25/07/2022

Brian’s back in Ambridge having missed his old life. He’d have found it stressful staying away in Hungary any longer. Alice catches him up with the news, including Chris’s decision to settle for a holiday cottage and nothing more from Home Farm. Brian’s delighted. Chris arrives, and while Alice tends to newly mobile Martha, he and Brian chat awkwardly. At last Chris declares that since Martha’s accident he’s realised what’s really important, and Brian in turn thanks Chris for being so decent about the divorce. They both apologise for their parts in the battle, and Chris announces he’ll probably rent out the cottage. He needs to move on properly. Brian tells him he’s a good man. Later Brian confides to Eddie that things are looking a lot more positive between Alice and Chris.
Clarrie and Susan are worried that folk are spreading rumours that Jean Harvey’s pizza was deliberately nobbled when she choked on an olive stone, and that it might scare people away from the pizza van. Eddie doubts that – one sniff and they’ll love the pizzas. Susan suggests Clarrie has a chat with Jean to put a stop to it all. Clarrie discovers Jean’s spoken to a reporter from the Echo about the incident. Susan suggests that they head it all off by anonymously outing Jean’s past affair with Derek Fletcher. Clarrie feels blackmail’s a bit sordid, but she’s won over when Eddie reveals later that a report has approached Adam and Ian. Susan insists they need to fight fire with fire. What choice have they got?