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.

Josh would need that if he worked in a garage. I imagine he's just buying as selling as seen.

If David was a half-decent Dad he'd encourage Josh to do a proper business plan and get some qualifications, rather than driving up costs by charging rent and moaning all the time.

Josh would need that if he worked in a garage

I would have thought working for an agricultural machinery company is more likely - in sales or presales. He has grown up with the issues, he obviously deals well with people and he is interested and knows his product lines.

In fact why he is still at Brookfield escapes me.

All I meant was that I believe (though this has never been made clear) that Josh is buying and selling on a private basis. If he wants to grow he'll need to set up properly. David may have inadvertently given him the push he needs to do that - once he's paying rent he'll want to recoup that cost and be a 365 days a year operation rather than buying every now and again from occasional farm sales.

once he's paying rent he'll want to recoup that cost

I agree, and maybe its the driver to him disappearing a la Kenton for a while.

Maybe Rex, Anisha and Josh will all bugger off to Newmarket depriving Pip of Rex mooning over her, and Josh doing her share of the work for months. If Josh is going to be told to stand on his own two feet what incentive does he have to stay supporting the farm?

They should group them altogether into a ‘Not The Archers’ show.

Lass, I'm not a lawyer, but as I recall it was achieved by reconstructing the capital of the company which owns Brookfield so that there were A shares and B shares. David and Ruth have the A shares. Shula, Kenton and Elizabeth have the B shares, which get no dividend and presumably have no voting rights either, but they would get a share of the proceeds if the company sold its major asset, i.e. the farm, and/or was dissolved.

Does that sound plausible? (I am a very, very lapsed accountant.)

While we're on womb watch - did anyone else spot Alice's falling asleep on the sofa AND snaffling "more than one" canapé?

I thought the falling asleep could have signalled a return of the wine witch. .

Aha it's Alice up the duff. That would explain her very sudden recovery from alcoholism. FAS is a bit dark for TA (and we couldn't have Alice disappearing to Birmingham).

Everyone's going to have babies except Adam.

I think they're setting up Josh to leave. So Pip and Toby have a clear run.

The Alisha storyline is idiotic

I wondered that too Dark but she's been sober at every event since her performance at Nic's wake (which seems to been forgotten)

Everyone's going to have babies except Adam.

Come on everyone! Fill up the thread so we can use this as the next title!

(Yes, I am joking ... )

It's not uncommon for alcoholics to stop drinking for a bit, but then to think that they don't have a problem after all and to start drinking again. This hopping on and off of the wagon could go on for years.

did anyone else spot Alice's falling asleep on the sofa AND snaffling "more than one" canapé?

IRL that could easily just be her workload. Long hours, stressful environments - I've certainly fallen asleep on the sofa in that situation.

But as its Ambridge, women can't possibly be pushing hard in challenging careers so yes, good chance of another pregnancy.

Struck me also that we haven't heard a word about Brookfield getting in more help for maternity cover, just sweeping assumptions that Josh is happen to cover for Pip putting his own business second.

I think he should leave.

Does that sound plausible? (I am a very, very lapsed accountant.)

It sounds plausible to the extent that someone with a vague idea of how companies work but no knowledge of property law or leasing law might think it is plausible.

It still does not explain why one shareholder/director is appropriating the sole use of the company's land assets to run his business on unless the Dopeys are paying rent to the company.

Company law isn't my thing and whilst I can understand B shareholders having no voting rights I'm sceptical that they have no dividend rights.

I know nothing about how business partnerships work

Whoever posted this on the previous thread- your post shows you know considerably more than Alastair, Anisha or the scriptwriters.

What a self centered, selfish, lazy shit Kate is.

Without her parents backing she would have absolutely nothing. She's never achieved anythinig on her own. Her sense of entitlement!! A complete waste of space. She is an example of someone who should never have had children, the way she just left them in SA when it got a little difficult for her.

Aaaaaand - the presenter on Front Row - obviously not a TA listener - has misunderstood what she just heard and announced that Lily has come out.

Annoying. (Not sure why, but it is.)

I sympathise with Kate in relation to the current storyline. She finally managed to establish a successful business and has had it close to destroyed by something that was entirely avoidable and down to Brian's stupidity. Then she finds that the remedy for it again entails endangering her business. She was perfectly entitled to take legal advice, and actually she seems to be taking quite a mature attitude to it, in that she could break up the partnership and cause all sorts of chaos but she's not planning to do it.

I'm now thinking the entire deeply implausible pollution storyline has been leading up to this. Yawn. I feel it's just too like the Brookfield storyline all over again. It's not going to happen, surely?

Not least because the UK property market is not doing well at the moment, from what I hear. Too many people holding fire until we see how Brexit turns out.

I actually think Kate's in the right over this. I have never thought that before ever! It's a very strange feeling!

I heard the front row as well, presumed she might only listen occasionally and heard Elizabeth confiding in ? Jill ? but none of the rest.

I thought it was Alice drunk as well but yes that first trimester exhaustion.... Don't think Phoebe is though. Kate pregnant would put an interesting spin on spiritual home.... Even if she gives the baby to Adam, she won't be able to use a lot of the products to do treatments will she? Never quite understood how much treating vs managing she does.

Also how much is the partnership worth?! I'm sure I heard Kate that even the "small" bit of her share from selling the land (not the partnership dissolution) would be into 6 figures?! Did I mishear?

I think Kate is right to stand up for her business and insist that Brian and Adam think again about an alternative. Good on her! it's the first time she's really decided that she has something worth hanging on to. (And yes, that does include her children, her marriage - we all have to start somewhere and if Kate is only beginning to grow up in her 40s, well, that's the way it goes. Judge away.)

I suspect that this issue may resolve itself by way of Brine and Jenny realising that there is such a thing as a mortgage, and raising the money that way.

Have I missed something....why are you all convinced there’s another pregnancy?

Don’t know why Ruth was saying they should consider selling the house. She wasn’t too keen at the prospect of losing Brookfield. Also, surely at least one person should have said “ but where would we live?!”