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?

All the hocum about her being 18 so it's ok is rubbish too. Position of trust applies until 19/ when students leave. Even then it's heavily frowned upon. Are there any researchers left?!

To be fair, at the moment we are just hearing what Lizzie and Lily apparently believe to be the case. We need to suspend judgment as to whether that's a research mistake or an instance of Russ's lies.

Is Lily so stupidly besotted or besottedly stupid she believes that a man would tell his parents before his wife?

Or alternatively, she does believe that and doesn't think what sort of man would do such a horrible and callous thing ?

yeah, you know what they say about when a mistress marries a man

I’m sorry but what have his parents got to do with anything, he’s over 40. ( need to catch up)

I wondered if he told Lily this story about breaking the news to his parents to make himself seem more on a level with Lily and to further diminish the importance of his wife.

Someone on Twitter has pointed out the disparity of lizzie’s response to her children. Freddie is “just a boy”. Lily is 18 and grown up.

More evidence of Lizzie treating Lily as a friend / partner rather than a child. Plus she’s got so much going on with freddy she probably doesn’t have the appetite to start an action against Russ / the school. And she NEEDS that reference too! More emotional blackmail as per the Pargetter storyline to date.

All the hocum about her being 18 so it's ok is rubbish too. Position of trust applies until 19/ when students leave. Even then it's heavily frowned upon. Are there any researchers left?!

I reckon Usha will point this out when Lizzie talks to her about Russ giving a reference. She'll encourage Lizzie to blow the whistle, which will leave Lily feeling betrayed (especially after Lizzie has reassured her that she's speaking to Usha 'in confidence').

Freddie is “just a boy”. Lily is 18 and grown up

But this is often the way isn't it even between siblings? Children vary massively - some run companies at 18, others are still so disorganised they can't find their own socks.

Freddy is immature and silly, Lily does over compensate for Nigel by trying too hard to be the "sensible one". Its not surprising if sometimes Lily is stupid or Freddy is sensible, its just not the norm for either of them.

"Can Shula get any more annoying?'

sometimes this unanswered question is all that keeps me tuning in

she's like the mariana trench of annoyingness

she's like the mariana trench of annoyingness

And there certainly is always a deeper level!

Amused at her indignation that Alastair won't let her just divorce him for her convenience.

MissVanjie

surely Usha will be professionally bound to report

I wondered about that too newt . Is how Russ has been behaving illegal or just against professional rules? If Lily was a minor then legal & safeguarding rules apply, but as Lily is 18 and claims nothing happened until then (and when were they 18 I can't remember, was it after A levels when she had left?) perhaps Usha doesn't have to report?

And surely it is in Freddie's best interest to wait until after Freddie has been to court to say anything re Russ&Lily anyway? Or is court a long way off?

I don't understand why Shula perceives that one of them has to be at fault in order to get a divorce. Her solicitor must have advised her that she could get a no-fault divorce on the basis of two years' separation, and it's not like either of them is in a hurry to remarry.

I think Freddie's next hearing is in November. If Russ genuinely intended to live with Lily presumably that would be too late. However, he is probably well aware that a reference from the current Deputy Head of the college will carry much more weight than a reference from the ex-Deputy Head now pursuing a (probably failing) artistic career whilst shagging and being financially supported by the referee's sister. So that's going to be his next excuse to string Lily along.

Do you think Tom showed Natasha his sausages?

Can Shula get any more annoying?

I have some very hazy childhood memories of the Archers, as Radio 4 was always on if my dad was in the house. The least hazy of them is that even 30 years ago, Shula was the most annoying character.

I think Freddie was whining about having to wait until the end of September to find out his fate, so I assume the case will be heard then.

She's not in a hurry to remarry, but she is desperate to draw a line under it. I can understand why you wouldn't want to wait for two years in that situation, especially if you had to live in the same village, rather than just disappearing.

Is Elizabeth's reaction to Lily healthy or normal? If my daughter when she reaches that age tells me she is in a relationship with a teacher, I'm finding it hard to believe that after a night of sleeping on it, I (or my DW) would put on a relaxed, supportive face. I think I would be very, very worried and telling my daughter that the teacher is doing something wrong. Am I out of step with how other parents would react?

Dad3 - no, you are absolutely in step. But an 18 year old is an adult, and even if your adult/near-adult children are making poor decisions, what actually can you do to dissuade them? Miserably, horribly for parents, at some point our children simply have to be making their own decisions, for better or worse. You can support them afterwards, but probably can't, and shouldn't

I might, in Elizabeth's position, risk everything in my relationship with my daughter and storm down to the school to tell the principal if I thought this middle-aged, married teacher was exploiting my daughter and his position (that's the weird thing - Elizabeth just isn't reacting. Is she in so much shock from recent events that her reactions are completely off? Is Usha about to offer a wake-up call? Remember Amy's experience, and Usha being quite tough and objective about it all?) And then let the cards fall where they may. But I would be risking alienating my daughter, at the moment where I also thought my son was about to do chokie.

I am struggling with a son in late adolescence - hard to know where to draw the line!

You can support them afterwards, but probably can't, and shouldn't TRY TO DEFLECT THEM, is what I meant to say.

It's very hard!

Is Elizabeth's reaction to Lily healthy or normal?

I find Lizzie's parenting generally weird. She swings from one extreme to the other: either really intense or really remote. She seems to find running LL very demanding and time-consuming so she neglects the twins a lot of the time, but then remembers them and goes overboard trying to do 'quality time' like they were still infants.
Lizzie didn't notice that Lily was in a relationship, which is weird - most parents would know even if they didn't know details like who the person was. Lizzie doesn't have a clue whether Lily is gay or not; again, most parents have an inkling.
Lizzie also seems clueless about their education. That sounded to me to be the first time she had set foot in the sixth form college, the first time she had spoken to any of the teaching staff. Perhaps Lizzie doesn't realise how much of a no-no staff/pupil relationships are. (but how can she not?: LL do things with youngsters, she must know about safeguarding)
No, not healthy nor normal.

Didn’t Lizzie miss an opportunity to make it up with Lily by taking her out to celebrate her results? I can appreciate she doesn’t feel in the mood, but if she’d at least offered a celebratory slap up meal, she’d somewhat have made up for her unbelievable oversight on results day.