Archers thread #141: The nights are drawing in. Can we turn the clocks back to a time when The Archers was fun? Cackle or carp about The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you're hoping Ambridge has a pantomime again this year, or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please! We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Many thanks to @TottersBlankly and @GoldenCupidon for the title suggestions.

Too much to hope, I suppose, that by the time we get to the end of this thread Chelsea's pregnancy is a distant memory and the Horrobins can gear up for a cheap and cheerful Christmas. I really, really hope she doesn't change her mind about the termination. It's a horrible and unrealistic storyline, as most of us have agreed over the past few weeks, but now I just want it to end and be forgotten about.

I do like the idea of Lilian taking on the role of witch in the woods. Much more fun to listen to than Mia sabotaging the Hunt Ball, which is surely bound to go horribly wrong, or the odd wrangling over the stained glass window which we know Peggy won't be contributing to on air , given June Spencer's retirement.

Not a peep out of anybody in Ambridge about all the recent political shenanigans, but that's hardly surprising. Nobody fretting about fuel bills or rampant inflation either.

Also, where's Jenny? I hope Angela Piper's OK.

Over to you!

Alice's drinking was flagged at least five years before recent events, I'd say.

Vince owns the market or something?

Yes @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, the "we consulted experts" thing can be used by SWs, as with political leaders, to make it sound like they did exactly as they were advised when in fact they may miss some crucial part of the advice.

Like Helen and Rob's story: extremely accurate and well done in many parts, but others not so much, and the ending was pants!

Yes!

TA production team to expert: How does a coercive controlling relationship normally pan out?
[Long, detailed exposition drawing on recent case histories]
TAPT: Thank you, there's a lot there we can work with. But can we just ask, In the case of a male abuser, does his female partner ever stab him with breadknife, stand trial for murder, and get let off because she finally describes the worst abuse during the trial and the jury also takes against him and his mother because of their demeanour while giving evidence? Rarely? But you're not saying never ...

I agree that that whole sequence was a rare turn of events, although has similarities to real women's stories. However I was thinking more of the attempt to nab Jack followed by Hellin pursuant, gave him a piece of her mind and then he emigrated....

I'll finally judge them by what happens when Rob returns. Although they're leaving too long a gap really, like a film sequel rather than the persistent abuse with very few gaps which many women experience.

However the months and years leading up to tunagate (or was it custardgate, I can't remember that detail) were fantastically done, right from their first date when he subtly coerced her into changing outfit.

Yes! There was definitely tuna involved but custard rings a bell too.

Was it just that on here we made a joke about how it could have been custard or some such?

Except that I wasn't here at the time, was on BBCTA Fb page...

Hopefully someone will remember!

My memory is that the tuna thing was at the start of his gaslighting ramping up when Helen told him she’d make a tuna bake and he expressed pleasure then he got home and made a massive deal of how much he hated tuna, gagging, etc.

I think that the custard was on the night of the stabbing. I can’t remember if it featured much beyond that being what she was making at the time, and possibly spilled?

'Twas definitely tuna

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/XKfnpYdTmv3CC7rPrFYtlJ/tuna-bakes-against-titchener

(Apparently custardgate was a GBBO thing...)

Oh wasn't the custard something to do with Ursula being sniffy about Helen making custard without eggs/from a tin?

Link there to the first time she made him tuna......

@Madcats that sounds likely but can't remember why that deserved to become a -gate ?

A quick google explained it all (how could I forget!!!). Kirsty bought a cinnamon and apple pie round and Rob asked for custard (alongside the tuna bake). Episode here:

I think she made tuna bake again on stab night didn't she? I think having gaslighted her before he then ate it happily, which (in my mind) cemented her realisation that he was messing her around and that she was right to leave.

It was custard (can't remember what with) for pudding that night. I have a mental image of her stabbing him and the custard spilling so he was lying on the floor in the custard when Kirsty arrived.

Tuna bake and custard were both on the menu the night of the stabbing, although there was a previous fish-based incident earlier in the story which I can't remember, I think it might have been the night of the rape.

The tuna bake was part of the gaslighting: Rob had previously said that he didn't like tuna, so she deliberately made it the night she was planning to leave him, then he tucked in to the supper and said it was one of the best things she'd ever made and why didn't she make it more often. She said that it was because he'd told her he didn't like it and he went on about how silly she was and that he'd never said any such thing.

The custard was to go with a pie. Rob asked for custard to go with it and made a comment that Helen shouldn't serve any of that shop-bought rubbish (or somthing to that effect) because that was just lazy. She shakily agreed with him. She never actually made the custard.

Sorry, I took so long to dredge through my memory of the tuna and custard night that a load of other people had posted in the meantime. Mea culpa.

Delurking - wasn't the other fish incident to do with Helen borrowing a fish kettle from Jenny for the party (relurks)?

I remember a fish kettle but not its purpose in the HellinRob story. Definitely Jenny has been known to do a 'whole dressed salmon' for parties in the past.

I miss Jenny and Brian. I hope Angela Piper is okay. Actually I think she lives quite near to my aunt - maybe I'll get her to knock on the door and check

From what I remember, Helen cooked something with fish in it, and Rob refused to eat it saying he couldn't stand fish.
Then on custardgate night she made a tuna bake. Earlier Helen had said she was thinking of serving custard, and he'd said 'none of the shop bought muck' or something like that,
Kirsty provided the pie.

Rob was pleased with the tuna bake, confirming that he'd been gaslighting her.

As an aside, Christmas is coming, and I'm wondering how to get my letter to Siôn Corn (Father Christmas)? Do I post it to him at the North Pole or do I put it in a bottle. Do I drop the bottle in the nearby river? I don't have a chimney, which might explain why he's not visited me the past few years.

Don't relurk though @StarryGazeyEyes - stay and join in

It was Jess who borrowed JD's fish platter for a party.

@StarryGazeyEyes, no need to lurk! Welcome.

IIRC, the fish kettle thing was when his estranged wife Jess turned up in Ambridge and invited a few people round, including Jennifer. Rob was very angry about it, I think because she hadn't cleared it with him first, but probably also because several people knew he was already seeing Helen (I think) and I suppose he thought Jess might find out. He was very dismissive of her capabilities as a cook and hostess, but she pressed on. She poached a whole salmon, I believe. As far as I can recall, Rob's mask slipped a bit in front of Jennifer that night, although she didn't see him for what he was at the time - just put it down to difficulties in the relationship, which was no great surprise as they hadn't been living together for some time.

Am I remembering correctly that that whole episode was the first time the listeners were finally shown what Rob was like? Up to that time, there had been hints but it was all a matter of interpretation. We knew long before Helen did what an absolute bastard Rob was, sadly. She wouldn't listen when Jess tried to tell her.

His behaviour that night was the final straw for Jess, who left him for good. Rob was already involved with Helen and rapidly moved her into Blossom Hill Cottage with Henry. I assume the first tuna bake was after that.

I seem to remember Jess serving salmon at the party and Rob shouting at her but it's vague.

Ah pp has beat me to it.

Yes - now I remember that party. Thanks all.

Who remembers this? Helen invited Adam and Ian over for a couples night and had planned (I think) a stir fry. She’s either just cooked or prepped everything, Adam and Ian are making all the appreciative sounds when Rob says proper men can’t eat a stir fry and insists she goes to the shop to buy steak.

Chance to make actual TA sound effects for them...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4p1mv02zDX4jjZNlBMY1Q6g/apply-for-your-15-seconds-of-fame?atcustom2=facebookkpage&BBC+The+Archers=64&atcustom3=BBC+The+Archers&attcustom4=0334395C-543B-11ED-A0C5-765B0EDC252D&atmedium=custom7&attcustom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&fbclid=IwAR3dC0QGC-WF0TW1TyCWpYBJqb6JD42H6NlMimyZ4JPha7G5ahCCoXFebQ