The Archers

I’ve no problems with lesbian relationships but - can’t Stella and Pip be good friends?

Farzanah - or maybe Ruth?
Or is Ruth too old...

George needs therapy, or maybe the whole family.

I'm a regular listener again - started when I was a child (I remember Grace Archer and the fire!). I did stop when it became lecturing and finger-wagging but picked up again about 15 years ago; we listen at 7 pm when we're eating whatever you call your last meal of the day. I confess to shouting at the radio sometimes. And yes, I do know it's not real.

Have listened to it since it started in the Midland region, I was 5 at the time and my parents listened. When I first met my OH and found out that he was a listener, well that was it. Yes, George is a shit I just hope he will pay attention to Neil the only sensible adult who cares for him.

What do you mean ‘it’s not real’ gulligranny?

Oh no gulligranny you’ve spoilt it now. Just like when I found out Father Christmas wasn’t real!

I think George’s family heard a few home truths from George’s point of view last night!

Every night with earphones. Definitely on the up again.
I don’t always sleep well so do the rounds of radio during the night when this occurs……..probably should start another thread……but I go on to desert island discs and or Dotun Atabyeyu ( ? Spelling) to keep me entertained.

Adebayo.
at least you didn't call him Dalton, as some do.

I always listen to the omnibus. Can’t make up my mind about the Helen/Rob thing, it seems a bit far fetched to me. Stella and Pip, definitely, on Stella’s side anyway. George, where is all his anger coming from or is he just bad boy??

is he just a bad boy?
Can a person be innately bad? A topic for a different thread perhaps?

Does Will have a proper job now he’s given up gamekeeping? Surely he needs the rent from Johnny and Hannah to boost his income?

Farzanah

^is he just a bad boy?^
Can a person be innately bad? A topic for a different thread perhaps?

His emotional, physical and developmental needs were met to the classic ‘good enough’ level. Yet he’s screaming abuse at this parents, blaming them for anything that’s gone wrong. He’s taken no responsibility for his actions.
Is he a chip off the uncle Clive Horrobin, uncle GeorgebGrundy

Sorry - meant Eddie’s brother Alf, he’s the baddun

I agree that George is a noxious little shit but, all the same, I was delighted when he let fly both verbal barrels at the po-faced Emma. That was an excellent episode- brilliantly well written and well acted.

I thought the Tracey & Jazzer not-getting-married business was a bit silly but then I realised it may be setting up a storyline for the future. If they just never get around to doing the deed and everyone assumes they're married, it could cause all sorts of problems over inheritance years hence if one of them dies intestate.

Agree that the actor playing George is doing an excellent job. His horrific outburst against his parents must has dispersed the rose-coloured specs that Emma had abut her son. And now he is turning his venom against Hannah, etc.!!!!

With regard to Rob, I do think that Helen is totally wrong in not letting a dying man see his son for one supervised visit. No matter what he did to her in the past, he is still Jack's Dad, and both have a right to meet-up. If Helen continues to oppose this until Rob dies, then Jack will turn on her in the future.

Stella and Pip???? Do have a lot of LGBT people in Ambridge, surprised they do not have their own Pride Festival.

Never really listened to it, but will now. Seems like an interesting program

Thanks for informing me

Any decision about Jack has to be in his best interests. Making decisions in the height of emotion is rarely a good thing.
Ron’s needs don’t need to be considered. Is it in Jack’s interest now to be told your biological father is dying. You haven’t seen him because the family court said he’s a risk but now he’s dying you’re going to see him once
I don’t think so. Much more important to see if Rob can write something about his family send a message saying he always loved Jack and was sorry his behaviour meant they couldn’t see each other
Written in a hurry but can be done better

Children of Jack’s age are given professional support to help them deal with the impending death of a parent if it’s needed. Nobody really knows how a seven year old is going to cope.

We don’t know how much if anything Jack knows about Rob. Even Helen talks as though she hasn’t really got a clue. She is always so wrapped up in her own feelings. Imagine being a seven year old and suddenly being told you’re going to meet your father because he’s dying. Will there be preparation and support from somebody other than Helen?

Something needs to be decided soon though before Henry takes George’s advice and throws a spanner in the works.

Helen gets on my nerves. I think you are right absolutely right Iam64. It’s easy to prioritise the needs of parents/adults in difficult family situations but it is the child’s best interests that should be paramount.

That’s my concern Merlot, telling a 7 year old the father he doesn’t know is dying so he’s to meet him. Neither his mother or her extended family are in a calm enough place to support him even if anyone believed it was the right thing to do.

If only Helen , with Pat’s support would see a child psychologist/psychotherapist to get proper support and advice

I hope they would in RL Iam but TA is getting as much emotional mileage out of the storyline as possible.
The development with Henry and George is interesting too.

Archers scriptwriters have been seeking expert advice from charities such as Women’s Aid and Refuge to make the story as convincing as possible and Louiza Patikas, who plays Helen, has also met women who have suffered the same kind of abuse as her character.

The Archers has always been able to take stories and run either them long term. No other series can do that.

I don't, for one moment, believe the are using it for "emotional milage".

The unraveling of current story line shows us that someone in Helen's position is damned if they do and damned if they don't. I hope the writers allow Helen some peace at the end of this but this often not way in real cases like this. Knowing, as we do, the amount of research and liasing with with relevant organisation that has gone on, to understand the lived experience, one thing we can be sure of is that it will, sadly, relate to the truth, difficult though that maybe to hear.

I have listened on and off since childhood. I stopped listening when the Rob and Helen story came to a head - when his controlling behaviour got really bad - and also stopped for quite a while when the modern slavery story was the main theme. I found that very distressing. There are so many characters now that for several weeks there is a main storyline with just a few scenes with other characters. One storyline I did stick with, though, was Alice’s battle with alcoholism.