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 thought that about the marriage

Hasnt carol been in ambridge long enough that the marriage would have had to happen while she was there (I'm unclear of the law dates)

Unless they are in a civil partnership but then the lingo is wrong?

fruitstick "pressing charges" only happens in the USA. Both here and over there, though, the opposite can happen - the CPS may prosecute the crime against the express wishes of the victim and without their testimony if they have enough evidence.

I've just read that Telegraph article as well - sorry, but now Rob caused the flood all by himself, by blocking a drain? He caused the Am to flow backwards? And presumably this is what SOC thinks, because the article seems to be written on his instructions...

Don't you dissolve a CP?

Yes the flood part is stupid. As far as I can understand he blocked the culvert and this caused the road etc to flood this possibly cutting off emergency services. Given the floods seemed to affect a larger area and the emergency services were overstretched it's unlikely rob caused the whole thing!

When did the law change on marriage?

First same sex marriages were March 14.

So another inconsistency

But a lot of people do call their civil partner their husband/wife, so they may be using the term in that vein.

Bleh. It's all just turned a bit Prisoner Cell Block H. So lame.

I really think TA could reel in a whole new generation of listeners by upping their writing game. There's scope for it to become a cult thing amongst the yoof. There's more than the bare bones of an infrastructure that could simultaneously keep the old listeners happy (gentle plodding agricultural and rural life) while addressing serious contemporary issues (employment, housing, social welfare) in a manner that's not sensational or overly dramatic.

John died in 2014 and Carol didn't return straight away - so it could be possible.

Marrying when your dad has just died? And wouldn't that be something you mention - she got married 6m ago etc

And they referred to divorce - as lawyers you wouldn't expect them to be inaccurate!

I'm thinking Anna and Kirsty

Or Anna and Jill. Now that would genuinely surprise me. Although with soc, maybe not.

The sensationalism of lesbianism (which this has been) really irritates me!!

Or got married just before John died so he could be there?

I'm now trying to rack my brains about when Jennifer went to visit Anna (or was it her brother) and whether she was married then.

He does in the July apparently

There's more than the bare bones of an infrastructure that could simultaneously keep the old listeners happy (gentle plodding agricultural and rural life) while addressing serious contemporary issues (employment, housing, social welfare) in a manner that's not sensational or overly dramatic.

Erm ...

Well ...

I guess I could be called an "old" listener. Neither gentle nor plodding are, or ever have been what I look for in drama or in life.

Somewhat the opposite in fact.

And rural life, ime, is red in tooth and claw.

Brushing all that aside - yes, every single person who has ever posted on these threads wants better writing - but great writing doesn't dole out issues exclusively designed for only one part of the audience. We should all be drawn in to the same story.

Or, to misquote Mr Wilder "don't try to make it zeitgeisty, try to make it real."

Most people I know who had civil partnerships whem that was the only option referred to themselves as "married" "wife" etc. And most of them then did the paperwork to turn the civil partnership into a marriage when they were able to do so, in a low key way, without a ceremony, or with maybe a small celebration.

Nigel Pascoe QC on Today right now talking about Helen's defence.

"Just doesn't seem right."

"Wrong terms, eg custody."

"No involvement of local authority."

"Of course she should have been on bail."

Anyway, apparently there's a "proper" cross examination in the Radio Times. (I can never find anything there so hope someone will tell me what it says ...)

Typical Gruach I had just turned off Today to listen to last night's episode.

I'm not looking forward to the trial. It's either six days of re-hashing of what we have already heard or it's a ridiculous Big Reveal. And I'm definitely not looking forward to six days' worth of Pat doing the Greek Chorus routine.

At present you can get a clip of that bit of the Today programme on iPlayer.

I remember when Kenton came back from being at sea, and he was was worried about a "mystery illness". This was in the 80's in the time of AIDS/HIV panic. it turned out to a thyroid issue that Jill also had, but you can imagine the drama. (I read a few years later in a magazine article about the Archers that it was going to be HIV but the Editor changed his mind).

In the days when most people have a family member, friend or colleague who is in a same-sex marriage, civil partnership or relationship, the thought that "Max/Maxine" is female isn't an issue, and not "ground-breaking drama".

I've just heard on the DumteDum podcast that the trial is going to be an hour long episode on Sunday! Anyone know whether that's right?

According to the BBC website, there's an hour-long episode on Sunday 11th September. I don't think the episodes next week are longer than normal. Oo-er.

So according to Telegraph article SOC hasn't forgotten about the culvert skulduggery - what he has forgotten is that it is not only the audience who know about it, but also Jennifer and David. Are they going to have a collective bang on the head and and suddenly remember about Stefan? I want to feel that life in Ambridge is unfolding naturally and spontaneously; that from one moment to the next anything is possible like Gruach. It did used to feel like that at the start of the HelRob storyline, but since the stabbing it has felt utterly contrived with everyone forced to behave out of character or suffer from amnesia to bring things to a conclusion before the endlessly trumpeted departure of SOC

Oohhhhh....... Gasp and Bert. I'm away and I promised I would try and keep the time fairly Archers free. Hmmmm...starts managing expectations.

Yes.

They're asking quite a lot of us.