Stella and the Mother from Hell...

Just have to say that the scene in Amber Cabs office where Kelly Marie read the Riot Act to Lennie and Scarlett was absolutely brilliant and reminded me why I tune in every week!



I wasn't going to mention him again, but this week's events leave me no option....yes, Gabriel. So, I can now add to his charge sheet: gambling, inciting others to gamble in a cafe (based on some highly dubious insider information), sexually harassing an employee (well, his only employee, Kelly Marie) and skiving off to the Ship to follow his horse, then ostentatiously celebrating his winnings with champers all round (exactly how much did he put on?). Imagine if your working day consisting of doing that - do you think you'd still be in a job? Well, Golden Highlights Gabriel manages it somehow, but not for much longer I expect.



Don't get me wrong, I felt happy for him when Romping Ramsden lived up to its name and got up to beat the favourite at the 1.30 at Lingfield but on the downside he, perhaps unwittingly, gave the new doc (can never remember his name, don't know why) a new destructive addiction to replace the one he's just got over.



Also, I thought we'd gone back to the 1950s when Gabriel chose to follow the race at the Ship on that old radio they keep at the bar. Those who don't follow such things will just have to trust me here but the only racing commentaries on the radio these days are broadcast by BBC Radio 5 Live, and they only do the big events such as the Grand National, the Classics and the The Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps. They would never waste licence- payers' money broadcasting a poxy midweek Lingfield card. There are some specialist radio providers, but these all broadcast online, not on the radio.



So who could have been doing the live radio commentary? Well, we know that the preferred station at the Ship is Shieldinch FM, the radio station whose most memorable 'breaking news' story was a live recording of Gina being 'surprised' by ageing romeo Jack a while back. Surely they haven't got the funds to support a live racing commentary service and besides I can't imagine that would be something the puritanical Murray would support. Anyway, why didn't Gabriel just not go down the bookies where he could have WATCHED the race as well! It's not as if he was snowed under at work or anything.



Stella's mum Jackie was a cracking villain and to my mind the reason why her daughter turned to booze is much simpler than all that stuff about lack of love, being put in care etc. It's obvious: she called her daughter STELLA, so what did she expect?



OK, just a couple of minor points:

1) Eileen's fashion faux-pas. How much longer is she going to continue wearing that 'Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde' inspired beret whenever winter comes around?

2) Anyone else noticed the similarity between Tattie and that Russian intern who had an affair with a dodgy old Lib Dem and was wrongly accused of being a spy?

Here's an idea - if you're away next week, how about banksy38 writing the blog?

Episode 6/12/11.



I am ASTOUNDED that GP Michael returns home to ask his wife if she is aware of the location of some patient notes, these notes are then found in THE BEDROOM as GP Michael was "reading the notes in bed". As a healthcare professional working in primary care, this is an inaccurate portrayal of GP behaviour. Data protection legislation prohibits patient notes being removed from a secure environment. I'm concerned that some River City viewers may think that this is common practice.

Phillippa, you think that's bad? Mollie openly admitted to knowing the details of every patient record at the surgery this week - an admission that was disturbingly met with a nonchalant shrug rather than instant dismissal and a call to the local plod by otherwise engaged Dr Brodie. And was it really plausible that the interfering old cleaner a) could keep this dynamite to herself and b) fall for Frances' line about Lennie being afraid of flying? No chance. The other co-partner is an ex-alkie who is currently bankrupting the surgery by using its account to fund his gambling habit. And to top it all - Dr Brodie's wife works there but can't work out what to get the kids for Christmas! THE WHOLE SURGERY IS DYSFUNCTIONAL!!



Also re episode 6/12



Just how many racing tipsters with inside knowledge are there walking the streets of Shieldinch! First Gabriel, now 'Papa' Lenny (although the latter, as always, had an ulterior motive) whose combined - and contradictory - advice has driven new doc Dan into a spiral of devastating self-destruction? I wouldn't be surprised if the hitherto mute little Calum's first words were not the tradiItonal "mamma" or "pappa" but "Monkey Business. 2.45 Kempton. Dead Cert."



Also, don't you think it was a bit rich of Gabriel to jump on his moral high horse when he was the one who gave Doctor Dan the ruby slippers with which to walk safely down the yellow brick road of self-annihilation (I was up all night working on that one).



It was great to see Lenny try and bond with a clearly terrified Calum by taking him to Edinburgh Zoo, topped and tailed by a slap up something-or-other at the Oyster, followed by illicit Jelly Beans back at Scarlett's. It occurred to me that these days only someone like Lenny, with his ready access to seemingly unlimited cash from a drawer, could actually afford a family visit to Edinburgh Zoo, with or without those flipping pandas. Just how much cash is in Lenny's office drawer? It reminded me of that much-done comedy sketch where you see one person after another getting into a Mini without end? In fact it wouldn't surprise me if the entire Structural Deficit could be paid off by an HMRC visit to Amber Cabs/Brodie's Arcades rather than destroying all our jobs and services. Must remember to cc David Cameron on this week's blog.



Not sure yet about how it's going to play out with Frances the Femme Fatale, especially now killjoy DI Donald's putting the heat on her. OK, it's public money, but gotta say I liked her style in trying to blag a holiday to the Caribbean on expenses. She's got a point though: much easier to get the inside line from a chilled-out Lennie relaxing on a beach, sipping a pina colada with only a grass-skirted gyrating Frances to 'distract' him. Much easier than in a grimy tenement stairwell where current intelligence-gathering operations appear to be conducted.



Now that Mollie has openly admitted to knowing the details of every patient record at the surgery (an admission that was disturbingly met with a nonchalant shrug rather than instant dismissal and a call to the local plod by otherwise engage Dr Brodie) was it really plausible that she a) could keep this to herself and b) fall for Frances' line about Lennie being afraid of flying? No chance.



Should be a good 'un next week with Big Granma McCabe doing a "Baby Jane" from her bed!

Jings speak about the mother from hell she was horrible.Poor Stella she really believed that her mother did love her and the money would be used to help her gran get better.Even i was taken in thinking that her mum wasnt as bad as we thought and the money would go towards her grans treatment.As for the solicitor what a creep and him and Stellas mum were just low life.Stella must of felt so hurt and upset when Bob told her the truth,poor lassie.Nevermind better the devil you know and whacky jackie will get her comeuppance.The money would have been such a great help to Stella and Bob, but Bob and Stella are still together and everyone likes Stella.They are more of a family to her than her real mum is.This has made them even more stronger in their relationship.It just goes to show love and friendship and good health is more important than money.Brilliant episode just love River city,thanks BBC for such a great programme.