The future at Brookfield looks Rosie, and will Home Farm be home no more? Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

And there’s some rubbish about an ex-stripper policeman?

Just looked it up, it's illegal including age 18.

That makes sense birdsdestiny, otherwise it would be legal for school teachers to shag half their sixth formers which was exactly what the law was designed to prevent.

I can just about understand that an 18yo wouldn't grasp the power imbalance between a senior teacher and a pupil, but Russ is married. Can't remember if he's got children. Lily presumably remembers what happened between Hayley and Roy when he had his fling with Elizabeth, how badly hurt Hayley was. Obviously Russ is the one with the primary obligation to his wife, but Lily's behaviour has been very poor.

I wonder if Robin was reintroduced so that Elizabeth would have that sordid episode at the forefront of her mind when reacting to the revelation that 'Meredith' is actually Russ.

Where are you reading that, birds? The legislation is specifically worded so that it doesn’t apply to 18 year olds: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/part/1/crossheading/abuse-of-position-of-trust

I remember there being a discussion at the time as to whether it should because of what IAmTheWifeOfMaoTseTung says. But the counter argument is that at 18 you are legally an adult and can make your own (bad) choices.

But whilst not being illegal it is against most employment conditions and a breach of safeguarding. Most institutions I know wouldn't let Russ's feet touch the ground.

Quite!

D0do she’s fallen for the story that the wife is horrible and mad, they are going to separate anyway, it’s just a matter of timing etc etc and he happened to pop up and offer support and a connection just when she needed it. She doesn’t realise that the former is almost certainly not true and the latter is a coincidence rather than something only Russ can provide.

Yes, I know she's fallen for that. I'm just wondering why, given how close to home Roy and Hayley's divorce was. Hayley was the twins' nanny when they were tiny and she continued working for LL for years after that. Freddie was really upset by the affair. We don't know how it affected Lily as she had no voice at the time.

Yes on googling the cutoff is your 18th birthday. I do think it’s bonkers that teachers who’ve been teaching sixth formers since they were 16 are legally allowed to enter a sexual relationship with them during their last year at school.

I feel the legalities are secondary - it's just completely unprofessional (and presumably regarded as gross misconduct by most employers) to exploit a position such as teacher or lecturer to have a relationship with someone over whom you have responsibility.

Totally agree DDD

D0do I guess because Roy and Hayley and her mum are ‘real’ people whereas The Mad Bad Wife is just an abstract concept, so easier to put to one side, mentally. And also Russ is so wonderful, he wouldn’t lie etc.

Sorry the info I was reading stated up to 18, I assumed that included 18 year olds, my mistake. Was Lily 18 when this started? I personally think she has no moral culpability in this, I thinks it's abuse.

Of course Lily is morally culpable. Take Russ being a teacher out of the equation and you a have a person who is able to vote, drink, etc. being the OW.

Whatever bullshit he's spun her about his marriage is no more or less than is the standard adulterer's script. I also don't think it's abusive unless we take as abusive all sexual relations where there is a marked imbalance between age/status/economic power. I think he's exploitative.

Lily was definitely 18, as she first got to know Russ when she showed him the painting she inherited on her 18th.

A lot of Universities have strict codes of conduct banning relationships between Lecturers and undergraduates nowadays, too.

I think it's abuse and I think Lily is morally culpable, albeit blinded by the arrogance of youth. She's not nearly as clever as she thinks she is, and most of us can remember that phase (I certainly can).

The person I know who this happened to in sixth form was exactly like Lily, pretending to be a grown up and looking after the adults in the family. Absolutely vulnerable of course behind the adult pretence.

I blame The Police, Sting in particular.

When is a level results day? Because all we need now is for lily to choke... she won’t have made any of her offers. That’s why they were talked about in such weirdly abstract terms the other week ‘really good offers from really good unis’ lily is going NOWHERE this year.

True ...

Yep I am guessing the Ross situation will unravel, she will have failed her exams and will spend the next year coming up with an amazing business plan which will save the fortunes of Lower Loxley.

Russ even.

Did she storm off the Russ’s at the end of Friday’s episode? Is she going to go to his house? Surely not........

Oh I do hope so Bertrand. And I hope she will encounter his visibly-pregnant wife.

If no 18 year old is morally responsible then marriage at 16 better be outlawed immediately. When IS a person responsible? Some 30 year olds I know are quite juvenile .

I don't think college lecturerers should shag their pupils. I also think that at 18, and younger, a lot of (most) teenagers don't think their relationships through rationally , especially their sexual ones. The excitement of forbidden fruit is probably uppermost in their minds.

I'm wondering whether Freddie will do better than Lily. Or they both do badly!