Life in Ambridge
So which would be Natasha’s choice?
Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
Nothing to do with the current story-line but rather cute
Lady RSeptember 22, 2023 at 12:10 AM
ReplyDeleteToo late I reckon Fallon the job is now bound to go to Emma and if anything you will be offered a job as her staff member! Freddie somewhat hyper I hope he can manage to keep focused on his objectives and make progress.
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maryellenSeptember 22, 2023 at 1:37 AM
How’s this for an idea? Building on Lynda’s previous offer of a loan, Fallon goes into partnership with her, merging their interests in the hospitality trade. Emma gets the Bridge Farm job and Ambridge is full of happy bunnies!
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Lady RSeptember 22, 2023 at 10:53 AM
I’d forgotten about Linda’s offer maryellen ummm!
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Cheshire CheeseSeptember 22, 2023 at 10:57 AM
I don't think that Ambridge full of happy bunnies is going to happen any time soon, what would we do without all the misery and angst?
maryellenSeptember 23, 2023 at 7:06 AM
ReplyDeleteKnowing the scriptwriters’ love of confrontational drama, I was expecting some kind of confrontation between Fallon and Emma over the Bridge Farm job, so was pleasantly surprised it didn’t happen like that - though sorry Emma had her career hopes dashed yet again. Somehow I don’t think that’s the end of the tea room manager story!
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Lady RSeptember 23, 2023 at 10:37 AM
Exactly maryellen! Natasha has yet to read Emma’s e.mail so if /when things go belly up with Fallon she may yet get her chance. Natasha still has to speak with family regarding Fallons bonus request once she sees Emma’s application and no doubt willing to go with TA bonus idea she may yet get the offer…….
KP - please may I have the gold cup and saucer when you’ve finished with it, to add to my collection.
ReplyDeleteI agree Mrs P it is just beautiful ⭐️
DeleteYes, my choice also..
Delete“Strictly” anyone? We throughly enjoyed it so uplifting to see such colour and happiness on a Saturday night 💃🏼 Les Dennis bless him appears to be this years plodder but will probably be popular with many viewers as is the normal form! As the eldest ever contestant at 79yrs next month Angela Rippon held her own - those legs ⭐️ loved Annabelle Croft so tiny and graceful and seemingly a lovely person. An overall high standard for week one and in the main very generous marks - even from Craig in most cases.
ReplyDelete(Looking forward to reading others views)
Not my cup of tea! (Smiley face)
DeleteI am still wondering if Natasha has the full go-ahead from the full Bridge Farm management team - which includes Pat, Tony and Helen, besides "limp lettuce" Tom.
ReplyDeleteI feel it's what Natasha wants, Natasha gets. What stuck in my throat was that she alone negotiated with Fallon, produced a basic contract for her to sign immediatley, and in The Bull! She also kept saying - We at Bridge Farm - where she apart from the BridgeFresh App, has no other input.
I’m with you Miriam….
DeleteMe too …….
DeleteI enjoyed the scene between Pip and T❤️O❤️B❤️Y. It was far from confrontational, with a real sense of togetherness forged by their joint parenthood, and even some gentle humour. He brings out the best in her. I took heart from her line about him always being part of her life, which obviously hasn’t gone down well with Stella.
ReplyDelete(Just musing....). I think what Toby’s detractors fail to see is that he is actually very good at what he does, whether it’s creating and marketing his gin, bar tending at The Bull (the cocktails he invented wowed the customers), helping with the lambing at Brookfield (Eddie was impressed), learning to run the family wine business, dealing with emergencies (Jill’s injured ankle), and parenting Rosie. What I most like about him, apart from his voice,, is his generosity of spirit (no pun intended!), another of his good qualities which goes unrecognised....
DeleteAgree with all points you make about Toby ME.
DeleteHe is also a genial character whenever he is around.
I don’t understand why he is disliked.
Is it perhaps his casual approach to life that gets misinterpreted as being flighty ?
I love Toby too, always have. Does he still have any detractors? I have seen no evidence on FB, or here recently. And I really do hope he still pops in from time to time.
DeleteI was fervently hoping he and Pip would get back together and Stella would return to her last love. Can’t help thinking that the S/W, in the interests of being inclusive, went a bit too far in involving Pip as the new girl friend for Stella. . If it had been Kirsty for example, there would have been fewer complications around the issue of a child.
(Sorry if this opinion offends anyone)
I am still hopeful for Toby + Pip, not now but in the future, after Stella gets bored with Pip, Ruth + David, and also Brian, so waltzes off elsewhere.
DeleteRe-enter Adam at Home Farm!
Not meant to speculate I know, but couldn't resist it!! 🤣
Says who Miriam? It’s what most of us do, sometimes we are right or conversely totally wrong 😂 Speculate away!
DeleteFront Row tonight, as the R4 announcer mentioned, is worth a listen. It is Helen + Tracy, talking about Lark Rise to Ambridge (Oct 1st + 8th) plus other aspects.
ReplyDeleteThankfully this was at the beginning....
I see from the new Radio Times that the production of Lark Rise next Sunday is not only narrated by Archers characters, but the whole cast are Archers characters as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd best of all, the adaptation is by Katie Hims, the wonderful scriptwriter responsible for much of the Home Front series. It should be very worth while listening to and would be a welcome alternative to the Christmas Panto.
What’s the masculine equivalent of old bag, because that’s what Jim was (and hammy with it). I don’t often feel sorry for Josh but I did tonight!
ReplyDeleteOld WINDbag?? Actually I was cheering him on.
ReplyDeleteI hope the straw whatevers get a better gig offered and let Josh down. And I hope if he goes crawling to Jim and Kiki that they decline to bail him out.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds fair enough to me Janice.
DeleteI would also hope that Paul and Lily as well as David give him hell as well.
I don’t think condemning Josh exonerates Jim. True he was entitled to feel aggrieved when his singalong was cancelled, but he vastly overplayed his reaction and sounded like an outraged prima donna. Barking ‘Leave’ at Josh like that was melodramatic, rude and entirely unnecessary. Not a good role model for the young men of Ambridge!
DeleteSorry , can’t agree ME. Your long held dislike of Jim is showing! He was, in my opinion, perfectly justified in being furious. Having specially prepared a programme with his teacher to be suitable for The Harvest Supper and then having their work thrown back in their faces was very hurtful. Josh could have been far more diplomatic and should have discussed the matter with David first so that they could have negotiated a solution to suit both sets of entertainers. I sincerely hope David apologises to Jim and feathers are smoothed - somehow or other.
DeleteYou mean Jim barking Leave at Josh wasn’t melodramatic, rude and entirely unnecessary? Come on, Archerphile, you have to admit it was rude, at the very least, and there are ways in which Jim could have handled his side of the conversation far more graciously. I don’t actively dislike Jim but I do think it’s time he was written out, before he’s totally barking!
DeleteAnd another character I feel the same about - Jazzer. Since Jim made th3 ogrand gesture and gave him the Riley, Alistair is having to act as Jim’s personal chauffeur, in addition to a full-time job and running the Greenwotsit household. So why isn’t Jazzer offering to chauffeur Jim? He isn’t running a household in addition to his job, and it’s the obvious way to say thank you. Or why hasn’t Tracy nudged him into it?
Shan’t prolong the argument, let’s just agree that we have a difference of opinion. 🥰
DeleteThey've organised harvest suppers at Brookfield without any problems previously. They involve Josh and it's turning into a shambles. "Too many cooks" springs to mind.
ReplyDelete.
I am trying to remember where they held the Harvest Suppers before Brookfield opened their ‘entertainment barn’.. I suppose it was in the village hall, of which we hear little these days. Does anyone recall suppers if the past?
ReplyDeleteYes!!
ReplyDeleteOh how nostalgic I felt tonight.
ReplyDeleteListening to the lovely grunty sounds of contented pigs took me back 20 years to the days we had our own herd. Good to hear real animals again on the programme. 🐷
Par for the course Josh’s band pulling out - will Jim and piano teacher relent on behalf of Ambridge or let Josh go take a running jump 🤗
ReplyDeleteWill we hear Rosie’s reaction to having 2 mummy’s or Jill’s come to that. I’m assuming Jill has become a silent character now as Patricia Green has such bad eyes and is I believe over 90 now?
Yes, it was obvious that the band would pull out Lady R. Will Josh sort it out now or someone else have to do it?
DeleteI’ve always had a sneaking liking for Josh (partly because I think he’s well-acted) and tonight really justified that. Lark Rise in candlelit Brookfield barn won’t be quite as I’d imagined, which was a full scale Lynda Snell production like Canterbury Tales, but it will still be very appropriate for the Harvest Supper. And we get the full scale production earlier, of course. Can’t wait!
ReplyDeleteAn ideal entertainment for a harvest supper. Can’t imagine why someone didn’t suggest it earlier!
DeleteI thought Jim’s admission that he’d engineered things so he could see Josh squirm was deeply unpleasant. How does it square with his reputation as a kindly old bird?
ReplyDeleteYes, I admit that was rather an un-Jim like confession. But at least the Harvest Supper is going to end up having an even better entertainment than either of the other options.
DeleteAnd I shall be tuning in this afternoon at 3 O’clock to join them.
Jim wasn't always a kind old soul though, he was portrayed as quite unpleasant and hectoring to Shula when he first came to Ambridge, and neither Alistair or his sister seemed to have a good relationship with him then. Also remember the Brookfield sit-in.
DeleteWell, that was just perfect!! The best dramatisation of Lark Rise I have heard.
ReplyDeleteI loved the little asides between the narrators and their voices were perfect for the characters they were playing, especially Brian Hewlett as Neil.
Really looking forward to part two next week
I totally agree with you, Archerphile! I thought it was brilliantly conceived and executed. I was a little startled at first because I was expecting the four narrators to interweave maybe, but not to interact, and I was afraid having two groups of interacting characters might be confusing for the listener.- but not at all! I was pleased too, that the narrators toned down their TA accents slightly and Chelsea's adenoids problem has disappeared.
DeleteRoll on next Sunday's instalment which has 'Josh' in the Candleford cast.
I actually sat down and listened and did some sewing as I did so.
DeleteI enjoyed it immensely.
I’ve never actually read Larkrise, but feel I would like to do so now.
And I had no problem with distinguishing the Archers voices intertwined with the Larkrise ones.
Very very good !
Despite having an advancing brain tumour,Rob seems still smart enough to come up with this latest scheme to get his heart’s desire.If he feels so contrite about his past misdeeds,why does he need to be baptised to enable him to make the appropriate apologies? Also, it’s odd that,considering his medical state,Rob has been able to move away from his family and hospital care.
ReplyDeleteAfter yesterdays perfect Lark Rise, Robs return in last night’s episode was an awful shock and spoilt my mood completely.
DeleteSo he has moved to Penny Hassett? I dont believe it is solely to move into Alan’s parish to get baptised by him and receive absolution. Where has this sudden realisation of his guilt come from?
Surely It must also be to get closer to myson, and Henry?
How did he manage to search for and buy or rent property in his condition?
Did Miles do the arranging for him and is Miles going to live with Rob to look after him as he deteriorates?
What will Alan do, surely he should consult his Bishop about the situation as I don’t think it is a matter he can decide on his own. It is something that will test him greatly.
Here we go again, Rob dominating the story and this time involving even more unwilling people in his plans.
Although not surprised by Robs reappearance as I had predicted he would try again, I did feel that this reasoning was somewhat far fetched.
DeleteEven for him.
I’m getting to feel that the SW team are clutching at straws to keep this SL going.
I’ve lost the plot again. How exactly will being baptised help Rob gain access to Jack, if that is indeed his aim. In approaching Alan. I’m going to try the bold experiment of taking him at his word.
ReplyDeleteI had noticed Rob was in last weeks cast too, and my first thought after the episode ended was the same as yours Archerphile - consult the Bishop Alan! This SL I suspect is leading up to a Christmas climax 🤔
ReplyDeleteI think Rob is so determined to get access to Jack that he will try anything to get near - near enough to spot him in the locality, at the swimming pool or gym club for example.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, why not seek baptism and reception near where he lives in Hampshire? Or, as someone suggested elsewhere, arrange to end his days in a hospice where they have excellent pastoral care and would probably be willing to baptise him before his end.
As for last nights harrowing interview with Alan, sorry but I could not believe the convenient onset of a terrible headache just when Alan started asking awkward questions and the escape to the bathroom. It seemed very staged to me, also the physical attempt to prevent Alan leaving. The voice reverted to the old Rob, controlling and angry, not the ‘poor me’ one he adopts for sympathy.
I think Alan did the right thing, refusing to be involved with Rob.
There are other ways and places Rob could get the religious help he appears to want without involving anyone from Ambridge.
Redemption
DeleteRedemption? Cynical use of Church procedure more like.
ReplyDeleteSo have I got this right? Rob wants to be baptised in Ambridge because that will earn him a place in the congregation at St Stephen’s where he may get a glimpse of his son before he.(Rob) dies. That’s based on the assumption that the Beechwood family are churchgoers, or maybe Jack is in the choir. Hmmm!
ReplyDeletePerhaps Jack and Henry attend Sunday School there.
ReplyDeleteThey will probably go as a family to the Christmas Carol service. Maybe Rob is hoping to last out that long.
ReplyDeleteInteresting theories, but I think he’s even more Machiavellian than anything we might imagine.
ReplyDeleteAs for seeking Baptism and thus redemption in order to join the congregation of St Stephens, surely he could just turn up to any Church service there.
I think I’m correct in believing that a non molestation order requires him to be at a certain distance from his victims. So even if he was Baptised by Alan ( well done Alan, that was the right move ) he would be at fault if he were anywhere near to Ambridge.
Yesterday Rob told Alan he believed that Helen wanted to build bridges but that Pat was preventing it.
ReplyDeleteHas he genuinely convinced himself that this is the case or is it just another lie to further his plans?
As for repentance, I'm unsure why he thinks he needs it. All we've ever heard from Rob is that Helen was the unhinged one and that he was being unfairly prevented from access to Myson. As I recall, there has never been any admission that his behaviour was abusive, nor that he goaded Helen into wielding the knife.
If he were genuinely repentant, he would acknowledge the harm that he'd done and accept that he must keep away from Helen and the boys. I would have thought he would seek out the vicar in his local church rather than returning so close to Ambridge with the aim of buttering up Alan.
Rob 'talks the talk' while he can string people along, but his real attitudes quickly reveal themselves when he isn't getting his way.
Yes, people can, and do, change and turn their lives around. But I see precious little evidence that this is true in Rob's case.
Rob didn’t just lie about Helen being prevented by Pat to aid him, he also cleverly, for he is undoubtedly clever, twisted the truth of Helen being there when it was discovered that he had a brain tumour implying that Helen’s presence was not only fortuitous but deliberate on Helen’s part. When in fact he had manipulated her yet again.
DeleteNo, I do not believe that his cry to God via Alan is at all genuine, it is another ploy, yet again to further his own case.
As you say Old Woman true repentance would include at the very least an open acceptance of his abuse.
I am worried for Usha, working at home alone in the Vicarage while Alan is out. I fear that either Rob or Miles is going to confront her and try to persuade her to get Alan to change his mind. Whether or not either of them would be violent I don’t know, but it could put Usha (and Alan) in a very difficult position.
ReplyDeleteSounds plausible AP as Alan made a point of commenting on Usha working at home and once again he would be out all day - quite the regular occurrence of course…..
DeleteAgree that the above comments might well come true, but I think Usha is more than capable of standing up to any bullying- subtle or otherwise - from either Rob or Miles.
DeleteShe might also be just the right person in Ambridge to stand up to him with words that he needs to hear.
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DeleteHmmm !
DeleteUsha might well be capable of standing up to them.
Not sure about Alan though now.
The Tiitchener Brothers certainly know how to pile on the pressure.
ReplyDeleteAlso very unsettling even though we know the truth for to those who don’t their explanations can appear to have solid foundations. Therein lies torture for Alan.
DeleteBefore redemption cometh repentance and I notice that Helen is still considered to be the villain of the piece. That is something that will have to be thrashed out before Alan can concede anything at all.
ReplyDeleteIf being baptised was just about redemption Rob could have it done anywhere and by anyone. To me, insisting on where and by whom confirms that he has an agenda. Alan should stop agonising and take his concerns to his superior.
ReplyDeleteNow he is living in the parish he could also ask Alan to have his funeral and burial there at St Stephen's, a permanent reminder, set in stone, for Helen and her family; and a trigger for Jack to ask questions in the future. Difficult for Alan to refuse if he has already baptised him.
ReplyDeleteI do think the TA team are to be congratulated on bringing to the fore so many prospective problems and scenarios that might come in the wake of Coercive Control.
ReplyDeleteCC, Janice & Mrs P couldn’t agree more!
ReplyDeleteRob reminds me of my 4yr old granddaughter. All sweetness and cuddles when she wants something and massive tantrum when she doesn't get it.
ReplyDeleteSo Alan sorts out an acceptable compromises with a little help from his Bishop - and Usha goes and messes things up. I previously thought she was the consummate professional and a civilised human being , but after the appalling language she used to Rob, not any more!
ReplyDeleteAn acceptable compromise ME ?
DeleteIt was pretty obvious to my ears that Robs apparent meek acceptance of Alan’s decision was due to a plan B already formulated in his nasty mind.
And lo and behold, minutes later there was the evidence, and the truth, of his nastiness.
We have already had warnings that there is danger in his knowing that Usha is often at ‘ home alone’.
I for one will not be surprised when he comes prowling around the vicarage or wherever it is that Alan and Usha reside.
That man will stop at nothing , and certainly not stop at terrorising a woman.
I commend Usha.
ReplyDeleteShe has been the only person so far to stand up to Rob and tell him, in no uncertain terms, some home truths. See how long his “ poor me, I really am seeking forgiveness” voice lasted. He just could not stop himself turning nasty, vindictive and threatening at the end of their talk. Even in, what could be his last days, he is deluded, despicable and dangerous.
“No uncertain terms” = verbal abuse. Rob was right about who was the primary abuser in that encounter.
DeleteTo be honest, I’m getting fed up with the constant vilification of Rob on the blogs. More heat than light, if you ask me (or even if you don’t! 🙂) And sometimes just plain silly - “Wob” ??? So I’m dwelling on my own storylines instead. My current favourite is Emma turning out to be an academic manque and ending up as a lecturer in English literature, perhaps not at Felpersham Uni but in thefield of adult education.
I do not agree with you Maryellen about the vilification of Rob.
DeleteHe has not changed IMO and still has an unpleasant agenda.
However I respect your views.
I do agree about Emma and have had the same hopes for her future as you regarding academia.
But an alternative might well be a managerial position perhaps at Grey Gables at some point in the future.
Whichever might be the case, and of course it could be something entirely different, Emma is surely becoming a key resident of Ambridge for the future.
I really do wish her well.
It is obvious that some of us have diametrically opposed views about Rob, which is what makes our blogs so enjoyable. Some of the comments on other sites are far worse than here.
DeleteJust so long as we don’t start abusing each other - vive le difference, it’s what makes life
Interesting! 😉
What I was mainly thinking of as vilification was the stream of references on other blogs to the evil one, psychopath, monster, needs exorcism not baptism, etc , etc and relentlessly putting the worst possible gloss on Rob's actions despite lack of, or even contradictory, evidence.
DeleteI think it may be partly because what was quite a subtle portrayal of Rob's character and plight under Sean O'Connor's editorship has become much more coarse-grained this time round. For instance, all those laboured references to the stabbing incident (the constant references to his impending death are perhaps more understandable, as it must be pretty much on the mind of anyone in that position).
There are some very thoughtful posts that analyse the situation without dehumanising Rob but I usually end up feeling depressed by the others!
Listening to the omnibus, I think I heard Lynda mention that she and Robert are going to France for a few days ( in apology to Adil, re organising the ball)
ReplyDeleteMy radar instantly thought - is this how Robert is going to be eased out of the story, some accident or heart attack whilst travelling? Lynda returning alone, heartbroken but determined to carry on?
I really must stop reading too much into things! 🙃
There is a book in my chiropractor's lending library entitled 'Women who think too much'. Well, I'm one of them too, AP, but I wouldn't dare read it because it would only make me worse!😢
DeleteArcherphile, I think that would be too similar to Jennifer's story, dying on holiday. It would be much nicer if they bought a derelict farmhouse and stayed forever.
ReplyDeleteThus getting rid of Linda ?
DeleteFlying visits to Lilian's to see Mungo....
DeleteRobert doesn’t have to disappear, just be re-voiced.like Tony was. There must be heaps of suitable actors.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Perhaps the casting director is just waiting long enough to for us to forget exactly what Robert sounded like. As when Tom went off to Canada & came back different.
DeleteMy thought too!
DeleteDoesn’t the Ambridge Church have a safeguarding officer?
ReplyDeleteOur village church has one, who happens to be my next door neighbour, and I was asking her about what is involved. It is her job to ‘vet’ anyone coming into contact with the church (there are 3 village churches involved) and ensure they have passed that test everyone who has contact with children has to do. And anyone with concerns about a new parishioner, lay preacher or whatever, joining the congregation can inform her so she can look into their background.
Not being a member of the local churches I don’t fully understand what would happen next, but surely Alan would have contacted a safeguarding officer about Rob? Maybe I missed that part of the story?
That’s a very good point AP.
DeleteIs this something the TA team are unaware of do we think, or is it a case of it being too inconvenient for the SL?
Come to think of it, might Usha be the person to cover this position.
It couldn't be Usha. The rules state the Parish Safeguarding Officer cannot be the vicar or their spouse. (Which is a relief for spouses who tend to pick up all the jobs that the rest of the congregation is 'far too busy' to contemplate.)
DeleteThe remit of the PSO covers safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. You're right, Archerphile; Alan really should have spoken to the PSO about Mr T's return.
I am going to guess, or is it speculation?
ReplyDeleteMy thought is that Robert's demise, will coincide with Lynda and the planning of the Black Tie VIP Ball so she can't do it..
Just another problem for the GG, supposedly, Grand Opening if it actually happens.
Also, November is the 1st. anniversary of Graham B. leaving this life as we know it.
For his family, it myst happen soon.
...what I mean is, it must be hard for his family, knowing his character of Robert, is still mentioned in TA.
DeleteI’m wondering if the scriptwriters will take us down a well-trodden path: everything will go wrong in the run up to the Grey Gables opening ball, then miraculously, it will all be all right on the night!
ReplyDeleteEnter Ambridge Fairy stage right
Delete✔️✔️✔️
DeleteAt least now we know who the GP is.
ReplyDeleteSo now we know what Rob meant by not turning the other cheek!
ReplyDeleteSending out those carefully worded invitations to the whole village simply in order to embarrass Alan and Usha.
Is there nothing he won’t do to reek revenge on anyone who crosses him?
I hope nobody in the village is fooled and they all turn up to church on Sunday, even Peggy.
“Peggy” will be 99yrs in Nov and still going strong in Ambridge it seems. Although June Spencer is still ahead of her at 104yrs so Peggy has a few “silent” years in her yet to catch up her actor 🤗
DeletePat of course does not attend Church, so we can’t include her on Sunday.
DeleteAgree every one else should go, including perhaps Usha.
So is it Adil that is heading for a breakdown, instead of Helen?
ReplyDeleteBoth main storylines are pretty depressing.
DeleteMy sixth sense is wondering aloud whether Ardil has actually gone for good.
DeleteHeavy cases !
What was in them ?
I agree Mrs P!
DeleteAll his worldly goods for a moonlight flit?
DeleteAt least he didn’t leave his suitcases behind the bar at The Bull! 😂
DeleteI also wondered if Adil is doing a runner
DeleteI guess that’s what we’re meant to think. The scriptwriters made such a meal of it!
DeletePS. Didn’t the suitcases to which Archerphile refers turn out to be full of cash?
DeleteI don't recall it ever being opened. It seems to have been quietly forgotten.
DeleteOr perhaps the Ambridge Fairy took it.
Or perhaps it's still behind the bar gathering dust. Kenton knocks into it from time to time, rubs his bruised leg, and wonders vaguely what this half-remembered object is doing in his pub.
Perhaps the cash was just blogger speculation, and the scriptwriters are encouraging us to make the same speculations about Adil?
DeleteAP. Love your comment about heavy suitcases left in The Bull..aka Matt Crawford. It was never known what this was all about + what Matt had packed.
DeleteThank you Miriam. I’m having difficulty remembering all the ins and outs of that story but Adil doing a flit with a heavy suitcase just reminded me of all the speculation there was at the time.
DeleteSPOILER ALERT We will be hearing from Adil again judging by future cast lists, could be just a phone call, though. I hope he doesn't disappear forever.
DeleteSPOILER ALERT NO.2. We’re in for a treat - Michael Byrne will be back as Bruce Titchener at the end of the month!
DeleteA tongue in cheek remark maryellen? I can’t really remember him, Miles said he was a bad father I believe 🤔
DeleteI can remember only one episode with him.
DeleteWe’re there more ?
Lady R, I was only thinking it would be good to hear a well-known actor like Michael Byrne. It occurs.to me that several older male regulars.are played by well-known actors, Tony, Justin, Oliver, Leonard, Jim, but not females. Maybe radio is seen as an easy option for an actor of retirement age?,
DeleteMrs P, Yes, I only remember one scene when he and Ursula visited Bridge Farm, and he was very dictatorial and unpleasant, as Miles was indicating to Alan recently. The implication being that he’s the reason why Rob’s like he is. I don’t remember if Michael Byrne played Bruce then, possibly not if it was just one scene.
DeleteThat’s an interesting point ME, I am trying to think of comparable female characters and struggling, there was that friend of Pat’s played by Alison Steadman, which could be considered a similar place of casting, and Carol Treggoran was re-introduced played by Elanor Brynn. But I don’t think as many older female characters have been brought in, .
DeleteDo we assume Tichener senior will be appearing for a funeral?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFor the Baptism perhaps?
DeleteI am wondering if Bruce as grandparent will apply to the Court, or threaten to do so, for access to Jack. Possibly an even more dire, and long term, prospect than access with Rob whose time would seem to be limited. Not sure how Helen could persuade the court that Bruce was not suitable to have access to Jack, unless he had an outburst during the Court hearing.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that Bruce’s method of parenting is not being, or going to be, used as an excuse for Rob’s personality or behaviour.
ReplyDeleteA reason is not necessarily an excuse, but it can be a mitigating factor.
DeleteI remember that Bruce turned up with Rob at Helen’s trial and came over as obnoxious but was fairly civil to Shula who to her horror,Rob introduced as his ally,because of her support (silent) over his violent altercation with a protester at the fox hunt.whereupon,she excused herself and went sit elsewhere in the court room.
ReplyDeleteWell remembered, Portia! Rob has a history of regarding people who don’t actually reject him as ‘allies’.
DeleteI read somewhere authoritative at the time, that grandparents have no right of access, and given Bridge Farm's stance, felt sorry for Ursula that she wouldn't see her grandson until he (maybe) sought her out - then sadly she died, having never seen him. I really do think Helen should allow Rob to have one supervised meeting with Jack (assuming Jack is happy to meet his father, aged 7 he is old enough to say yes or no, possibly influenced by Henry).
ReplyDeleteI’m afraid that I am still sitting on the fence on this point Maryellen.
DeleteMy continuing ambivalence is because my moral sense informs me that Rob should have the right to meet his son, regardless of the past circumstances and indeed the present circumstance of his imminent demise.
However my personal feelings - usually put aside as I am able to be dispassionate regarding most emotional issues - are that he should never see his son as a punishment and in retribution for his past and present manipulative behaviour.
Don’t know if my feelings are ever to be resolved on this matter, since the situation is all in the hands of the SW s, not me.
Should we add morality to politics and religion as topics we don’t discuss here? It’s too close to both!
DeleteMaryellen. I was castigated badly on this site for innocent speculating about future possible S/L's, being firmly told it was not wanted.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Spoilers and about Bruce re-appearing are allowed though🤷♀️
I’ve always been in favour of speculating about future events, Miriam, whether they’re based on TA’s straplines or just the blogger’s imagination. For me, it adds to the enjoyment of following a serial. But for those who say it spoils their enjoyment, I try to remember to write an alert so they can skip. Your speculations sometimes have me thinking ‘No Way’, but are usually pretty sharp! 😄
DeleteAt one of the court cases, the judge said it wasn't a case of Rob's rights as a father but Jack's right to a father. On these grounds, it's not a question of whether Rob should be able to see Jack but whether Jack would benefit from meeting his father. Given his past (and present) behaviour, and the way we he tried to manipulate Henry, I don't think it would be a good idea.
DeleteWe're talking about a one off, time-limited, supervised meeting in a controlled environment, which can be abandoned at any moment if the supervisor or Jack becomes unhappy with it. Jack is a robust child by all accounts, well-adjusted as Mrs P says below. Obviously, he wouldn't be forced into it and would need to say yes in the first place.
DeleteAs for Rob's manipulative powers (and who doesn't consciously or unconsciously manipulate?) I imagine the most he could do is try to get Jack to ask for another meeting, which the supervisor could handle. All he wants is to get to know a little of his son before he dies, and tell him hes not as black as painted and he loves him. Sounds reasonable to me!
I suspect that where a lot of us partake in several different groups we may not remember accurately where comments have been made.
ReplyDeleteI don’t honestly think anyone here has ever been castigated for speculating on plot lines, and ME flagged up spoiler alerts regarding future cast members.
As an avid reader of Ambridge Diary & teasers I am pretty laid back. The only time I got mildly peeved was back in the BBC days when someone claimed speculation while repeating that week’s Ambridge Diary verbatim
Is Ambridge Diary in Radio Times?
DeleteYes, and as it is giving teasers about the next week & is available from the Tuesday it can give big hints about what is happening in the current week, if that makes sense
DeleteI don't accurately remember comments from half-way up the page 😏
DeleteKP - does that mean the Radio Times (which I'm too mean to buy) is using the same teasers in Ambridge Diary as the 'Forthcoming Episodes' lists and weekly cast lists on the TA website?
DeleteI feel I must stand up for Miriam.
ReplyDeleteShe was at least once told that her speculations were irritating.
I cannot remember exactly who complained but since this is the only Ambridge site that I contribute towards I am in a position to say that she is correct.
I might just draw the line at saying she was castigated, but she was certainly ‘told off ‘.
I stand corrected Mrs P
DeleteI think Henry thinks George spray painted the obscenity on the church door - not knowing George was talking guinea pigs with his grandfather at the time.
ReplyDeleteOwiaS -
ReplyDeleteYour comment above is a useful reminder, thank you.
Due to your nudge I now remember noting that difference in rights.
However, have the SWs forgotten this important element, as surely this is the very essence of Robs interventions which could be used by Helen’s legal team to stop him in his tracks.
( not that it would stop him of course ! )
As far as we know Jack is a well adjusted child living in a cohesive family environment and I would have thought that a social assessment of him would show that it would not be beneficial for him to meet Rob, on the grounds of it being disruptive to his present well being.
I think when we first met Adil we were given to understand he had managed other projects similar to Grey Gables before. Surely they can't all have ended in total fiasco. So what has changed this time to make it all go so pear-shaped. All I can think of is that perhaps he wasn't really ready to return to work after losing his wife.
ReplyDelete'All that glitters wasn't built in a day'. I really feel that's something I should hold on to.
ReplyDeleteEddie was a bit over the top last night, wasn’t he? All that ‘ pull your socks up’, inspirational rant at Oliver. Good intentions I’m sure but he sounded as if he was taking a part in some very amateur dramatics.
ReplyDeleteAnd Pip and Stella yet again, in a scene to tell us Jill was OK with their liaison and they are informing the world of their status via Alistair. Wish they’d both move to New Zealand or somewhere. I find them a most irritating couple.
A tad unfair on New Zealand wouldn't you say?
Delete🫢😂🫢🤣
DeleteFunny you should post that, OWiaS; I had resisted the temptation to remark that my daughter would probably say there are more than enough irritating people there already!
ReplyDeleteSo we were all correct in speculating that. Ardil had done a runner.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, kind Oliver immediately feels sympathetic to Ardil.
I’m doubtful that sympathy is warranted.
Enter Emma stage right!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, agree Maryellen- I thought the same.
DeleteAt the very least she could sort the housekeeping.
And quite possibly Linda needs to return too.
Absolutely, Mrs P! There’s no limit to what two capable and determined woman can achieve!
DeleteI find the situation at GreyGables completely incomprehensible.
ReplyDeleteOliver seems to be there everyday so how come he didn’t notice, until too late that nothing was progressing?
Same goes for Roy. Why no questions. Only Ian seemed to realise nothing was ready and was prepared to do something about it.
Does Oliver know who the other shareholders are? If not, why not? Why aren’t the shareholders getting a progress report regularly? Have any of them been to inspect their investment.
What a way to run a business, wouldn’t last 5 minutes in the real world!
Good thing it isn't!
ReplyDeleteWell said Archerphile.I thought that Ardil was only supposed to be acting on behalf of the mysterious major shareholders of Grey Gables,so perhaps they have run out of funds and left him in the lurch, leading to a breakdown.It does seem daft though that Oliver didn’t have an inkling about the looming dire situation until Ian enlightened him.
ReplyDeleteWell as we know that story lines are planned well in advance, presumably it was all planned to be a failure for GG to be rescued, hopefully by Emma and Linda, though I would have expected Linda to have been wading in up to her thighs this evening.
DeleteInstead we had an elegy from her about her meeting and early time with Robert. Which suggests to me that we might get Roberts demise very shortly.
Oh no, it wasn’t!!
ReplyDeleteHm, was it Henry, or is he protecting someone else?
ReplyDeleteI would have thought if he had done it he would have had the nous to get rid of the spray can pdq.
Perhaps it was Jack and Henry has just managed to recover the evidence?
Surely Jack is too young to know ‘that’ word!
DeleteOh, AP, you'd be surprised how Infant School playground duty can broaden the vocabulary!
ReplyDelete😆😂🤣
DeleteI agree Archerfile, the whole Grey Gables debacle is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a shame! Henry is my second favourite character after T❤️O❤️B❤️Y. I suppose this is intended to demonstrate that Rob’s baleful l influence can destroy relationships and warp young boys even from a distance. Or that the personality flaws were already there and Rob has consciously or unconsciously exposed them.
ReplyDeleteI suspect we are going to be saying goodbye to Lee before much longer
ReplyDeleteAlso Robert is surely on the way out, a year after the death of Graham Brockley
And if Adil does not return the cast list is going to be smaller.
But not as small as the cast of BBC’s daytime soap, Doctors, which is no longer going to be made as it has apparently become too expensive
Yes AP I thought of you and Miriam as soon as I read about Doctors! One has to wonder about TA too are the listening figs still holding up and are younger people listening to carry on the baton! TV soap viewing figs have crashed enormously during recent times.
DeleteI gather Henry heard the row as he had come home with Helen more worry piled onto his young shoulders. I thought his chat with Alan was most interesting
Actually, I have not watched Doctors since they returned after the Covid shut down. I tried a few episodes but didn’t enjoy them at all. I have occasionally seen a couple of minutes when switching over to another channel and I no longer recognise half the cast or care about what is going on. It is not the authentic, interesting programme that I enjoyed 20 years ago when it first started. Shame.
DeleteWhy am I being mentioned, as to relating to BBC Doctors? Don't understand this in any way..🤷♀️
DeletePerhaps am being confused as to another.
DeletePS A remark regarding Mia around the middle of next week could suggest knitting needles required I do hope not though!!
ReplyDelete😧 🫨 😲
DeleteBrad + Mia, are being far too sensible for such a thought.
DeleteWhat remark was that, Lady R? I’ve only found Mia ha a brainwave and Mia fears the worst. I must admit I didn’t think knitting needles until I read your post. Before then I was vaguely thinking exam results!
DeleteMia fears the worst….. Trying to remember if there was an occasion not so long ago when an unexpected time to be completely alone turned into a powerful moment which may have just for “once” been unprotected. It is of course a well worn SL so as said before hopefully not so.
DeleteHm, Isn't Adil in the pay of the partners? Surely the onus is on them to fix the chaos their employee has caused. I got them impression that Oliver was supposed to be very much a sleeping partner while Adil ran the show on the other owners' behalf. Since when was he supposed to be watching over Adil's shoulder to check he was doing his job properly?
ReplyDeleteAnother improbable twist in the GreyGable’s story. Why should Oliver have to find a quater of a million? What about the other shareholders?
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is time to speak to Justin and/or Demara. Perhaps they would buy Oliver out and diversify their portfolio
I can’t imagine the Grundy’s are about to be made homeless again, that story has already been covered.
I found the ending of tonight’s episode to be very clunky.
DeleteAlmost as if it was a hurried afterthought.
As for Helen ………. I cannot find the words !
I’m with you on Helen!! The two most sensible people in Ambridge right now are Henry and Kirsty.
DeleteI think Oliver said that the other shareholders were going to provide a quarter of a million but they wanted Oliver to match that amount, which I found interesting. That should mean that Oliver has retained 50%, or if sensible 51%, of the shares in Grey Gables and with that amount of power he should be tearing strips off the others regarding their choice of manager.
DeleteI suppose there are parallels going on here again. Horrible Helen laying unjustly into Lee and the other shareholders unjustly blaming Oliver for the Grey Gables situation.
DeleteWhy does Helen always have to be the difficult one, to have problems, be the centre of some family crisis!
ReplyDeleteIt’s as though the SWs have designated her as being the character to have bad luck all her life, one way or another.
Why can’t they spread the misery round a bit! (Written ironically, of course!)
Or, possibly a lot less misery and a bit more joy?
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteYesterday’s Guardian cryptic crossword had the following clue: Is this Ambridge resident all a-quiver? (6 letters). Hint (in the highly unlikely event that anyone needs one): It begins with A,!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought Helen was telling everyone that she is the only one in control of the Rob situation -well he will be preening himself on a job well done when he hears Helen plans to ditch Lee and what about Henry yet another upset and potential loss of a “stepfather” he does actually like!
ReplyDeleteWhy was Lillian asking Alice what to do about the horses experienced horse woman that she is and
aren’t early / continuous fireworks set off most years even it appears in a cost of living crisis.🤞🏼The Stables animal insurance has many zeros in it.
Of course Helen is in control.
DeleteIn control of contributing yet again to her sons emotional development by giving, then taking away, yet another adult male figure.
Oh yes !
And then perpetrating this on her second son this time too.
Well done Helen…… you are such a marvellous mother !
Writing the above has taken me back in my memory to my early days on this forum, when I wrote on the same topic regarding the same female character and the same behaviour.
ReplyDeleteIn the public perceptions it is often council estate strumpets that illustrate the kind of behaviour that we see from Helen. But in this case here we have a well brought up middle class woman from a farming family displaying such behaviour.
I despair !
Do Pat and Tony, I wonder ?
Strumpets occur in all socio-economic groups and so does Helen’s behaviour. Getting fed up with Lee was on the cards from the moment they got together. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.
DeleteSo Mia and Alice are going on an anti-firework party campaign.
ReplyDeleteShula managed the stables for years without any apparent problems, perhaps Lilian should give her a ring and ask for advice. Perhaps best not to leave horses out in the field when the fireworks are going on?
Surely stables have procedures in place for such occasions. OK, this particular event was short notice, but Alice must have been aware that bonfire night was coming up. After all, the date's quite memorable. What plans had she made? Does she not have a risk assessment for such scenarios?
DeleteRemember, remember, the fifth of November.
Like it the horses do not.
I fear lack of fore-planning
For fireworks' banging
Put Alice in quite a tight spot.
Why did I cringe at Adam + Iain holding hands? I just don't know, as after all they are a married couple.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is due to the difference in their relationship, as compared to that of Pip + Stella's?
I just can't see Iain + Adam skipping through fields, hand in hand, with a picnic basket to steal a lunch hour together...
In my mind, too much is being made of the Pip + Stella situation, but perhaps this is just a fill-in scenario, before the big ones start.
Rob, GG, Oliver, Helen, Rob, and the Grundy family in it's entirity.
Can they all squeeze into No#1 The Green...
Meant Robert, not a second Rob!
DeleteI wish they'd all squeeze into a rocket and disappear off to the moon 🌙
DeleteNo posts on either thread for over 24 hours - all busy leading lives off the blog I assume.
ReplyDelete