We begin at the Platt home where Nick's sitting around unwashed, unclean-clothed and generally causing concert to Gail and Kylie. They agree that the only thing that will perk him up is seeing Leanne but Kylie warns Gail that Leanne has to react because she loves Nick and not because she just feels sorry for him.

Anna's putting up Halloween decorations which she got cheap because it's after the day itself. Tim arrives with a black T-shirt he's been asked to provide as part of Faye's home-made costume. Faye mentions that Grace is hiring a costume and having her make-up done professionally. The adults agree that it might be a good idea for Faye to have a hired costume since it's her party. Tim offers to go to the shop and get one for her. Owen protests but Anna just thanks Tim.

In the bistro, Gail's arrived to talk to Leanne. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't desperate," she says. She talks about the state of Nick but Leanne tells her to get off her back. Gail says she doubts Leanne's never made a mistake - she's just lucky her mistakes never left her in hospital. "And if they did, I'm sure Nick never would have walked out on you."

Sean's escaped from life by turning up at the cab office to sit with Eileen. Eileen describes herself as a sad old bag who's sitting highlighting TV programmes in the guide. Sean tells her to book a holiday or a night class. Eileen's not interested in either. Sean's working but tells her Jason and Eva aren't doing anything so Eileen can spent her evening with them, even though Eva might not be her favourite person. "I know she's got her knockers [really?] but she can be a right hoot when she's on form."

In the cafe, Anna asks Simon if he'd like to peel some grapes for her so she can put eyeballs in the punch. She invites him to the party at the same time. Leanne's working, though, and Peter's got a meeting with Carla. Anna asks Leanne why Nick can't take Simon to the party. Leanne says Nick's not up to it, though Simon thinks it's just that she's not up to asking him.

In the pub, Eileen and Liz chat. Some of the chat is about David, who's been parked in the pub all day. Liz says he's always given her the creeps. Eileen gets a text message - Jason's working and Eva's going to Salsa class. Down the end of the bar, David moves a chip packet just by looking at it.

Kylie's doing the ironing and a lot of grumbling. Nick tells her she's got everything. Kylie tells him she's sure things will pick up for him, too. They're both annoyed that their dalliance was just one night but they're never going to be allowed to forget it. Leanne arrives but says she's not stopping. She's just come to tell Nick that Simon wants Nick to take him to the party.

Anna's in the middle of chatting to Roy about Hayley ("As well as can be expected") when Tim arrives back from town. Oh no! He's completely forgotten about Faye's costume. Anna shrieks, tells Roy she'll be just 20 minutes, grabs her coat and heads off to the costume shop.

Simon's in a sheet but Nick decides this classic ghost costume isn't enough. He thinks maybe Simon should be a mummy and rips the sheet despite Gail's protest that it's her best Egyptian cotton. Kylie tells Gail about Leanne's visit. They agree Nick's much more cheerful - maybe too cheerful, thinks Gail. "If she knocks him back will he ever get up again? There's only so much disappointment a man can take."

Anna's giving Roy a snack to take to Hayley in the hospital when Faye arrives in. Anna tells her she's just missed her dad and produces a Morticia costume, complete with white face powder.

Sean arrives at the pub and he and Liz talk about Eileen. Sean thinks she's in a bad mood because she feels washed up. Liz thinks Eileen needs a girls' night out.

The Halloween party's in full swing. Grace arrives and Faye's very happy, posing for a picture with her friend.

Eileen's on the phone to a customer, explaining that the roadworks on the Paul Robeson Estate might be holding up the driver. Liz arrives and invites her to come to the Rovers later. Eileen's skint until payday but Liz points out that one of the best things about having your own pub is being able to stand your mates a few freebies.

Tim and Sally arrive at the party. Sally makes a snarky comment about it being amazing what you can do on a budget. As everyone discusses Faye's costume, Tim mouths "thank you" at Anna. The party's a bit noisy with kids using long balloons as swords or light sabres. Owen tries to chat to Nick but it's clear all the noise and chaos is making Nick's head hurt.

Grace, in full sneering mode, disparages Simon's costume. Nick tries to say something about it but gets his words mixed up. Grace's eyes light up as she recognizes a new target.

Gail goes to the pub and Liz tells her David was there earlier. She chats on as if she's no idea that Gail and David have fallen out. Gail's come in for a strong drink but by the time Liz has finished annoying her she orders just a juice.

The apple dunking has started and Nick's seeming more and more distressed, though Grace seems to be the only person who has noticed. Grace refuses to dunk her make-up and insists on changing the music. She chooses something loud and cranks up the volume even more.

In the pub, talk has turned to costumes. Gail thinks she's always been too shy for fancy dress. Liz doesn't think "shy" is the right word. Gail admits she's too inhibited for fancy dress.

Grace seeks out Simon so she can sneer at his costume again. She asks if he's Nick's carer. "He's wrong in the head, right?" she asks. "Was he married to your dead Mum?" Simon wants to go home. The party is suddenly too much for Nick. He erupts, leaping to his feel and flinging things about. "Stop it!" shouts Leanne from the front door. "You're scaring them!"

The end of the first episode.
Margaret Carr

Written by: Jonathan Harvey
Directed by: Tim Finn

Everyone is standing around horrified, but Halloween has nothing to do with it, they are all totally shocked by Nick's outburst. Grace is the only one who seems to be loving every minute of it and goads Simon about the behaviour of his dad. Simon, very embarrassed, is quick to point out that Nick isn't his dad. Anna steps in, telling the children there is nothing to be scared of, it's just that Nick isn't feeling himself.

Sally, whom you just want to slap, is also being as nasty as a nasty thing, and when Amy wails that her mum is going to kill her because Nick broke her broomstick, and Tim tries to reassure her that she won't, Sally remarks loudly that he doesn't know her mother, and that probably the broomstick belonged to her in the first place.

Poor Nick sits holding his head, and apologises to everyone. The adults are very understanding about it, with the exception of Leanne, who gathers up Simon, telling him they are leaving, but instructs Nick curtly to stay where he is. Kylie seems to be the only one who realises how much Nick is suffering, and goes over to ask if he is alright. He's not, he's in tears, much to the delight of Grace, who remarks to Faye that he is a wimp.

Roy arrives back at the cafe, having visited Hayley. Jenna greets him, asking how it went. He tells her they have given her the 'all clear', making Jenna think he means she no longer has cancer. She is surprised and delighted until he clarifies it by saying she has the all clear to come home next week. Jenna is crestfallen, and apologises for the way she reacted, as she had misunderstood.

He is very depressed, and asks Jenna what Hayley will be coming home to? He is still very distracted, muttering about what Hayley wants. Jenna tells him it's more a case of what she needs, which brings Roy back to earth, he has to sort out the flat so everything is perfect for when she comes home. He now has something practical to tackle, and heads upstairs to make a start.

The party is over at No. 6, but Faye is protesting, saying she wants it to continue. Her parents are not best pleased with her or her mate about the way they have been stirring up trouble. Faye remarks loudly to Grace that it's typical that her 'all nighter' has been totally ruined by the local nutter. Anna overhears her and tells her off for saying such a cruel thing, and besides it was never going to be an 'all-nighter', not even an 'all-afternooner'.

Devil child Grace apologises to Anna for their behaviour, saying they didn't mean to cause so much trouble for Nick, that she hadn't realised he had 'issues'. Sally, who overheard some of Grace's remarks earlier when she had told Faye she had sent pics to Twitter with the hash tag 'Hilarious', calls her on it. Grace replies that she could have sent a video to 'You've Been Framed' and made a fortune on it, but realises now it would have been ignorant of her. Sally sees right through her, saying she had been vile to Simon too.

Anna of course springs to Faye's defense, telling her that's enough, the girls have apologises, now let it drop. Sally belligerently replies she hasn't heard an apology yet. Tim prompts them to say they are sorry. Faye immediately tells him they didn't do anything to apologise for, but Grace smiles sweetly and tells them they do apologise, and it won't happen again - and if you believe that, you are more gullible than Anna!

Over in the Bistro, Gloria, Stella and Tina are sitting discussing life at the Rovers over a bottle of wine. Glo wants to know what Liz McDonald is like to work for. Tina tells them she is alright. Gloria looks down her nose, saying she looks a bit tarty for her liking, like scrag end dressed as lamb.

Leanne arrives, having dropped Simon off at Deirdre's. She is still fuming over the shenanigans at No. 6, so Stella tells her to sit down, as there is a glass of wine with her name on it. They press her to talk about how she is feeling, but she doesn't want to talk about it. However it's only a second or two before it all comes tumbling out about Nick's behaviour towards Simon at the party. The atmosphere round the table lightens up considerably however when she relates that Nick had broken Amy's broomstick in two, mainly because of her being Tracy's daughter. Tina laughingly remarks that Tracy is going to be unable to get to work without it. Stella chimes in that she might have to hop on a Dyson (vacuum cleaner) instead. Leanne still feels bad for Simon though, saying it had really upset him.

There is still quite a bit of bantering going on over at No. 6. Sally and Tim are about to leave, and Faye is rude to her, asking if she is going to her own home. Owen calls her on it, but Anna once again springs to her defense, explaining she is tired. Faye assures her cheekily she is not tired, she is 'on one', whatever that means.

Sally has one last go at Grace, pointing out she had been very nasty to Nick. She tells her it's funny her name is Grace, as she hasn't got any. Anna now springs to the defense of Grace, telling Sally that's quite enough. Sally doesn't back down though, telling Anna that children need boundaries, and she was very rude to someone who has been through a lot. Anna argues back that actually, Nick had been quite scary. Sally replies that actually, maybe he was quite provoked.

Owen points out to Anna that he personally has lost his temper in the past worse than Nick did, but Anna tells him he hasn't ruined a kid's party though. Sally haughtily tells her that no daughter of hers would have been allowed to behave so badly.

Owen then tells Tim to take Sally home, which REALLY annoys her, she spits back at him that she is not a piece of Tim's property, and calls Owen a sexist pig, with that she flounces out, followed by Tim, leaving behind a highly amused Owen and Anna. "You are not sexist, you are sexy" she tells him and seals it with a big kiss. "Eww, G R O C E - gross", says Faye, Grace nods in agreement, leaving no doubt the two of them spend more time getting into trouble at school than on their spelling.

Back in the Bistro, Leanne feels she should get back behind the bar, but Stella won't hear of it, saying she should have more wine and relax. She doesn't take much persuading, she is feeling so down. She says it's not just the fact that Nick lashed out, it is everything. Gloria then tells a tale about the time she had her heart broken by a couple of female impersonators, but Leanne is not really paying attention, her mind is still on Nick. She goes on to say she thinks she could have accepted what happened last Christmas if it had been with anyone other than Kylie of all people. Gloria agrees, saying nobody goes out for a burger when he has steak at home. Leanne is pleased her Gran is on her side, and thanks her, but Gloria isn't finished. She goes on to point out to Leanne that the steak wasn't at home that night, because the steak was off mooning over Peter Barlow. Leanne realises she is right, and defends Gloria when Stella tries to shut her up.

In No. 8, Nick is trying to explain how he was feeling at the party before he blew up. He likens it to being in a dream where you have no clothes on, and everyone is laughing at you, but there is nothing you can do about it. Gail tries to sympathise, but he leaps down her throat for her trouble, accusing her of being patronizing. He goes on to say that the worst part of it all was that Leanne was there, and saw the whole thing, and now he can't imagine what she must think of him.

Gail tries again, and murmurs that time is a great healer. Nick really flies off the deep end now, asking her (loudly) if she has any other cliches, like "A problem Shared is a Problem halved" or "Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining", or how about "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"? Gail tells him he is being a bit harsh, but Nick is still on a rant, and tells her she should be a bit less predictable, and that nothing she can say or do will bring Leanne back.

Gail quietly tells him she can't do right for doing wrong. Nick turns on her and screams "Then you should just shut your mouth then, and get out of my face!!"

That told her then, and takes us nicely into the break.

Anna is rewashing all the dishes that Sally Webster washed before she left, and Owen tells Grace he will take her home. Faye of course protests, asking if she can stay a little longer. However, Grace apologises to them for her behaviour, saying it only happened because she got too excited at the best party she had ever been to, and Faye is so lucky having the two of them as her mum and dad. Owen looks dumbfounded, but Anna as usual swallows it hook, line and sinker and believes every word. Grace ends her apology by saying it was also because Simon was picking on her a bit.

Anna suggests they be the grownups about it, and go round there and apologise to Nick and Simon tomorrow. Faye immediately wants to know why they have to, but Grace tells her it is the right thing to do, especially if it's what her mum wants. As soon as their backs are turned on Anna and Owen however, Grace is pulling an angry face.

Gail and Nick are alone in the kitchen now, as Kylie has gone upstairs to put the kids to bed. Nick apologises, saying he shouldn't have taken it out on her. Gail asks him what he plans to do about Leanne, and before he can answer, goes on to tell him she thinks he is fighting a losing battle. This angers Nick once again, and with a raised voice, he tells her he is going to pluck another of her joyous cliches out of the air, and take it one day at a time.

Gail tells him that it might be just as well if Leanne doesn't come back, as she doubts she would be able to cope with the sharp end of his tongue. Nick immediately apologises once again to her. Gail sighs, saying she doesn't enjoy being his punch bag. He tells her he can deal with the crash, he can deal with not being himself, struggling to function properly, but he can't deal with losing Leanne. She tells him he has to stop obsessing about her, because it's not good for his mental health.

Jenna brings Roy a cup of tea upstairs, and finds him in the bedroom. He is looking around it, and is trying to see it through Hayley's eyes, as she will be spending a lot of time in there from here on. He decides it looks very tired, and needs a makeover. No time like the present, he starts ripping the wallpaper off there and then.

Grace is pouring poison into Faye's ears in the garden while they wait for Owen to get the car started. She tells her that the trouble they are in is all down to cry-baby Simon, who has to get a man with brain damage to stick up for him. She plans to rectify the problem and tells her he needs a lesson. Faye looks a little uncertain, but smiles in agreement.

There are three drunken women sitting in one of the booths in the Rovers. Three who are old enough to know better, but don't. I am talking about Deirdre, Eileen and Liz, and they are being very raucous. Sean tries to quieten them down, but Deirdre points out there is only her living next door to be disturbed, and she's not in! This of course meets with much hilarity from the other two. Ken has obviously been away far too long, because a rather amorous Deirdre then sets her sights on Sean, throwing her arms around him and pulls him into the booth for a cuddle - frightening the life out of the poor lad. Liz comes to his rescue by telling Deirdre he has to get back to work. After she has released her grip, Liz asks her if she remembers she is barking up the wrong tree with Sean. "Well, it worked for Maria!" slurs Deirdre. Cue lots more loud cackling.

They all get a bit sad then, with Deirdre saying she misses Ken, and Eileen saying she really wants a man, someone she can have a laugh and a cuddle with. Liz agrees. Deirdre tells them she is funny, plus she is a good hugger, but I don't think they exactly have Deirdre in mind for the job. Deirdre decides the things she misses the most about Ken being gone is the little jobs he used to do, like putting the bins out, making a brew and running a bath.

Liz has had enough of this, and announces they are all fifty...... something or other, feisty and fabulous, and do not need a man in their lives. They all agree, so to cheer them all up, Liz decides to put some music on. Deirdre asks for some classical to remind her of Ken, and gets that request turned down flat, and Liz says she is not going to put on 'Relight my Fire' for Eileen either!

The women in the Bistro are still drinking wine together, but are a lot more sober than the ones in the Rovers. They are reminiscing about holidays they have taken, with the exception of Leanne, who is very quiet. She excuses herself and goes over to stand by herself at the bar. Gloria follows her, knowing what is on her mind. She asks her if she still loves Nick. She replies that she doesn't know. Gloria goes on to say she knows he loves her, that he must do because he turned Eva down when she was offering herself on a plate on the night of the wedding, and most blokes don't turn down something that easy.

Leanne reminds her that he still slept with Kylie, and Gloria agrees, but tells her she would have been even more hurt if he had slept with her sister. She goes on to say that a big part of this problem is Eva, because if she hadn't opened her big gob at the wedding, Nick wouldn't have known she still had feelings for Peter, and none of this would have happened. Nick wouldn't have ended up legless and in bed with Kylie. Leanne agrees, calling Kylie a little skank, but Gloria stops her, saying she was just as bad, by stopping the car on the way to her own wedding, and running up the stairs to Peter's flat. In Gloria's opinion, they are quids. Leanne is deep in thought.

Nick is just on his way upstairs to have a bath when the doorbell rings. Gail goes to answer it, and is surprised to find Leanne on the doorstep. She wants to speak to Nick, and he is only too happy for Gail to take his bath as he wants to speak to Leanne too.

The next scene is priceless, we are back in the Rovers with an even more drunk Liz, Eileen and Deirdre singing Karaoke, using as microphones a vinegar bottle, sauce bottle, and Deirdre has either a salt cellar or a dildo - I am not sure. They are raucously belting out 'Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves". Sean tries to shut them up by giving them bags of crisps, but they ignore him totally. Sean picks up a beeping phone, it's a text for Eileen from youngest son Todd, who tells her he is coming home for a week's visit. She is delighted, and the ladies throw themselves right back into the song, this time pulling Sean into the group to join in. He takes the vinegar bottle, so Liz has to upgrade to an empty wine bottle!

Faye is very quiet. Anna questions if she is alright, and she assures her she is, she is just a bit tired. Anna suggests she gives Grace a quick call to cheer herself up, but she is reluctant, saying she will text her in the morning. This is not like Faye at all, normally she is never off the phone to Grace.

Leanne and Nick are trying to have a conversation, but it is a little stilted. He asks how Simon is, and she tells him he will be OK, as sadly he has seen far worse from his father. Nick tells her that doesn't make it right, and intends to apologise to him.

She tells him to forget Simon for a minute, because she wants to talk to him. She goes on to say that seeing him so scared and vulnerable earlier made her realise she should be taking responsibility for what happened last Christmas. Before he can get his hopes up too much, she quickly adds that she is still fuming over what happened, and tells him it is mostly because it was Kylie. But it also made her realise she still loves him. With tears in his eyes, he tells her he really loves her too, and asks if this means she might take him back. She too has tears in her eyes, and tells him she thinks it does, but they should take baby steps.

He reminds her he now gets angry, so easily. She assures him she is big enough and ugly enough to cope with that. He looks at her tenderly, and tells her she is far from ugly, in fact she is beautiful. She chuckles, calling him a smooth talker, but takes him in her arms. He holds her tight and squints his eyes tight shut to stop himself from bursting into tears. He has his Leanne back, and he couldn't be happier.

Awwww.....

Christine Warren

Written by Julie Jones Directed by Alan Grint

Preparations are underway for the arrival of the prodigal son, Todd Grimshaw. Both Jason and Sean have been commandeered into giving up their lunch hour to clean and tidy. Jason is resentful. We learn that Todd had 9 GCSEs and Jason only had 2, one of which was Woodworking.

Roy is frantically scraping off wallpaper off the bedroom walls. Anna brings up some soup and a sandwich. Roy is up to his oxters in marigolds and hasn't really made as much progress as you might think considering he should have been working at it over the weekend and, by the way, he's not taken down the curtains. Anna reckons he's taken on too much. Roy is obsessed with finishing before she comes out of hospital on Friday. He's fixated on making it right for her, as she will be spending a lot of time in the bedroom before long.

Sally chivies Grace and Faye along while she and Tim come to Nick's door, bringing the girls to apologize. They do. Nick is sheepish and accepts the apology. But it's clear when they walk away that there in no way sincere. Grace and Faye overhear Sally and Tim planning a night in and Grace winds up Faye, telling her that Sally is keeping Tim all to herself. Faye asks if she and Grace can come over after school. Sally offers to get off work early and make them tea. She makes the girls feel welcome but neither one looks enthusiastic. They look like they're up to something. They walk away, insulting Sally between them. Grace tells Faye she needs to show her dad who's more important to him.

In the cafe, Gail is having a bacon sarnie, taking a break from "fine dining" she says. Mary offers her brown sauce or red. Gail opts for both. So much for putting on airs as she looks at the sandwich eagerly. Eileen and Sean come in, talking about Todd's impending arrival. Gail discovers that the load of groceries are to prepare for Todd's arrival. Eileen says he's coming back for a visit. Sean looks excited. Gail most certainly does not. Eileen brigs up Todd's job and asks after Sarah. Gail brags that she's just bought a new car and that she writes her every fortnight, the old fashioned way (paper and pen) and reckons she has an amusing turn of phrase... when she puts her mind to it. But when Eileen asks if she's told Sarah all about the latest with Kylie, Nick and David, Gail quickly makes her exit, much to Eileen's amusement.

Leanne and Kylie are both trying to help Nick. Leanne is at Number 4 to help Nick pack up to go home. He's worried she's getting in over her head but she assures him she loves him and it will all be fine. Kylie offers to help carry Nick's things but Leanne snaps at her. Kylie is trying to be apologetic, insisting that they all belong to the same family and need to find a way to move on from this. Leanne just orders her out of her face. Outside, Leanne brushes it off. One thing at a time. Just then a tall young man asks them where the Grimshaws live. Nick can't remember but Leanne points out Number 11. Apparently Nick is planning to go back to work a few hours a day. Leanne isn't so sure it's a good idea. The young man stands outside the door of number 11.

Inside Number 11, the lads are having sandwiches while Eileen floats around the house, excited. Jason growls that Todd only shows up once in a blue moon and gets the red carpet rolled out. Sean has to get back to work and then off for a shift in the pub. Eileen makes him go out the back way so he doesn't dirty the doorstep she's just scrubbed. There's a knock on the door but it isn't Todd. It's the young man who's angry and frantic to find Todd.

Anna and Mary are working in the cafe. Anna thinks there's something wrong with Roy, tracing it back to his and Hayley's earlier falling out. There's something they're keeping to themselves, Anna is sure of it. Roy comes through from the flat, dressed to go out. Mary asks if he's visiting Hayley. He's not. She asks about a book she'd lent Hayley which, after describing it, intrigues Anna but it seems Emily has the next claim on the exciting bodice ripper. Roy is out to buy paint and wallpaper. Anna asks him if he's all right but before he can answer Tim comes in for one of the all-day breakfasts. Anna tries to recruit Tim's assistance for Roy but Roy doesn't want it.

The young man insists Todd must be there as he has nowhere else to go. He's burned his bridges. Eileen and Jason are mystified. Jason grabs the guy and orders him to calm down. Apparently this man is Alex and thought he was the love of Todd's life but Eileen and Jason have never heard of him. That doesn't help matters. Alex calls Todd a liar.

After the break, Alex has calmed down. He's told them that Todd and Jules split up awhile back and they've been together for a few months. He was supposed to go on holiday to New York and was left waiting at the gate. Todd never showed up and Alex hasn't been able to contact him at all. He's been frantic that something happened to Todd. The flight should have been Friday. Eileen and Jason exchange a glance (that's when they got the text from Todd about his visit). Eileen just tells Alex that it's all news to her. Alex then says he got dumped shortly after by text but still hasn't been able to find Todd. This was the only place left. Alex wants his money (for the holiday and spending cash) back but he wants to know why he's been treated so badly as well. Eileen looks very shocked.

Anna and Mary discuss Roy's project. Anna doesn't think Roy will get the decorating done in time. She suggests that Mary go upstairs and do some clearing up but Mary, knowing her and Roy's contentious past, tells Anna it would be better if she does it. Anna doesn't want to lose her job. Mary decides she'll make the sacrifice in the name of friendship and takes some bin bags with her. Anna is now unsure.

Eileen asks how Alex and Todd met. Both floor clerks at the same company but then Alex reveals that Todd was sacked, obviously news to Jason and Eileen. Alex says Todd was lazy, selfish and a world class liar. Eileen and Jason get angry for Alex insulting Todd with out him there to defend himself and throw him out.

Kylie and Gail are talking in the cafe. Kylie is upset she's a single mother again. Gail assures her she's not alone this time. Kylie needs to find work and needs to get her life sorted. Gail agrees it would help her get her life sorted if she got back out there. Kylie really loves working but Leanne won't have her back at the Bistro. Gail thinks Kylie could wear her down. Leanne arrives just then so Gail urges Kylie to wear her down. Kylie takes her courage in hand and asks Leanne if she could come back to the Bistro. No chance, Leanne snarls.

Jason isn't sure whether to believe everything Alex has said but it's clear Todd doesn't tell his family anything. Eileen doesn't want to believe Todd is a liar. She brought them up better. Jason is unbelieving that Todd and Jules were split and that Todd was sacked but why would Alex come all the way from London just to tell them lies? Eileen insists there will be an explanation.

Roy has returned with bags and paint. He sees Mary come out from the flat with filled bin bags and isn't best pleased. Anna tries to placate him but he's angry and snappy. Mary apologizes, she only wanted to help. Roy slams the door on them.

Sally greets Grace and Faye after school. She enthusiastically promotes the dvd she's got for them, Dirty Dancing, as the best ever! Then Sally realizes the movie is a bit more racy than she remembered and thinks the better of letting them see it. She apologizes to the giggling pre-teens. She offers Spice World as an alternative. The girls don't look enthused but pretend to be and ask if there will be snacks like a real movie theatre. When there really isn't anything at hand, Grace cheekily asks if Sally could get something from the corner shop and Sally is more than happy to. Grace sucks up and Sally nips out.

Todd hasn't arrived yet and Jason thinks Todd might be avoiding them. But then there's a knock on the door. Eileen warns Jason not to mention Alex, she wants to hear Todd's version first. They open the door to the baby brother who comes in and hugs his mother and brother. So, Jason says, what's new? Todd says nothing! Hmm..

Grace says Sally needs to be taught a lesson. She grabs Faye's phone, calls Tim and makes Faye leave a message saying Sally's left them on their own and they think someone's trying to break in. Faye doesn't want to but Grace shames her into it so she does.

Anna comes in to find Roy sorting through his purchases. She admonishes Roy for being hard on Mary. She sits down and insists Roy tell her what's wrong. It's complicated. Anna thinks Roy should let his friends help him. Roy won't share. Some burdens can't be. Anna refuses to leave until he does. She may regret that!

Todd is sharing tea and biscuits with Eileen and Jason. They have filled him in on their news but Todd still maintains there's nothing new on his end. Eileen asks after Jules and is told he's fine, he couldn't come with Todd as he's snowed under at work. Eileen asks how's work. Todd again prevaricates that all is well and squirms out to have a bath. Eileen can tell Todd isn't "himself" and they both know he's lying.

Tvor

Written by Damon Rochefort and Directed by Alan Grint

Jason wants to know why his mum is taking the prodigal son's word for what's been going on but she'd rather do that than believe a total stranger. He offers to have a word with his brother but Eileen tells him to get down to the pub saying she'll get to the bottom of it her way.

Meanwhile, in the Rovers Sean's gaydar has gone into overdrive when he spots Alex behind the bar. But Alex is no mood for being chatted up and quickly puts Sean in his place. Liz thinks Sean may have misread the signals but just as she's about to try her charms on the handsome stranger Jason comes in. She looks intrigued when Alex apologises to Jason for what happened earlier and asks if he can join him for a drink.

Sally has popped into Dev's. There are no other customers so she stops for a chat with Sophie who is keen to show her some new tops she's just bought.

Over at Roy's he's getting himself in a state. He's frantically working on redecorating the bedroom but Anna knows he's using it as an excuse to avoid being with Hayley. She tries talking to him and reminds him how precious the little time they have left together is. She says he needs to make the most of it and Roy angrily replies he wants to make the most of it and that's the problem.

At Sally's house, Grace is putting her evil plan into action. Tim comes rushing round after receiving a call from the girls. They put their school drama lessons into practice, screaming that they thought they'd heard an intruder in the garden. "Where's Sally?" Tim wants to know. Grace innocently tells him she went round to the shop, leaving them all on their own ...

Anna is still with Roy, begging him to talk to her. She tells him what damage it did to Gary, bottling everything up inside when he came back from Afghanistan. Roy says whether he talks about it or not, Hayley still going to die. But Anna knows there's something more and finally Roy lets slip that it won't be the cancer that kills Hayley. "She's decided to end her own life before the cancer gets a chance to do so," he says, angrily. Realising what he's done Roy tells Anna that he shouldn't have spoken and begs her not to say anything. He leaves Anna standing in shock as he returns to his decorating.

Over at Eileen's Todd comes down after his bath. He's still trying to make out nothing's up, even when Eileen comments it's a shame Jules couldn't join him. He offers to get her a glass of wine but as he hasn't brought any with him it looks like he'll have to go to Dev's. He says he hasn't had time to get to the cash machine. Eileen tells him there's one in the shop. So then he says his card is upstairs. With a resigned look, Eileen tells him it's alright, she'll lend him a fiver.

Back at Roy's he overhears Anna on the phone to Owen. She's only rung him to say she'll be late but Roy is distraught to think she may have betrayed his confidence. She swears she won't tell a soul but Roy is beside himself with worry at how Hayley will react if she discovers he's told someone of her plans. He returns to his decorating in an even greater state of turmoil.

Sally returns from the shop and is shocked to discover Tim is there. It looks as though Grace's plan has worked because he's not best pleased to have discovered that she left the girls on their own and now he's going to take them both home. As if butter wouldn't melt, Grace thanks Sally for having her.

Nick's at work in the Bistro but his memory problems mean that he's struggling to do the figures. As things are quiet, Leanne suggests he should go home for a rest but before he can take her up on the idea an unexpected large party of women arrive, hoping for a table.

Todd's make the most of a home cooked meal with his mum. She chooses the opportunity to mention Jules again but Todd refuses to take the bait and continues to make out all is well.

Over in the Rovers Alex is giving Jason the lowdown on his relationship with Todd. We see Liz listening in as Alex explains how Jules dumped Todd when he found out about his relationship with Alex. Sean comes in from running an errand for Liz and comments that not only is Alex barking up the wrong tree with Jason, he's in the wrong forest. Liz takes Sean to one side and tells him what she's overheard. Desperate for the lowdown, Sean goes over to give their table a wipe. Before Jason can stop him, Sean asks Alex if he and Todd had a row on the train on the way up. Alex is furious when he realises that this means Jason knew Todd was coming and that he lied to him. "What have I said?" asks Sean as Alex storms out.

Someone is banging on Eileen's front door. She goes to open it and Alex barges in. He confronts Todd and accuses him of stealing his money and then running home to mummy. Todd tries to make out he doesn't know what he's on about."Oh yes you do," says Eileen before telling Todd that Alex has already been round.

At the Bistro things are getting busy and Leanne and Gloria are struggling to keep up with the large party's drinks orders. When Nick comes over they start to flirt with him. He's delighted to discover that he hasn't lost his charm so Leanne agrees to let him stay and help and tells him to get behind the bar.

Back at Eileen's Alex is demanding his money back. He tells Todd he lent him £500 for them both to go on holiday to New York because he thought they were a couple, not for him to take it. Eileen gets out her cheque book, much to Jason's fury, and pays Alex the money Todd owes him. After he's gone she turns to Todd and tells him she needs some answers and this time she wants the truth.

Over at the Bistro it's getting even more chaotic. Nick is starting to struggle with the noise level and he drops a plate of food. At that moment Kylie arrives, dressed and ready for work. Leanne wants to know what she's doing there. Gloria says she asked her to come in. Leanne is really annoyed but Gloria says they need help and suggests they just get on with it and then go back to taking chunks out of each other after the evening service is over.

Todd is giving Eileen and Jason his side of the story. According to his version he lost his job due to the recession, Jules became a control freak after which he started seeing Alex, Jules threw him out, Alex planned the trip to New York, it all became too much and he decided to come home. Jason announces he's not buying into Todd's story and he's off to spend the night with Eva. Eileen questions this as it's his brother's first night home. "I guess I can't compete with a blow-up doll," muses Todd.

Sally's at home anxiously waiting for Tim to come back. When he does, he tears her off a strip for leaving the girls on their own. He says he may not win the prize for parent of the year but he doesn't want to give Anna any more ammunition against him. Even the promise of a night in watching Dirty Dancing isn't enough to appease him and he leaves Sally to spend the evening on her own.

Back at the Bistro Leanne is complaining to Gloria about Kylie being there and she hopes it's for one night only. But Gloria points out she's being a bit short-sighted. Nick may have slept with Kylie but he's hardly likely to do it again after the palaver it caused last time and with Kylie back at work, Leanne will be able to spend more time with Nick. Plus, Gloria suggests, Leanne can give her all the worst shifts and the jobs she doesn't want to do. Leanne perks up considerably at this thought and announces that she and Nick should take the rest of the night off since Gloria and Kylie seem to have got everything under control. Nick and Kylie are both somewhat taken aback at Leanne's sudden change of heart but it looks like Kylie has her old job back and, for the moment at least, everyone seems happy with the new arrangement.

Now that they're alone Eileen tells Todd how disappointed she is in him and says that she barely recognizes the son she thought she knew. Their conversation is cut short by the arrival of Sean, full of the joys and keen to catch up with Todd. But Sean realises all is not well and beats a hasty retreat to the kitchen. Eileen wants to know why Todd has been lying to her and he turns the tables on her. He accuses Eileen of putting him on a pedestal for years and says that's why he felt the need to lie to her because she always expected too much of him. Sean tries to get Todd to calm down but he's really angry and says that if all of this is anyone's fault then it's Eileen's.

Karen

Owen tells Anna he hasn't got any work, so he will make sure 'madam' gets to school ok. Anna seems a little distracted, so he reassures her, saying that his work worries shouldn't be hers, and they'll be ok.

Anne then goes to the cafe, where Roy tells her that he shouldn't have shared the confidence with her, and asks her to agree not to discuss the matter further. Then he asks if she'll hold the fort later so he can get on with the wall papering.

Over at the Grimshaw's, Todd tells Eileen he's sorry for what he said, and offers to make her scrambled eggs. She's annoyed that he told her bare faced lies, and says she's not hungry. Todd admits that he's let everyone down, and says he'll just go. Eileen says he can do what he wants, she's off to work.

Upstairs in the cafe, Roy is desperately trying to wall paper. Anna is there, she says that she's thought a lot about the stuff he told her about Hayley. She can now understand why he doesn't want to go to the hospital to talk to her. She feels that he needs support too, she can't bear to see him like this, but she can also see why Hayley would want to end her own life before things became too difficult, she wants some sort of control. She says that Roy must talk to her, but he says he can't.

Faye and Grace are walking down the Street with Owen. Faye is pleading with Owen to let her go to a gig with Grace and her cousin, but he says it's out of the question on a school night.

Amy is also walking down the Street with Steve. She tells him she's doing a project at school about Armistice Day. He says he could help.

Anna takes Gary and Owen up to the flat where Roy is still struggling with the wallpaper, and they offer to finish off for him, free of charge. Roy is doubtful about accepting charity, so Owen suggests he pay with free sarnies and all the tea they can drink. Owen then tells Anna about Faye and how she wants to go and see the boy band with Grace, but that he has said no.

Steve is in the taxi office, cutting and sticking toilet rolls and egg boxes. He tells Eileen and Liz that he's helping Amy with her project. Liz then asks Eileen how Todd is, and Eileen tells her that he's not the same lad that went away to London, the Todd she used to know would never steal from her, or lie to her face.

Roy is in the flat as Gary and Owen are finishing off the wallpapering, when Anna brings Hayley upstairs. Gary spots her and asks Roy when she's due back. He tells him Friday. "You sure about that?" says Gary. Hayley comes in and looks a little askance at the walls, and Roy hustles her out again.

After the break, Roy is trying to sound pleased to see Hayley, but he wants to know why she's home early and why she didn't call. She says they don't like people using mobiles and the payphone was busy. She looks around at the newly papered walls and doesn't look happy. Anna suggests Roy takes Hayley to the pub, and so off they go.

Sean and Todd are in the pub, Todd is trying to explain what happened with his boyfriend in London.

Roy and Hayley have arrived, she says she's glad he got professional help to finish the wallpapering. She says she wants to go and see Jane today, but he says it's not a good idea, she needs to rest, and won't consider the idea.

Todd tells Sean that Jules, his boyfriend, was a bully, and when he got fired from his job, Jules was delighted. He says with Alex he fell out of the frying pan into the fire, buy insists that he didn't steal money from Alex, he owed Todd money. He says the biggest mistake he made was to lie to Eileen about losing his job, but she was so proud of him he couldn't bear to tell her.

Michelle has returned and is in the back room of the Rovers. Liz comes in to see if Steve can give a hand out in the bar. She asks Michelle how it went in Ireland, was it mission accomplished? Michelle doesn't know if her parents will patch things up or not.

Roy and Hayley go back to their bedroom, where Owen and Gary are just finishing off. She forces a smile and says it looks homely. Roy takes Owen and Gary off to get them a meal, and Anna talks quietly to Hayley. She says she can see that Hayley doesn't like it, and she should tell Roy. "You two have to be honest with each other," says Anna.

Sean goes into the taxi office to see Eileen. He urges her to listen to Todd's side of the story. Eileen isn't impressed and says if he carries on she will disown him, like she has Todd. Sean says he doesn't think Todd will stick around much longer if they don't sort things out.

Sean walks out of the taxi office where Todd is waiting. He says that he's sure Eileen will come round in time.

Amy comes home from school and Steve tells her about the model he's made for her school project. He's sure she'll be amazed.

Anna finds Faye sitting quietly at home. Faye says she's had the worse day ever because Owen has said no to the concert. She's sure Grace will never invite her again. Anna asks who is taking Grace, and Faye tells her it's Grace's 20 year old cousin. She says the tickets cost 60 pounds, and she would have had one for free. Anna thinks for a moment and then says that because it is a one-off special occasion then she can go. Faye is delighted.

Sean is in the pub with Eileen, Jason and Eva. Just then Todd comes in and says he's leaving. Eva is sorry and asks him not to go. Eileen asks where he's going, he says he doesn't know, he's still got a few mates. Sean can't believe this is happening, and eventually Eileen asks him not to go, she wants him to stay.

Owen arrives home. Anna thanks him for being so understanding and not feeling undermined by what she has done. Owen looks at her. "What have you done?" he asks, "where's Faye?" Then he realises that she has gone to the concert. She promises that she will never undermine him again.

Roy and Hayley are in bed. She asks if the wallpaper was on special offer. They settle down to sleep, and Hayley says that sooner or later they will have to talk about things. "Yes," says Roy.

Anne Logan

Hayley is still grumpy - presumably about Roy redecorating and rearranging the bedroom without any input from her. I don't blame her. His selection of wallpaper is awful and looks as if he stole it from the 1980s. Her general grumpiness is partly because she was looking forward to coming home to her own bed and partly because the redecoration is just another instance where she's lost control, I think. We see the difference when she goes over to say hello to everyone at the factory. Things are just as normal there and Hayley is relaxed, happy and smiling.

Back home, she tells Roy they're going to visit Jane. He doesn't want to go. He wants Hayley to stay at home, safe, but she insists. She told Jane she was going to see her when she got back and it's been two days now.

When they set off, Hayley insists that Roy drive, even though he absolutely doesn't want to do it. His driving goes all to pieces and he bunny-hops and stalls the woody. Carla's cackling at this from the pavement and Hayley's impatient comments from the passenger seat don't help him.

At the hospice, Hayley's face brightens up and she's smiling as she opens the door to Jane's room. But there's nobody there. Hayley looks puzzled and turns to find someone who knows where Jane has gone. She sees Jeff, who tells her Jane died last night. Hayley's too late to see her friend.

I used to like Todd but he's turned into a nasty so-and-so since moving to that London. His head is so big it's a wonder he doesn't whack it on the streetlights.

He knows that Nick owns the bistro but isn't running it and wastes no time sauntering in there and sweet-talking Gloria. Despite everyone's propensity to gossip, she knows nothing of Todd's previous relationships with the Tilsley-Platt-Hillman-McIntyres. He persuades her that he has extensive experience working in bars and she agrees to give him a trial. He's demonstrating his cocktail-making skills when Nick and Gail walk in.

Faye is absolutely worn out - exactly what Owen said would happen if she went out on a school night. He tries to talk to her but she keeps her head down and won't listen as he warns her never to try playing him off against Anna ever again.

Later, she's in the cafe with Grace and they're making free with the condiments on their burgers. Mary, probably annoyed at this waste, tries to make her point in a cheery way and tells them ketchup doesn't count as one of their five-a-day. Both girls are completely puzzled by this and Mary's a bit flustered that her joshing comment hasn't been understood. She's even more flustered when Grace sneers at her. Mary hurries out of the cafe. Faye, starting to see what Grace is really like, tries to say that Mary's all right, really. But Grace doesn't tolerate dissent. She thinks anyone who lives in a camper van is weird and fair game. She thinks they should go and throw stones at it or something. Any anyone who disagrees with her is boring.

Steve's not having a good time. Liz and Michelle seem to be ganging up on him and Lloyd is also giving him a hard time. Luckily, Steve has something to be proud of - the model he made for Amy's school project about the Armistice. Unfortunately, when Amy arrives home without top marks for the project, he discovers he got the wrong war. The Armistice was World War I and his project model was based on World War II.

Liz and Michelle think this is hysterical. He's annoyed. Annoyed and hurt. Annoyed and hurt and upset. He decides he's going to do something about his lack of knowledge and he browses information about courses available at Weatherfield College.

The end.
Second episode coming soon.
Margaret Carr

Written by: Carmel Morgan
Directed by:Alan Grint

A tearful Hayley is telling Jeff how sorry she is to hear of Jane's death. He tells her it's hard to deal with, even though they knew it was coming. He goes on to say that she thought the world of Hayley, and had told him she was a true friend.

This upsets Hayley, making her feel even more guilty for not getting there sooner, even though Jeff assures her they both knew she had problems of her own to deal with. He tells her they had upped her morphine, which made her peaceful, but not really her, and then she just slipped away. Hayley is taking this all in with wide eyes.

In the Bistro there is another awkward situation going on between Nick and Todd. The latter tried to make light of the situation, telling Nick he is pleased to hear he is up and about. Nick looks at him coldly and demands £7.25 for the cocktail. (Wow! Remind me not to drink any cocktails in the UK) Todd protests, saying he was just making it to show what he could do to get the job, but Nick just repeats that he wants £7.25 from him.

Todd pleads with Nick and Gail to cut him a bit of slack, after all it was ten years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Gail remarks that it still feels like yesterday. Nick reminds him that he broke Sarah's heart, and caused her to lose her baby. Todd reminds him that it was his baby too. Gail tells him there must be plenty of other bars only too happy to snap him up, and Nick suggests he try Timbuktu.

Todd turns to Gloria and tells her he also started the war in Afghanistan, and masterminded the hole in the ozone. Gloria's response is to hold her hand out to him and ask him for £7.25. He pays her under protest, telling Nick he never meant to hurt Sarah, he had been just a frightened kid back then who was only just realising he was gay. He holds his hand out in friendship, which is totally ignored by Nick, so he makes a hasty retreat, telling him it's his loss.

The devil child Grace, Faye and Simon are hiding behind some bushes, and Grace is lobbing stones at Mary's camper van, ducking down and giggling when she opens her window asking who is there.

Finally, she has had enough and comes running out, demanding to know who is doing this to her. She shouts out a warning that they had better cease and desist or they will be sorry, but her voice betrays a tremble that is not missed by the horrible Grace, who tells Faye she is a nutter, and she agrees. Grace tells 'Baby' Simon that he is throwing the next stone, but he has had enough and takes off home.

Roy and Hayley pull up in the Woody, and while Hayley sits thinking about Jane with tears in her eyes, Roy witters on about getting his suit dry cleaned by express service for the funeral. He asks her if there is anything she would like dry cleaned.

She bitterly asks him if that is all he has to say, she missed saying goodbye to her friend because of him, and all he can talk about is his flippin' suit. He tells her he is sorry, and admits it is of no use now, but he is - very sorry. Hayley is in no mood to accept his apologies though, saying she had only rested because he had insisted, and she hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings. Roy protests, saying she had only just come out of hospital, and needed to rest. She cuts him off, telling him that may be so, but she was alive, which is more than can be said for Jane. She bitterly tells him it is her fault, she should have gone on her own instead of worrying about him.

Going into the cafe, Anna asks after Jane's health, and is very sorry to hear of her death, telling her it's a shame. Hayley, looking straight at Roy tells her it's not a shame, it's a flaming disgrace, and heads upstairs. Roy turns away, which causes Anna to remark that she probably needs his support. "Paperwork to do", says an upset looking Roy.

Mary is now in the Kabin where Norris has given her a cup of tea to calm down. She relates to him and Emily the tale of the stones, and is pretty sure it is the work of girls. Norris is very angry on her behalf, saying they should set about catching them in the act and film it for evidence. Emily agrees, saying they can then show it to their parents.

Anna has joined Roy at the table where he is doing the books. She wants to know why he is not upstairs with his wife in her hour of need. He explains about forcing his will upon Hayley on Wednesday when she had wanted to visit Jane, and that now she can't forgive him. Anna assures him he wasn't to know Jane would die, and is sure Hayley will see that in time. Roy tells her she possibly might, but the one thing they don't have is time, and he is afraid he has done them irreparable damage. (While this conversation is going on, Extra Joel David is sitting at another table heartily tucking into a meal. I have been told that when it was Mary's theme nights, the food they served was excellent, I wonder if it is palatable when the focus is not on the food? He certainly appeared to be enjoying it.)

In the Rovers, Steve as usual is the butt of everyone's jokes about him going in for higher learning. He tries to show his ability for history by telling them he bets they think Jane Seymour was Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. They all agree she was. So he haughtily points out that the original Jane Seymour was Henry VIII's third wife. Instead of getting any respect for that pearl of wisdom however, Lloyd remarks that if she is over five hundred years old, it's no wonder she has that long hair. Cue more hilarity from Liz and Michelle, so Steve calls them Philistines. Lloyd asks him to spell Philistines, but our Stevie doesn't attempt that one. Michelle wants to know how he plans to hold down two jobs and keep up with his course work at the same time, but Steve isn't worried about that, feels where there is a will, there is a way.

Hayley is frantically trying to move their bed back where it used to be. Roy comes in and is horrified she is overdoing things like this. She angrily tells him it was all wrong where he had moved it to, and had to get it back. He assures he he will do it right away. Not pacified, she angrily asks him if he can travel back in time too? Can he go back to last Wednesday when she had wanted to see Jane, and he had fobbed her off.

In tears, she pulls herself up short, telling Roy she can hear herself being horrible. He contradicts her, saying he deserves her wrath because he was in the wrong. She looks around the room in utter despair, saying it was her home, it was where it was the two of them against the world, and now it's all different - everything is different.

Roy tries to justify it, saying he thought it was high time he spruced the place up. She bitterly bites back that they both know where his thinking gets them. Sinking onto the bed, she tells him she has been the happiest in that room. He agrees with her, saying he has too. They both reminisce about what they love about being in that room, their books, snuggling up together, going to sleep listening to the shipping forecast. (Really? LOL) Hayley then points out she has only been home two days, and both have been spent going to sleep back to back. Poor Roy only begins to say "Don't..." and she snaps at him, saying he is policing her again, stopping her from saying things he doesn't want to hear. She wants to know why he can't throw some of his wisdom and compassion her way as she is his wife - his dying wife.

We go into the break with the sight of Roy sitting with his head bowed into his hand.

Todd is sitting on Maxine's bench looking glum. Julie comes along and sits down beside him, wanting to know what is upsetting him. He tells her his woes about not being able to get a job, so she excitedly tells him she has already spoken to her bosses at Underworld, and they have agreed to take him on in the Packing Department. Instead of being thrilled, he is disgusted she thinks he would be suitable for a menial position like that. He had thought she would get him in as Assistant Manager at the very least. Julie is hurt at having her efforts on his behalf thrown back in her face, and beats a hasty retreat.

It is a little later in Roy and Hayley's bedroom now, but she is still sitting on the bed lost in thought. Roy brings her a drink, asking if he can sit beside her. He apologises once again, telling her he knows it was unforgivable what he did. She sadly smiles and shakes her head, telling him it wasn't unforgivable, she can see in his eyes he is terrified. He asks her what she would have said to Jane if she had seen her in time. She says she would have just thanked her for her friendship, and said goodbye. She then tells him to stop beating himself up over it. He tells her he is really trying, but keeps getting it wrong. She replies that she has two legs and a car, she should have just gone on her own.

They talk about the redecorated room, he tries to explain he had done it as a nice surprise for her. She tells him it was a lovely thought, but they are not reading each other very well at the moment. Roy apologises once again, saying now of all times they have to do better. Hayley tells him she doesn't need him to be sorry, what she needs is for him to understand why, when the time comes, she is going to take control. His lips tighten, as he realises it is now a definite plan of hers. "I see!", he curtly says, and gets up to leave the room.

Hayley quietly mutters to herself "That's right, walk away, very helpful. Give me strength!"

Back out on the street, Grace is busy with what looks like a can of shaving cream. She is writing 'Hairy Mary' on the back window of the camper van. She is calling Faye an idiot because the can is already running out before she can finish her nasty message. Faye protests she didn't have enough money to buy a bigger can. Just then, who should come round the corner but Norris, Emily and Mary, catching them in the act. Grace shouts at Norris that if he touches her she will sue him, then tells Faye to run for it. They run in two different directions, but unfortunately for Faye, she runs right into Owen who demands to know what is going on. She tells him the pensioners have lost the plot, but Norris is quick to let him know that she and Grace have been persecuting Mary.

Emily tries to let Faye know how upset Mary has been over her antics, but the lying little madam tells them all it was kids from the Sacred Heart School. Protesting that she is innocent, Owen tells her that her mother will be the judge of that, and telling Norris et al he will be in touch, he marches her home.

Roy is escaping reality in his crossword puzzle, but a nine letter word is eluding him. Hayley takes a look, figuring if he can't get it, she doesn't stand a chance, but eureka - she comes up with the word 'bountiful'. Roy is very impressed and thanks her, but she tells him it was just a fluke. He chides her for always being too modest about her successes, but she contradicts him, saying she has never been modest about the fact she dances a mean tango.

She tries talking to him again, and starts by telling him her life with him has been bountiful. He agrees, saying his has been the same with her. She goes on to say she is glad Jane's nightmare is over. Roy points out she went peacefully with no pain. Hayley replies she died the way she had accepted it, the way she wanted it. She goes on to remind Roy that Jeff had said she wasn't herself at the end, and she is afraid if she ends up not herself, she might think she is Harold.

Roy feels that is too great a leap. Hayley argues he is being lofty again, but he tells her she is being selfish. She earnestly tells him she has spent decades fighting for the right to live as Hayley, and demands to know why he is making her fight for the right to die as Hayley. He tells her the last thing he wants is for them to be at loggerheads at a time like this. She then begs for him to let her take control, because if she dies as Harold, then it will be no death at all, she will be like one of the specials on the blackboard downstairs, rubbed out. She earnestly explains that the cornerstone of a good life is to be comfortable in your own skin, he agrees with her on that, she goes on to tell him it is also the cornerstone of a good death for her.

He tries to tell her she can't predict what it will be like for her at the end, and she tells him that he can't either, he can out-think her on many subjects, but this is the one thing he can't predict any more than she can. This subject is different, and she can't understand why he doesn't understand this one. She quotes "If you love someone, set them free", shaking her head, she tells him you can even get that one on a flippin' fridge magnet!

Faye is getting the third degree at home, but she is sticking to her story that she had nothing to do with it. Says she was only running because the old people were chasing her. They ask if Grace put her up to it, and she denies that, saying she had nothing to do with it either. After a lot of argy bargy, Anna asks her outright if she threw anything at Mary's motor home. Faye denies it, so Anna, much to Owen's surprise, tells her she believes her. She gets packed off to wash her hands, and a slight smirk is playing round her mouth as she heads upstairs.

Steve comes into the Rovers, and the bantering starts up again. He has enrolled in the European history 1914 - 1989 course, much to the hilarity of all within earshot.

Owen has called upon Mary to see if she is OK. He sits down and talks to her, trying to explain away Faye's behaviour by saying she has been led astray. Mary tells him a very sad story of being bullied at school, having been held down and taunted by the words "Hairy Mary, Fat & Scary", explaining this is why she has found this episode so upsetting, as it has brought it all back for her. Owen apologises to her, but Mary wants to hear the apology from Faye, not him. He tells her if he had his way, she would.

Lloyd has Steve to himself now, and wants to know more about the course. Turns out he is not going to be in college as often as he has led everyone to believe, giving him the chance to skive off, while everyone thinks he is in college. (Seems like they are trying to turn Steve into Jack Duckworth Mark 2, unfortunately Michelle will never be a Vera in a million years!)

Todd has found Julie in the Rovers, sits down opposite and apologises for his earlier behaviour. He tells her she was right, a job is a job, but he feels he wants to hold out for the right one as long as he can. She accepts his apology, and tells him she admires his ambition, offering to buy him a drink. He refuses, saying he doesn't have the funds to buy her one back. She offers to lend him £10, which he refuses, saying he doesn't want to get himself into debt. She then goes into her purse and hands him money, saying she is in birthday arrears as his aunt, and missed his 18th and his 21st birthday, so no arguments, take the money. He doesn't protest too much about that, and kisses Auntie Julie on the cheek.

Roy has been out, he returns with fish & chips, and by this time Hayley is in her housecoat. She is angry, telling him fish & chips will not shut her up, she feels like tying him to the chair to make him listen to her. He is angry too, saying he has been listening all too carefully, and her ingratitude is nothing compared to her selfishness. This stops Hayley in her tracks as if he has slapped her, but he goes on to say she has been hurling abuse at him as if he is some kind of Luddite, halting progress, when she is tacitly asking him to approve her suicide - because that is what it is, no matter how she dresses it up.

Recovering, she shouts back "And you would rather I died not knowing if I am Arthur or Martha, even though I have been there, done that and got the Y-fronts!" He screams back at her "Not only selfish, but now glib!" She tells him she is not being glib, she is being desperate - desperate for him to tell her he supports her in her decision, and won't keep her lingering on for a few days or weeks.

Roy is shouting now, and tells her "I don't want you to leave me a moment sooner than you have to!" She screams back at him that she doesn't want that either, but it is what she needs to do. He pleads with her, saying he wants to hold her warm hand for as long as he possibly can.

She looks at him with tears in her eyes, shaking her head, she tells him she doesn't understand why he is doing this to her, she feels she is losing him already. With that, she turns her back on him. Both emotionally shredded - and so am I.

Christine Warren

Written by Debbie Oates Directed by Peter Rose

Hayley discovers that Roy has been doing research into palliative care drugs and experiences of people in Hayley's position. He's not changed his mind yet but thinks that the research might help him understand and he might find evidence to challenge his opinion. He doesn't want to continue to have all this stress and this is his current solution. Hayley thinks it's a waste of time because her experiences are unique to her.

David started off in Tina's flat helping out. Now he's eating the last of the cereal and it's ticking her off.

Simon is winding up Peter and giving him a hard time while Peter is just trying to get him off to school because he's in a hurry, he's got an appointment to get his wedding suit fitted. Typical little boy. Tina comes along and helps pick up his discarded lunch items. Carla asks how she is and Tina immediately snaps her head off, assuming she's really asking about Tommy which was probably the furthest thing from her mind. Tina then apologizes and says she's trying to contact Tommy to find out if he's coming back or not. She also offers to take Simon to school as both Peter and Carla are late for appointments (Bessie Street is only round the corner. Why do all these children need walking or driving to school?) Tina's a lifesaver and Peter is ordered not to suck in his tummy. All seems well.

Hayley is getting ready for Jane's funeral. Roy is still nose deep into the laptop. Hayley apologizes for being harsh with him over Jane's death. No more time wasting over arguments. He admits that all his research only backs his argument up. Most of the drugs available can ease the sense of "flashback" but Hayley's not convinced and they are dangerously on the edge of another falling out. Roy tries to convince her that they are often at odds but have always been able to maintain a successful marriage.

Leanne comes in to see Peter and find out if Simon's ok. He's fine and Peter advises her to concentrate on Nick. He says Simon will be at home later and she can come see him then if she wants. She leaves as his phone rings, a message from the tailor who doesn't seem to have much of a sense of humour. He promises to come back and try on the trousers with the shoes he's picked up for the wedding. Peter reckons he'll have to get Deirdre to pick up Simon and Carla assures him she can manage at the factory without him for a few hours.

Tina sees David wandering around outside. Across the road, Todd is investigating a job he's seen in the newspaper. He promises to pay Eileen back every penny. He's skint of course so Eileen reluctantly passes over some cash. Back to Tina who's berating David for not trying to find a job. He wines about not being able to get his clothes so she lends him 30 quid to get a shirt and get cleaned up. Why would Kylie want him back, the state he's in?

Simon and Peter are having something to eat in the cafe for their dinner. Grace and Faye come in and Simon doesn't seem overly pleased to see them. Peter mentions Deirdre picking up Simon but maybe he can go to Faye's later and hang out. They tell him they're watching a dvd and pretend it's Toy Story as Peter was concerned for Simon's younger age status. (not by much, really, two years or so?) They leave. Grace tells Faye it's ok if Simon comes over, if they get bored he'll be useful.

Roy and Hayley are en route to the funeral. Hayley stops the car and is in tears. Roy realizes he's partly to blame. She can't understand why he can't accept how she feels and her fears of reliving Harold's life. He points out it was only a nightmare she'd had that put this in her head, not reality. That was the wrong thing to say. He wonders what happens if her fear of reverting turns out to be unfounded, why lose precious time? Hayley admits her life is wonderful now after a dark beginning. She doesn't want to have to look backwards and if feels like he's pulling her into the past.

After school, Owen finds Faye, Grace and Simon watching a dvd turned up loud. Grace sneers and tells Faye that Owen is nothing to do with her, her adopted mother's boyfriend. Simon is bored and the girls tell him to go nick some sweets from the shop. Faye lies that she's done it before. They shame him and embarrass him, ridiculing him as a "baby".

Roy and Hayley have been at the funeral. She assures her that she's ok. Apparently Jane made a recording to be played at the service. Roy shudders at some of the macabre jokes Jane had apparently made in her speech. Hayley counters that with some of the nice things Jane said. They go to find Jeff and the children to speak to them before they leave. There is a photo of Jane when she was a girl next to one of her as an adult that gives Hayley pause for thought.

Sean finds Todd outside the corner shop. He tells Sean the ATM in the shop ate his card. Sean invites him for a pint but, seeing Eileen, he legs it. Sean is thoroughly sucked in by Todd's lies. Sean suggests that they ask Steve to hire Todd for extra shifts, Eileen would be the recipient of any money he makes anyway.

Simon is in the corner shop skulking around while Mary is advising Dev not to go to Karl's sentencing next week. There's no good can come of it. Simon nicks a handful of sweets but Dev has spotted him and chases him out the door.

At the reception, Hayley sees Jane's boys and goes to speak to them. The younger boy has heard Hayley's name and realizes Hayley is one of Jane's friends who is also ill. The older lad mutters about his mother not being in pain at the end due to the medication but the younger boy is upset and angry, pointing out their mother was talking nonsense and didn't know them. He runs out while Jeff assures the older boy that Jane was just a bit confused and wasn't in pain. He recalls Jane smiling right at the end.

Dev wasn't able to catch Simon. He encounters Todd as he comes around the corner by the pub. Todd is a bit sarcastic about Dev being out of shape so Dev slings back one about Todd's lack of success. Point goes to the Devster on that one. Todd goes into the pub. Dev sees Leanne down by the shop where Mary is standing outside watching. She's the one that tells Leanne that Simon needs a lesson in right vs. wrong as Dev huffs and puffs up the Street towards them.

Jeff has found Roy and Roy expresses his condolences. He tells Roy that Jane planned the funeral herself and he'd lied and told her it sounded perfect when really, he admits he'd have done things differently. He thought Jane's idea of laughter was wrong for him, at least. He also admits he went along with religion for Jane's sake. Roy seems amazed that Jeff could so easily lie for the woman he loved. Hayley comes up and hugs Jeff.

Dev has Peter and Leanne in the factory office, telling them about Simon. He's really angry. Peter defends Simon as having been through a lot lately. Dev isn't going to the police this time and they promise it won't happen again.

Hayley finds Roy sitting on a bench outside the funeral reception. He tells her it's been a terrible day and he expresses his remorse at how they still seem to be so much at odds and hates that there is so much distance between them. Hayley says she can't change how she feels and he can't seem to understand. She asks him if there's any way he can find it in himself to support her decision.

End credits for this half

Tvor

Once again this episode is prefaced with the warning that it contains some scenes that some viewers may find upsetting.

Written by Debbie Oates and directed by Peter Rose

Roy and Hayley have just left the reception following Jane's funeral and Roy is counting his paces along the road. When he gets to 18 he says it's the same as the number of steps from the kitchen to his bedroom when he was a child and that he used to count them when his parents were arguing. Hayley doesn't know how to react to this so she walks away, saying they need to fill up with petrol. As she does so Roy calls out to her. "I will support you," he says. "I will support your decision."

Hayley looks shocked and asked Roy what has changed. He tells her that it's everything that's happened today and that they must keep facing forwards together. "You'll let me take control of it all at the end?" asks a stunned Hayley. Roy confirms that is what he is saying. He then announces that they must go home before Hayley's too tired to drive. "Thank you," says Hayley as she gently touches Roy's face.

Tina encounters Kylie in the street. She wants to get her to talk to David but judging by the reaction she gets there's a long way to go before Kylie will even contemplate breathing the same air as him, let alone enter into a conversation.

Todd's in the Rovers, bemoaning his lot to Sean. He needs a job and he'd rather be anywhere than boring old Weatherfield. Then lo and behold Eileen comes in with some good news. Or at least she thinks it's good news. She's managed to wangle Todd some shifts at the cab office. Todd fails to look overcome with excitement at the prospect.

Anna is waiting at the cafe for Roy and Hayley to get back from the funeral. When they come in Hayley seems quite upbeat under the circumstances whereas Roy clearly has something on his mind. As she leaves Anna mentions they need some more kitchen cleaner but says she'll pick some up on her way into work in the morning.

Carla and Peter are walking from the factory across to the Rovers discussing the complications of their life at the moment and how it's affecting Simon. Carla says they just need a bit of practical help while Nick is taking up so much of Leanne's time. She mentions how Tina solved a problem that morning by taking Simon to school. Peter tells Carla she's a genius as he takes her hand and pulls her into the Rovers.

Upstairs in their flat Hayley is in an almost chirpy mood. She reminds Roy that in an earlier conversation he mentioned one of the few things they disagree on is the best way to cook an egg. After explaining to Hayley he prefers the vortex method for poaching an egg, Hayley vows to do it Roy's way from now on. Having sorted that one out Hayley suggests they should look at other things they disagree on and says they might learn more about each other that way. Roy observes they agree on far more things than they don't. Hayley says she doubts there will be anything harder to find common ground on than they did today. She looks at Roy and asks whether he's sure about it and whether he wasn't just saying it. He confirms he meant what he said. Hayley acknowledges it's not going to be easy. "Of course not ..." begins Roy, looking awkward, and then says he needs to go out to buy the spray cleaner. Hayley tries to tell him Anna will get it but Roy is unable to continue the conversation and needs an excuse to get away.

Over at Faye's, Simon comes bursting in through the back door looking scared. He just manages to sit down on the sofa with the girls before Owen comes downstairs to answer a knock at the door. It's Leanne looking for Simon. She tells Faye and Grace she hopes they didn't put Simon up to anything before explaining to Owen that Dev caught Simon trying to steal something. Simon is really upset and tries to protest that he didn't take anything but Leanne marches him off home. After they've gone Owen asks the girls what they know about what's been going on. Showing off in front of Grace, Faye tells Owen they've no idea what he's on about and then tells him to stop looking at them both with "starey eyes".

Anna's on her way home with some bags of shopping when she spots Roy in the street looking upset. She gets him to sit down and asks him what's up.

Roy explains to Anna that he agreed to go along with Hayley's wishes. He's now in turmoil because he lied when he said he agreed with her. Anna thinks that anything's better than Roy and Hayley arguing and says that Hayley still might change her mind. Roy is adamant she won't but Anna disagrees and tells Roy Hayley needs to feel in control. Roy wonders if he should go back and talk to Hayley again and beg her to reconsider. Anna says that only he can decide that but that what he must do is to be kind to himself and be kind to Hayley, too.

Peter and Carla go into the Rovers with a proposition for Tina. They ask her if she'd be willing to take Simon to school in the morning and pick him up when she's not working. Of course Peter would need to run it past Leanne first but with David not paying her any rent Tina is more than happy to earn an extra few bob. Meanwhile her free-loading lodger can be seen at the other end of the bar knocking back glasses of neat vodka as if it's water (which, for the sake of Jack P. Shepherd's liver, I sincerely hope it is).

Roy returns home to find Hayley listening to Bach. She says she's trying to understand why he likes this sort of music as it's something else they disagree on. Roy starts to say that he's been thinking about today but Hayley stops him, assuming he wants to talk about the funeral. Hayley says it's been such a day that she wants it to end differently. For a moment Roy's face lights up and, realising he's misunderstood, Hayley says she's sorry, she wasn't meaning that. She explains that she would just like this particular day to end differently. She would like to spend the evening forgetting about anything to do with cancer or her treatment. Hayley asks Roy to try and explain what it is about his music that he loves. She says she wants to be challenged and when he's done that she'll try to explain her music to him.

Over at Anna's Faye and Grace are sending photos to each other on their phones while Anna questions Owen in the kitchen about what happened earlier. He explains that he was upstairs when Simon went out and that the girls are denying saying anything to him but Owen adds that it's clear who the leader is.

Back at Hayley and Roy's they've moved onto a Deep Purple album. Roy gets totally engrossed as he describes to Hayley an occasion when he first heard them on television playing alongside a full classical orchestra. He describes them as two species bound together by sound and says that it shouldn't work but it does. "Don't you think?" asks Roy. "Truthfully". Hayley begins to nod and then admits that she's a terrible liar. "Almost as bad as you," she adds before telling Roy that she loves it when he's passionate about something.

Leanne is over at Peter and Carla's reading Simon a bedtime story. After he's gone to bed they discuss what to do about the incident at Dev's. They decide to give Simon the benefit of the doubt but they'll make him apologise to Dev. Peter uses to opportunity to raise the subject of getting Tina to help out. Leanne doesn't have much choice in the matter but says that it's only until Nick's better and she can take over again. At least the three adults are managing to be reasonably civil to each other.

It's Hayley's turn to explain her music to Roy and she settles on Queen. As "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" starts to play Hayley feels moved to get up and dance but Roy is clearly struggling to feel inspired to join in.

In the Rovers Todd tells Sean he's skint so Sean offers to buy him a drink. Todd suggests he lends him £20 and says he'll pay him back when he's earned some money. Sean ends up giving him the money and tells him to put it towards paying back his mother. Meanwhile David's sitting in one of the booths getting drunker by the minute. He's distinctly the worse for wear so Sean decides the time has come to remove him from the premises.

Roy and Hayley are now sitting together on the sofa. As she lays her head on his shoulder she thanks him. "For what?" asks Roy. Hayley replies by saying that she's hated them fighting and him not understanding. She tells him that she hasn't changed her mind about the end but that by having to work so hard to persuade him that her choice is the right one has left her no room to share her doubts and be truly honest. "What do you mean about your own doubts and being honest?" asks Roy. Hayley starts to cry as she tells Roy it's so hard, she doesn't want to die and she doesn't want to leave him. "I don't want to leave life," sobs Hayley as Roy takes her in his arms. "Why did this have to happen?".

Karen

First thing in the morning, and Tina bursts into the living room where David is asleep on the sofa. She's furious because he's thrown up all over the bathroom floor, and just left it there. He struggles to wake up and tells her that he meant to clean it up but..... She says she lent him money to sort himself out, not get off his face. She rants that when Tommy gets back, he's out of there.

Over at Peter's flat, he, Simon and Carla are sitting down to breakfast. Peter hopes that he's not going to hear any more about Simon getting into mischief, and he reminds Simon that he's going to have to apologise to Dev. Carla asks how he liked having Tina walk him to school. Simon says it was ok. Peter tells him there's going to be more of that, and Simon seems fine about it.

Roy is in the cafe, making Hayley 'Eggs Benedict' for her breakfast. He tells Anna that he feels better this morning, he wants to make things perfect for Hayley, that's what is most important, his own moral niceties come seconds. Anna asks if he's ok with that, and he says he is.

Peter and Simon come out of the flat just as Dev is walking by. Simon apologises, and Dev warns him that next time he will call the police. Just then Tina appears, ready to walk Simon to school. Peter asks if she's heard from Tommy, she says she hasn't but she will soon.

Carla is in the cafe, talking to Hayley. She confesses to Hayley that she still hasn't got her dress sorted yet. Hayley suggests a second-hand designer dress, but Carla thinks that's not really her sort of thing.

Todd goes into the taxi office. Eileen tells him that he'll be doing what she is doing, this afternoon. He takes a biscuit from the jar. She warns him never to take the last one, it will cause resentment that will fester for years.

In the office at Underworld, Carla tells Peter about Hayley's idea for a second hand dress. He thinks that's a good idea, after all, she's only going to wear it once. She's still very anti the idea. She's looking online, and then sees just the dress she likes. She jumps up and rushes off to buy it.

Tina is in the cafe, leaving phone messages for Tommy to call her. David comes in and gives her a hundred pounds towards his keep. She asks where he got it. He assures her he didn't steal it. She throws it back at him, saying he can't buy any more time at her flat, she wants him to sort his life out. Just then Kylie marches in, furious because he's taking the money out of their joint account. She tells him that's to cover things he doesn't pay for any more, the bills and the mortgage. She snatches up the money and leaves.

Outside, Tina gets a call from Tommy. She tells him she's missing him, and regrets asking David to stay. She asks when he's coming home.

Deirdre is in the pub, telling Liz about all the things she can do now that Ken isn't in the house. Just then Tina bursts in, upset because Tommy has dumped her. She tells Deirdre and Liz that he's rung and said that he's not coming back. It's over for good.

Todd is in the taxi office, with Lloyd showing him what he has to do, and what he needs to ask when he's on the phone. The phone rings and Lloyd tells Todd to answer it. He takes the call and handles it very well. Lloyd is impressed, but Todd tells him it's hardly brain surgery.

Carla goes into the pub and tells Liz and Deirdre that she found the dress she wanted online, only to find that when she got there the dress has been discontinued.

Audrey has fetched Max from school and they are just getting out of the car when David comes along. Max is delighted to see him, but Audrey tries to hustle him away to the salon, she's got a cut and blow dry booked. David offers to look after him, first of all Audrey says no, but David and Max eventually persuade her otherwise.

Todd is at work in the taxi office, answering calls, munching on biscuits and doing something with his mobile phone, all at the same time. Lloyd comes in. "Multitasking?" he asks, sarcastically. Eileen comes in then and sees that all the biscuits are gone and offers to get some more. Lloyd isn't happy.

Carla goes into the cafe to buy a cake. She tells Hayley that the dress she wanted has been discontinued. Hayley jokes that she'd better look sharp or else she'll have to run one up for her. Carla stops and looks at her, then tells her that 's not a bad idea. Hayley says she was joking. Carla says she knows, but she's not. Hayley tells her she'll want something special. "Hayley, if you can't deliver that I don't know who can," says Carla. Hayley is a bit worried about the responsibility, but Carla says she has full confidence in her. They arrange to meet up in the morning.

Audrey is just finishing up in the salon when Kylie comes in, earlier than expected, looking for Max.

Carla and Peter are in the flat, and he's asking what would happen if Hayley dies before the dress is finished. Then he asks what will happen if it's not up to standard, it's hard to sack a dying woman. He then turns his attention to Simon and asks how he got on with Tina. Simon says she makes him laugh and she's good a football, so Peter says they'll carry on with it.

Max is in the flat with David when Audrey arrives with Kylie right behind her. Audrey takes Max out, and Kylie asks David what he's playing at.

Outside the Rovers, Liz tells Tina to take tomorrow off if it helps.

Kylie and David are having a full scale row when Tina arrives home. She tells Kylie to get out, and when she's gone she tells David to go as well. She shoves him out of the door, and slams it in his face, telling him to go and mess someone else's life up. Then she breaks down, sobbing.

Anne Logan

We begin this episode with Tina having a quiet cuppa. The door buzzes and she presses the button to say: "David, if that's you . . .!" It's not. It's Liz. She brought chocolate doughnuts to share for breakfast. It's what she had for breakfast in Spain. She asks how Tina is and Tina says she's fine and wants to make a fresh start and forget about Tommy. [cliche alert] "I've cried too many tears over that man." Yeah, and treated him like rubbish, though she doesn't mention that bit.

David's loitering with the intent of watching Gail, who's got Lily out in her buggy. He's so intent on watching them that he ignores Deirdre when she speaks to him. As he watches, Kylie comes running out of the house. She woke up to find the baby gone and thought David had snatched her. Gail explains they were out of milk so she took the baby with her. Gail lives about 20 steps from the corner shop so I have no idea why she took the buggy.

Sean and Todd bond over toast. Todd thinks Sunday in Weatherfield is boring but he also thinks going to London was a big mistake. Sean thinks he needs a proper night out and Todd agrees.

In the cafe, Hayley's surrounded by pieces of sketching paper and Roy's no use as all with ideas for wedding dresses. There's a hint of doom as she asks, "Do you think these sleeves are too puffy?"

Deirdre's in the Kabin where Rita's commenting that the Barlows get a lot fewer papers when Ken's away. Maybe it's affecting her profitability. Tina comes in and Deirdre asks how she is. Rita wonders why and Deirdre tells her that Tommy dumped Tina last night. She also makes it clear she's told several other people. When Deirdre's gone, Rita tells Tina she thinks she's more upset than she's letting on and gives her a hug.

Kylie, Gail and Nick discuss arrangements for picking up Max later on. Nick insists he doesn't need to be supervised.

On their way along the street, Julie hands Brian an envelope she found which had fallen down the back of the hall table. She gives him instructions on cleaning up the house ready for a visit from the fostering agency tomorrow.

Hayley's going off to show her designs to Carla. On her way she sees David counting his change at a cafe table. She's in such a good mood she gives him enough for a bacon sandwich.

When she's gone, Tina comes in and straight away refuses to listen to any of David's pleading. He asks her to sit and have a drink with him. She tells him straight that he can't move back in. He's the one who's brought all this trouble to her door. "You bring me down." David whines that he's lost everything. "Yes, me too," says Tina.

Eileen and Lloyd listen to Todd smooth-talking a taxi customer as he works the switch. When he's finished, he asks them to clarify the Streetcars biscuit policy. They explain carefully that the last biscuit is the last biscuit and nobody eats it. If there's another packet unopened, that means it's not the last biscuit. He reasons that if nobody eats the last biscuit, then the second-to-last is really the last biscuit and nobody will eat that. Eventually, the tin will be full of last biscuits that nobody can eat. Lloyd explains that that will never happen because "Big-Belly McDonald" will take the last biscuit because he ignores the rule. Todd tries his luck and asks for an advance but Lloyd explains that's another rule - work first, then get paid.

Tina's packing black bin bags full of Tommy's stuff into the bins when Izzy wheels along and asks her to come to lunch at Anna's. There's a big roast in the oven. David's listening in from around the corner.

Carla looks at Hayley's drawings - she thought they were just meeting to talk about ideas. Hayley says she thought it would be easier if they had something down on paper. She wants Carla to tell her the truth. She does "They're terrible!" She's on a roll and tells Hayley she'd look like a pirate in one design. Another is like a flashback to the '80s. Hayley, crushed, promises to get back to work producing something better. She goes and Julie comes into the office. Carla spills her distress, telling Julie Peter warned her about this. "I've just made the biggest mistake in the world. I've just asked a terminally ill woman with no sense of style to design my wedding dress." She says now her choice is to look like a sack of spuds or shatter Hayley's dreams and sack her.

In the cafe, Sean tells Marcus Todd's like the brother he never had. Roy's grumpy about Carla but Hayley's pleased - she feels that by being honest, Carla is treating her just as she would have before Hayley got ill.

Audrey's collected Max and is walking down the street talking to him about his spelling test. David's on Maxine's bench and sees them. He leaps up and calls to Max, who is delighted to see him. "Look at the state of you!" splutters Audrey, dragging Max away from David. David's upset but Audrey reminds him that he did this.

Carla looks over Hayley's designs again and screws them up.

In the cab office, Todd's on his own and takes a call for an airport run. There's nobody available. He suggests the customer try another taxi firm. They must have suddenly offered to pay extra because Todd asks what time the flight is and learns they'll be paying in cash then promises a taxi will be with them in 20 minutes. Eileen arrives for her shift as Todd snatches up some car keys and his coat. He says she's late and dashes out the door. Outside, he bumps into David and they snipe at each other in passing.

Hayley's frustrated as she realises she's a great machinist but a lousy wedding dress designer. Carla rushes in. She's got one of Hayley's pictures with her, though a little creased. She also has a picture of the dress she would have bought if she'd been able. She shows Hayley the top of Hayley's design on the skirt of the other and talks about adding some antique lace here, detail down the back, beading at the waist and a corset (completely different, of course) and tells Hayley that this combination of her design and the other design is perfect. This is the dress she wants. Can Hayley build it? Yes, she can!

Brian's in the bistro having a lager. He asks Nick for advice. He's applied for a job with a museum in Wales because he's sick of teaching. But the interview is tomorrow, which is when the person from the fostering agency is coming. Nick just gets confused so Brian asks Marcus. Marcus thinks he should tell Julie but Brian insists that's not an option. Marcus tells him Julie will find out - women always do. "I don't know how but they do." Brian agrees that total honesty is the only way to go.

Lloyd's in the cab office counting biscuits. He calculates Todd's eaten at least seven. And where are the keys for the spare car?

Liz gives Tina some advice as they stand behind the bar. "This is what we do. We dust ourselves down, pick ourselves up, paste of the slap and put on a great big smile for the punters." She thinks Tina looks a bit better. Tina gives credit to chocolate doughnuts and Anna Windass's roast lamb. Liz says she'll be in the back if needed.

At the bar, Deirdre talks to Peter about Carla's obsession with the wedding dress. David comes in and starts to complain to Tina about having no home and needing a drink. She tells him where there's a homeless shelter but he just gets angry. When she refuses to serve him because he's already drunk, David tries to force his way behind the bar to serve himself. All he wants is a drink before he goes, he insists. Peter grabs his arms and forces him outside. David struggles and shouts "Get off me!" He's let go but he draws back him arm and whacks Peter in the face as Deirdre and Tina watch. Peter holds his hand to his face and glares at David. David tells Peter to hit him. "Go on. You know you want to, so just give me what I deserve, right?" he challenges.

The end of the first half.
Margaret Carr

Written by: Joe Turner & Chris Fewtrell
Directed by: Peter Rose

Taking up where we left off, David is still being belligerent with Peter, he is really spoiling for a fight and grabs Peter by the arm. Gail, who has run over pleads with David to stop it, but he swings and lands one on Peter, who goes for him, causing Gail then to plead with Peter not to hurt him. Holding David by the collar of his jacket, he menacingly tells him he will let him have that one because he has been in his shoes and knows how it feels, but he is warning him to go home - now! With that he turns his back on him and walks back into the pub, leaving David staggering and shouting insults after him. Tina steps between David and the departing Peter and tells him to leave, right now. Deirdre turns to Gail, saying she doesn't know what that was all about, but David needs to sort himself out for everybody's sake.

Eileen is calling round all the drivers, asking whoever has the spare cab - which is apparently known as the Floozy, because she is anyone's - to call in. Nobody replies, although the call is heard by Todd - in the Floozy - who unplugs the speaker and turns up the radio full blast.

Gail is relating the story of David's drunken display to Audrey and Kylie. Kylie has no sympathy for him, but Gail tells her if Peter had waded in, she would have stepped in and taken every blow for him. Kylie is shocked, but Gail justifies it by saying she would do exactly the same for Max or Lily. Kylie tells her that is different because they are kids and haven't done what David has done.

Nick comes in and wants to know what they are talking about. He would like to know why Gail is upset about it, as it sounds as if David had it coming. Gail tells him she can't help it, she is his mother. He reminds her she is his mother too, and David almost killed him. Gail protests that David really regrets that, and is really beating himself up about everything. Nick is angry, and tells her he may never be the same again, and does she really expect him to care if his little brother is feeling down about himself. He then accuses Gail of forgiving David. She protests again that it's not about forgiveness. He then asks her what it is about then, forgetfulness? Because it is one of the few things he doesn't forget these days, in fact he will never forget.

Audrey asks Nick to calm down, as it is not doing him any good. He agrees, saying the whole thing is making him sick. He then asks Kylie to do an extra shift later, as that was what he really came round for. She agrees, so he leaves. Gail calls after him to wait, but he slams the door in her face.

Inside the Rovers, Tina is patching up Peter's brow where he is still bleeding a little from David's lucky blow. Liz comes in, having heard about the to-do from Sean, and blames Peter. Deirdre immediately puts her straight as to who was to blame, and Liz is quite impressed to hear that Peter was quite restrained with David. She invites Deirdre to bring her wine through to the back, as she is due for a break.

I would like to go on record here and now by saying I love having Liz back behind the bar, she has fallen back in like she was never away, and everyone seems to gel with her in a way they never did with Stella. All is well again in my world!

Carla is above the cafe talking wedding dresses with Hayley, who offers her a glass of wine. Roy cautions that drinking wine might not be wise, as it could impair their judgement. Hayley continues pouring, telling him they are designing a wedding frock not landing a 747.

Carla asks Roy's opinion on the design, and although he admits fashion is not really his area of expertise, he comes over to take a look, dripping water on the designs and sending his wife into a frenzy. She dries them off, then Carla shows her a swatch of the silk she plans to use, very expensive, but will look well worth it. Hayley holds it to her cheek, and is about to give her opinion when they are rudely interrupted by Roy noisily blowing his marigolds the right way out. He catches the daggers Hayley is glaring at him, and takes the hint, saying he will leave them to it. Through gritted teeth, Hayley tells him "I think that would be best."

In the Bistro, Brian is pouring his heart out to poor Marcus, whether he wants to listen or not. He is telling him he only wanted to become a teacher in the first place because he saw the film "Goodbye Mr. Chips", complains it was nothing but propaganda, that teachers are not the heroes he was led to believe. He goes on to tell Marcus that Mr. Chips had never cowered under his desk while a twenty stone tattooed tiger mother tried to break down his office door, or read unrepeatable things about him on the toilet walls. He wails he really needs a break from the endless paperwork, the aggravation and the children - which in a nutshell is fostering. Marcus points out that he should be telling Julie all this, not him, and besides, some people have good experiences fostering. Brian tells him he knows he wouldn't because his bottle's gone, and kids can smell fear at a hundred paces.

Eileen and Lloyd are still talking about the missing cab. He asks her if she thinks Todd could have taken it, but she is sure he wouldn't without asking. Lloyd thinks he would because he took the last biscuit without asking. He wants her to phone him to check, but she has already left three messages, and his phone isn't switched on. Lloyd figures if Todd didn't take the keys, he must have left the office unattended allowing someone else to take them. Eileen protests he wouldn't have done that either, but Lloyd takes out his phone and calls the police to report the cab stolen.

Over in No. 8, Gail is still trying to get Audrey and Kylie on side regarding David. She feels they can't just ignore the situation, he's family and is destitute with nowhere to go. Kylie tells her she doesn't care, he's dead to her, she just wishes his corpse wouldn't keep popping up round every corner.

Gail figures he will be dead shortly if they don't step in and help him. Audrey feels everyone is getting a little over-dramatic. Kylie asks Gail to lay her cards on the table, and she does. She tells her she can't bear to think of her son living on the streets. Kylie is incensed, asking her if she expects them to put out the red carpet for him. Gail says she doesn't expect that, but they can't do nothing. Kylie angrily tells her to fetch him back then, and they will all live as one happy family - however, it's pretty obvious she is being sarcastic.

Eileen and Lloyd are talking about how long it is likely to take the police to get onto the job when Todd comes in, asking why they are talking about the police. Lloyd asks him if he knows anything about the missing cab, and Todd gasps, saying he is very sorry, he forgot to put the keys back after having to move it to Mawdsley Street. He spins them a yarn about a huge lorry that couldn't get through. Lloyd is skeptical, saying no lorry had ever had trouble getting by before, but Eileen tells him alls well that ends well, and he should get back to the police right away.

As soon as Lloyd leaves the office, Todd, who knows full well his mother wasn't fooled for a minute, thanks her for covering and kisses her on the cheek. She is angry with him though and brushes him away, saying it had better not happen again because she wouldn't stick her neck out for him another time. He's not bothered though, and leaves with a smirk on his face. Ooh this lad has become such a nasty piece of work, that London did him no good, no good at all!

Gail, Audrey and Kylie are waiting for David to arrive. Gail tells Kylie she knows this is hard for her, because forgiveness isn't an easy thing to do. Kylie snaps that she never said anything about forgiveness. A knock on the door, and in comes David. Gail smiles at him, and tells Kylie he is here. She murmurs she knows he is, as she can smell him already. He apologises for the state he is in, saying there were no ensuites on the Red Rec. Gail tells him to pop upstairs and get cleaned up.

"Not so fast", says Kylie. He tells her he realises she probably has a few ground rules, and is ready to abide by them. She says she does, and he'd better listen carefully. "If you ever set foot in this house again, if I ever see you on this street again, if you come near me or my kids, if you try and contact us in any way, I swear I will spill my guts to the police so fast you will have a roof over your head alright, you'll have it for ten years to flamin' life!" David pleads with her not to do this, and Gail whimpers that he has nowhere else to go. "Yes he has", says Kylie. "It's called 'somewhere else', and if he hasn't gone there by the time I get my shoes on, I will be calling 999". With that, she flounces upstairs, leaving both David and Gail standing there with open mouths.

We are next treated to a very good rendering of 'Uptown Girl' by Sean who is ironing while dancing and singing at the same time. Todd comes in and applauds his taste in his mother's music. Sean assures him it was before his time too, then suggests different places they could go tonight. Todd tells him he is not really in the mood for clubbing or anything, and was thinking more of taking his mother out for a meal at the Bistro. Sean's face drops, saying if he would rather have a family night, he will bow out then; but Todd strokes his arm, saying he wants him there too of course, as he is like family. Giving him a big hug, Sean is won around. Todd then pushes his luck a little further by getting Sean to iron his shirt for him too.

Tina is on her break, sitting drinking her tea in the smoking shelter when she is joined by Peter. They talk about David, and she tells him he is nothing but trouble, and seems to swing from one crisis to another. Peter tells her at least life is never boring with David unlike his own life. Tina playfully chides him, saying he has it all. He is marrying someone he loves, has a great job and a smashing kid. He tells her if that is what she wants, there is no reason why she can't have it, she just has to go out and get it. She thanks him, but says she isn't looking for anything like that at the moment, she just wants to get wrecked and dance the night away. He tells her he has just the place for her to do that. She will have to sit through a wedding first, but there will be a cracking party afterwards. She asks if he is inviting her to his wedding, and he tells her he is, and that she just might get lucky there. She tells him she won't hold her breath, but would love to come.

Marcus is still trying to get away from Brian in the Bistro, telling him he really has to go. Brian tells him he was flabbergasted when he got together with Maria. Marcus replies that he was too, but love is like that, it takes you by surprise. Brian muses that should his own sexuality be negotiable, he would always go down the male route. When asked why, he continues he could never talk to Julie like he has with Marcus tonight - like man to man. He waxes lyrical on the joys of doing the bedroom thing, then instead of falling asleep, thrash out the discussions of the day. Marcus is a bit taken aback, and tells him that women have opinions too, Julie included. Brian then notices his girlfriend coming through the door, and remarks he knows she does, and thinks he is about to hear them. Marcus asks if that means he is going to tell her, and he says he has no choice, he has to do the deed.

Along with Julie, Eileen and the two lads have arrived too. Eileen figures the meal is going to be on her, but Todd tells her he has it covered. He also hands her some money, telling her it is the first installment on what he owes her. She of course wants to know where he got it, and is told he won it on a scratch card. She buys that hook line and sinker, the silly woman.

Audrey and Gail are doing an autopsy on what went on earlier between Kylie and David. Gail of course is disgusted with her, but Audrey isn't surprised, she says she isn't surprised at anything any more. Gail is still defending David, telling her he hates himself for what he's done. Audrey remarks that it's only right that he should. Gail points out that nobody is blameless in all this, including herself. Audrey tells her not to be so silly, that none of it is her fault, but she feels she is the one who has molded him since he was the little lad who cried for his rabbit. Her mother reassures her she isn't to blame, she was just dealt some bad cards, but Gail points out that David also suffered from those same cards, like what they all went through with Richard Hillman, it had to have left its mark on him too.

(I blame Keith Appleyard myself, giving David back his rabbit stuffed and mounted was enough to traumatise any kid for life!)

Anyway, Audrey does see her point, but can't see what she can do about it. Gail tells her she can't do anything because she doesn't want to upset Nick or Kylie, but tells her she can. Kylie didn't say anything about Grasmere Drive, so Audrey could take him in. Her mother protests vehemently, but Gail begs her, telling her that as his grandmother, she is his only hope.

In the Bistro Kylie and Nick are talking about the stunt Kylie just pulled on David. Nick tells her she was bluffing, but Kylie assures him she would shop him to the police if she had to. Nick says she couldn't do that, they would have their names all over the papers, Max would be copping for it at school, it's not an option, they cannot go to the police.

Lloyd comes into the Bistro, telling them he spoke to the police and it was all rather embarrassing. Todd apologises, saying he should have left a note, and tries to make it up by telling him Eileen will buy him a drink.

Brian is now in a booth with Julie, he is finally going to tell her how he feels about fostering - or is he? Give him his due, he does try, but can't get a word in edgeways, she is so busy nattering on about how she always envied houses that were full of the hustle and bustle of kids. She excitedly tells him that dream now is about to come true, her house will shortly be full of the same hustle and bustle as Eileen's, and she can't wait. She stops herself, and asks Brian what the big decision is he wants to talk to her about. He opens his mouth, but no words come out for a very long time. Finally he stutters that he has decided he might like to grow a beard. She smiles and kisses him, saying he is such a silly man, and loves him for it.

Audrey pulls her car up outside the bus stop and rolls down her window. There David stands looking like a waif out of a Dickens novel. She tells him to get in, he is confused but very pleased. She points out she hasn't forgiven him for what he's done by any means, but will not have a grandson of hers sleeping in a shop doorway. He doesn't need telling twice and jumps in, thanking her. She tells him he can thank her by getting himself straight. He feels there is no point, after Kylie's attitude tonight. Audrey tells him she knows he has a big job on, she then pulls a drawing out of her bag and hands it to him, telling him that Max had brought it home from his pal's today. It looks like a family, Lily, him, Kylie and David. She gently tells him that Kylie may have given up on him, but Max obviously hasn't, and the question is, is he willing to give up on him?

David turns to her with tears running down his face. Shaking his head, he tells his Gran he will never give up on trying to get his family back, no matter how long it takes. For once in his life, I really think he means it too.

Christine

Written by Damon Rochefort Directed by Michael Lacey

Julie is fussing and fretting. They have the assessment for the flat today and she's hoping it is up to standards. She runs across to see Eileen just as Marcus comes along. He assumes they're going ahead with the fostering and Brian isn't going to pursue the job in Wales. He assumes wrong. Brian is going to go to the interview anyway. He thinks he has enough time to go to Wrexham and back before the interview/assessment. Marcus is disappointed in Brian. Across the road Julie has been telling Eileen all about it and mentions she's also talked Brian out of growing the beard (that he had no intention of growing in the first place). Marcus runs across to wish Julie luck.

Leanne and Nick are walking to work. Nick has an appointment with a wine supplier. In the midst of a joke, Nick says he doesn't know the Canadian national anthem which makes me stop short. He lived in Canada for a few years while in school. You'd think he'd have picked it up. Never mind. Leanne sends him off with a kiss.

Sinead passes Beth another lot of knickers she's sewn up. They seem to pass muster by Beth's reckoning. She's grateful and really wants to win the Employee of the Month thing to be able to give Craig a nice Christmas. Sally comes in so Beth shoves it all in her bag. Sally is snobby to Anna as per usual and notices that Beth seems jumpy. She's told that Beth's bra strap snapped and she'll sort it out at work.

We're in the Bistro now. Leanne is talking to Gail who compliments her on sticking with Nick. Stella comes in, looking a bit distracted. Today Karl's sentencing hearing today. Stella is going with Dev and she wants it over with. He arrives to pick her up and they leave. Gail puts her foot in her mouth by wishing them good luck. Doh.

In the cafe, Marcus is ordering lunch and Julie is grilling Anna on what sorts of questions the social services will be asking her. She's clearly nervous but Marcus thinks she'll sail through it. He looks uncomfortable when Julie praises Brian's support.

Gail sees David lurking around. He's come to the house to pick some things up. He thanks her for talking Audrey into taking him in. He says he is looking for a job and will make sure it's away from the Street. He asks after Nick and promises he'll get his life sorted but wants to get Kylie and his family back.

Anna and Hayley talk about fostering. Izzy comes in for the cake run. Turns out Gary and Owen are working in Hull. Gary's missing the baby, going by all his texts. Hayley tells Izzy she's having difficulty living up to Carla's exacting requirements. Anna discovers that Faye wants Grace and another friend who is a vegetarian to come for tea and she has no ideas of what to make. Hayley offers a recipe for bean bake.

In the Kabin, Mary comes in and joins a conversation about saving energy. Norris is paying the bills now so he's been extra vigilant about keeping the lights turned off. Emily is finding it a bit of a nuisance. She doesn't think his idea of putting timers on the lights is going to be helpful if she can't get back down the stairs before they switch off. Mary agrees, Emily at her age shouldn't have such stress. Mary has found an old cookbook that belonged to her grandmother and invites Emily and Norris to dinner in the van to sample some of the old recipes. Emily leaves, Norris growls and rudely turns down the invitation. Mary looks rejected.

Dev and Stella are having a coffee in a little bar in town. Stella mentions that she's got an earworm of a song she can't get out of her head, Hopelessly Devoted to You. It was a song that reminded her of Karl and their better days. Stella is a bit shaky and not sure she can face seeing him again after what he's done. Dev assures her it will be ok. They will face him together and show Karl that he hasn't won.

Nick arrives in the Bistro but when Leanne asks him how the meeting went, it's clear he forgot about it but he pretends it was just fine thanks. Gail asks as well. She mentions seeing David and tells him David will be staying at Audrey's. Nick wants David to stay as far away from him as he can and snaps at Gail for asking after that if he's ok with it. The phone rings and it seems the caller has told Leanne that Nick didn't show up for the meeting. She apologizes and pretends there was a diary mix up.

In the factory, Sally tells everyone that the Employee of the Month competition is going to be done on Friday instead of the end of the month because everyone has been bickering. Fiz moans about a mistake she's made. Julie leaves early, dressed in bright red and looking lovely, on her way to meet the Social worker. Fiz assures Julie it will be ok, and mentions that fostering was the best thing that happened to her (because of Roy and Hayley, obviously, because you may recall she did everything to keep Chesney out of care). Beth's experience was less than a happy one, having accidentally set fire to the foster family's caravan. Are we surprised? Everyone tells Julie she'll be fine, to relax. Julie hopes this is the start of a whole new chapter.

Meanwhile, Brian is waiting for the interviewer. He's now late but is told that the other applicant pulled out and he can have the job if he wants it.

Leanne asks Nick about the meeting and reveals she's found out he didn't turn up for the meeting. Gloria witters about a customer and is sent off to do another task. Nick admits he forgot why he'd gone to town. She is supportive and kisses him just as Tina brings Simon in, who, like any 10 year old, is disgusted by the public display of affection. Simon has a project on volcanoes and thinks Nick could help him. Leanne encourages them so they go off to a table. Leanne offers Tina a cuppa. Tina tells her that Simon talks about Nick all the time.

Mary is warbling to opera while peeling veg. There's a rattling outside. She rushes out but can't see any kids though the rattling was definitely something thrown against her van. She asks a passing Sinead if she'd seen anyone but she hasn't. Mary goes back inside, and we see the girls hiding around a corner. Faye doesn't want to get into trouble and Grace belittles her and stalks off.

Dev and Stella have arrived back from the court. They decide a drink is in order. Dev mentions Karl has been handed a sentence for 25 years. Stella tells Dev she values his friendship and is grateful he went to the court with her.

In the Bistro, Tina looks over Simon's shoulder and says good bye, calling him "curly" affectionately. Nick rudely points out his name is Simon. Tina turns away with a funny look. At the bar, Stella and Dev have come in and told Gloria and Leanne the news. Stella ends up ordering a coffee but Dev goes for a brandy. Tina offers any help but Stella is ok so she leaves.

Hayley and Anna are perusing the veggie recipe. Mary comes in on the warpath looking for Faye, accusing her of throwing stones at the van just a few minutes ago. Anna says she's at dance practice and since Mary didn't actually see the girls, Anna loses her temper. Mary shouts that she's been kind to Faye and doesn't deserve this torment.

Julie is trying to get hold of Brian on the phone, he's still not back and she doesn't know where he is. Eileen finds Todd putting fluids in one of the cabs. She's proud of him doing what he has to do. Todd is flippant and doesn't look too happy about his lot in life.

Emily and Norris are knocking on Mary's van door. An upset Mary comes hurrying along the road. Norris tells her that they changed their mind but Mary bites their head off. She doesn't need their pity and slams the door in their faces. Well, I never! She goes inside and sits down in the darkened van looking lonely and victimized.

In the Bistro, Dev says he doesn't really feel that sense of relief or revenge. Sunita's still dead no matter what. Stella avers that she'll never forgive Karl for what he did to the children. Over at the project table, Nick is making some suggestions for the volcano but he's having trouble finding the right term for something and he's getting agitated. He loses his rag and shouts at Simon, scaring him and Leanne who's come over to see if she can help

Tvor

Written by Damon Rochefort and directed by Michael Lacey

Nick has finally calmed down after his upset with Simon over the volcano project. As Dev goes to leave the Bistro Stella asks him if he'll be alright. Gloria glances in Nick's direction and tells Stella it's not Dev she should be worried about.

Outside Marcus encounters Brian running round the corner as if his life depended on it. Brian just has time to pant out the news that he's been offered the job in Wales before heading off for his meeting with Julie and the woman from the fostering department. He catches up with them in the street and apologises for being late, saying there was an emergency at school. Julie introduces Brian to Trudy and tells her that he always puts the children first, before looking daggers at Brian behind Trudy's back.

Round at the Bistro Stella is surprised when Tina arrives to pick up Simon. Leanne explains she thought it would be better than Simon having to wait around for Peter to collect him. Nick's also confused as he thought Simon was staying for his tea so Leanne sits him down for a bit of a chat. She asks Nick if he's ever lost his temper with Simon before and he gets really worked up, saying he loves Simon to bits. He's upset because the evening before he felt he was getting better but he just keeps losing his temper and he can't help himself.

Over at the factory everyone gathers round to find out how they're all doing in their quest to win employee of the month. Kirk's been given the job of counting their output and he gives the results in reverse order. When he announces Beth is running second, Sally questions Kirk's counting abilities but she has to eat her words when he tells them Sally is in currently in the lead. Carla says that competition will end on Friday.

Trudy has finished her visit but even on the doorstep Julie is still trying to make a good impression. Brian offers to walk Trudy to her car. Unfortunately for Julie his reasons are rather different; as soon as they're out of earshot Brian admits to Trudy that he doesn't even like children and he's not at all keen on the idea of fostering. Trudy looks shocked and explains that now he's admitted that she has no choice but to turn down their application. Brian agrees that's for the best but looks worried when Trudy tells him that she'll write them a letter stating that he asked to withdraw their application and that, if Julie calls her, she'll have to be honest with her.

Anna's at home with Izzy. She's prepared a vegetarian dish for the girls' tea but with no sign of them she puts it back in the oven. She tells Izzy they were supposed to be at dance practice but she's having her doubts whether they went after Mary burst into the cafe earlier, accusing Faye of throwing stones at her van.

Tina's taken Simon back to Peter and Carla's. Peter asks her what happened so she explains about Nick behaving strangely. Peter's all for going straight round to talk to Leanne - he doesn't want Simon being around Nick if he's going to act all weird - but Carla doesn't want him upsetting the apple cart, especially with their wedding coming up. "We are getting married in two weeks, remember?" But Peter seems much more interested in thanking Tina for helping out with Simon than having a civil conversation with his wife-to-be.

Leanne is having a quiet word with Nick in the Bistro. She's trying to reassure him that he's getting better but he can't cope with the idea of more episodes like the one that happened today. They're conversation is interrupted by a call from the wine supplier. Nick insists on taking it as he wants to be able to sort out his own problems. Stella then speaks to Leanne. She thinks Nick's trying to do too much too soon and she's also worried how Leanne is coping with it all.

Faye and Grace arrive home, minus their veggie friend. It seems she's not coming after all, despite all of Anna's efforts. Faye takes one look at the dish and declares it looks "minging" ('disgusting' ) and asks if they can have spaghetti Bolognese instead. Anna says no they can't and changes the subject, asking how dance practice went. When Izzy asks to see what they learned the girls play for time and disappear upstairs to wash their hands.

In the Bistro Leanne is at the end of her tether. Gail, thinks Nick isn't ready to be back at work, Stella is worried Leanne can't cope and Gail says they need to employ more staff. Overhearing the discussion between the three women, Nick comes over and angrily tells them it's his business and his life and that he decides what hours he works and what hours they work.

Anna, Izzy and the two girls are chomping their way through their vegetarian tea. Anna mentions that Mary came into the cafe earlier accusing them of throwing stones at her van. Grace is a consummate liar and has no trouble in sticking to her story that they were at dance practice. Faye does her best to go along with her. Anna says that if they say it had nothing to do with it then she believes them but then says that the truth will always come out in the end. "Always," agrees Izzy. "More's the pity sometimes," she adds, looking straight at Faye.

Fiz and Sally are having a drink in the Rovers with Beth and Kirk. Fiz still can't understand how Beth is ahead of her in the knicker-stitching competition . Sally wonders if Kirk has been fiddling the figures but then decides he's not bright enough to do that. Fiz still reckons she can beat Beth so they have a £10 bet on it.

Eileen and Marcus are having a drink by the bar when Julie and Brian come in. Julie is on cloud nine and says the meeting with Trudy couldn't have gone any better. As Eileen sits down with Julie so she can tell her all about it, Marcus takes Brian to one side and asks him if he's completely insane, reminding him that he's accepted a job in Wales while Julie is expecting to hear the patter of tiny feet at any moment.

Beth has called Sinead over to the Rovers for an emergency meeting. They go outside where Beth tells her she urgently needs her to make some more kickers. But Sinead's getting fed up. She tells Beth she's always asking her to do stuff for her and she's agreed to spend the evening with Chesney.

Across the road Mary is doing a good deed. Knowing Dev spent the day in court, she arrives on his doorstep with a chicken casserole. She's clearly delighted when Dev invites her to go in and join him and the children to eat it together.

Grace is about to leave. We get a glimpse of her true character as she says goodbye to Faye and tells her in a very nasty tone that she doesn't like going to her house and having Faye's mum asking all those awkward questions. Grace then instantly changes her tone as she pops her head back round the door and thanks Anna for having her as if butter wouldn't melt. The moment Grace has gone Faye turns on Anna. She accuses her of showing her up by asking all those questions and making "that rubbish tea" and says she could have died of embarrassment. Faye stomps upstairs and Anna says to Izzy that this is what happens when she accuses Faye of doing things she hasn't done. Izzy advises her to keep an eye on her as she's getting to a difficult age. She also asks Anna if she doesn't think that Grace is a bit too good to be true.

Brian is walking home from the Rovers with Julie and Eileen on each arm. The women are both so excited about the prospect of Julie's impending foster-motherhood they fail to notice that Brian is looking distinctly worried.

Peter arrives at the Bistro for a word with Leanne but Nick says that anything he wants to say to her is fine to say in front of him too. They sit down and Peter does his best to be calm and empathetic. Peter says he heard what happened earlier with Simon. Leanne tells him it was a one off and Nick says it was because he was tired. Peter says he understands but asks if Nick feels he's safe to look after Simon. Leanne gets really upset and says "Let's be honest, Peter. You've done a lot worse than yell at that lad about his homework." Peter says she makes a fair point but they have to understand that Simon is his priority. Leanne insists that she feels the same way so Peter backs down but he adds that if there's one more episode like today, whether it's fair or not, he can't let Nick look after Simon again.

Karen

Brian and Julie run into Eileen and Todd in the street. Julie is looking downcast and confesses to Eileen that she's worried she could have done better at their interview. Eileen looks to Brian to reassure poor Julie, but he just makes excuses about the time and rushes off. When he's gone, Todd asks if Brian is ok, he seems odd. Julie puts it down to stress. Eileen gives her big hug and assures her that everything will be ok and they will make great foster parents.

Anna is seeing Faye off to school and tells her she can invite Grace for tea if she wants. She wonders if the two of them have had a falling out. Faye says they haven't.

Across the road, Tina has arrived at the flat to pick up Simon. She chats to Peter for a few minutes and tells him she knows it can't be easy for any of them.

Leanne arrives at the bistro and is pleased to find Nick looking at the accounts. She tells him they need extra help and shows him a "Staff Wanted" ad that she's made.

Over in the office at Underworld, Peter is in a pensive mood, as Eva tries to ask him who is going to be looking after the factory when he and Carla are off on their honeymoon. Before he can answer, the phone rings it's Deirdre wanting to speak to him.

On the factory floor, Julie is still fretting, she's worried about being responsible for another person's well being. Beth and Fiz eventually manage to convince her to think positive.

Carla is also lost in thought, Kirk tells her that if ever she wants to talk, he's a good listener. She goes off into the office where Peter tells her that Deirdre can't come to their wedding, Ken is having a rough time and she needs to go and be with him.

Back in the bistro, Nick is trying to get to grips with the accounts. He snaps at Leanne that they seem to be spending money like it's going out of fashion. She tells him that this month's overheads are down. Gail tries to gently suggest he takes a break, but he's having none of it.

Sally goes into the cafe for a sandwich and tells Anna she doesn't want an argument. Anna then asks Sally to tell her, mother to mother, what she thinks about Faye's friend Grace. Sally tells Anna that she wouldn't trust her, but feels that Anna should really be talking to Tim about it.

Brian and Julie are having lunch in the cafe, Julie's thinking about redecorating the spare room. He can't see the point, and tries to tell her she's getting ahead of herself, reminding her they haven't heard from Trudi. Julie is convinced that when they do it will be a big fat yes. Brian looks uncomfortable.

In the bistro, Leanne and Stella are trying to get Nick to take a break. In the end he gets all grumpy and snaps that he's just getting in the way, he feels useless, so he'll go. They ask where he's going. "Shopping!" he snaps, "Isn't that where kept spouses go?"

The workers arrive back to the factory after lunch, asking for the current scores for the competition. Kirk tells them that now Beth is in the lead by 5. Sally and Fiz can't understand it. Just then Carla comes onto the factory floor and tells the workers that while she's on her honeymoon Sally will be in charge. She also gives Sally and Fiz invitations to the wedding. When Beth asks about the rest of them Carla retorts that it's the luck of the draw.

Tina is waiting outside the school to take Simon home. Brian comes out and Tina tells him that a teacher has gone inside to look for Simon. Just then the teacher comes back to say that Simon is not inside the school, no one knows where he is.

Peter goes into the bistro, he tells Leanne that he's had a call to say that Simon is missing. She flies into a panic and tells Stella to call the police.

Back at the school, Brian is organising a search of the whole premises.

In Coronation Street, Simon is walking down the road, quite happily, with Nick. Peter and Leanne spot them and rush over. Peter demands to know what Nick thought he was playing at, but Nick bewildered by his attitude, he can't see anything wrong in what he did. He says he didn't think, but Simon was not in any danger. "But how did we know that?" shouts Peter. Nick apologises, and walks off. Faye and Grace have just come round the corner and witnessed all this. Leanne tells them that the show is over, and sends them on their way.

Nick goes back into the bistro and explains that Simon was with him and is amazed to learn that the police had been called. Nick holds his head and tells Leanne he thought he was helping.

Faye and Grace are in the cafe, and tell Anna what happened, with Faye remarking that it was Simon she felt sorry for as he didn't know what all the fuss was about. The two girls go and sit down, and Grace rips into Faye for saying that she felt sorry for Simon. "The boy's a loser - who feels sorry for losers?" she sneers. She tears into Faye, won't let her get a word in. "See you around," she snaps, and leaves. Anna comes over with their milkshakes and wants to know what's wrong. "Leave me alone!" says Faye, and she walks out too.

Julie, Brian, Eileen and Todd are in the pub. Julie is really confident now about fostering and Eileen remarks how much more positive she's being. Todd notices that Brian isn't looking too happy and asks what's wrong. Brian takes a deep breath and then tells them that he has bad news. He says he has spoken to Trudi and that she told him that Social Services won't be pursuing their application to foster. Julie is devastated, and Eileen wants to know what the reasons were. Julie wants to talk to her, but Brian tells her that wouldn't achieve anything, they are not wanted. They are all stunned into silence, and Brian goes off to get something for dinner.

Leanne goes to see Peter to see how Simon is. He apologises for flying off the handle earlier and she agrees that they both over reacted. Peter says he didn't mean to make the situation with Nick any worse. She tells him she knows things can't go on the way they are.

In the Rovers, Julie is trying to make sense of the decision. Todd thinks it odd that no reasons were given. Julie just thinks it is she who is totally unsuitable, after all, Brian works with children every day. She sobs that the dreams that she and Brian had for the future are gone.

Leanne goes home to find Nick looking at statistics concerning divorce and people with brain injuries. She tells him she is not going to allow their marriage to fail, but she thinks that Simon should stay with Peter a little while longer, and she thinks that there should always be someone else present when he is with Simon. She begs him not to be angry, and she knows it won't be forever. She just wants to look after him. He thinks that's the problem - he no longer has a wife, he has a carer.

Anne Logan

We begin with Anna and Faye walking down the street. Anna wonders whether Faye's still in Grace's bad books and says Grace can be moody and bossy. Faye's not having this and defends Grace, who arrives moments later and compliments Anna on her scarf. They go off to school and Anna chats to Izzy and says Izzy might be right about GracePP being too good to be true.

It's Steve's first night at college and Liz and Michelle do nothing but rib him about it. Steve, showing some knowledge of 20th-century history already, bemoans the suffragettes and says they never should have given women the vote. He wants to know if they think he's think. When Michelle answers that he's not exactly Einstein, Steve stomps off.

Leanne and Simon leave the flat. Simon doesn't want to have to live with Peter but Leanne explains it's temporary to give Nick a chance to get better. She tells Simon that if Nick tries to pick him up from school he must tell a teacher. Nick's brain injury means he's not quite as responsible as he was.

Brian stops the postie and takes delivery of a letter. It's from the fostering agency confirming in writing that he and Julie no longer wish to pursue the option of fostering and have withdrawn their application. Oops. Brian tears up the letter.

Peter is back from dropping Deirdre at the airport and in the cafe tells Carla he has to pick up Simon from school later. Beth and Sean come in to collect the cakes order (which is sent by text these days). Beth's very cocky and sure she's going to win Employee of the Month. Carla gives Peter a list of wedding-preparation errands. He's a bit dismissive and they have a mini spat but he agrees to help.

In Tracy and Rob's shop, Tracy's moaning about having to walk Eccles. She isn't happen to see two schoolgirls in the shop and is nasty to Faye and Grace but then realises they might be useful. She asks if they'd walk the dog. "There's a couple of quid in it for you." "Each!" insist the girls. Tracy says they can take Amy as well - she knows what's what. The girls agree to return after school.

Lloyd asked for a sandwich so Steve's brought him a pie instead. Steve shows off his new pad and pen and Lloyd admits he's jealous that Steve's able to swerve work because of college. Steve agrees that's good. If his mother or Michelle try to get him to do anything, he'll be able to refuse because he's got an essay to write.

In the bistro, Leanne's having her umpteenth coffee. She tells Nick what she told Simon about not letting Nick pick him up. Nick can't bear the thought of Simon being scared of him. "He can't even live in his own house!" He says he's so, so sorry. When Leanne moves away, Nick tells Gail: "She fought so hard to get that kid." He thinks Leanne feels trapped though Gail points out just how much progress he's made in his recovery. Nick doesn't feel any better. "Look at her, Mum. When was the last time you saw her laugh?"

Peter and Simon have milkshakes in the cafe. Simon has a moan about having to go with Peter to the factory. Grace and Faye come in to tell Anna they're going to take Eccles for a walk. Peter comments on how lazy Tracy is and tells the girls to make sure they get paid up front. Simon says Eccles is his gran's dog and if you throw a stick for her she'll bring it back. "Your gran or the dog?" asks Faye in a sneering tone. Anna snaps at Faye to be nice. Grace says Simon can come with them. Simon doesn't seem to be that keen at first but Peter tells him it's got to be better than sitting in the boring factory all afternoon. Grace promises to take care of him and says they'll get some sweets on the way back. Peter says Grace is just trying to be nice and Simon agrees to go.

In the factory, Kirk hasn't got much packing work to do and says it's a full time job trying to look busy. He's been carrying the same carton back and forth past the office all day. Sally, who expects to be in charge, says there won't be any of that when Peter and Carla are away on honeymoon. Carla comes out and reminds them all that there's less than an hour to go until the deadline for employee of the month. Beth starts singing and leaves the factory floor, giving everyone a chance to comment on how confident she seems and how her productivity has improved. A mobile phone starts to ring and Carla orders it to be switched off. They realise it's in Beth's bag. Nobody's willing to rummage in there so they get Kirk to do it. He plunges his hand into the bag and pulls out an armful of knickers, just as Peter walks in and sees this. Kirk tries to say he's just picked them up off the floor but Peter grabs them. Beth's heard her phone and walks back to see this. "You've got some explaining to do, lady!" says Carla.

In her shop, Tracy explains Eccles' routine to the girls and hands them the key to the house. The girls demand the money up front and she hands them five pounds and asks for change. They say the extra pound is for looking after Amy. A grumpy Tracy tells them to make sure they run the dog ragged. She wants her money's worth. When they've left, Rob tells Tracy he can't believe she gave them the key. When he was a kid an empty house was open season. Tracy says girls are more sensible than boys.

In the factory, the machinists wonder whether Beth's been taking their knickers. Sean doesn't think so because he's been keeping tally of how many he sews. Kirk insists Beth is not a thief.

In the office, Beth insists the same. She says there's been a misunderstanding. Carla doesn't listen. She tells Beth to clear her locker. She'll get her P45 in the post. Beth tells her the knickers were sewn by her niece but it's no good. She stomps out and begins gathering her things. She tells the others she's going to prove her innocence. Poor Kirk just looks distressed.

Katy and her friend, Steph, chat over drinks in the bistro. Katy tells Steph all about Nick's accident and its effect. Steph's interested in the job being advertised there. They watch as Nick drops a glass and gets distressed, even though Gail tells him it could happen to anyone. She tells him to take a break. Steph goes to the counter and asks Gail about the job. Gail fetches Nick but he won't make a decision and says Steph will have to wait for Leanne. While they wait, Gail asks Stephanie whether she's ever worked in such an exclusive establishment before. "It's 'Steph,' actually and I did silver-service waitressing at the town hall." "Oh."

In the pub, Steve announces he's changed a barrel and refreshed the mixers. Does anyone want to check he hasn't put them upside down?

The dog-walking party goes into No 1. Grace sees a picture of Blanche and amuses herself by scaring Amy with a story that she can see the ghost of Blanche. Simon tells Amy to ignore this. Grace thinks they're big babies who can't take a joke. Amy suggests they play with her karaoke machine and Grace wants to know where Tracy keeps her clothes so they can play dressing up. Simon warns that Tracy will go ballistic but Grace just mimics him in a baby voice. Grace demands that Amy show her where Tracy's clothes are kept. Faye looks a bit unsure but follows.

Katy leaves the bistro, wishing Steph luck on her way past. Leanne arrives and gives Steph an application form to fill in (or 'out' if you're in North America).

In the pub, Steve can't find his gloves so Liz offers to get him some for Christmas. He asks if she'd like to get him some mittens joined by string. He seems genuinely upset so Michelle says they were just teasing and don't really think he's thick. "The truth is, I'm a bit jealous," she says. "You've got the guts to get out there and give it a go." Liz wishes him good luck.

Next door, there's chaos as the girls race around with armfuls of Tracy's clothing. Amy pleads with them to stop and Simon warns they'll be in trouble. There's a smash as an ornament crashes to the floor. Simon tells Amy she's not done anything wrong but she rushes upstairs in distress. Grace grabs Simon and asks Faye to help but Faye's not sure. "Fine. If you don't want to be my best mate . . ." Faye moves forward to help.

Kirk's slumped at the bar in the Rovers when Beth comes in looking for Sinead. "You lied to me," he tells her, pointing out they're supposed to be totally honest with each other. Beth tries to talk to him but Kirk refuses to have a conversation.

Steph's doing a good job cheerfully but Leanne tells Gail that probably nothing bad's ever happened to Steph. She's having a little moan about Nick when Simon runs in in tears. He's wearing a dress and an awful lot of lipstick. He's really distressed. "Who's done this to you?" demands Leanne as she rushes to hug him.

The end of episode one.
Margaret Carr

Written by: Ellen Taylor
Directed by: Michael Lacey

Poor little Simon is in the Bistro sobbing his heart out, he is dressed in a girl's dress and has makeup all over his face. Leanne and Nick are trying to find out what has happened to him, and who is responsible, but he is too frightened to say.

Back in No. 1, the horrible Grace has Amy pinned against the wall by the shoulders, and she demands that Faye intimidates her into silence as well. Obviously uncomfortable about it, she makes Amy swear to keep quiet, which she does, so Grace lets her go. Walking away from the child with a smug grin on her nasty face, she is not at all concerned about any consequences, unlike Faye who is worried that Simon will tell. Grace is of the opinion he won't because he is too scared of them, and even if he does, it is their word against his, and they will just tell everyone he did it to himself. Faye is getting a pang of conscience, and tells Grace they shouldn't have done it, this makes her angry, and she asks if she is going to blab. Faye assures her she isn't, and does a complete turn around, agreeing with Grace that Simon is pathetic. A smirking Grace tells her they have the proof too, waving her phone. Oh dear, it has been videotaped, I wonder what she plans to do with that?

Beth has arrived back in the factory with Sinead. Everyone is surprised to see her, thinking she had done a runner after being caught out with knickers in her handbag. Carla comes out of the office, and Sinead confesses to her that she make the knickers. Eva asks her if Beth paid her to say that, but Sinead assures everyone she really did make them. Izzy, looking at the gusset of a pair agrees the work looks too good to be Beth's. Peter asks Sinead why she would do something that dishonest, and Sinead explains she had refused at first, but was persuaded into it. Beth defends herself by saying she just wanted her Craig to have a good Christmas, and any Mum would have done the same. A chorus of Mums speak up from the factory floor that they wouldn't have done it.

Peter figures what Beth has done is good grounds for sacking, but Carla is preoccupied with looking at the stitching on the knickers in her hand. She asks Sinead what kind of machine she used to make them, and is impressed she can come up with work of that quality on such an old machine. Beth is mortified, it looks as if she is getting her P45, and what is worse, Kirk looks at her with disgust, turns his back and walks away.

Peter gets called away just then, so Carla takes over. She offers Sinead a job, but she refuses to take her Auntie's job. Another bonus as far as Carla is concerned, not only a good knicker stitcher, but a knicker stitcher with principles. Beth pleads with her, saying she will never do anything like it again. Carla reaches a decision. She announces Sally as the 'Employee of the Month', and tells Beth Sally's bonus will come out of her wages. She once again offers Sinead a trial job, and tells her she won't be sacking her Auntie this time. Both women are relieved, and we will be seeing a lot more of Sinead from now on, which is a good thing because I like her, even though she is still Scout from Waterloo Road to me!

Steve arrives back from his course, and Liz, Michelle and Lloyd immediately go into banter mode. Personally I am finding all this very tiresome, the way Steve is being made a figure of fun by his mother, best friend and girlfriend, just because he is trying to improve himself. If Coronation Street has one big failing, it is the way they never allow anyone to get on academically, even if a character comes into the show with a good career, they always destroy it by either making them become a nutcase or have them give it all up for love. So we can probably assume Steve will never finish this course, or do anything with the knowledge if he does.

Peter's urgent business was obviously about Simon because he is now in the Bistro, where Leanne is asking him to take Simon home with him while she goes to see Anna. Peter wants to sort it all out himself, but Leanne refuses to let him, as he will lose his temper and make matters worse. Simon just wishes they would all let it drop because he doesn't want the girls to find out he told. Nick offers to go with Leanne, but she decides it will be far better if she goes alone.

Faye arrives home, and Anna can tell something is not right by her face. She asks what has happened, but Faye tells her nothing. She asks if they lost Eccles, but Faye assures her they didn't. She refuses to have anything for her tea, saying she's not hungry. Anna wants to know if she has fallen out with Grace, but is told she hasn't, she just wants to be alone in her room, leaving Anna to believe she obviously has done just that. Izzy tells her if she has, it might be for the best. But Anna would hate her to lose the only friend she appears to have. Just then there is a loud banging on the door. It's Tracy, demanding to know why Faye has ruined about £300 worth of makeup.

Back in Peter's flat, Simon is still upset. He asks Peter if he is angry with him for allowing the girls to force him into a dress. Peter gently tells him that of course he isn't angry, and goes on to explain that being a boy isn't always about being tough, and that sometimes girls can be tougher than boys.

He starts to cry, telling his Dad he feels stupid, and is scared of what they are going to do to him. Peter assures him he isn't stupid, and they are not going to allow the girls to do anything more to him, the grownups are going to sort it out. They sit and have a lovely talk about being scared, and Peter admits he sometimes gets scared too. Simon asks him if that is why he gets drunk, and Peter admits it just might be, but there is nothing more scary than being drunk and out of control, which is why he doesn't do it any more. Simon is worried his Dad will tell Tina, and he says he won't if he doesn't want him to, he replies he wants Tina to think he is tough, then burst into tears and throws his arms round his Dad's neck. (Wow, that little lad has handled this storyline like an absolute pro, I hope he wins something for his performance!) Just then Carla arrives home, and stops dead when she sees the scene between father and son. Peter tells her that Simon hasn't had a very nice day.

Tracy is still ranting on about the mess in the house, and her destroyed makeup, which made it as far as the curtains and her bed. Anna wants to know what Amy had to say about it, and Tracy tells her she doesn't know because she seems to be too scared to talk. Izzy suggests it might be a case of her being too guilty to speak. Anna demands to know why she thinks her Faye is to blame, and is told it is because she left her in charge. Anna points out that Faye is only 11, and shouldn't have been left in charge in the first place. The front door opens and a livid Leanne walks in wanting to speak to Faye. Anna's protective hackles go up, and she tells them both that neither of them are going to speak to her in the mood they are in. Leanne takes the wind right out of her sails though by telling her what she did to Simon. Anna can't believe it, and Tracy is more concerned that it was Amy's best frock she had used to dress Simon up.

Anna calls Faye down, and when questioned she insists they were just dressing up, and it had been all Simon's idea to do it. Tracy tells Faye she wants to be paid for the ripped dress, but Leanne wants more than that from her, she wants the truth. She demands to know how he got the red mark across his arm, and Faye denies any knowledge, saying he might have fallen down. She goes on to tell Leanne that Simon is a stupid little cry baby who just wants attention. A furious Leanne calls her a vicious little cow, which prompts Anna to step in once again and defend Faye. She demands both women leave, and as soon as the door closes, Faye smiles and thanks her Mum. "No, not so fast young lady" snarls Anna at her.

Peter has put Simon to bed, and is reporting to Carla that he is still really upset about the incident, mainly because it was girls. Carla understands this, saying boys don't like girls being stronger than they are. He can't settle, he is just so upset about Faye scaring his son that he decides he has to see Anna, right now. Carla reminds him that Leanne has already been, and she could really use his input on some wedding decisions, but he doesn't care about any of that, he wants to confront her himself.

Sinead is going for her first after work drink with her new workmates - except she doesn't drink, doesn't like the taste of it. Beth is still trying to get round Kirk, but he is not interested, this is upsetting her more than the £100 she is going to lose out of her wages. Fiz stops outside to speak to Tina, and commiserates with her over Tommy, saying it was awful to dump her by text. She goes inside to join her friends, leaving Tina sweeping the pavement outside - which is a very strange thing to be doing in the dark, but does give an opportunity for a chance meeting with Peter, who just happens to be passing by. He asks if she is OK, and she tells him she's not, and invites him inside for an orange juice. I guess Anna can wait when it is versus a few intimate moments with Tina.

Talking about Anna, she is in the process of giving Faye the third degree. She is finding it odd that Grace's name hasn't come up in all this. Faye assures her Grace had nothing to do with it, the whole thing had been down to Simon. Anna asks her point blank if Grace was behind it, and Faye denies it. Anna doesn't believe her, and asks her if Grace is making her do things she doesn't want to do, but all she can get out of her is that Grace is her best friend, and Anna doesn't understand anything. Finally, Anna makes her turn her head and look her in the eye and asks her "Did you, or Grace, force Simon to do anything against his will?" Faye replies "No, I swear". I think I saw her nose grow a full inch!

Leanne arrives back in the Bistro, really upset that she got nowhere with Anna. She tells them she knows full well Faye is guilty, and so does Anna, but is covering up for her. Finally she dissolves into tears in Nick's arms, telling him it's all her fault, she has hardly spent any time with Simon lately, and has let him down.

Everyone is making Beth pay for all the rounds tonight, but she has run out of money. Joining Kirk at the bar, she asks him if he can lend her some money. He gives her a flat "No", so Sinead offers to pay for the round. Beth tries again to get into Kirk's good books, but it is going to take some doing, he is so disappointed in her. She pleads that she was only doing it for Craig, and for him, she was planning to buy him some of those designer keks that David Beckham wears, but Kirkeh assures her he doesn't want David Beckham's keks, all he wants is an honest relationship. With that he storms off home.

Further round the bar, Peter is busy relating the tale of Simon's bullying incident to Steve, Michelle and Liz who are horrified, mostly because Tracy left four kids in the house on their own. Talking of the devil, in she walks and expects her story of lost makeup etc. to get sympathy from these same people. Instead, they stare at her like she has two heads. "What?", she says. So they all let her have it. It's all lost on Tracy though, in her mind, nobody got hurt, and the only person who lost anything was her. Michelle asks her where Amy is right now, and Tracy replies she is with Emily, nobody is surprised that she has been palmed off onto someone else yet again.

Steve is furious, and tells Tracy to go and pack a bag, because Amy can stop with him for the night. Liz pipes up that she can stop with them full time. Tracy protests, telling them they can't do this, but Steve points out that she only has Amy three days a week, and can't even manage that properly. Tracy fights back that today had been his day, and she only had her because he was busy. Liz threatens her with social services, but Tracy bleats on that Steve needs to remember that Amy was supposed to be with him today, not her. Liz leans into her menacingly and tells her to do what she is really good at - leave! Tracy glares daggers at her, but does as she is told.

Steve is blaming himself for Amy's troubles, saying when his daughter needed him he was sitting in the back of a stupid class. Michelle reminds him he is doing the class for Amy. But Steve feels that knowing what caused the first world war is not doing much for his daughter's well being. He is thinking of giving up his class, but Michelle is encouraging him to stay with it. She apologises for calling him thick, because she knows he isn't, and tells him that taking his class cannot make him a bad father. However, that isn't the only reason he is thinking of calling it a day, saying he doesn't really fit in there, as they are mostly clever types in his class. Michelle tells him there must be some nice people in his class, and Steve admits that Andrea is OK - a bit of a laugh. Michelle wants to know if Andrea is also pretty, so he tells her she isn't, she has massive eyebrows, nose and much too much hair. Michelle is OK with the sounds of Andrea, so tells him they could sit together at the back of the class and doodle. Steve gives in and tells her he will give it another week.

Faye comes downstairs in her pyjamas to help herself to a biscuit. While downstairs she gets a text, and Anna wants to know who it is from. She tells her it is from her Dad. Anna asks her if she is sure there is nothing she wants to tell her, and Faye answers that there isn't and runs back upstairs. Once back in her room, her eyes are glued to her phone, from which we can hear girls laughing, and a poor frightened boy begging them to stop it. She is watching the video that Grace took.

Christine

Written by Mark Wadlow Directed by Judith Dine

Anna wants to believe Faye had nothing to do with Simon's bullying but more and more things are stacking up against Faye and Anna is starting to suspect some of them are true. Owen has had suspicions about Grace for awhile. Anna doesn't know what to do and thinks maybe Faye will open up to Owen.

Simon doesn't want to go to school. Peter's upset and worried. Carla takes a call from someone about the wedding plans. She tentatively asks him about flowers but sees he's not in the frame of mind. Peter wants to go to Anna's to have a go at them. Carla has to get going and reminds Peter that a client is coming in later and he has to be there for it. Simon, reiterates his refusal to budge. Once she's out the door, Peter sits down by Simon and tries the speech about rising above the adversity. Simon doesn't look open to the idea.

Roy is hovering over Hayley who's busy at the sewing machine. He is fretting that this is her first chemo session today and thinks she's overdoing it. She tells him she'd rather keep busy and keep her mind off it and wants to do what she can in case she doesn't feel up to it after. She runs the machine again over Roy's attempts at telling her the day's schedule. She shouts at him to go, she's sure he has all the details sorted.

Peter knows the girls that did this don't even go to his school but Simon is sure that word will get around and they could be after him anyway. He's not just embarrassed and humiliated, he's scared, too. Peter promises they'll leave him alone but he's still out and out refusing to go to school. Peter doesn't know what to do. Simon asks for Tina. His tearful little face wins Peter round to calling Tina and asking if she's free.

Katy meets up with Tina in the street. Tina shouts at Katy for Faye's involvement and Katy defends Faye. Fiz clatters up so Katy walks past. Fiz asks Tina out for a cheap meal at the Bistro that night. She is persuaded but takes a call just then. From Peter, no doubt.

Owen sits at the table and confronts Faye with Anna. Faye maintains her position, she's told the truth. Owen warns Faye that the school could get the police involved. She's not bending an inch and wants to go to school. Now. Owen tells her that Grace is banned from their house. Faye strops off out the door. Anna wonders if Faye is telling the truth after all but Owen thinks different.

Yep, Peter had called Tina and she's now at the flat. He decides to wait a further 5 minutes before going off to work while he talks to her about the situation. She agrees he did the right thing keeping Simon off school today. Peter intends on confronting Anna who hasn't even come round to apologize. He's not having Simon upset, he's just not having it.

Steve is trying to slip out the door but Michelle wants to know where he's going. He says he's off to do homework and has to see Andrea later to borrow a book. Michelle reminds him that the auditor is coming to look at the books.

Tracy sees Peter and starts to make fun of all the fuss "over a bit of makeup" but jumps back when he whirls around at her, clearly angry. He lays some of the blame at her feet for letting the kids in the house without supervision. She whinges. He turns around, but stops again when Tim comes out. He tells Tim he needs to keep his delinquent daughter and her friends away from his son. Tim had absolutely no idea.

Mary is in the cafe, asking if Roy has any desiccated coconut for a cake she's going to make for the twins. She attempts to go up to the flat to check there but he puts her off, saying Hayley doesn't want to be disturbed and it's her first chemotherapy session later that afternoon so is working on Carla's dress now. Peter and Tim come into the cafe, Tim to find out what's going on and Peter to tear a strip off Anna who lamely bleats "Faye says she didn't do it". Anna defends Faye. Peter describes the event as a nasty, vicious attack. Tim wants to know why nobody told him. Anna accuses Simon of lying and there's no proof that they did it. It's just Simon's word against Faye's. But she takes a call from the school saying that Faye has been in a fight. That gives Peter a bit I Told You So to storm out on. Roy just wants all the shouting out of his cafe.

After the break, we're in the factory. Peter has finally arrived. He's ranting and raving about Anna. Carla doesn't seem to want to know. The client has been and gone. Luckily, Sean kept the client talking until Carla rushed back from the florist. She gives Peter a hard time for missing the meeting. She can't do it all by herself, between the business and the wedding. Peter tells her that Simon is his priority.

At school, Grace is shouting at Faye for breaking her phone. Faye only wanted to stop Grace from showing "it" to everyone. Grace figures she's due a fancy new phone instead of repairing the broken one. She threatens Faye not to tell the truth and stick with their story or she nor will anyone else will speak to her ever again. Anna and Tim arrive just then.

Tina is trying to talk to Simon about bullying while they play Scrabble. He makes a remark about everyone watching it and having a joke and the rest of it comes out. It was videoed on the phone. Tina is horrified.

Michelle is surrounded by paper and an old ledger book which is apparently a mess. Michelle can't make hide nor hair of it all and the auditor will have a field day. Steve is nowhere to be seen. Liz sits down to help her go through it.

In the factory office, Carla complains about the florist. Peter is preoccupied and when Carla asks if he's at all interested, he says he is but all he can talk about is Anna. Izzy comes in to remind him that her machine is acting up. He gets up to check it. Carla decides to go see Hayley and Peter, showing he was listening, tells her to sack the florist.

Back home now, Anna ushers Faye into the house and tells Gary and Owen she's been suspended for the fight over Grace's phone. Faye sticks to the party line, saying that she and Grace were just messing around. Anna loses her patience, she's got to get to the cafe because Roy and Hayley have an appointment at the hospital. Faye looks isolated and shut down, while her mother screams at her. Gary offers to talk to Grace himself so Anna runs out the door.

Roy is pacing in the cafe, waiting for Anna. Carla arrives and Hayley gets up to take her upstairs for a peek but Anna arrives so there's no peeking. Roy practically drags her out the door.

Steve finally arrives, having spent time with Andrea doing their course work. He also lies that he'd had to do some driving for Lloyd. Michelle tells him that the auditor agreed that the books are a mess and he's dropped them in it. (though he's only owned the pub for a short time, surely the messy books is more down to Stella than Steve?) Michelle asks about Andrea. Steve says that Andrea is not much to look at and tries to suck up to Michelle with compliments. He defends himself as trying to better himself. The women are both derisory.

Tina is taking Simon down to the factory, with reassuring words. He goes over to say hi to Asha and Aadi but Asha teases him and it's clear they've seen the video of him dressed in girls' clothes. Tina tries to tell Simon that it will all blow over. But across the road, Mary discovers the truth and sees the video on Asha's phone. It's been sent around to lots of the kids. She calls over to Tina straight away and shows her. Another horrified look.

In the Windass house, Gary is trying to talk to Faye. He tells her that he was always in trouble and getting in with the wrong people. Faye tells him that she's never had a real friend and she thought Grace liked her. He points out that a real friend doesn't get you in trouble.

Tina has brought the phone to the factory to show Peter.

Fiz is in the Bistro waiting for Tina who's still busy with Simon. She's eating olives and Steph wonders why they have so many! Fiz has decided to give up on Tina, leaving Katy at the bar talking to Steph.

Peter barges into the cafe. He shows her the video. Anna can clearly see it's Faye on top of a struggling Simon.

Tvor

Written by Mark Wadlow and directed by Judith Dine

Anna is confronted in Roy's Rolls by Peter and Tina with the evidence on Aasha's phone. The sight and sound of Faye assaulting Simon is so shocking that she asks the customers to leave and closes the cafe. She's shaking so much that she's barely able to lock up.

Back at home Gary is having a heart to heart with Faye. Just as he seems to be getting through to her, Anna comes storming in. She is angry. Very, very angry. She tells Faye she could throttle her. "Maybe I should, eh? Then Gary can video it," Anna adds menacingly, before going off to ring Faye's dad.

Meanwhile, Carla is looking after Simon in the office at the factory. She's doing her best to talk to him when Peter and Tina arrive. They question Simon and he admits that it was Grace who filmed the whole thing. Carla is treated to a black look from Peter when, without thinking, she says the reason they filmed it was so that they could put it on the internet. Poor Simon is devastated and says that now everyone will know and he'll never live it down. Peter tells him it's a good thing because now people will take it seriously and that way they can stop it happening again.

Roy and Hayley have arrived home after her first session of chemotherapy. Roy is trying to get her to rest and put her feet up but Hayley insists she feels fine and is anxious to get back to making Carla's wedding dress.

We return to Anna's where she's still shouting at Faye while Gary, Owen and Izzy look on. She is most angry about the fact that she believed that Grace was the one leading Faye on and yet the evidence on the phone makes it look as though Faye was the one doing the bullying. To add to Faye's anguish, Tim and Sally turn up. Faye doesn't want her dad to know what she's done and she rushes up the stairs to her room.

In the office at the factory the atmosphere's not much better. Carla's trying to sort out last minute plans for the wedding while Peter is far more concerned about his son and Tina, who has come to collect Simon, stands by awkwardly in the background while the pair of them argue. Peter and Tina return home with Simon, leaving Carla to make a couple more calls.

At Anna's, Sally is giving everyone the benefit of her unwanted opinion on how Faye should be punished while Gary is the voice of reason. Unlike Sally, who reckons Faye's behaviour was evil, Gary believes Faye was only trying to impress her mate and although what she did was very wrong, he tells them the person they should be blaming is Grace. But it doesn't stop Sally winding Anna up to the point where she looks ready to slap her.

Over in the Rovers everyone has now seen the video of Simon and it's the hot topic of conversation. But Faye isn't the only one in hot water. Lloyd inadvertently drops Steve in it when he mentions in passing that the cab office is very quiet. It's certainly not what Michelle was led to believe and it looks as though Steve might have some explaining to do.

Back at Anna's things have calmed down a bit. Faye comes downstairs and sits at the table with Anna and Owen. She tells them she's very, very sorry for what she's done. They want to understand why she did it and she says that initially it was just for a laugh but then things got out of hand. Anna suggests Grace was the ringleader but Faye is quick to deny that. So Anna tells her that she and Owen are going round to see Grace's mum to get to the bottom of what really happened. "No you can't," sobs Faye, looking really, really worried.

Steve and Michelle call in on Peter and Carla to find out how Simon's doing. He's in bed asleep so instead they have to sit and listen while Carla and Peter have another row. Peter is in a right state over Simon while Carla is trying to stay calm and deal with the wedding. She's sacked the florist and can't get a replacement so Peter tells her to get some flowers from Dev, nick them from a park or, better still, not have any at all. Peter adds that it's only an excuse for Carla to flash her gold card. Carla is shocked and reminds him that she's trying to organise "our wedding, with emphasis on the ‘our'". Realising he's gone too far Peter says he's sorry but that when something like this comes up, it affects everything. "I know," replies Carla with meaning.

The cafe is closed and Roy is cleaning the floor when Mary turns up. She's full of gossip about the cyber bullying but Roy reminds her that it's passed him by as he's been at the hospital all day with Hayley. Mary is full of concern for his well-being because she says so often the needs of the carer get overlooked. She tells him that she's had an idea for something that might help to give him some respite. Roy wants to know more before he'll agree to anything but the only clue Mary will give him is that it has something to do with a contest.

Peter seems to have calmed down a bit after speaking to the school about Simon so Steve raises the subject of a stag do. But Peter really isn't interested in the prospect of spending an evening stone cold sober surrounded by drunks and sausage rolls. Or is it the wedding he's not interested in? Carla certainly thinks so.

Anna gets home after going round to Grace's house. She tells Faye and Owen that Grace's mum insisted Grace had nothing to do with it and that Grace was sitting smugly in front of a large flat-screen tv, eating a tub of ice-cream. Faye tells Anna that she's only made the situation worse. "Has Grace threatened you?" asks Owen. He looks thoughtful as Anna says she thinks it's pretty clear that it's Grace who's pulling the strings.

At the cafe we discover what Mary had in mind when she suggested a contest to Roy. As the two of them sit, engrossed in a game of chess, we see Hayley peep round the door and smile to herself.

Fiz and Tina are having a cup of coffee together in Tina's flat. Tina apologises for messing up their evening out. Fiz is very understanding and says she must be missing Tommy. But Tina says she's moved on and they start to talk about the fact that they now share a boss in Carla. Tina tells Fiz how easy she is to work for and adds that they all get on so well that Peter and Carla even argue in front of her.

Sally is having a drink with Tim in the Rovers. She takes him to task over how he reacted to what Faye has done. Sally reckons Faye should be punished but Tim says he's no good at that sort of thing because he's a rubbish dad. Sally said if she had Faye to look after for one month she'd be more obedient than a Cruft's winner. "What, like Sophie you mean?" asks Tim. Sally quickly glosses over that and suggests that maybe Tim could change the way he is with Faye but Tim says he doesn't think it's his place to discipline Faye and that he feels more like her mate than her dad.

Peter is walking along the street when he meets Tina. They seem pleased to see each other and start to chat. She asks how Simon is doing and Peter says he's getting there. He adds that some days you just feel like the world's a bad place. "But then other days you think it's not," says Tina as she smiles at Peter with more than a touch of meaning.

Owen and Anna are discussing Faye and her behaviour. Owen says that he was always getting into trouble when he was young and that he only grew up when he had the girls. But he is concerned that Faye is very impressionable, not just with Grace but her dad, too. Anna says that's because she just wants to please everybody and adds that she's probably frightened that if she doesn't she'll end up on her own again. She laughs ruefully and says that she's turning Faye into the victim again but says she can't help it, she just wants to protect her. "And that's why you're a good mum," says Owen as he kisses her on the top of the head. Just then there's a knock on the door. It's Brian who comes in and tells Anna that she probably knows why he's there.

Out in the street, Peter and Tina are still chatting as they walk along. Peter tells Tina how grateful he is for her help and says that if Simon comes through all this O.K. then she's the one they have to thank. There is clearly more than a spark of interest in each other on both sides.

Brian is telling Anna and Owen about the outcome of Faye's behaviour. He's been inundated with complaints from irate parents. Even though Faye isn't a pupil at his school, Simon is and, following an emergency meeting of their disciplinary committee, he's reported the incident to the police. He adds that, as neighbours, he felt he should warn them to expect a visit. As Owen shows Brian out, Faye comes downstairs. "The police? They've told the police?" she asks, looking shocked.

Karen

Simon tells Carla and Peter he's not going to school, everyone will have seen Grace's video and they'll laugh at him. Then he slams off into his bedroom.

Owen and Anna are getting ready to start their working day, leaving Faye at home with Katy. They have an appointment at the police station later.

Tina arrives at the flat to take Simon to school. After a quick discussion it's agreed that she will look after Simon for the day, as she's not working till later.

Michelle, Liz and Amy are in the back room of the pub. Steve comes in and offers to take Amy to school. Michelle thinks he must be really tired, what with working his shift and doing all his college work, so she says she'll take her. When she goes off to get ready, Liz warns Steve that if he's pulling a fast one, Michelle will have his guts for garters.

Sally is showing Sinead round the factory, it's her first day, when Peter and Carla come in and tell her that Tina is looking after Simon. Carla says Tina is like Mary Poppins with bonnier hair!

Beth asks Kirk if they're talking again yet. He doesn't know. She says she misses talking to him. He tells her he didn't like all the lying, and walks off.

Anna and Owen are waiting with Faye at the police station. Grace and her mother come out of the interview room. Grace's mother remarks that she did not need this today. "And I did?" snaps Anna. When they've gone, Anna tells Faye that she must tell the police the truth about Grace, she mustn't lie for her. "If you don't tell the truth this will stay with you for the rest of your life, and she'll get off scott free," she says. Just then Faye is called in, and Anna goes with her.

In the pub, Michelle is hoping to pop into town for an hour to find a dress to wear to Carla's wedding, but they're busy. Liz suggests to Steve that he covers for her, but he mumbles that he's got too much on with his college work and his taxi shift. When he's sidled shiftily off, Michelle tells Liz that she doesn't believe a word of it.

A woman police officer is interviewing Faye. She asks how long Faye has known Simon, and also about her relationship with Grace. Anna keeps prompting Faye and urging her to tell the truth, and in the end the officer asks her to be quiet and let Faye speak in her own time.

Carla is sitting with Hayley, who is sewing. She is moaning about Peter being more worried about Simon than he is about the wedding. Hayley reminds her that he's a man, and they're not interested in orders of service and buttonholes. Roy then comes in with a tray of tea and cakes.

Simon and Tina are kicking a ball around outside Underworld, when Peter comes out and joins in and there's much laughter and hilarity. Peter remarks that the ball is quite a good one. Simon says it looks pants. Flashing a quick smile at Peter, Tina tells him that sometimes things look old, but there's still life left in them. Then she takes him off to get ready to go to Leanne's for tea.

Carla asks Hayley how Roy is coping. Hayley thinks he's not too bad, and intends to talk to him about her funeral arrangements later. Carla thinks she's a very strong woman.

The police officer asks Faye if she and Grace are good mates. Faye says she thought they were, but now she doesn't know. She then confesses Grace has threatened that if she grasses her up, she'll make sure no one at school will ever talk to Faye again. The police officer is very interested in this, and asks if Grace was there when the video was made. Faye looks worried, but the policewoman assures her that there is nothing to be scared of. So Faye then admits that Grace made her do it, she's really sorry but she was scared of her. "I AM scared," she says. She explains that Grace told her what to do to Simon and she was the one filming it.

In the Rovers, Tina is sitting with Peter, laughing and joking, until Liz goes over and reminds her that she is supposed to be collecting glasses, and while she is sitting with her 'boyfriend' there are punters who need serving.

Kirk, Beth and Sinead are walking home in the dark. Beth starts talking about the meal she's planning to make. The way to Kirk's heart is certainly through his stomach as he starts to warm towards Beth again.

Roy is outside the cafe, sweeping the street. Hayley goes out and tells him she wants him to come in and discuss her funeral arrangements.

Leanne takes Simon back to the flat to Carla. Peter isn't yet home. Simon asks if he can go back and stay with Leanne and Nick, but Leanne tells him that it's not a good time, and he gets quite upset about it.

In the taxi office, Steve is on the phone to Andrea, his friend from college. Michelle comes in and Steve hastily hangs up, telling her he was talking to a friend called Charlie.

Back in the Rovers, Tina is still talking to Peter, when his phone rings. It's Carla, so Tina takes the dirty glasses over to the bar, where Liz reminds her that Carla is Peter's wife. "To be..." says Tina.

Hayley and Roy are chatting over a cuppa. He tells her he understands her and will support her, whatever decision she has made. She thinks that before she makes any decisions about her funeral service, they should visit a funeral director.

Liz tells Tina she's playing with fire, messing around with Peter Barlow. Tina brushes it off, saying they are just mates because she's been looking after Simon, and anyway he is old enough to be her dad. Liz says she's seen a spark between them and is sure Carla will see it too.

Anne Logan

It's breakfast time and Carla's busy telling Peter all sorts of stuff about the wedding plans but he's distracted. He tells her it's because he's worried about Simon. Carla brushes it off and tells him the police have dealt with Faye and in a week he and she will be on a beach sipping cocktails. Peter gets a strop on about everyone else drinking while he doesn't. He gets even more annoyed when Carla tells him there are some very nice mocktails and he should try some tonight on his stag do. Peter's fed up with all the wedding talk and just wants the wedding over and done with. Carla apologises - she knows she's been a bit Bridezilla (a bit?) but she just wants everything to be perfect. She then offers him a peek at her new lingerie (for business purposes, of course) and they kiss.

In the cafe, Sean can't believe Hayley's finished the dress so quickly. Roy's glad it's done because he thinks Hayley should conserve her strength. He also doesn't think she should go out to Hayley's hen do. When Sean's gone, Roy tells Hayley he only has her best interests at heart. She knows, but says she doesn't know how many nights out she's got left. She tells him she's got to go into town later and asks if he can come with her. Roy agrees reluctantly.

In the back room of the pub, Liz asks Steve to move "all this rubbish." Steve says she can't dismiss the Occupation of Europe like that. He tells Michelle this is why he didn't get on at school. Liz points out that while Andy did his homework, Steve never bothered - that's why he didn't get on. Liz doesn't understand why he wants to study history. "Stuff happened. Get over it." Steve quotes Cicero at her, though he's not entirely sure who Cicero was. He wants to finish his study upstairs but is told he has to help with a delivery. He says he can't because the lessons have been switched and he's got to be at college for four hours this afternoon. He's no sooner out of the room than Michelle's ringing directory inquiries to get the number for the college.

It's tea-break at the factory and they're discussing the hen night and whether to get L-plates for Carla. Sean points out that when it comes to men, Carla's got her Heavy Goods Vehicle licence! When Peter and Carla arrive, Kirk tells Peter he'll make sure the stag do goes well.

Owen arrives home early. Anna tells him Faye is upstairs and every time the phone rings or someone comes to the door she thinks it might be Grace. Anna feels like a failure as an adoptive mother. She was trusted with Faye and now Faye's got an official caution on her record. Owen says that will expire but Anna asks whether Leanne and others' opinions of Faye will expire. She says she has to go and talk to Leanne later, mother to mother.

Carla tells the machinists they can finish early to get ready for the hen night. Hayley comes in with the dress and Carla takes it into the office to look at it. She comes back out and says she doesn't know what to say. Hayley thinks she doesn't like it. "I don't," says Carla. "I adore it!" There are tears and kisses.

Peter arrives home to find Tina and Simon playing a game. Tina says she needs a word and tells Peter she won't be able to look after Simon any more. Simon overhears and is very upset. He pleads and cries and Tina says she'll juggle things and do it somehow, then. Simon gives her a big hug.

Hayley and Roy are "in town" and Roy's grumpy because he doesn't know where they're going. Hayley stops them in front of a funeral director's premises and apologises for the subterfuge. Roy's very annoyed. He says this isn't a time for poring over caskets and picking out handles. He says he'll promise to carry out Hayley's wishes for the funeral, "but let's talk about this at home!" Hayley answers: "But we won't, will we?" Hayley pleads with him to come in. "This is something I have to do. Please, Roy!"

Inside the building, Roy says there doesn't seem to be anyone about. Hayley tells him she felt she had to bring things home to him but she's sorry she ambushed him. "Let's just get some brochures and go." She's no sooner gathered them up than an attractive female funeral director appears and says she's really not busy and has plenty of time to talk to them.

Michelle can't believe Steve lied to them. That makes Liz comment that it's Michelle who needs history lessons. When Steve comes in, Michelle asks about his day. He says it was hard but he's got a new joke that Andrea told him. And when you've got a face like Andrea's you need a sense of humour. Michelle reveals she rang the college and knows it was a 90-minute lessons, not four hours! Steve says he got confused. And afterwards he went with some other confused students for a study session, though Michelle soon realises this was in a pub. Michelle says there's been some confusion at the pub, too. The rota's been mixed up and that means Steve is working every night for the next week.

Hayley tells the funeral director she has a terminal illness. The funeral director says it's perfectly natural to want to get things in order and it's not unusual for her to see people in similar situations. Then it's right into it. "Have you considered whether you want to be buried or cremated? Hayley wants to be cremated, but she looks quite distressed at having to make the choice. Roy covers his face. The woman says Hayley's wishes will be carried out to the letter. Roy says he has no doubts about her efficiency and she offers to leave Roy and Hayley alone for a moment. Roy tells Hayley they can't talk about these things as if they were just picking out a sofa. Hayley apologises.

Steve, Lloyd and Kirk play drinking games, watched by Peter. Kirk orders another round and Liz won't let Tina take it over to Peter.

Carla's still at home, having a drink with Michelle and talking about how Peter's got under her skin. But she also doesn't think she'd survive if another relationship went wrong. She knows she always has to be the boss, not just at work, so she worries that will drive Peter away. She thinks she's pushed him too far over the wedding. She demanded his opinion and when he offered one she steam-rollered him. "It shouldn't be like that. I know I'm going to drive him away." Michelle tells her she's talking rubbish.

The blokes are very easily distracted and now they're questioning Peter on why he married two women at once. Even as Peter answers their questions, he can't keep his eyes off Tina. Rob and Tracy come in and start to scoff at the stag party. Peter tells them to mind their own business and Liz also warns them to keep quiet.

Anna arrives at the street door of Leanne's flat and buzzes the entry-phone.

Tracy and Rob won't shut up and start joking about Peter's wives. Peter leaps to his feet but Tina holds him back. Liz orders Rob and Tracy out of the pub. Tina follows Peter into the pub toilets. He tells her Rob's driving him crazy. And it doesn't help that Carla forced him into this stag party and a fancy wedding and an OTT honeymoon. Tina laughs at him. Carla's given him half a factory and is paying for the wedding. Peter knows he should be grateful. "But I'm not. Why do you think that is?" He moves closer to Tina. "I don't know," she says softly. "You tell me."

Urgghh!

The end of the first episode.
Margaret Carr

Written by: Chris Fewtrell
Directed by: Judith Dine

Peter leans in for a kiss, but his, and Tina's newly botoxed lips barely brush before Liz comes barging in, loudly interrupting them. Tina stutters she was just calming Peter down, Liz isn't fooled though, and informs them she has just thrown Rob and Tracy out, and waggling her finger at Peter, tells him he will be next if he doesn't smarten his ideas up. Peter contritely apologises, telling Liz he just got a bit carried away, and scuttles back to the bar.

The hen night is continuing over in the Bistro, with Beth making the most of the free liquor. Carla is deliriously happy, which she wouldn't be if she could have seen into the toilets of the Rovers a few minutes ago.

Peter is now sat back down with Steve, Lloyd and Kirk, and the former gets a little peeved with Steve when he ogles Tina, telling him he shouldn't be doing that, as she is his babysitter. Steve goes to the bar to get the drinks in, leaving his phone on the table. When it beeps the arrival of a text, nosy Lloyd has a look, and reads it out to the others. It's from Andrea, and it says "Thanks for the drink, xx" They explain to Peter who Andrea is, and all have a chuckle about the kisses. Lloyd can't resist, and sends her one back from Steve - I wonder what it says?

Hayley is off out to join Carla on her hen night, but before she goes, she apologises to Roy for springing the funeral parlour on him, saying if she's honest, she is not that prepared for it either. It's pretty obvious Roy doesn't want to talk about it, and shoos her off. On leaving though, she promises she will never spring something like that on him again.

We are in the Windass household now, and Faye doesn't want to go back to school because of Grace. Owen, dishes up her breakfast, saying if she lays one finger on her he will come down on her like a ton of bricks. She explains to Owen it's not what Grace will do to her that she is afraid of, it's more the fact that she will no longer be considered 'cool' by her peers without Grace as her friend. Owen explains that 'cool' is not the same thing as being happy, and she will make other friends, real friends this time.

If Faye is feeling any better after their little talk, it doesn't last long because Anna comes in spitting nails, having just been at the sharp end of Leanne's tongue on Faye's behalf. Faye tries apologising to her, but Anna is in no mood to accept her apology, saying she has never been so ashamed in her life. Owen tries calming her down, and tells her he is sure Faye has learned her lesson, and hopefully they will soon be able to put it all behind them.

Carla is very pleased Hayley has managed to join them, but she tells them she is not staying long as Roy was having a hard time, and wants to get back to him.

Liz is having a go at Tina over Peter, but she is denying anything is going on. Brushing any more lectures aside, she goes over to the bar where Peter is waiting. He asks if Liz is giving her a hard time, but she brushes it off, saying it's nothing she can't handle. He apologises to her for the way he behaved, saying he is just a little keyed up with the wedding being so close. She tells him she is glad he remembered about that. With that, he makes his excuses to the lads, and goes home. Leaving Tina looking longingly at his back as he leaves.

Michelle is speaking to Steve on the phone, and after hanging up, tells Carla Peter has left the stag and gone home, but the party is still going on without him at the Rovers. With that, Carla decides she wants to be with her man, and takes her leave of the girls too.

Steve has sussed someone has tampered with his phone. We now find out that his text back to Andrea reads: "The pleasure was all mine, we should do this more often, maybe just the two of us next time". He is horrified, saying if Michelle finds out about it, she will have his guts for garters. He assures them she is just a mate, but Michelle would never believe that. Lloyd tells him to call Andrea if he is that worried, but Steve wants to know how he is supposed to tell her it wasn't a pleasure, and they shouldn't do it more often. He petulantly tells his mate he has dropped him right in it.

Michelle has obviously left the party along with Carla, because now the two of them are walking down the street munching on some chips. They bump into Rob, and she immediately lays into her brother for antagonising Peter earlier in the pub. He tells her he doesn't like Peter because he is marrying her, and is nowhere near good enough for her. Michelle snorts at that, she doesn't believe that is the reason for one minute, but Carla looks at him intently. He goes on to ask her how they ever got to this stage, as he hates being like this with her. Michelle reminds him it just might be when he tried to steal her clients, or possibly when he stole her silk fabric. Carla stops her there, and tells her to go on home as she would like to speak to her brother alone.

Roy is surprised to see Hayley back so early, and throws his arms around her and hugs her tight, which surprises her no end as you can imagine. He apologises sincerely for the way he had reacted earlier, saying he could see she was upset too, but the cold blast of reality was too hard to deal with, and he reacted badly. He goes on to tell her he has now had time to recover, and realises she is absolutely right to want to make appropriate arrangements in advance, as he too is a great believer in pre-planning. To this end, he has spent his evening doing some research into funerals on the internet, and asks if she would like to sit down so he can show her what he has found. She is surprised, but agrees, and sits down while Roy makes them both some crumpets to help them deal with it all.

Carla and Rob are sitting on Maxine's bench having a heart to heart. While he admits that being with Tracy hardly entitles him to criticize her choice of partner, but he points out she is such a strong woman, but seems to spend all her time trying to please Peter, and asks why. She tells him she really needs Peter, she can't do the strong woman routine 24/7, and Peter knows her well enough that she can just relax with him without thinking about it. Rob tells her that if he means that much to her, then he hopes it works out. She asks him if he really means it, and he assures her he does, because he wants her ultimately to be happy. Carla is touched, and promptly asks him to give her away. He is concerned about Peter's reaction to that, but she tells him to leave Peter to her, and sweetens the deal by telling him he can even bring Tracy along. He smiles wryly, and tells her he doesn't usually believe in giving anything away, but is willing to make an exception in her case.

Anna and Faye are having a heart to heart. The child is still feeling very guilty and upset, telling Anna she expects she will be sending her back to Social Services. Anna is shocked she would think that, saying whether she gave birth to her or not, she is her daughter and always will be, and will always love her no matter what. She tells her she has to put her mistakes right, and asks her if she has any ideas how she might start to do that. Sobbing, Faye tells her she really is sorry, and wishes she could tell Simon that, but doesn't think he will listen because he thinks she is evil. Anna tells her she doesn't think she is evil, and neither does anyone else in the family, but they have to go about convincing everyone else that she is not, starting with Simon. Faye is worried he won't want to talk to her, and what she will do if nobody wants to talk to her. Anna tells her gently they will just have to stick at it until they eventually see the kind hearted loving little girl she knows. Faye asks if she is still grounded, and Anna smiles, saying "Oh yes you are". But hugs her at the same time.

Carla arrives home, and tries smooching with Peter, who is more interested in a documentary on trawler men. She brings up the subject of his argument with Rob, and he goes off on a rant, saying he can't stand the man, makes his skin crawl. He goes on and on, saying he can't believe he is related to her, and maybe she should get a DNA test. She stops his rant by telling him she and Rob have patched things up, and that she has invited them to the wedding. He looks at her, first in disbelief, then in disgust.

He is disgusted because he realises she has been making a play for him to soften him up before dropping the Rob bombshell on him. She admits she was a bit, but points out he is the only family she has left, and it stands to reason she would want him to give her away. Bombshell number 2! Peter now realises Rob is not only going to be at the wedding but will be standing near him at the altar. A big row ensues, he accuses her of not giving his feelings a single thought or she would have consulted him before asking him. He goes on to say that whatever Carla wants, Carla gets. He is convinced Rob is playing her like a fiddle, but she protests, saying they had talked, and she felt he was really sincere, and it just felt right to ask him. Peter screams at her, asking how it could have felt that right when she knew he had just had a row with the bloke, when she knew that he hated him.

He goes on to tell her he doesn't know why he is so surprised, because she has been the one to decide everything else about this wedding, in fact there is only one thing left that he has any say in, and that is whether he turns up or not. Carla asks him if he is threatening her, but he tells her he isn't, because he feels she wouldn't notice whether he showed up or not.

Roy and Hayley are discussing the costs of weddings and funerals, and Roy tells her that from what he has seen online, there isn't much between them in price, citing the funeral home they visited earlier in the day. Hayley is surprised, saying she thought it was just an ordinary funeral home, nothing special. Roy tells her it is, they are all pretty much that expensive. He assures her that money isn't an issue though. Hayley contradicts him, saying she doesn't want him spending good money on fancy coffins with brass handles etc. and asks if there is anything cheaper. He tells her there is, it's a sort of DIY funeral with a cardboard coffin. She asks if he has found any photos of them. He has, but they are a bit plain for Hayley's taste, saying she wished they came in colours. Roy shows her another he found, which has a floral pattern all over it, she finds this one very pretty. He tells her he was reading about a man that had one of these, along with a humanist funeral, at which people said a few words, and he was interred in a designated site which had a good view of the Peak District. Hayley tells him it sounds nice, and asks the cost. Roy tells her it was a fraction of the cost of a regular funeral, but assures her again that money isn't the question in her case.

Hayley tells him it is the question as far as she is concerned, in fact she suggests they donate the money they save to charity, or even better set up a trust fund for Hope and Ruby. She tells him they probably won't need an undertaker at all, but Roy hesitatingly tells her they will, as her body will have to be prepared. This brings the whole thing into reality for Hayley, and she has to move away from the computer to collect herself.

On that sad note, I will leave you for another week.

Christine Warren

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Updates written by K Richard Whitbread, Martin Rosen,Duncan Lindsay, Christine Warren, Ann Logan, Margaret Carr, Tvor, Karen Jankel.

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