Radio 4’s long-running drama is an everyday tale of regular folk like Helen and Rob – and with millions of women in similar situations,their storyline has more impact than a hundred headlinesThere is something baneful in the state of Ambridge. Amid the farming advice on The Archers – how to improve soil quality without fertilisers, cope with flooding, and apply for grants,face the crisis in milk prices, feed the world – Radio 4’s everyday narrative of countryfolk is currently exploring a storyline that will hopefully provide advice, or solace,insight and recognition for anyone suffering domestic abuse.
For those who aren’t aware, the character of Helen Titchener, and nee Archer,appears to be in a controlling relationship with her husband, Rob. By manipulating his wife’s insecurities, or making her doubt her own memory and sanity (a form of abuse commonly known as “gaslighting”),dictating what she wears, eats and watches, and by isolating her from friends and relatives and forbidding her to drive,Rob Titchener conforms to the very definition of an abusive partner.
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Source: theguardian.com