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.

I don't think Henry is played by a child actor, is he? Many children on the radio are played by "members of the cast".

Umm some children can act - Rupert Grint was okay actually in HP. But actually for Radio which even adult actors can struggle with (Daisy Badger), I think even going around Drama schools it's going to be tricky to find the right child actors.

The children haven't been played by members of the cast (usually Shula) for at least 35 years, as far as I know.

They record the very young children separately from the rest of the cast and splice the recordings into the normal recordings.

“Zero 8 Teresa in SWMNBN”?

Gruach. I‘m going to have trouble remembering that exact typo.

Henwee was definitely played by a child (not necessarily a child actor) as Louisa Patikas said at a BBC event I went to that it was funny that she had never met her “son”. I believe that they get the child to say the lines needed in a different context and then splice them into the dialogue between the adult actors. So the child who played Ruari (who had an Oirish accent when he first featured) did not have to pretend that his Mummy had died or anything.

Henry was played by a robot.

Christifur first spoke when he was about 15 or 16.

I thought I remembered Christopher speaking as a small child at the time of Susan’s imprisonment?

My theory is that Alice has slept with her awful colleague - hence staying out all night after the work party...

My DH thought that too. Alice getting pregnant with awful work colleague's baby, after saying she didn't want a baby with Chris yet, recently? Awful work colleague blackmailing her? My imagination running away with me completely?

Is anyone else starting to run out of sympathy for Will? I don't want him to be a complete arse for the rest of eternity. He was always an arse but at least Nic managed to placate him some of the time.

I think the death of Nic aftermath is being done very well, it's good that Will hasn't been given instant heroic status as a young widower but is being shown as his usual unpleasant self while struggling to take care of Poppy. Although I think he needs to get her back to school now, sleepless nights or not.

He was only not an arse when Nic managed him/explained him/apologised for him. He is an unforgivable, misogynistic arsehole and I have very little sympathy. And I hope someone is living in that cottage with him to make sure Poppy's OK.

I think it's very believable that an arsehole will be even more of an arsehole when grieving. But he really is being an arsehole!

Is anyone else starting to run out of sympathy for Will?

Yeah. He really should be over it by now. It’s been over a week since he lost his wife (and 2 kids). He needs to start thinking about how Brian and Emma must be feeling. What a tosser, eh?

I’m sorry for Will ... But I do think Emma needs to back off. It’s all very well fussing over your recently bereaved bil - but surely anyone would find their ex-wife doing the fussing somewhat irksome. She needs to give that key back and let someone else take over.

(Superb analyses above Lil’G btw.)

Based on how my father reacted on my mother’s similarly unexpected death (she was 65 & we were adults) I reckon he’s got another 3 years to go. Quitting his job so losing his home sounds quite possible. Now he needs to get into debt.

You don't stop being a tosser just because you're grieving- you just become an unfiltered tosser. And if it's your filter that's died.........

I agree. I think it's being done well. Having experienced two pretty unexpected and difficult bereavements myself in the space of 12 months I can relate to the idea that it's often your worse self that comes through for a while. You just don't have the emotional energy to filter your thoughts and feelings - and Will wasn't great at that to begin with!

I also really related to Will last night with his insistence on returning to work and instinct to just want to burn it all down around him when folk were gently suggesting he needed to take time.

I can't see where the SW are going with Will. We have already had the grumpy, reclusive, depressed gamekeeper storyline with Greg; they can't repeat that. Also, Will is only 35 but has already gone through two marriages so where does his love-life go now? Will he remain a widower forever, like his granddad, or will he get together with the other widowed-and-divorced, fiercely-independent person in the village? (what an awful thought )

I did wonder, when Emma was helping to sort out the cottage, whether the SW would engineer for her to drift back to him. It would have to be a very slow burn story because Will is a total arse atm. (Some arsedom is to be expected but Will is taking it to another level).

It's probably best that Poppy isn't in school this week - the little 'uns will be making Mother's Day cards.

They wouldn't do a family annihilation story line would they? That's a step too far, even for them......

Well, in time Poppy will get involved with Ruari as he will help her as a teen - both will know how hard it was to lose mothers as young children. I do hope JD will still be around to disapprove of the age gap (estimate 10ish years, insignificant says l!) AND a Grundy-Aldridge liaison. Brine will be able to remind her it‘s only a starter marriage, Darling.

In more immediate news, Will hasn’t even had Nic‘s funeral yet. Give him time. Also, don’t forget the other Grundys are grieving too. They‘ve all lost Nic in different ways. Bugger, we have more fecking snow and l‘ve to go out in THAT in 10 mins.

Vango - If he wasn't such a complete arsehole, I'd have a lot of sympathy for him. Or if his outbursts were uncharacteristic and made in grief, that would be fine, but he's just a knob. I don't want to listen to years of this. I hope he will soften and see that he needs to change his ways for the children who have tragically lost their mother.

And he treated Nic like shit too. And was all set to escalate that.