If The Archers characters were acted by dogs, Rob would be a Shih Tzu. Discuss Ambridge events here.

[PseudoBadger]

Avoided a non-sweary title.

I'm genuinely curious to know why you think he's a martyr?

Ians lovely, and so is that green westie

I think the twins have probably just wrecked the place a bit ghost. Lizzie will have to remind herself of yesterday's words as she reprimands them 😁.

Thanks Pseudo.

Gosh have we got our very own gf?

What does that mean?

Our very own contrarian or in Mumsnet speak "goady fucker"

Teenage parties have changed since I was a gel. Canapés? Cocktails? Tomato bruschetta? In my day it was crisps, lumps of cheese and Party 7s.

Yeah, but were your parties held at minor stately homes with a chef randomly dropping in?

We just got tweeted about by The Archers twitter feed!

I'm genuinely curious to know why you think he's a martyr?

12th september was the trial.. 19th January Ian decided to let Adam back into the bedroom (although I imagine that was hardly a mind-blowing experience for Adam-a bit like having sex with an iceberg lettuce)

4 months of Ian being a superior martyr.

Yeah, but were your parties held at minor stately homes with a chef randomly dropping in?

Errm, no. Grotty student flats.

I'm surprised anyone has Ian as their most loathed character in a world of Brookfield archers and their live in shags

I think Ian's probably the sexiest Ambridge male. And he'd make delicious post-sex snacks. I'd be doing my best to lure him back if I were Adam.

I don't think Ian is particularly sexy - Charlie was much moreso. But he's no wimp, and how can anyone hate the guy who punched Rob - in the presence of Bradley Wiggins iirc - before anyone else had an inkling of how vile he was?

Ooo no, I think Ian is worthy but I imagine he has clammy hands(good for pastry) and always seems morose. Not a larf in him.

Mini cool hands for pastry surely ? Clammy ones would stick to it.
I also find him relentlessly worthy but dull.
I can't see what he and Adam have in common.
How did they get together ?

That was like no teen or student party I have been to or heard about from my DC. I hope it didn't all go wrong and that the only outcome is that Lizzie keeps finding pieces of popcorn in incronguous places; and Freddy gains himself a new group of friends thanks to his willingness to skinny dip in January.

Ian is lovely. The Charlie thing happened because Ian had been almost written out at that stage (rather like Alistair) and Adam was so astonished to find he and Ian were not the only gays in the village.

Quite right Timeto.

I know we've done it before and I don't really want to drag it up again, but Charlie, to me, was one of the least attractive characters. In my head he's sandy haired, about 5'7, and was wearing a blue suit when he first arrived, bullying Adam and throwing his managerial weight around. He's insecure and not good at management. All that fear of being outed isn't sexy to me. I've never got over my initial impression of him.

Ian, in contrast, is a confident man who knows who he is and is comfortable in his own skin.

Completely agree Vango

You're probably right, vango ... I was thinking more, Ian isn't particularly highly-sexed, Charlie was, and so is Adam. Which is a very different thing.

I was pleased the SWs did mention Lewis, just away somewhere not quietly expired behind one of the heavy curtains.

LALALAND - I'm glad I'm not alone. Ian effectively dumped Helen when she needed him most. She tried to contact him but he sulked blanked her. He loves being a martyr.

I agree with Vango's character description of Charlie. Both he and Rob seem to think that the job entails nit-picking and micro-managing.
Didn't Shula do a similar job several centuries ago when she was at Rodways. I don't remember that involving bullying and harassment.
Or is it Adam that is the problem. Perhaps he needs micro-managing.

But redshoe, there's almost unanimous agreement on here (not me) that any friendship with Helen is a one way street. What did Ian get out of it? On the one occasion that Helen had to put her friend in the picture, and spare his inevitable feelings of loss and betrayal, she chose instead to divulge her secret to Rob, a man with a vendetta against Ian who she knew, deep down, couldn't be trusted to stay quiet and not stir up trouble.

Ian didn't dump Helen. He came to the conclusion that he was further down her list of priorities than he had originally believed himself to have been. It was unfortunate that the decision to end the friendship coincided with the escalating abuse. For a long time before the final conversation Ian had been banging his head off a brick wall trying to get her to see through Rob. It's hardly surprising he eventually decided to give up.

Thanks Lillian!

Adam and Ian have been together a long time so I should imagine their sex life is a little stale so for Adam the chance of a shag with Charlie was too great as he isn't the monogamous type. I don't think that Ian deserves criticism for that.

Wrt Helen - I don't see how he was a martyr there.

And it's not unusual for people to sleep separately for a while after a reconciliation post affair. In reality, he is a martyr for having taken Adam back at all.

I'm not a massive Ian fan but I would describe him more as a neutral character. He's been there as a plot device under soc so it's hard to empathise with a cardboard cutout

Charlie is a small white fluffy dog attached to Adam's leg.