We never thought we’d feel sorry for Will. Although of course it should have been Pip! Discuss The Archers here (Titled edited by MNHQ)

[PseudoBadger]

Welcome all! I was really touched by the potential for Ed and Will to reconcile. But wonder if Will can accept Ed’s support.

As ever, no spoilers here (there’s a thread for that) - discussion permitted as soon as the pm episode is broadcast.

Ppeat it's not the David and Ruth or Neil and Susan generation but the younger one - it's still not "usual" for children to be conceived outside of a stable relationship (married or not) but the "Archers" barely produce offspring in stable relationships.
Actually it still holds for the next generation up, so Pat and Tony and David and Ruth = conventional, but Jenny 4 Children 3 fathers and raising her husband's byblow, Shula IVF after husband died, Lilian pretty conventional.

Beka Though if looked at in a historical context, it was always the case that children have been reared however it was necessary to rear them; by widows , widowers; women used to die in childbirth regularly , step families, single parents etc. etc…

It does seem that in TA there seems to be great lack of contraceptive use among most of the generations even the newest!

To me, regardless of the name of the programme, Brian Aldridge (and Charles Collingwood) and JennyDarling ARE the Archers. Maybe because I really started listening in the 80s when they were very prominent but it would feel very wrong for them not to be in it. Whereas Kenton and Shula I could lose and not lament.

Oh I could easily lose Kenton, I don't feel they have ever bothered to flesh him out as a character.

Oh Emma!... That's made me tear up more than anything during this nic storyline!... I thought it was lovely and well acted! Glad will didn't through it back at her!

"throw"!!!

Shula and Alisdair!... Please put an end to it and just call it a day!!....

When Emma listens to her softer side she is very kind. She was too to Oliver when Caroline died.

Poor Will is clueless isn't he? I thought both the scene with Alan and the one with Emma was very good.

Shula: ...You’d be happy for me to disappear out of your life for a couple of months??
Alistair: Well, not happy exactly...
Ecstatic would be more like it.

AuntyElle!... Ha ha ha! Perfect!

🙄🙄🙄 at Shula’s martyrish huff. Alistair has just been honest. Not his cup of tea, worried about business but doesn’t want to stop her if she wants to go. Where’s the ruddy issue?

I've been listening since 2015, has Shula always been this insufferable?

Baked apple flavour.... Oh my god!... YES!!

Has Shula always been so stupid? The practice is up to its ears in debt; Anisha so far has been more trouble than she is worth and she thinks Alastair can swan off on a sabbatical.

Shula came out of the womb like that.

I think the Hebden-Lloyd marriage has totally had its chips btw. Alastair is extremely boring and slightly venal and Shula is extremely boring and highly sanctimonious. What keeps them together? Apart from cheap vet bills.

Shula IVF after husband died

Not really right to put this as an example of unconventional parenting - Mark and Shula were trying for a baby through IVF and she was already pregnant (though she didn't realise it) when Mark was killed in a car accident. Shula didn't deliberately try to get pregnant after she was widowed.

£2,000 isn't going to go far for her extended break.

Can Shula swan off from her MoH responsibilities for a couple of months?

Home Farm on the market!

Note: not a spoiler!

...just add on 1000 acres or so!

My god Gnu do you think that's what it's like?! I've been under-imagining...

Nope that's far too grand for Home Farm. Although the estate agent doesn't seem used to selling land; 3 pictures of pretty flat uninteresting fields. Most would use some arial shots, quite cheap with drones nowadays.

Last night’s scene with Will and Emma was good, if hard listening - “ you’re not my wife, you had your chance at that!”

However I was shocked and confused about how she swanned straight in AGAIN after being told not to and asked to give back the key- Will didn’t take that back did he?