The Archers: Will Pip grow or Jill blow? Lil make her vow or Justin take his bow? Discussion #83

[DadDadDad]

TA (The Archers) annoys me intensely but I still have to listen
I think there is a possibility that we obsess about TA in a way that most listeners don't

If this is you (genuine quotes from earlier threads), or you're new and want to ask anything about The Archers, then this is the right place.

PseudoBadger started it, but we're going to finish it (er, will TA ever finish?)

The panto is meant to be Sleeping Beauty, but are you expecting farce (Mother Goose Pip) or tragedy (Puss Cat in Wedding Dress Boots )?

This should see us through to Christmas.

At the end of the last thread we were remembering recent successful marriages in Ambridge. How long ago was Ed & Emma?

Oops, the word rubbish was supposed to finish that sentence!

It did tickle me Auld that you expressed your future demise as a relief because it meant you won't have to listen to certain future plot developments
Can you imagine an Ambridge populated by grown-up Henwees Jacks and Little Toebees. The first two are going to have daddy-issues and Little Toebee is going to be absolutely insufferable - the genetics on either side suggest that.

Not harsh - P&T bought the shop for Helen and it was very much a vanity project for her. The most taxing thing she ever did was rearrange the condiments, something Pat raved about

Helen ran the shop completely and it was doing very well. Then Rob stopped Helen working there, interfered with staffing, stock it went downhill.

Helen always ran the cheese. We don't know her current hours but she ran the whole cheese business and the shop, and was involved in the farm pre children. The cafe and the farm shop were partly her, not just Tom.

She always struck me as hard working in a preachy sort of way until Rob entered her life and tried to take control, separating her from the family.

Yes she lives with her family, so do Ed'n'Emmur, so does Pip. Underestimating the impact of a first baby is something most of us probably do. Most grandparents will do a bit of childcare/babysitting if its practical because they want time with the DGC.

She has never been the most likeable character, but the only time she wasn't contributing much was when with Rob. Did Helen actually know Rob was still married when they started up? I thought he told her he was separated and not even that until he had her hooked?

Tom rubs up against Tony more because of their different views on running the farm and taking decisions Tony doesn't like in a pretty high handed manner at times. I don't think Helen has done that to the same extent but her histsory with the anorexia and Greg certainly does result in Pat'n'Tony walking on eggshells.

I really don't think the GoldenPips/RubbishJosh comparison applies here.

A son got a message today to announce his friend and his wife are having twins. Is it dreadful that a very early thought on my part was to wonder if they will arrive before or after the Brookfield ones?

Wishing all my fellow addicts a very Merry Christmas!

Just LA. If Helen and Pat are volunteering at the Elms on Christmas Eve while Tony babysits Henwee and Myson at home, what is the probability that Knob makes a comeback?

Merry Christmas all.

Helen knew right from the start that Rob was married and that he and Jess were not separated. When they came back from Canada and he took up the job in Ambridge Jess went to stay with her parents because her father was seriously ill. Rob went down to see her most weekends. Then Jess moved (briefly) to Ambridge after her father died. Helen's behaviour at that time was indefensible.

I'm with Francis over her 'dogged independence' too. She moved out of Bridge Farm into the flat over the village shop, which happened to be in Peggy's gift. I forget which one of the other young people wanted it, but it was one of the ones with no family money, and Helen pulled strings to get it instead. She was absolutely vile to Tony when she first announced that she was going to try to have a child by AI and he expressed very understandable reservations.

Extremely well acted but not likeable!

Got so het up there I forgot to say Merry Christmas!

And yes, triplets would be good.

Is it dreadful that a very early thought on my part was to wonder if they will arrive before or after the Brookfield ones?

Twins? Is this like saying Candyman 3 times?

Helen knew right from the start that Rob was married and that he and Jess were not separated

I had a feeling Rob had picked up Helen in the playground and made overtures before Jess was mentioned and that once she was he told her it was over? I am pretty hazy on it though.

Regarding the origin of Henwee - Tony did a bit more then express reservations, it seemed 50/50 to me - both made some pretty cruel comments at the time.

Yes she certainly used her connection to Peggy to get the flat but I don't think she elbowed Chrisduffer out - he never asked Peggy himself until it was too late. He and Neil did a lot of the conversion work and discussed the work with Peggy but he talked to Peggy or Neil about renting it until it was too late (or was it Susan was going to ask about it and wasn't keen?)

I can give it up any time, honestly...

Happy Christmas sad fellow addicts

"he never talked to Peggy" that should be!

I thought they said something about a scan at the abortion clinic? They would have mentioned if more than one pup?

I think - but might be wrong - that neil and Soosan wanted the flat for Emma. Hasn’t chris been married for longer than the 6 years or so Helen has had Henry? I am not sure when Emma and Ed finally got together - but it‘s not that long.

Ugh, Pat and Helen were so virtuous, weren’t they?

I felt sorry for Brian.

Morning all. I'm doing a catch-up whilst getting the turkey going.

Pat and Helen are vile, aren't they. Much virtue signalling. Yet again Helen makes it all about her. Pat abandons the people she's supposed to be helping so that she can comfort Helen about what a burden it is to have a supportive family.

Happy Christmas everyone.[santa]

I’m all for “of course bloody men should know how to run a house and do everything” but expecting someone to be able to take over Christmas dinner at a day’s notice if they’ve never done it before is a bit much to expect, surely?

He could do what I do and follow Delia Smith's Christmas to the letter. She sets out all the timings and it never goes wrong. Tempting fate there! Our turkey is in the oven now.

Merry Christmas everybody! Hope you all have a good day. Rather hoping the Brookfield Christmas is ruined on air by Pip's announcement just as the turkey appears. Surely someone will ask her why she's not drinking? She should also be avoiding soft cheese and so forth, if memory serves.

Is Borsetshire Blue an unpasteurised cheese? (Although I suppose all blue cheese is off limits)

Surely every Archer family will have Borsetshire Blue on the table?

"Plus many people (myself included) learn how to do it by following a recipe. It’s not exactly hard. "

Hmm-well speaking as someone who has never, ever cooked a Christmas Dinner in my whole life and only ever one almost roast....

Walk in the park, Bertrand. You're an accomplished baker, I believe. Roasting a hunk of meat is not dissimilar. Mine turned out well, fortunately.

Happy Christmas, addicts. And l hope your meals worked out. We‘ve not had ours yet as we were all a bit late getting going today . We have no visitors so we can do what we like. DH is a creature of habit and insisted on making his very good pudding from scratch at 2 pm, despite me saying Let‘s just do the veg as we‘ll probably not eat pudding till tomorrow. No dead birds here as we are all vegetarian.