Roll up roll up! It's nearly Apple Day in Ambridge. Grab a slice of Borset apple cake and see who's got the longest peel in The Archers.

[PseudoBadger]

I'm so happy with the return to the little things. Enjoy the new thread!

I am thinking that Rob is closet and secretly fancies Adam.

Did Alice just refer to 'the net' ? Has anyone referred to it thus in about 20 years? Especially a young woman like Alice? It would have only been more anachronistic if she'd referred to it as the information superhighway.

but I do think that having taken the story down the ridiculous stabbing route the SW have a responsibility to show that it is possible to prosecute

Totally. But I'll be interested to see a review, after perhaps ten years, of whether the new law has actually been of any use.

I feel like such a visitor here now! Missed a couple of episodes midweek - and quite unbelievably listened to something more needful this morning. Must do better ...

at Rob being a closet gay. I wonder if they'll have a moment in the tractor like Charlie and Adam didn't. I honestly have no real predictions. it's all so weird. I will keep listening and it is better, just not quite all sorted IMO.

I found the convo between Lucy and Roy a tad contrived. And she sounded, to my ears, a bit like Jess. Imagine if they were to meet in a scene - after all Jess met Hayley in a clothes shop.

am liking the closet gay theory, it would explain so much, the homophobis, the anxiety to be an alpha male, all traceable to the awful Bruce

To be revealed when Adam and Ian decide to roll back the years and head out to Felpersham's hitherto unmentioned gay quarter and who do they see propping up the bar?

Why the oh so butch and uber hetro alpha male Rob. Awkward scene when he tries to explain that he's only there as The Tool Box serves the best kept pint of Shires for miles around.

would also explain his awkward misplaced over eagerness in all male settings (like that awful stag night, and the cricket team)- it all comes across as 'I'm one of you, honest, like me!'

oh, AND his policing of poor Henry's masculinity

And we never did meet Miles....

Lucy sounded loopy.

Knob sounds deranged.

Why didn't Brine tell Knob to fuck off.

Or get lost as fo would not be allowed

Oh and Pip and Alice are even more idiotic.

Miles is a successful set designer.
Several years of therapy have unpicked the damage done by Bruce and Ursula. He is happily married to Steve a lighting technician and they have adopted mixed race twins aged 5 (Steve is black). This is Never Spoken Of.
Jess got on well with Steve and one of the first rows with Rob concerned his refusal to go to their wedding. She remains a devoted auntie to the boys.

I thought miles was the golden boy in Bruce's eyes?

Rob being in the closet is a bit lazy. People can be homophobic because they're arseholes. It's totally in character for him to despise everything he is not because he is unable to consider another viewpoint - be that gay, female or working class. The other to him is inferior, not threatening. And that will be his downfall

hmm, you may be right I couldn't remember hearing anything at all about Miles

I wonder if Rob is based on somebody Soc used to work with. Who he thought hated him cos he is gay. But in fact he just hated him for being Soc.

I don't think I buy the closet gay thing, but am I misremembering that on Tom's stag night Rob took them to a gay bar or club?

Of course, he might have buggered the little boys at school, in the macho Real Man vs weaker people way, and now have some self-loathing arising from that.

Rob being in the closet is a bit lazy.

It is actually so often the case in real life that homophobic men are dishonest with themselves about their own feelings towards men though.

I agree it's not likely he is a closet gay but it's naice to discuss it along with other theories of course. What happened at the stag night was Knob was being a knob and wanted to go to a club, possibly a pole dancing place. Not sure if that was said but that's what it sounded like he wanted. One of the gays in the village suggested a certain place, and the other said to his partner 'That's a gay place'. And Adam and Ian had a private laugh about it. I'm not sure if they actually went though as there was no further talk and they moved onto the train travel bit.

m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/7816390

"someone's been winding up Susan Carter...and the good news doesn't end there!"

(CA tonight. other good news to do with ozone layer)

Pip is sounding like she'd have been happy for Toby to stay in Brighton...

If the Pip 'n Tobes show was an afternoon play I'd have switched off. Can't honestly remember when I've been less interested either in characters or a particular storyline. So, so dull.