I like your take on the storyline. Rob should be put away in prison for a very long time. Who knows Jess and Helen might even become the best of friends after comparing notes.

I agree she's the cause of Rob's behaviour, absolutely, and that he is constantly seeking her approval by doing what he believes she would do. But I'd say she doesn't realise it, she is convinced her way is the right way and has no insight into how damaging her rigid beliefs have been. Which is why she wouldn't condone violence imo - she would see it as weakness in Rob that he couldn't control Helen without resorting to physical abuse. Her method is to undermine and withdraw affection, if she's capable of affection to Rob. I suspect Miles of being nothing more than a plot device to give Rob something else to feel resentful of - mummy loves Miles best.

Ursula's actually one reason I lost a lot of faith in the storyline - the cold controlling mother creating the damaged abusive son is such a cliché. I hope that it's not as simplistic as that but as it seems to be drawing to a conclusion it looks as if that's the route they're taking.

I've always found Jess to be unhelpful I suppose where this story line is concerned. When Rob left her I assume they did still sleep together again as Jess says and also she actively wanted him back and even went to Ursula's and was staying with Rob's family whilst they thought her child was Rob's Was he not as controlling or abusive with her? I mean why on earth would she try so hard to get back with him. Also, finding out recently that Ursula is as bad makes it even more weird that Jess went to stay with her.

I've mentioned this a few times on here, I feel like they weren't writing Rob initially the way he became and there are some glaring errors now in hindsight.

From the relative little we heard from Jess it sounded like she was a much stronger character than Helen who would not put up with any of that sort of nonsense from Rob. Which may be at the root of his leaving her in the first place.

It would seem that Helen has found a little backbone "why don't you make supper, I'm going to bed".

I so want Rob to be the one responsible for the vandalism.

When is the swansong episode of the current editor being aired? Presumably that will be when the climactic events happen leaving the new editor to mop up the blood (actual or figurative).

Well, I am one of the older listeners mentioned in that article. I hate this story line and have switched off until it's over. I feel very cheated because I have been listened to the Archers since it started in the fifties.
The bit that has really upset me is the Henry going away to school aged Five.its totally
Unecessary to do that. It has bought comments from Headmasters in today's Telegraph.
Hopefully I will start listening again before too long.

I'm an older listener too (70 is definitely older!) and I'm glad they're dealing with this sort of story once in a while, however stressful it might be to listen to. Henry won't go away to school - that suggestion is the last straw for Helen - but I'm puzzled that that would be what turns anyone away from the story, rather than a woman being systematically isolated and 'gaslighted' by an abusive husband.

To my mind the more light shone on this the better, and if even a usually cosy undemanding radio soap can help make more people understand that domestic abuse isn't just about stereotypical drunken blokes on council estates hitting their wives, I'm all for it.

Lynda's play thing was hilarious. Did she deliberately set Justin up with those lines?

I suppose it was Alf who nicked the curtain money. What a swine

[quote=fredster;81956652]Well, I am one of the older listeners mentioned in that article. I hate this story line and have switched off until it's over. I feel very cheated because I have been listened to the Archers since it started in the fifties.
The bit that has really upset me is the Henry going away to school aged Five.its totally
Unecessary to do that. It has bought comments from Headmasters in today's Telegraph.
Hopefully I will start listening again before too long.[/QUOTE}


You could have listened tonight - Rob and Helen weren't in it

[quote=sam_gee;81958965]
That's the risk I have to take .

People do it though. A friend of mine was a boarder from 5 because his father was a diplomat and was posted to somewhere where there were no decent English or American schools. He used to fly to see them on his own in the long holidays, too, with airline staff as chaperones.

My ex-husband used to work at a prep school, and they had 5-year old boarders. Most of them were weekday only, and went home at weekends, but there were some that stayed all term.

In Henry's case, it's pure evil, of course.

I totally agree. My work used to bring me into contact with people who had been abused by their partners, and one of the worst cases I encountered was that of a respected professor who emotionally and financially abused his wife. The woman, herself a highly intelligent professional who had been independent enough to work all over the world before her marriage, was an emotional wreck who was scared of her own shadow.

This was before the law on "coercive control" and because he wasn't actually violent, there was nothing she could do about it. In the end, their daughter became so troubled by what went on in the home that her school got children's services involved. They told him that if he didn't move out, they'd take his daughter into care, so he went. His next step was to try and get the wife and daughter out of the matrimonial home and to take early retirement to reduce his income so he'd have to pay less maintenance!

O'Connor and the woman who acts Helen have just been interviewed on Woman's Hour if anyone wants to catch up.

Sounds like the story is intensifying. Lots of people writing into to WH saying "I want the Archers not Eastenders' etc which is a bit ill-informed. It's nothing like a TV melodrama but more insidious and realistic I'd guess.

I'm still not listening atm though, mainly because the Archers is my little escape and treat. Listening to Rob was becoming excrutiating.
It is important that the soap addresses issues like this with panache and edge - it's just not for me this time.

Rob: I'm not a monster you know

Listeners: YES YOU ARE YOU B*ST*RD!

Me neither , the Archers has been a bit of escapism each evening. Not at the moment sadly.

Bloody hell, have you installed a bug chez Lakie? That's exactly what I said, word for word.

I'm even more hooked now that Helen seems to have started growing a pair. It could go either way - she stands up to him and he realises he can't control her any more and buggers off, or he gets even worse (by being more subtle and pernicious or more brutal, both would work just as well) and she becomes more cowed.

I wanted to give Pat a damn good shake last night, when she was making out Helen was difficult and Rob was a saint, and when Rob turned on the smarm and started telling Helen how lovely she looked, I wanted to punch him.

Loving Bert and the Fairbrothers atm, they provide a great bit of light relief.

O'Connor said on Radio 4 that this story is about 'Helen who was a flinty character none of the listeners could connect with, finally connecting by finding herself and her inner strength"

so I guess the implication there is that it won't be Kirsty etc who face Rob down but Helen. She's going to turn on him in some way.

Was talking to a mate over the weekend who is quite a gentle soul, and she said "I HATE him I want her to tie him up, carve his balls off, mash them in a pestle and mortar, and then ram the paste down his throat!!"



Calm down dear! This story has really wound people up.
Pâtè de Titchener testiclé, anyone?

Good, I'll be glad if she manages to sort him out on her own. Hopefully just the way your friend suggests.

I've only just twigged that I have a colleague called Rob who's married to a woman called Helen. In their relationship, she's the control freak though.

That'd be a good seller in the farm shop - as long as it was organic

Your wait will soon be over! Go Helen! (literally Helen go, go!)

I thought Ruth laughed too much about the stock cube in the shower thing. It wasn't that funny.

Ding dong the b*st*rd's dead!!!!

I think self-defence and protecting Henry would be good grounds for defence.