The Archers

Chelsea’s ill, so Emma takes round a home-made remedy from Clarrie. Emma struggles to get much info from Brad about how George is doing in prison - she’s so grateful to Brad for keeping in touch with George. As Brad gets ready to do a video job for George’s business, Tracy’s worried about Brad being distracted from his studies at a crucial time. Emma implores Brad to keep in touch with George – Brad’s her only connection to her son. Kirsty and Brad work together to make his promotional video at the rewilding site, and she even offers to help anxious Brad with the edit, and he’s so grateful. But later as Kirsty treats Brad to a drink at the Bull, Tracy’s concern increases, as Brad has now spent a whole day away from his studies – and the video still isn’t finished. Fallon is busy in Ruth’s kitchen getting everything ready for the big event she’s catering at Brookfield. It’s not ideal for busy Ruth, who gives Fallon strict instructions from Jill, who she has managed to make disappear with Leonard for the day. With helper Chelsea off sick, Fallon’s up against it. But Emma surprises Fallon by arriving to help. Fallon accepts the offer and Ruth thinks Emma’s a lifesaver. After a successful event, everyone’s shattered, and over a cup of tea Ruth is brutally honest with Fallon – Fallon needs to get herself properly set up before they can do business again. Fallon understand and agrees – she’s determined to get her business on to a proper footing.

Helen gives Azra a book and Azra explains that Hilda the cat is now a house guest. Azra works out that Hilda is a terror and Khalil has tricked her. Helen points out that Henry may have had some influence over Khalil. Eddie had also been round trying to sell Azra a turkey for Christmas and for a moment she wondered if it was someone suspicious, ‘til Helen explains who he is.

The cat disappears and later Azra comes across Jakob at the road side. A cat jumped out in front of his car and is now dead. Azra thinks it’s Hilda. They go to the vet surgery to check its microchip. No ID can be found, so it’s not Hilda, as she’s chipped. They’ll do their best to find the owner. Stressed Jakob admits he needs a holiday!

Kirsty needs an answer from Helen on whether she’s going to buy her house. But Helen says no, she can’t make the sums work. At least she and the boys will have some time to sort something out as the house goes on to the open market. Joy’s sad she’ll lose Helen as a neighbour and Mick reports that he’s been ordered by Oliver to move his campervan. Joy lets him park it on her drive – the only problem is that he can’t move it – the gear box has seized up. Helen gets Tony to help with his tractor, but it causes damage to Helen’s (Kirsty’s) front lawn. Kirsty’s horrified – she’ll have to put the estate agent off taking photos, and she wants the house sold asap!

Ruth gets a last minute request to use the Events Barn for a party on Tuesday, but thinks it’s too short notice, especially as they’ve already got other commitments coming up. Jolene tells Ruth not to cancel the booking just yet though, suggesting Fallon could cater the event for Brookfield. Ruth then asks Fallon, who agrees to do it, but the job quickly becomes bigger than originally briefed. Fallon’s kitchen at Woodbine is too small for the preparation needed and the Bull’s kitchen is unavailable. But Fallon reckons that if she can use the kitchen at Brookfield and get Chelsea to assist her it might be doable, so long as Ruth’s okay with that. Otherwise the whole thing’s off. Tracy thinks Fallon looks stressed , but Jolene’s positive it’s a good thing for Fallon to take on new challenges. Ruth isn’t keen on giving up her kitchen though, but Fallon manages to persuade Ruth that she can make it work without interfering too much in the farm’s routine.

At Number 6 The Green Tracy worries that Brad is becoming too distracted from his University work by George, especially now Brad’s the only person George will talk to. Brad denies it’s a problem, before he gets a call - it’s George. Meanwhile, Justin wants Brad to make a video for him, showing the suitability of Ambridge and the Rewilding Site for the introduction of beavers. Brad isn’t sure he’s up to the task, but Justin railroads him into agreeing to have it done by Friday.

Fallon’s working a shift at The Bull while Jolene laments the fact Lynda’s not putting on a Christmas show. Fallon hopes people won’t pry into why she’s working there, but Jolene reassures Fallon she made the right decision to give up the Charging Station Café. Justin is sympathetic that it didn’t work out for Fallon, cautioning her not to go back to the Tearoom, but to look forward instead. He mentions his bankruptcy, suggesting it was the making of him, having to start afresh. He offers to help Fallon if he can and she appreciates him taking her more seriously as a businesswoman than she does herself. Fallon then decides she won’t go back to her old job and Jolene agrees, she can do much better than that. At Beechwood Helen has Tom and Natasha over for dinner. They reflect on a happy day, celebrating Peggy’s 100th birthday. Seren and Nova were particularly charming. They share a moment, remembering their brother, John, then mention Emma being upset this morning after George let it be known he doesn’t ever want his family to visit him again. Helen then explains how difficult it would be for her to afford the mortgage on Kirsty’s house and Natasha tells her not to take the risk, in that case. Later, going home, Natasha suggests to Tom that if Helen doesn’t go for the Beechwood house they could buy it instead. Tom’s not keen, for several reasons, including upsetting Helen, but Natasha concludes that Helen doesn’t really want to live there, whereas she does.

On their way to Handale Prison Neil and Susan are both feeling nervous, but pleased George has agreed to see them. When they get there though George is bitter and distant, seemingly more concerned about what other prisoners will think if he’s too friendly with his grandparents. Neil and Susan struggle finding a subject George doesn’t twist into an angry response. When Neil raises how worried they are about bad influences on him, George makes it clear he only invited them out of pity and wants them to go. Neil then has a go at George about how much it has cost Susan in particular coming on this visit, but George responds by guilt tripping them over what could happen to him in prison - and it will be all their fault. On their way home Neil and Susan admit the visit was awful and George was horrible. They wonder what they’re going to tell Emma, who texts, then rings. They consider glossing over the whole experience, but in the end it might be better to just tell Emma the truth.

At Bridge Farm Pat and Tony are pleased with the handsome new buck that’s arrived, hopeful that serious Henry won’t turn out anything like George. When Pat expresses her frustration that Helen hasn’t just gone ahead and bought Kirsty’s Beechwood house Tony tells her about his idea of building an eco-house. He admits they’d have to okay everything with Helen, Tom and Natasha, but Pat thinks they’re too old to make such a big change. However, Tony isn’t giving up on his dream just yet.

At Bridge Farm, Tom and Tony talk about Neil and Susan visiting George tomorrow, plus the imminent arrival of the buck goat and how expensive it must be. Pat joins them, worrying about her promise to bake the cake for Peggy’s 100th birthday today. Pat then confesses the goat cost £750, which is why she didn’t want to tell Tony, who’s suitably appalled. Once Pat’s gone Tony tells Tom about his dream of building an eco-house, which leads onto the idea of Helen potentially moving into the farmhouse. How would Tom and Natasha feel about that? Tony worries about Tom feeling it would be unfair. Tom admits it’s not something he’s thought about, but finds it amusing Tony hasn’t even mentioned the eco-house idea to Pat yet. Tony makes the excuse that there have been so many other things to think about.

Chatting to Helen at Beechwood Kirsty bemoans her poor choice of men in her life. Her mum, Megan, keeps pushing her towards Rex, but Kirsty has never been interested in him. However it has made her look at him in a slightly different light. The conversation turns to Helen buying Kirsty’s house, but Helen says it will only be possible if Kirsty drops the price. Kirsty can’t though, as the pressure is now on for her to buy Willow Farm before Brenda sells it to someone else. Helen’s uneasy with rushing into such an important decision affecting Henry and Jack’s future happiness. But Kirsty won’t let her off the hook. The boys love the house and she desperately needs to sell, so what’s Helen waiting for?

Rex calls Kirsty to the Rewilding site to discuss their future, following Justin’s volte face over funding. What will they do now the land and money has been guaranteed for five years? Rex’s left-field idea is beavers, to encourage biodiversity and provide a natural defence against flooding. Kirsty suggests talking to Tony, their farming consultant. Later, when Rex puts the case for introducing beavers to the local environment, Tony reckons they’d need to convince the whole of Ambridge about the benefits, particularly farmers suffering poor crop yields as a result of standing water over the last year. Rex admits there would be considerable costs involved, but argues the benefits would outweigh these in the longer term. Tony is basically for it, but wants another meeting once Rex has done more research to build his case. Kirsty’s already convinced, though. Rex could sell her anything with his passion. At Ambridge View Emma tells Susan how bad she feels about Fallon, after taking her job - and about George, especially now she’s seen him in prison. Emma’s scared about the influence other prisoners could have on George, but Susan thinks George still has a good heart. Later, they both talk to Neil about how upsetting it is that George doesn’t want to see his grandparents and what they can do to protect him from bad influences while he’s inside. Neil then puts in another request to visit George, reports back later that he got a holding message in reply, but at least it wasn’t a flat refusal like last time. They’re both desperate to see him, whatever it takes.

Natasha has called Emma in to the Tearoom and offers Emma the position of part-time manager, as Natasha’s other commitments mean she can’t manage it on her own. Emma barely hesitates before accepting the offer and thanks Natasha for trusting her. Fallon tells Harrison she’s just informed Cell Charge that she’s not going ahead with the café at the Charging Station. Harrison thinks Justin should feel bad about what’s happened, but Fallon is already making other plans. Fallon then goes to see Natasha and asks for her old job back. It’s awkward and embarrassing, coming just days after her leaving do. Natasha is sympathetic when she hears Fallon’s reasons, but she’s just given the job to Emma. As she leaves, Fallon bumps into Emma but doesn’t say anything. Natasha though tells Emma and Tony what Fallon asked, but wants them to keep it to themselves. Natasha then phones Fallon to offer her shift work at the Tearoom, but Harrison doesn’t want Fallon to go back. And then guilty Emma comes round and begs Fallon to take back her old job, but Fallon is adamant - she can’t do it to Emma. Meanwhile, Tony tells distracted Natasha about his dream of building an eco house at Bridge Farm, but admits he’d more or less given up on the idea until Helen mentioned she may not buy the house on Beechwood. Natasha jokes that she and Tom could buy it instead. Tony leaps on this - if they buy Beechwood then Helen could move into the farmhouse, and he and Pat could live in the new eco house. Perfect!

At Bridge Farm, Helen’s impressed when Tony shows her what a good job Henry’s done trimming the goat’s hooves. They talk about the new buck arriving on Thursday and how committed Henry is to looking after it. Henry’s told Tony they’ll be having roast goat for dinner within eighteen months – he’s clearly growing up to be a farmer and planning ahead. Later, Tony asks Helen about the Beechwood house. Helen’s had the surveyor in and may need to negotiate a lower price with Kirsty, but her real problem is her ambivalence about living somewhere that’s like suburbia. She might start looking at other options. Tonys says they’d be welcome to move back in with him and Pat. Tony’s dream is to one day build and move into an eco-house at Bridge Farm, but admits it’s probably pie in the sky. At Woodbine Fallon tells Harrison she doesn’t want to go ahead with her new café, now she’s being offered an inferior unit. When Jolene drops in she offers help financially, admitting it’s a change of heart after turning Fallon down months ago. That was because of Markie though, and the dog attack on Kenton. Jolene asks Fallon and Harrison to at least think about her offer. Harrison then suggests he could talk to his parents about a loan and put in for regular overtime. But Fallon insists he’s completely stressed by work already. They’re not going to try and make it happen at all costs. She’s turning down the unit and that’s that.

As Kirsty and Rex sadly discuss plans for winding down Rewilding Ambridge, Justin barges in brandishing a contract which needs their signature. When Rex says he’s not jumping to Justin’s command, Kirsty stops him - she can’t believe what she’s reading. Justin confirms that it’s a contract for the lease of BL land at a peppercorn rent. They just need to sign it. Justin’s there to save the day! Rex and Kirsty celebrate later at The Bull but can’t get over Justin’s about-turn. As they raise a toast, Lilian says they should spread the word that Justin has a heart as warm as anyone in Ambridge. Justin’s frustrated when he can no longer get into the rewilding website. Lilian’s delighted by his rewilding decision, but says that everyone else thinks Justin must have an ulterior motive. Justin confirms he simply did it to help Kirsty and Rex – it’s a cause that he now sees is important. Fallon heads off to sign her EV Charging Station contract. Emma appears explaining that she needed to see Fallon to wish her well, producing a gift of a miniature bonsai tree. The one a Tearoom customer gave to Emma when she started up the tree surgery business. Fallon confesses she’s feeling nervous about it all, but Emma reckons the new café is the perfect thing for Fallon to do. But later Fallon tells Harrison she hasn’t signed the contract – they offered her an even smaller space and she’s not sure it’s going to work. She has a few days to make the decision. What is she going to do?

Kirsty tells Helen she’s sorry to see her mum go. And the surprising thing is that Megan’s purse and phone turned up in her bag, which she’d already searched. They agree that’s weird. Talks turns to Kirsty’s private sale of her house to Helen, who mentions she’d like a survey. She’d also like to keep the curtains if that’s possible. Later after some thought, Kirsty asks to keep them. With the sale of Willow Farm looming, it’s one less thing to worry about. Helen’s understanding.

Emma and Will visit George in prison and are unnerved when George points out an inmate called Baseball, who looks scary. George explains that if he’s on your side, you’re laughing. When Will mentions that they’re trying to get George moved to a Young Offenders Institute, George thanks them but says he’s fine where he is. George adds that his cellmate is alright when you get to know him, and he’s making a few friends; people who’ll look out for you and watch your back. So he’s not going anywhere.

Later Emma tells Susan that George was like his old self, full of confidence and mouthy. Susan thinks that’s good news, but Emma isn’t so sure. When Susan asks whether Emma sent her love, she guesses George didn’t say anything, and Emma confirms that he just looked away. Susan presumes it’s because George still blames her for putting him inside. Emma reckons he’ll come round, but then suddenly admits she hates George being in prison. He’s changing and making friends with some terrifying people. It feels worse than if George was being bullied.

Kirsty’s with Megan at Rewilding Ambridge where they chat about Fallon’s leaving do last night. Megan thinks Tom and Natasha were a bit on edge, but Kirsty reckons Megan’s imagining things. Rex tells them he’s just been running a trial of their website’s virtual tour. It’s running in a beta version at the moment before it’s finalised and goes live.

Megan cautions Kirsty to be careful selling her Beechwood house to Helen without an agent. Kirsty berates her for being interfering like she was when she grilled Rex earlier about having a girlfriend. Kirsty and Rex have a business relationship and she can manage her own life.

Justin tries out the virtual tour, mis-hits a key and a computerised version of Rex’s voice tells him that he’ll be the guide for the tour. Justin asks to be shown what’s happening with the rewilding this morning. ‘Rex’ explains that brambles are being cleared and Justin muses out loud that Kirsty’s working even though rewilding’s days are numbered. When ‘Rex’ repeats that Kirsty’s working when it all seems a bit pointless, Justin wonders what’s going on. ‘Rex’ invites Justin to visit the ‘Future of Ambridge Room’. There Justin sees a vision where wildlife and vegetation flourish. Then ‘Rex’ outlines the alternative; fields of mono-crops, a lack of wildlife and insects and a dead River Am. When Justin asks what would happen to the people if the rewilding stopped, ‘Rex’ states that Kirsty will lose her job and may give up hope and move away. She may disappear.

At the fireworks at Jubilee Field, Kirsty and Megan wonder if they’ll bump into Megan’s mystery rescuer. Megan describes him as charming and quiet, although interested in the rewilding. Kirsty thinks Rewilding Ambridge’s days are numbered and isn’t really in the mood for Fallon’s farewell do at the Tearoom.

Later, Fallon tells the gathered throng that she had no idea about her surprise send off. Natasha and Helen make a speech singing Fallon’s praises, although afterwards Natasha admits to Fallon that she was disappointed by the way Fallon left. Fallon tells Harrison later that she’s feeling nervous about being her own boss.

Megan’s frosty when she and Kirsty bump into Tom and Natasha. They quickly head off to circulate, whispering that Megan’s obviously not a woman to bear a grudge! Kirsty admonishes Megan afterwards saying she made her peace with Tom ages ago. Megan broaches the subject of Kirsty both moving on from her work and from being single, but Kirsty makes it clear she’s fine as she is.

Harrison gets a police call out and has to leave early. Helen catches him on his way out asking him how he’s finding working full-time. Harrison’s cautious in his response saying it’s full on sometimes, but he’s not complaining.

Tom thinks Natasha’s been too generous with Fallon, considering she hasn’t made things easy for them and will have a business to rival the Tearoom. And Fallon’s not going to be easy to replace. Natasha says she has someone in mind – her! Tom’s not convinced, especially when Natasha says she’s considering selling Summer Orchard to do it.

Emma surveys a tree for Sarah Byron who explains she’s an MP and had heard about their tree business from Ed at the Fun Run yesterday. Later wrong-footed Emma confronts Ed who explains why he met up with Sarah. It was because he didn’t want Emma to know about George being bullied in prison and wanted to fix it first. So Ed and Will were asking for Sarah’s help to get George moved. Ed suggests that Emma outlines what they’re doing when she visits George.

Justin gives Lilian a lift en route to a BL meeting about the future of the rewilding land. Lilian wishes Justin wasn’t pursuing it. They’re interrupted by the sight of a woman by the roadside. Lilian thinks she looks upset but Justin speeds past. However on his way back, Justin agrees to give the woman a lift. She explains she’d discovered she’d lost her phone and purse on her way to Ambridge and the taxi driver had abandoned her. She introduces herself as Megan, explaining that she’s visiting her daughter whose business is hanging in the balance. Justin counsels being ruthless if her daughter wants to turn a profit. But Megan says her daughter’s not like that. Justin’s quietly shocked when Megan reveals that her daughter works in rewilding and is called Kirsty. As Justin drops Megan off she’s sorry she’s made Justin miss his meeting. He says that’s ok before driving briskly off so that he doesn’t have to reveal his name. Later Justin won’t talk to Lilian about the BL meeting, enigmatically stating that the matter remains undecided.

Ed and Will discuss the news from Brad that George is being bullied in prison. Ed wants to sort it before telling Emma. He’s been researching how to get George moved from an adult prison and as a result has sent a message to MP Sarah Byron. Sarah’s at a family fun run in Borchester today and Ed thinks he and Will should try to bump into her there. Later they jog up to Sarah and explain George’s situation. Sarah agrees to see what she can do, but cautions not overestimating what’s achievable. As she departs Ed hands her a business card with his contact details on and Sarah muses that she may need some tree surgery. She might give him a call.

At Grey Gables, Brad tells Justin he’s been working on some videos for the EV Charging Station, using George’s drone. He also mentions that Rewilding Ambridge are upgrading their website with a virtual tour, so that Justin can see the point of all of the rewilding. It’s going to use a sample of Rex’s voice using AI. But Justin’s distracted by the table he’d booked for one, turning out to be a table for two. And the other diner is Miranda. They fight over whose table it is but as neither will budge, end up eating together. Miranda berates Justin for the way he’s dealing with Kirsty and Rex, saying he's heartless and has always put business first. He’s Like some skinflint Scrooge now. When Miranda first met Justin it was his kindness that she fell for. Miranda leaves wondering where that’s all gone.

Justin drives Martyn home from a business event where Martyn overdid the fizz. Justin discusses the Rewilding Ambridge project and his meeting with Kirsty and Rex. He has serious reservations and might suggest BL knock the partnership on the head. When Justin mentions how much he enjoyed tearing a strip off Kirsty and Rex, Martyn’s critical; he no longer relishes stories like that. Justin’s car suddenly breaks down, and while they wait for help, Justin wonders what Martyn meant. Martyn explains he no longer takes pleasure in the misfortunes of others. In fact his acquisition of wealth has become a burden. He warns Justin not to make the same mistakes as him and to be alert to the signs; Justin will recognise them when he sees them. Justin’s surprised when he tries the car and it starts up again.

Ed bumps into Brad and thanks him for visiting George in prison. When Ed wonders why George hasn’t asked the family to visit, Brad makes his excuses and leaves. Brad then tentatively broaches the subject of prison with Helen, wondering what to do about George being bullied there. Helen suggests Brad talks to George’s parents, but Brad’s reluctant because George doesn’t want to panic them. Helen convinces Brad that he needs to do something, he’d never forgive himself if anything happened to George. Later Brad visits Ed admitting that he didn’t tell Emma the truth about George and that George is being bullied. Ed says they need to get George out of that prison. He doesn’t know how but there must be someone who can help.

Harrison bumps into Helen on the way to the Tearoom to see Fallon. They discuss George and how he won’t let the Grundys or Carters visit him in prison. Helen then outlines the Tearoom’s plans for Fallon’s big send-off to her new café. They want Fallon to realise how irreplaceable she is. When Helen mentions having it on Bonfire Night at Jubilee Field, Harrison wonders if somewhere more private might be better. Helen’s left mulling about an after-party at The Tearoom.

Khalil meets up with Henry at Bridge Farm for a nosey round. Azra’s agreed to a visit from Hilda the cat for a couple of days, on the basis that she’s a brilliant mouser. The fact that she can be vicious to humans is perfect for Khalil’s plans! When Henry wonders what these are, Khalil explains that Azra is only considering a cat as a pet, but after having Hilda she might decide chickens are a safer option.

Lilian confronts Justin about leaving Kirsty hanging over Rewilding Ambridge’s future, especially as it’s something that’s dear to Peggy’s heart. Justin counters that Kirsty just needs to put together a new water-tight business plan – it is a business arrangement after all. When Lilian points out it’s sometimes good to put others before yourself, Justin wants to be spared the moral lecture. But Lilian’s tired of serving as Justin’s conscience and reminds Justin about how close she came to ending things with him last year. She advises that he thinks long and hard about dismissing other people’s feelings – especially hers.

Justin’s at Rewilding Ambridge for a meeting about its future. Rex explains their hopes for renewing the existing agreement and some strategies for increasing footfall. They’re also upgrading their website; Brad’s got Robert’s help with the interactive side. But all Justin’s interested in is a solid five-year business plan. He tells them to get their house in order before they meet again. Kirsty and Rex are left feeling that Rewilding Ambridge is hanging in the balance.

Harrison has a meeting with his boss, Inspector Norris. He’s concerned that due to lack of staffing Harrison’s doing more admin rather than actual police work. When he asks if it’s because Norris thinks he can’t handle the job, she’s reassuring. Later Harrison apologises to Norris who wonders whether returning to full-time work might be contributing to the pressure. But Harrison says his priority is Fallon’s happiness and he’s doing his best to support her in every way he can.

Khalil bumps into Henry at The Bull where the results of the kitten naming competition are being announced. Khalil reckons ‘Tortoise’ is a bit basic, and Henry agrees even though it was Jack’s winning entry. Khalil tells Henry how he really wants some pets - chickens in particular, but Azra’s said no to any pets. Khalil wonders if Henry’s up for helping with that. Later Henry pushes the benefits of pets to Azra who sees through it. However, she might consider trialling a cat. Khalil isn’t that pleased because he’d rather have chickens. But when Henry talks about how evil Hilda the cat is, Khalil formulates a plan.

Kirsty and Rex take up Brad’s offer to revamp the rewilding website. Rex thinks it should be interactive and if they incorporate AI then a test website could be made really quickly. Kirsty comes across their lease agreement with Borchester Land, admitting she’s forgotten it expires soon. She’s been distracted by the private sale of her Beechwood house to Helen. They decide to flag the lease to BL as soon as possible and renegotiate the terms. They’ll reach out to Stella first as she’s looking after the BL’s environmental side. Later Stella agrees to meet up with them, but cautions talking to Justin directly as she can only offer guidance to BL. But Kirsty’s still worried – if BL were to pull out the whole rewilding project falls apart.

At The bull, Jolene struggles with not saying “my darling” and forfeits a pound with each mention. She visits Fallon’s EV Charging station unit, but when Jolene mentions it’s a bit smaller than the original plan, Fallon admits there’s been a mix-up. Jolene also wonders whether Fallon’s meat and dairy free brief is a bit niche. Fallon’s irritated; she invited Jolene there to share the excitement of her new venture, not to pick holes in it. Later Jolene gets fed up with trying not to say, “my darling” and she and Kenton agree to put an end to the challenge. They catch up with Fallon to tentatively check about the impact of the new café on Fallon and Harrison’s relationship. But Fallon shuts them down saying things have never been better between them.

Collector Wesley Hutchinson arrives at The Bull to look at the collection of Shires memorabilia. Lilian and Jolene show him into the cellar where Wesley says he’d be willing to take the entire collection off their hands. But when Jolene wants to talk money, Wesley would rather finalise the deal with Kenton. It’s either that or the deal is off. When Wesley goes, Kenton tells Jolene they made a tidy sum but explains that Wesley felt that all of the ‘darlings’ from Jolene and Lilian were patronising. When Jolene’s hurt by it, Kenton’s reassuring and then comes up with the idea of making The Bull a ‘darling free zone’.

Justin meets Brad At the EV Charging Station, explaining he’s had a word with the Cellcharge team. They’d like Brad to make a promotional video prior to the station’s opening next year. Brad starts to outline the cost of George’s packages, but Justin’s not interested. Instead he explains that he would rather they negotiated something between them. When Brad says he’d have to run it by George, Justin reckons it looks like more trouble than he’d realised. Back-tracking, Brad asks Justin what he’d suggest. Brad’s flustered when Justin comes up with a low rate, explaining that Brad would also have the added benefit of being recommended to Justin’s business associates. But Justin’s shifty when Lilian arrives unexpectedly and suggests they catch up about it all later. Lilian’s furious with Justin for doing a deal with George’s business and warns him that if he’s not careful, he can forget Christmas in the Caribbean!

Jolene and Kenton discuss Fallon’s plans for setting up her new café at the EV Charging Station. Kenton’s worried about the impact on Harrison who’s returning to full-time work but really doesn’t want to. And the extra pressure won’t do Fallon or Harrison any good in the long run. Justin and Lilian arrive for lunch at The Bull and chat turns to the kitten naming competition. Lilian thinks it needs to be decided soon, although Jolene and Kenton haven’t been inspired by the suggestions so far. They decide to pick a name at random but keep pulling out unsuitable ones until they agree on Jack’s entry of ‘Tortoise’. They’ll announce it on Wednesday. Jolene has some other news – the collector who’s interested in the old Shires ashtray is visiting tomorrow to look at all of their Shires memorabilia.

Brad touts for promotional video work at The Stables but Lilian says he’s wasting his time. She won’t allow any connection between her businesses and George Grundy. Brad heads to Bridge Farm where he asks Pat if she’s interested in any marketing. Pat appreciates Brad trying to support George’s business but doesn’t think it would go down well with the family. When Pat wonders how George is getting on, Brad lets slip that George is having a tough time. Pat advises that Brad talks to someone impartial because he shouldn’t have to deal with this on his own. They’re interrupted by Justin ringing with a proposition for Brad. Without explaining what it is, he suggests they meet up tomorrow.

While Jazzer’s driving Brad stresses about what’ll happen when he gets to prison and sees George. Jazzer offers to turn round and take Brad back home, but Brad acknowledges that for him the visit will soon be over. It’s George who’s trapped inside. At the prison Brad’s reassured by a fellow visitor, Rhea, who’s been several times before and still doesn’t find it easy. She tells Brad about her boyfriend, who’s in for assault, before they head inside the Visiting Hall. After some initial small talk, George tells Brad about the gang who run the wing. He’s learnt the hard way that you don’t grass on cellmates. When it’s time for Brad to go George affirms that he doesn’t want his family seeing him like this. The best thing Brad can do is keep George’s business going. Back outside, Brad and Rhea share how awful they found their visits. After spilling her shopping while crossing The Green tearful Emma admits to Fallon how upsetting she’s finding the fact that Brad’s allowed to visit George while she can’t. Emma then heads home to hide away until Brad gets back. But Fallon then drops in on Emma at Little Grange, full of concern. When Emma tells her about the letter she’s writing to George, Fallon thinks George will be relieved to know people still care about him. Once they’re home Brad begs Jazzer not to tell Emma how badly George is doing. When Emma calls in Brad covers that George is fine. But after she’s gone Jazzer assures uneasy Brad that he did the right thing, lying to her.

At Home Farm Stella and Ruth have their presentation on the history of women and the plough all ready to go, when Brian arrives and compliments them on their vintage hairstyles and outfits. Stella then gives Ruth a corn dolly for luck in her ploughing match. But first they give their presentation, which gets a good reception and Brian says went down well. He’s delighted too with all the compliments he’s been getting for putting the event on, overcoming his initial reservations about agreeing to do it.

David awaits his flu jab at the surgery with trepidation, while Neil is in denial about having an issue with stress. They try to deflect with chat about ploughing, but end up being honest with each other about David’s fear of needles and Neil’s struggle to cope with everything that’s been going on with George recently. Later, David compliments Ben on how good he was putting David at ease for his jab. Azra was complimentary about Ben’s first day too.

During Neil’s appointment Azra tells him that his blood pressure is up and suggests ways he can help bring his stress levels down. These include sharing with others how he’s feeling, rather than keeping it to himself.

At the end of the Home Farm ploughing match Stella praises both traditional methods and modern, more environmentally aware approaches to farming the land. Ruth is presented with her trophy for winning the whole event, while Neil is awarded the Ladies Cup as runner-up. He’s happy to accept the title in tribute to the strength, skill and resilience shown by women like Ruth.

Ian rings and tells panic-stricken Lottie he’ll be late getting to the disco, but he’s arranged for Adam to pick up and deliver all the things they need, before wishing Lottie luck and ringing off. Later, Ian’s shocked to discover that Adam stayed and helped at the disco, while he’s going to miss it altogether. Lottie’s sure Ian can help with the tidy-up though. Afterwards, at The Bull, Ian and Lottie celebrate surviving the disco, though Ian reckons exhausted Adam is the real star.

When awkward Emma and Fallon bump into each other outside the Village Shop Fallon mentions being offered the unit at the EV Charging Station. Emma then tells Fallon she’s meeting Alice at the Stables, before Fallon goes. Brad arrives, assuming Emma’s visiting George too. Emma tells Brad she hasn’t yet received an invite, but she’ll be happy to give him a lift there, once she’s got the details.

At the Stables Emma and Alice watch Martha being led round on Champion, the pony, by Keira. Emma admits they’re having problems with Keira at home. Alice assumes it’s to do with George, while Emma hopes things will improve with time. At least she’s talking to Chris again. Emma then teases Alice about having a flame still flickering for Chris.

When Emma gets an email from the prison it turns out George only wants Brad to visit. Brad apologises to Emma and explains that Jazzer has offered to drive him there on Friday, but he’ll let Emma know how George is when he gets back. Disappointed Emma has to accept that’s all she’s going to get.

Ruth’s been practising her ploughing and Ben offers to help polish Bert’s old tractor for the match. Although Stella’s pulled out of the ploughing she’ll still be dressing up in fifties gear on the day, plus giving talks about women’s roles in harvesting and the no-till drill at Home Farm. Ruth’s got another rival for the Ladies Cup, though – a farmer from Loxley Norton. Ben then tells Ruth he’s got a job as part-time Health Care Assistant at the same surgery where Azra works. Ruth worries about him doing too much, but Ben’s sure he’ll be fine - and anyway, he needs the cash. Azra has suggested David can be one of Ben’s first patients, having a free flu jab. But Ruth reckons David will take a lot of persuading as he hates injections and in the past only submitted to them when he absolutely had to.

George calls Brad from prison, but tells him he can’t say much about the fight in the prison with guards and prisoners around. They talk about Brad’s course and Poppy’s guinea-pig, before George whispers that because of others in there he has to keep his head down and mouth shut. He cuts Brad off. When Jazzer asks who he was talking to, Brad invents a conversation with Mia. Later, Brad tells Jazzer he’s had an invitation from the prison to visit George - on Friday. Brad admits he doesn’t exactly want to go, but thinks he should. Jazzer expresses doubt but concludes Brad should ask his mum about it, and in the end only Brad can make the decision.

Join Jill in the kitchen at Brookfield as she makes a batch of her much loved mince pies