The Archers

I'm another who wondered (some time ago) if joy actually a daughter.

I thought right from the time the Joy character was introduced that Rochelle either didn't exist or had died in childhood, leaving her mother in denial. Somehow, whenever Joy spoke of her, she seemed just too good to be true. 🙍

NotSpaghetti “Planning the future” by things he said, when he first knew Fallon was pregnant.
They discussed children when their relationship became serious and Fallon made it clear she didn’t want any. He has since made some telling remarks about fatherhood (before the miscarriage), which showed he was changing his mind.

Falon (sp?) told him ages ago she didn't want children and so I think he was totally over the top about this.
It was the end of a pregnancy that they didn't even know existed.

You say:
as time has passed the urge to become a father has grown
- I don't see that as I never believed he really meant that he was OK with not having children in the first place. We see him all the time trying to prove his "dad-worthy" credentials! 🙄

when the possibility arose he was thrilled, and was planning the future with excitement, ignoring Fallon’s feelings. He is now suffering a bereavement as much as any prospective mother might

... actually I think that the possibility never did really arise - he's just angry at the fact that he may have been able to have his way after all. I think he's been "pushing quietly" all along for a family - the elephant has always been in the room.

His bereavement is the loss of what "might have been" and as you say, he selfishly is putting that on Falon, who can barely endure him at the moment.

I'm not sure many prospective mothers would grieve a loss of a pregnancy they didn't know existed If they didn't want to be pregnant. However, I agree that anyone who was trying to have a baby would be grieving once they knew.
Maybe you mean like this?
He was wanting to have a baby all along.

I had a very early miscarriage once. It was a sadness in a way - but so early (and I wasn't trying to get pregnant) that my feelings were quite simple. I hadn't known (which was odd for me) so I didn't truly feel a loss.
Perhaps I'm just odd.

I worked with women and partners who did feel a strong loss after a miscarriage, however early, even if they weren’t planning it. The imagination jumps ahead and they do plan how things will be with a baby. Admittedly completely different for Fallon who didn’t want children and for Harrison who once he realised the possibility, was over the moon.

You are probably right, he was masking his true feelings before, and the resentment was building. Now it has erupted.

The actor Simon Williams playing Justin Elliot has not been in recent episodes, which I am grateful for.

I am wondering if anyone else finds his rasping "frog in the throat" irritating.

I find when listening to him, I want to cough all the time to clear my voice.

I have been listening to the Archers for a number of years. I used to listen with my mother.

She sadly died when she was only 50.

When I listen now it makes me remember her with fond memories.

.

the elephant has always been in the room

Yes!

I used to listen with my grandad! He was a country man, working with horses.

Thank you Merlotgran. I wonder why the producers do not recognise the problem.

Farzanah, Both my grandparents ( my mother's parents ) were great Horse riders. I still have a wonderful photo of my grandmother wearing a full elegant riding habit. She could ride side saddle.

I think the producers place “the elephants in the room” dropping hints of future storylines.

Probably.

There is lots of discussion on Mustardland about the Archers.
I pop over there now and again.

I remember sitting in my pram in our kitchen in my home island in 1951, when I was a year old, and hearing the very first episode of The Archers. I have been listening to it ever since.

My eldest daughter had an ectopic pregnancy. Only found out she was pregnant when she collapsed and had to be taken to hospital. They had not been planning or trying for a baby. I can remember I was concerned that she did not cry for that 'baby' (I did), but she always maintained that it never was a baby in any real sense.

Franbern I'm glad your daughter was OK.

Yes I guess everyone will be different in their reaction to miscarriage so important to understand this.

Ectopic pregnancy is very traumatic of course, and indeed can be life threatening. Glad your daughter OK Franbern.

Yongy

I remember sitting in my pram in our kitchen in my home island in 1951, when I was a year old, and hearing the very first episode of The Archers. I have been listening to it ever since.

My, what a memory you have.

I was talking yesterday about the Archers plot to a young woman who is an occasional Archers listener and who had an early miscarriage some years ago.

She said she really wasn't trying to get pregnant and had only just discovered she was pregnant about 10 days before. She said she "felt a loss" but it was fleeting.
The "father" was a long time friend - this was a one-night affair. She had just escaped an abusive relationship and he was moving to another city hundreds of miles away the next day.

When she went to visit him a couple of weeks later she told him about it and he was beside himself with grief- and very angry that she hadn't told him at once that she was pregnant as it was "his baby".
They are still close but she said that his grief and his entitlement were both extraordinary and out of character.

I suppose it happens in real life too.

Daddima

Yongy

I remember sitting in my pram in our kitchen in my home island in 1951, when I was a year old, and hearing the very first episode of The Archers. I have been listening to it ever since.

My, what a memory you have.

I have a very good memory for the things that happened during my childhood. I remember the being in the maternity home in a white canvas cot with the nurse looking down on me, the walls were green and cream. I checked this out with my mother years later and she agreed that this is correct.

Anyone else worried about Harrison after him telling Fallon he won’t be dying any time soon? Evil Marky seems to have plenty of equally unpleasant associates.

Yes, Elrel. That statement did sound like a knell of doom, didn't it? It's like when two characters have an on-air frisky moment and you just know a pregnancy will result.
Ohhh ... Harrison and Fallon's rapprochement .... I do hope the script writers aren't going to inflict two accidental pregnancies on the poor woman.

Is his conscience getting to George at last? Or will we have to wait for Alice to be sentenced?

His conscience may be getting to him but I don't think he will do anything about it.

The Alice situation starting to unravel? Is George unraveling too?

He’ll definitely be called as a witness so how will he hold up?

The aggressive attitude of Mr Plod towards Alice is way too much. He was quite unpleasant with Chris I thought.