The female of the species is more deadly than......

Ok, so now we know. Brian Aldridge is in big trouble.

Over the years I have become by turn, infuriated and bemused with Brian’s behaviour, but recently, have a growing respect for the way The Archers script writers have finally recognised the enduring need to have positive male role-models facing real difficulties in popular drama.

Brian is a philanderer, he is a snob, he is a agri-businessman who uses the land for his own personal gain.

But he is also Father to Ruari

So, the said Father of the child, is faced with picking up his responsibilities again. Interestingly, Brian has always taken his responsibilities seriously in the respect of being a Father, given it was Siobhan who decided to run away to Germany after the furore of their very public and passionate affair.

Recently then, this most compelling of little soap operas, has been visited by a moral dilemma of an altogether different kind.

Jenny, Brian’s wife, has so far refused to have contact with the child Ruari. This, despite the fact Siobhan, Brian's ex-lover is dying of cancer.

The question is, will Jenny relent and take the child into her family when Siobhan dies ?

Watch this space.

To readers who are alert, you'll know that Absent Fathers are a hotly contested issue in Britain.


There is also controversy about how people with brown skins manage their lives in this respect.


What is for certain is that Men, when they feel under attack, will fight back with what they have.

Examples of this exist everywhere; none more so than in the Newspapers

and in the offices of CAFCASS throughout Britain

Some groups of men even have their own web sites now,

What is for certain is that…..goodness….I hope Brian gets it right and (it’s a big ask) Jenny supports him through this time.

JVIP