19/05/2024

Lynda can’t stop thinking about the piece of writing by Fallon’s Great Aunt, about the soldier who died. Lynda wants to write something herself for the D-Day event. A short drama perhaps? She comes up with three characters and considers Chelsea and Ben to feature. She’ll ask Fallon to play her own Great Aunt but worries about Fallon. Robert tells Lynda to just ask Fallon what she thinks about the idea, but Lynda wants to just get something written and then check. Lost in her work, Lynda asks Robert to deputise as Chair at today’s cricket, and to also ask Ben and Chelsea to pop over after the match against Loxley Barrett. Freddie shares the latest with Chelsea from his stakeout over the stolen meat. Freddie feels bad about the thief, Jason – a nice guy with two kids to feed. Vince is dealing with the situation tomorrow, and Jason has no idea of what’s coming. Harrison turns up to gee up the players and Freddie and Chelsea tease him about his upcoming 39th birthday. Chelsea delivers a great catch to complete the win, before Ben shares Lynda’s request and they head over to Ambridge Hall to find out more. Meanwhile, Lynda asks Robert to read her work and be brutally honest. Robert is spellbound – it’s the best thing Lynda has ever written. Lynda’s delighted, but then suddenly panics about casting Ben and Chelsea as tragic lovers, remembering their own history. Ben and Chelsea arrive, as Robert reassures Lynda to just let them read it, and to have faith.

Writer: Sarah Hehir Director: Pip Swallow Editor: Jeremy HoweBen Archer… Ben Norris Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore Harrison Burns…. James Cartwright Lilian Bellamy… Sunny Ormonde Vince Casey…. Tony Turner George Grundy…. Angus Stobie Jakob Hakansson…. Paul Venables Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen Lynda Snell… Carole Boyd Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw Oliver Sterling…. Michael Cochrane Jason Burntwood…. Ian Conningham

Freddie is in the loading bay at Casey Meats talking to Vince on the phone. Yet another customer called yesterday complaining their delivery is short. Freddie thinks a driver is taking the missing meat. Vince sets Freddie to trying to spot a pattern. He mentions that one of the drivers has a criminal record. But Freddie says he’s served his time. Freddie asks Jason how easy it would be for something to go astray from an order. Jason points out that most customers don’t have time to check through deliveries when they arrive. Later Vince and Freddie look at a spreadsheet of incomplete deliveries. There’s no pattern that links to a single worker. They’ll have to follow drivers on the late shift. Vince still thinks ex-con Antonio is the prime suspect. But Freddie points out that he himself has been in jail. Later, Freddie leaves a voicemail for Vince saying he’s going to follow Jason tonight. Lilian and Oliver meet on the way to the shop. Inside Vince is buying champagne. He’s taking Elizabeth away for a long weekend but he forgot to pre-order the fizz. Lilian gets a call from Jakob – the tests results for Cinnamon are back. She rushes to the surgery. It’s bad news – Cinnamon has strangles. Jakob recommends a full lockdown. And with the horse’s paperwork missing the stables looks incompetent at best. Horses will have to be quarantined when it’s show season, the cross country course will shut and lessons will have to be cancelled. Lilian needs time to think. But later she tells Jakob a lockdown is the only way.

It’s Lynda’s birthday and Robert serves pancakes with raspberries and Bridge Farm yoghurt in the garden. Ben stops by with a birthday card from all at Brookfield. Lynda wastes no time in press-ganging him into giving a presentation on wartime nursing for their D-Day event. At the Tearoom Chelsea presents Lynda with a whole marmalade cake baked by Fallon. Meanwhile, Fallon is at The Bull dropping off some loaves for collection by the brewery for its bread beer. She tells Jolene Lilian had planned to help at the pub but something has come up at the stables. Jolene is looking for pictures of Auntie Connie, who served in in Egypt, when she comes across photos and artwork from Fallon’s schooldays. She finds a picture of Connie with a note from her American sweetheart, and a poem. Fallon confides that Harrison sent her a poem but things are difficult and he is still sleeping on the sofa. They find a diary entry written by Connie but Jolene’s not sure Fallon should read it. When Fallon returns to the Tearoom she tells Lynda she is on board for the D-Day event. She agrees to make Woolton Pie, a hearty but frugal vegetable-filled dish. But as she tells Lynda and Robert about Auntie Connie’s diary entry she is overcome and has to step outside. The situation feels impossible, she tells Lynda. But she loves Harrison – misses him.That evening at the Bull, the participants in the D-Day event gather to finalise their plans. During their chat they take the opportunity to toast Lynda’s birthday.

Lynda and Robert are in the attic sorting through some of the Edwardian furniture her mother left them. She wants to bring some down from there, but there’s barely enough room with all the things they’re already using. She spots a chest of Robert’s father’s military memorabilia, including the medal he tried to give to Freddie. There should be an event in Ambridge to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, says Linda. And she has an idea. Over tea on the lawn she suggests that they have a living history museum evening at Ambridge Hall. Robert will start with an account of the D Day landings. Then visitors can watch demonstrations of different aspects of the war. Chelsea could do wartime hairstyles and fashions, and Tony or Pat talk about wartime foods. Fallon could do Blitz baking! At the Tearoom with Robert, Lynda broaches the subject. Chelsea is keen and Fallon recalls a great aunt who served in Egypt during the war. Lilian asks Jakob to take a look at a horse called Cinnamon, a new arrival at the Stables, who is a bit under the weather. But Lilian can’t find his stables contract, which Alice would have filled in. It has details of his health and vaccinations. When they go to see Cinnamon – who following protocol for new arrivals is still in the quarantine field - they notice he's not in a good way: lethargic and not wanting to lift his head. Jakob is going to send off some samples for tests. It doesn’t look good, but they’ll have to wait for the results to come back.

Lilian and Oliver chat as he takes an early bank holiday ride before another busy day. Oliver asks after Alice who is still staying with Ruairi in London. Lilian wishes she could have done more before everything got so out of hand. She feels guilty about encouraging Alice’s relationship with Harry. And she fears things might be awkward at The Bull after the crash. Later, Lillian awkwardly broaches the subject of Alice and Fallon with Jolene, who has no problem with her being supportive towards her niece – family is family. Lilian apologises and all is well between them. She insists on helping Jolene with queueing customers.Vince asks after Fallon and orders a pint of Shires. Jolene offers him a taste of bread beer. He makes Jolene laugh when he asks for a shot of butter as a chaser. He takes a call from Freddie who tells him another customer is missing meat from their order. Jolene overhears, telling Vince that Wayne was also missing some steak from a recent delivery. Freddie gets Casey Meats driver Jason to give him a lift to the customer who complained. Jason’s working the bank holiday for the overtime cash: his twin daughters want to go skiing. He asks if Freddie can put a bit more overtime his way. Later in the canteen, they chat. Freddie has to change the subject when he almost lets slip that his family owns Lower Loxley. He’s summoned by Vince who tells him that there is no mistake in the online distribution system and they need to get to the bottom of the problem quickly.

Harrison greets Fallon as he returns from church and they chat awkwardly, with Harrison apologising for leaving his bedding where he slept, on the sofa. Fallon's finishing up mowing the grass and Harrison's off to training ahead of the T20 cricket. Before he goes, he mentions Philip Larkin’s poem – The Mower. He offers to read her the last line but she suggests he send it to her instead.At the Tearoom Chelsea isn’t looking forward to playing but Pat gives her a pep talk and some fielding practice, using a cheese scone. Fallon arrives and confesses that Harrison, likewise, isn’t enthusiastic: he’s a bit embarrassed about his bad grace and sledging in the match against Leyton Cross. Tracy takes Harrison to task as he hammers in the stumps. He agrees that he should email the other captain to apologise, and say sorry to Pat. But when he tries to talk to Tracy about the team vice-captaincy she gives him short shrift. He tells her George doesn’t want the job and she agrees to think about it. During the match she’s on fire, bowling a hattrick of wickets to help her team trounce the men. Harrison takes the opportunity to seek out Pat and offer a heartfelt apology. Fallon turns up with leftover cake Natasha has sent for the teams to enjoy. She agrees to stay for one drink as 'Tracy’s Tigers' lift the Mark Hebden trophy and Tracy announces her new role as vice-captain. Fallon tells Harrison she read Larkin’s poem and took hope from the ending: ‘we should be kind while there is still time.’

Guests gather at Helen’s house ready for Joy’s surprise birthday party, where Kirsty confesses to Elizabeth that George has taken over looking after Rex’s pigs while he’s away. Joy’s overwhelmed when she arrives – she couldn’t have better friends. Mick has another surprise for her – he’s landed a job on the Grey Gables security team. When Joy hears they’d tried to invite Rochelle and her children to the party, she snaps at Mick telling him he had no right to steal her address book and knock on people’s doors. Mick wonders why he hasn’t met Rochelle before, especially since the accident. Joy’s enraged when Mick adds that Rochelle’s supposed to care for Joy. and upset mick heads off. Joy tells awkward Elizabeth that Rochelle’s been a fabulous daughter to her. How dare Mick think otherwise.Harrison tells Fallon that they need to talk. Harrison can’t believe that the miscarriage isn’t affecting Fallon, Harrison can’t think of anything else. He hopes Alice goes to prison for what she’s done. When Fallon reminds Harrison that he knows Fallon doesn’t’ want children, Harrison explains he thought he could live with it, but that was before Fallon got pregnant. He needs to grieve that baby. He wonders if the accident hadn’t happened, they would just have got on with the pregnancy. Fallon is very clear that this wouldn’t have been the case – she doesn’t want children. They are both on the edge of tears as Harrison heads upstairs saying he doesn’t think he can take this. Fallon can’t either.

Freddie and Elizabeth are on their way to a meal with Vince at a Filipino restaurant. Freddie will pay for the meal, if in return Elizabeth nods and agrees with him. She’ll understand why once they’re inside. They bump into Mick who tells them he hasn’t heard back from Rochelle about Joy’s surprise birthday party. He might go and knock on her door. Later Mick rings to say that when he went to Rochelle’s address, the person answering the door didn’t know who she was.Vince smells a rat at the meal when Freddie and Elizabeth over-enthuse about the food. Freddie comes clean explaining the chef there is willing to train the abattoir catering manager, so that they could offer Filipino food to boost staff morale. Later Vince says he's done a deal with the restaurant manager; Vince will supply cheaper meat in return for training. Freddie’s delighted.Harrison catches up with Tom to discuss T20 tactics but talk turns to Fallon’s miscarriage and Tom sympathises, remembering how gutted he felt after Kirsty lost Wren. The hardest thing was not knowing how he was supposed to feel. When Tom mentions visiting the Remembrance Garden where Wren’s ashes were scattered, Harrison wishes there was some way to commemorate his and Fallon’s loss. He opens up about being on different pages with Fallon about it. Harrison had accepted that Fallon never wanted children, but now he’s not so sure. Tom thinks there’s a chance Fallon will change her mind once she’s processed it all. But Harrison and Fallon need to have an honest talk with each other.

Lily finalises the catering with Fallon for tonight’s barn dance, advising extra delivery time because of the Heydon Bridge diversion. Joy tells Fallon she’d been looking forward to the barn dance, but because of her sling she can’t go. Later at Joy’s they both agree they’re lucky to have made it through the crash. Fallon opens up about Harrison; she feels like she’s treading on eggshells. He’s obsessed about her miscarriage, but they can’t talk about it because they’re on such different pages. Ben turns up, offering to drive Joy to the barn dance, mentioning a special job Lily’s found for her. Later at the barn dance everyone’s delighted when Joy calls out the dance instructions.When Inspector Norris checks how Harrison’s doing, he asks if Alice’s blood tests are back, but Norris can’t talk about it. Seeing that Harrison isn’t himself, Norris invites him into her office for a chat. Harrison asks how sentencing would be affected by the crash being the cause of Fallon’s miscarriage. Norris sympathetically explains that it doesn’t count in law. Harrison becomes distraught and Norris sends him home. When Fallon gets back from the barn dance, Harrison tells her the reasons for being told to leave work. He’s going to write an impact statement for consideration in sentencing Alice. Harrison’s surprised when Fallon says that if it’s going to make things worse for Alice, then she won’t be doing one. Distraught Harrison can’t believe there’ll be no consequences for losing their baby. Fallon thinks he should do what he thinks is right, but so will she.