The Archers

Akram tells Azra he’s frustrated Tom hasn’t got back to him about his care farm idea, despite promising he would. Akram then finds Helen, who confirms Tom and her decided against it. There’s no way they have the capacity, what with family and farm commitments, plus developing the farm generally. Akram pushes that it would be just one day per week and he’d manage it, but Helen reminds him they’re a working farm, not a care facility. However, Helen asks later if he’d be interested in working in the dairy, should Tracy not want the extra hours. Akram declines, saying he wants to be outside, growing things. For him, farming’s just not about cheese.
Den takes Brad on a surprise trip to see Worcestershire play cricket. He’s organised lunch and they’ll look inside the score box. Den questions Brad about his future plans, suggesting he could use his skills in sports performance analysis. Brad’s not sure – he’s hoping to study up to PhD level. Den encourages him to think bigger - having a maths degree could be lucrative, Brad could be a banker! Meanwhile, Den suggests moving away from portering at Grey Gables and using his maths brain right now, maybe as a croupier? Brad doesn’t need to be poor all his life. Later, Brad finds himself confiding in Ben that his dad’s sudden interest in his life is confusing. Is he being nice or is he after something? Brad admits the attention is weird but really nice. Ben advises him to keep low expectations, but enjoy spending time together.

Leonard asks Ben if Ruth has decided whether to be tested for the BRCA gene variant. Ben’s still annoyed with Josh for not wanting to know, an attitude he thinks is typically selfish. Following yesterday’s chat with Alan, Leonard considers how lucky he is being retired, and that life seems more stressful these days. Ben agrees - the surgery has so many people saying they’re struggling. He hopes the mental health initiatives he’s trying to set up with Azra will help address these pressures.
Adam has spoken to Ruairi, who agrees that Brian must be made to let go of the business. Ian’s surprised Ruairi agreed, considering the George attack cover–up, but Adam insists it’s for Brian’s own good. Brian’s out of his depth, plus his dinosaur attitudes and lack of futureproofing are no good for Home Farm. It needs to be addressed at the partnership meeting. Kate’s horrified by the idea of caravan storage and agrees with Adam. Ian is concerned that the family are being misled by inaccurate dementia speculation, but Adam feels he has no choice. Having invited Alice to dinner, Adam pleads with her to help form a united front against Brian. Alice wants more time though - Brian really doesn’t think he’s got dementia. Instead of rocking the boat, can’t they just persuade him to get some kind of cognitive fitness test? Frustrated, Adam insists the clock is ticking – he sees Brian floundering badly and if they don’t act quickly, Home Farm is going to fail.

When Leonard retrieves Jill’s cake tin from Glebe Cottage, Carol confesses that she visited but didn’t actually go inside The Laurels. Later, meeting Alan, who’s worried about repairing a cracked bell at St Stephens, Leonard confides that he’s finding Carol’s intransigence a challenge. He wonders if Alan might perhaps have more luck persuading her to have a safety camera fitted close to the stairs. Calling in, Alan helps Carol narrowly avoid a nasty fall, which shakes her. She admits Anna had flagged the rug as a trip hazard but doesn’t want her to know. Alan tells Carol that Anna is on her side. Carol agrees to have the camera installed if Alan doesn’t disclose her near miss.
As Brad prepares to take Bert for a walk, Den arrives. Although reluctant to chat, Brad agrees to Den joining them to view Chelsea’s horse box, as that’s on Susan’s ‘designated list of walks’ for Bert’s health. They’re all impressed with the horse box, although the renovation’s cost more than Chelsea had anticipated. Bert then praises Clive for how well he’s doing now. Den sees this as proof that people can change, but Brad says pointedly that sometimes change comes too late. Back at 6 The Green, Den speaks to Tracy about seeing Brad more often after his exams. He wants to plan something really special, to prove it’s not too late to save their relationship. Tracy is sceptical – why is he suddenly wanting more contact? She gives Den a warning, to never, ever hurt Brad or Chelsea.

Enjoying a Sunday lunch with Helen at The Bull, Kirsty mentions being with Amber when her baby kicked on Friday and nearly revealing her own condition, then adds that she turned down a marriage proposal from Erik. With Kate still away in Scotland, Kirsty’s so far avoided telling her she’s pregnant – Kirsty worries Kate will smother her with herbal care and enforced yoga. As Tracy takes dessert orders, Helen asks if she’d consider more hours in the dairy – she was talking to Kirsty and sees Tracy as a natural artisan who can help her develop a new cheese. Tracy however seems impassive and Helen is surprised that she didn’t jump at the offer - who wouldn’t want to be involved in a new cheese?
Armed with a lemon drizzle, Leonard visits Carol at Glebe Cottage. She dismisses his concern that she’s not wearing her pendant alarm, before Leonard reveals the reason for his visit – Jill wants Carol to go to The Laurels and have a look around. She’d love Carol to use it for respite care, so that safety improvements can be made to Glebe Cottage. Leonard makes the case that Christine is very happy there, standards of care are excellent - and it would only be temporary. However, Carol refuses to visit until Anna arrives when, feeling pressured, Carol reluctantly agrees to see the care home. However, on arrival with Anna, she doesn’t even get out of the car. Carol says she’s seen enough and is adamant: there’s no way she’d spend a single day in The Laurels.

George is disappointed his online video for the Borchester Show is hardly getting any views. Amber reminds him of her suggestions to maximise impact. George grudgingly accepts Amber’s offer to help, after a pep-talk on feminism. Later, Amber emphasises recognising their separate strengths and playing to them when working as a team, both for the video and when the baby’s born. When Lilian comes over Amber remarks on Brian’s kindness investing in George’s drone. Lilian doesn’t comment, but she’s happy to have George back at the Bull, so long as he keeps in line.
Erik and Kirsty talk about Carol, and Anna’s difficulties over care issues. Erik wishes he could stay longer, but Kirsty’s grateful for the time they’ve had. Erik makes a surprise, spontaneous marriage proposal. Assuming he’s joking Kirsty accepts a twig ring, but says no: she never wants to go there again. So long as Erik’s there for the baby, that’s the main thing. Jakob later queries Kirsty rejecting Erik’s proposal, but she assures Jakob she wasn’t being harsh. It’s just there’s no need for marriage – and she loves the fact that Erik is a carefree spirit, hoping the baby will inherit some of that. Erik then offers to buy farewell drinks, but they turn him down. After Jakob and Erik head to the airport, Lilian tells Kirsty she should make an honest man of Erik - but Kirsty’s fine with how things are.
Kirsty bumps into Amber and they share a moment when Amber’s baby kicks for the first time – she’ll go and tell George.