Unable to control his rage about how Leo Firman treated Racquel,
Curly gives Leo Firman a couple of thumps in the stomach and on
the face when they are both in the store room at Firman's Freezers
(in full view of Reg). Later, Curly is called into Leo's office
and Leo is ready to give Curly the sack but Curly threatens Leo
by saying he will tell everyone what Leo tried to do to Racquel.
Stella Rigby calls round to see Bet at the Rovers to ask if she
has heard the news about Newton and Ridley. It seems the brewery
has put up for sale some of its pubs, including the Rovers and
Stella's pub. Bet and Stella are horrified because of the way
they find out about this - from a newspaper article - and each
time they ring the brewery for clarification of what's going on,
they are told that no one can speak to them, everyone is in a
meeting.
Vicky and Steve come back from honeymoon and Bet prepares the
spare room at the Rovers for them both and buys fresh flowers
to welcome them back. However, Vicky tells Bet they will stay
in an hotel until they find their own place.
A couple of prospective buyers come to look at the Duckworth's
house. Bill Webster tells Vera that the aroma of fresh coffee
will make the house smell more attractive, so Vera borrows a coffee
machine from Don. However, the people who come around to look
at the house, the girl is allergic to the smell of coffee and
so doesn't look around the house. Another couple come to look
around and seem keen on the house although Vera describes them
as "dog-rough".
Don goes to see his solicitor about keeping his house, so the
matter now is between the two solicitors, Don's and Nick's.
Betty rings her son, Gordon, and tells him that she is going to
be married again. Gordon arrives back in the Rovers a few days
later and gets on really well with Billy. In fact, he asks Betty
if Billy isn't his real father, but Betty says he isn't. Betty
breaks the news to Bet and Racquel and they celebrate with champagne.
Bill Webster and Rita are becoming good friends these days. They
go into town together and in the car park, a little girl is crying
because she is lost. Bill takes the little girl by the hand and
tries to find her mother. The mother sees Bill with her little
girl and jumps to the wrong conclusion and starts kicking up a
fuss about him taking her little girl away from her. Later on,
2 police officers call into the Rovers to see Bill as they saw
the incident on the car park security camera and traced Bill back
to the Rovers via the registration number on Rita's car. Bill
loses his temper as he was only trying to help the little girl
but it all gets sorted out and the police say that the matter
is closed now. Rita proves supportive to Bill.
Mavis and Derek are aghast when they see Jack Duckworth in Des'
garden, taking measurements for a pigeon loft and a shed when
Vera and him move into the house. Des is being supportive of Steph
as she looks for another flat, it seems that she has found a new
place to live now. Des drops her off at McDonalds where she goes
in to collect her wages and in walks the father of Steph's baby.
Steph and this bloke sit down to talk (while Des is waiting outside
in the car) and he tries to get Steph to come back to him. Norris
is now Derek's boss at work and wants to get on well with Derek,
so buys him a present of a little plastic gnome which goes in
the garden next to Guinievere to keep her company.
Des decides not to sell his house after all, much to Jack and
Vera's dismay and to Derek and Mavis' joy! Vera is very angry
with Des and tells him he can't see little Tommy any more, but
eventually they make up. Steph wants Des to move in with her and
for them to get back together, but Des says no. He goes to the
Rovers and gets very drunk and takes Maxine back to his house
again. Vera has found buyers for her house so she will have to
put them off now that they are not moving into Des' house.
Betty asks Racquel to be her bridesmaid and Bet to be her maid
of honour. Both say they would be delighted to do this. Steve
and Vicky are currently living in a hotel which Vicky is paying
for, they argue over money as Steve says he feels like he has
to ask for money for everything from Vicky. Neither of them seem
to be taking the t-shirt business very seriously.
Bet is destroyed, she doesn't know where to turn, who to ask about
raising the money for the Rovers, the brewery want 68,000 pounds.
Rita comes in to console Bet in the Rovers, and they start talking.
Bet asks Rita if she is interested in buying the Rovers and Rita
starts thinking about this seriously. She meets with her accountant
and he tells her that she could afford it, the choice is with
Rita. In the meantime, while Rita is deciding, Mavis tells Bet
in the Rovers that Rita is definitely going to buy the Rovers,
so Bet is all excited and tells Ken the news that she has a buyer
for the pub. Rita makes up her mind to buy the pub, goes to the
Rovers, bumps into Ken coming out of the Rovers. Ken congratulates
Rita on buying the pub, and Rita has a change of heart, she is
annoyed that Bet has assumed she would put her money in to the
pub and taken her for granted, and turns around and goes home.
Bet doesn't find out about Rita's change of plan until she goes
into the Kabin after a meeting with the Brewery, where they reduce
the price by 2,000 pounds. Bet can't believe Rita has changed
her mind, and they argue (boy, do they argue!). They call each
other names, and drag things up from the past to hurt each other,
in the end Bet walks out of the Kabin saying she was sorry she
ever asked Rita to get involved. Rita had asked Alf his advice
on buying the Rovers and it was Alf's advice that really made
Rita decide not to go ahead with the purchase of the pub.
Don and Gail continue to argue, this time over the fact that Sarah-Louise
had had lunch with Don in his house without asking her or Martin.
Phyllis finds one of Maxine's ear rings in Des' bed and tells
her that Des isn't ready for a relationship, but this doesn't
seem to deter Maxine.
In desperation, Bet turns to Vicky and asks her for a loan to
buy the Rovers with. Vicky says she would love to help but she
has to ask Steve, her new husband, first, and of course he says
a definite "No". So, Vicky and Steve go to see Bet to
tell her the bad news (Steve is great at this scene, sounding
like Marlon Brando in the Godfather). Vicky says that they have
to say no to the loan because they can't accept the Rovers as
the only security against the loan, and Bet has nothing else to
offer them as security, nothing in the world. Vicky goes back
to the Rovers to apologise to Bet, and tells her that when the
Rovers is sold on, she will buy Bet a house and rent it to her.
Bet gets annoyed at Vicky for this, she says that she took Vicky
in as an orphan and didn't ask for rent so she wouldn't be taking
the house from Vicky as a paying tenant and asks Vicky to leave.
Vicky goes into the bar, with Steve and his parents and when Bet
sees her there she tells her she meant for her to leave the Rovers,
in fact, Bet then ends up throwing everyone out of the pub in
the middle of a busy afternoon session "And you, mayoress,
get out" she tells Audrey. She shuts up the Rovers and takes
a taxi, armed with two leopard skin suitcases, her leopard skin
coat, her leopard skin dress, sunglasses and ear rings, and off
she goes in the taxi. The taxi driver comments that she's a single
lady and wonders if she's off to the sun, although not many people
find it and Bet's last words are "Some of them find it".
Meanwhile, Ken asks Rita to be godparent to Daniel (without first
consulting Denise) so when Denise finds out she is furious with
Ken and doesn't want Rita as godmother.
Don and Gail have another argument over the house / Nick situation.
Gail and Martin ask Don to sign a legal document saying he acknowledges
the fact that the house isn't his, but that he can live in the
house for as long as he wants, but Don refuses to sign anything.
Everyone is speculating about where Bet has gone, and if she's
coming back. Two men from Newton and Ridley go to the Rovers and
tell Betty, Racquel and Bill that Bet had telephoned them earlier
that day to resign as Manager of the Rovers, and they have to
close the Rovers until a relief manager is found. A notice goes
on the door of the Rovers saying "Closed Until Further Notice".
Remember Rodney the relief manager that was in the Rovers a while
ago? Well, he's back, put in place by the brewery for two weeks
until a buyer is found. Vicky goes to the Rovers to see if anyone
knows where Bet has gone, and Racquel argues with Vicky, telling
her it was her fault that Bet has disappeared. Rita blames herself
for Bet leaving by not lending Bet the money to buy the pub. Everyone
now knows the Rovers is up for sale at 66,000 pounds. Jack and
Vera are seriously thinking about buying it, as are Liz and Jim.
Both couples have met with the brewery to discuss the matter and
now Liz and Jim have put their house up for sale too, so it's
a race between the two couples as to who sells their house first
and gets the cash to buy the pub. Curly calls to see Racquel and
she takes him into the bar and they have a drink together. Curly
tells Racquel that she should apply for a loan and take over as
manager of the Rovers.
Betty's son Gordon, his wife and son arrive for Betty and Billy's
wedding. Gordon and his wife are having some marital problems
(his wife is a bit snobbish). Billy takes Alf, Bill, Gordon and
his other friend to the British Legion for Billy's stag night.
Their wedding reception was going to be held in the Rovers, but
they have had to move this to the British Legion instead now that
the Rovers is closed. The wedding is lovely and Rita gets on the
stage at the British Legion to sing for the happy couple. Bet
waits outside of the church for Bet to turn up, but of course
she doesn't. Percy makes the wedding cake.
One of the female staff at Firmans Freezers complains to Reg about
sexual harassment from Leo Firman, and tells Reg that she isn't
the only one who has suffered. Reg doesn't want to complain to
Leo as he is the boss' nephew, and talks to Curly about the problem,
saying that the shop girls could be telling lies, but Curly knows
they aren't.
School children are on holiday this week in the UK and Nicky is
brought in to help out in the cafe with Gail to keep him out of
trouble. Steve McDonald offers Nicky a job with him in the printing
shop, so Nicky is going to work there instead to earn some cash.
Des and Maxine are still seeing each other, Maxine talks about
little else in the hair salon, much to Fiona's annoyance.
Deidre goes to the inquest of Samir's death, accompanied by Ken
and Liz. She is distraught when an "open verdict" is
recorded over his death.
Well, it was a race to contracts to purchase the Rovers, a race
between Jim and Liz McDonald and Jack and Vera Duckworth. Jim
had taken Mike Baldwin out as a chauffer when Liz got the phone
call from the brewery to say if they got there in time, with the
cash, they would be able to have the Rovers. Liz rang Jim immediately,
he was waiting outside of a building for Mike and a colleague
but he took off in Mike's car straight away. Meanwhile, Jack and
Vera had the same telephone call, and by the time Jim drove back
it was too late, Jack and Vera had alrady signed the contract
and are now the official new owners of the Rovers Return.
More misery for Jim came when Mike Baldwin sacked him, and now
Jim has taken to drinking to console himself, Liz is distraught.
Jack and Vera have a definete buyer for their house, Mr. And Mrs.
Mallett, so we should be seeing some new faces on the street soon.
In the Rovers, the staff are confused as to whether they will
be able to keep their jobs under the new managers and Racquel
asks as spokesperson to Vera. Jack and Vera are playing their
parts very well, and they make you feel very happy for them to
have the Rovers. However, Jack is contemplating having strippers
in the bar, and Vera is thinking about holding Bingo nights! Betty
and Billy are back from their honeymoon and Betty is more than
surprised to see who her new bosses are.
Reg calls Mr. Firman to put forward the claims about his nephew
Leo sexually harrasing the girls in Firman's Freezers (and also
Racquel - Curly defends her admirably). Mr. Firman tells Reg and
Curly that this has happened before and moves Leo to a different
store.
Deidre is still upset after the open verdict recorded on Samir's
death and visits one of the witnesses to see if he knows more
than he has told the court, but he tells Deidre that he has told
her all he knows.
The Nick/Don/Ivy's house affair is still with the solicitors,
and Don is feeling increasingly isolated from his grandchildren
as a result of this matter.