He's not a pheasant poacher, he's a pheasant poacher's grandson. Join us for trials, tribulations and tipsy tractor trips in Ambridge.

[PseudoBadger]

Will this thread see the end of The Trial? And SOC?

Yes I hope so Judy

When Knob picked up Henry from P&Ts after their holiday it was chilling how Henry immediately went silent when Rob said "that's enough" or something along those lines. Then Henry switched back to robot child mode. Surely Pat must have noticed.

Perhaps Hells will create a commemorative cheese in her honour.

Top bombing...

Lord, Roses - we seem to have known all the same people ...

I shared South Ken flats with the directors' lunches tribe. (I say shared - they bought fixer uppers straight out of Lucy Clayton or art school and tolerated my roofless, impecunious hovering.) No one would give me a nice little holiday job at Sorhebys though. My papa was not on the board or whatever. I recall they all seemed to fly "home" in each other's parents' private planes. Happy days.

Someone's probably answered about Nigel and Elizabeth by now.

Oh yes Rosary Gardens, Cranley Gardens, Harrington Gardens, The Admiral Codrington on a Friday Night and supper at 19 Mossop Street. Nigel would have been there throwing rolls back at The Blues and Royals

If Rob now has to build a truly character representative relationship with Charlotte before he can show his colours and be brought down, this has well over a year in the making. Done accurately Helen will languish for years. Goodness knows what will happen to Henry. The mental health storyline isn't one I look forward to.

The jobs at Vogue, Sotheby's & Christie's didn't pay enough to live on - they relied on you having an allowance from your parents . I remember my boss being horrified that I lived on what the company paid me (I didn't work for one of those employers but one which paid around double).

Judy - the blurb on the podcast referred to Kaz self-harming.

Go Ian! Show Rob you're ten times the man he is.

They mentioned she'd lost a lot of blood, so I assumed she cut her wrists.

Go Ian! More of the same please SWs.

Someone please tell me about Ian & Rob. And the Kaz relevance.

Nigel & Elizabeth. He was so shy, modest, self-deprecating. A Good Egg. Thus attracted to the determined, effervescent, confident (right pain in the arse snotty selfish) Lizzie. And the nursing her broken heart after the cad Cameron Fraser just made all that more intense (worse imo)

Also love the "commemorative cheese".

Wonder what Nelson's would have been. It's v early still but am sure by the time I come up with something you lot will have come up with 20 better suggestions

Back to Lizzie - never really understood why Nelson had a soft spot for her. Cos there wasn't/isn't any decent good heart underneath her selfish and self-absorbed exterior.

What was Shula doing wandering round like Miss Havisham with a plate of sandwiches???

The Miss Havisham of cricket teas. Love it.

Ian, at last finally someone saying it like it is. So proud.

Meat paste. Boke.

Rob is such an arse.

So what is the situation with Rob / Ian / Adam: Rob knows about the kiss within Charlie because Helen told him; he told Ian but Ian hasn't told Adam he knows. So Rob will get the defence barrister to imply that Ian has a grudge against Rob for that reason.

The defence barrister is Helen's, and Rob doesn't employ the prosecution barrister. He could suggest to the prosecution that that is a way to undermine Ian, but in the real world I'm not sure they'd be interested. Of course, what happens in courts in SOC land may well not accord with the real world.

Thanks. In my head Rob is the accused so that's why I said defence!!

Will he have much contact with the prosecution team or is he more of a "witness"?

Rob is just a witness, like anyone else. He won't have any contact with the prosecution barrister until he's in the witness box giving evidence.

So what is the situation with Rob / Ian / Adam

'tisn't just the kiss. Rob is just homophobic anyway, so they're never going to be best buddies in any case. But there was also the thing at the charity run where Ian hit Rob in front of Bradley Wiggins, because Rob was winding him up so much about not being a bra or something. Can't remember the details. But certainly Ian has never been taken in by Rob, and Rob knows that.

NelsonsWineBar I was thinking the Kaz relevance is because Helen's previous partner Greg, a gamekeeper, shot himself and so this is the second time she has discovered an unresponsive loved and trusted person covered in blood. (Luckily Kaz wasn't actually dead though). It will shake Helen's confidence - she may think everyone she loves get harmed, and she will miss the actual support of Kaz - she won't now be waving her off to the courtroom while minding Jayden and Jack for the day.

On the other hand it may wake Helen up as to what harm an abuser can do to a victim, even a seemingly bright worldly-wise one such as Kaz.

Kaz's suicide attempt might also bring home to Helen that that's what Rob was telling her to do when he thrust the knife in her hand - and she might actually tell Anna about it (or save it for a courtroom revelation.)

The Times has a piece today about the trial - that it will run for 6 days and that a SW has spent a day in court listening to trials.

I've posted it in full on the spoiler thread Errol. Didn't want to risk the wrath of PresidentOliviaMNHQ.

I know it's not obligatory - but surely this whole storyline was prompted by the coercive control law. Surely at some point Rob has to be charged. Or maybe SOC just thought it sounded like a good idea.

Would it be possible for Helen to get sent down for wounding, but Rob to be charged under the new Act?

Would Helen have to press charges?

Or is this just a 'don't stab your husband, call the police' cautionary tale.