The Archers

It’s the Battling Bulls social and Lily is on the stronger drinks tonight over the stress of the Flower and Produce show. Lynda was meant to be a judge but is devastated over Monty and Lily doesn’t want to add to her stress. Conrad arrives and asks Fallon about the beers on tap. He offers to buy her and Lily a drink, but as she’s working Fallon says she’ll only have a lime and soda. Later, Fallon asks Rex what he thinks of Lily and Conrad as a possible couple. Rex asks if Fallon is alright but also doesn’t know if Lily wants a new relationship. Lily is flirting with Conrad on Fallon’s advice until he turns her down. Rex finds Lily hiding as she sneaks off from rejection. Conrad finds Fallon at the bar, and to her surprise admits it was Fallon who caught his eye.

George is out walking a naughty Holly when she runs into Lynda. Lynda can’t help but fuss over Holly saying she’s made her feel a little better. George invites Lynda to join them for the rest of the walk. They walk to Heydon Rise, and Lynda admires how it looks in the sunset. She talks about Monty and becomes emotional at the idea that he could be put down. George comforts her by recounting how he felt about Bartleby dying whilst he was still inside. George tells Lynda that she’s doing the right thing.

It’s George’s first day at Bill’s showroom and he’s being shown the ropes by Conrad, the sales executive. He’s drafted online listings and Conrad is impressed with the photos George takes for the website, saying he’s living up to his reputation as a content creator. Conrad says he wants George to observe a sale. Martyn Gibson is buying a car and doesn’t acknowledge George to start with. When Conrad goes to take a call from Bill, Martyn talks about what he’s looking for in a car and George is able to offer helpful advice. George’s wrist gives him trouble as he gets Martyn his coffee and he accidentally splashes Conrad. Martyn debates over the car as George apologies and says he wasn’t trying to undermine Conrad. Luckily for them both, Martyn chooses a plug-in hybrid.

Rex brings Alice a cup of tea in bed to her surprise. Alice checks her phone and sees a number of missed calls from Tom, who is trying to get hold of Brian after a lot of gravel has been dumped at Bridge Farm by mistake. Rex returns with a pastry for Alice and she suggests they go down to try and sort it. The earliest the company can move the gravel is tomorrow which is no good for milking at Bridge Farm and Tom is the only one around to help. Alice offers Rex’s help which Tom accepts and offers to repay with a drink at the Battling Bulls social tomorrow. Later, Alice and Rex are joking over Brian’s offers to also thank them for their help before jumping in the shower together.

Robert and Lynda receive a bad review from their disgruntled B&B guest after last week’s events. When the invoice from the Brookfield sheep attack arrives, they are forced to relook at their finances. Robert becomes frustrated at the coldness of Brookfield’s email and Lynda has to soothe him. Robert points out they’ve accepted responsibility and lost Monty but the use of “sincerely” make him question everything they’ve done for the village. After spending the day sitting in Ambridge Hall lounge, they discuss how Ambridge has changed them both when their day gets worse when the bad review is posted to six more sites.

At Lower Loxley, Rex and Lily are missing the cricket. Lily is trying to make sure her mum isn’t working during Vince’s Sunday lunch whilst Rex is checking on his pigs. Rex lets slip that Fallon is starting her new job at Lower Loxley tomorrow which puts Lily at unease. Lily gets flagged down by Fallon who was admiring the grounds but would love a cheeky lift back to her car. Lily agrees reluctantly. Fallon rambles on about her plans for Lower Loxley including the Cruck Barn workshops. Fallon offers to take them all to the tearoom but Lily uses the Flower and Produce show as an excuse. Rex notices and questions Lily who confesses she kissed Harrison.

Khalil bumps into Ruth, who wants to chat with him. He thinks there’s nothing left to say, except to apologise for his rant at Brookfield last week. Ruth in turn apologises for showing him the photos. She feels wretched about it. Khalil assures her the nightmares are easing; he forgives her. She tries to make it up to him by offering him work experience on the farm. Khalil declines, asserting he’ll need to concentrate on his schoolwork this year. Raising animals to make money seems wrong to him. He seeks Ruth’s assurance that they won’t need to speak of the sheep photos incident again. He’s still annoyed with Keira for blabbing about it, and tells her so later. Keira counters she was just worried about him, and she’s sorry. Khalil feels like he’s now under surveillance from his family. He cuts Keira short, heading off to Henry’s for tea.

Lily’s surprised to see Harrison at her Argentine tango class. He’s looking for Taekwondo. Lily explains those sessions finished a while ago – why doesn’t her join her for tango? Reluctant Harrison eventually agrees, and whilst he picks up the steps well, he admits it’s all a bit intimate and it’s hurting his brain. They laugh as they throw themselves into the intense moves. Later over tapas Lily declares she was excited to have Harrison as a partner; he’s in great shape. Harrison’s flattered but reckons he’ll stick with Taekwondo. He’s enjoying her company though. She’s a breath of fresh air – funny, clever and beautiful. Lily returns the compliment, and they kiss.

George is back at Meadow Farm watching his grandpa work. Eddie’s surprised George missed the opportunity to criticise at early morning milking. George shows Eddie a picture of a supercar he’s been reading about online and laments that he’ll never own one. Amber arrives to drop off George’s forgotten house keys. Eddie suggests that George could work for Amber’s dad at the car showroom for a few weeks while his wrist heals. Amber reckons George would hate it, but George disagrees and see the advantages of the idea. Amber’s not sure, but with a little more persuasion she’s won round and agrees to give her dad a call.

On a busy morning for breakfasts Lynda and Robert deal patiently with a particularly demanding couple, who complain the breakfast is too hot and the coffee tastes odd. Lynda admits she’s tired, but they have guests to please before she can rest. Robert agrees and they knuckle down. However Robert’s limits are tested when one of the tricky guests raises the subject of Monty, branding him a dangerous dog and taking the situation out of context. Robert protests but to no avail, and the guest ploughs on regardless. Robert worries that Lynda will overhear the upsetting claims, and asks the guest to keep her voice down. However Lynda’s calm when she approaches, despatching Robert back to the kitchen. Diane the guest accuses Lynda of being in denial, and unable to control a fully-grown Dobermann. Lynda closes the conversation down before asking Diane and her husband to leave the premises immediately.

Azra sympathises with Lynda’s plight over Monty – she must have had a horrible couple of weeks. Lynda hopes Monty will be rehomed rather than the unthinkable alternative. They agree they’re both worried about Khalil, and Azra probes as to what really happened at Brookfield last week. Lynda states she wasn’t there for long and didn’t see anything herself, but she recalls David did mention something about photos. Azra’s grateful Lynda followed Khalil there, and resolves to talk to him.

Later having spoken to Khalil, Azra goes with Akram to see David and Ruth. Ruth admits she showed Khalil the photos. Azra acknowledges Khalil was rude to barge into Brookfield, but Ruth’s actions have only worsened his distress. He’s not coping. Ruth’s mortified and apologises; she really regrets what she did. When they’ve gone Ruth admits to David that she can completely see their point of view. She fears Azra will never forgive her.

Amber and George note their antenatal class is getting smaller; babies are starting to arrive. They speculate on when it will be their turn. George takes Lynda some flowers from Clarrie. Lynda’s touched, admitting she’s not sure what other villagers think of her. George asserts his grandma’s not the judgy type. After the antenatal class George tells Amber he feels inadequate compared to the other dads – he can’t provide for his family while he’s off sick. Amber’s having none of it, and gets him to focus on the positives. They have a roof over their heads and a loving family.

Eddie’s covering George’s work at Meadow Farm, and grumbles when George comes to check up on him: George is lucky he’s covered the work at all. George concedes he’s grateful. Eddie suggests he makes the most of the break while his wrist’s injured. George protests he’s restless staying in all the time and feels bad that Amber’s having to work right up until the baby’s born. He’s worried he won’t be fit in time to help out when the time comes. Eddie counsels that bad things happen and you just have to get on with it. He manages to persuade grateful Esme to pay him in cash, plus a little extra. Esme frets a little about having to fork out sick pay as well. Eddie asserts that her dad would be proud of the fine job she’s doing with the farm.

Keira helps Susan cleaning shelves at the shop, noting her Great Grandad Bert’s absence. Susan explains he’s playing dominoes at the pub. She admits to hoping she’d have her house back by now, but Brad’s still redecorating at No.6 The Green. Susan raises the topic of Monty, and Keira admits she doesn’t know what to do to help Khalil, who’s not sleeping. Azra comes in and Keira panics as Susan quizzes her on Khalil’s state of mind. With the two of them now leaning on Keira for answers she divulges Khalil saw pictures of the dead sheep on someone’s phone. She’s mortified to have betrayed this confidence. Susan assures her it was for the greater good.

Fallon and Harrison receive a card from Harrison’s nan on their wedding anniversary. Fallon points out Harrison should tell her they’ve split up, sooner rather than later. Meanwhile he has a tricky day ahead of him with Lynda and Robert. Fallon wishes him well.

Jolene goes with Fallon to see the Cruck Barn. However the door key sticks and Fallon needs to call Lily for help. Lily’s excited for Fallon’s new job at Lower Loxley. Jolene’s impressed with the Cruck Barn and wonders whether Fallon would consider her for teaching at the singing workshops. Fallon explains awkwardly that her teachers will need to be experienced; the courses are expensive and she needs them to do well. There’s a moment as Jolene realises she’s lost Fallon to this new role, before she admits that whilst missing her at the pub, she’ll work it out. Fallon feels Lower Loxley is where she needs to be right now.

Lynda signs the paperwork to relinquish Monty. Harrison takes her fingerprints as she accepts a conditional caution. Harrison admires her dignity. Afterwards exhausted Lynda and Robert agree kind Harrison is a good friend to them. They speculate regarding Monty’s future. Not wanting to revisit the unthinkable, they turn their attention to their busy guest list. They resolve to get through their ordeal by focusing on hard work, together.

Akram’s excited for what he might enter in the Flower & Produce Show, and invites Khalil to come to the allotment to help him choose. Khalil declines; he and Keira will be gaming instead. Azra and Akram agree Khalil isn’t himself, probably still affected by the situation with Lynda’s dog, Monty. They speculate that he might be feeling guilty about his rant at Brookfield last week. Azra resolves to go over there and apologise on Khalil’s behalf. Later she and Ruth chat about Pip and Stella’s wedding before Azra gently broaches the subject of the attack offers her apology for Khalil’s actions. Ruth tells her not to worry, brushing the incident with Khalil aside. She admits she’s still feeling shocked over the attack on the sheep. Azra sympathises, and they agree it’s a horrible situation for everyone.

Meanwhile Khalil complains to Keira that his family is breathing down his neck, whilst admitting he’s having flashbacks to the images of the sheep. He loved Monty like a friend and can’t get his head round what he did. Keira suggests Azra might be able to help, but Khalil’s adamant his family mustn’t know he’s seen the pictures. They already worry too much about him.

Amber is at Grange Farm trying to talk to Keira, who has been ignoring her messages. When the baby visibly moves, Keira is amazed by it and compares to an alien. Amber wants to only focus on the baby so she wants to sort out what happened with Brad and the fact Keira knows. Amber insists nothing really happened, and it was a bad time for her with George’s behaviour. Keira thought Amber was one of the cleverest people she knew but it turns out she’s just like everyone else. She won’t tell anyone, as she knows George would overreact, but makes Amber promise to not disappoint her again.

At Ambridge Hall, Lynda and Robert are worrying over Monty when Khalil turns up to walk him. They’re forced to tell him the truth about the sheep attack. Khalil becomes agitated and insists that Monty wouldn’t hurt a fly. It’s a police matter now and they’ve got to wait to find out the resolution. Robert becomes upset when talking about possible options. Khalil rushes out to head to Brookfield, and Lynda is forced to chase after him, breaking the no-contact rule.

At Brookfield, Ruth and David are chatting in the kitchen when Khalil storms in. David says they’re not allowed to talk about Monty but Khalil’s loud insistence that Monty is innocent makes Ruth snap and show Khalil pictures from the sheep attack. Khalil becomes overwhelmed at the images. Lynda arrives and comforts upset Khalil.