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?

Oh Susan! Has she had the brilliant idea?

Oh.

No. She hasn’t ...

Which one, Gruach?

Emma buys Home Farm as a starter home 😄?

Long time no post, but will Freddie be allowed to South Africa if charges are pressed? No nothing about visas

Not quite!

But Susan does like to copy Jennifer. I was hoping she’d have a brainwave about the senior Carters downsizing - and letting Ed and Emma have Ambridge View. (In fact, given the arrangement Mike came to with Roy and Hayley I’m surprised the Carters haven’t been more proactive in helping Emma.)

"I don't know any posh entitled teenage boys - how realistic was that whining? Bloody annoying however realistic it was."
I know loads.6 currently infesting my living room. Very realistic indeed!

I assumed that Robin talks about drink all the time because that's what his business is.

Kate said that the South Africa visit was off. I'm not sure whether she has the final say on it, but I suspect that Noli's father would be equally unkeen on her consorting with a drug dealer. Plus for the moment I suspect Freddy's had to surrender his passport as a bail condition.

As regards Freddie - I am quite decided that It Will All Be Fine In The End. Once the truth about Ellis and, more importantly Russ comes out people will be falling over themselves to offer aid and counselling to the poor, vulnerable boy.

I don’t know anything about safeguarding law - (or even if that’s what is relevant) but surely Russ’ failure to take appropriate action when he could have done so led directly to Freddie being put in a more dangerous position vis à vis Ellis? That whole story with Lily seemed so clunky at first - but they have laid the groundwork for heaps of blame to miss Freddie and land elsewhere.

(I'm a bit behind but...) I wondered if the SW are doing a thing about dependency on alcohol - social/emotional/possibly physical, the economic dependency on it that the hospitality industry in this country has, and how it punishes/benefits different people. So the Pargetters/Fairbrothers make a fortune out of it, the Grundies struggle to get by with it (cider club - is that due soon or is it more of a winter thing?) and if they follow the Alice storyline up then we'll see how it can destroy people/families too.

Or maybe we'll get a shorter-term compare-and-contrast about legal and illegal drugs.

Many moons ago I worked in a very nasty pub and had to get my personal licence to sell alcohol. It was so long ago I have forgotten the details, and I don't doubt that things have changed too. But the personal licence course was delivered by a (brilliant) sergeant from the police licensing team (who helped me later with discouraging a particularly undesirable patron - still grateful). Anyway, licensees have a duty to actively discourage things like the sale and consumption of illegal drugs on their premises. Failure to do so can result in loss of licence. A cynical licensing board might wonder if Elizabeth had been turning a blind eye to her son's foibles. Afaik, it would usually take a bit longer irl than it has in the Archers though. Maybe Borsetshire licensing authority are particularly zealous?

Slightly fewer moons ago I worked in an independent boys' school. Many of them were genuinely lovely and many of them were average, but I echo Bert (Russell, not Fry) in saying that Freddie's entitled whingeing is absolutely realistic.

I don't know why Freddie's life is intersecting so closely with my own, but if this continues he will soon join the Girl Guides.

Sorry for rambling on, it's been a quiet day at work.

He talks about alcohol but he also is always drinking it. The fact I have a red wine in my hand is not relevant. I know someone who worked in the wine industry, she is tee total now as she felt she was heading towards dependence, so this may be colouring my viewpoint.

Yes I second Bert (although said so back a psge) Freddy is the most realistic cast member. My own "posh, entitled teenage boy" is grown up now but there are times listening to Freddy it could have been my one at that age.

It looks like I'm the only one feeling sorry for Freddy then?

I don't condone his behaviour, but he's an 18 year old boy thinking he's probably going to prison. He tried to walk away from dealing and Ellis threatened him and bullied him into continuing. That said, no excuses, no justifications for his actions but I do feel sorry for the scared silly little boy.

He deserves a good scare to make sure he doesn't do it again but a custodial sentence is a waste of time, money and his own potential.

I should stop but I have to add, whilst I'm banging on. I'm perplexed by his legal advice. Why would he admit to more drug dealing? That won't help him or LL.

a good scare = nearly killing Noluthandu?

It looks like I'm the only one feeling sorry for Freddy then?

Your scrolling function isn’t working ...

What I can't understand is wynLizzie and Robin are so normal together-chatting away as friendly as anything. Surely even after all this time it would have been a very awkward meeting?

On the other hand Bert so much time has passed, Lizzie was early twenties when it all happened, since then she has been through an awful lot of adult life as a mother, business owner and cardiac patient. Her 23 year old self probably feels like a different person and I suspect that the relationship affected Jill more than it did Lizzie.

Tiger
I have a soft spot for Freddy and I hope he doesn't go to prison - there's a good chance he won't. There was a case a few months ago in my local paper of a "nice" middle class boy who was set to go to uni who had been selling drugs to his friends and he got let off a custodial sentence. I remember the case because I saw it when Freddy started dealing.
I suspect there are hoards of Freddies around who buy small quantities for selling on to friends and don't get caught.

Possibly. I suppose. But I suspect if I met a man who had abandoned me while pregnant to go back to his wife I might not be very friendly-even if it was 25 years later.

Ooh Sorry Grauch thought I'd read everything but admittedly I am a bit crossed eyed at the moment. It has been a week of rather late nights and early mornings as child the second is teething.

There are lot of Freddies who don't get caught. But they are not inSoap operas and have the sense to not try dealing at a policeman's stag do.

It wasn’t Robin who got her pregnant though Bert. That was Cameron Fraser I think.

I agree Beka that Freddy has been a complete idiot

This was supposed to be Freddie's last batch, hence he got careless and did a even more than usual stupid thing.

Re Lizzie and Robin according to a Telegraph article

Long-time fans of The Archers will recall the original 1987 storyline, which culminated in Elizabeth angrily confronting Robin and pouring a glass of wine over him

Many listeners will remember the character, but the BBC say Robin was a silent character throughout, referred to only in the third person, and this will be the first time he has been voiced

So Russ is a latter day Robin. It was Cameron Fraser who abandoned her when she was pregnant.

With all Susan's 'helpfulness' aka Jenny I couldn't help but hear a little schadenfruede (sp?) in her voice, or was that just me

I feel sorry for Freddie (I like his character) but I can still see his stupidity. As I have said before the hypocrisy of the law is annoying , and I don't indulge in any drug; alcoholic or illegals.

Well, maybe a glass of good red wine occasionally.