Week Beginning: Sunday 9th April 2000

(With the published Radio Times spoilers)

Sunday 9th April 2000

David cannot take any more.

Jill, Lynda, Ruth, David, Phil, Eddie, Clarrie

• A special Sunday lunch á la Phil, not advertised as such, but Jill's hoping that it might build some bridges. Hardly. The weather has turned chilly and Brookfield's atmosphere is still barely warmer. Phil's trying to avoid the subject until he meets his advisor on Wednesday - but he's sure that he's fed up with his children behaving like children.
• Lynda, who'd tried to buy the sideboard (via Nelson) when it had been Jethro's, wants to buy it again, now Clarrie's selling it. The small ad said £50, but surely that's a misprint, Lynda refuses to pay any less than £300 for it. On other money matters, while it's still a large amount, Ted Burns has beaten their delapidation bill down to "merely" £9.500. Clarrie quite fancies a quite evening in, Eddie though has plans ... which Clarrie just does not want to know about.
• The snide remarks reach a head and Phil gives David a bit of lip - the good of the family and the farm is in his heart, can't David see that? While Phil's not pandering to Lizzie, he does want to please all of them. David's not feeling particularly flexible and, faced with living under the same roof as his parents, declares that he, Ruth and the kids are going to go back to the bungalow. Which is the first Ruth has heard of this. David might be at the end of his tether, but Ruth's not far from the end of hers either - and no new baby if they're in the bungalow!

Monday 10th April 2000

Elizabeth is paranoid.

Jennifer, Peggy, William, Clarrie, Eddie, Nigel, Lizzie

• Jennifer and Peggy have dreamed up a plan which they hope to put to Debbie - what about having her wedding at Lower Loxley? Friendly venue and, possibly, more likely to "forget" that Brian (and others, the likes of Adam and Kate) weren't there. Debbie was actually at Lower Loxley anyway, to ask Lizzie to be one of the witnesses (together with an academic friend of Simon's) - she's chuffed with the offer and commisserates with Debbie over their own battling families. (She'd spoken to Ruth on the phone and was worried that she was conspiring to not let her talk to Phil.)
• Eddie was up late last night which meant a "lie-in" this morning while Clarrie was busy reacting to a letter from the housing department - there is no permanent council accomodation in the area around Ambridge. Hardly a surprise, but while Eddie seems happy to leave the area, Clarrie and the others don't fancy that prospect.
• William's in a lather - their lake has been raided again - and he comes stomping home to confront his father. While he had been out late last night he denies it, but father and son angrily confront each other, William blaming Eddie for getting them into this trouble, and Eddie berating William for taking the coin of the man who he blames for putting them in there predicament. Vitriol pours - and William re-affirms that if he has to choose between his job and his family, loyalty to the job will win out.

Tuesday 11th April 2000

Jolene is going cold turkey.

Shula, Alistair, Clarrie, William, Jolene, Sid

• Shula's (increasingly ridiculous) craving has gone so far that she's even bought herself a chocolate-smelling candle! Maybe, when they pick up the adoption forms from the magistrates' court on Friday, they can see if there's a beer one for Alistair?
• William's in the Bull (to avoid his dad at home) and Jolene's taking the line-dancing classes (and avoiding Sid). She persaudes him to join in and Clarrie's worried that, having failed with the father, she's going for the son!
• Caroline telling Shula about feeling a little annoyed at having a conversation with Brian and his criticism of Debbie's relationship with an older man - still remembering fondly her own time with Guy. They go for a drink in the Bull where Caroline first tells Clarrie - then William - about the offer of him moving into the Dower House. No thinking required - he's very pleased with the idea!
• Jolene's avoiding Sid and, while he wouldn't mind remaining civil, she wants to break off all contact - taking the line-dancing to the Cat, cancelling her gym membership - complete cold turket. That's what he wanted, after all?

Wednesday 12th April 2000

Part-time love?

David, Ruth, Phil, Jill, Lizzie, Sid, Jolene

• Phil and Jill have visited the accountants - and go straight to Lower Loxley (which doesn't please David). The accountant agrees that offering shares in the farm will almost certainly lead to its break up, so has suggested that they leave the land to David and Ruth and the house to Shula and Elizabeth, who would rent it to David and Ruth (or give them first refusal to buy). Lizzie's isn't happy with this, she still wants part of the farm ("it's not about feelings it's about fairness") and David's furious that they'd be slogging (with no input from Lizzie) to have the farm make money to pay rent to his sisters who are rich anyway. No one is happy about this - least of all the increasinly frustrated Phil.
• Sid deliberately goes to the gym to meet with Jolene, despite her breaking off contact. They go to her house to talk. He was surprised by her reaction - surprised that anyone could feel that way about him. He can't leave Kathy and Jamie, though and, she admits, is that way it is, then sobeit - Jolene would rather have some than none as she tells him again that she loves him.

Thursday 13th April 2000

Edward gets his teenage kicks.

Pat, Clarrie, Edward, Emma, Janet, Jennifer

• Pat's sorted out the lease, only the signing of the contract to go and the shop's theirs! Clarrie's pleased, what with her home being such a great place at the moments, Joe moaning about leaving the village, Eddie never in, William packing and Edward just being 15.
• And being it with Emma in the churchyard. Two debutant voices of uncontented, bored Ambridge youth. Loafing around with only the excuse of taking a break from their work to save themselves from Janet's offer of finding them something to do. Edward, though, has heard from Fallon that Sid's been paying visits to Jolene ....
• Jennifer's round to discuss Helen's 21st present with Pat, and the idea of a "classic" handbag is approved albeit not enthsiastically! She's still down about Debbie's wedding, although the reception being at Grey Gables will be nice, but Brian's still so angry - especially being the pariah over the Grundys. Helen, we heard, is one voice who agrees with the decision - bad farmers who got what they had coming to them.
• Still bored in the churchyard, only Edward sets his sights higher. Firstly the porch, then the roof ... and then he gets stuck. A few loosened tiles and some panicky vowels and Janet spots him, sending Emma to get the key to the tool shed from Shula and talking Edward to a safe spot where they'll put a ladder up to meet him ....

Friday 14th April 2000

A house is not a home.

Jill, Phil, David, Ruth, Janet, Alistair

• Jill's cooked up a huge breakfast feast, but David and Ruth aren't really that hungry - or communicative - and want to get on with moving out. The parents obviously wanted to try to change they're mind - to no avail. Ruth points out that Pip especially, will miss the house and tells Jill that there'll be no third child in the bungalow - Jill is shattered.
• David admits that sharing Brookfield's not been all bad, but they're not leaving in a fit of pique. Lizzie's been offered an alternative and rejected that - where does she think they can go from here?
• Shula finds her mother in tears and learns of the move and the no baby and comforts her mother and blames Elizabeth for everything, understanding completely that David cannot accept the current position. She storms home (interrupting Alistair talking with Janet about plans for assauging teenage boredom) and promises to have it all out with Lizzie - it's all her fault, after all.

Credited scriptwriter: Mary Cutler

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