Liam's on the phone leaving another message for Maria. He urges her to call or text him. "I can't stand this," he says, stroking the dog for reassurance. He leaves another message: "Maria, I love you. Right. I love you."

Maria, meanwhile, is in hospital with the midwife checking her over and apologising for the noise of babies. Maria says she doesn't want to make a phone call. The midwife thinks she needs someone by her side. There are decisions to be made – how to tell people, what to do about the funeral, what name she wants to give her son. "When can I go home?" asks Maria, ignoring all of these questions.

Vernon's running around in circles getting ready for the cruise. He finally locates his passport and asks Liz if she's got hers. She tells him to sit down. "You are one cool chick, you are," he tells her, saying no-one would guess she was heading off on a luxury cruise in the sun. "I'm not coming," she tells him. Vernon thinks she's joking, but she isn't.

Janice is getting lippy with Liam, making light of his forgetfulness. "Are you not well, Mr Connor? Is Maria all right?" asks Sally. Liam stomps off grumpily. "Domestic," opines Janice to the others. "He's in the doghouse."

In the office, Carla asks if Maria is still sulking. She can't stand sulky people. Liam asks Rosie whether there's anything in the diary for today. There isn't. Liam tells Carla that if she'd woken him when the cab came, none of this would have happened. Carla thinks Maria is just punishing Liam for upsetting her. Liam stomps off.

Liz tells Vernon that it's for the best – he would have felt he had to look after her all the time. He's really upset and not trying too hard to put a brave face on things. Liz tells him she can't leave the pub just now. Vernon says he doesn't want to go without her and suggests finding another drummer to replace him. She says she's gutted and was really looking forward to it, but it's a wonderful opportunity for Vernon. He's convinced and tells her he'll go, but it won't be the same without her.

Audrey's having a go at Liam about Maria abdicating her responsibilities and going swanning off. "If she's not here in the next ten minutes then she can look for another job, I'm telling you!" She also tells Liam that Maria's just making a point. She's overrun with booked clients and phone calls from people trying to book (very odd – I thought Rita and Emily were their only regulars!). Liam doesn't care about the clients and tells Audrey so before leaving.

Maria's packing her bag and talking to Marcus. She says it's time to get home. He offers to escort her home but Maria refuses. She wants to see Liam on her own. Marcus thinks he could help answer Liam's questions.

Dan's reading a letter, presumably from the police or the Crown prosecution service or someone. He teases Leanne about what it contains. He tells her there will be no further action taken against him, but she's being charged with criminal nail biting. "That's not funny!" Leanne says. He opens her letter. "Brilliant. Panic over. No further action," he tells her.

In the salon, Audrey gets a call from Ted and locks the door so she can talk to him.

Liam asks Ozzie, the dog, where Maria's got to.

She's got to a corridor in the hospital, heading outside.

Claire's in the taxi office, making some sort of purchase by phone, but her credit card is declined. Ah, she's trying to buy a new buggy. Lloyd thinks maybe she's exceeded her limit, but it seems it's the debit card on their current account. She heads home to call the bank, refusing to give out passwords and things in front of Lloyd.

Maria's taxi heads around the corner into the street but she sees Liam going in at the door and tells the driver to keep going.

In the betting shop, Paul comes in to see whether Leanne's heard anything yet. Dan tells him he's not welcome unless he's putting on a bet. He says he'll find out anyway. "No further action," Leanne tells him. Paul can't understand it – he told the police every detail. Dan points out that there's no proof, just Paul's statement. Leanne points out that she hasn't got away with anything – she's lost her business and is in debt up to her eyeballs. Paul grins. "I did need cheering up," he says.

Deirdre's brought a couple of novels round for Liz. Liz tells her she's not going and Deirdre assumes Vernon's done something to upset her, or that they've had a row. Deirdre can't understand why Liz would pass up the holiday of a lifetime. Liz tells her it's because she doesn't think she could stand being cooped up 24/7 for weeks on end with Vernon. Deirdre's upset. She should have stopped Liz marrying him. "You knew from the start you weren't going to be happy. Liz says it's just that they're like any other married couple. "Would you want to be handcuffed to Ken 24 hours a day?" Deirdre thinks for but a second. "Well, yeah." "Me and Vernon will be like that in a few years," Liz says defensively.

Audrey's in the pub but says she can't stop because she's up to her neck in appointments. Bill says her ice melted an hour ago, so she picks up her drink and starts to swig it back. He called by the salon and she was closed. She says she was there but on the phone to a new supplier. Drink gone, she races back to her, er... scissors... "Taxi for Ringo Starr," says Steve, calling to collect Vernon. "He's just making himself presentable," Deirdre tells him. "His plane leaves in five hours," Steve points out. Liz gives him a drink for the road and asks if he's looking forward to it. He drinks his bourbon even faster than Audrey drank her whatever-it-was. "Take care," says Liz, as Vernon gets ready to go. Liz refuses to go and wave him off.

Audrey's maneuvering some old dear into the chair when Maria rings her. Audrey has to tell her to calm down. "Just tell me where you are," she says. "I'll be there as quick as I can." She hustles the client and another who's just come in, out of the door as quickly as she can, telling them to come back for a free appointment.

In the taxi office, the switch is driving Lloyd doolally. He's very please to see Claire back but she's not stopping. "The bank says our account's been emptied," she says. Lloyd suddenly realises she's not coming back to work today.

Audrey arrives home to find Maria sitting weeping by the front door. "I can't stop crying," Maria tells her. "I didn't know where to go. I've lost everyone. I've lost Liam." Audrey tells her to come inside.

Gail talks to Bill about her mother. They agree she's been acting oddly. "Have you ever heard of a Ted Paige?" Bill asks. Gail is astounded. Bill tells her Audrey's been on the phone to someone of that name. "My father. She's in touch with my father," Gail tells him.

Maria tells Audrey about Liam staying out all night at Carla's. Audrey thinks that makes him a silly young man. Maria says Liam lied about the taxi not turning up. She says she had to get away. She's becoming more and more distraught. Audrey suddenly wonders if there's more to it than Maria is saying. "Did he hurt you?" Maria denies this. Audrey tells her she shouldn't get so upset because she has her baby to think about. Maria weeps bigger buckets.

The end. There's no second episode for this Friday, because Corrie went back to Sunday night in some sort of ratings battle – but just for one week.

Margaret Carr

Due no doubt to scheduling decisions entirely outside my comprehension this week the second Friday episode moved to Sunday evening. This episode was written by Lucy Gannon and directed by Kay Patrick.

We open at Audrey's where Maria is being shown into the spare bedroom. Maria does not want Audrey telling anyone where she is. Bill is likely to guess. Audrey wants her to talk to Liam - but she says she cannot manage it at the moment. Audrey tells her to rest. Bill arrives home.

Bill has bought Gail with him - they want to know why the salon is closed - Audrey claims she wanted an early finish. Gail wants to know what is going on with Ted Page - her father and Audrey agrees that he is her father. Bill wants to know as well. Audrey says they had a nice chat and Audrey gets upset. Audrey puts the kettle on to defuse the situation. They sit down with a cup of tea and Audrey has to tell them the events so far. Audrey was trying to protect her. Gail loses her temper and asks Bill to take her home. Gail wants to know if Audrey has told Ted of her existence.

Ashley returns home to find Claire is cutting up the cards - their accounts have been cleaned out and the money has gone. Ashley sits down and tells Claire that they need a talk. He shows her the bank statements - it is serious, they are well over the overdraft limit and Ashley just says it is going on the normal things - staff wages, suppliers. other costs. Obviously not a businessman. Business has just been going down and down and he has been using up their savings. Claire says that this time they are going to solve it - she wants his cards. She will go through the books and they have to cut back.

Harry finds Liz behind the bar and wants to know what happened - she claims staffing problems. They get busy and she invites Harry behind the bar whilst she goes and changes a barrel. He soon gets in the swing of serving. He claims he has always wanted to run a pub.

Liam finds Carla at his front door - there is still no sign of Maria and Carla invites Liam for tea. She offers to bring some food round but he turns it down and closes the door in his face.

Harry is having a difficult phone call from the ex - she wants money and he is not keen on paying up. Harry asks Liz for a favour - there is a new bookies opening and his ex will be there. Harry asks Liz if she will go with him, he will do it in style. To make up for the cruise - she says she will think about it.

Bill arrives and buys some drinks. Liam is looking for Maria - but he does not know where she is. Lloyd tells the others about Liam spending the night at Carla's -lucky, lucky boy.

Claire and Ashley have realised they are poor but happy together.

Bill returns home and Audrey apologises. Audrey then tells Bill that Maria is upstairs. Audrey thinks that she has let Liam - but Bill tells Audrey that Liam is not aware they have split up. Maria has overheard and tells them that they must not phone Liam, a doctor or anyone else.

In the cab office Dan is after some jump leads but Lloyd is not being terribly helpful - he is covering for Steve and just keeps eating - until he is offered a pint and goes off to assist. Dan had let the lights on all day - as spotted by Ryan. Dan goes off to charge the battery up. As he drives off Steve takes the jump leads and puts them in the boot of is car. Slams the boot shut and the car locks itself with the keys inside for no apparent reason. Now call me stupid but as it is a company cab I assume there are spare keys in the cab office - no obviously not.

Bill tells Audrey that they need to let Liam know that Maria is safe. At the moment everyone is still expecting a baby to turn up. A little later Audrey phones Liam and tells him that he must not come round - but Maria is safe and there. Liam tells Audrey that they have all been worried - she is his wife and they should be together. The call ends and Liam goes out to the car.

Liam arrives as Audrey's. He calls for Maria. He shouts at them both but Audrey tells him to calm down. Bill will not let him in - come back tomorrow but call first.

Dan arrives back with Lloyd and Ryan from having a drink and magically unlocks Steve's car and retrieves the keys. Lloyd and Ryan depart to play computer games.

At Audrey's Maria just wants a good night's sleep. Audrey wants to feel the baby growing, Maria says nothing and rolls over and goes to sleep. Audrey puts a load of washing on and Bill goes up to bed. Audrey opens Maria's case and pulls out her dirty clothes. She finds the paper with baby Connor's hand and foot prints and realises that there is no baby.

So sad.

No comments this week - far too unhappy. Move along to the next episode.

K Richard W

We start off in Audrey's house, the morning after she discovered the baby's birth papers. Bill comes down, Audrey tells him she's planning to do some housework today but just as she's about to tell him that she found the paper with the wee little foot and hand prints on it, Maria, too, arrives. Bill is about to be helpful and fill up the teapot but Audrey wants him out of the way so she can talk to Maria. Bill had mentioned doing some tidying in the builder's yard so she ushers him on his way, suggesting a big fry up at Roy's. (Um, isn't Bill still barred from Roy's? Continuity, people!) His joke to Maria about treating Liam right when they get back together makes her distinctly uncomfortable but she's unable to escape because Audrey guides her to the table, saying that she wants to hear all about it. Maria, Liam and the baby... Maria looks even more uncomfortable.

Liam is putting Ozzy's collar on. Carla spies him and clip clops across the cobbles, wondering if he's solved the problem named Maria yet. From his bad mood, she guesses not. He calls her for being bitchy and does say that Maria is with Audrey. Carla just can't help herself, can she? Oh, she crows, running back to Mummy, or her substitute one anyway. He snarls at her to stop stirring, at least he knows where Maria is and is with someone that will take care of her. Carla takes herself off to the factory to do the paperwork Liam has let slide just as Fiz and Kirk come out. They are festooned with pressies for Maria. It's her birthday! (oh heck. One she's not going to want anything to do with this year, poor kid!) Kirk asks if there's anything else wrong (somewhere down inside his thick little skull, perhaps he's got some sort of emotional bond to his sister?) Liam snaps their head off, if he knew what was wrong, he wouldn't look like this! (face like thunder, that is.) He and Ozzy go off for walkies while Fiz wonders what Maria is playing at.

Maria is staring out the kitchen window. Audrey brings over the tea and sits down. Maria lies that she and Liam had a row and she needed time to herself. Without the baby? Maria's face freezes. Audrey gently asks, where's the baby, Maria. Maria's face starts to crumple but she can't find the words. Audrey brings out the paper, and assumes the baby was born premature and must be in hospital. Maria still can't tell her, tears flowing now. Audrey chides her for being a silly girl for not telling Liam. She sobs, "I don't think I'll ever feel like a girl again" and decides to take herself off to get dressed, promising to tell Audrey everything.

Sean comes bursting through the door of Number 11, bellowing that he's home. No answer. He goes to the phone to call Marcus, getting tangled in phone cords and the shoulder strap of his bag. He joyfully tells Marcus he's home.

Back to Maria and Audrey, Maria is a little more composed. She sadly says she's to the point where she can't cry anymore and it hides how she really feels. She relates the story, he was born, he was perfect, and he was born dead. We cut away before we get to Audrey's reaction.

Kirk is on the phone to Les telling him all about Julie. Les doesn't seem to be taking Kirk very seriously. Chesney takes the phone. "I'm ok. She's ok. He's ok. Are you ok?" in typical teenage monotone. Les relates some sort of story involving police and drums and Chesney, looking somewhat surprised, says Ok, have a good time. He hangs up and while he's putting on his shoes, tells Kirk that Les won't be back for another year. Kirk expresses sympathy but Chesney says he's not really bothered when Les comes back or if he does. (Yeah right). He's taking the dog for a walk.

Ashley has the butcher shop open. I guess needs must. Norris is in passing the time of day and Claire arrives with a smile. Ashley reckons people must think he's closed, it being bank holiday. Norris is the first customer of the day but Ashley figures he can't afford to lose custom. (But wouldn't it be more expensive to open the shop and pay expenses for a small number of customers?) Claire covers and says business is picking up and they just have to make a few economies. There follows a monologue by Norris that is classic Corrie. It starts almost like a Monty Python sketch, with Norris ruminating that kids today don't know the meaning of economizing (or words to that effect). His mother squashed the ends of bars of soap together to make a new one. Perfectly good if a little slimy and oddly coloured. Old newspapers made bricks for the fire and tea leaves always got used twice. Ashley is struggling to look interested and Claire looks around for a fork to stick in her eye. Well, no, I made that bit up. But you can tell she's contemplating it. And the price of toilet paper these days and what we had to make do with.. Right, Ashley interrupts, and kisses Claire goodbye, whispering to her to take Norris with her. Does she? Does she eckaslike! Norris continues "Oh she knew how to be thrifty did my mother." Seems discarded underpants went from dish cloth to floor cloth etc. Ashley interrupts again with a joke. (Oddly enough we don't get to see him attack Norris with one of the meat cleavers and stash the corpse in the freezer!)

Back to Audrey who's comforting Maria, gently chiding her for going through it alone. She scolds Maria for not telling Liam and keeping away from him will only making it harder on Liam. Maria is really frightened of telling him now, the longer it takes, the harder it is. He'll never forgive her. (I feel for her, but she's right, too. It's going to be hard for Liam to get over this one and she has made a very serious mistake).

Fiz is not having a lot of luck getting any information about Les' call out of Kirk who's preoccupied with a video game. When she finally finds out that Les isn't coming back, she's really worried about Chesney being so upset. Kirk insists Ches wasn't that bothered but Fiz thinks she knows better and plans to have a nice chat with her little brother later.

There's someone knocking on a door but nobody's home. It's a woman who seems concerned that nobody answered the door. Liam and Ozzy return just then. She asks after Maria and is surprised to find out Maria is not there and is staying with a friend. Liam wants to know if it's a problem. She says "well, we do like to know", and introduces herself as the community midwife. She wants Maria to call her and tells Liam she can understand how confused they must be, but that she should face it together. He's totally baffled and she's still no wiser, though trying to be tactful and sensitive. Her words "A stillbirth is a death" ring out and the bottom of Liam's world crashes out under his feet. I don't think he really hears anything else she says.

Over at the yard, Gail limps in to pass the time of day with Bill and find out if Audrey has said any more about Gail's father. He thinks it's best left until Audrey's ready to talk about it. She asks if Audrey will be in the Rovers so Bill admits that Maria is there and is in a right state. Audrey's got her hands full at the moment. As if she needs something else on her plate, Gail chuckles. Ah but Audrey is no happier than if she's helping someone with a problem, Bill points out. Gail has to agree.

The midwife has gone inside with Liam, now realizing that he didn't know. Liam is in shock, his words are dropping out randomly, he can't get his head around it all. When? he manages to ask, She tells him that the baby was born 2 days ago. She feels very awkward but she's not got much choice with a grieving and shocked father on her hands. She urges him to talk to Maria about their son and what happened. Yes, he jumps up, determined to get some answers. She cautions him to take some time to process it first. How do you, he responds, how do you process that your baby's born and died and you haven't even seen him? With that, he rushes out the door. Ozzy tries to follow but is caught by the midwife. Liam tells her to shut the door behind her and zooms off just as Marcus is walking by, on his way to Sean's. From the look on his face, he's figured out that Liam now knows about the baby.

Sean pulls Marcus inside and they're very glad to see each other. Marcus asks why Sean is back early and Sean prevaricates at first. Too much sun and sand and insists he had a great time. Marcus knows damn well something happened and Lauren was to blame. Sean gives it up. "We are *so* not bezzy mates anymore" he sniffs. Seems she was all plans on the plane and as soon as they landed she left him behind and went cruising for a rich fella which she seems to have bagged, leaving Sean on his own. Sean then realizes that Marcus is a bit distracted.

Audrey is still feeding Maria tea. She's still trying to find a way to tell him or not. Audrey explains that she has to tell him. She's seen the baby but Liam never did and he deserves to know and maybe even see his baby. She finally agrees to go and Audrey says she'll drive her.

Claire is busy on the laptop when Ashley arrives home. She has been over the books with a fine tooth comb and tells Ashley that they nearly make enough to live comfortably but they have no savings. Things aren't as dire as they thought. All they have to do is downsize the house since they have so much money tied up in it (What? Fred gave Ashley that house as a wedding present and Ashley would have got the money from the sale of the pub and he owns the business. Surely he couldn't have gone through all that in the year since Fred died and if he did, he's got more problems than just bad business sense!) Ash isn't keen on moving, figures it would still cost too much in the long run with solicitor fees and renovations on an older house etc but she's got her chin set and is determined.

Marcus has told Sean about Maria's baby. He feels guilty that he didn't tell Liam before. Sean suggests he go to Audrey's to see how Maria is. Sean urges him to go, he won't settle unless he does. Marcus smiles at his fella grateful that he's so understanding and goes off.

Ooh, here's a change of scenery. We see David Platt wielding a broom in the Big House. His roomie Graeme comes sloping in. Seems David has sent Tina a visiting order and he's sweeping to keep busy while he waits to see if she shows up. Graeme witters on about how awful having visitors is anyway. He always gets mithered by his family about how what he did was so embarrassing. It were only a lickle fire, but it took three crews to put it out!

Maria is ready to leave but it's too late. There's a fierce pounding on the door. Maria knows it's Liam before they even open it and is terrified. She doesn't want Audrey to let him in but Audrey insists. She doesn't have a choice. Liam is hollering now. Maria runs away up the stairs as Audrey goes to answer the door. He's nearly hysterical. Audrey tries to divert him to the living room so she can talk to him but he's having none of that and pushes around her to go up the stairs.

And in the next half hour we will see what is to be done.

Tvor

Liam barges upstairs in Audrey's house and into the bedroom where Maria has made herself at home despite Audrey's protestations. Liam asks Maria what's going on. Audrey leaves them alone, telling Maria she'll be downstairs if Maria needs her. Liam asks if it's true, "Have you lost the baby?" She confirms it. When he asks what happened, she apologises.

Sally and Kevin and Ashley and Claire come into the Rovers. Claire asks for a glass of water- tap water. She explains to dear old Betty that she is on an economy drive. Ashley explains to Sally and Kevin that Claire is behaving like they're on the bones of their backsides but things are not quite as bad as that yet. Claire tells them that she thinks "these things need nippin' in the bud!" Claire tells Sally that she went to the precinct for some shopping today. Despite the fact that it smells like "a tramp's armpit" in there, Claire is pleased, she thinks she got a bargain of 20 tins for £2. "20 tins of what?" asks Sally. Claire has no idea what's in them because all the labels had fallen off. Sally encourages Claire, telling her, "Look after the pennies and the pounds'll take care of themselves." She asks Claire if it's true they're thinking of selling their house. Claire says "Yes!" while Ashley says, "No!" Claire mouths to Sally when Ashley is not looking, "We are!"

Maria and Liam are still in Audrey's guest bedroom. Liam tells Maria he can't believe that he had to find out from a midwife that their baby had died, "a stranger blurting it out, just like that..." He asks Maria again what happened. Maria tells him that she went for a scan and she was told that the baby had died and nobody knows why. He asks her when it happened and where she was. Maria tells him she had no idea where he was when it happened last Wednesday. Liam is taken aback at how long ago it all happened. Maria pleads with him, "Don't leave me!" Liam asks if something was wrong with the baby. Maria tells him he was lovely, absolutely perfect.

Marcus arrives at Audrey's to see Maria. He sees that Liam's car is in the driveway and leaves a bunch of flowers for Maria. Audrey discovers that Marcus was with Maria when she delivered the baby and invites him in for a cup of tea. She tells him that things have been terrible for Maria and asks him if he knows why Maria didn't tell Liam. Marcus tells her "They'd had some sort of domestic and he'd stayed out all night..... with Carla!" Marcus tells Audrey how he'd urged her to tell Liam but Maria wasn't having any of it.

Upstairs, Liam asks Maria what has happened to his son, where is he now and what have they done with him? Maria tells him he's at the hospital. She explains about how she had to go into labour and give birth to him. He wonders why Maria didn't tell him and is sad that she had to go through it alone. Maria tells him that Marcus was with her. Liam asks her what he has done that's so terrible, That she would rather have a total stranger with her at such a time than him? Maria tells him she panicked and with the Carla situation she thought.... but she is interrupted by the sound of Marcus downstairs and she goes to say hello from the top of the stairs as Audrey is showing Marcus out. Audrey asks if Maria needs a cup of tea but Maria wants to get back to Liam to talk about things. When she goes back in the room, Liam tells her to start getting her stuff together to go home with him. While putting her things into a case, he comes across the print of his baby's tiny hands and feet. He starts to cry. Maria apologises again. Liam says, "My son is here in this world and you stop me seeing him. You think I didn't care..." He leaves the room.

Claire and Sally come into Claire's house. Claire is telling Sally about some of her methods for saving money. Sally comes up with an idea. Why don't they swap house? Neither of them wants to move away, Sally needs a bigger house and Claire needs some cash- what could go wrong? Claire thinks it's a brilliant idea. They both think they've come up with the solution to their problems but know the men won't agree to it. They decide to work on them knowing fully that they'll get their own way. Personally, I think it's a terrible idea but what would I know?

Maria has come home with Liam but she tells him she can't do it. She can't start facing her family and friends yet. Fizz sees her and asks where she was. Kirk comes out into the street and sings happy birthday to her. Fizz notices Maria looking "right peaky" and asks if everything's ok. Kirk asks if the baby is all right. They make jokes about the baby kicking and keeping Maria awake. Maria and Liam can't get a word in to tell them the terrible news. Maria suddenly gets back into the car to the bemusement of everyone. Liam joins her in the car and tells her she can't keep running away. Maria tells him she doesn't know what to say to people. She sees Sean coming towards her with a sympathetic look on his face and demands that Liam takes her back to Audrey's. Now!

In the Detention Centre/Training Centre/Borstal with David and he's getting ready for a visit. His cell-mate whispers from behind him, "She's not gonna show, she swerved it last time. She don't wanna know, mate!" David tells him to stay quiet, he's doing his head in. Tina arrives. David's mate is stunned that a) she showed and b) she's gorgeous. David tells him that he told him she was fit as. Tina sits down and tells him the place stinks. David puts it down to too many smelly men in one place. She tells him she got searched on the way in by "a big lezzer who couldn't keep her hands off her." I know that Corrie dialogue is realistic but I felt that was a bit offensive, didn't you? Anyway, David puts that down to Tina being the fittest bird in there. "Too right!" Tina agrees with him.

Dinner time Chez Fizz and Kirkeh's new girlfriend has tucked in his napkin down the front of his jumper for him before they start to eat. Fizz asks Chesney how Les was when he spoke to him on the phone. She asks if Chesney misses Les and she bets he misses his mam. Kirkeh's girlfriend tells Chesney they can get dead cheap flight to the USA now and he should hop on a plane and go and visit her. Chesney explains that there wouldn't be any room for her. Cilla's "living in a trailer with an Elvis impersonator called Tex. 6'6" in his stocking feet, apparently" Fizz can see that Chesney is not happy, not even a double dollop of mushies can put a smile on his face. Chesney doesn't want to talk about it, he asks for more gravy.

Back at Audrey's, Liam tells Maria that he needs her to explain why she didn't tell him about the baby. Maria tells him she felt like she failed him. Liam reassures her it wasn't her fault. Maria says she tried to tell him when the registrar said the baby had died but she couldn't find him. Carla was there in Underworld when Maria went looking for him though, "like a prize bitch, laughing at me...." Maria then recalls the conversation she and Liam had in the pub with Lloyd which threw a further spanner in the works. Then she tells him, she went home and made plans to tell him when he got home but she was unable to tell him since he kept talking about how the future was all mapped out and he had started talking to the baby. "And all the time, " she says, "he was dead inside me."

At the Websters' Sally is moaning about some threadbare ottoman or other while folding laundry. She is subtly making a case to move house. Into "a nice big 'ouse with a garden and a conservatory...." She goes on to list all the great things about Claire's house. "I want a fling with Demi Moore," says Kevin, "not gonner 'appen, is it?" Kevin dismisses the idea. Kevin realises after a while that she's talking about swapping houses with the Peacocks. He tells her firmly, he doesn't want to move.

Back with David in the Training Centre, his cell mate is talking to Tina. He thinks Tina is not really David's girlfriend. Tina confirms she is indeed David's girlfriend. David's cellmate (who is in for arson) 's eyes widen. Tina asks David the ins and outs of being locked up. She thinks it would do her head in. David just tells her it's a bit weird. Tina asks after Gail. David tells her that Gail has been in to visit but things got a bit awkward between them.

Upstairs at Audrey's and Maria reminds Liam that they'll need to have a funeral for the baby. Liam is not able to face a funeral. Only a little while ago he was thinking about their future with the baby together and he's not ready to be thinking of burying his baby yet. Maria asks what they're going to do then. She has noticed that he can hardly bear to look at her. Liam tells her he's just shocked. Maria asks how long it'll take before he goes to cry on Carla's shoulder (spoilers have shown, Maria, approximately one week!).She lays a guilt trip on him about staying out all night with Carla. He defends Carla which annoys Maria. She tells him, "At least some good has come out of all this. Well, at least you can leave me now, just walk away. No guilt or anything. Part of me always knew that you only married me because I was pregnant!" When Liam protests that he would have married her anyway, Maria asks if he can honestly say that, hand on heart. She thinks that Liam doesn't want her any more.

Back with David and Tina, visiting hours at the local centre for Bad Boys is over. David asks Tina if they can get back together again. Tina says yeah, they're back on. David starts to get all sloppy and tell Tina that he missed her but Tina stops him, telling him, "Yeah, all right, calm down. Don't have a cow!" David tells her he's dying for a kiss. Tina protests that it's against the rules but she lets him kiss her anyway. Ewwww! The guard separates them, reminding them of the rules. Tina leaves and David is as happy as a pig in poo.

Back to Liam and Maria who are sitting on Audrey's staircase. Liam tells Maria that he's going home. Maria is not coming with him. He asks if he can take the prints of the baby's hands and feet with him. Maria asks him if he's going to leave her. Liam tells her that she'll know where he is. Maria follows him outside, she is convinced that he's going to leave her. She demands that he tells her he loves her as Liam is getting ready to get into the car. Audrey tells Maria to give Liam a bit of time. Maria watches Liam drive away and she tells Audrey, "That's it, he's gone. I've lost 'im.

Stella McLoughlin

Gail greets Rita who's outside cleaning her shop window. She asks if she knew that Audrey was in touch with her father. Rita admits that she did, but suggests that perhaps Gail should be having this conversation with her mother.

As Carla roars up the road in her flashy convertible, Marcus and Sean step outside of their front door. Just then Liam appears and demands to know why Marcus didn't tell him, didn't he think he would want to know. Marcus says that Maria was a mess and he had to support her. Liam, understandably, thinks that Maria should have gone to him first, not Marcus. Just then Carla arrives, wanting to know what's going on, and takes Liam back to his house.

Fizz and Wiki are in the cafe, when Kirk and his new lady friend arrive. Wiki asks Fizz if it bothers her seeing Kirk with Julie, but Fizz says she's glad, it gets him off her back. Just then Chesney comes in, he's missed the bus and thought he'd get some breakfast before the next one comes along. Fizz thinks there's some reason why he doesn't want to go to school.

Carla is cosseting Liam with a cup of something hot, and asks why ‘Princess Dreary' is still at Audrey's. Liam suddenly blurts out that Maria's lost the baby. Carla, for once, seems lost for words. "What?" she murmurs. The she sits down beside him and hugs him. He mumbles that he needs to talk to Maria, and so Carla offers to take him.

Outside in the Street, Claire is extolling the virtues of the Webster's house to Ashley. However, he is adamant that they are not moving! It was his dad's house and he doesn't want to leave it. Claire think that Fred would say that the shop was his legacy and not the house, and they should save that for his sake. "If that means we have to move to do it, it's a price worth paying," she says. Ashley though, won't be moved.

Kirk and Julie come round the corner and see Audrey outside the salon. She takes them inside, telling Kirk there's something he needs to know.

Liam and Carla arrive in Audrey's driveway. Carla says she'll wait and Liam goes and knocks on the door. Maria opens it and lets him in, and then spots Carla sitting in the car. In the sitting room, they stare at each other for a moment or two and then politely ask each other how they are. They are both really awkward with each other, and then Liam tells her that he wants to see the baby and asks if she'll come this afternoon. She asks if he'd mind going alone.

Betty is buying meat from Ashley's shop, and tells Ashley that if Fred was alive he'd be really proud of him. Kevin comes in and he and Ashley agree with each other that they're happy where they are and they don't want to move.

Liam comes out of Audrey's house and gets into the car where Carla is waiting. After a moment or two he tells her he has to go to the hospital, and as they pull out of the drive Maria watches from an upstairs window.

After visiting his baby, a tearful Liam comes back into the waiting room where Carla is waiting. The doctor tells them to call if they need anything. He says he wasn't expecting to see him dressed in baby clothes and never realised how much he loved him.

Rita is at the salon making a hair appointment. She tells Audrey that Gail was asking her questions about Ted. Just then Gail comes in and wonders, by their guilty silence, if they were talking about her. "Don't let me stop you," she says. Rita makes a hasty exit, and Gail tells her mother she's very elusive. Audrey says she's been very busy, and then confides in Gail about Maria and the baby. Then Gail asks for Ted's phone number and Audrey, somewhat reluctantly, hands it over, telling her to tread carefully.

Kevin spots Sally in the Street and asks her to get him a buttie from the cafe. Sally tells him that if they moved to Ashley's house, they could be having their lunch in the garden, and at Christmas they could have their dinner in the conservatory. Kevin tells her that Ashley is dead set against the move, much to Sally's annoyance.

Liam and Carla arrive back at Audrey's house, and this time he tells her he'll get a cab back. He asks her to go and let Ozzy out, and then goes and knocks on the door. Maria lets him in and together they decide to arrange the funeral sooner rather than later, and decide to keep it very quiet. They decide to give him the name Paul, and Liam goes to call the undertakers.

Sally sees Claire and tells her that Kevin thinks that Ashley is more against the house move than he is. Claire tells her that she's not finished with Ashley yet!

Liam finishes his phone call and tells Maria the funeral is arranged for 2 o'clock on Friday. He then goes to the front door. Maria stops in the living room doorway. "Bye," she calls, hesitantly as he leaves.

Claire and Ashley are sitting chatting, she yawns and tells him she hasn't been sleeping properly for weeks. It's not the money problems that are keeping her awake, she's been having flashbacks to the time she nearly died in the fire, as well as everything that happened afterwards. She realises now that she needs a fresh start away from that house. She tells him that if he's really set on staying in the house, she'll just have to look happy about it.

In the pub, Kirk and Julie are sitting with Wiki and Fizz. Kirk is stunned about the baby. Fizz wonders if she should go round and see Maria, but Julie says that Maria won't want to be bothered by folks at a time like this. Annoyed, Fizz tells her that she's not ‘folks' she and Maria go back a long way.

Claire comes down, having put Freddie to bed, and remarks that Freddie is lucky, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Ashley follows her into the kitchen. "All right, Claire, you win, we'll do it!" he says, adding that he doesn't know what Kevin is going to say about it.

Claire is delighted and kisses him, saying she knew he'd see sense.

Liam arrives home to be greeted by Ozzy, and then Carla appears. "What are you still doing here?" he asks, and she says she was waiting for him, to do him some food. He tells her there was no need, and says that funeral will be on Friday. She says she'll be there, and she hugs him.

Anne Logan

Claire stands outside her house looking smug. Yes, smug. She's looking along the street at the Websters' house, of course. Ashley comes out and asks her what she's doing, so she tells him. Ashley advises her not to count her chickens.

Carla arrives outside Liam's house and carefully checks her face before getting out of the car with some dry cleaning and knocking on the front door. Inside, Liam's on the phone to Maria. "You can't not come to your own son's funeral!" he says. He tells her couples are supposed to get through this sort of thing together. The conversation continues as he opens the door to Carla, she comes in and he shuts it behind her. "I'll ring you later. I've got a funeral to get ready for," he says. Carla says she can't believe Maria's doing this to him. Liam's upset because Maria won't say she's going to come home from Audrey's after the funeral. Carla puts a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and he covers it with his own.

Claire's going through the Yellow Pages now, looking for an estate agent who can come and do a valuation. Ashley thinks they can sort things out themselves – they are old mates with the Websters, after all, but Claire says it's better to have someone independent decide. She says it will be nice to have a house she can think of as properly theirs. Ashley points out that the boys won't have a garden to play in, but Claire tells him to stop being so negative. "We are doing this get ourselves straight." She says they will be able to get away from all the bad memories.

Audrey, Bill and Maria sit down to a hot cup of something and Audrey asks Maria to explain it all. Maria says Liam hates her and Audrey can't convince her otherwise. Bill says she needs to say goodbye to her baby, but Maria says she said that at the hospital. If she goes to the funeral she'll just end up making things worse with Liam. You know, I'm pretty sure there are several flights a day from Cyprus at this time of year. Where on earth is her mother?

Claire visits Sally and tells her that Ashley had his mind changed for him. With blackmail. Sally says Kevin wants to move, "He just doesn't know how much yet!"

Julie arrives at Kirk's to find Chesney there. He says Kirk's dead upset so he's stayed home. Julie hustles him off, saying she's there now. Fizz is ironing, but Julie reveals that she ironed a shirt for Kirk and it's on the back of his door. Fizz looks a bit like a steam iron herself!

In the surgery, Gail's on the phone to Sarah. She says she'll visit Milan as soon as David is out and settled. For some reason, Gail's left a piece of paper lying around with Ted Page's name on it and for an even less obvious reason, one of the practice nurses has been trying to find him on the patient list. Gail looks at the paper and puts the number into her phone, but gives up before she presses the call button.

Fizz is surprised to find that Julie will be at the funeral, even though it's only for family and close friends. "I'm Kirky's close friend," Julie says. "Me rock," says Kirk. Julie can't understand why Maria didn't come to Fizz, if they're best friends. Instead, she went to her boss's. "Doesn't it bother you that she's gone to this Audrey's instead of coming to you?" "Perhaps," says Fizz, every word as sharp as a knife's edge, "she thinks she'll get a bit more privacy at Audrey's than she would here!" The sarcasm is lost on Julie, though.

Skip this next bit if you're in the middle of your lunch. Kevin comes into the house while Sally vacuums. He's about to head upstairs to the loo because the one in the garage is blocked and Roger's going to see to it later. Sally won't let him upstairs. "I've gotta go!" he says. "Kevin, I've got an estate agent coming round to value the house this dinnertime and I'm not having your oily footmarks and fingerprints everywhere, otherwise we might just as well give it away." She breaks it to him that Ashley's changed his mind and they're going to have a conservatory! He thinks conservatories are just greenhouses bolted on to the house and are too hot in summer and too cold in winter. "Sometimes, Kevin, you are just so working class . . ." says Sally, who used to be happy to lodge in a house with a muriel! If they move, Sally wants Kevin to make a bit more of an effort! She advises him to go to Roy's and get himself a tea so he can legitimately use the loo there. "And I think you ought to try drinking wine." "Eh?" asks Kevin. "'Cause cans of beer in a conservatory – it's just not right," Sally points out, switching on the vacuum cleaner to end the conversation.

Liam lets Fizz and Kirk into the house. Fizz can't believe Maria's not coming. "She's sick in the head, you ask me – pulling a stunt like this," says Carla. Kirk has that puzzled look on his face again. "Has someone said something to upset her?" asks Fizz. "Upset her? She's the one who didn't even tell me my son was dead," says Liam. "She's the one hiding out at Audrey's, and now she's the one decided she doesn't want to go to his funeral." Fizz thinks Maria must have given him a reason. "None that made sense," says Liam. Fizz points out that Maria's clearly not thinking straight, and that's understandable. Carla snaps that Fizz is conveniently forgetting what Maria put Liam through. Fizz asks if they can tell Maria anything for him. He asks if Maria loves him. Fizz says of course she does. He knows that. "Then I shouldn't need anybody else talking to her," he says. Fizz and Kirk leave.

Gail's leaning on the railings outside the medical centre and chip shop. She tells Bill she can't decide what to call Ted Page. She says it seems daft not to ring him. She asks Bill if he'd mind her calling Ted, because Ted might want to make an appearance. Bill says he's the last one to kick off about it. The only thing that's bothered him is why Audrey didn't tell them both straight off. "I'll call him later, somewhere more appropriate than outside the chippy," she says.

Fizz and Kirk arrive at Audrey's and Maria confirms that she's not going to the funeral. Maria says Liam hates her. "And I don't blame him. Not after what I've done." Fizz tells her that Carla was at the house. "You don't want her saying things in his ear. She's a right cow." Maria reiterates that she just can't go. "He needs to be able to say goodbye to his son without people looking at me saying ‘nasty, selfish little cow'!" Fizz tells her that no-one will say that. Everyone will understand. But Maria says she doesn't understand it herself, so how can anyone else?

A stranger knocks at Sally's door. Yes, it's the nicely spoken young man from the estate agent's. She invites him in but doesn't have a chance to shut the door before Claire and Ashley are there, Claire asking if they can tag along. A polite Sally tells them of course, after all, they haven't had a proper look round themselves. The estate agent says he'll start upstairs and Sally says they'll keep out of his way. Claire starts to praise the house, saying Ashley's always commented on how homely it is (North Americans please note: That's a good thing). Claire says it needs nothing doing, but Sally thinks Claire will want to put her stamp on things. Claire denies this, and Ashley says if the rest of the house is like this he won't have anything to do. "You'll not get away with it that easily," smiles Claire. "So, you've got ideas already?" asks a defensive Sal. "Oh, nothing you won't approve of, I'm sure," laughs Claire. Uh oh.

Audrey locks up the salon and she and Gail walk towards the car, discussing the fact that Sarah might have been able to talk some sense into Maria, because at least she knows what she's going through. The conversation turns to the extra stress on Audrey, including Ted's phone call. Gail tells her mam that if she'd just told them about it straight away, there wouldn't have been any stress. Gail says she plans to call him. Audrey warns her that it might bring problems. "Me being in touch with Ted isn't going to make the slightest difference to my life, but for you, who knows what's going to come of it?"

In the pub. Sean makes sure Carla and Liam aren't going to cause any trouble before asking for their order. Two brandies, apparently. Marcus asks them how Maria is doing. Carla tells him Maria doesn't want to be at the funeral. Sean's shocked. "She's leaving it to Liam to bury their son," Carla says. "I hope that answers your question."

Maria's staring out of Audrey's dirty windows. She tells Audrey she's not changed her mind. Audrey wants her to see what a mistake she's making. "What can I do? My baby's dead. Liam hates me. Beside, there'll be other people there for him," she says. Audrey tells her that yes, there will, but Maria's the most important one. She says Maria can do one of two things – stay locked up as she is, or go and try to make things right with Liam.

The estate agent's got as far as the hatch between the rooms when Kevin comes home. Ashley tells him the poor man must feel as if he's Brad Pitt, with Claire and Sally stalking him. Sally points out that some of the original features have been retained, such as the sash windows. The estate agent, in a voice far posher than is necessary, says he has made a note. "So there's no double glazing?" asks Ashley in a shocked voice. "You'd expect that these days." "If not triple," says Kevin, playing along. Claire says she likes a bit of character. "Oh, well, nice try," Kevin mutters to Ashley. "You'll pay for it later." Ashley hopes Kevin will invite him round for a beer once this is all over. "Oh, no chance. We only drink wine on that side of the street!" Kevin tells him. "Just keep thinking 'conservatory,'" Sally tells Kevin. "And a nice light chardonnay," Ashley advises. Sally tells the agent all about the insulation in the loft, but the agent wants to know about the discoloured patch on the ceiling. Sally says they had a leak, which is now fixed, but Kevin's not got round to painting over it yet. Claire thinks it's Ashley's first job in the new house. She suggests he gets a little notepad and starts making a list. The agent moves on, with his entourage of two, and Kevin tells Ashley to get out there with his little notepad. "I'll go check on the wine cellar."

Outside the church there is a tiny coffin with a floral teddy bear sitting in the hearse. Julie tells Kirk she keeps thinking about the things the little soul will never do. Kirk says he was going to teach him about animals. "I bought a book." "That has got to be the saddest sight in the world," Fizz says tearfully. The vicar comes out and greets Mr and Mrs Connor, saying their love will help them get through these darkest days. Liam points out that Carla isn't his wife. Liam asks for a couple of minutes before they get started.

In the medical centre, Gail is practising her phone call to Ted. She thinks she's got it right and calls, but it goes straight to his voicemail. Tina comes in – she's come specially to see Gail. They have a nice little chat, with Tina pointing out that now Gail knows she'll be talking to an answering machine, she can rehearse what she's going to say.

Outside the church, Carla tells Liam there's no point in waiting much longer. He supposes not and approaches the hearse. The undertaker lifts the tiny white coffin and Liam cradles it in his arms, looking up the empty street one more time. The bell starts to toll and they begin to walk up the path to the door. Behind them, nobody notices Audrey and Maria arrive at the gate.

The End, for now.
Margaret Carr

And with no more ado we carry on. Maria appears at Liam's side and asks if he wants her there. Of course he does - how could she think otherwise? Carla is of a different opinion judging by the look on her face and Maria walks alongside Liam. As they process into the church Julie (you know Kirk's new girlfriend) makes a real song and dance of her performance of grief, and she does not even know the main protagonists! Liam places the tiny coffin at the front of the church and the vicar tells him quietly well done before he takes his seat next to Maria, Carla's face has yet to return to normal.

Tina is telling Gail that she has been visiting the devil child in jail. Gail had guessed that he was using his visiting passes and phone credits to talk to someone and she is glad that it is Tina. Gail wants to know if they are going out - but as Tina points out they cannot really be girl/boy friend at the moment. Gail tells Tina to take a message to David for her next visit - she loves him, misses him and would like to see him.

The vicar says a prayer for baby Paul as part of the service. The outside the baby is buried. Both Maria and Liam drop some earth on the coffin. There is a plaque on the coffin saying "Paul Connor At Peace". Maria breaks down in Liam's arms as they both suffer. Carla watches as the pair share their grief.

Sally and Claire are spending time looking at each other's properties - Sally reckons the third bedroom has shrunk in Claire's house (probably about the time of the fire when the stairs moved all by themselves). Claire reminds her of the benefit of the conservatory. Sally reminds Claire about the Morton's shed. Anyway the agent has decided his valuations. £98k for the little terrace - Kev is pleased as that is four times what they paid. And the bigger house is £123k, so Kev will need to find £25k so the gap is smaller than expected. Kev reckons it is good news and the deal is on. The news is broken to Rosie and Sophie that there is going to be a house swap and after the disappointment of finding that this will not be on tv they seem keen that they are moving

And across the road Claire is unhappy - she reckons that their place is worth rather more - at least another £5k, although Ashley seems resigned. Claire runs Sally down until there is a knock at the door - it is the Webster family in full wanting to have a look around. Sally wants them to shake on the £25k difference, Claire looks unhappy but the deal is on. The adults share a drink to confirm the deal. Once they have gone Claire resumes her moaning that Sally talked the estate agent into undervaluing their house by £5k - money which Sally knows they need.

The vicar leaves the unhappy married couple in the graveyard and the rest of the mourners depart, largely in the direction of the Rovers. Liam tells Audrey that he will drop Maria off later. Audrey "invites" Carla to join them in the Rovers almost with an unspoken statement that they would probably kill her if she did come. Carla says she might come later. Carla watches Liam and Maria and eventually decides for herself that her presence just was not needed or wanted at that moment and departs.

At the Battersby residence Julie is still in overdrive much to the annoyance of Fiz who tells Kirk to take her to the Rovers for a drink.

Maria finally tells Liam that it was terrible that she had been unable to tell him about the baby dying. She is truly sorry for the events and she will understand if he never forgives her. Liam just puts his arm around her and holds her closely. After a few minutes Liam says he wishes he had said something in the church, but as Maria points out he can say it now. And Liam realises that he wanted to talk about his brother Paul (now starring as Mal Faith in Rock Rivals) to little Paul and so he does, asking Big Paul to keep an eye on the little one. Maria tells the baby to listen to his father and to be a good boy.

Gail phones Ted's number - but gets an answering machine and she stumbles into leaving a message when a male voice actually answers and she has to say - this it Gail, your Daughter Gail.

Later excited Gail arrives in the Kabin - she just has to tell someone - Rita and Doris - that she has to tell them what she has done and Doris points out that there is no such thing as newsagent / client confidentiality and it will be reported to the proper authorities. And Gail brazenly announces that she has spoken to her father for the first time ... ever!

At the graveside Liam is telling Paul how he would have been a great player for the Blues and Maria adds with a smile that if he wanted he could have been a teacher or a doctor (or if he stayed in Coronation Street he could end up in jail with David Platt). Anyway they both know the boy would be talented with their joint genes. Maria said that he could even be Prime Minister. And Liam says that he needs to know that no-one would be more loved than him. Maria reached out her hand and took Liam's. Then Liam asks if she wants to be taken to Audrey's but Maria asks to be taken "home" if that is what he wants - and it is. She knows it is not going to be easy but if they can get through this together then she wants to try and they head to the car.

Sean and Marcus see Carla sitting on her own but they agree to leave her alone. Sean acknowledges the part Marcus has played in helping Maria and suggests he should become a psychotherapist - he would be great. Marcus laughs and asks if he knows how long he would take to retrain. Sean does not know - he may be better looking than Marcus but he is not as clever. As they talk it through Sean suggests Marcus gives up his flat to save money and they should move in together (is Eileen going to be happy with this I ask myself). Marcus asks if they are ready to move in together and Sean says brightly that he really thinks it is time. And Marcus agrees.

Finally the action moves out into the Street with an almost wordless scene, Carla is emerging from the Rovers and sees Liam's car arrive and stop. She pulls back into the Rovers doorway so she can see down the Street but cannot be easily spotted. Liam and Maria get out of the car and go indoors together, Liam saying Welcome Home. The closing shot is of Carla's face and she looks far from happy.

I think I am glad that the story of little Paul Connor is over. Such a serious subject does not always sit well in the Street and this one just did not feel right to me. Difficult to appreciate the contrasting humour with the Websters and Peacocks with this rather serious story driving the episode.

See you next week.
K Richard W

Liam and Maria clomp down the stairs. There are sympathy cards stood up on a side table. The pair of them can hardly look each other in the eye and Maria whispers that she'll clear out the nursery. It seems like something has happened that morning but we don't know yet what it is. Maria is surprised that Liam is going in to work. "The whole day?" she asks and he snaps that she sounds like she's accusing him of something. She's not, she's just surprised and backs down again, murmuring that she'll see if Audrey will let her come back to work too, then. Right, Liam shrugs on his jacket and leaves her to peruse the cards, probably a bit tricky while balancing on them eggshells.

Audrey is out front of the salon with a young blonde woman who's name seems to be Natasha, the new temp for while Maria's off work. Audrey asks her why she left her last position (in a salon). She's told it burned down and Natasha glibly proceeds to stick her foot in her mouth by describing the shop as dead old fashioned with most of the clientele over 60. Uh oh. First impressions aren't starting off too well, is it? Gail runs over and asks if Audrey can fit her in for a trim. She is introduced to Natasha but mentions that she thought Natasha was a client. Poor thing goes all wobbly thinking her hair must look a mess, or her nails. (Oh God, this one's going to be about as sharp as a bowling ball. Another Candice, anyone?) Gail is anxious to get her hair done today because she's going to finally meet Ted, her father!

Liam is faffing around in the office, mind not really on what he's doing. The Viper arrives, slinking in, trying to be sensitive for once. Liam admits he probably shouldn't be there. Carla suggests he and Maria seemed a bit closer at the funeral and thought they'd sorted some things out. Maybe, but Liam relates the tale... that morning, Maria went into the nursery and wound up the musical mobile they had and he knew he should have gone in to her for support but all he could think about was how much harder it was making things, hearing that music so he ended up having a go at her instead. (These two don't seem to be able to get the idea that they really need to be helping each other instead of keeping each other at arms' length. Very frustrating to watch). Carla twists the verbal knife a little more, wedging that gap further open by reminding him who it was that lied and kept the truth from him. Liam hangs his head and mentions that he should go register the death. She jumps right up with an offer to go with him but he declines. Fiz pokes her head in wanting to take a long lunch. Carla shrieks back at him, No you can't!! Fiz backs away quickly with a snarl as Liam leaves.

Over in the salon, Audrey wants Natasha to give her a wash and blow dry. This seems to strike fear in to the girl, having to please the boss in the toughest way. Jerry arrives for his trim and is a bit alarmed at the possibility of being the guinea pig for the new girl but Audrey insists.

Jason is lurking in front of the cafe as he's still banned from the inside (even though Audrey directed Bill to go there the other morning with no word of protest). He asks Dan to let Becky know he's out there, please. She whips out the door, grabs him by the scruff of the shirt and hollers at him that he was only supposed to call her once, two rings, and that's it (as opposed to 43 times, 5 rings each, I guess) and Roy will be taking the mobile off her if he doesn't stop it and then summarily plants her face on his and sticks her tongue down his throat for a eye watering kiss. They grin at each other like a pair of goofs and she goes back inside.

Liam is back at the house. Maria comes down with the box containing the mobile. They continue to be at odds with each other. Maria explains that she wasn't having a go at him earlier about Carla, she knows she was wrong about all that. He's not really very receptive and she's whining now that he still resents her. He denies it but you can tell he hasn't really come to terms with what she did. She turns away and says she will pack up the mobile and see if the shop will take it back. He takes the box from her, probably glad of an excuse not to be in the same room and takes it up the stairs to do it himself.

Becky and Jason are sitting on the upper outside "deck" at the builder's yard having a thoroughly daft conversation about which type of person would you fancy... you know the game? "Nurse or cook?" Jason reckons a nurse is better because they'd take care of you. "Police or Fireman" he asks her. Dead easy. She and coppers don't get on and a fireman could pick you up and carry you to bed. Roy interrupts and howls at Becky. She thinks she's got 3 minutes left to her break but he threatens to dock her wages. "Flamin' 'ell, Royston!" Becky scrambles down the stairs with Roy glaring at (married) Jason from the doorway.

Gail arrives for her appointment at the salon. Audrey's hair actually looks different! And quite nice, I might add, though, it should be said, she's got very much a Camilla-do and as she already resembles the Duchess of Cornwall quite a bit, the new do makes the resemblance even more pronounced. Anyway, Gail notices and approves and thinks Natasha should do her hair too. Audrey is going to do it though and they go into the back. Audrey seems a bit jealous that Ted didn't let her know he was coming to town. Gail says she is nervous, excited and feels ugly. He's coming to find a 50 year old double divorcee with a stained sofa and roots. Audrey chuckles, she can at least do something about the roots!

Liam returns down stairs to find Maria crying over their wedding photos. It seems to soften him a little and he sits beside her. She muses about when she was with Tyrone, who always thought he wasn't good enough for her. She tells Liam he's perfect for her and it's all her fault. She reckons it all goes back to her own stupid jealousy over him not coming home that one night. She got herself all worked up and said she wondered if she would have known if he was lying or not and a part of her decided it wouldn't matter and wouldn't believe whatever he said, to protect herself because she was scared of losing him. She was determined to prove herself right but it ruined everything. He starts to talk to her but the door sounds and it's the Viper again, bearing gifts. Liam rips into her and pushes her out the door. Give us a bit of peace. Now if that doesn't convince Maria I don't know what does.

He flees out the back door and after the break, Maria's bringing him a cup of tea and telling him he should apologize to Carla (Huh???? No he should not! Carla should be keeping her beak well and truly away out of it) Liam apologizes to Maria. He tells her he's been happy with her, happier than with anyone else. Now he decides to bear his soul and tell the truth. He says he has never cheated on her but he did have feelings for Carla for a short while, after Paul died. She leaps from that into "You love her!" and she's gone again, leaving Liam alone.

Gail's furiously fluffing couch cushions when someone knocks on the door but it's Tina, bag in hand. She's furious and is never, ever going home. She's come to stay in David's room though he hasn't an inkling yet. Gail (who's looking lovely with her hair done and makeup on) tries to get to the bottom of it but she won't let Tina go sleep rough. She wants Tina to go talk to her mother whom she's fallen out with. She follows Tina outside and says that it's only that she's expecting company. Tina doesn't believe her until she sees the company arrive. Ted makes a correction to her grammar, which only results in her uttering the line of the day "I'm trying to have a crisis here and you two are correcting me grammar!" He assumes she's Sarah but is quickly and sharply told to get lost. He presents Gail with flowers and they grin widely at each other. She invites him in and Tina follows.

In the cafe, Dan and Leanne are finishing lunch. She's depressed at how it all came out. He pays and leaves a nice tip which cheers up Becky to no end. Roy isn't impressed. He thinks she and Jason were making fun of him earlier but she accuses him of being over sensitive and holding on to a grudge. The phone rings again and he knows it's Jason and the secret code. He goes out which makes his face fall when he sees it's Roy who gives Jason a lecture about the sanctity of marriage and how little it means to people these days. Set your sights on someone else. He goes back inside, Becky pops back out to say sorry on Roy's behalf but doesn't linger.

Tina is quizzing Ted on not knowing Gail even existed until a fortnight ago. Gail tries to get rid of her but she's not going anywhere. Tina figures the pair of them must hold it against Audrey but Ted is just glad he knows now and is grateful for the time they have left. Tina, cheeky monkey, asks if Audrey was a tart (erm, she's *still* a tart). "Bag! Upstairs!" Gail screeches, cheeks nearly purple with embarrassment. (Oh, I do love Tina!) Tina can't wait to tell David and see his face and she goes to take her bag upstairs, finally leaving Gail and Ted alone. Ted is just pleased as punch to find out she's got a child.

Maria is now downstairs with a big duffel bag and they're arguing about Carla. No surprise there, then. He had been trying to tell her he would never have gone with Carla because he loves her. He chose her! She insists it was only because she was pregnant even though he insists that he still wants them to be together. She says some hurtful things to him about when he swore on his baby's life that he didn't sleep with Carla... only the baby was dead by then (but he didn't know that! Oh, I could slap her!)

Gail tells Ted she always tried to tell herself that she didn't mind not knowing who her father was. He doesn't know what kind of dad he would have been but he's looking forward to seeing what kind of dad he's going to be from here on in. Tina comes down and asks if Gail would take a pic of her and Ted so she can show David and make him guess who the man is. Gail admits that David is in a young offenders' institute. Ted corrects Gail's assumption that his wife has just died. No, it was his partner, who's name was James and they were together over 20 years. Tina is gobsmacked at this even more bizarre turn of events. Gail is nearly speechless. (now, what I want to see is Eileen giving Gail the business after Gail making crack after crack about Todd all these years!)

Back to Maria and Liam and it just gets worse. He keeps saying he loves her and doesn't love Carla, just felt "something" for her. She cries that she'd have never run away if it weren't for Carla. She's positive he's just telling her what he thinks she wants to hear and that he's just trying to block Carla out of his head. (and if she keeps putting that idea into his head, it's going to take root!) She ends the episode with a direct question, Do you honestly think we've got a future??

Stay tuned to find out his answer.

Tvor

Oh dear, Liam can't have said much during the half hour break because Maria opens at their place with, "I'll take that as a no, then." Liam moves uncomfortably away and tells her he doesn't know if their marriage can be salvaged. Liam looks genuinely shocked that Maria is ready to walk out on him after his revelations. She goes upstairs to grab some things and ring Fizz.

At the Platts' Tina is sitting comfortably chatting with Ted while Gail makes a cuppa in the kitchen. Ted tells Tina, while Gail listens in that his partner's name was James and they were together for 20 years, aww! Tina asks him, "So, are you like, seriously gay?" Tina goes on to tell him how when she was growing up she thought that "Gay People" was, like, a new thing. Tina is very comfortable asking Ted about his sexuality while Gail seems a little less willing. When Ted asks her if she was surprised to find out he is gay, Gail tells him she assumed he was "normal".... Oh Gail! "I assumed you were normal, because at some point you slept wi' me mam," she says,"Mind you in some ways that could count against normality!" When Ted questions her use of the word normal, Tina jumps in to help him. "Yeah Gail," she exclaims, "they're not critters!" Poor Gail, she tries to explain herself by telling them both that by "normal" she meant "straight". "I'm a Blairite," she assures them, trying to save a little bit of face, "I voted for Blair!" So it's all Gail's fault!

Roy goes in to the Kebab shop to ask for a spare 13amp fuse. Jerry obliges him. While Chris Rhea's Let's Dance plays in the background, Roy asks Jerry if he thinks Roy is old-fashioned. He goes on to explain that he is worried about Becky- because of her dalliance with married man, Jason. There is some talk of the 60s and Paul McCartney. Nothing is resolved though and Roy leaves the shop.

Outside, Liam and Maria's, Maria is moving bin bags of her stuff out as Fizz helps and Liam pleads with her to reconsider. Carla comes over to find out what's going on, "You working on the bins, Maria?" she asks. Maria tells Carla, and reiterates to Liam, that they've spilt up. Carla asks Maria how this has all happened only to receive a filthy look in return. Carla says to Maria that she seems to know what she wants. "Do I?" asks Maria before slamming Fizz's front door on Carla.

Audrey comes out of the Salon looking dead glam. Rita spies her and tells her she looks like Veronica Lake with curls. She asks Audrey if she has a lunch date with Bill but Audrey explains she's heading over to see Gail. Rita knows exactly why she's going over there- to see Ted. Rita advises her to give them both a bit of space. Audrey accuses Rita of sounding like her mother while Rita accuses Audrey of sounding like a teenager!

In the Platts' Gail and Ted are alone together, chatting. Gail tells Ted she's not sure if she's ready for any of this business. Not talking about Ted's sexuality, more about how she is seeing her father for the first time in her life. She tells him she never thought she'd be in her living room face to face with him. Ted tells Gail he never imagined it either. Gail asks him if she was the result of an "experiment". Ted thinks Gail's curiosity about his being gay is funny. Audrey arrives and pretends to be surprised that Ted is there. Both Tina and Gail point out that Audrey has had her hair done especially. Audrey tells Ted that she thought that after Gail and he have got reacquainted, "acquainted!" corrects Gail, they two should decamp to the Rovers. Tina tells Audrey, "He won't be "de-camping" anywhere!" while Gail and Ted have a good laugh at Audrey's ignorance. When it seems that Audrey is going to indulge in a spot of flirting, Gail tells her to "Give up Mam! He's gay!" Ted tells her she put that very elegantly while Audrey tries to absorb the new information.

At Underworld, Carla is all alone in the office. She doesn't seem to be able to settle. While across the road, Liam is also having trouble being at peace. Carla comes out of the factory and sees Liam coming out of his front door. They look at each other, seemingly hostile, but don't speak. Carla gets in her car, Liam heads off in a different direction.

Also in the street, Kirkeh is with Julie talking about the pictures. Julie says the last time she went to the pictures it was to see Love Actually. Kirkeh doesn't understand the title of the movie. Julie patiently explains it to him. Kirk tells Julie that Chesney will be accompanying them to the pictures, oblivious to Julie's disappointment that they won't be alone.

Back at The Platts' Gail, Ted, Tina and Audrey are eating together. Ted tells Audrey that Gail was about to give him a run down on her love life. Audrey is surprised because she thought they were only having two courses. Gail tells Ted that she "regale you in her own time when the circumstances were a little more private..." Tina remarks that "everyone's talking very posh today, aren't they? Is it because Ted's here?" This gives everyone a little giggle. Tina asks Ted how long he's known he was gay. "It wasn't Audrey, was it?" she asks, to Audrey's displeasure. More laughing but Ted tries to put Audrey's mind at rest. Audrey needs a bit of reassurance though and asks Ted to clarify if he was or wasn't gay when they, err, you know.... Ted can't really answer that though. Tina tells them all that if her Dad were Gay, she'd be well chuffed. Sadly, her father is about as far from being gay as it gets- he loves Rambo. Audrey drops a bomb that she had her suspicions about David being gay once upon a time. "I beg your pardon!?!" Gail is shocked.

At Fizz's house, Maria is crying to her best friend. Maria tells Fizz that she had even considered therapy to try and get over her feelings of jealousy and suspicions that Liam had feelings for Carla. Fizz can't believe that anyone would have feelings for Carla, "a cold, jealous, bitter old widow...". She reminds Maria that whatever happens next, Maria is young and beautiful and Fizz is sure that Liam will come and try to make things right with her, realising that he's been a fool. Maria admonishes herself for having seen this coming and looking the other way. "There's only one fool in my marriage," she says, "and you're looking at her."

It's pouring with rain somewhere in Weatherfield and Liam gets into a black cab.

Meanwhile in the Rovers, Leanne is waiting to be served as Liz is rushed off her feet. Leanne asks Liz if she's short of staff. "Yeah, why, do you want a job?" replies Liz. Leanne wants a job but is worried that she'll be shot down in flames if she says yes. Liz can't understand why she would feel like that. Leanne reminds her about Michelle. Liz tells Leanne it's nothing to do with Michelle and hires her. Leanne starts work in the Rovers immediately. She goes to change a barrel.

In the bar, Jason is having a drink with his mum and his girlfriend. He tries to make it clear to Becky, without actually saying it, that he wants to spend the evening alone, having a quiet night. Becky takes a bit of talking to before the penny drops though. When it does, she threatens to have a great evening without him. She tells him she might meet a new fella who doesn't live with his mummy, "No offence, Eileen." "None taken." Jason reminds her who she lives with, "a guardian angel in an anorak?" At this, Becky tells him Roy cares about her and she stomps off. Eileen tells Jason that she can't help but like Becky.

Dan comes into the bar, I think from the gents, where he sees his girlfriend working behind the bar. She asks, "What's your poison, sailor?"

Carla is alone at home, drinking wine and listening to The Verve, the Drugs Don't Work. Her intercom buzzes. She answers it and hears Liam on the other end. She lets him in downstairs and while waiting, fluffs up her hair, turns off the sad song and composes herself for Liam's arrival. Corrr! Liam arrives looking gorgeous, all soaked through to the skin. Carla tells him they should talk. "Damn right, I want to talk about it!" says Liam.

At Roy's flat, Roy is happy doing a jigsaw puzzle when his peace is shattered by Becky storming in and throwing her jacket and bag into her room. He tells her he is considering lifting the Jason ban. Becky tells him that the ban should stand. Roy asks Becky if she is all right, "A question I constantly hear myself asking." Becky tells him she's going to have a bath, watch a bit of telly and have a cup of tea. Roy tries to tell her again he's reconsidering the ban against Jason but Becky is adamant that the ban should stand.

At Carla's Liam is getting stuck into Carla (not like that! Not yet, anyway), blaming her, her shoes, her clothes and her lipstick for the breakdown of his marriage. She tells Liam he should be captain of his own ship. He tells her, her mouth is most responsible for the breakdown of his marriage, with all the sniping and snide remarks, putting all that pressure on Maria. He reminds her that she tried to ruin even the wedding by dragging Liam away from Maria. She points out that she was trying to avoid exactly the position he is in now by doing that. He tells her that she is the root cause of the breakup. She tells him that he fancies her like mad and that's the root cause of everything. Liam, pathetically tells Carla that "if you didn't exist, I'd be a happily married man!" Carla asks him if she should just disappear and then asks him, "Would you miss me? Would she really be enough for you?" Liam's facial expression tells her what she wants to know.

At Fizz's, Fizz asks Maria if Liam wanted to try again, would she have another go? Maria just can't believe how she let Liam string her along like that. Fizz tells Maria to ring him, reminding her that they both have plenty to say to each other and that they think Liam was being honest when he said he was never unfaithful. She asks Maria if she wants to get dressed and see if he's in the Rovers. Maria says she'll just ring him to see if he's ok.

Back at Carla's, Liam asks Carla why does she hate Maria so much? Carla tells him it's nothing to do with Maria and everything to do with him. Liam, spitefully, says, "I'll bet you're glad our baby died, aren't you?" Of course Carla is not glad of that. She tells him that it might have been for the best though, all things considered. This makes Liam angry but Carla argues that she's only saying what he is thinking. Liam tries to convince himself that if he never saw Carla again he'd be a happy man and that Maria is a hundred times the person that Carla is. Carla thinks Maria is probably a million times the person she is but even still, Carla is Carla and Maria is Maria. Liam says, "Thank God for that!" and leaves.

Outside in the rain, Liam has a think. His mobile rings, it's Maria. He is torn between answering his phone and buzzing Carla's doorbell.

At the Rovers, Eileen is singing Becky's praise to Leanne and Liz. They all agree that Becky is volatile but there's no harm in a volatile relationship is there? Why don't they ask Tracey Barlow? Or why doesn't Liz think back to being married to Jim? Anyway, Leanne thinks having a sap who does your every bidding would be boring. She wants someone to keep her on her toes and keep her heart racing. While Leanne goes off to serve one of the extras, Eileen tells Liz that Jason finds Becky hard work but Liz reminds her, all women are hard work, "If I were Vernon, I don't know what I'd do!"

Back at Carla's she is ready for bed, listening to The Verve, maybe crying but definitely taking her makeup off. Her intercom buzzer goes off again. She lets Liam in again after a nanosecond of thought. Liam, still looking gorgeous, comes in and apologises to Carla who is definitely crying now. She tells him she sorry too for everything that Liam has been through. They have a hug. They reminisce about the first time they met. She asks Liam what he thought of her the day they met. He tells her that the same way that Richard Taylor saw Elizabeth Burton, she looked so beautiful, he almost laughed out loud. She whispers, "Liam, come to bed wi' me.." He asks her, "What do you think I'm 'ere for?" They embrace.

Stella McLoughlin

It's early morning and Liam comes into Carla's living room wearing only his trousers. He stands still for a few moments, as if taking stock of the recent series of events. Just then Carla comes in wearing his shirt, and accuses him of planning to just depart without a word. He says that someone ought to go and open up the factory, and asks for his shirt back. "Come and get it!" she teases. Liam, however, doesn't seem to be in the mood for games, so she goes into the bedroom and then throws it out from behind the door. "I was going to say you don't know what you're missing," she says, "but you do now, don't you?"

Gail phones work, telling them she's taking the day off, she wants to spend time with her father. Just then, Tina comes downstairs yawning. She's planning on taking the day off too, from her job in the pound shop. Gail tells her to make sure she rings them to let them know, and adds that while she's at it she could do the same with her mother, to let her know where she is and that she's safe.

Over in the Battersby residence, Chesney is sitting at the table looking pale and ill. Maria is with him and when Fizz comes down she tells her that she's been up for ages, she couldn't sleep. She says that she needs to go and register the baby's death, and Fizz offers to go with her. Maria refuses, saying that it's something she and Liam need to do together. (I'm quite surprised that they've had the funeral before the death has been registered though!)

Steve comes down to the bar to find Liz working there. He expresses surprise, as it's his turn to open up, but Liz tells him there's nothing worth staying in bed for. When he questions her more closely as to whether she's missing Vernon she tells him to go and get dressed or do some work, he's annoying her already!

Chesney, Fizz and Maria step out of their front door. Chesney still seems somewhat under the weather, he apparently didn't eat all his toast. Just then Kirk and Julie come along so Fizz asks Kirk to look at Chesney to make sure he's all right to go to school. Julie goes into ‘mother hen' mode and puts her hand on his forehead and declares that he's clammy. She offers to let him stay with her for the morning as she's not working until the afternoon. Just then Sean steps out of Eileen's front door and asks if Fizz is going to work. Fizz tells him she's just coming and then turns back to Chesney. "Maybe you are better off at school," she says, and he agrees and goes off to get his bus. Fizz turns to Julie and tells her to tell Kirk that his socks and underpants are all clean and on his bed. "Maybe it's a job for you in future," she says, smiling, "seeing as you're so keen on looking after everybody." As she turns and walks off her face drops and the smile disappears, while Julie beams and walks on.

Just then Carla and Liam drive up the Street, passing Maria who's on the pavement. Carla tells Liam to think quickly, and he wonders what he's going to tell her. "She binned you, remember," Carla reminds him. He gets out of the car and greets Maria, telling her they had a breakfast meeting in town and he's been out since 7 am. She explains about registering the baby's death and he agrees to go with her there and then, just asking for a minute to go and tell Carla what's happening.

Gail is on the phone to Tina's mother, telling her that Tina is safe and there's nothing to worry about. Gail's dad sits at the table eating his breakfast. When she's finished on the phone Tina comes downstairs and asks if her mother bit Gail's head off. Gail says her mother just wondered how long Tina was going to be staying there, and adds that she was wondering the same thing herself. Tina says she thought that would be up to her, and Gail says they'll play it by ear.

Leanne turns up at the pub to check out her rota and make sure her new boss (Steve) is happy with the arrangement. He tells her to make sure she's there by 12 and to stay out from under the landlord's feet, which is him, no matter what his mother thinks. Liz comes in at that moment and asks what Steve is chuntering on about, and wants to know if he's told her about Michelle. He says that's something the ladies will have to sort out between themselves.

Maria and Liam are sitting in the car, preparing to go off to the registrar's office. He comments that she looks tired and she says she's been awake all night, adding that he doesn't look too sparkly himself. After a slight pause he admits that he hasn't been getting much sleep either. (But doesn't say why!) Then he turns to her. "How did it get to this, Maria?" he asks. "Look at us, we don't even know what to say to each other." She asks that they just get on with it. "I'm sorry," he says. She asks what for and he replies, "Everything I suppose."

At Gail's house, her father is showing her some family photos. Tina is pottering round the kitchen, looking over their shoulders, when suddenly there's a knock on the door. Gail goes to open it and in bursts Tina's mother, and she's not happy!

In the bookies, Harry asks Dan who was on the phone and is told it was one of his favourite exes, Clarissa. It seems she's after his money!

Back at the Platt residence, Tina tells her mother there was no need to come storming round, but her mother isn't happy that her daughter is going out with a criminal. "Just a minute," says Gail, "it's not as simple as that." Tina's mother says she knows Tina is mixing with a bad lot but Tina asks how she knows – she's never even met him! "What else do you know?" says Tina, "you never even knew about the baby!" This revelation is obviously news to Tina's mother and she immediately launches a physical attack on her daughter. Gail intervenes and asks Tina to go upstairs and her mother to leave.

Behind the bar in the Rovers, Leanne pulls a pint, saying it's just like riding a bike. Betty remarks to Steve that Liz has been as miserable as sin all morning, and he replies that she's pining for Vernon. "You're joking!" says Betty. Harry comes in and just as Leanne is about to serve him, Liz butts in and takes over. Harry tells Liz that his ex wife is doing his head in. Liz tells him that if his love life is as disastrous as hers, she should leave him the bottle. Harry says he thought she was a happily married woman. "She is!" calls Betty from some distance away.

Liam and Maria arrive back in the Street, and he asks if there's anything else that will need doing concerning the baby. "Not that I know of," says Maria, adding that there'll be no reason to get in each other's way from now on. Liam starts to say something to her when his phone starts to ring. He's prepared to ignore it but she tells him he should get it, it might be important. It's Carla, but as he asks her to give him a minute, Maria gets out of the car. "See you later," she mutters as she leaves. Across the road, Carla comes out of the factory doors, talking on her phone, telling Liam she wondered where he was. "Speak to you later," she says, seeing him and going back inside.

At the Platt's, Tina asks Gail if she's cross with her for not telling her mother about the baby. Gail says it's down to her and her mother to sort it out between them. She remarks to her father, sarcastically, that she bets he's glad he dropped in. He tells her that he's proud of her.

Fizz arrives home to find Chesney watching tv eating a bowl of soup. "Florence Nightingale's not been back has she?" she asks him, and just then Julie comes out of the kitchen! She tells Fizz that she's given Chesney some chicken noodle soup, it works every time. "Tell her you're all right, Chesney love," she says. Chesney says he was all right before. Fizz wonders why Julie isn't at work and is told that she thought it would be nice if someone was in the house when he came home. Fizz is annoyed and says that whatever Julie's job is, Chesney is hers. "But you weren't here and I was," says Julie. Fizz, raising her voice slightly, says that she was only at the end of her mobile. Julie tells her there's no need to get touchy. "You think I'm interfering, don't you?" she asks, and asks Chesney what he thinks. Chesney tries to sit on the fence and says he's not really thought. "That's because you're not well," says Julie, and turns to Fizz. "He's not well, that lad, I'm telling you he's not well." Fizz says she will look after him.

Maria comes in then, and Fizz asks how she got on. Maria asks if she would like to come for a walk, and the two of them go off down the street. Maria tells her that Liam was lovely today, he never put a foot wrong. "I felt like we were a proper couple," she says, "I keep having to tell myself we're not, and get over it." Fizz thinks they might be making a big mistake. "What if he still loves you?" she says. Kirk comes along then, and Fizz tells him to get home and sort Julie out. "What's wrong?" asks Kirk. Maria tells him that his girlfriend is trying to adopt Chesney.

Liam is sitting alone in the office – the computers are off and everyone has gone home. Carla comes in and he tells her that Maria, although obviously upset, never cried once. "So what are we doing?" asks Carla. Liam tells her that's what he's trying to decide. She tells him that she's going home, but she leaves him the keys to her apartment. "You might need these when you've made up your mind," she says. "She's not right for you Liam, I am." The she kisses him and says he won't even need to knock.

Anne Logan.

We open outside the factory, where the machinists are locked out because Carla is late. Rosie tells them Carla has a breakfast meeting. She admits she doesn't have the factory keys because she's left them in her desk inside the locked factory, but she does have the keys to Carla's flat and she knows where Carla keeps her spare set of keys.

Little does she know that Carla is in the flat. In fact, she's in the flat making a morning cuppa for Liam and telling them they could drink them in bed. Liam's hangover is too bad for him to contemplate any such thing. He tells her they shouldn't have opened the third bottle last night. Carla tells him last night had nothing to do with how much wine they drank. "You're standing in my lounge in your boxers because you followed your instincts," she tells him.

In the street, Fizz tells Kirk, Julie and Chesney about being locked out. Julie offers to help Chesney with his part in Moss Side Story, but Fizz says she's already organised to do all that, and Chesney's only got one line, anyway. Chesney still seems a bit down and Julie says he's well and truly lost his mojo. Fizz takes offence. She'll be making Chesney paranoid, she tells Julie. Julie's not listening. She's determined that Chesney is being bullied. She's watched documentaries on it and he's got all the signs. She asks if it's the kid who got the lead role. "Has celebrity gone to his head?" "I'm not being bullied!" insists Chesney, looking at Fizz for help. "Is it stage fright?" asks Julie. "What? With one line? He won't be stood on it long enough," Fizz says, making Kirk laugh, to Julie's annoyance. Julie's still sure there's something wrong. "Maybe it's puberty," she says. That's the last straw for Chesney. He's off, and Fizz is off too.

In the flat, Carla tells Liam it's different with him. "You make me want to help old ladies across the road," she says. "You make me want to live to be a hundred." She puts her hand on his chest and tells him she wants him to feel it too. "Here." "Just a bit of a train wreck at the moment," says Liam. Carla tells him there's no pressure, but she knows they can make each other happy and all the other stuff will just fall away.

Maria talks to Marcus in the cafe. She tells him that Liam didn't put up much of a fight when she said it was over, but she still can't get him out of her head. When they went to register the baby's death, Liam's hands were shaking and she just wanted to hold him. "Oh, Marcus, what have I done?" she cries. "Nothing that can't be undone," he tells her. "He's your husband. Talk to him." Nearby, Gail's dad is sitting when Gail comes in, apologising for being late. Audrey's gone home with a migraine and can't drive her to visit David. And David will be one visitor down. "Don't worry. You're safe," she says. "All his visits have to be pre-booked." "At least let me drive you. I can finish the crossword while I'm waiting," he says.

"A bigger telly is not a home improvement!" Molly tells Tyrone. Ty thinks it is -- it's certainly an improvement on what they've got! Molly tells him the house will look tonnes better without the cladding. She wants kerb appeal, but Tyrone says they're not selling so it doesn't matter. They both appeal to Paul, who's sitting drinking his tea between them. "I don't know! Anything's got to be better than the inside of a prison cell," he points out.

Rosie's walking across a carpark when she gets a call from Janice, wanting to know whether she's managed to find the keys. Almost, Rosie says. "I need to keep the line free." Rosie has just hung up on Janice when she sees Carla and LIam come out of the front door. They kiss, though it looks to me as if Carla's still in her night attire, so why would they come all the way downstairs past the other flats...oh never mind. Anyway, Rosie uses her phone to film them snogging on the front step, then hurriedly falls to her knees and starts scrabbling under the nearest car when they break apart and Liam heads for his car. Carla spots Rosie and comes over. Rosie says she's come for the keys but she's dropped an earring under a car. Carla doesn't look entirely convinced. She glances towards the other end of the carpark and tells Rosie that Liam has just called and he's on his way into work. Rosie asks if Carla's not feeling well and she agrees she's not. They turn and go into the flat.

"I believe they call it a connection these days," Betty tells Deirdre in the pub. She's talking about Liz being deep in conversation with Harry. Turns out they're talking about his former wife, Clarissa. She hates bargains and spends £200 a pop on face cream, apparently. She used to go on spending sprees half cut. Nearby, Julie's telling Kirk that of course she's going to take an interest in Chesney. "He's one of your best mates! He's in Moss Side Story!" she tells him defensively. I have played Sandra Dee! I've been there. Worn the leggings. I get the lad -- know what I'm saying?" Kirk doesn't really. Julie spells it out for him -- Fizz is jealous of the two of them. "She wants you back." She tells Kirk he's going to have to spell it out to Fizz.

Maria arrives back home and greets Ozzie. She looks around at her home.

Graham and David discuss visiting time and who they're expecting. Graham's waiting for his Mad Uncle Billy, though he wants it to be Alexa Chung. David wishes it was Tina coming to see him, and not the "gruesome twosome" of his mum and nan.

In the factory, Carla sits on the desk Liam is slumped in front of. She tells him to go home. Rosie comes in with coffee just in time to see their hands touching. Liam tells her to have the coffee and as he leaves, Rosie says to Carla: "It must be hard for them." Carla tells her the father is often overlooked. "I'm glad he's got you . . . on his side," says Rosie. Carla tells Rosie that she and Rosie make a good team. She asks Rosie to hold the fort with Wiki while she goes out, too.

Dan comes into the pub with Leanne, telling Harry he's left the bookies' open with a post-it note on the door of the safe with the combination. "Dinner Hour. Lunch Hour. The clue's in the name there, Father!" says Dan, explaining why he and Leanne have left the bookies'. Harry's appalled that Dan's calling him on timekeeping. Dan tells him that Clarissa phoned, but he left her to the answerphone.

Gail and her dad are at the prison. Her dad tells her that if David's not cuddling her in there, it's because he's got an image to maintain. "I think he was about 12 when we had our last cuddle," Gail tells him. He tells her the institution is a hard place, but just because David's in there doesn't mean he can't get back on the straight and narrow. Gail admits David's done some terrible, malicious things. He comforts her and tells her they've both missed out over the years. Gail asks if he wants to see if he can get in instead of Audrey, despite not following the proper visiting procedures.

Liam comes in and slumps on his sofa, and hears the dog on the stairs. He greets Ozzie and doesn't realise Maria is there until she says "Hiya."

Fizz tries to clean the house with Kirk repeating to her what Julie says. "Julie says you're being hostile." "Nah, it's just because I want to punch her lights out," Fizz says. "Julie says you're depressed." Fizz tells him that sentences which start "Julie says" are banned. "She's right," says Kirk. "You are jealous!" "Of Julie?" asks Fizz. "Of me and Julie!" Kirk says, telling her she can cut the act because he knows it's true. "Julie Julie Julie Julie Julie Julie Julie!" he says into Fizz's face. Fizz tells him she's glad and relieved that Kirk's found somebody, but she just resents Julie trying to call the shots with Chesney. "So you don't hate her?" he asks. "She's irritating, and a bit controlling sometimes, but, you know, she's got lovely teeth, and she makes you smile much more than I ever did," she says. Awwwwww. Kirk tells her she's wrong -- though not about the teeth. Julie has her teeth whitened. "So we're Kool and the gang?" he asks. "Kirk, we'll always be Kool and the gang," Fizz assures him.

Maria stands awkwardly in the middle of the room, with Liam on the sofa. She says Liam must hate her because she's messed him around so much. Liam can't understand why she thinks he hates her. "You can't even look at me," Maria points out. Liam turns and looks directly at her. She starts to pour her heart out to him. "I miss you, Liam. We've only been married five minutes, but it felt like I fitted in." She tells him the old ladies in the salon would congratulate her and tell her how lucky she was when they caught sight of her engagement ring. "I'd been out with so many losers, and then I land you -- big-hearted, gorgeous looking." He asks if that's why she dumped him. Maria says their baby had died and she couldn't think straight. She tells him that she has to grieve and adjust and take one day at a time, but she doesn't want to do that on her own. "Go on. You say something." He doesn't.

Deirdre and Liz chat in the back room, about Harry. "I am spoken for, remember," says Liz. Deirdre asks if she misses Vernon. Liz says she misses the idea of him, rather than the man in the flesh. Deirdre says they're all annoying in the flesh. Liz asked what her friend is on about. Deirdre says Betty noticed Liz and Harry as well. Liz says Betty puts two and two together and makes hotpot. "Aren't I allowed to enjoy a bit of male company? Liz says that if she was going to have an affair with someone, she'd hardly stand down the end of the bar yakking with him.

Liam points out that it was Maria who suggested they split up. "Yeah, but I wanted you to put up a fight, not roll over and die," she tells him. Liam can't get his head around this bit of strategy. Maria tells him she just couldn't handle it when Liam was honest about Carla. "I don't handle the truth well, I know that now," she says. Liam asks if she should just put a lead on him and call him to heel. Maria says she knows she's treated him badly, but she wants to make it up to him. "I know I miss you. I know that every day I wake up and within a second a wave of grief hits me. Liam, losing the baby and the husband I love is more than I can bear." He slumps forward, his head in his hands. "Why couldn't you have known this yesterday or the day before that?" She didn't know what she'd lost then, she says. He asked if she ever thought about what he could bear. She pleads with him to let her love him properly. "Don't let this be the end." He looks at her.

The End (of the first episode)
Margaret Carr

Do I really want to write this update? Probably not, why not? Well having reached the end of the Michelle baby switch story which upset me we now have the lame Liam Connor caught between the devil and the deep blue sea story and I am less than happy. Oh please some decent Les Battersby knock about comedy or Doris gossiping ... we want some FUN

Carla went out to lunch but instead decided to do some shopping and delivers a new handbag to Rosie whose head is soon turned by such trinkets - Carla is obviously hoping to acquire some loyalty from the trollop she employs. Rosie cannot believe it but we know that Carla is trying to buy silence especially when she starts promising what sounds like promotion and buying trips. One young girl's head is duly turned.

Liam is telling Maria that he does not know if he has the energy to save this marriage but Maria says she has enough for two. She reckons she went mental, she knows he loves her and of course she does not know he has been unfaithful, mainly because she believes he loves her so much that that would not be possible.

The nearest we have to fun this evening is Gail and Ted arriving to see David. David is not stupid, works out that partner and nice nails means that he has a gay grandad (well Audrey had to be told). Anyway Ted has one thing going for him. He asks David who cuts his hair and at long last someone has realised that the male youth on the Street have the strangest haircuts in the land. Well done Ted. David wants to know if Ted has a wedge in the bank but having seen how old his car is I can estimate that it is close to zero! Graeme the other talking inmate appears and pretends he is the voice of Big Brother and the two lags share a laugh over their incarceration. The interplay between David and his granddad was actually entertaining with some real communication, apart from Tina this is someone to whom David seems to be able to relate.

Liam and Maria continue to talk about saving their marriage, sorry I just dropped off to sleep, wake me up if anything important happens. Anyway it would appear they are going to make another go of it (but I am not sure any of us care). At which point Liam's mobile goes and equally inevitably it is Carla on the line (can I say "on the line" when it is a mobile call?). He turns it off, she tells him to take the call but he reckons that they are more important. She decides she is moving back in and will get her stuff from Fiz's. Anyway Liam has a better idea - they are going on a honeymoon, she is to pack, he will get some dog food and they will head off into the wild yonder.

Outside he calls Carla and says he needs to see her. She responds by stating that she will drop everything!

Gail explains that Tina is now in residence and the events which led to this state of affairs. Ted goes to get drinks so that Gail can explain how Tina's mother reckons he is unsuitable and a low life scum (well come on - he is an institution). David has to briefly admit that maybe Gail is not the worst mother in the world.

At the Carla Connor residence Liam informs Carla that he and Maria are resuming their marriage. Carla does not seem entirely overjoyed at the news and lashes out at him. She starts screaming at him comparing him to his bedhopping brother who did at least pay for the bit on the side. They argue. He claims it was a fantasy between them - she claims it would have developed. He tells her that events earlier in the week were a mistake. She continues ranting at him. She does not believe him. She tells him that if walks out the door there is no way back for him. He closes the door behind him in a rather final way.

On the Street Liz and Harry are flirting again and caught by Dreary again. Liz is embarrassed to be caught by her friend but Harry departs to see a gran about a dog.

Gail and Ted return and the latter is not staying but departing for London (well can you blame him - this family are a load of nutters). Gail wants to know just what upset him - but he reassures her that it is not good bye - he will be back but he wants to take it slower next time around - he is not getting any younger (anyone who is getting younger please let me have the secret - it should be shared). He kisses her and waves happily as he departs.

Harry arrives in the Rovers wanting a drink and a favour. Harry gets the drink and then asks Liz when she is next off duty (as if landlady's are ever off duty) and perhaps they can continue their conversation - he enjoyed it - but somewhere more relaxing. Harry explains that all the chat keeps getting interrupted every time she is needed. She is not keen with Vernon away and anyway a man and a woman cannot be mates can they - there is always something more. At which point Steve demands held with the till to prove Harry's point. Liz fixes the till instantly.

In the Street Liam and Maria are loading the car and theya re going to hit the M6. Carla is watching from her car and gets out and walks over to them and asks if they are doing a moonlight flit. Maria says almost - they are going to get a new start and she hopes that Carla will not mind Liam's absence. Carla says she will survive at the factory without him. Liam says they need to get going and Carla says with some venom that they are going to need good luck given their history to date. Carla walks back to her car and if looks could kill at this moment Liam's car would be a ball of flame and he and Maria would be cinders on the ground. Liam sees her ugly face and realises that no matter how long he stays away there will be a big problem when he returns.

K Richard W

Sally's taking the day off work to do the rounds of the DIY superstores. Paint, anyone? Kevin doesn't know why she just doesn't wait until the weekend. Because they'd argue, she says. But Rosie's got it in one. They'd end up arguing. Over what? Well, the young one points out as she's slicking on lippy, her dad would be looking at the prices and her mom wouldn't. He orders her not to buy anything today because he wants to have a say. Course she won't (I expect her fingers are crossed under the table) and anyway, everyone knows women are better at picking out colours than men. This sexist theory is knocked for sex by our little feminist, Sophie. Kevin offers to pick up some paint charts on his dinner break but that's not quite according to Sally's plan. She wants to look at other things too. Kitchen showrooms, guesses Rosie? Spot on but Sally doesn't admit it, she just wants to look and Kevin is wholly alarmed. He points out that there's other things to be considered and with all the legal stuff and surveys, it could all fall through (because you know, Kevin doesn't really want to move anyway). Sally utters the Soap Opera Phrase of Doom "I'm sure Claire and I won't let that happen", virtually guaranteeing that it's going to be a bumpy ride.

The asphalt is already starting to crack. Claire's in the butcher shop whining about the price of the house. She's sure theirs was under-valued but Ashley affirms that they shook on 25 grand and that's that. Not necessarily, Claire figures, she's got a good mind to have a word with Sally and express her dissatisfaction. Ashely is as alarmed as Kevin. He fears their friendship could be at risk after they already agreed on a deal. Claire grudgingly agrees but she's not happy about it.

Tyrone and Molly argue about the stone cladding. She's all for getting rid and Tyrone prefers it's style and look. Naff and ugly is Molly's opinion. Unique and old fashioned looking is Ty's. Molly's got a good point, though. "If you want something to look old fashioned, you restore it to what it used to look like. Not stick plastic bricks on front and paint 'em blue and yella!"

Liz is on the phone to Vernon who apparently has man-flu (he's caught a chill. In the Mediterranean? Which is Steve's incredulous question). She gets giggly and tells him she misses him a lot. Steve is disgusted at the mushy business and Liz defends Vernon's illness. He puts so much into his drumming, working up a sweat and all. (I don't really want to think about it). Steve is smugly looking forward to Michelle's impending return. Liz goes out the door and we see her taking a big sign.

In the betting shop, Harry and Dan are explaining to Leanne the vagaries of being a bookie while describing the origins of the name "Turf Accountant". We get the accountant part but I still don't see the connection to the Turf other than it's usually horses and dogs on a dirt track. The phone rings, Dan answers and it is Harry's ex-wife, Clarissa. Frantic motions by Harry and Dan covers smoothly. He's not here. No... that was a punter. Yes a punter called me a pillock. They can get like that when they're losing. (heh) After he rings off, Harry moans that his ex would come back for more after skinning him alive and leaving him for dead.

Claire comes out of the shop and runs into Sally who's back from the DIY shop. She's awkward but Sally is gibbering on about paint and kitchens. Claire gives into temptation and cites a couple of things they'd like to change but they can't afford it so they might have to pull out. That stops Sally short, as intended. The sums just don't add up, Claire says mournfully and unless Sally can think of a way around it, the deal is probably off. She leaves Sally scowling in her wake as she trots off with a satisfied smile on her lips.

A black cab pulls up and spills Michelle out. (Hello? Boyfriend? Cab company owner?) She looks happy to be back (must have already dropped off Alex at his home), She comes into the pub and into Steve's embrace. This time it's Liz asking the lovebirds to take it into the back. They make their way into the back room. She describes the experience as a roller coaster. Her parents were pretty freaked out to start with but ended up happy to have another grandson. She thanks Steve for not minding her going away and agrees he couldn't have stopped her anyway. Another kiss. They're glad to be back together.

Over in the caff, Roy tells Becky he's going to be out tonight. After she kids him about seeing another woman, he comes up one side of her and down the other. Can't understand why she can't just give a straight answer to a straight comment. Anyway he's going to a club meeting to view home movies of Gresley A4 Pacifics, that's steam locomotives to you and me and he's quite looking forward to the original footage, not ever having seen one of the A4s in person, only restored ones. It's not the same, he witters. Well, it never is, Becky drawls. (I love Becky. Have I said that lately?) She tells Roy she's not seeing Jason, she'd already dumped him.

Liz comes out of the butcher shop with something in an "Elliot" bag (love those little touches) and meets up with Harry coming towards the cafe. Small talk, flirting, and he asks her for a drink. She avoids answering and walks away with an extra swing to her hips in the tight black skirt she's got on. He watches with appreciation. Result!

Sally's scrkiking at Kevin about Claire. Kevin thinks Claire is bluffing and says they can't afford another 5 grand. Sally's worried about losing the house so Kevin promises to have a think.

Dan returns to the betting shop with a takeaway coffee in hand and nearly chokes on it when he sees a red headed woman in a flashy red-orange coat waiting outside the shop. Clarissa! He's horrified to see his ex-wife. She's quite satisfied at the effect and says they have to have a face-to-face. He doesn't look like he thought the same.

After the break, we're in the kebab shop. Eileen is passing the time of day with Gerry and we find out his name is short for Jeremy. (How come he spells it with a "G" then?) Jason arrives for his dinner (he's still barred from the caff). Eileen teases Jason but Gerry stays out of it because Jason has become a very good customer.

Back to the betting shop, Clarissa is in the back with Harry while Dan and Leanne earwig. She's trying to convince him to sort it out without lawyers but he's adamant he's not going to give in to her because he couldn't trust her as far as he could kick her even if he's the one that has to pay the lawyers. Turns out what she's come for is transport. She's lost her license and wants him to organize something (chauffeur? She's a bundle of cheeky nerve wrapped up in a scarlet coat, that one and I think i like her!). No way he's pandering to her, she broke the law, lost her license... buy a bike! That makes Dan chortle and he gets a smack on the arm from his father for it. It's high noon and I don't think Harry's going to blink on this one.

In the pub, Molly and Tyrone are still on about the cladding. Molly says they'll ask Jack and see what he thinks. Jack arrives and sits down, sadly explaining that Paul is seeing the solicitor today. Vera would be spinning in her grave if she knew. (That would be a neat trick seeing as she's cremated and in an urn on the sideboard). So...To clad or not to clad? Turns out he never did like it and would be glad to see it go. Not all memories are good ones" and that puts a triumphant smile on Molly's face.

Clarissa is following Harry down the street to his car. She points out that if he's as broke as he keeps complaining, how can he afford this nice car! Dan's, Harry forcefully says. (She doesn't believe it, either). She's still got the dimpled, impish grin on her face, and he continues to look aggravated but Eileen and Deirdre walking down the other side of the street seem to think the two of them look quite cozy. She's definitely putting on a show but he's definitely not going to bend to her request for transportation. Deirdre and Eileen can't hear what the conversation is about but they're full of fizzy curiosity when they see Clarissa plant one on Harry's cheek. Why they don't notice his recoiling like a snake bit him and wipe his cheek, I don't know because they didn't make a beeline into the pub until after Clarissa walks past them. And beeline they do, straight to Liz with the gossip about the glamourous bit of stuff Harry's just been seen with. Liz is taken aback but she denies that she's at all interested in Harry. Good luck to him, she says. She admits he keeps asking her for a drink. And what did you say, Deirdre asks. "I'm a married woman!" she says with effrontery. "Yes" Deirdre agrees "But what did you say!" (with perfect delivery, I have to say!) Liz protests very much that she's quite happily married and anyway she doesn't see why men and women can't be friends. "So you'll be telling Vernon, then, if it's all above board"...Liz can't really look her mate in the eye and lie..."Thought not" Deirdre snorks.

Michelle gives Ryan a pressie and a cheque from his grandmother and grandfather. He seems ok with it all, having spoken to them already and been reassured they still love him best. She hugs him and says she missed him. (Why isn't anyone talking about the trauma her brother just went through? Ryan should be gutted!) Liz arrives and asks when Michelle would be ready to start behind the bar. Now do you, she offers. Great, Liz wanted to go off and do some shopping. Meanwhile out in the bar, Leanne is cheerfully serving Gerry and making a joke as any good barmaid does. Becky comes in and sees Jason over against the wall. They look awkward. Not as awkward as Michelle and Leanne look when they see each other. Michelle is not best pleased to see Leanne there behind the bar. Steve apologizes for forgetting to tell her. Michelle doesn't seem to be inclined to be able to civilly talk to Leanne and goes to serve Becky who keeps peeking back at Jason who's busily avoiding eye contact.

Ashley and Claire are busy in the kitchen when there's a knock on the door. Sally and Kevin have arrived to have a word. Ashley's the only one surprised since Claire hasn't told him about her conversation with Sally. Kevin describes the deal, his dad will do any work for "mate's rates" and they'll give them another 2000. Claire isn't inclined to agree but Ashley jumps in and shakes Kevin's hand on the deal. Sally's pleased but Claire somewhat petulantly pretends not to mind that she's not got what she wanted. Serves her right for going behind Ashley's back and he takes her to task sharply after the Websters leave. She agrees she got a result but could have got a better one. Still, it's better than nowt.

In the corner shop, Harry pops in and finds Liz there (I think he must be watching out the door and sees her traipsing around). We've got to stop meeting like this. She giggles like a schoolgirl. He notices she's buying a frozen lasagna for her tea and he admits he's in to buy a dinner for one. He offers to cook for the two of them and promises he's not looking for complications. He tells her the woman she heard about was his ex-wife. He offers a nice, friendly chat and a mean beef stew. She gives in and it's a date. Stay tuned to find out how it goes.

Tvor

We open in the Rovers where Becky is standing at the bar, all dolled up, looking over at Jason who is sulking into his pint at a table. Steve comes to the bar where Liz serves him a drink before he even has to ask and has a big smile on her face. Steve is understandably suspicious. He asks his mum what she wants. Liz asks for the night off. She lies and tells him that Deirdre is having problems and needs her. Steve is reluctant to let Liz have the night off since he and Michelle were going to do something together but gives her the time off anyway stating, "Michelle's gonna kill me!" Liz leaves with a smile on her face. Michelle comes through from the back to ask what she and Steve are doing for the evening. Steve explains about him having to work behind the bar. Michelle is understandably disappointed.

Becky goes over to Jason. Jason is looking through his phone. Becky asks him which one of the skanks in his phone has won a night out with him but Jason is touchy about it. They talk about who's "going out and getting some" but it seems that the two of them are stuck with each other for the evening. Becky buys Jason a drink.

At Dan & Harry's place, Dan comes home to find Harry cooking his "World Famous Stew" and asks who the lucky lady is. Harry tells Dan to make himself scarce and that Liz from the pub is coming over. He insists to Dan that they are only dining together because they are both at a loose end tonight, "just two lonely souls enjoying each others company."

Sally comes rushing into the garage, all excited to tell Kevin that Claire and Ashley's conservatory has subsidence. She is happy that finally they have some leverage with which to negotiate a better price with Claire and Ashley.

Outside Molly & Tyrone's, a builder tells the two young lovebirds that to remove the stone cladding properly it will cost them £1500. They are both shocked. While Tyrone is hesitant to have the cladding removed, Molly gives the builder the go-ahead to remove it.

Liz sneaks out of the pub and into Deirdre's house to organise an alibi for her evening with Harry. Deirdre is shocked and reminds Liz she is playing with fire, especially with Liz in her short skirt and tight top but is complicit.

Sally goes round to see Claire about the subsidence. Claire is not happy and points out that the report says that subsidence is only a possibility. Sally tells her the foundations are clearly not the recommended depth and tells Claire that she and Kevin are going to have re-evaluate and get back to her. Claire tells her she thinks she is over-reacting. They argue back and forth for a bit but Sally ends up giving it to her straight- "Cut the price by £3000 or the deal's off!"

Liz leaves Deirdre's house, Deirdre making sure the street is clear of busybodies. Liz thanks her for her help and Liz crosses the street. She is wolf-whistled by a passing builder's van. Before she rings Harry's doorbell she reassesses her choice of clothes and goes home to change. Lloyd's eyes nearly pop out of his head as she passes him in the smoker's yard and sneaks in the back door.

In the Rovers, Becky is asking Jason what he wants his life to be like in a year's time. He tells her he has no idea and that nothing ever changes anyway. Becky realises he's not an optimist. She asks him, what does he want in life? She knows what she wants from life, or rather, she knows what she doesn't want, "Don't want to die alone, I don't want to start liking classical music, and I don't want to do owt massively weird. You know, like, give birth to an alien or summat." And for that evening she doesn't want to be drinking cider in a pub at £2.20 a pint when she has a jumbo bottle at home. She gets up to leave and asks Jason if he's coming with her.

Liz is changed into a white cowl-neck jumper and a pair of trousers as she leaves the Rovers through the back door for the second time that evening. Steve is smoking with Lloyd. Lloyd points out that Liz is wearing different clothes from earlier. Liz tells them that Deirdre spilled some wine on her, already a little bit tipsy. She leaves to go to Harry with the wise words of Steve ringing in her ear, "Don't do anything he (Lloyd) wouldn't do!" Lloyd shouts, "You look really hot!" and then says to Steve as they finish their cigarettes, "Right, lets see who else we can annoy." They head back inside.

After the break, Liz is shown inside by Harry and is surprised to see that Harry has set a lovely table for them. She makes an excuse for not being more dressed up but Harry tells her not to worry about it, she looks fine. In fact, she could wear a sack-cloth and pull it off. He knows that from Liz's attire, she is trying not to give him any ideas. He assures her that tonight is just about them being friends. They drink to that. Cheers.

At Roy's flat, Becky and Jason are playing tonsil hockey. Roy comes home unexpectedly and puts a damper on their ardour. Roy is uncomfortable but answers their questions about his "train doo-dah!" When Roy offers to go for a walk to give them some privacy, Becky tells him to sit down with them. Becky decides their social threesome is too weird even for her and drags Jason into her bedroom.

At Claire and Ashley's, Claire is ranting and raving about Sally asking them to lower the price. She says she'd rather swallow tacks than reduce the price. Ashley tries to be reasonable but Claire is not having it, insisting that there is nothing wrong with the conservatory. She even wonders if Sally has had the survey doctored. When Ashley argues sense with her, Claire tells him she can see straight though him and knows he doesn't want to move. Ashley argues loudly that Sally and Kevin shouldn't be expected to pay full price for a house that could need work doing to it and walks away from a stunned Claire.

Back at the Websters', Sally is crowing to Kevin about how Claire's face dropped when Sally told her she would have to drop the price of the house. Kevin argues sense with Sally and points out that they are supposed to be friends with Claire and Ashley. While Kevin is talking, the phone rings. It's Claire, who invites Kevin and Sally out to discuss the matter further. "Surrender, more like!" says Sally to Kevin.

At the Rovers, things are very tense behind the bar between Leanne and Michelle. Paul walks in and joins Molly and Tyrone and announces he should get two years prison for the arson- if he's lucky. Jack reminds him if he can't do the time, he shouldn't do the crime and says, "You are my Grandson and I will always stick by ya, but you have to face up to what you've done." Leanne tries to clear the air with Michelle while Steve looks on. Leanne asks if there will be a problem the two of the working together. She tries to explain about what happened with Liam and Paul but Michelle doesn't want to drag all that up and tells her they can make a fresh start. Steve comes to ask if everything is all right between the two of them. They assure him it's all absolutely fine.

At Harry's, Liz asks about Clarissa, according to Eileen, she is a cross between Nigella and Delilah (I don't know who Delilah is) He explains that even though he married her and loved her for a while, he soon "found out she had a split personality- hated them both." He tells Liz that they, both of them, were to blame for the marriage split up. He remarks to Liz that she seems to be making a go of things with Vernon. When Liz can't really seem to find the words to describe marriage to Vernon, he helps her out and asks her if she likes the stew. She tells him it's lovely.

At the Rovers, Claire tells Sally that she feels like Sally issued her with an ultimatum earlier. Ashley tries to explain that Claire is sometimes a bit sensitive, Claire tells him, "Ehh, unless you've got something constructive to say, then button it." She nods to Sally, "we're trying to have an intelligent conversation." Leanne, who appears to be wearing some sort of lingerie-type nightie thing, approaches Michelle and volunteers to cover if she and Steve want to have some time together. Michelle refuses her offer but Leanne insists. Michelle leaves her to it. Claire and Sally are still talking and it seems Claire has seen sense and the deal is still on, having taken the price cut. Sally asks if anyone wants another drink, "Of course, we're buying!" she says with a grimace.

At Roy's flat, poor old Roy is still sitting in his anorak on his sofa, completely uncomfortable with the goings on in Becky's room. Jason comes out in his vest and boxer shorts to get rid of a pizza box. He offers some to Roy who refuses. Roy takes the opportunity to ask Jason his intentions towards Becky. Jason doesn't ease Roy's conscience by telling him he has no idea where the two of them are headed as a couple. Becky calls for Roy to come and join her in the bedroom.

Harry and Liz have moved on to the sofa for after-dinner drinks. Harry strokes Liz's knee and tells her he doesn't expect anything from her and the reason he likes her is she doesn't expect anything back. Liz gets up to leave and thanks him for a wonderful evening as he helps her on with her jacket. She tells him he is a true gentleman. Harry tells her he isn't but he is trying tonight. Harry leans in for a kiss. Liz asks him, "Please Harry, don't." She wants him to kiss her. He leans in closer. "Please Harry, I'm begging you," pleads Liz. She tries to tells him that she wants to kiss him but he cuts her short. She knows he understands the situation. Liz leaves Harry looking dissatisfied. She, however, looks like the cat that got the cream.

Stella McLoughlin

No episode aired tonight.

There seems to be something out of kilter over breakfast, as Liz tells Steve and Michelle that her evening with Deidre went OK, while Harry tells Dan that his evening with Liz was very civilised. Dan suspects Harry's being a gentleman with Liz because he's in it for the long game. Harry makes no comment.

At the Barlows', meanwhile, there's nothing civilised about Ken's fury at being beaten to the bathroom by Blanche yet again. "I'm sure she waits on the stairs just so she has the pleasure of slamming the bathroom door in my face," he fumes. "And why does she take so long in there and what's in that little bundle she takes in with her." He says he's found crossword puzzles, knitting patterns, all sorts, in there. He's still ranting on when Deirdre sees and hears a drip land in front of her. No, it's not Ken, it's water from upstairs. Ken eventually shuts up and joins Deirdre, looking at the water coming down. "What is she doing up there?" He scrabbles around under the sink (removing the pots so they have something to catch the drips in) and tries in vain to shut off the stopcock. He tells Deirdre to get upstairs and tell Blanche to turn off the shower while he calls a plumber.

There's a bit of home maintenance going on up the road, too, as work begins to remove V's cladding. The only person with any regrets seems to be Tyrone. He sees it as another sign that Vera's gone.

Over at the Peacocks' house, Ashley thinks taking off the cladding is a good thing that will probably put up the value of every house in the street. "Depending on the values," Claire snipes. Ashley asks what she's looking at. It's the fixtures and fitting list for the Websters' house. "It all looks fine . . . on paper . . ." she says, worrying Ashley yet again.

Ken needn't go upstairs for his shower – it's come down to him. Roger arrives, staying far calmer than the Barlows, and asks where the stopcock is. "Right, I'd better go and turn the water off, then, while you put the kettle on," he says.

Sally also has a list of fixtures and fittings – this time for the Peacocks'. For some reason Kevin, deep in the innards of a car, doesn't want to be bothered with it. "Aren't you excited?" she asks. Kevin points out that he's a bloke. He gets excited by pushing for the winner in the last minute, driving a performance car, and no-pyjama nights. "That's what I call exciting." Sally isn't impressed that the football and car came into his head first. "I think I'll be keeping my pyjamas on, from now on," she says. As they stand there, Claire comes past and asks if she can pop round later on to "clarify" one or two things on the list. Uh oh.

Standing in the back yard of the Rovers, in Vernon's folly, or smokers' shelter, Liz and Deirdre discuss Liz's night out with Harry. Liz tells Deirdre she's married and nothing happened. Deirdre says she's seen the way Harry looks at Liz. She says she knows the sort of bloke Liz goes for, and Harry is right up her street. Liz says Vernon will be home soon. "Let's just hope it's soon enough," Deirdre tells her.

In Sally's kitchen, Claire is poking holes in the list. The washing machine is nine years old, while Claire says hers is still under warranty. And the spice rack isn't up to the Peacocks' standards.

Harry's in at the bar and Liz tells him she's been getting a hard time over their night out. But nothing happened. Harry says if she wants to do nothing again, he's free for lunch over at the flat. Liz agrees and Harry tells Dan he's off to fetch his wallet. Dan offers to sub him, but Harry says he has to make sure he's not lost his wallet. Dan says he'll get the drinks in, but Harry says he'll grab a sandwich at the flat. Dan's a bit puzzled – at least until he spots Liz giving Michelle reasons why she has to pop out. Of course, that leaves the pub short-staffed at one of the busiest times of the day and Dan doesn't have a chance of talking to Leanne. He has a bit of a moan to Steve about it and Steve asks if he'd like a game of darts. Dan looks pointedly at Steve's beer belly and says he looks quite the darts player. Then they are unable to agree on playing order, tossing a coin or how to choose whether to toss a coin . . . Michelle and Leanne's faces are a picture as they watch this bickering.

Claire must have finished criticising the fixtures and fittings in the house, because she's on to the yard and unimpressed with the outside toilet. She doesn't like the outside light, either.

The darts challenge isn't going well. Steve coughs every time Dan aims, so every time Steve aims, Dan mentions their parents being out. He tells Steve that Liz was at his dad's last night. Steve misses.

Roger's found the problem – a corroded pipe – thanks to the advice and guidance from Blanche, apparently. He goes off to get some supplies so he can fix it. Ken's worried about being left with no water, but Roger points out that there's a pub next door, a shop at the end of the street and a cafe not far away. "It's hardly Ice Cold in Alex," he points out. Deirdre shows him to the door, only to be ambushed by Steve, who asks if she's feeling better. Steve tells her he knows Liz wasn't with Deirdre last night and he knows where she is now. "She's over there right now, gambling with her marriage!" he says.

Vera is clinging on from beyond, it seems. The builder tells Molly and Tyrone that when they take off the cladding, the face of the brickwork underneath comes away with it. "Whoever put this up, put it up to stay," he says. He says the quote doesn't apply now, because he will have to re-render the brickwork. Tyrone asks if there's anything cheaper. There is. If he carefully puts back up the sections of cladding that have come off, it'll look as good as new. Ty beams. "By ‘eck," says Jack. "They'll never get the better of you, my little swamp duck. Now get yourself off to Newmarket and chase one of my horses home for me!"

Harry's got Liz to the flat under false pretences, it seems. There's no food in, thanks to living with a six-foot locust, Harry says. But she won't have to go hungry, he tells her. "Oh, yes, what's on the menu?" she asks. Whatever she fancies, with no strings attached," he says. They're about to kiss when the doorbell rings. It's Steve, wanting to see his mother. He thinks it's a funny place to go shopping. Liz apologises for lying to him, but Steve thinks she'd be better apologising to Vernon. "Whatever Vernon's faults might be, no bloke deserves this," he tells her. He leaves.

The End of part one.
Watch for Richard's update of the next part.

Margaret Carr

Claire unhappy bunny at Sally's latest move on the pricing front tells Norris that the Webster house was a slum - everything was so tatty it was no wonder that they did not want to take anything with them when they moved. Norris rather likes that piece of gossip.

Liz arrives back at the Rovers claiming that she had merely called in on a friend and it was not illegal - Steve suggested that perhaps it should be. Steve does not want her visiting the bookie and points out that she has only been married six months and it surely cannot be time for a change already! She repeats that she was seeing a friend. A friend whose company she enjoys, she punches his arm and tells him to stay out of her private life.

Along at what is no longer Duck Egg land but Dobbsville, Jack invites Paul to help him feed the pigeons. Jack says that Paul should not play the prisoner until he has actually been convicted. Molly complains about the cost of not removing the cladding, but as Jack points out it helps to fall in the right house after drinking too much. Paul asks Molly why she thinks people do not turn up for their trial. She asks if he is thinking of going on the run. He just about says no. As Molly says - they end up going to prison for longer. As Paul responds - only if they catch you. And then tells her to forget it - he is only joking.

At the butchers Emily is getting poor service from Ashley as Claire makes her feelings clear - they should ask for £3k for the fixtures and fittings as they will have to replace everything in the Webster homestead. Claire says that Sally is coming round to measure up and she had be there to prevent any more dirty tricks.

At the Rovers Liz is reviewing her wedding photos and Dreary in need of the toilet (those plumbers take forever after all) and they agree on the best shot. Liz tells Steve that she is going to take the best shot to the printers and have it blown up and framed as a welcome back present for her husband because she loves him. Steve points out the blood - but as we all know the picture does not lie and that can be removed and Liz is certain they will fix it for her.

Sally is planning - a floor plan of each room. Kev wants to know where the power sockets are and does the shower work well? Sally says she is going to check every single switch and tap, not to mention every window catch. Sally and Rosie depart with Kev rolling his eyes in desperation.

Leanne is off to look at a show flat in the new development - apparently she is thinking of buying one (and no I do not know where the money is coming from). Looking around Clarissa (Harry's ex) has appeared and as usual she is complaining - this time about her bulging calf muscles caused by walking everywhere. Clarissa heads towards the bookies. Inside she tells Harry that she is disappointed he has done nothing with the news that she cannot drive. Harry reasonably points out that as they are getting divorced it is nothing to do with him - she does not see it like that and suggests that Dan could drive her around, harry says he is fully occupied (yes with Leanne). Lloyd wanders in and Harry spots a solution - he asks Lloyd if he could do with some extra business and that payment is guaranteed and the customer will be no trouble providing he does not marry her!

At Peacock Farm the Webster duo are complaining about the small room sizes and lack of privacy, not to mention the poor choice in colours. Sally tells Rosie not to hurt Claire's feelings and then blithely announces a complete redecoration. Claire then announces that because they are including so much that is unwanted they want £3k on the price. Sally says they cannot do that. Claire crosses her arms looks determined and says that they can do that. Along the lines of like it or lump it. Sal and Rosie head to the garage and give Kev the inevitable earful. Sally reckons it is criminal but Kev points out it is exactly what she did previously. She tries to claim that it was different (do we believe her boys and girls - no we don't). Ke is given instructions that he cannot pay a penny more when he says he will talk to them.

Molly returns and realises that Paul does mean to do a runner. He pleads with her to tell no-one else - but he just cannot face going to prison. When he goes Paul Clayton will cease to exist and someone else will turn up somewhere else.

Clarissa surveys the cab and pronounces it unclean. Harry tells Lloyd to get it cleaned up. Clarissa checks that Harry is paying - and Lloyd is on the job. However even though Clarissa thinks she has won Harry wants the bill to say that he was the passenger and then it comes off the divorce settlement (funny way of computing the settlement up north).

Kev and Ashley have a discussion - no change to the price and the wives to be kept as far apart as possible. Agreement and harmony on the males side of the divide. Ashley returns home and tells Claire that the price is the price and this has to stop. They are friends - not just house buyers. Eventually she agrees. Ash then pops over to Websters and confirms that everything is still on and says it would probably be best if they did not have a drink together that evening.

Roger returns - he had bumped into a bloke he had not seen since school - they used to sit together. And now he is a plumber too! he admits they had a lot to talk about before heading upstairs and back to work.

Liz has been to the printers and they have agreed to fix the problem and provide the picture. She looks around - but Harry is no in and Steve notes the look and she says yet again that nothing is going on and to leave it alone.

With water restored to Number 1 it now appears that Ken believes that he can afford a new bathroom. Roger of course lights up - more business and oddly he happens to know a tiler!

Doris updates Emily on the Peacock view of the Webster house. Emily heads for the bar for some respite and whilst Liz serves, Harry enters and Steve puts himself between the mother and the friend. Harry tries to tell Steve that there really is nothing going on and that he was simply using Liz's sympathetic ear to tell her about the divorce. Steve says she may have that but Vernon is back next week and perhaps Harry would like to bend his ear about the divorce.

Tyrone and Molly arrive and the former is not happy that Paul is joining them but Molly gives nothing of the secret away - merely agreeing that he will have plenty of company once he is inside. Meanwhile Paul at home is on the phone checking on some travel arrangements and booking in of one bag - sounds like a trip by air.

Back at the Rovers Liz is talking to Harry about Steve being protective. They both point out that they are married (at least technically) - but do we believe them? Not with that glint in their eyes.

Blanche arrives to receive the good news that Number One is to have a new bathroom, she rejoins that it is not before time - so long as they do not use that joke of a plumber from this afternoon.

Molly cracks and tells Tyrone that Paul is going to do a runner. Ty asks if she has told Jack - she says no - she has kept the secret and he must as well. She promised Paul.

And elsewhere in the Rovers Sally has heard that Claire called her house a slum. Doris in full flow - he does love a nice bit of gossip after all. He could not believe his ears - and of course if Claire says it to him how much more widely has she repeated it. Sally is mortified. She thanks Norris for letting her know what was being said. Kev returns from the toilets to an enraged wife who does not want to return to their "slum". Anyway the next time Sal sees Claire she will tell her what she thinks of the Peacock residence. Harmony did not last long.

K Richard W

Kevin and a rather tight-lipped Sally go to visit the Peacocks. Sally asks if Claire is planning to get a bulldozer round to demolish the house after they've bought it – after all doesn't she think it's a slum?

Over at the Duckworths, Tyrone comments that Paul seems a bit twitchy. Paul reminds him that he's going to be in prison soon. He then starts talking about going to Australia when he gets out. Molly, glaring at him meaningfully, tells him that he'd miss his friends and family, but Paul says he doesn't have much of either. Just then Jack pops his head round the door, he's off out. Paul rushes after him and hugs him warmly. "Look after yourself, won't you?" he says. Jack looks puzzled, he's only going to the bookies.

Back at the Peacocks, Claire seems to have forgotten her remark about the slum, and tries to make out that Norris imagined it. Sally knows he didn't, and says so. Claire then tries to argue that it's been a trying time, but Sally wonders what else she's said behind their backs. She then tells Claire that she likes living in a ‘slum' and the deal's off! With that she storms out. Claire wonders if she means it, while Ashley is worried that their friends will never speak to them again.

Molly tries to voice her concerns about Paul to Tyrone, she's sure he was saying goodbye to Jack for good. She urges him to get Paul to see sense, she's worried about how it will affect Jack. "He's about to run away!" she cries, and insists they go and tell Jack.

In the Rovers, Liz tells Steve that the enlargement of her wedding photo is ready and she's going to collect it. "Did they get the blood-stains out?" asks Steve. Liz thinks they did. Just then Harry comes in, but Steve says he'll serve him and Liz goes off to get the picture.

Harry worries that Liz is avoiding him, and Steve says he thinks she feels a bit silly. Harry explains that he's going through a very acrimonious divorce. Steve asks if it's the lady that Lloyd is driving around, and Harry admits that he's said he'll foot the bill if she needs the odd taxi. However, it seems that Clarissa is using Lloyd like her own personal chauffeur and has him waiting for hours on end outside the shopping centres. "What, with the meter running?" asks Harry, looking shocked. Steve tells him that the other drivers are calling Lloyd ‘Parker'.

Jack gets back home with Molly and Tryone, to find that the house seems empty. "It's too late, he's gone," he says. However, they soon find Paul's bag down in the corner, so it seems he hasn't gone yet.

Harry sees Clarissa getting out of Lloyd's taxi. She says that she's had a letter from his solicitor and she's not happy. Harry points out that she could have phoned, she didn't need to get in a taxi and visit. As they go inside the bookie's, Leanne rushes out through the door, with Dan calling after her. It seems she's got two appointments to show people round the flats. He tells her that her juggling 3 jobs isn't going to work, but she agues that she'll be about half a hour. Then she tells him she's got a ‘window' at one, and to meet her at the show flat.

Paul walks in and finds Jack, Tyrone and Molly waiting for him. "Grass," he hisses at Molly. Jack then asks the other two to leave so he can talk to Paul on his own, and tells Paul that now he knows why he nearly squeezed the life out of him this morning. "Your way of saying goodbye?" Paul tells him he left him a note. Jack mutters that Molly got an explanation, he gets a note.

Sitting at the table, Jack reads Paul's note. "Very nice," he says, tossing it down on the table. He then says he's going to make a brew, but Paul declines, asking if it's a trick to keep him there while the others call the police. Jack sighs and says they don't want to see him go to prison, adding that he'd do the time for him if he could. Paul says that Tyrone would dob him in, he hasn't liked him from the start, but adds that he knows he sails close to the wind, sees a chance of easy money and takes it. It was only a matter of time before he did something stupid and got caught. (Er..didn't he hand himself in? It was hardly getting caught!) Jack says that he knows that deep down Paul is a good lad, more of a man than his father would ever be. He urges him to do his time, saying that even if he gets 5 years he'll still be a young man when he gets out. "Do your time, go to prison, wipe the slate clean," says Jack.

Back at the Peacock's, Claire says that maybe it was for the best, but Ashley is furious. "We've no buyer and our friends aren't speaking to us, how is that for the best?" He tells her that next time she sees Sally she must apologise. Sulkily, Claire says she was going to, but mutters that she was asking for it.

Over at the Websters, Kevin tells Sally she's cut off her nose to spite her face, saying he was getting used to the idea of that house, and now it's all off. "So that's it? We're stopping here? Only some days I can't keep up," he says crossly. Sally says she wants nothing more to do with it, but Kevin tells her to admit that she still wants it.

Back at the Duckworth's, Jack tells Paul that they'll catch him, but Paul reckons that Interpol have got bigger fish to fry than him. He's got his passport, a few quid and his knives, restaurant kitchens are full of fugitives, he'll be able to go anywhere. Jack then makes him promise he won't go anywhere while he just goes out.

Outside, Ashley calls Kevin over and asks him if he still wants their house. Kevin says he does. So Ashley tells him to have his wife in the Rovers in an hour so they can sort everything out.

Liz has come back to the Rovers with her framed photo and it is HUGE! She tells a rather dumbstruck Michelle and Steve that she wanted it big, it was the happiest day of her life. She then wonders where to put it, and Steve suggests her bedroom, but she says she wants it where everyone can see it, and positions it over the fireplace. Steve says he doesn't want Vernon staring down at him with his pearly white teeth, and Michelle looks closely and says that they do look very white. (And they do, unnaturally, dazzlingly white!) Liz then thinks she might hang it in the bar, and this causes Steve to leap from his seat, shouting "No!"

Jack arrives back with a brown envelope in his hand which he gives to Paul. It contains ten thousand pounds. He tells Paul he doesn't agree with what he's doing, but he can't see his grandson leave with nothing. "But," he adds, "serve your sentence and I'll double it….no, I'll treble it. That's thirty grand when you get out." Paul is shocked, and Jack tells him to come and find him in the pub when he's made his decision.

Dan arrives at the show flat that Leanne is working in. She starts to show him around as if he's a genuine customer, and then if he'd like to see the master bedroom, it has an en suite. "Does it have a bed?" he wants to know. She assures him it's a king size. "Let's go," he says.

Steve straightens the picture he's put up for Liz, above the fireplace, moaning that he still thinks it's in the wrong room. Liz then goes out to the bar and Michelle examines the picture more closely. "It's been retouched!" she declares, telling Steve it's amazing what you can do with a computer, one click and all your wrinkles are gone! They look even closer and see that with Vernon's grey hair now miraculously black and his skin looking extraordinarily tanned, they decide that Liz has totally redesigned him.

At the show flat, Leanne and Dan hurry to get dressed as the doorbell rings for the next viewing appointment. Dan thinks it adds to the excitement, but Leanne is worried about losing her new job.

Back at the Duckworth's, Paul seems to be about to leave, stuffing the brown envelope into his back. However, as he heads towards the front door he stops. Then he takes the envelope of money out again and puts it down on the hall table, and then walks out of the front door.

In the pub, Tyrone tells Jack that he'll see neither his money or Paul ever again.

Just then, Ashley and Claire walk in, and Kevin, who is at the bar with Sally, exclaims that he didn't expect to see the two of them in there. Claire mutters to Sally that they must think they're stupid, but Sally looks away.

Roger comes in to find Ken, and hands over his quote, which he thinks is pretty competitive. Blanche grabs it and makes loud remarks about not wanting marble and gold plated taps.

At the bar, Claire starts off by apologising to Sally about her remarks to Norris, but it isn't long before they're squabbling again. In the end Claire says that she has decided to sell the house properly through an estate agent. Sally thinks it's just another excuse to hike up the price, so Claire tells her that if she still wants the house she should talk to the agent.

Jack is still waiting in the pub, hoping that Paul will come in. Outside however, we see Paul climbing into a taxi. As it pulls out of the Street, Jack decides to go home. When he walks in he soon realises that Paul has gone. Just then he turns and sees the package on the hall table. He picks it up and sighs.

Anne Logan.

The milk truck rattles around the corner. We haven't seen that in ages! Three teenage boys are boisterously sloping down the road, probably after a night of high spirits, I'm guessing because they're still at it. What's the first thing they do that could put fear in to the hearts of passers by? Steal milk off the back of the truck. Cookies anyone? Sorry. Anyway, they do actually do a bit of damage. The leader smashes the milk bottle against the wall of one of the buildings (the Victoria Street side of the Bookies/flats building, I think) (see, if he was a *real* bad ass, it would have been through a window of one of the shops!). The other two follow suit and Roy comes out to investigate. Politely, as he does. They were swinging off the bus stop like apes (appropriately) and run off laughing. Becky and a shirtless, shoeless Jason come down, too but they don't get too far and all three go back inside.

In the Mortons', Darryl staggers in with a carton of juice in his hand. Jerry asks him to spend his bank holiday with the two youngest kids which disgusts all three of them. Kayleigh was supposed to be meeting Kenzie and Findlay wants to go swimming which gives Darryl the shudders.

The Websters venture out into the sun. Sally notes the For Sale sign going up across the road and asks Kevin if he'd take the day off. He rightly assumes she wants to look at houses, just to see what's available of course. Of course. Anyway, no can do, Kev says, he's got Tyrone coming in, too. (Why can't they look in the afternoon?) Kev greets Ches who's walking Schmeichel and calling over to Kayleigh to see if she wants to go to the Red Rec. She proudly announces she's seeing Kenzie which makes Chez scowl. Gail and Tina come around the corner behind all them. Tina's late and ends up missing the bus. Gail asks how many times *this week* has she been late. Three, is the answer (And it's only Monday!) She thinks she should just call in sick but Gail points out the next bus is only 10 minutes off. Big Sigh, and Tina heads back to the corner. Chez comes back home with a long face and Fiz assumes he's down about the play and losing the lead. He lies and says Norris had a go at him about the dog scaring a customer. Much sympathy from big sister who offers to take him out later but he declines. Poor lad is down in the dumps, it's written all over his face.

Claire has had a call from the estate agent. There's already someone booked to come and look at the house. Ashley has misgivings. Even if they sell it, they have no place to go, he points out. Would have been better to swop with Sally and Kevin. Claire hollers down from her high horse (or should that be a black kettle she's stood on?) that Mrs. Sally Pot shouldn't have pulled attitude (You expect it from Sally. I think Claire's probably taken lessons and the grasshopper has now surpassed the master). Claire's about to embark on a cleaning spree. Ashley thinks it looks just fine. "How come men never see mess?" Claire sighs.

Jason's sweeping up the glass while Becky supervises from her usual post against the doorway of the caff, fag in hand. Roy pops out and asks Becky to take over while he has a word with Jerry. I'm amused to see Becky carefully stub out the end of the cig, very thrifty because there's about half of it still unsmoked. So realistic! Roy runs over to warn Jerry about the yobbos that were causing havoc earlier, to keep an eye out. Jerry is grateful for the heads up.

We switch to the Barlow residence. Deirdre is impatiently waiting for Blanche who finally arrives, and with the line of the day. "You can't rush ablutions at my age... ask Ken!" (he of similar age!) Ken and Deirdre both roll their eyes. Honestly, I wonder how the actors can keep a straight face sometimes! Doorbell ding dongs and Ken rises to the occasion while Deirdre and Blanche bicker about her missing a bus trip to New Brighton with the One O'Clock club that she didn't want to go on anyway. "How could I tell them I didn't want to go if I knew nowt about it!" Brilliant stuff! Roger lumbers into the room only to be faced with an onslaught by Blanche who still has a head of steam to get rid of. He promises he'll do his best to get it done today but has to get the old set out first. Deirdre and Blanche head out for the bus to the shops, leaving Roger and Ken on their on. Oddly enough, Roger recognizes the book on Sir Francis Walsingham that Ken is reading and starts to witter on about Tudor history which delights Ken to find a fellow history buff. Tea is offered. Somehow, I don't think the suite is going to find its way out of the bathroom this morning.

Gail greets Rita who's securing the newspaper sign outside in order to get a bit of breathing from Norris who's driving her doo-lally today. She inquires after Gail, who looks as if she's got the weight of the world on her shoulders. Gail admits she's got something on her mind. Her head is filled with her dad. She feels like she's made a bond with him but is worried that he doesn't feel the same, that he might not be bothered now he's met her. Rita hopes it all works out for her. Gail turns to leave and Fiz drives up on her little scooter. She mentions to Rita that Norris had a go at Chesney over the dog but Rita puts the scotch on that. No troubles this morning and she remarks that Chesney barely says anything to them these days. Embarrassed, Fiz puts it down to Ches being a funny age and them getting their wires crossed. She apologizes to Rita who's gracious about it.

Claire is showing a young couple around, explaining about the fire and reconstruction. They seem charmed though the husband is cagey about seeing other places. Hmm, it's done differently here in Canada. The owners wouldn't be the ones to show the couple around, the agent would. Normally, I think. As Claire is seeing the couple out, Sally is watering a hanging basket and her eyes bug out at the sight of the potential buyers. (though I thought it might have been the sight of Claire's rather large baby bump, myself!) Claire smiles at Sally and Sally's face knots up.

Kirk comes into the Kabin for a magazine that will help him improve his appearance for his girlfriend. Kayleigh and Finlay arrive with a surly Darryl who seems to be sugaring the children up and then plans to get some beer at the corner shop for himself. Norris keeps an eagle eye on the kids who aren't too happy about it. Rita tells them to take no notice. Norris sniffs that children in his day were seen and not heard. "I wish you still were" murmurs Rita. The kids stalk off, insulted that Norris thinks they're after thieving and Rita castigates Norris for chasing away the customers. He's on one of his righteous indignations about children not learning to respect adults from the example where he gets none from his partner. Emily arrives to take Rita away from all this grief and she gladly gets her coat, taking the early lunch shift out from under Norris' feet, giving him another excuse to bark.

The yobbos are back, chasing each other around the platform in front of the medical centre. Emily and Rita make their way slowly towards the pub, laughing about Norris. They notice the boisterous lads and look a bit nervous as they mosh their way down the road towards them but they pass the women without a glance.

Over at Gail's, she's just left a message on Ted's answer phone. Tina whooshes through the door in a hissy fit. Seems she's just found out that there's a "three strike" rule and she's out. Sacked. She's huffy and ready to burn bridges and have a witch trial ...er..a tribunal but Gail calms her down offering to help her find another job and offering to make her a salad. Tina beams at the kindness.

Ken and Roger are still dissecting the Tudors over a pot of tea and Roger, who's quite interested in old manor houses, tells Ken about a book on a 16th century architect/builder. Blanche and Deirdre arrive back to the sight of an avocado tub in the entry way. Well at least Roger's made some small progress! Blanche of course, correctly assumes that there hasn't been a lot of work done. Ken offers dinner to Roger but Blanche puts him off and he goes off to meet Janice.

Claire watches the boys play in the garden. Ashley brings her a nice cuppa. Ashley's arranged for Eileen to mind the boys so they can go for a drink. She's hesitant in case someone else wants to come view the house (let the agent do it!) Claire thinks the couple from that morning were interested. Ashley tries to warn Claire not to get her hopes up but she's got a good feeling about this. She does!

In the pub, Rita and Emily chat to Liz. They're having a lovely time and decide to extend their lunch break. Sally and Kevin arrive. Sally's exasperated to see that Claire and Ashley are there too. Things are cool between the women as Claire brags up the viewers and Sally reacts with a sour face when Claire gets a call about the house. The men are friendly with each other, at least. Kevin hopes it all goes well, and turns to see if Sally agrees. She's smiling... no ... she's gritting her teeth, and agreeing.

Chesney arrives home. Kirk leaves. Fiz intercepts Chesney and calls him on the carpet about his lies about Norris. She's determined to get to the bottom of his problems. She keeps at him with one suggestion after another until his teenage angst bubbles over and he cries, you'll never understand, and runs upstairs.

In the Kabin, Norris is perusing a gossip magazine. Yobbo alert! The big one grabs Norris while the two smaller ones clean out the till. Norris is shoved into a display rack which comes crashing down along with Norris. Outside, Emily and Rita are dismayed to be pushed to one side by the fleeing teens who race down the street as fast as their little legs can go. They realize... Norris!!!! And rush inside...

Stay tuned to find out if Norris is ok!

Tvor

Rita and Emily rush into the Kabin where they find Norris lying on the floor after having been attacked by the thugs. They help Norris up. Norris tells them the thugs have robbed the Kabin and wants to go after them. Rita urges him to sit down while she calls the police.

Claire is on the phone to her potential buyers who want to come back for a second look. Ashley comes in and is told the news. Claire asks Ashley to take the boys out for a while after they've all tidied up. Ashley wonders if she thinks the boys make her house look untidy. He sarcastically asks Claire if she thinks she'll have time to redecorate before the potential buys arrive.

Back in the Kabin, Emily tells Norris he doesn't look right and asks him again how he is. Norris insists he is fine and not in shock. Audrey comes in to the shop. Rita tells them all that the thugs have stolen over £100 and apologises for leaving Norris for so long alone in the shop. Norris puts on a brave face and insists he is not in shock and refuses a medicinal brandy. He tells them all that all he wants is to see the young thugs be punished lawfully for their actions but he knows that's not going to happen.

At Ken & Deirdre's, Roger the plumber comes into the living room to tell them he'll have to turn the water off again. Blanche wonders how long for this time. Roger starts to talk to ken about the book he is reading. Deirdre and Blanche are losing patience with Roger not working, instead he spends most of his time there talking history with Ken. After Roger goes back to work, Deirdre asks Ken if he has to encourage Roger. Blanche chimes in with, "If he comes in again, pretend to be asleep!"

At Claire & Ashley's, Claire answers the door to the young couple interested in buying their house. The wife seems very keen, the husband not so keen. Claire leaves them to have another look around.

At the Platts', Audrey is bringing Gail up to speed with the goings on in the Kabin. She tells Gail that it was teenagers who perpetrated the crime. Tina says, "And we know they're just evil, them teenagers. I'd lock 'em up. Every last one...." Audrey doesn't respond to Tina's goading. Tina goes through a few errands she has written down with Gail before she leaves to go to town. After Tina has left, Gail tells Audrey that Tina has lost her job and relates the whole story of Tina's tardiness. Gail tells Audrey that she will let Tina stay there until David gets back. She thinks that once Tina sees David go back to work at the Salon, Tina will see that she needs to find herself another job. Audrey wants to say something about it but holds back, even after Gail asks her what she was going to say. Instead, Audrey asks Gail if she wants to go and have a drink with her later on.

At Ken & Deirdre's, Roger comes into the front room and announces that he has a video to accompany the book he loaned Ken. he offers to go and get it for him but Blanche and Deirdre both protest that Ken will be too busy to watch it, what with that "thing" he has to leave for and do now. Roger tells them he'll fetch the video tomorrow instead. Ken is left wondering what on earth he'll do now that he has been chased out of the house. Deirdre suggests going for a walk and Blanche tells him not to come home "until gone half-five."

At the Kabin, the police has arrived and one of the officers is annoying Norris with her line of questioning. He tells her that she keeps referring to the thieves as lads which makes them sound like "a bunch of boy scouts kicking a football around in a park" He reminds her that they are thieves, vagabonds, hoodlums. There is some argument between Norris and Rita about the age of the boys. Rita thinks they are younger than Norris believes them to be. Norris is quite agitated. The police leave and assure them they will do all they can to catch the thieves. Rita asks Norris again, how does he feel "I feel like an old man," he sighs, "and the longer I sit here, the older I feel." He gets up and tells them to put it all behind them.

Fizz sees Chesney in the street and urges him to tell her what's on his mind. Oh dear, it seems Chesney is in love with Kayleigh Morton. Kayleigh doesn't even know he exists though. Fizz takes him for a milkshake at Roy's so they can have a proper talk.

Outside Claire's house, the potential buyers are shown out. The woman says she will get onto the building society and Claire tells the couple that she will inform the estate agent not to send round any more people to view the house. Then Jerry comes in and ruins it all by telling Claire how the Kabin just got robbed and expands on how the street is going to the dogs. This puts the couple off and despite Claire's protests that really, it's a very friendly, peaceful area, the couple decide not to buy.

Jerry goes home to find Darrel lying on the sofa, asleep. He is angry at Darrel because he is asleep when he is supposed to be looking after Findlay and Kayleigh. Neither of them are in the house. Jerry warns Darrel that if anything happens to them it'll be all Darrel's fault because he was supposed to be looking after them. (I can't begin to tell you how many levels I disagree with this on!)

Kayleigh and Findlay are down at the canal where they see Kenzie and his mates divvying up their ill-gotten gains from the Kabin. Kayleigh and Kenzie talk a little bit about their rehearsal and say their goodbyes. Findlay asks his sister who she was talking to. She just tells them it was lads from school.

In Roy's Cafe, Chesney tells Fizz about the competition for Kayleigh's affection, Kenzie Judd. Fizz asks what he has that Chesney hasn't. Chesney tells her he's the coolest kid in their year and he's playing Romeo opposite Kayleigh's Juliet. Poor Chesney wishes he could stop thinking about Kayleigh but he can't. Fizz tells him he's in love. Chesney is very resistant to this idea but Fizz assures him that falling in love is like catching a cold, "everyone gets it sooner or later."

Becky rushes into the cafe and tells Roy about how the lads Roy saw this morning "done a number on Norris... Robbed 'im. Emptied t'till in t'Kabin." Roy admonishes himself for not having taken any action that morning. Becky assures him it's not his fault but Roy quotes Edmund Burke, "It is necessary only for good men to do nothing for evil to triumph," and then he reminds Fizz and Chesney they are closing in five minutes.

Audrey and Gail are walking along the street and Gail tells Audrey she phoned "her Dad" today. As they pass Gail's front garden, a handsome-ish sort of fellow approaches Gail's front door. It seems he is looking for someone. Gail asks if he can help him. He is looking for Tina McIntyre. Tina opens the door and gives the man a great big hug with a huge smile on her face. Gail looks suspicious and Tina explains, "This is me dad!" and to her dad, "This is Gail, that I'm staying with." Smiles and "nice to meet you" all round. Gail and Audrey look quizzically at each other.

Still in t'street, Jerry sees Kayleigh and Findlay with relief. He asks where they've been. They say they've been out and that nobody said they couldn't go out. He sends them inside to wait for him where he will cook them dinner later. Not kebabs, proper food. Chesney sees Kayleigh ignoring him (not purposely) and says to Fizz, "See, she 'ates me!" Fizz reassures him it's just that she doesn't know him and if she did, she'd be head over heels for him.

In Claire and Ashley's, Claire is serving up dinner in a rant about stupid Jerry having scuppered their chance to sell the house. Ashley is more concerned that there was a robbery and was everyone all right. When Ashley asks if Norris is ok, Claire directs him to ask Stupid Jerry who knows everything.

In the Rovers, Emily and Rita are treating Norris to a drink. Norris asks them not to treat him like an invalid. He protests again he is not in shock. Meanwhile, Sally and Kevin are having a drink and Sally is whining about Claire and refuses to split the difference and meet Claire half-way with her price so they can buy the house. Rita tells Liz what happened in the Kabin. Liz tells Rita that now the kids have done it once, they might come back and have another go. Excellent scaremongering, Liz! At a table, Gail and Audrey are talking about how Tina's dad seems to be an entirely different sort of person from the mother. Gail tells Audrey that Tina has never mentioned anything about him (except how he likes Rambo and is as far away from gay as you can get, remember, Gail?) and Audrey wonders why he's turned up now.

At Gail's house, Tina is making her dad a cuppa. Tina's dad tells her that her mother rang and told him that his daughter's "only been going out with a dangerous criminal who's been arrested and now she has to give all her earnings to his family who won't let her leave!" Tina sets him straight, tells him that she lost her job this morning and that the goldfish she had was more dangerous than David. She tells her Dad that David is a hairdresser and Gail is good to her and the only bit of bother they did have was when her mother came round causing trouble. She assures her dad that she doesn't need rescuing.

In the Rovers, Norris is bemoaning the state of today's youth and how they make older generations afraid of them. Rita wonders if it's just that they are getting older but Norris insists that it's not. Becky comes in with Roy and sees Norris. "I told you he'd be here, drinking to forget, " she says to Roy. Roy apologises to Norris for not having done anything about the thugs earlier in the day. Rita and Emily tell Roy it's not his fault. Norris wonders how the boys will go home with their pockets bulging with cash and what will the parents say. Becky wonders if they even have any parents. Norris rants, "You think they're from non-parent families? We've gone beyond one-parents families, 'ave we? I mean, they were considered the norm and now we're down to non-parent families... uncared for children just running wild, devouring the old and the sick...." Becky thinks getting Norris another drink would be a good idea.

Ashley comes into the pub and sits next to Kevin and Sally, offering to buy them a drink. Sally pointedly refuses and when Ashley goes to get Kevin a pint tells Kevin she couldn't bear to sit next to Ashley and hear him crow about who's offered what for his precious house. She asks Kevin if he'll be long and leaves.

Audrey and Gail leave the pub. On the way out they asks Norris if he is getting over his shock. "What shock?" asks Norris, "Oh, the shock! Oh that there are people who have children that they have neither the sense nor the ability to control?" Gail's face falls. He goes on, "Oh, mind you, I'm talking to somebody who knows all about that, aren't I? There's some right misfit parents round 'ere!" Rita apologises to Gail for Norris' words (she had no right to and Norris is quite right, if you ask me!). Gail and Audrey leave the pub. In the street, Gail wonders what all that was about. (Really, Gail? You have no idea?) but Audrey tells her to ignore him. They part and Gail goes home where Tina's dad is leaving. Mr McIntyre thanks Gail for the kindness Gail has shown his daughter.

Deirdre and Ken leave their house, Deirdre telling Ken that once Ken had left, Roger got more work done in that couple of hours than he had in the past two days. They go into the pub (Ken put on his anorak to go next door!) and see Norris. Ken asks Norris about his encounter with the thugs and Norris makes a pointed remark about Tracey. Emily rushes Norris out of the pub before he offends anyone else. Emily tells Rita she'll try to get Norris to eat something. Rita tells her, "You do that. And if that doesn't work, hit him over the head!" Rita apologises once again for Norris, this time to Deirdre.

Kevin and Ashley are talking over their pint. They wonder why they married their stubborn wives.

Findlay and Kayleigh and Jerry Morton are having dinner. They talk about the lads that robbed the Kabin. Findlay asks Kayleigh if it was the boys they saw down by the canal. Kayleigh tells Findlay that Jerry was talking about somebody else. Jerry hopes that somebody has seen them and he says that the sooner they're caught, the better.

We open with Ken in the Kabin talking to Norris about putting in security cameras.

Over at the Morton household, It seems that Finlay is having a lie in as it's half term, much to the amazement of Jerry, Mel and Darryl. Eventually Mel tells Kayleigh to go and rouse him.

Chesney comes into Audrey's salon with a magazine under his arm, and asks Audrey if she can make him look like the hunky male on the front cover. Audrey jokes that if they could make him look like that they'd never let him leave. Then she says she'll give him a trim but won't put any colour on his beautiful red hair. Chesney tells her and her assistant, Natasha, that Kenzy has been teasing him about his hair. They're shocked and Natsha says that at her school was a boy with red hair and all the girls fancied him. Chesney seems impressed.

Jerry and Darryl are walking down the road when Gail comes up behind them. She tells them that her father is coming to visit again. "I think I'm a daddy's girl," she tells them.

In the Kabin, Norris and Rita are having a debate about whether to install CCTV. He wants it, she doesn't. Just then a young man walks in and introduces himself to Norris, and says that he'll be fitting the CCTV system today, as requested.

Roger hands his bill to Ken and Deidre, and as he shows him to the door Ken agrees to see Roger later in the Rovers. When he walks back in the room he finds Deirdre shocked and furious. She's opened Roger's bill and finds he's gone over what he estimated, by quite a bit. She's furious. Ken tries to explain that Roger did say he had a few extra pipes to strip out, but Deirdre says they're not paying.

Audrey is in the kebab shop buying a chips, and tells Darryl not to tell Roy, because she's gone there instead of to the cafe for an egg and cress sandwich.

Gail is in the Kabin, telling Rita about her father, with the man from the security firm up a ladder, drilling all the while. Norris is examining the new technology, and starts talking in techno-jargon. Rita's eyes glaze over! However, when Emily questions him more closely, Norris rushes off to make tea!

Audrey and Fizz are talking outside the salon, discussing Chesney and his crush, and also the gang of boys who seem to be up to no good. Further down the Street the gang themselves stand near the Rovers, smoking. (Which , obviously, means they're up to no good!)

In the kebab shop, Darryl and Jerry are discussing Norris and his encounter with the gang.

Ken and Deirdre are on their way to see Roger about the bill lhe gave them. Ken warns Deirdre to let him do the talking.

In the Kabin, Norris is getting on Rita's nerves when Sophie comes in. She tells them she heard he was shaking like a leaf after the attack. He's not happy to hear that and tells her to tell them what she's come in for. "Actually," says Sophie, "me Mam sent me over to see if you was all right."

Roger is loading his van, and tells Ken and Deirdre that he had to replace more pipework than originally anticipated, and also he had to work through the bank holiday, so he'd told Ken his bill might go up. "By three hundred quid?" snorts Deirdre. Just as they are discussing it, Janice come along. As Roger prepares to depart with her he asks Ken if they're still going to meet up for that drink. "Oh," says Ken, hesitantly, "oh yes, I'll be there." Deirdre looks at him, aghast, and walks off.

Roy is clearing up in the cafe when the gang of boys comes in. Roy tries to tell them he's closed, but they say that one of them is diabetic and needs chocolate. They hand him the money but when he opens the till one of them grabs his arms while the others grab the money and run. They run out, with Roy shouting "help me!" behind them. Darryl and Jerry hear them and rush out of the kebab shop. Roy has managed to trip Kenzie and grabs his leg, and Darryl tries to help him but Kensie gets to his feet and manages to escape. Darryl and Jerry start to give chase but Jerry soon flags, and stops, clutching his chest and, with his arms crossed across his chest, slowly sinks to the ground. Roy comes across him and says he'll phone a doctor, but Jerry won't let him. Norris and Rita come up then, and Rita says she'll phone the police when she hears about the gang of boys, but Jerry stops her doing that too. Jerry says he needs a drink and she offers water, but he wants a proper, alcoholic drink.

Tina is visiting David and tells him it's quite sexy seeing him in there. They discuss her father and his influence on her, she says it's very old fashioned. She tells David he's all right, when you've worked out his sense of humour. "He's not one of those people who think they're funny when they're not is he?" he asks, and she nods. He says he was thinking of getting his dad to meet her, to get his seal of approval. "Has he been in?" she asks, but he tells her he hasn't.

In the back yard, Fizz tells Kirk that Chesney is in love. He says he'll talk to him and Fizz tells him to be sensitive. (Kirk?)

Roy takes Jerry into the pub for a drink and he declines water and asks for a pint. Darryl comes in and tells them he lost them. Jerry is standing at the bar, but is obviously in a lot of discomfort, so Roy tells him he should see a doctor. Darryl is shocked to see the dirt on Jerry's jeans and learn that he ended up on the ground.

Tina is telling David how she got sacked from the pound shop. She tells him she's thinking of trying something different – hairdressing! He asks if she had a particular salon in mind. He says he just might and will se e what he can do!

Rita, Norris and Emily are studying the CCTV film. "Is that really how I walk?" asks Rita, amazed. Emily is also shocked to see what she looks like. Just then a policewoman comes in.

Over in the pub another police officer is taking the details from Jerry and Darryl. Roy urges Jerry to go home, and although he says he will, he doesn't.

Kirk is talking to Julie and it isn't long before she gets out of him that Chesney is in love with Kayleigh.

Roy and Roger are in the pub enjoying a chat. Deirdre is at the bar and looks over to Jerry, concerned that he doesn't look well. As he stumbles into the gents, she calls Ken to follow him. In the gents, Jerry collapses and is helped by Ken and Roger. Lloyd goes off to get Darryl who is outside , talking on his phone.

Chesney is in the back yard when Kirk comes out to find him. He tells him about a girl, Jessica Sykes, he had a crush on at the same age. "I knew she'd tell you," mutters Chesney. Just then Julie comes out into the yard, moaning about Kirk's attempts at washing up. She sees them and apologies, "Kayleigh Morton?" she queries. Chesney is furious, and reminds Fizz, when she appears, that she said she wouldn't tell anyone. He thinks they're all laughing at him, but she assures him they aren't. They he confesses to her that he misses his mum. She says that she does too, in a funny way, and tells him to go to rehearsals with his head held high.

In the pub, they're waiting for the ambulance, but Jerry wants to go home. He struggles to his feet and tries to leave, going out of the back door. In the bar, Janice, Deirdre and Leanne are discussing how ill Jerry looks. They then decide to go and see how he his and find him out in the back yard, being supported by Lloyd and Roger. However, it isn't long before he collapses and sinks to the ground. "It's just heartburn!" shouts Darryl, desperately.

After the break we see Jerry being loaded into the ambulance, and Darryl goes along to the hospital with him.

Gail tells Tina that rather than wait for David's release, she'll have a word with Audrey about a job. They sit at the table chatting when the phone rings. Tina goes to answer it – it's Ted! She chats easily to him for a few minutes.

Chesney arrives back from his rehearsal, bitter because Kensie Judd was there with a brand new pair of sunglasses. Julie asks if they liked Chesney's haircut, but he says no one noticed half an inch off. She urges him to go over to Kayleigh's house, but he wont.

The doctor at the hospital is talking to Mel and Darryl, telling them they can see their dad when he's more settled. Mel thinks someone should have insisted to getting Jerry to hospital sooner, but Darryl tells her they tried, but he wouldn't. Darryl starts talking about a friend of his who's father died. "Dad's not going to die," says Mel crossly, and says he'll be home in a few days.

Ken and Deirdre are still talking about Roger's bill. Ken says he's paying for it and so she and her mother can stop worrying.

The regulars are in the pub, talking about Jerry and his heart attack. Gail thinks it was caused by the chips and burgers he's eaten over the years. Rita wonders if they'll have to close, but Norris says that Darryl will keep the business ticking over. Then Gail announces that her father phoned earlier and they all say they're delighted for her.

Roger and Janice are in the pub when Ken comes in and finds them and gives Roger the cheque. "Better not bounce," says Janice.

Sporting a large pair of sunglasses, and chewing a matchstick, Chesney goes and calls on Kayleigh and asks if she'd like to go to the pictures tomorrow. She says she wouldn't, as her dad has had a heart attack.

Across the road, Julie, Kirk and Fizz are all watching through the front window, then they see him coming back and rush to sit down. He comes in and announces that he's going to bed, after telling Julie that her paper is upside down. He tells them in future to keep all their advice to themselves.

In the hospital, Mel and Darryl are sitting at Jerry's bedside. Darryl is reading from the local paper. It seems that Jessica Sykes, mother of five and Kirk's old flame, (remember?) has won the lottery!

Lloyd is at the Morton house, looking after Kayleigh and Finlay. Gail comes to get her binoculars, and after she's left Lloyd keeps the children amused by telling them jokes. He notices that Kayleigh looks somewhat subdued and asks if she's all right. "Do you have to go to court if you call the police?" she asks. He tells her no, and asks why. "Because I know who robbed the Kabin," she says.

In the Rovers, Norris, Rita and Emily are still talking about Jerry's heart attack.

Anne Logan.

Norris is sneaking around outside the Kabin, looking up at the CCTV camera and generally looking very shifty. If he's trying to be quiet, though, he's out of luck. When Emily taps him on the shoulder he lets out an almighty roar. It seems he's checking how security-conscious Rita is. Emily thinks he's trying to scare Rita half to death, and she points out that she was able to sneak up on him unnoticed. Rita comes out and demands to know what's going on. She's been watching the two of them on the CCTV. "I think you have your answer," Emily tells Norris, who looks most put out.

I thought we were in for a dramatic exit storyline when a taxi swerved across the road towards Mel Morton. But it's just Lloyd, wanting to tell her that Kayleigh knows who did the robbery.

Becky and Jason are in the back yard. She's just having her breakfast, she says, indicating the cigarette in her hand. She loved the chocolate bodypaint they played with last night and Jason plans to wash the sheets before his mum sees them. Becky realises she'd better get moving. The camera pans up to the window of the upstairs bathroom, which is open, and we hear flushing. Obviously they've been overheard.

Inside the house, Becky grabs Jason in another clinch as Sean comes downstairs. She presses him to come into the cafe later, but he says he'll see her tonight anyway. "What? Like a date?" she asks. Yes, that's what he means, though he was thinking it would be just the pub. Becky is gobsmacked. Jason more or less pushes her out the door and heaves a sigh of relieve once she's gone. Eileen and Sean exchange a glance and Eileen tells Jason to put his sheets on the landing because it's laundry day. Sean has something to tell him. "You know that chocolate body paint I bought you for Christmas, well don't use it." He says Marcus heard of someone at the hospital who'd used it and their tongue went brown, swelled up and blistered. Marcus clicks what's going on and says that's right. "They had to bandage it." Jason makes an excuse and leaves, prodding his tongue as he goes.

Chesney, wrapped in a duvet, comes downstairs and tells Fizz he can't go to the rehearsal because he's ill. He says it's got nothing to do with Kayleigh. Fizz asks if he'll be all right for school on Monday and points out to Ches that he can't avoid Kayleigh forever.

The man mountain that is Jerry Morton has visitors, Mel and Finlay. Mel says Kayleigh's not there because of her rehearsal. She's getting ready for her big scene with Kenzie Judd. Finlay tells them Kenzie is rich. Kayleigh saw him with lots of money, he says.

Fizz comes into the cafe just as Becky's on the phone to Jason, laughing at the idea he fell for the tongue bandaging story. Fizz said to Julie in passing that Kirk wouldn't be coming to the cafe, and now she has to explain. She says Chesney's in a fragile state and Kirk's trying to deal with it. Julie, of course, wants to dash over to help. Fizz tells her to keep her nose out. "I'm his sister, right. If he needs help, he comes to me." She tells Julie that she can have dates and everything with Kirk, but to leave Chesney alone.

In the hospital, Jerry's twin brothers, Roy and Norris, turn up to break the "family only" visitors rule. Norris thinks Jerry's looking well. Jerry doesn't think he's entitled to be praised for what he did, with those kids running at 100 miles an hour and him with all the speed and grace of a wardrobe. Roy tells him that Jerry showed those kids they couldn't do what they wanted. But Jerry says the kids got away, and he's lying there worrying about his own kids.

His own kids, meanwhile, seem to be coping. Though Darryl has no idea what temperature to use to wash his clothes. "Boiling!" suggests Mel. It seems Kayleigh has no plans to go to the rehearsal because she's not feeling well. Mel sends Darryl and Finlay off to the Kabin to buy a comic and sits down for a heart-to-heart with Kayleigh. Kayleigh's gone right off Kenzie for some reason. Mel has worked out that Kenzie's involved in the trouble. Kayleigh says that if she told anyone, the play would have to be cancelled. Plus everyone would know she had told on him. "They'll all hate me." Mel says no-one has to know. Kayleigh tearfully explains that Kenzie robbed the Kabin and if she'd said anything earlier, then her dad would have been OK. Mel gives her a hug.

Mel's told Darryl and he's furious that Kayleigh didn't speak up earlier. Mel points out that she's passed on the information and it's being sorted. Turns out he's really worried about the paperwork. He resents Mel's police training and says he can't work day and night and look after Fin. He also resents the fact that Jody bailed and Mel's got her police work. Mel assures him that one day all this will be his. "But that could be now and I'm not ready!" he shouts. Behind them, Emily coughs discreetly. She's brought a casserole. Darryl apologises for the shouting. Emily tells them that Ernest was killed trying to stop a robbery and she likes to think his spirit lives on in all those who have a go. When she's gone, Mel says she'll give up the police if Darryl really can't cope. Darryl says his dad will be back in a few days. They'll cope. Out in the hallway, Kayleigh calls her mum.

Michelle and Leanne are talking clothes. Leanne mentions a particular shop and Michelle asks Steve the best way to get there. He tells her, but is immediately contradicted by Dan. Steve calls him an amateur and then they're arguing. "Now look what you've started," Leanne tells Michelle. Lloyd comes in and they appeal to him, but he's no help. Steve suggests getting Lloyd to drive both routes, but Dan thinks he's biased. Leanne suggests they drive their own routes, but Steve says he drives for a living and doesn't need points on his licence. "Oh, so you'd have to break the law to win, would you?" Dan taunts. Lloyd says: "You know, for a professional driver, backing yourself into a corner like that is pretty stupid."

Jerry tells Mel and Darryl that he's to be fitted with a pacemaker. "Jerry and the pacemaker." Mel says they've realised how much he does. Darryl says when Jerry gets out, things will change. Jerry suggests a nubile handmaiden would come in useful and Mel agrees ... after all, Emily and Blanche have both offered to help. Kayleigh goes to see Lloyd to thank him for passing on the information.

It's only when Marcus comes in that Rita finds out the Kabin has a new sign ..."No hoodies." Norris says thieves will realise they're on their guard. Norris suggests installing a grille, or a glass screen. "The day we need that sort of thing, I'm retiring," Rita tells him. "And before you get excited, no I'm not!"

In the cafe, we find out why Becky is so excited about seeing Jason in the pub. It's their fourth date and she's never ever had a fourth date before. Ohhhhhhhhhhh. Roy warns her against building up her hopes. Becky says for now she's happy with a fourth date.

Visiting time continues when someone waltzes in, shouting down her mobile phone. It's Jerry's (ex?) wife. Mel demands to know what she's doing there. Nobody's happy to see her. Jerry thinks she's probably disappointed to know he's laid up and not laid out.

At the school, Sophie breaks the news that Kenzie has been taken away by the police. She tells Ches and Kayleigh that if there's no Kenzie, there's no play.

Jerry's getting all worked up with resentment that Teresa is there. She wants to be thought of as the cavalry riding to the rescue. "Cavalry was horses, not cows!" snaps Mel. It turns out that Teresa has jacked in her job to ride to their rescue, and now the boss is trying to hang on to her money in lieu of proper notice. Darryl suggests Finlay and Kayleigh could go and stay with their mum. "I'm coming to you," she says. "Get used to it."

The End

Margaret Carr

A speedy update as I am about to partake of a little holiday. Colleagues will be providing cover and when I return I shall be doing extra to make up.

We open with Jelly Roll in his hospital bed surrounded by ex wife and children. Theresa is not sure why she came - he looks fine now. Mel tells her she can go and that she is not welcome. Anyway she does not think it was a heart attack - more like heartburn and he should suck a lozenge. Mel wants to know why she has turned up a this point - after all she has not brought any grapes. She had to come - all sorts were going through her head. Jerry remembers that she is still down as next of kin on the insurance. She claims she had to come because he needs caring for and she is a caring person (somehow looking at her face I have my doubts).

At the cab office Steve and Dan race ready to race (within the speed limit) to a particular shop. Lloyd waves them off and they depart (slowly) within the speed limit. Michelle and Leanne are amused by the whole thing and Lloyd observes that it is not really the Monaco Grand Prix.

Meanwhile at school the musical is off because of the loss of the male lead until Sophie points out that the wonderful Chesney knows most of it anyway and could step in. The teacher reckons that he was not what she had in mind when casting - but perhaps he could do a speech. Chesney responds in style and the teacher reckons that they have found a new Romeo.

Theresa tells Jerry that he must be a real advert for the kebabs - he must have done a roaring trade. Anyway Darryl and Mel continue to bicker with Theresa - and Jerry points out that she has not shown her face for two years. Theresa says she can look after the children whilst he recovers. He claims Mel and Darryl can look after the kids - and she really is offering to help - just in case something happens.

Chesney tells Kayleigh that he knows she was keen on the departed Kenzie - but she says that was just acting and she tells him that he is going to be great as well. And a bit later Chesney is throwing himself fully into the romantic lead - but Chesney finds it all overpowering and dashes out of the hall. Sophie offers to go and find out the problem. Chesney explains to Sophie that he is supposed to kiss Kayleigh - but she does not fancy him and he cannot do it. Sophie says - never mind - they have to kiss - make the most of it. And then he admits the problem - he has never kissed a girl. So he asks Sophie if she will help - what do you do, how do you breathe, eyes open or closed? Anyway Sophie has form and provides advice. Chesney returns to the hall, repeats the line and suddenly Kayleigh moves to kiss him rather than the other way around. And brief though it was it is a great moment for Chesney, kissing the girl he fancies and getting the lead in the school play. And a bit later it gets better still, Kayleigh asks Chesney if he would like to join a group of them getting some chips later - so perhaps she does fancy him after all. Life is great.

We all know mobiles are not allowed whilst driving but Dan manages to phone Leanne - he is the middle of town. Michelle makes to phone Steve to see how he is getting on. A little later Michelle catches Leanne giving Dan instructions from a map. It appears Steve is on page 96, at D7 - but then he is a taxi driver. And Dan is just thick?

Theresa appears at the kebab shop for a door key - initial denials are followed by her pointing out that this was at Jerry's request. Darryl talks Mel round - they really need an extra pair of hands to cope with everything. When Theresa does arrive at the house Finlay is pleased to see him and Kayleigh wants her mother to come and see her in the play - they seem remarkably forgiving. Anyway apparently a play is too long for Theresa to sit through - it would set off her ADHT! Kayleigh announces she is going out and Theresa tells her to be home by 11 - Mel immediately remembers what a poor mother she always was.

Mobiles ring in the Rovers and Steve is not at the destination - but Dan is and Leanne gives a jig of delight.

Oh and Chesney arrives home, delivers all the big news and then departs again to get changed to go out. He has gone from depressed to hyper in about 5 minutes flat. He asks for confirmation of his fashion sense before going to meet Kayleigh and Sophie. Oh yes Chesney done great.

Theresa feeds Finlay, fins the housekeeping money, tells the kid to phone her if there is a problem and heads out. Arriving in the Rovers she demands a double vodka and tonic, but despite her great need (having already consumed the alcohol in the house before coming out) suffers the indignity of not being immediately served as our racers return. Dan is in a great mood having one with Steve a good two minutes and three games of backgammon on his mobile later. Steve is in a bad mood and does not believe that Dan can have got there and kept to the rules. Leanne snaps the happy winner and distraught loser. But as Dan observes a cabbie cannot be expected to take the quickest route!

In the middle of the bar there is a deeply unhappy Becky. Jason is there but spending most of the evening ignoring her despite this being their fourth date - indeed he is losing heavily at darts to Bill. Becky wants a romantic gesture. Jason offers one - a kebab and then back to his place. Becky thinks this is great.

And Theresa has still not been served despite repeating her order. Kirk wanders in and hears about the need for a kebab by Becky and Jason - and says that the Morton establishment has closed early - problems with the spit. Theresa turns on her heel and disappears so quickly that you might think she had kicked her heels together. Michelle has no-one to whom to deliver the double V and T.

At the end of the Street there are a group of kids, Sophie, Kayleigh, Chesney and a couple of others. A car rolls up and out gets Kenzie - the man they could not hold. He calls K-K over and boasts over his return. Chesney cannot watch the conversation. K-K tells him not to call her that and gives it to him straight that he could have killed her father. Kenzie reckons she should be glad to see him (given that Roy and Doris could have identified him in a line up just why has he not been charged?). Sophie tells Chesney to start watching and he parts his fingers just enough to see what is going on. K-K never wants to see Ken Ken again as long as she lives. She turns around and walks back to her friends.

And she marches up to Chesney, addresses him directly and asks him to go with her to get some more chips (I thought the chip shop went bust?). And as they go she takes his hand. Way to go Chesney - you just pulled!

How long will it last - we do not know, but Chesney is the hero in the play, kissed the girl he fancied and now he is holding her hand - just after she dumped the school dude. He turns back to Sophie and the camera and gives us all a great cheeky smile.

And the only two questions are:
When will Dan get his speeding ticket?
When will Kenzie beat the living daylights out of Chesney?

K Richard W

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Updates written by K Updates written by K Richard Whitbread, Martin Rosen, Ann Logan, Margaret Carr, Stella McLoughlin, Tvor, Erica Houston.

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