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.

Yes, that's a big part of the problem. She lives and works in a community largely composed of her relations.
She's not entirely sure how some of the family might be reacting. Brian is a man of status but might sympathise with Rob. Some think Rob's a hero and so on.
Not family, but Oliver would be a good choice. However, he thought highly enough of Rob to leave the hunt in his charge.

didn't Oliver and Helen develop "Sterling Gold" cheese together?

Yes, Oliver is the obvious choice. However, the SWs have basically forgotten about all of that. Neil works for Bridge Farm so could be portrayed as not entirely objective.

With the exception of Anya, and possibly Amy (the midwife/vicar's daughter), the only non-village-bred or non-family person I can remember H ever having any sort of relationship with is the woman who taught her all she knows about cheese-making. Anne somebody? (could be wrong about the name).

There was a phase when she spent a lot of time with her, possibly even (gasp!) left Ambridge to stay with 'Anne' and be taught the dark arts of dairying. I do remember that she was always prattling smugly on about this woman at one stage.

It does seem pretty grim that the allegedly 'doggedly independent', 'feisty', 'livewire', 'genius businesswoman' Helen Archer has got to her 30’s and the only person she can suggest as a character reference is.....Neil Carter. Perfectly OK, if dull, bloke apart from having inexplicably married Sooosan but still...

You've got a brilliant memory Halsall I don't remember her cheese maker friend.

When I was a young fairy and still living back in the Glade, my Mum used to complain about Neighbours. She said she didn't want to watch something that spent it's whole time obsessing with the sex love lives of self obsessed teenagers. I'm beginning to know how she felt. I don't want to hear the "shenanigans" of Pip and a previously respectable businessman who should know better, nor do I want to listen at 2pm and have a 7yo asking what a "sex life" is. At this rate I'll need to join the Fairy WI .

She did a placement with Anne as part of her B.Sc. in chesemaking, IIRC. As to why Neil married Susan, well, that was because Emma was on the way. They seem to be happy, though.

Or create a Fairy focus group and call it FAS (Fairies Against Sheenanigans) or FAF (Fairies against FXCKXXG)

Nah Neil is the red herring, Anna will seek out Ian.

I like the sound of FAF. You could put up a guerilla candidate for the Editor job.

I forgot to listen to the film this morning. Still haven't heard Friday. This is weird.

However ... Helen must, off air, have had loads of long term business contacts through Ambridge Organics - when it was in Borchester - and her cheese making. (Didn't they at one time deliver office sandwiches and that type of thing? And cater for all sorts of clients. There ought to be hundreds of people who think she's great.)

Gruach I read your post "When I was in Borchester…." Well you'd make a good character witness for Hell!!!!

I was shaking my fist at the radio again tonight. What a piece of work that man is. It's good to see that people are wise to him now, but as everyone has said, how did they reach that point? We seem to have jumped from 'But they were so happy!' to 'He's a master manipulator' with no intermediate steps at all. It doesn't make sense.

Must admit I try to shut down my hearing when Rob appears. It's all just too much now.

I was more moved to irritation by the appalling stiltedness of the Fallon/ Dot conversations. Knowing that this is the beginning of their era at the centre of Ambridge life.

Dorothy is so nothing. Is this so they can mould her into whatever takes their fancy later on? No discernible accent or even individuality to her voice; no apparent belonging anywhere in particular - just a blank representation of "female" attached to Dan. (But then, I found Rob woefully bland when he first arrived in the village.) And somehow she dragged down the generally high quality of Fallon's appearances. It was like poorly written TV costume drama.

Yes. However, who knows which direction things might go in in the future?

Fallon: Can you pass me that tea towel, Dorothy?
Dorothy: Yes, of course. The gingham one or the one with the map of Ambridge on it?
Fallon: Oh, the Ambridge one, please. I like the picture of Lakey Hill in the middle.
Dorothy: Yes, so do I. Dan and I like to go up on Lakey Hill whenever we can. Would you and Harrison like to join us some time?
Fallon: What, for a nice walk?
Dorothy: No, no! I was thinking of a bit of swinging. Pip said no, which seemed to come as a bit of a blow to Toby, but Pip was adamant, and that leaves us at a bit of a loose end tonight. So what about it? Or should I try Oliver and Caroline?

Do felpersham city really have the means to get a Brazilian player in?

It's all very bullshitey

have not listened yet. need to gird my loins then if Rob is involved.

Love that Gasp0!

Mmm ... It is all a bit tenuous. And - world's lowest profile footballer-of-Brazilian-origin? Fallon seems to be anticipating three day queues on every motorway.

Maybe Neymar has been desperate for a special guest star appearance so they've written in the Brazil themed fete

If Dorothy's parents really were keen on Dorothy Dandridge, they're either exceptionally old or exceptionally old-fashioned. Her hayday was the 1950s.

Thought I'd turn it on this evening whilst getting ready for a shower as not listened for a couple of weeks. Heard Rob and promptly turned it off again.

I've obviously never listened in DS' presence before as on Friday we were late-ish coming home from friends' and he heard "Poor Helen!" which confused him no end as one of his nursery workers is called Helen.

I had to explain that it was a pretend Helen and that there was more than one Helen (he is familiar with the concept of there being more than one person with the same name from the innumerable Thomases in his world, not least the Tank Engine of that name).

Love it Gaspode

Eventually the rape is going to be discovered and Helen is, I assume, going to get out. Can she then revoke the PR and have sole custody of Henry?

There were two rapes that we are aware of. I wonder if there were more 'off air'

If Anna is a good barrister she will lead the jury to believe Helen was on fear of her life - rather than try to recreate what actually happened

How does revoking PR work?

Do we think Henry will get a cricket ball related injury?

Removing parental responsibility?

This is what came up first on Google from a solicitor's firm. (So not actual legal research.) It appears to cover the type of PR Rob has.

The Court can remove a parent’s or stepparent’s Parental Responsibility if that has been acquired through a Parental Responsibility Agreement or Parental Responsibility Order. However, it's rare for a Court to do this, and the circumstances where this might be appropriate are exceptional.

SOC seems to like exceptional circumstances so ...