Lies and subterfuge in Ambridge - from a policeman? That's just not cricket! Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Thank you R4 for the title.

Why cheek from Ruth and David shoes?

I hope Ruth contacts the Somerset people.

Then we can have Midsomer Ambridge Extra Murders.

Because they didn't think Tony should have even asked them about it, and David suggested that they should have lied to him.

I'm sure they are setting Pip up for a huge fall. Was it Will or Ed who saw the cows which broke out? Bet they let it slip.

Clarrie gets on my wick; she's such a drudge. And Emma is such a bloody whinger. I wish they'd both woman up !

thank you shoes, I missed that - must have been when I dashed out of the car to buy flowers on way to mum's.

Family swore they had told me EVERYTHING that I'd missed, but no...

Kings - I was beginning to wonder if I'd made it up

I hope your mum liked her flowers.

It was Ed, Lass. He was sworn to secrecy by Pip, but I'm sure he'll do the decent thing in time. If it had been Will I imagine he'd have informed the entire village and all relevant authorities immediately

Clarrie gets on my wick; she's such a drudge. And Emma is such a bloody whinger.

Quite. If Clarrie wants to go to Aquafit she should bloody well go. But then Eddie's casual putdown about it is typical, he is really awful at times. She's so downtrodden she hasn't got the confidence to do anything about it.

Usha is bloody annoying, but so is Harrison- I don't see why she can't come along to training and not play on the team. Sports clubs are meant to be about participation, and they are being a bit uppity about winning all the time given they were about to close not long ago.

Just done a massive catch up (joys of my colleague being out of the office this week).

Pip is such a pain.

I wish when Clarrie puts her foot down about something she would have the courage of her convictions to keep it there, not let Eddie talk her round. Apart from anything else, that tone when he's wheedling really gets on my wick.

Surely they can go for a civilised compromise, whereby they only do the B&B part time? It would have made sense for Clarrie to say she wasn't going to do it this last weekend due to Mother's Day, for instance.

In idle moments I like to think of suitable subjects for the AA Conference. Yesterday I came up with "Co-ercive control and domestic abuse - is Rob Titchener the only perpetrator in Ambridge?" and yes, I'd have Eddie in my sights for that one

I find it implausible that the b&b would be in such demand tbh

Eddie is really unpleasant towards clarrie. Was he always like that?

I assime the Grundys' accommodation is on something like Air bnb- cheap and cheerful accommodation and not a direct competitor for Lynda's B and B ( featured in Alastair Sawday's guide?). So the guff about special Mothers Day packages etc is bollocks.

They should be promoting it as cheap no frills accommodation - much more efficient and probably better for profits than Eddies ridiculous ideas. He's always been unreliable and a chancer, and always dragged Clarrie along with his get rich quick schemes. I think Emma is increasingly recognising that in another 30 years she could be Clarrie, and hopefully is going to do something about it now. Though I don't think Ed is feckless like his dad, more unlucky.

Yy the apple didn't fall far from the tree with Pip did it? Ruth and David immediately wish they hadn't said anything when they realise it makes them look bad.

And agree I wish Clarrieluv would just tell Eddie to stick his b+b. How can they possibly be struggling to pay rent with 4 wage-earning adults living there? Even if the SWs aren't 'going down the benefits route'.

Sorry. Meant to say how can living there long-term possibly be an option if they can't pay the rent with all of them working. If they really can't then afford things they want then they really need to consider moving.

In fact I wonder if the next cause of tension will be that Emma and Ed decide to move out somewhere cheaper and where the kids don't have to hide in their rooms all the time. Sounds like a miserable way to live atm

So I missed out on the cattle escaping part. Did Pip let them out and Ed helped her get them back in? And that's the source of the IBR? Or that's how it spread to Bridge Farm? Agricultural dim wit that I am I thought they were implying that it was Jill's herbal tea what done it.

Pip was supposed to mend a fence and didn't, hence the cattle escaped. She and Toby rounded up some of them, then Ed found some more and let them know. I now suspect the source of the IBR is the batch of cattle David and Ruth bought, but Pip is to blame for them spreading to Tony's herd.

Thanks Mega. An incompetent bunch all round then!

Someone did suggest it was the herbal lays, or did I mishear?

I just listened to the Great Escape episode again, as I was getting a bit confused about the timeline. So, Pip discovered some cows had got onto Bridge Farm land, and got Toby out of bed to help get them in again. Then Ed rang up about a different lot, which he put in with ‘Adam’s new cows’. Pip didn't tell him about the Bridge Farm lot, and was very cagey about it, so he can’t be the one to let it slip. So I guess Adam's herd will be the next to go down with IBR, at which point Ed may put 2+2 together. Also, Pip said at least twice, and very vehemently, that he shouldn’t tell a soul, so when the IBR gets everywhere, and more people find out that Brookfield didn’t buy certified beasts, will he assume that she knew full well that they might be infected?

If Pip was half the farmer, or indeed person, that everyone seems to think she is, she would have admitted it as soon as she knew about the infection. Surely she can’t keep quiet when she hears about the Bridge Farm cows getting it.

Is it weird that I kind of want Toby to tell David and Ruth, against Pip’s wishes? He might be a bit feckless and a whiner and moaner, but he admitted to mislabelling the jam at the fair, and I’m sure there was something with the geese/hens/whatever that he took responsibility for. So yes, he’s infuriating but actually when it comes down to it he does own up to his mistakes and makes up for them. Completely unlike Pip.

I am quite enjoying cowgate, makes a change from relationship angst.

Huge BOOP for cowgate - this is TA at its best - a proper agricultural drama. I have also been thinking about Adam's cows and wondering if they would be next to go down. This also makes up for (and indeed justifies) the turning of Pip into such a (even more of a) pain over the past few months to lay the ground for this storyline to happen.

I agree with MrsArthur that it would be even better if Toby were the one to let the cat out of the bag over the escaped cows and the unmended fence.