Ambridge is in the doldrums. When will Pip pop? Does anybody even care? And Anisha’s off, leaving Rex in the (pig) trough? Discuss the Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Sorry about the title, nothing particularly inspiring in the storylines currently

No spoilers please, there’s a thread for that.

Can you imagine if Brian ended up swiping an affordable home from under Emma's nose?

Have we got a different Rex? He sounded more like Josh tonight.

Nice to see that Alice is still a vindictive little bitch even when sober.

Heavens! Poor Rex. Totally railroaded into submission.

He’s so not going.

I'm confused. Did Brian build the business from scratch and recently gave his wife and children shares in it?

I really struggle to believe that there is no clause in Alastair and Anisha's partnership agreement that prevents one of them walking off with minimal notice - surely it would normally be at least three months? Plus, if I were a potential employer, I'm not sure how keen I'd be on a candidate who is prepared to drop her business partner in the shit.

Well ... Brian bought the farmhouse and 1,500 acres of the Bellamy estate in 1975. (Though the book I’m looking at - The Archers Archives - doesn’t say if the estate was a going concern.) Married Jenny in 1976 when Adam and Debbie were 9 and 6 respectively. He would obviously have benefitted from marrying into the Archer clan. Through the years Jenny, and later the grown up, returned Debbie and Adam contributed directly to the profitability of Home Farm. Jenny through teaching and a little writing plus domestic organisation and hosting, the offspring through hands on farm work.

Iirc Adam and Debbie were originally paid salaries (not sure about shares). The partnership was really a way of binding them to the farm when it was clear they could have walked away. Until lately none of the other children had played any role on the farm - so they’ve done rather well. (Were it not for the toxic wot’s-it.)

Anisha is horrible. I'm glad she's going.

And Ruth having stirred everything up is now dropping all responsibility.

Thanks Gruach.

I really struggle to believe that there is no clause in Alastair and Anisha's partnership agreement that prevents one of them walking off with minimal notice - surely it would normally be at least three months?

Just about everything involving legal issues in Ambridge is unbelievable. No-one seems to know any solicitors beyond Usha - who knows very little law. Justin vaguely makes references to lawyers getting things done- which usually involve getting things done at an unbelievable rate of knots. Oh and Kate has apparently managed to find one.

Plus, if I were a potential employer, I'm not sure how keen I'd be on a candidate who is prepared to drop her business partner in the shit

Er yes. Indeed.

I don't really feel that Ruth has stirred everyone up irresponsibly. She's just doing what she was asked to do, i.e. represent Ruari's interests, and she did make it clear to Brine from the outset that she wasn't going to be anyone's puppet. Adam's right, it was disgraceful for Brine to tell her to shut up, and I hope that Alice's intervention prompts her to do the reverse.

As an aside, doesn't anyone else get incredibly irritated when an important conversation gets constantly interrupted because one of the characters is in the middle of doing something else? It was seriously annoying that the conversation between Ruth and Adam was repeatedly interrupted by her yelling at the cows, and as it was important it was also annoying that she seemed to have only half her mind on it.

I had always understood that Ruth was ‘good with cows’. Her relationship with them yesterday sounded somewhat fractious.

Alistair will hopefully find Anisha’s forgotten horse languishing in a stable somewhere.

It was seriously annoying that the conversation between Ruth and Adam was repeatedly interrupted by her yelling at the cows

I thought it was the SW doing one of their laughing-up-their-sleeve things.
Adam: we must move forward
Ruth (to cows): get along there
Adam: we might have to sell the house
Ruth (to cows, in the lane): there's better grass in the field
etc

He would obviously have benefitted from marrying into the Archer clan.

Would he? The bit of the clan he married into was alcoholic, deadbeat (and dead) Jack. JD was an unmarried mother. Peggy only got rich when she married Jack Wolley and Lilian when she married Ralph Bellamy.
Brian may have married connections but I don't think he married money.

Hah! I knew someone would question that statement! I agree - it wasn’t the ‘best’ bit of the Archer clan back then - but I’m assuming that it plugged him into the farming community ... (And it can’t have done much harm to be on the inside of all the pub/village gossip.)

Essentially my point was that Jenny and her two oldest children earned their share of the partnership.

Can someone pleaser mind me, is Monty Lynda’s dog or is he another one she is dog sitting. I haven’t missed an perished, but I seem to have missed out on the moment when she acquired Monty. Also what breed is he - I can’t picture him at all?

...and Brian has done plenty to threaten the security of the family, with his affairs, sexual harassment of at least one member of the Ambridge community (Betty), having Ruari.

To many typos in there please remind me and haven’t missed an episode

Monty is Lynda's final choice.

He's a Doberman.

I think that you must have missed an episode!
Lynda was getting despondent that she didn't really get on with any of the dog-sitting animals. Robert took her down to ?the pound? and one dog took to her instantly. She didn't find the dog, it found her.
Robert was not convinced, it being a doberman and all that, but Lynda wouldn't be swayed. She and Monty were 'meant to be'.

I don't really feel that Ruth has stirred everyone up irresponsibly.

Nor do I. Alice went on about her backing Kate and going on and on about selling the house, but as far as I remember (and I'm not going to LA to check, ) all we heard her say was that Kate was right, the house is a considerable asset and they should consider it - which is perfectly reasonable. They should be discussing all possible options, even if it's not emotionally preferable. A discussion is not a decision, but they won't be making a decent decision if they're not going to be more open-minded and stop squabbling.

And then Ruth talked about it with Jenny, but that was more from Jenny's side, and because they had nearly sold Brookfield.

If Ruth has upset all parties then she's probably getting the balance right. And they are all being extraordinarily rude.

However, she shouldn't really have told Adam that Brian had told her to keep quiet.

I know people don't like cast photos so just shut your eyes now if you don't want to see Monty.

Looked this up because I like dogs but am not a dog owner and hopeless at remembering what breeds look like. A minute on Wikipedia has told me that traditionally Doberman Pinschers had their tails docked and ears cropped , but this is now outlawed in some parts of the world. Poor brutes. I wonder if Monty was hacked about like this.