Archers thread #156: Fireworks in Ambridge! Helen gave Lee a rocket, but Grey Gables is a damp squib. Is the writing on the (church) wall?Discuss 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, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. 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 irresistibly attracted to George Grundy, 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.)

Thanks to @OverArmour for the title suggestion, which I have tweaked a bit. I was strongly tempted by Less GGP (Grey Gables Peril) More GPP (Guinea Pig Plot), which was a plaintive cry from @PuppyPerson some days ago, but if Poppy has found new homes for the baby guinea pigs that may be the last we hear of them for some time, sadly.

Surely in the life of the next thread we must hear more from or of Rob, or Ron as some on this thread prefer to call him? <taps foot> Will Kirsty snap and tell Helen a few home truths? Will Pat's shotgun finally be brought into play? We can only hope ...

Also, will we ever find out who owns the other 60% of Grey Gables? Why is Adil AWOL (to use the other bit of OverArmour's title idea!)? Why aren't we hearing from Roy? Will GG ever re-open and will Emma get her Big Chance at last?

So many questions! Over to you.

I thought he was 5!!

helen should really have found some specialist advice around how to talk to a child about an abusive parent.

Helen?! Ask someone else's advice??? (let alone follow it)

It's easy for me to say this as I've not been in Helen's position but I think I would let Jack meet Rob once (perhaps Myles there) in a supervised one off visit because it's a one off and Jack will never ever get that chance again - perhaps Tony there rather than Helen - whatever Jack thinks in the future at least he would have met his Father once rather than been refused

I assume they are building up Jack and Henry to be damaged young men having lost two father figures in their young lives (although they do have a grandfather and an uncle as constant figures)

I thought Joy was going to deliver a nice, slightly old-fashioned piece of advice when she said ‘my mam used to always say….’ but then she said ‘it is what it is’ as if her mum was a teenager.

I missed what dish Joy brought over to Helen at the start of the evening. I expect she’s quite a nice cook. Wish she was my neighbour.

Sachertorte.

Yes that took me aback as well! I’ve never heard anyone over 50 say that (and I do hate that phrase).

I agree about letting Jack meet his father. He deserves to have a real memory of him, or at least to know he was given that chance. As long as it can be done in a safe place. Presumably Helen will do it in a stupid way if she does it at all.

Sachertorte!

Oh my! Just googled it. Lucky boys- I can’t imagine Helen will be eating much of it.

I’d be thrilled if someone brought me a home-made Sachertorte but if they turned up with another after only a few days I’d start to feel slightly overwhelmed….

I think it is too late for Jack to meet Rob due to his mental state

children of ‘monsters’ can often worry they are genetically predisposed to end up like them so I think it would have been useful for him to meet Rob and see he is just a man. He is going to have so much to grapple with growing up when he reads about the case etc and will no doubt have great resentment towards Helen for denying him a meeting with Rob. Hopefully miles will be more circumspect as he will be the only one left on robs side of the family by the time Jack grows up.

as a long term sl this could be done so well. I do think it would have been better to keep Rob alive though

I do hope Lynda gets involved with fundraising for the church. With any luck when she discovers why it's necessary, she may have something forthright to say about the Christianity involved in withholding finances because you're having a hissy fit with the vicar on behalf of a relative - and, what's more, a relative who herself doesn't blame the vicar at all.

Someone suggested Will might buy the Grange Farm land Oliver wants to sell?

Suddenly I’m excited by the (completely ridiculous) possibility of the entire Grundy clan somehow stumbling upon enough cash to buy back their … heritage.

I know it can’t happen. But I’m so disheartened by the current storylines …

Discovering oil like the Beverley Hillbillies?

I really would not support a sl of the grundys getting grange farm back as I don’t think they deserve it!!

I’d rather have Tracy and Jazzer win the lottery and buy it. Two hard workers.

Maybe Joy is really a lottery multimillionaire and she'll buy it.

Grey Gables/Grange Farm stupid story line.

I can think of 3 options Oliver could pursue so he doesn't have to sell land.

1. Raise a mortgage.
2. Equity release
3. Take out a loan

And the figures he quotes for the land he is considering selling and the land with building planning permission don't stack up IMO. I would think he could raise 250k by just selling the bit with planning permission, not the arable.

Now wondering who in Ambridge could currently buy many prime acres of farmland, without a lottery win …

And whether they’d be well disposed towards Grundys, or not.

It won't be sold as farmland. It will be sold as land for building on it.

When does Phillip Moss get out of chokey?

It will be bought, or built on, by a new builder. Potential buyers are Damnara, the GG Owners or the Gills.

How much is Brine worth these days?

They went back because it was cheap and they are freeloading wasters.

The Gills for sure will buy it.

they’ll slowly buy up all of Ambridge and take out every Archer.

It will then change to The Gills and every episode will be silence.

Did he say the land had planning permission? I can't have been paying attention at that point. I remember him saying the most valuable plot would be the one opening onto the road, so I suppose it adds up that a potential buyer might be looking to build there. How easy would it be to get planning permission on a greenfield site these days? Not that realism need be any obstacle ...

Tiny congregation at St Stephen's is surely perfectly credible. As I am currently spending quite a lot of time on and off on GaspMum Island, I have been privy to many conversations about a recent reorganisation of local churches. There were about six and now there will only be three, I think. Simply not viable for the Church of Scotland to keep them all running. Most of the regulars are old and so are the buildings. I imagine the C of E has similar issues.