't heard it) or it might have been asked by the policeperson taking his statement, but we have never heard it. It's so damn annoying.

And where's Henry's social worker? Has anyone told her that Rob's now looking after Henry single handed?

Didn't he essentially say Helen did it because she's a crazed harpie?

This is making me furious. Has anyone even mentioned a social worker? Is there one?

Rob has PR for Henry, of course he can refuse permission to take him out of the country!

The trouble with taking Henry on a plane in the UK is that he'd still need a passport or some form of ID

Under 16s don't need ID to fly on internal flights.

So does Rob have all the rights he would have if he had adopted Henry?

I think it's raining in Ambridge! I love it when they get the weather so utterly wrong.

Yes, windscreen wipers going. Good grief.

Pip is becoming as annoying as Kate. I've always been fairly tolerant of her, but now she sounds like a ditzy teenager. She obviously knows she is being a cow.

Goodness. Rex seems harmless - but I wouldn't fancy having him pop up from behind every hedge, wheedling and pleading, all summer ...

I'm not sure about that. Certainly he would have to be consulted on any major changes such as a third person being awarded PR as can happen. I think where he may not be treated the same would be if there were care proceedings initiated. He would be made party to proceedings as he has PR but the courts could remove it if they felt it was in Henry's interests whereas they couldn't do so for birth parents without an adoption order to adoptive parents.

I'm no expert on PR but it did seem as if it was a cheap, quick, astoundingly easy way for a stepparent to get all the same rights as a biological parent without going through the scrutiny you have to put up with if you want to adopt. Now, if you think back to Alistair marrying Shula and wanting to adopt Daniel, it did seem crazy that he and Shula had to go through all the same scrutiny as if they'd been totally unrelated to Daniel, and legally Bunty and Reg ceased to be Daniel's grandparents, which didn't seem right either. But then you come up against a controlling monster like Rob and the well-meaning legislation on parental rights just looks naive.

I got to the end of that episode wanting to beg someone to give Pip a slap for being such a self-righteous know-all. I do wish David and Ruth would point out to her that she's not exactly immune from making the odd mistake now and then.

It is strange isn't it? I suppose because step parental PR can be fairly easily removed by a judge whereas adoption can't be undone?

I was thinking that it could be the very fact that David has been relying on the plate meter that has caused his grass-judging skills to be lost.

Clearly I'm overthinking - but hey, at least I seem to be listening...

Organic baby food is a saturated market isn't it? What decade are the sw living in?

As for pop and the way she spoke to both Rex and her dad - could the plate meter find its way up her arse? It might find her head

What was going on with Pip's voice tonight? What's with all the squeakiness.

I LOLed at the weather. In some small part of Worcestershire it was apparently raining but the bit I was in was having a blazing heatwave with doors & windows wide open, fans going, strappy tops and emergency trips to the chilled drinks cabinet.

I think it was her bad acting about lying to Rex. Though quite why she has to, God knows. It's not like she's in a relationship with him.

Wha? That squeaky noise was acting? Are you sure?
I thought perhaps her voice was breaking.