The Archers

Emma surveys a tree for Sarah Byron who explains she’s an MP and had heard about their tree business from Ed at the Fun Run yesterday. Later wrong-footed Emma confronts Ed who explains why he met up with Sarah. It was because he didn’t want Emma to know about George being bullied in prison and wanted to fix it first. So Ed and Will were asking for Sarah’s help to get George moved. Ed suggests that Emma outlines what they’re doing when she visits George.

Justin gives Lilian a lift en route to a BL meeting about the future of the rewilding land. Lilian wishes Justin wasn’t pursuing it. They’re interrupted by the sight of a woman by the roadside. Lilian thinks she looks upset but Justin speeds past. However on his way back, Justin agrees to give the woman a lift. She explains she’d discovered she’d lost her phone and purse on her way to Ambridge and the taxi driver had abandoned her. She introduces herself as Megan, explaining that she’s visiting her daughter whose business is hanging in the balance. Justin counsels being ruthless if her daughter wants to turn a profit. But Megan says her daughter’s not like that. Justin’s quietly shocked when Megan reveals that her daughter works in rewilding and is called Kirsty. As Justin drops Megan off she’s sorry she’s made Justin miss his meeting. He says that’s ok before driving briskly off so that he doesn’t have to reveal his name. Later Justin won’t talk to Lilian about the BL meeting, enigmatically stating that the matter remains undecided.

Ed and Will discuss the news from Brad that George is being bullied in prison. Ed wants to sort it before telling Emma. He’s been researching how to get George moved from an adult prison and as a result has sent a message to MP Sarah Byron. Sarah’s at a family fun run in Borchester today and Ed thinks he and Will should try to bump into her there. Later they jog up to Sarah and explain George’s situation. Sarah agrees to see what she can do, but cautions not overestimating what’s achievable. As she departs Ed hands her a business card with his contact details on and Sarah muses that she may need some tree surgery. She might give him a call.

At Grey Gables, Brad tells Justin he’s been working on some videos for the EV Charging Station, using George’s drone. He also mentions that Rewilding Ambridge are upgrading their website with a virtual tour, so that Justin can see the point of all of the rewilding. It’s going to use a sample of Rex’s voice using AI. But Justin’s distracted by the table he’d booked for one, turning out to be a table for two. And the other diner is Miranda. They fight over whose table it is but as neither will budge, end up eating together. Miranda berates Justin for the way he’s dealing with Kirsty and Rex, saying he's heartless and has always put business first. He’s Like some skinflint Scrooge now. When Miranda first met Justin it was his kindness that she fell for. Miranda leaves wondering where that’s all gone.

Justin drives Martyn home from a business event where Martyn overdid the fizz. Justin discusses the Rewilding Ambridge project and his meeting with Kirsty and Rex. He has serious reservations and might suggest BL knock the partnership on the head. When Justin mentions how much he enjoyed tearing a strip off Kirsty and Rex, Martyn’s critical; he no longer relishes stories like that. Justin’s car suddenly breaks down, and while they wait for help, Justin wonders what Martyn meant. Martyn explains he no longer takes pleasure in the misfortunes of others. In fact his acquisition of wealth has become a burden. He warns Justin not to make the same mistakes as him and to be alert to the signs; Justin will recognise them when he sees them. Justin’s surprised when he tries the car and it starts up again.

Ed bumps into Brad and thanks him for visiting George in prison. When Ed wonders why George hasn’t asked the family to visit, Brad makes his excuses and leaves. Brad then tentatively broaches the subject of prison with Helen, wondering what to do about George being bullied there. Helen suggests Brad talks to George’s parents, but Brad’s reluctant because George doesn’t want to panic them. Helen convinces Brad that he needs to do something, he’d never forgive himself if anything happened to George. Later Brad visits Ed admitting that he didn’t tell Emma the truth about George and that George is being bullied. Ed says they need to get George out of that prison. He doesn’t know how but there must be someone who can help.

Harrison bumps into Helen on the way to the Tearoom to see Fallon. They discuss George and how he won’t let the Grundys or Carters visit him in prison. Helen then outlines the Tearoom’s plans for Fallon’s big send-off to her new café. They want Fallon to realise how irreplaceable she is. When Helen mentions having it on Bonfire Night at Jubilee Field, Harrison wonders if somewhere more private might be better. Helen’s left mulling about an after-party at The Tearoom.

Khalil meets up with Henry at Bridge Farm for a nosey round. Azra’s agreed to a visit from Hilda the cat for a couple of days, on the basis that she’s a brilliant mouser. The fact that she can be vicious to humans is perfect for Khalil’s plans! When Henry wonders what these are, Khalil explains that Azra is only considering a cat as a pet, but after having Hilda she might decide chickens are a safer option.

Lilian confronts Justin about leaving Kirsty hanging over Rewilding Ambridge’s future, especially as it’s something that’s dear to Peggy’s heart. Justin counters that Kirsty just needs to put together a new water-tight business plan – it is a business arrangement after all. When Lilian points out it’s sometimes good to put others before yourself, Justin wants to be spared the moral lecture. But Lilian’s tired of serving as Justin’s conscience and reminds Justin about how close she came to ending things with him last year. She advises that he thinks long and hard about dismissing other people’s feelings – especially hers.

Justin’s at Rewilding Ambridge for a meeting about its future. Rex explains their hopes for renewing the existing agreement and some strategies for increasing footfall. They’re also upgrading their website; Brad’s got Robert’s help with the interactive side. But all Justin’s interested in is a solid five-year business plan. He tells them to get their house in order before they meet again. Kirsty and Rex are left feeling that Rewilding Ambridge is hanging in the balance.

Harrison has a meeting with his boss, Inspector Norris. He’s concerned that due to lack of staffing Harrison’s doing more admin rather than actual police work. When he asks if it’s because Norris thinks he can’t handle the job, she’s reassuring. Later Harrison apologises to Norris who wonders whether returning to full-time work might be contributing to the pressure. But Harrison says his priority is Fallon’s happiness and he’s doing his best to support her in every way he can.

Khalil bumps into Henry at The Bull where the results of the kitten naming competition are being announced. Khalil reckons ‘Tortoise’ is a bit basic, and Henry agrees even though it was Jack’s winning entry. Khalil tells Henry how he really wants some pets - chickens in particular, but Azra’s said no to any pets. Khalil wonders if Henry’s up for helping with that. Later Henry pushes the benefits of pets to Azra who sees through it. However, she might consider trialling a cat. Khalil isn’t that pleased because he’d rather have chickens. But when Henry talks about how evil Hilda the cat is, Khalil formulates a plan.

Kirsty and Rex take up Brad’s offer to revamp the rewilding website. Rex thinks it should be interactive and if they incorporate AI then a test website could be made really quickly. Kirsty comes across their lease agreement with Borchester Land, admitting she’s forgotten it expires soon. She’s been distracted by the private sale of her Beechwood house to Helen. They decide to flag the lease to BL as soon as possible and renegotiate the terms. They’ll reach out to Stella first as she’s looking after the BL’s environmental side. Later Stella agrees to meet up with them, but cautions talking to Justin directly as she can only offer guidance to BL. But Kirsty’s still worried – if BL were to pull out the whole rewilding project falls apart.

At The bull, Jolene struggles with not saying “my darling” and forfeits a pound with each mention.

Collector Wesley Hutchinson arrives at The Bull to look at the collection of Shires memorabilia. Lilian and Jolene show him into the cellar where Wesley says he’d be willing to take the entire collection off their hands. But when Jolene wants to talk money, Wesley would rather finalise the deal with Kenton. It’s either that or the deal is off. When Wesley goes, Kenton tells Jolene they made a tidy sum but explains that Wesley felt that all of the ‘darlings’ from Jolene and Lilian were patronising. When Jolene’s hurt by it, Kenton’s reassuring and then comes up with the idea of making The Bull a ‘darling free zone’.

Justin meets Brad At the EV Charging Station, explaining he’s had a word with the Cellcharge team. They’d like Brad to make a promotional video prior to the station’s opening next year. Brad starts to outline the cost of George’s packages, but Justin’s not interested. Instead he explains that he would rather they negotiated something between them. When Brad says he’d have to run it by George, Justin reckons it looks like more trouble than he’d realised. Back-tracking, Brad asks Justin what he’d suggest. Brad’s flustered when Justin comes up with a low rate, explaining that Brad would also have the added benefit of being recommended to Justin’s business associates. But Justin’s shifty when Lilian arrives unexpectedly and suggests they catch up about it all later. Lilian’s furious with Justin for doing a deal with George’s business and warns him that if he’s not careful, he can forget Christmas in the Caribbean!

Jolene and Kenton discuss Fallon’s plans for setting up her new café at the EV Charging Station. Kenton’s worried about the impact on Harrison who’s returning to full-time work but really doesn’t want to. And the extra pressure won’t do Fallon or Harrison any good in the long run. Justin and Lilian arrive for lunch at The Bull and chat turns to the kitten naming competition. Lilian thinks it needs to be decided soon, although Jolene and Kenton haven’t been inspired by the suggestions so far. They decide to pick a name at random but keep pulling out unsuitable ones until they agree on Jack’s entry of ‘Tortoise’. They’ll announce it on Wednesday. Jolene has some other news – the collector who’s interested in the old Shires ashtray is visiting tomorrow to look at all of their Shires memorabilia.

Brad touts for promotional video work at The Stables but Lilian says he’s wasting his time. She won’t allow any connection between her businesses and George Grundy. Brad heads to Bridge Farm where he asks Pat if she’s interested in any marketing. Pat appreciates Brad trying to support George’s business but doesn’t think it would go down well with the family. When Pat wonders how George is getting on, Brad lets slip that George is having a tough time. Pat advises that Brad talks to someone impartial because he shouldn’t have to deal with this on his own. They’re interrupted by Justin ringing with a proposition for Brad. Without explaining what it is, he suggests they meet up tomorrow.

While Jazzer’s driving Brad stresses about what’ll happen when he gets to prison and sees George. Jazzer offers to turn round and take Brad back home, but Brad acknowledges that for him the visit will soon be over. It’s George who’s trapped inside. At the prison Brad’s reassured by a fellow visitor, Rhea, who’s been several times before and still doesn’t find it easy. She tells Brad about her boyfriend, who’s in for assault, before they head inside the Visiting Hall. After some initial small talk, George tells Brad about the gang who run the wing. He’s learnt the hard way that you don’t grass on cellmates. When it’s time for Brad to go George affirms that he doesn’t want his family seeing him like this. The best thing Brad can do is keep George’s business going. Back outside, Brad and Rhea share how awful they found their visits.

At Home Farm Stella and Ruth have their presentation on the history of women and the plough all ready to go, when Brian arrives and compliments them on their vintage hairstyles and outfits. Stella then gives Ruth a corn dolly for luck in her ploughing match. But first they give their presentation, which gets a good reception and Brian says went down well. He’s delighted too with all the compliments he’s been getting for putting the event on, overcoming his initial reservations about agreeing to do it.

David awaits his flu jab at the surgery with trepidation, while Neil is in denial about having an issue with stress. They try to deflect with chat about ploughing, but end up being honest with each other about David’s fear of needles and Neil’s struggle to cope with everything that’s been going on with George recently. Later, David compliments Ben on how good he was putting David at ease for his jab. Azra was complimentary about Ben’s first day too.

During Neil’s appointment Azra tells him that his blood pressure is up and suggests ways he can help bring his stress levels down. These include sharing with others how he’s feeling, rather than keeping it to himself.

At the end of the Home Farm ploughing match Stella praises both traditional methods and modern, more environmentally aware approaches to farming the land. Ruth is presented with her trophy for winning the whole event, while Neil is awarded the Ladies Cup as runner-up. He’s happy to accept the title in tribute to the strength, skill and resilience shown by women like Ruth.