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

[PseudoBadger]

Happy New Year to you all.

It was quite funny that, when chucked out, Rob went instantly for his usual response of "Well, it's a lousy shop anyway", when three minutes earlier he had been so desperate to get in that he was making threats to be allowed to enter and buy things.

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)

That's not Dickensian by Grundy standards, that's normal life! I suppose the SW couldn't turn them out onto the streets because we've already done that SL.

I know - I was being tongue in cheek- but is clearly considered Dickensian to the current sw!!

I wish Alan would butt out. "Stop obsessing and think about what matters" - what, focus on how to get your son off the wife you raped, that's good Christian advice is it?

Other than being a vicar and therefore feeling he changer involved in other people's business, does Alan have any training in counselling etc?

I believe counselling is part of the training in some churches.
can imagine that that is the case here.

Sorry Anti, I mis-read your cynical tone.

Is Alan over-interfering because he still feels a bit guilty about his DW throwing Rob out of BHC.

Alan's interfering because he believes it's his Christian duty to bring the lost sheep back into the fold. He's way out of his depth.

Well I guess narrative-wise it's so that we can hear Rob's plans and thoughts - and also hear, incidentally, that his Christmas was as bad as Adam was suggesting!

But if it was real life, and Alan a real person, I would think he was being really misguided - and unfair to the Archer family.

Yes I can see that we need a sounding board for rob.

But surely aka should have enough training to know he is out of his depth and could potentially make things worse

My guess is rob will do something bad (please let Toby and pip be collateral damage) and Alan will feel bad and spend the rest of the year flagellating himself on the village green

Helens blasé attitude to Jess having security measures and the fact she's told no one about 'foot in the door' signals to me that knob will turn up at bridge farm to do the bad thing.

I propose that Rob kills Helen (taking out PiRex on the way) which bangs him up in jail, gives Tony his final heart attack and sends a distraught Pat off to a nunnery in Wales, never to be heard from again.
This will leave Tom to look after Johhny, Henwee, Gack and sausageroll. There would be a fair few storylines in that!

Alan doesn't know about the BF foot in door but presumably Usha told him about Rob doing that to her?

Rob being difficult about the divorce, and the ridiculous idea of claiming on the farm is from his pov about his being the innocent, injured party, but re plotlines, maybe just to drive up the time and legal bills. I hope Tom doesn't start being unsupportive because now he has his own child's interests to consider (I can't imagine Kirsty taking that line).

r4 though not a nunnery for pat, she'd find an all women retirement collective. Similar thing, different dogma.

The problem is that Alan is the only vaguely "plausible" person Rob might talk to. None of the rest of the village will give him the time of day, and he's already clearly shown his disdain for mental health professionals/counsellors. I suppose we could have phone calls to Ursula, but...
However Alan did seem to sound as if he's reached the end of his perseverance. (And personally I think he should be discussing it with the Bishop/his spiritual advisor etc.)

I think he should be discussing it with the Bishop/his spiritual advisor etc.

We don't know he isn't. There's no evidence he is, but equally, there's a lot of most characters' lives we hear nothing of.

I think he should be discussing it with the Bishop/his spiritual advisor etc

We don't know he isn't. There's no evidence he is, but equally, there's a lot of most characters' lives we hear nothing of

Hmm, but they could spare 30 seconds of Tube and Pipsqueak time to have the vicar discussing with his legally qualified wife, who, as part of her professional training, also has to consider ethics, confidentiality and the requirement to speak to someone else when one is out of one's depth work wise, and ergo, an ideal sounding board for Alan.


I would have thought a vicar would know to be careful not to discuss with his wife things that a parishioner has told him in a counselling situation. Imagine if Rob says to Alan, "So I suppose you discuss my personal life with Usha?" it's much better if Alan can truthfully say "no, it's an important principle that I respect your confidentiality."

I agree Alan is out of his depth- even if he had received some counselling training, he would need something specific to DV to be useful in this situation. Rob is scheming and manipulative and Alan treats him as almost sincere/straightforward, even if misguided. I was surprised though that he said words to the effect of 'you are putting yourself beyond help' as I was under the impression that was the exact opposite of christian teaching.

I'm wondering if my memory is correct - I think Knob encouraged Tom to jilt Kirsty, saying he could do better... and was generally disparaging about her. Knob also encouraged Tom to go to Canada and knew where he was all along while PatnTone were v. cross with him but worried about his whereabouts.
If Tom remembers this and discusses with Kirsty then Helen might be spurred to charge Knob with something.
I wonder if anyone else could come forward about Knob and previous abuse ... and when will David and Jennifer and Ed remember about Stefan, the blocked culvert and the mysterious unblocking and resulting pile of rubbish?

I don't think it would be out of order for Alan to discuss in general terms with Usha as to whether she thinks he is getting out of his depths.

Belated Happy New Year everyone.

I still haven't finished reading the last thread but couldn't wait any longer to get on this one! Totally agree with Bertrand re Rob's prosecution for coercive control and rape, but to be honest I'd be happy to get rid of him any which way now! I think Helen needs to get her head screwed on and report every little attempt at contact with Henry. Can she apply for a restraining order if she hasn't reported him? It's not enough for us to hear her getting stronger - Knob needs to know he can't manipulate her any more!

Cheesy this is what is annoying me more than anything at the moment - the list of crimes Knob has committed is wide and varying, and it's inconceivable that everyone has selective amnesia about them!

But Alan did discuss Rob with Usha after a previous session with him. Something about the nature of evil.

Tbf Tom did the jilting all on his own. He wasn't manipulated into doing it.

And when they couldn't find him when Tony was injured it was because he was in a cabin in the middle of nowhere

TheAntiBoop yes that is normal re Xmas presents!
In fact the divorced parents in my experience have even gone halves on a big present and they don't even get on, what with xmas being all about the children and that.