Surprise surprise - Kirsty has a Mini Sausage Roll in the oven! Discuss the Archers here

[PseudoBadger]

Happy New Year to you all.

Any decent solicitor would tell her you can't defend a divorce, there's no point! If one party wants a divorce it will happen

Oh goodness yes. I was waiting for that. It's never been my line and Scots law is different from England but my vague recollection is it is 2 years separation with agreement and no fault and 5 years separation if there is no consent. (Caveat those figures may well be long out of date but despite the best efforts of a certain Scottish firm who used to act in contested Catholic divorces you can't not get a divorce in the UK if you want one)

As I understood it, the solicitor did tell Helen that Rob's defence stood very little chance. However, I guess from Rob's point of view there is a point in defending a divorce based on his unreasonable behaviour, because he can't accept there has been anything wrong with his behaviour - and, if he were to succeed (which he probably thinks he will), Helen would presumably have to wait till they'd been separated for five years to get the divorce. IIRC, he wasn't in any hurry to divorce Jess, was he?

Don't forget that Jim was one of Rob's earliest targets Lass. Poor Jim's had to hold his tongue on more than one occasion.

Maybe this is where will find out that he never actually divorced Jess and his marriage to Helen is bigamous... I initially typed that without the o and all I could hear in my head was Jim spouting his Latin

Can I just mention that I LA at lunchtime & caught a remark of Susan's that I missed yesterday - about Toby generally needing a bulk order of apology cards?

Made me LOL!

Sorry

Oooh, Helen's just popped up on ITV as a forensic pathologist/crime-scene type in the new series of 'Unforgotten'....

I thought it was her!!

Oooh, Helen's just popped up on ITV as a forensic pathologist/crime-scene type in the new series of 'Unforgotten'....

Stab wounds with a kitchen knife !

About Brian wooing Jennifer with visions of the bosky new land... Does he have form for going back on stuff like this?

He'll certainly present it to there rest of the family as her unalloyed support for the land purchase and not mention how she was persuaded.

I'm not sure Alan has thought through his advice to Rob very well - 'concentrate on Jack' would be fine if he was talking to a character like Roy or Tom but to Rob that translates as encouragement to obsess about Myson even more.

Susan on the other hand - having fallen for Rob's charms once, is never going to make that mistake again after his run-in with Emma.

I'm not sure Alan has thought through his advice to Rob very well - 'concentrate on Jack' would be fine if he was talking to a character like Roy or Tom but to Rob that translates as encouragement to obsess about Myson even more

I thought that too. This is going to end so badly isn't it?

Was that the first time we've heard Rob call him Jack? There was definitely a pause of distaste before he said it.

Alan is out of his depth with Rob. He still thinks - or is acting - as if Rob were balanced, whereas he's clearly losing control. His self pity is nauseating

From the horse's mouth Kingscote - Keri Davies teeets:

Rob has given up calling Jack 'Gideon', as part of the supposed effort he's making to be a better man - qv his visit to Helen. #TheArchers

I suspect that Rob will read what Alan says as advice on how to play the part in order to get what he wants, as opposed to advice on how to live his life.

And here are Dumteedum's character statistics for the whole of 2016. ("Regular" characters at the bottom of this list must be royally peed off ...)

Hayley scores the same as Annika Rice! And Will the same as the unnamed court clerk... Hadn't realised Nic had disappeared altogether.

Pip and Toby in 3rd and 5th places - no wonder I'm sick of them both.

Rob is very good on putting on a respectable facade. I guess at the moment his life is so out of his control he's not capable of maintaining it

I reckon the actress who plays pip has something on someone high up at the archers.

Wondering if I'm being a bit thick about Brian and this land - why is he so keen on buying it?

Is it because Justin wants him to, so therefore thinks it's a good idea? Or is this so the Aldridges can face some financial hardship SL?

I really don't miss Will and Nic. He is whiny and she's a bit wet. Mind you, I used to dislike Emmur and she is growing on me, though I loved Susan's comment about her looking a bit petulant in the family photo. Or was that Jim's adjective?

Or is this so the Aldridges can face some financial hardship SL?

I think so. Talking of which, what happened to the Grundys? Despite Caroli ludicrously generously letting them stay at Grange Farm, I thought we were in for a Dickensian can't-pay-the-rent-at-Christmastime story (hence the 'please put a penny in Joe Grundy's hat' in the last thread title). Another SL quietly dropped?

Ed mentioned the struggle to pay the rent to Alastair didn't he?

I'm not a great fan of the money problem storylines at either end of the spectrum. I find it takes away from my escapism!!

Big BOOP for Susan the other night in the shop. And for Adam. And for the Button girls 😀😀

I haven't posted for ages or caught up with the thread, but just wondered if any others are thinking that Rob's meltdown in the village shop suggests the SL is now going to take a sinister turn? I.e. After so much aggro ( which has been so very satisfying!) he will now his anger onto Helen.

Although if he might make a play for a share of Bridge Farm in the divorce settlement, I guess not. What has been the consensus on here??🤔🤔

Xmas was Dickensian because they didn't get to go to the panto (xref the money spent on Susan's photo) and they could only get George a second hand bike (xref will being able to buy the quad)

On that note, is it not usual for separated parents who get on reasonably well to discuss Xmas presents?