It's the day of reckoning and star witness Tina's disappeared. Gary is worried. Eddie thinks Tina won't show up and then they're home free. Anna just wants her son to have some lunch but he's not all that hungry. In fact, one bite and he's running for the toilet. Next door, Gail is brushing off David's suit. He gets a text from Tina and she's "safe and sorry"... What does that mean? Well David figures she means she's not coming but Gail thinks she'll do the right thing. Joe makes a snide remark but since David doesn't know that Joe knows the truth, he just gives him a sharp glance and moans about everything being his fault. Well it is! He goes out the back door.

And back to next door, Gary is back downstairs. Eddie admits he's scared too and Gary bemoans the irony of getting nicked for something he didn't do when he's managed to escape jail for all the things he did do. Eddie tries to be encouraging but really isn't. Gary is near to tears no matter what his father tries to say. Outside, David is trying to get Tina on the phone. No luck. He's not getting any sympathy from Graeme and then finds out that Tina told Graeme the truth. Graeme doesn't really approve of David asking Tina to lie for him, it seems. He launches into one of his stories, about a former girlfriend who wanted him to do ballroom dancing. He was absolute crap at it but the point is you can't make someone into what they aren't, and Tina isn't a liar. David takes offence and dredges up the old "If you aren't with me, you're against me" so Graeme agrees he's against him. They stand there for a minute. Will the two friends turn their backs on each other? No, they make a date for a pint later. Class!

Ted has arrived and he offers to stay at the house in case Tina does arrive. Joe doesn't seem to happy about that.

In the factory, Rosie has come to fetch Julie to speak to Luke. He uses a very clever method of getting more out of the girls. He needs to increase an order and asks her if it's possible. She's dubious even with the offer of overtime but he charms her into agreeing that it could be done, not easily, but it could. Sure beats Tony's "do it or lose it" approach and i imagine that's exactly what he's aiming for. Good Cop Bad Cop.

Fiz tells Hayley that Chesney has been moody and uncooperative lately, she puts it down to teenage hormones. Norris interjects that he's not been as prudent with his paper round either. Norris takes a call from Mary on his mobile which Fiz has to put to his year, his hands being full. Ken and Ted are at a table in the cafe, as well. I guess the others haven't left for the court yet. Ted muses that he saw a man in a bank that looked very much like his father. He talks about his father, and how his father had a dream of how his life would be but gave it up for his family. Ken takes the point. Martha. Ted understands that Martha means a lot to Ken but Ken continues to insist that he and Martha are platonic and comes over all high and mighty about being faithful to long suffering Deirdre when Ted implies that Ken fancies the pants off Martha. Ken finally admits he does and hates the lying that goes along with it all. Ted thinks he should tell Martha that there is nothing more than friendship. End of story.

Becky and Steve have a cuddle. They are off to confirm the booking for the wedding. He is dressed rather nicely, trying to impress. She laughs and figures it would be better if he does up his flies first. And that's the loudest zipper I've ever heard! She's very excited with the plans. Hayley's making the dress, Roy's making the cake and she even says she won't mind having the ring that he originally gave Michelle. He insists he should buy her her own but she's adamant. It doesn't matter, and it's all recycling, isn't it? They have another kiss just as Liz arrives to tell them the cab is there. (couldn't Steve just drive one of his own cabs?) She confirms sourly that they are still having the wedding and wonders how they'll break the news to Amy. Bridesmaid is Becky's solution. It probably would work too!

The Platts are heading out for the court date. Ted arrives in time so that Joe has no excuse to stay behind. The Windasses come out of their house and the predictable trading of insults and blowhard threats ensues. Anna tells Gail that her lad is about to commit perjury which causes Gail to go into smug overload and quip that her son can at least spell it. Oh you know that smug look is going to be whipped off her face by the end of the day at the speed of light and how much fun will that be to see! But you'll have to wait for it because it won't happen in this episode. Ted assures Joe that Tina won't let them down.

After the break, we are outside the Rovers. Becky and Steve have arrived back. Lloyd comes over and asks about the wedding and when Becky realizes the 13th is a Friday, Friday the Thirteenth, she goes into panic mode and insists they have to change it. He doesn't want to. She's gritting her teeth though he tries to talk her round. Not very successfully at this point.

Across the road, Graeme notices that Colin is carrying a window box and offers to help him put it up. Colin points out that they aren't even acquainted so they introduce themselves. Colin says he's doing the window box for Rita, hence the R's on the box. Rita's Rs? Graeme asks with a sly smile and asks what Colin is going to plant in it. Colin hadn't thought. Graeme goes into a speech about soil, plant fertilizer and flowers, clearly knowing what he's talking about and impressing the Rs off Colin.

A few feet away, Tina lets herself in to Platt Towers, clearly expecting it to be empty and she jumps a mile when she sees Ted waiting. He admits he was instructed to take her to the court but if she doesn't want to go, he's not going to make her. He plies her with Ted-logic and kindness and Shakespeare. To thine own self be true. That makes her think.

In Streetcars, Lloyd is talking to Liz about Steve's car crash of a love life. Liz agrees but they don't hear Steve come in and he overhears his mother and best friend being critical of his decision. (Can't blame them, really, given his history). Liz hops on his lap for a cuddle and Lloyd states he doesn't give that marriage 5 minutes. At that, Steve startles them with the pop of a champagne bottle. Busted! Steve pours champers into the coffee mugs and says he was going to ask Lloyd to be his best man but isn't sure he will, since he'll only be married five minutes. Yep, he overheard. Lloyd and Liz both proclaim that they are only worried and just want him to be happy. That's good enough to drink to.

Graeme is up the ladder putting soil in the window box. Norris is highly skeptical, as you might expect though Colin figures the lad knows what he's doing. Norris scolds them and is hoping they don't plant anything too fancy. Graeme takes the micky out of Norris, first telling him he's going to plant a fancy cabbage and then calling Norris a dwarf which has our paper dispenser huffing and spitting like a steam engine.Norris complains that he's a victim of horticultural heckling and then commits a dangerous act by going over and shaking the ladder and in doing so, though Graeme doesn't fall, he does drop a bag of compost and it lands on the back of Norris' neck and head. Good. He had that coming. Norris sputters and blames Colin in the end.

Steve and Liz come round the corner, somewhat tiddly from the champagne and joking about Steve's disastrous relationships. He figures in for a penny in for a pound but Michelle comes along and things get awkward very quickly. Liz excuses herself. Steve quietly admits the wedding is definitely on. She's bitter. And no wonder. It took him over a year to propose to her and didn't even mean it and here he is wanting to marry Becky as soon as. She gives him more grief about marrying someone that isn't going to stand up to him or think for herself, rant, rave, bitch, complain and Steve takes his bottle of champagne and walks away leaving her insulting him and screaming across the road like a harpy but it's clear she's very hurt.

We're out in front of a stately building that's meant to be the courthouse but which is actually St. George's Hall in Liverpool. The Platts reckon Tina really isn't going to show up but guess what? She does! A taxi drives up with her in the back seat. The Windasses see this and figures the game is over but Anna urges Gary to think positively. Gary looks away for a minute as Eddie reminds him that Windasses never run away. Anna smacks him with her handbag and say they do nothing but run away! One more glance at freedom and Gary turns around to enter the courthouse and face the music.

What happens next? Read part 2 !

Tvor

So, Tina has finally arrived at the courthouse. Gail and David mither her as they all head up the stairs to the courtroom about how late she is and then Joe asks her if perhaps she has had seconds thoughts. "What's she gonna have second thoughts about?" snarls David at Joe. Len comes up the stairs and seeing Joe standing with Tina stops him in his tracks. Joe rushes Tina off to prepare herself to face court. David eyeballs Gary and says to Gail, "I can't wait until that little git gets sent down."

Luke Strong is in the office at Underworld where Rosie is fawning all over him and he and Julie are talking business. Rosie's nose is put out of joint when Luke dismisses Rosie's opinion for Julie's.

Joe urges Tina at the courthouse to tell the truth- "What kind of a lad asks his girlfriend to lie for him? To commit perjury for him?" Tina tells Joe she is going to stand fast on her evidence; Gary started the fight, that's that. But Joe tells her that if she won't tell the truth then he will. He won't let David make her a liar and a criminal. Tina tells Joe that if he does tell anyone, she will never forgive him and she'll never tell him anything again, evah! Len and Joe look at each other. Joe shrugs his shoulders.

Outside the Kabin and Norris is complaining to Colin about the compost falling on him from Rita's new window box. He's had compost right down to his vest, poor thing. Mary pulls up in a cab and says hello but Norris barely registers her presence as he continues to moan and complain about the compost. Colin and Graham leave the ladder in the middle of the street which nearly sends Norris right over the edge but Mary manages to drag him away in his outrage for a nice cup of tea. She tells him if the ladder falls on someone, they'll be sure to hear the screams.

In the office at Underworld, Luke is still strategising with Julie about how to make sure the urgent order gets done in time. Julie seems to be in her element. Luke wraps Julie and Rosie around his little finger with his charm.

In the Bookie's, Leanne is on her phone talking to someone about how she doesn't cleaning tables. Michelle asks her who she was talking to. Leanne explains it was a friend in Leeds who wants someone to run a restaurant for them. And burn it to the ground in a dodgy insurance scam too, I would imagine, if they've asked Leanne. Michelle is upset that Leanne might be thinking of leaving since she doesn't know the ropes yet. But Leanne can't think about that now since she has to go and pick up Simon again because Ken & Deirdre are working. Michelle points out that Leanne is also working. But Leanne is charmed by Simon and doesn't mind. She tells Michelle not to worry while she's out for ten minutes.

At the courthouse, Len asks Joe what is going on. He urges Joe to put Tina straight on her evidence. Joe argues that David is the love of Tina's life and he can do no more. Gail comes over and drags Joe away from the conversation.

Rosie approaches Janice in the break room at Underworld and harangues her for not being back at her machine. She goads Janice about being thick because Janice is unable to pronounce the word resuscitation until Janice cracks and accuses Rosie of being a "know-nowt little tart with attitude" and reminds her how she threw all the chances to better herself Sally ever gave her away. Things are just about to get ugly and Janice is crying until Luke intervenes and takes Janice away, telling Julie to bring Janice a coffee. When Julie glares at Rosie accusingly, Rosie defensively sneers, "What? She had it coming to her anyway. She's a joke!"

As everyone heads into the courtroom, David heckles and goads Gary. Tina tells him to stop his ugly behaviour but David is unrepentant.

Janice is letting fly in the office with Luke. She tells him how Rosie had upset her and apologises for letting Rosie get to her. He asks Janice to become the new first aid officer and has Rosie enroll her in a first aid course. Janice is suitably humbled by Luke's excellent handling of the situation while Rosie is outraged.

In the courtroom, David is giving his evidence. He tells the judge court that Gary flung the first punch in their fight while everyone looks on. The Windasses look worried. Gail looks haggard.

In the bar, Michelle and Liz have a chat. Michelle assures Liz that she's not pining for Steve but when Claire comes in, she leaves abruptly. With Michelle gone, Claire inadvertently tells Liz that Lloyd wasn't working last Friday when he told Liz he was.

Tina is giving her evidence in the court. As the barrister gently questions Tina about what she saw, Tina eventually breaks down and says, "I'm sorry, I can't." But why is she sorry? Who is she apologising to? She tells the court, "I don't remember. I can't say for sure. I'm sorry." Gary looks hopeful. David looks furious.

Oh for crying out loud, that tedious old man Colin is still banging on with Graham at the window box while Norris carries on like a pork chop below, moaning about it. Graham has planted hyacinths. Norris informs Colin that Rita cannot bear the smell of hyacinths (neither can I!) but Graham tells Norris that he has planted fake hyacinths. He is watering them though so I smell some pork pies! Colin asks Mary about the cruise. Mary is delighted to bring out some photos to show Colin who rolls his eyes as she eagerly shows, "That's me on the lower deck and that's mum on the upper deck. And that's me on the upper deck...."

Back in court, the barrister asks Tina to recall her evidence that she gave to the police at the time of the fight and hands her her statement. Tina starts to blub, "I'm sorry. It's all lies. I mean, not all of it but how it started and he didn't throw the first punch. I'm sorry David I can't lie for you." She turns to the judge and apologises as well. "David threw the first punch." The Windasses cheer and celebrate while David is stony-faced. Tina desperately tries to explain that the Windasses have been making their lives a misery for months, and Gary has especially been winding David up but nobody is listening. The judge send the jury to their room as he clears up some points of law with the lawyers.

Maria and Tom are in the Rovers talking about Glad Rags. Michelle tells them not to make any rash decisions. Luke comes into the bar and tells Michelle to sit down and have a drink with them all but she has to rush off. Maria and Tom tell Luke that they need more time and it looks like they won't be selling. Luke takes the news well. Is he an angel?

While Gail wonders in the courtroom gallery why Tina is calling David a liar, the foreman of the jury stands and tells the court that they find Gary not guilty of malicious wounding and it is a verdict on which they are all agreed. Cue raucous and inappropriate celebrations from the Windass family. As Gary shouts, "Got ya, Platt!" Tina runs out of the courtroom, sobbing her wee heart out.

Stella McLoughlin

As they all leave the courthouse, the Platt party pass the Windasses who are standing on the steps. David asks Tina if she'd like to go and stand with her mates, as she's obviously on their side. She replies that she's not on anybody's side, but he says she was in there. As they go by, Gary thanks Tina, and Eddie tells her she can go and live with them if she gets kicked out. David starts snarling at Gary but is hustled away by Gail who just wants to get him home.

In the Kabin, Norris (wearing a neckbrace) tells Emily how he had a bag of compost dropped on him from a great height, conveniently forgetting that his own action of violently shaking of the ladder had something to do with his plight! He goes on to scoff how the window box is actually filled with plastic flowers - that shows the type of man that Colin is, apparently. Mary asks Emily if she's going to be joining them later for a drink to celebrate Norris's birthday, and adds that she'll be asking Rita as well. Norris remarks that she'll probably be too busy looking at her plastic flowers - she's been like a giddy schoolgirl since Colin came on the scene and is making a fool of herself. Emily tells him not to be ridiculous, but Norris starts to get really worked up about it, until Mary hands him a painkiller and a glass of water!

Liz tells Deirdre and Ken that Leanne has had a job offer in Leeds, and may well take it. Ken thinks it will be shock for Peter, but Deirdre points out that he went off saying he'd be back in a day or two and it's now been seven or eight weeks, and they can't blame her. Ken says it's just a shame.

Meanwhile, over at the bookies, the very man himself is ringing Leanne's mobile phone and he tells her he's coming back tomorrow!

Colin is out in the street when Rita gets out of the taxi, and he welcomes her home and then tells her not to look up. Of course, she immediately does so, but looks somewhat shocked to see the window box outside her window.

Gail and co arrive back from the court, but Tina wonders if she's still allowed inside the house. "Of course you are," says Gail, trying to get everyone inside as the Windasses come hooting their way up the road. Inside, they tell Ted that Tina told the truth and so the verdict was Not Guilty. David is furious, but Joe points out that Tina was on oath, she couldn't stand up in court and tell lies. "And you had no right to ask her to," says Ted. David can't see the logic, and thinks it was the only way Gary Windass would get what he deserved.

Tara is serving Luke in the corner shop. She asks if he's permanent or temporary at the factory, and he tells her he's permanent - for now, if that makes any sense. She replies that it's just what she's been doing there. He asks if that means she's moving on, and she tells him she just had the offer of a job she applied for a while ago. "So you won't be here much longer then?" asks Luke, just as Dev comes out from the back room. "You're taking this job? It's all decided?" he asks, and then comments that it would have been nice if he could have been the first to hear about it. She tells him she was going to talk to him about it. "I'll look forward to that," he says frostily, and goes back to the back room. "Oops!" says Luke.

Rita is in the Kabin telling Norris she's sorry about what happened to him and hopes he won't sue her. "Only if you promise to join us for a drink in the Rovers later," says Mary, cheerfully. Rita says she will, and Norris asks if she'll be bringing Colin, or has his choice in flowers made her have second thoughts. "What's wrong with hyacinths?" asks Rita. Norris scornfully tells her they're plastic. "They're not," says Rita. Norris says he has it on the authority of the man who put them in, but Rita retorts that she has the authority of her nose. Mary suggests that maybe Graeme was joking, but Norris doesn't think it's funny. "More mockery, more humiliation!" he fumes.

The Windasses are opening a celebratory tin of lager each, and Eddie wonders why Tina suddenly decided to tell the truth. Len says he thinks her dad was bending her ear. "Don't ask me how I know, but it could have been a contributing factor." Anna then suggests they take them all to the pub, David as well, to show there's no hard feelings. Gary says he has hard feelings, lots of them, but Anna says she's going round to offer the olive branch.

Next door, Gail asks Joe if he knew that David had started the fight, and if so, she wants to know why he didn't tell her about it. Just then there's a tap on the back door - it's Anna, very tipsy, asking if they'd all like to come to the pub. Gail thinks it's not a good time, and then David comes out wanting to know what's happening. The other Windasses come out into their garden and in a moment there's a slanging match going on across the fence. Ted comes out and asks if they haven't all had enough of this, and where will it end - in the cemetery? "Thanks for the idea, Ted," says David, so Gail and Joe hustle them all indoors.

Tara and Dev go back to their flat, with Dev still griping that he wasn't the first to know her plans. She says she hasn't decided, it's a job, but it's not exactly her dream. He asks what her dream is and she tells him she'd like to open her own art shop. "Why didn't you say this before?" asks Dev, checking his email at the same time. He mutters that his Uncle Umed wants to come over, and replies to the email saying it's no problem. Tara goes on to say that her idea is to go to the local art colleges and see what was good, and then split the profits on anything that was sold. He tells her they'll do it!

Leanne goes to see Deirdre and Ken and tells them that Peter is coming back tomorrow. They tell her that they've heard she might be taking a job in Leeds, and she says she doesn't know what to do.

Eddie Windass tells Gary to stay out of David's way and to stop chasing his girlfriend. Gary tries to say that he's not chasing Tina, and Len says that the difference between them is that when he was Gary's age he would have caught her by now.

As Emily gets the drinks in the pub, Mary turns to Norris and tells him that her mother's going into a home. He says that from now on she'll have more time to herself, and she agrees, saying that she's going to spend that time travelling. She then asks if he'd like to come with her, but he goes into panic mode and says he'll have to think about it. Just then Rita and Colin come in and Colin apologises to Norris for the compost incident. He then goes off to get himself and Rita drinks and Rita turns to Norris and Mary and says that Colin's very nice but sometimes oversteps the mark.

Leanne confesses to Deirdre and Ken that she was about to accept the job offer in Leeds when Peter rang. Ken tells her that she must do what's best for her and that Peter would survive. Deirdre remarks that Simon might be a bit upset. Leanne tells them that she's not going to take the job - the mention of Simon decided her. "I can't leave him now, can I?" She then asks them if she can take Simon back to the flat to spend the night with her there, so that Peter finds them both there when he gets back.

Back at Gail's house, David starts on Tina again. Joe asks how she would be feeling now if he'd gone to prison. David, however, doesn't care, he says that Gary had been causing trouble for weeks and they finally had the chance to do something about it, but Tina decided no. At this point Tina gets up and runs out of the house. Joe runs after her and she tells him that she just had to get out of the house. She tells him she won't go far and walks off down the road.

As Dev and Tara leave their block of flats, they see Luke moving stuff in. Tara tells him they're at No. 9 and he says his flat is No. 6. She tells him he must come for a meal sometime. As they walk off, Dev starts talking about his favourite uncle.

Back in the Rovers, Rita tells Emily that she hates window boxes and always has. Emily points out that Colin wasn't to know that, but Rita tells her grimly that he does now. She adds however, that it can stay where it is for now, she might even get to like it.

Simon is with Leanne at the flat and is a very happy little boy because his daddy is coming home tomorrow. He says he knows he had to go away because he was drinking too much and had to be made better, and asks if he's all better now. Leanne says that she's sure he is.

David finds Tina sitting on the bench and asks how long she's planning to stay there. Just then the pub doors open and the Windasses come out. Gary calls across to Tina and David says he knows why she did it - she fancies him. "There can't be any other reason can there? That's the truth!" She tells him it's not, but he's always going to think it, so that's it. He asks what she means. "Us. We're finished!" she says. She adds that it's not because of Gary, it's because he has never understood her and he never will. With that she turns and walks away.

Anne Logan

Hello and welcome to another Friday and the first episode. This week we find out whether leopards (or Barlows) can change their spots.

We begin outside the shop, where David emerges with a carton of milk just as Graeme comes around the corner. Graeme commiserates with him about Tina, only for David to call Tina a cow. This interests Graeme, who is thinking he might now stand a chance with Tina. "So, you won't mind if I have a pop at her, then," is his elegant way of asking David's permission. David tells him "You go for it, Graeme. Fill yer boots."

Further up the street, Simon's excited at the thought of his dad coming home, though Deirdre warns both Simon and Leanne that Peter doesn't always do what he's promised. The more I see of Simon, the more I think he's the best actor in the cast at the moment! Leanne has spoken to Peter and is sure he's sorted himself out.

Breakfast is a silent affair at the Platts' house, until Joe asks David whether he's spoken to Tina. David is angry. He thinks Tina wouldn't have changed her story if Joe hadn't "started pecking her head." Gail protests that all Tina did was tell the truth, but David thinks she's just backing her boyfriend. Joe's annoyed that David always blames everyone but himself, and Gail tries to stop the squabbling. It doesn't work.

Emily tries to buy a disposable camera from the Kabin. She fancies taking pictures of daffodils and making her own Easter cards. Norris, complete with neckbrace, tells Emily that Mary's asked him to go travelling, but he says he'd miss him home comforts and his little routines. Though he is considering it. Emily tells him it could be the chance of a lifetime. Norris suspects that she and Rita would be glad to see the back of him, but Emily reassures him they'd miss him terribly. I couldn't see whether she had her fingers crossed.

Ken, reading the paper, tells Deirdre, polishing the furniture (remind me which one goes out to work and which one's at home all day?), that he's going to the cinema this afternoon. She assumes it's with Ted but he says he's going on his own. Deirdre suggests she go with him and they spend the afternoon snogging in the back row. A brief look of horror crosses Ken's face and he tells her he plans to see an art film about madness - it's Japanese. That does the trick. Deirdre can't be doing with subtitles.

In the cafe, Colin's apologising to Rita, who apologises in turn for being off with him. She tells him she's used to being on her own. He asks if there's room in her life for him and she assures him there is. They have trouble talking over the noise of an excited Becky coming in with a load of fabric she's bought from the market. It's all pink - shiny nylon, tulle, braid, candyfloss (or something that looks like it). Hayley tries to temper Becky's enthusiasm. Shiny fabrics can be very unforgiving, she points out. But Becky is determined that her wedding dress is going to make Liberace look like a librarian. "I'm thinking a Jordan-Princess Di combo," she says. (Overseas readers might like to Google "Katie Price" and "Jordan" to broaden their education; you Australians will recognise her as Peter Andre's wife!)

Graeme's in the bookies' trying to put on a 20p bet when Peter comes in bearing a bouquet of flowers. Peter pays Graeme a pound to get rid of him.

Rita's been using Colin as her cart horse to take a lot of stuff to the jumble. Tina wonders whether Rita is making room for her fancy man to move in, but Rita says her flat is her haven. Norris thinks Rita's still annoyed about the window box, but Rita says they've kissed and made up. It was her fault. "I don't like change," she says. Norris pounces on the word to tell her he's about to make a big change himself. He tells her that he's off to see the world with Mary. Rita says she didn't think he had it in him. "Good luck to the pair of you," she says, but as she turns away we see that she's quite upset by this news.

Peter and Leanne are in bed. They've got one of those L-shaped duvets (doonas, if you're Australian) - the kind which reaches only to Peter's waist but to Leanne's underarms! "I really missed you," Peter tells her. She asks what rehab was like and he tells her it was really tough at times. "Let's not talk about this. I just want to put it all behind me." They talk about Simon and decide to fetch him early from school.

Ken's off to see Martha and meets Ted. He tells him he's not doing anything wrong, but if Deirdre knew he was spending time with another woman, she would automatically assume he was having an affair. He starts to rant and Ted has to shut him up. "Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

Behind them, a large motor home has pulled up. Norris has been for a test run with Mary. As they sit parked at the kerb, Mary points out the joys of the open road, the sun in their faces, cooking sausages on a little gas stove . . . Norris can see the reflection of the Kabin in his rear-view mirror. He tells Mary he's come to a decision. "I think it's a jolly good idea to go travelling." He agrees a life on the open road, adventures and derring-do are the way to go. And then Mary compares the van to a Tardis - a love Tardis. Oops. "Steady on," says Norris, looking panicked.

In the pub, Deirdre and Liz discuss Ken and Lloyd. Liz confesses that she hasn't yet asked Lloyd why he lied the other night about working. She's worried she won't like the answer. At the bar, Becky and Hayley look at wedding dress designs. Liz says she's not interested and will wait for the big day, prompting Deirdre to call her "sarky knickers". Liz tells her it's a total farce. Steve and Becky have only been together five minutes. "I bet she chooses the chavviest dress you've ever seen."

Gail goes into the Kabin to talk to Tina. Tina's been staying at her mum's. Gail tells her David still cares a great deal about her. Graeme come in with a huge bouquet (or perhaps several of Dev's bouquets put together), which he says he's spent a week's beer money on so she has to accept them. If she's worried about David, he's fine with it, Graeme tells her. "There we go," Tina tells Gail. "That's how much he wants to get back with me." Graeme asks if she wants to go out for a meal but she tells him she's not going out with anyone. "Just back off!" Graeme says he realises it's too soon. He'll give her a day or so to get over it.

Hayley's trying her best to keep the wedding dress within the bounds of good taste, but Becky wants sequins, diamantes and rhinestones, maybe a few feathers. "I want a skirt so massive it needs scaffolding." And most of all, she wants cleavage you could park a bike in. She also asks Hayley to make a matching dress for Amy.

Deirdre visits Peter's flat and invites everyone for tea tomorrow night.

Joe visits the Kabin to talk to Tina. Norris makes himself scarce, but not out of earshot! Joe isn't David's biggest fan, but he doesn't like to see Tina upset. Tina snaps that he's selfish. "There's millions of women in the world but you have to go after my boyfriend's mum!"

In the pub, Rita and Emily discuss Norris's news. Emily doesn't think he has the right temperament for travelling. She wonders whether he's doing it because he's peeved at Rita's relationship with Colin. It dawns on Rita that this might be it.

Joe is back at Gail's. David still feels betrayed. Joe says it's just that his pride's been hurt. David shouts that Gail shouldn't be giving advice on relationships.

Graeme and Ashley clean the shop, with Graeme discussing Tina. He thinks she's exotic, like a mango or a kiwifruit. A stranger comes in and Graeme goes into full butcher's patter. But she's just looking for directions to the bookies'.

Leanne's rushing back downstairs to open the shop but Peter takes the time for an extra kiss. He tells her that the thought of coming home to Leanne and Simon kept him going. "You never know. One day we might make a little brother or sister for him, and how good would that be?" Leanne is radiant as they hug.

She gets downstairs to find the stranger knocking on the shop door. The woman wants to know if Peter's about and Leanne says he's upstairs. "Could you tell him it's Rosina?" Leanne agrees, but asks what it's about. "Don't worry, he'll know," she says mysteriously.

The End of Part One
Margaret Carr

And now, here is the update for the second episode, which I am posting on behalf of Richard:

Good evening one and all. This update reaches you by a combination of my fingers and a huge range of technology which now exists. When I first started writing these updates (I think it was nearly 10 years ago and no-one seems bored yet) I had to watch the episode concerned or make sure the video was set with plenty of start and finish. Then as the web developed if I missed something Mike Plowman's video picture site was useful reference and even source from time to time - thank you Mike.

More recently the ITV website started carrying the last four weeks to watch online and as I was at Wembley last night for the Kaiser Chiefs (not my choice, my daughter has eclectic tastes, this was our second visit to Wembley this week, the first time to see X Factor Live) I am seeing this episode for the first time courtesy of the newly upgraded ITV Player. So with thanks to ITV Productions and the ITV website, also to Harveys for sponsoring the Street and to the writer, Simon Crowther and the director Durno Johnston.

Leanne having just spent some time in bed in with newly returned Peter has opened the shop to admit Christina a tall curly headed blonde who wants to see Peter and get this - she has spent a lot of time with Peter - aboard her dad's yacht. She is always apologising for her father's yacht. Now she is in Manchester and wants to see Peter. Leanne is a little confused - she thinks Peter has been getting better from an illness. The girl says that he is recovered and then some. Peter's mate was crewing the yacht so Peter jacked in the clinic and joined his mate. Leanne is quick on the uptake - the girl and Peter got it together on the yacht in the last few weeks. Christina responds - who wants to know? And Leanne a few minutes earlier a happy soul has found her world destroyed in seconds by the two timing rat (after all he was almost a bigamist) known as Peter Barlow. She admits she has been romping with the man Leanne calls her boyfriend, but apparently Leanne was not mentioned once. Peter comes into the shop and does not recognise Christina from behind, she turns and as Peter is talking about Simon she says that is a Kodak moment and the look on Peter's face is one of being simply stunned. Peter tries the "Sorry do I know you line" and the look on Leanne's face as she turns her head away is simply superb - disdain, dislike, disinterest!

And oddly two timing rattery appears to be genetic as the scene moves to a canal boat where Ken (allegedly watching a Japanese film at the cinema without Deirdre) is sitting with Martha who has heard from her ex-husband about a debt ridden daughter whom they will be bailing out. Martha had to speak to her ex-husband's new wife - who was hard. Martha believes Ken has something to tell her - but he denies it. She smiles.

In his Victoria Court flat Dev it telling his girl friend that one of his corner shops is empty (as if) and is ideally located for her art shop. It does need refurbishing and a proper business plan is needed and Dev will fund the start up money.

Peter is claiming that they were merely mates and that nothing happened, the woman just kept chasing him, he had had enough and let her down lightly. Before she departs Christina tells Peter to grow up and that she will spare them both the pictures. Leanne is sure whom she believes.

Roy catches Liz in the Street. He wants to poke his nose in. He believes that Liz is not supporting Steve and Becky. Liz lays it down straight as she sees it, no holds barred. Roy to give him his due then agrees with her that Becky can be an unregulated bank bringing death and destruction to the entire nation but (and this is a big butt - something Becky clearly does not have) if Roy had a daughter in law with as big a heart as Becky who is the living proof of the old cliche - it is what is on the inside that counts. And that is all Roy wants to say and he walks off brush in hand leaving Liz just a little stunned at the strength of his support. Liz turns and marches at high speed into the cab office where Lloyd is on the switch. Liz tells him that she has just been told off by Roy Cropper (even though he is dealing with a cabbie at the time). Apparently she has to go easy on Joan of Arc but as Liz points out Joan did not wear track suits or smoke (had it even been invented?). As Lloyd points out love is insane. Liz changes the subject - why did Lloyd lie to her last week? He was not working when she wanted to go to a club - he responds he was skint. Does he still want to go out with her - apparently he does but I am not convinced. He wants to know who ratted on him - Liz admits that it was Clare, who at this very point walks into the office and immediately sense the atmosphere. She says to Liz that Lloyd did not ask her to lie for him and immediately she can see that she has walked into an elephant trap.

Ken and Martha are discussing television documentaries and films - items which Deirdre does not understand. Apparently the daughter has been using store cards. Ken recalls having some furniture on hire purchase which her parents worried about the payments. Martha mentions the commitments we make to banks and to people and the conversation falters before Ken changes the subject completely. Meanwhile Deirdre is washing - including Ken's kimono - she might not have followed the washing instructions - but she does not seem to care much!

Leanne is detailing all she has done for Peter whilst he has been away in looking after Simon. Once again Peter denies that he touched the other girl - but he did not do anything. Leanne says she should not have got involved with a bigamist - what was she thinking?

And after the break Mary is talking about driving all the way to China and a trial run to the Lakes is agreed. In the background Jason tells Mary that he is up for driving to China and beyond - he has just been dumped and is free and single. Mary almost looks as though she will take him up on it.

Back on the canal barge Ken is voicing another fatuous piece of rubbish when Martha rushes across the room and plants a huge kiss on his lips. He responds and she then apologises for interrupting him. He has lost the train of his conversation. She holds his hand to her face. And they both have large smiles. So has she got a boyfriend and Ken responds "I think so yes".

In the Rovers Gary says Thanks to Tina and then leaves her.

Leanne is packing and leaving. Peter admits he has been lying and tells Leanne that he kissed the girl once. Peter claims that was it. Leanne simply does not believe him and continues to pack.

Gary offers to buy Tina a drink sometime in the future and indeed one day they might even sit at the same table. At this point David comes in. David asks Tina what he has been saying but Tina tells him that it is none of his business several times. He wants to know why she has not gone to her mother's. She tells him that he is being childish and indeed that has been the problem all along - he has been a child. He points out she is younger than he is. But she says your do not behave like a grown up. He asks if Gary Windass is. She calls him "petty, jealous, paranoid and a liar" (which seems pretty accurate to me). She does not trust him. As she walks away he states that she cannot keep away and he will wait.

Rita and Norris discuss potential destinations in the camper van. New Zealand seems a good destination if you like rugby - which Norris suddenly claims he is. Norris observes that he is 69 years old and Rita does not want to see him pushed into anything.

Becky is in the back room at the Rovers with something in her eye. Liz tries to help her but Becky decides to keep blinking. Liz tries to find ground with Becky and she says she will make more of an effort to get her settled. Becky says that she is pleased as that would be good.

Leanne is throwing everything into black plastic sacks and tells Simon she is sorry. Peter has not been completely honest - he did take it further, but he regrets it - he wants Leanne. Leanne says she adores Simon and will see him soon. Leanne wishes he had pursued the treatment - this whole set up would be so good. Simon wants to know if she is gone for good. Peter says he does not know - women are a funny breed.

Ken comes into find Deirdre wanting to throw away some clothes. She convinces Ken not to go and see Peter as Leanne will be the making of him. Indeed if Tracy were out of prison then everything will be close to perfect and he should not make the tea - a gin and tonic and they can drink to happy families. (Oh yes irony is alive and well in the script room). She asks after the film - but he did not see it - he just went for a walk through town. And the closing shot is of Ken - lust one lie after another coming from the two timing rats face.

Great performance by Jane Danson tonight. The look on her face when dealing with the girl and Peter was superb.

And Norris - will he go travelling?

And has Stephanie Beacham ever turned in a second class performance? No I didn't think so. Tonight was another stunner.

And is Lloyd up to something or is he really hard up?

Will anything ever be revealed? Next Friday is of course Friday the 13th. We all know terrible things happen to Becky on such days (because she told us so last month) and what is happening - well she is marrying Steve McDonald - a man who has a real taste in women - those he has married - Vicky, Karen and of course Karen again (just for the big white wedding) and those he has not - Fiona, Maxine, Tracy (yes that Tracy), Ronnie, Kelly (just in case you missed it) and of course Michelle. Did I miss anyone out - probably but then it is far too easy to do that!

See you then.
K Richard W

David is full of the joys of almost-spring. He's got a plan to woo back Tina and it involves Joe's help. Joe isn't really in the best of moods as he's sitting there opening bill after bill. David wants to work with Joe now that he has a big contract but Joe doesn't think he can afford to buy the materials let alone pay someone. David offers to work for free to start off with. Gail even thinks that's a good idea but Joe will only commit to a "I'll think about it".

Peter's sucking back the stomach aids and trying to get Leanne on the phone, leaving message after message. Simon states that he really likes Leanne. Peter agrees and says he'll sort it. Meanwhile, Leanne is on the phone in the cafe accepting the Leeds job, much to Janice's discontent. She tells Jan that Peter is not her problem anymore. Janice doesn't understand why Leanne has to go but she really would find it too difficult to stay where she'd see Peter and Simon every day. Janice wonders why the lying is such a big deal. Everyone lies. Leanne points out that she's got a great job opportunity and a cheating, lying boyfriend. Do the math. Really, Janice *does* know she's right, down deep.

Len finds Joe outside the house. Joe admits he's not got the materials yet. Len gives him the number of some sub-legal financiers because his own reputation is on the line, too. Joe doesn't want to get tangled up in that. David asks again if he can help. Joe snaps back not to keep pushing and gets snarky with David when David lays into him with his Poor Little David Hard Done By routine, overheard by Tina and she agrees with her Dad. Every day is David Day innit? And proceeds to give him an earful on his selfish attitude. Go Tina! David slopes off and Joe commiserates. Tina still likes David but wishes he weren't so insane.

Peter opens the betting shop just as Janice comes by. Janice snips that he's the cause of Leanne leaving and breaks the news.

Joe goes back inside the house for his jacket and his sarnies. Gail presents him with a cheque and insists it's a loan, not charity, so that he can afford the materials and to give David some work. Joe loses his temper again as his pride jumps on it's high horse. He crumples the cheque and says he doesn't want her money or her son and charges back out.

Oh god we're on the barge and Smug Martha is serving Smug Ken some scrambled eggs on toast. Only, like everything else she does, it's sublimely perfect because she's added chives and herbs and parmesan cheese. (I suppose Deirdre gets her eggs out of a tin as well as the leek soup?). Ken goes overboard in extacies about the eggs. It must be love. If it's so good, how come she's not having any?

Becky and Steve are preparing the bar for opening and talking about stag and hen nights. She is a thoroughly modern woman and doesn't mind if he has a stripper as long as he keeps his hands off. She's not having a hen night, though, because her and alcohol are too dangerous a mix. She's having a quiet night in with Roy and Hayles instead. The scene ends in another loved up cuddle.

Leanne is in the betting shop for her last wages. She won't listen to any of his pleas, looking all sad with his puppy dog brown eyes. He gets over dramatic as he throws the cash he owes at her feet, wallowing in self pity. She just tells him it's all his fault. He refuses to say goodbye to Simon for her so she gives him an ear bleeding rant about all his misdeeds. He follows her and pleads but she's not going to stay because he'll only hurt her again.

After the break, a portly Indian is standing by Dev's shop while Lloyd humps some very, very heavy cases out of the cab. The man admits he hasn't had to carry them himself, having paid others to do it through the whole journey. Dev comes out of the shop just then and it turns out this jovial man is his Uncle Umed and it has the devastating effect of bringing out the latent Indian accent in Dev (who's been born and raised in Birmingham and Weatherfield, remember. It's really quite mystifying) Dev is quite surprised that Uncle U has taken him up so soon on his offer of a welcome place to stay anytime. Dev introduces Amber as one of his children. Umed pays Lloyd and Tara arrives as well. Umed assumes she's another daughter and is embarrassed to find out she's Dev's girlfriend.

Gail is talking to Tina in the cafe, hoping Tina could talk Joe around. Tina admits she loves David but shrugs, as if there's nothing she could do about it.

Dev has brought his uncle into the bar. Umed says his business is being looked after by a manager. He immediately makes eyes and Liz and later when he asks Lloyd who is propping up the bar with Steve for more information about Liz, he says Liz is..er... Steve's mother which Liz overhears with a frown. Umed conveniently seems to have lost his wallet or maybe he's used the last of his cash on the cab? He says he'll let Dev pay so as not to insult his hospitality but my alarm bells are ringing already.

Leanne has come to Number 1 to bring the last of Peter's stuff back (from where?). Blanche hadn't heard that they had broken up and why and she's upset to have missed the gossip. She feels better when Leanne doesn't think Norris has heard yet either. She offers Leanne a cup of tea and asks her to make it, then rushes out into the front hall to call Peter.

Joe is in his lockup i think (which still seems to have some building materials around. I don't think it's the building site because that was no more than a shell). Tina arrives and circumspectly tells him that she knows about the money Gail tried to give him and she's going to win this argument. Meanwhile David is telling Gail that she should kick out Joe. He seems to have taken a dislike to Joe for the moment. He admits he picked a fight with Joe. Gail scolds him and David overflows with sarcasm. Gail just gives him a look and David agrees to go talk to Joe. Apologize! Gail shouts after him.

Across the road, Peter is setting up Simon (he must have gone and taken him out of school!). He's got the little fellow practicing his sad face and then sends him inside to plead his case to Leanne. That's emotional blackmail!! Simon is irrepressibly sweet but Leanne comes back outside and gives Peter hell for using the child. He begs, he pleads. Her mind is almost changed until she realizes he's been drinking and tells him he's just made her mind up. Janice hurries over for a goodbye hug and Lloyd is there with the cab. I'm not quite sure where her luggage is unless she left it at the cab office earlier. Simon still tries to get her to stay but though she's gentle with him, she goes.

Back to the lockup, Len has come to see Joe who tells Len he doesn't need his mate's rates after all. He says he appreciates the contract but he's ok on his own and they shake hands just as David comes in and hears that last bit. Oh crikey!

Tvor

Uh oh! It looks like there's gonna be trouble in Platt Paradise as David has just walked in on Joe and Len Windass shaking hands on a deal. He demands to know what it's all about. Joe tries to placate David by telling him it can all be explained. David demands that Joe explain it then. Joe tries to bluff his way through a lie but Len doesn't play along. David can quite clearly see that Len has put 19 kitchens Joe's way in return for Tina changing her evidence in court. Len look pleased with himself as Joe runs after David who has stormed out of the lockup.

Rosie and her mate Sian are out in the street watching Ryan and Ben kick a ball around. Ben mentions to Ryan that Sian totally fancies him and he should ask her out. Ryan says he will.

Becky comes into the bar where Lloyd tells her that Liz has something to tell her. Becky is convinced that Liz is pregnant, saying, ""Are you pregnant! *squeals*. It crossed me mind when I saw you in that skirt only you don't like to say 'owt do you?" Ahem, Liz tells her she is not pregnant and then Sean goes on to tell Becky that since he told Liz that she wasn't planning a hen night, just a night in with Hayley, Liz wants to take her and Hayles out for dinner. Becky doesn't seem keen at first but once Lloyd asks her if she's a night out with Liz fills her with dread, she soon changes her mind. She thinks she and Liz have a lot in common which Liz doesn't appear to agree with, from the look on her face. Liz then asks Lloyd to come through to the back for a chat. Becky wonders why Liz is suddenly being so nice to her.

Tina sees Gail struggling with her shopping bags and asks Gail if she can help. Just then David appears shouting the odds about Joe making Tina change her story in court because Len Windass paid him to. It looks like Gail isn't going to fall for David's latest story but then Joe pulls up in his van and protests that he didn't have a deal with Len Windass, it was an arrangement. Gail sees they need to go inside to talk about it all.

Ken, Deirdre and Blanche are all in their sitting room. Ken thinks he's totally busted when all of a sudden Blanche blurts out, "Fancy finding out your fella's gone off with some floozy on a boat. Adds a whole new meaning to messing about on the water!" But of course, it turns out she's talking about Peter. There follows a brilliant exchange with the three of them about who is to blame for their children having gone off the rails. Blanche thinks Ken needs to take responsibility for Peter since, "If Kenneth hadn't procreated with that Valerie and had Peter, Peter wouldn't have broken Leanne Battersby's heart so it is his fault in a way." Deirdre protests that surely then, Blanche should take responsibility for Tracey being in prison but Blanche decides, "No, that's yours. My rationale only drops a generation." Deirdre sticks up for Ken and tell Blanche to leave him alone.

In the back room at the Rovers, Liz asks Lloyd why he didn't refer to her as his girlfriend when he was telling Umed who was who earlier in the bar. Lloyd protests he was trying to protect her but Liz is sure he is ashamed of her as an older woman. She dumps him, telling him that she doesn't think that relationships shouldn't be this hard!

In a completely silly plot thread, De's Uncle Umed overhears Jason and Tara talking about the work Jason will be going to do on 24 and mistakes the conversation for some kind of escort work. He hears Dev telling Jason that he will transfer some money into his account and his ludicrous suspicions are raised even higher.

At the Platts' Joe is trying to defend himself from the accusations of being paid by the Windasses. He wants to know where the harm is in asking Tina to tell the truth and in doing so saving his business and his pride. Oh, Gail, so judgy-judgemental (and why does she, of all people, think she has the right to be?) asks Joe, "And what goes before a fall, Joe?" Tina calls her dad a loser who always has to squirm his way out of the trouble he gets himself into. Gail won't look at him. Tina tells Joe that she can't trust him any more. David butts in with, "You know, you can't half pick 'em Gail! Seems you've been living with a born-again liar!" Gail asks him to be quiet while Joe looks pleadingly at his daughter and mentions that he's quids in now. David has a right go at Joe about manipulating Tina while Gail asks him if money means more to him than his daughter's feelings. Gail shouts, "We said there was gonna be no more secrets in this house, I loathe secrets! They bring nothing but heartache and misery. Just look at us now!"

At Peter's flat, the phone rings and Simon answers. It's Ken for Peter but Peter tells Simon to put the phone down and not to answer the ringing doorbell. Poor wee mite. Simon, that is. Not Peter who deserves everything he gets.

At the Platts' things are still on the boil. David can't understand why Tina is giving him dirty looks. David starts on her, accusing her of flirting with Gary- Gail backs him up on that-, the texts from her ex and then of course, the big one that Joe knows nothing about. Gail and Tina ask him to think about what he's going to say and Joe reminds David that it was him that started all this nonsense with the Windasses in the first place. "Oh, and your little girl's whiter than white, in't she?" David asks Joe, "Well I wonder how much she were like Snow White when she were 'aving my baby aborted?" Joe is shocked but the hits just keep on coming as David tells Joe that Gail knew all about it.

In the Rovers, Steve sees Liz talking with Deirdre in the bar. Sean tells him that Liz has had some drama with Lloyd. Steve asks Liz what's going on and Deirdre tells him that he needs to get his mate sorted out. Steve asks Liz again to tell him what's happened.

At the Platts' Joe is hearing all about the termination from Tina, "I 'ad a termination, wotevah!" Gail asks Joe not to go hard on her. Joe asks Tina why she didn't come to him. Tina tells him that she wanted to speak to someone who wouldn't be emotional about it. Tina disses Gail a bit by telling her that she only spoke to Gail about it because she was there. David stirs up some trouble between Gail and Tina at this, asking if Tina is saying that Gail has no emotions which is also a symptom of psychosis. Tina tells him to shut it and then asks him if she was the one who made him push his mother down the stairs and reminds David that he made Tina lie to the police to cover it all up. Joe is shocked again. Tina tells Joe to stay away from her as she continues her rant, "Ever since I met you David, my life's been a mess. The things you made me do, I don't like it." Joe is still amazed that all this was going on and she still didn't come to him. Tina drops the D-word- Depression. Joe was depressed when Tina was going through her hard time and her mother told her not to bother him. When Joe asks Tina if this is how he and her mother brought her up- to tell lies, then it's Joe's turn to have the truth spilled as Tina tells Gail about how Joe moved in with her because he had been evicted from his own place and had no money. Tina rushes off as everyone looks stunned. She runs down the street, sobbing.

Sian and Sophie see Tina from their spot on a bench across the road and wonder what that was all about. They're still watching Ben and Ryan kick a ball about but it's got dark out by now. Ryan comes over and asks Sian if she wants to go out some time.

In Peter's flat, Simon tells Peter he wants Leanne. He can't have her, his father tells him. "I want Mummy," the poor wee thing goes on. And failing that, he'll have a rabbit. Simon tells him they can't look after a rabbit but maybe he can have a goldfish.

In the cab office at Streetcars, Steve comes over to have a word with Liz. Lloyd tells him that he really cares about Liz and that he said what he said to Umed to protect her. Steve tells him that he should be telling Liz that, not him.

At the Platts'. Gail sits in judgement on Joe. She sends David up to his room before Ted comes in. She asks Ted to give her five minutes while she speaks to Joe. She tells him that she only went with Tina to her termination to hold her hand. Joe can't believe what a mentalist David is and that nobody has told him about David's troubles before now and how he nearly killed his own mother. Gail stands up for her son telling him it didn't happen like he thinks. Joe sarcastically asks, "Oh, did he try to kill his mother in a nice way?" Gail asks him not to make this all about David, "It's got nothing to do with David!" She tells Joe that the two of them are rowing because Joe betrayed her trust. Joe points out that Gail has hardly been trustworthy either. Gail says, "I used to wonder why Tina couldn't talk to you... Now I know. Get out Joe." She tells Joe that whatever flimsy precipice their relationship was built on is gone now and it's over. Joe says he used to think he would be sad to hear Gail say that but now he just feels free. Gail tells him again to go. He's already done his worst. Joe leaves. Ted comes and outs a supportive hand on Gail's shoulder. Meanwhile, outside Joe's shoulders heave as he sobs after such a harrowing afternoon.

Blimey! I'm glad Steve and Becky' wedding is coming up. I need some cheering up now!

Stella McLoughlin

Steve and Becky are eating breakfast. At least, he's eating a piece of toast and she's smoking a ciggie. She tells him it's her last full day as Becky Grainger so she's remembering moments so she can compare them after she's married, as people have told her it's different. He laughs (after promising not to) so she throws something at him. "It's all right for you, Mr. Three Times Round - been there, done it, but this is seriously weird for me, getting hitched was never supposed to happen to us." "Well it has, so live with it," he says and kisses her.

Gail leaps to answer the phone, but it's a wrong number.

Ken is talking to Ted in the cafe. He says that there are times he would just like to hideaway on the barge with HER (Martha), and then there's the business with Peter. "Ah, the woes of fatherly responsibility," says Ted. "With respect," says Ken, "I think I've suffered a few more years on the front line than you have." Ted admits he's been spared, but says that his family are making up for lost time. Ken asks if he resents it, but Ted says he doesn't, not in the least, but then he hasn't had to survive it as long. Ken says that five minutes in Martha's company make all his worries fade away. Ted asks if he's told her about Deirdre, but Ken just mutters that the opportunity hasn't arisen, adding that nothing has happened. Ken ends up saying that he hopes that Peter has more wherewithal than his father.

Over at the Platt's, Gail tries to assure David that Tina will be all right. David snaps that if she hadn't got her claws into Tina's dad, none of this would have happened. (Nothing to do with him swinging a punch at Gary Windass then!) "The Curse of Gail strikes again!" he says. Just then the doorbell rings and Gail goes to find Tina at the door. David leaps up, hopefully, but she says she's just come for her stuff.

Becky asks Hayley: "Love, honour and decent hygiene apart, what are your top three tips for a happy marriage?" Hayley tells her to be herself, give and take, and treat him to an occasional hair wash. Becky then asks Roy: "What's the best thing about being married?" Roy's advice is that they are one with each other.

Meanwhile, David is resorting to pleading with Tina not to go, saying that he's nothing without her or she might as well chuck him back in the canal. Gail urges her to hear him out, and David tells her she owes him that at least, but she snaps that she owes him nothing, and asks if he has any idea what he put her through. She refuses to give him another chance and tells him not to contact her, adding that she's going away with her mum for a few weeks.

Umed is with Dev in the corner shop when Tina comes back, telling them that the gallery is really coming together and that Jason is doing a great job. Umed comments that that young man can do no wrong, it seems. Dev asks her how it went at the university and she explains to a confused Umed that she's looking for talent, and there's always another Damien Hurst waiting to be discovered.

In the Rovers, Blanche hears that Liz is taking Becky out for her hen night. "It's still going ahead then? I shouldn't have taken that bet," she says. Liz asks, "What bet?" and Eddie Windass tells her that Blanche has bet 20 quid that they won't make it down the aisle. Liz says she's having nothing to do with it. Lloyd hears and proffers a 20 pound note to Eddie, saying he'll have some of that bet, adding that it is Becky after all. Just then the pub door opens as Liz, with her back to the door, starts to say that she wouldn't argue with that but they'd better make sure Steve doesn't find out…..then she turns and stops in mid sentence, it's Becky and Hayley who have come in. Becky looks hurt and tells Lloyd that he and Liz are made for each other. She turns and walks out, leaving Hayley to tell them they should be ashamed of themselves. Blanche gleefully asks if anyone wants to increase the bet.

Peter tells Simon he's sorry he hasn't been around much lately, but he's got him a present. He tells him to cover his eyes and then produces a baby rabbit, telling him he thought the two of them could do with some company. Simon immediately announces he's calling the rabbit Leanne!

Steve is at Dev's, starting his stag do, telling him how Becky's having a meal with his mother and Hayley, and assuring him that she won't get into any trouble. Dev's not so sure, this is Becky we're talking about, after all. Just then Lloyd comes in and Steve throws him a can of beer. "I guess that answers my first question," says Lloyd, and when Steve asks what he means he says, "You haven't seen Becky yet." He then decides to confess and tells Steve about his bet. "To be fair, it was Eddie and Blanche's bet," he says, "I was just a passenger." Steve demands to know what kind of bet and, after gulping down a glass of scotch, admits it was that he and Becky wouldn't get married. "But it was only 20 quid. The problem is she kind of knows about it now," he mutters. After a pause, Steve asks Dev how much it would cost to refurnish the room. Dev thinks about 4 or 5 grand, and Steve says he can live with that and then launches himself at Lloyd.

Peter is trying to persuade Simon to find another name for his rabbit, and suggests Miffy or Bugs. Simon's not impressed with either and is adamant that he likes Leanne. "Leanne it is then," sighs Peter.

Gail's talking to Ted, telling him how Joe practically accused her of encouraging Tina to have an abortion. Ted says to look at it from Joe's side, "It was a desperate time for him, not unlike when Tina fell pregnant. I'm sure he was doing what he felt was best, just like you did," he says.

Steve goes to find Becky in Roy and Hayley's flat, where she's playing Scrabble with them. She says this is what she calls a night in. She see the bruise on his face and asks what happened, and he tells her he had a disagreement with Lloyd. "He told you then," she says. Steve says to wait until he tells Liz what Lloyd was up to and is staggered to learn that Liz was there and less than supportive. He also amazed to hear that she didn't react in any physical way towards them and she reminds him that the bad Becky is gone, and thinks he might be very proud of her. He says that he is and wishes he had her restraint. He then tells her to come with him to sort it out once and for all.

Gail questions Tina about Joe's depression and is told it started about 5 years ago when he wouldn't get out of bed and ended up spending some time in hospital. She asks if Gail will keep an eye on him while she's away and Gail says she will.

Lloyd and Dev have gone back to the pub and told Liz that the stag do is off, when the door opens and Steve and Becky walk in. Steve tells them that Liz and Lloyd are both barred from the wedding. Liz protests that he can't do that, but he replies, "Wanna bet?" Liz starts to say that it isn't fair, but he replies he thinks that it is. "Until a couple of days ago you wouldn't give Becky the time of day," he tells his mother, "now I don't give a monkey's what you think about my bride to be. Well I do, but it's a free country when it comes to that." Then he goes on to give them the highlights of his speech, seeing as neither of them are going to hear it after the wedding. He goes on to say that he loves Becky, it's as simple as that, and all the stuff they think is so wrong about her is just right for him, and wishes they could see that. Becky whispers to him that somehow she doesn't think she'll be forgetting that moment in a hurry and she puts her arms round his neck and kisses him. "Come on then, crazy girl," he whispers back, "let's go and finish that game of Scrabble!"

Anne Logan

The update comes to you this week while I'm in what Bet Lynch used to call Tenner-reefy. I'm keeping an eye out for a bit of bling and leopard skin in the beach side bars.

It's the morning of her big day and Becky is dressing. Natasha (hairdresser) and Hayley stand there with mouths agape as they see her. Becky thinks there must be something wrong, but Hayley says she looks like something out of a fairy tale. "We aren't talking ogres or trolls or owt?" Becky checks. Natasha says she'd put Jordan to shame. Hayley worries about Becky wearing the dress while she's having her hair done, but Becky says she'll only be able to wear it on one day and wants to get as much wear out of it as possible. Natasha says she's brought something with her to help Becky's nerves, and she pulls a bottle of brandy from her bag. Hayley's happy to take a swig from a mug, then asks for a refill. Roy comes in and says Steve's sent over a bottle of champagne. He wants to put it into the fridge to chill, but Becky cries that she's in more need of chilling. "Crack it open!"

Audrey is round at Gail's, apparently just to slag off Joe. "He's a waster," she pronounces. Gail explains about Joe's depression but Audrey thinks Joe's just made it up to get sympathy. She doesn't change her mind when Gail says it was Tina who mentioned it. She says she's not going to give up on Joe without talking to him.

Hayley's doing Becky's nails. She takes the chance to double-check that Becky's not making a mistake. Becky tells her that saying yes to Jason was about being grateful and grabbing at something. But being with Steve is just as right as having brown sauce on her sausage and egg sarnie. Some things just belong together. Hayley asks if Roy opposed Becky and Steve getting together. Becky says Roy was just trying to get her to do the right thing. She's grateful to Roy and Hayley for caring. "Good things can happen now and they couldn't before. I was just muck on people's shoes." As Hayley wipes away a tear she tells Becky how proud she and Roy are. They're interrupted by Natasha coming in with yet more champagne - this time from Liz.

In the corner shop, Blanche scans the wine shelves and isn't impressed by Dev's rundown of the types of wine in stock. She just wants something for under two pounds! Dev tries directing her to the vinegar. Blanche explains that she's on a pension. And anyway, it's not for her. It's a peace offering and she's not spending a fortune on Becky. "Why didn't you say?" asks Dev. "Here we have Thunderclap Cider, her favourite tipple. It's a cheeky little number, recent vintage, an OK bouquet with just a hint of marker pen. One ninety-nine for three litres." "Sold to the lady in the beige coat," smirks Blanche.

Liz is doing Amy's hair. Steve still refuses to invite her or Lloyd to the wedding. But once he's gone, Lloyd and Liz decide to set up a mini-reception in the bar for the happy couple in an effort to patch things up.

Dev's Uncle Umed helps himself to some cigars in the shop. Tara is looking at a lighting catalogue for the shop. Dev is appalled when he discovers that what he thought was a high price per light is actually the price per square metre! When Umed leaves, Dev tells Tara that in business you have to be very careful so you don't get ripped off. Tara points out that he's not doing very well. He let Uncle Umed leave without paying for the cigars.

Luke and Maria meet in the street. She still hasn't made up her mind about selling her share of Liam and Tom's business.

Natasha and Becky head into the street on their way to the salon. Hayley is very worried there isn't time to do an eyelash tint, but Natasha reassures her, and Becky is adamant she's not going to have smeared mascara. Becky's stopped by Blanche, who says she wants to come to the wedding so she can see Amy as flower girl. She presents Becky with the bottle of cider as a peace offering. Becky takes the cider but tells Blanche she can't come to the wedding. "I've got something old already." Blanche points out that the groom is borrowed. She'd like to give Becky something blue as well, but she's too much of a lady. Blanche has delayed Becky just that bit too long. Becky spies Steve and Amy leaving the pub. Steve's bringing Amy over to the cafe. Becky takes off, running down the road in her pink marshmallow gown, clutching the half-G of cider to her bosom. She heads for the nearest refuge, the building yard, and scoots inside, ducking down behind a concrete mixer. The sound of someone working with a power tool suddenly stops . . . Jason can't believe what he's seeing.

Uncle Umed tries to give Dev some advice about women. He explains that his watch was expensive, but once he had it on his arm the expense stopped. Women are the opposite. Dev wonders if he's trying to say that Tara will bleed Dev dry. "In that case I'll need all my customers to start paying for their cigars, won't I?" Tara enters, full of enthusiasm about a young photographer she's met. She's made a deal to buy five of his pictures. Dev protests that he thought they were just going to sell on commission. "Trust me," says Tara. "Justin is going to be big!" She reassures Dev and Umed that she knows how the art world works.

Jason wants to know if Becky's playing some sick joke, or trying to get in one last thrust of the knife. "You break my heart and you turn up looking like . . . you haven't come to take me away from all this, have you?" Becky hasn't. She tries to explain to him why she is marrying Steve. She tells Jason that the two of them would have ended up hurting each other even more, "Coz you ain't Steve and I ain't Sarah. You know I'm right. The least you could do is have a drink with me and wish me luck for old times' sake."

Steve's at the registry office with a registrar who wishes he was sailing and who tells Steve mournfully about the Friday 13th weddings which have been disasters. The last bridge who married on Friday 13th had an allergic reaction to the hydrangeas in her bouquet. "She looked like the singing detective in the photos!"

Becky's drinking cider from a mug, sucking on a ciggy as she sits on the stairs to the yard office with Jason. He wants to know what Becky sees in Steve. "It's not what I see. It's the way we are," she says. With Steve she's content to just be. Jason's sorry she never felt like that with him. Becky assures him he will find someone made to measure for him. "I've already met her. I married her," Jason says. We see Roy pass the yard looking flustered. He spots Becky and tells her everyone's been hunting for her. "Do you realise the time?" Becky reaches out to look at Jason's watch and leaps to her feet with shock. R-I-I-I-I-I-P-P-P . . . Something gives way in the dress.

Gail is at Joe's lock-up.

Becky goes into the cafe, tulle trashed! Hayley reassures her that the damaged dress can be repaired.

Gail is in the lock-up. In the corner, Joe is under an Afghan rug on a camp bed. He's crying. Gail strokes his face.

The registrar discusses the weather report and its suitability for sailing. He asks Steve about the best man and Steve tells him there isn't one, though there is a bridesmaid and two witnesses. The registrar hopes Steve is sure they're on their way. "I wouldn't take anything for granted today if I was you."

The End of Episode One
Margaret Carr

Good evening and welcome aboard the Becky Express - a speedy route to complete and utter futility. Steve has already signed up - but has Becky?

This episode was written by Debbie Oates and directed by Stuart Davids, copyright remains with ITV Productions to whom many thanks.

Hayley is looking for a finer needle to repair the torn dress and more importantly as she asks Roy - where is Hayley now? She appears from around the corner waving a couple of bottles of shampoo, one unopened Roy places safely in his carrier bag (it shall go to the wedding). She opens the other.

Gail is asking Joe about his depression - he says it is always one small step away - no light, no windows, being let down, letting other down. They discuss the secrets which they lived around - but Joe rebuts her support. He says she pities him and that is no basis for a relationship and it makes him hate himself even more. He asks her to go - but she refuses to leave. She tries to tell him that the events were out of their hands and that she is not angry with him. She tells him to take care of himself and walks slowly away.

Hayley rushes into Underworld telling Kev to phone Steve and warn him that they will be late. Becky gets out of the car, drinking, celebrating the end of Becky Granger with a good send off. She plans to be Mrs McDonald Mark Four and her let will prevent a Mark Five. Kev laughs recalling the swing at Jason. Becky asks about Karen and Kev tells her about the fight with Tracy on the factory roof which Becky eyes. Kev phones Steve who has a very watchful registrar but is pleased to hear that they will be there in fifteen minutes. Steve tells the registrar that they will appear in ten minutes. Kev turns round to find that Becky is no longer in front of him but is on the factory roof showering him with champagne. Blanche and Eddie have a bet running and spotting the bride to be Blanche reckons that she will soon be collecting. Roy has hurried upstairs and tells Becky they have to go - but Becky feels she can fly and almost tries to jump off the roof. Roy pulls her back. Becky wants the world to know that all of the people who have run her down for her entire life should know that she is loved! Luke appears and orders them off his route in thirty seconds or he will call the police.

Back downstairs Maria and Tom have been talking to Luke about LadRags but Maria decides she is selling her share - but Tom tells Luke that nothing is decided as yet. Tony and Luke exchange banter on the latter trying to get in on the LadRags business.

The Registrar starts to pack up - he has had enough and on a normal day would have married two couples in the time he has been waiting. Steve pleads with him to stay but his mind is made up and there are plenty of free appointments between now and forever. He emerges from the offices just as Hayley and the bride arrive. Steve is begging for him to stay and Becky sinks ever lower in her seat to stay out of sight. Roy and Hayley go over to explain the delays with a series of excuses - Amy gets the blame, which the Registrar swallows as Hayley explains the guilt Amy would feel if the wedding did not go ahead. And with one swoop she seized victory from the jaws of disaster.

Tony has followed Maria home and offers her some business advice if she is really thinking of selling. He feels partly responsible for Carla's vanishing act but Maria says that he should not have married the cow and he departs back to the factory.

Becky thinks she might be just a bit tipsy so gulps down some more champagne to make sure but asks Hayley not to tell Steve that she has had a drink. They head into the wedding room with Roy just about keeping Becky moving forward, with an awful lot of swaying from side to side. Becky appears to the strains of "Bonnie and Clyde", goes floppy, collapses on a chair, then Roy picks her and gets her alongside Steve, or more likely into him and she grabs his bum. He asks if she is hammered but she claims she is simply celebrating.

The registrar is not impressed and asks for a word with Steve. He cannot proceed with ceremony - at which point Becky asks if they can take a break - she needs to relieve herself. And she just about manages it out of the door. The registrar states that she is drunk and is Steve sure he wants to get married? He tells Steve that this is not Las Vegas and that they should come back when they can take their commitment seriously. Any wants to know what hammered means. The registrar walks off the job.

Maria appears in the office at the factory and apologises to Tony for what she said. He says again that he is worried about what Luke might be doing. She does not know why he would want to help her. He invites her to sit down for a chat.

Back at the registry office Becky has been found asleep in the toilet, so Steve decides to take her home. Anyway Becky tells him they might be married but they are not on weeing terms yet and she closes the door on him - she obviously believes that the ceremony was completed.

In the Rovers Liz and Lloyd are making it clear to all around them that they are very much an item. Steve arrives through the back carrying Becky over his shoulder and he will come into the bar once he has seen her to bed. Lloyd points out that wives should only be carried over the threshold, not up the stairs! And in the bar Eddie takes twenty quid off of Blanche in celebration of the new Mrs McDonald.

And Maria is having a brain transplant - obviously Tony could not have been involved in killing Liam and she would appreciate any help with LadRags. They shake hands and agree to be friends. She tells him how sorry she has been for him. He asks to see all the paperwork for the business and she hugs him to thank him for his kindness. Tony cannot believe that she has changed so much.

In the Rovers Liz offers Steve some proper pictures and she will stay out of them. He tells her it will not be necessary and Blanche can be seen listening as Steve admits there has not been a marriage. Eddie looks sadly at the twenty pounds before handing it back to Blanche. And she wants the other twenty as well. Steve assures Liz and Lloyd that he and Becky will marry - once Becky realises they are not married. So she doesn't know? Steve nods. So who will tell Becky and when. Next update will be Monday!

And more good news from offspring land.

Eccles has had some pups and Steve and his real life fiancee are expecting a second child later in the year. See you next week.

K Richard W

Steve is pouring a bucket of sugar over his morning cereal while Liz harangues him about getting out while the getting's good. Steve has no intention of abandoning Becky. Liz wonders when he's going to get around to telling Becky the wedding didn't happen. In his typical passive-aggressive way, Steve's hoping Becky will remember so he won't have to. Clearly she doesn't remember, though. She staggers out of the bedroom sheepishly and cooing "morning hubby!" and looking for aspirin. He realizes she doesn't remember and says nothing. Liz gestures furiously at him but he ignores her so she stalks off to the bar. (I miss seeing most of this happening in the back room behind the bar now that we've got a more isolated upstairs "flat"). Becky promises to make up for her short comings tonight and Steve, not wanting to miss out on that, quietly goes to fetch the aspirin and misses Becky gazing at her hands and realizing something's missing (I'll say. not only is her wedding band not there, neither is her engagement ring!)

Luke and Tom come from different directions and meet at Maria's. She lets them in and they immediately start arguing between them, trying to find out if Maria is going to sell up or not. She promises she'll decide today and makes a date to meet them in the pub later. Michelle scoots downstairs to ask Maria if she can use her bubble bath (as opposed to just shouting down like everyone else). This gives Luke an eyeful and she scoots right back up again, much to Luke's delight.

In the kitchen, Steve is trying in a long and very round about way to get to the point where the next sentence will probably be one that reveals the non-wedding but then he turns around and notices that Becky's gone. She's in the bedroom and pops her head out when he calls. She tells him she's feeling so rough she's going back to bed and won't let him get a word in. She sends him off to the bar so she can "get some sleep" and backs into the bedroom again, closing the door. Once he leaves, she dashes out and starts looking under the furniture...for the wedding ring she thinks she's lost! Downstairs, he admits to Liz he still hasn't told her the truth. He's going to wait until she wakes up and tell her then but they *will* get married eventually. He turns to leave and makes sure Liz keeps Becky there but not to reveal anything until he gets back.

Across the road, Ted is making breakfast for Gail. She admits to Ted that she loves Joe and doesn't pity him for his illness. Ted thinks Joe will come round in the end and he's interrupted by David who wants nothing to do with Joe now due to his betrayal. Ted calls him a melodramatic child so David goes off in a strop.

Norris is in the Kabin is going over his checklist to make sure he's got everything in his backpack. Emily is gently making fun of his extensive supply of everything and anything remotely possible to be needed including a veritable pharmacy. Rita wonders if he's sure he really wants to go. He half heartedly says he is but when Rita takes a phone call from Colin, Norris becomes more adamant. The sooner out the better.

At the pub, Becky has come down into the bar and lightly asks Liz if she's seen her wedding ring and admits she's lost it. She's in a terrible state, frantic to find it. Liz says nothing but when Becky decides she must retrace her steps from the registry office, Liz jumps forward and suggest that it could be in the bar somewhere. Good idea. Becky starts to look, while ranting about how she's a bad wife and promises to be the best daughter-in-law ever. She's on her knees out of sight when Steve returns and when she hears him, she crawls quietly out the back. Liz gives Steve hell and tells him Becky has just crawled out. They argue about it, Steve worrying that Becky will hear from someone else. Liz grabs him by the scruff of the neck and shouts back not to blame it on her. He got himself into this mess on his own. (When he is wasting time and could have been at the back door seconds after Becky went through it. Now it's too late!)

Maria is thoughtful. Tom is horrified to realize that Maria has given the LadRags books to Tony of all people, the same Tony she tried to kill not that long ago. She shamefacedly admits she was wrong about Tony and her grief had overwhelmed her. Tom just doesn't want anyone else in their business. They argue about bringing outside people into it, Carla vs. Tony, Tom insisting that Carla's involvement was due to the need for money and Maria insisting she needs objective advice. Tom doesn't like that and storms out, Maria reminding him that they are going to meet Tony first before meeting Luke.

Steve arrives at the cafe, armed with flowers, looking for Becky but she's not there. Hayley is surprised that he's not told Becky and when they remember who was in the pub and who would have known the truth, they both stop dead, remembering Blanche was one of the interested onlookers. Oh 'eck! After the break, Steve comes back outside and is on the phone to Lloyd to make sure he doesn't spill any beans and to pass on the message to Eddie as well. Blanche is sitting across the road at the bus stop, smirking. Steve comes across while on the phone to Dev to try to find Umed and is frustrated to find out that Umed has told Dev the news. Looks like Umed is going to prove to be just as bad or worse a gossip than Blanche who's listening with great interest. She's next on Steve's list. She's amused to find out the latest and is anxious to tell her One O'clock Club. Steve begs Blanche, please let him tell Becky herself. She promises that her lips are sealed. Yeah? Steve goes off and tries to phone Becky. He hears a phone ring round the corner, it's Becky's phone but she ducks into a doorway. meanwhile Blanche sees Tom and asks where Michelle is. At home, he replies. Steve leaves yet another message for Becky. He thinks he sees movement down the road but she keeps out of his view and after he turns away, she runs down to Streetcars, observed by Blanche.

Inside the taxi office, she gets Claire to find out which cab they had the night before. She reluctantly admits she lost her ring. Claire doesn't know which cab was used. Becky knocks her very tousled head against the countertop berating herself yet again and Claire offers to let her look in the cabs that are parked outside.

Down the road, Mary has arrived to fetch Norris who is staggering under the weight of the pack on his back. Mary figures he might have to back up into the van but it's no good. David comes along and is asked to help Norris off with the backpack. He does and puts it in the van, admiring the vehicle and teasing Norris about opening the throttle on the motorway, nudge, nudge! Norris dismisses him summarily. As he walks away, we see Joe watching from his vehicle.

Maria and Tom are in Tony's office. Tom is a bit belligerent about the need for Tony's advice but Tony points out several things he's uncovered about the slack way Tom has been conducting LadRags, much to Maria's dismay. Tom defends himself. That was Liam's area of expertise. Exactly Tony's point. Tony does admit they're making a profit but it could be doing better.

The camper van is packed and ready to go. Rita comes outside, saying that Colin had called again and that he's going to Blackpool for a few days. Norris snips at her assuming she's going. She is not and anyway she's got to mind the Kabin. Norris snatches that up as a possible excuse not to go away but Rita assures him she can cope very well thank you. Mary drives away in order to cut Norris' attempts short. Rita and Emily have a chuckle at his expense.

Joe sees Gail go out.

Becky is curled up miserably in the taxi office. Claire takes a call from Steve but lies and says she's not seen Becky. He apparently said that Becky should give him a ring. Becky grimaces at the joke that Steve didn't even know he'd made and realizes she's going to have to tell him. She's still not wearing her engagement ring, that one of Michelle's that she said she'd have anyway as a recycling measure.

In the bar, Steve has still not heard from Becky and figures the gossip has spread so far that Becky will have heard anyway. He picks up the flowers and bashes them on the bar in frustration. Tom and Maria enter the bar where Luke is already waiting. They get right down to business though Luke has a chance to toss a flirty glance at Michelle who's bursting with news she's just heard from Blanche! (Well, Blanche only promised not to tell Becky!)

Gail has returned from Tescos and sees Joe's van out front of her house. She happily thinks he's come back but he has only returned to pick up the rest of his stuff. Her face falls.

Back to the pub. Luke tries to put his case forward. Tony arrives. And so does Becky. She admits to Liz that she's got to tell Steve. Michelle pokes her nose in with interest and is told off. Liz tells Becky that Steve has something to tell her which Becky immediately assumes is a request for a divorce. Michelle starts laughing and interjects that Steve would never divorce her. She's not going to let this one go, it's just too good to be true. Liz tries to get Becky into the back room but Steve comes out. He gives her the bedraggled flowers. She's touched. He tries to get her to go in back but Michelle interrupts and proposes a toast to Steve and Becky and the wedding that never was. Becky turns around and asks what she means. Michelle loudly proclaims that Becky was too drunk to get married. Behind her, Tom laughs but Becky looks like the floor just dropped out from under her feet. She turns to Steve for an answer. What's the answer? Check back in 30 minutes.

Tvor

Oh dear, Poor Becky. And that awful Michelle with her big mouth. Liz tries to send Becky and Steve through to the back of the bar so they can talk in private but Becky needs to know if she is married to Steve now. Michelle keeps butting in, telling Becky that Steve can't even tell the truth now. Steve tries to tell the story but Becky is too upset to hear it calmly and as Steve starts to say, "Well, the registrar was there.." Becky runs off. Liz tells Steve to leave Becky to cool down for a bit before going after her and kicks Michelle out of the bar so they can have a bit of peace. Michelle snides, "Hope you get back together, Steve! Made for each other!" on her way out.

Luke is in a booth with Maria and Tom while Tony sits with them, ostensibly to protect Maria's interests. Luke is putting pressure on them to sell and offers £50K for Ladrags (Not Glad Rags, like I've been writing!) With a bit of input from Tony, Tom and Maria both decide to hold onto their stakes after all. They're not in any mad rush to sell.

At Gail's, Joe is all ready to move out and has gathered all his stuff up. Gail asks him if he has time for a coffee. Joe sits down.

Becky is crying her eyes out to Hayley in the cafe, "Michelle.... of all people...." she sobs and Hayley gives her a big hug. "No, don't be nice to me, don't be nice.... I'm not married, Hayley." Becky asks why Hayley didn't tell her this morning and sobs that she's a joke, a disaster, "I'm the Titanic...wahhhhh...." Steve comes in to talk to Becky. He protests that he had been looking all over the place for her to tell her the truth but Becky just accuses him of getting his ex-girlfriends to do the talking for him. Off she runs, upstairs. Roy asks Steve to leave Becky for now. "Hayley knows what to say, " Roy says, "y-you'll just make it worse."

Sophie is off out for the evening with her bible in her hand. Ben and Sian tell her she won't need her bible since Sophie won't be going to baptism class. Sophie is jealous that she's not being baptised yet. Ryan just stands there looking like a spare part. Oh wait, no. He says something. He tells Sophie she'll look a right weirdo carrying her bible around anyway which earns him a dirty look from Sian. After Sophie leaves, Kevin and Sally makes plans to visit this "Krissteeyan centre" that Sophie is spending all her time in. She tells Kevin she'll iron his good shirt!

Joe and Gail are having a cuppa. Gail doesn't want to think of Joe freezing in his lockup and he asks Joe if he will move into Sarah's room instead of moving out. Sarah's room is lying there empty after all.

Hayley is comforting Becky who thinks she is such a loser. She calls Steve a liar, a cheat and a coward who doesn't know what love is. Hayley reminds her that he gave up Michelle for her. Becky thinks that in a few months, Steve will give her up for someone else too. "And who can blame 'im?... A mess like me?" Hayley offers her a bath, a nice long soak to calm down but Becky is distraught, "I'll never get a decent fella. A bad fairy waved a wand at me when I was just a babby and that's it f'me. I'm cursed, destined to be.... a drunken, pathetic loser." Awww, Becky!

Outside Underworld, Tony and Luke are talking about Ladrags but Tony is distracted by the sight of Kevin who is parking a car on Tony's turf. He begins to have an argument with Kevin about it but Luke undermines Tony by not only suggesting that Kevin can park there while they're not using the forecourt but also by putting some business Kevin's way. Tony refuses to let Kevin, the grease monkey, near his car. Luke offers the forecourt for parking in return for free servicing on Luke's car and the factory van. Tony is not happy.

In the cafe, Becky can be heard shouting exasperatedly at Hayley to "give it a rest" while Steve waits patiently downstairs. Steve wonders how long he should wait for Becky to calm down.He asks if he should go up there or not. Kelly is having a good laugh at Steve's misfortune while she is in picking up the cakes for the factory. Becky overhears Kelly taking the mickey out of her and comes out to threaten Kelly with physical violence. When people turn to look, Becky shouts, "Yeah, it's me! Me, the unmarried freak! Come on, get an eyeful!" Steve tries to comfort her but Becky shrugs him off. "Are you still here?" she asks him and Steve tells her he'll always be there. She tells Steve he should have told her that they're not married. Steve tries to explain why he couldn't but is still too upset to hear him. He tells her that they can reschedule her wedding. "Oh, how thick are you?!?" asks Becky, "Do you really think that the girl who got so drunk she got chucked out of her own lousy wedding, so drunk she can't even really remember what 'appened, do you really think she's ever gonna make anybody a wife?"

Upstairs at Roy's, Steve asks Becky to sit down and talk to him. Becky is not ready to listen to reason and tells Steve that this is payback for what they did to Michelle and Jason. "All we did was fall in love!" argues Steve. "That's the sad bit, in't it?" says Becky, "... When you find a bloke you love, that you'll never be any good together." Somebody's feeling really sorry for herself. And probably still very hungover.

At Gail's Joe seems to have some round to the idea of moving into Sarah's room instead of out to the lockup but still has reservations. Gail tells Joe that if it's David he's worried about, that he should leave David to her. "I know David better than anybody, I can deal with him. Really!" Joe thanks her and takes his stuff back upstairs. "Not a problem," says Gail, quite happy.

What's this? Norris is back on the street with his humongous camper van. Rita asks him if he and Mary have had a row. They haven't. They got as far as Penrith and then there was a problem with Mary's mother so they came home. Mary doesn't seem to be in agreement with Norris's version of events though and Rita takes her off to the Rovers to talk about it. "I'll just lock up the vehicle, then shall I?" shouts Norris after Mary and Rita.

David comes home and heads upstairs before Gail can have a word with him. As she suspects she would, Gail hears David roar, "What's this?" as he sees Joe's stuff in Sarah's room. He belts down the stairs and kicks off at Gail, "He's back, innhe? He's wormin' 'is way back in!" Joe comes in at that moment. David demands Joe's house key and gives it back to Gail but Gail puts her foot down (why, oh why has she not done this before now? Things would have been so much easier, Gail!) and tells him that they have a spare room, Joe has nowhere else to go and that's the end of it. "Dinner in ten minutes." David is most displeased.

Mary tells Rita over a drink in the Rovers that it was Norris who called the nursing home about Mary's mother and decided that she needed Mary back home again. Rita is furious with him and tells him so when he comes to the table. "How much do you think she needs a break?" she asks him, referring to Mary, "After years of looking after her mother single-handed, how much do you think she needed a few days away?" Mary tries to defend Norris but Rita won't hear it and tells Norris, "You get the drinks! And Mary's on doubles!"

A young, energetic man is playing ten pin bowling with Sian, Ryan, Ben and Sophie at the Christian centre. They seem to be having loads of fun. Kevin and Sally, all dressed up in their Sunday best drop by and meet the young man. He calls Sophie over who is so embarrassed to see her parents, "Why have you got a suit on?" she asks her dad. Sally and Kevin seem to be quite charmed by the young man who introduces himself as Dom, the team leader.

Back at Gail's, Joe is feeling bad that he has eaten while David has not and he feels like he should have stayed out later. David starts chucking Joe's things down the stairs. Gail and David have a big argument in which Gail tells David, "My house, my rules..." and then she tells Joe, "It's time David understood, I will not be bullied." David asks Gail if she is choosing Joe over him. It looks like it. David storms out, telling his mother, "You never learn do you? All your blokes come and go and they're all useless. There's only ever been one who has stood by you no matter what and that's me!"

Steve and Becky seem to have calmed down. Steve wants them to get married again, quietly, so that nobody will be laughing at Becky. Becky is full of remorse for wrecking Jason and Michelle's life and for rushing into a wedding. Steve tells her that they will plan a proper wedding, in that case, for next year and that he has a honeymoon all booked for them now. Becky will not be persuaded and tells him "The wedding's off, the surprise flamin' 'oneymoon's off and we're off. I'm sorry." Steve tells her again that he loves her but Becky just says, "You're gonna thank me one day. When you've met a nice girl and married her and settled down. A nice girl who doesn't get drunk on the most important day of her life" She goes into her room at Hayley & Roy's, despite the fact that Steve tells her he loves her again. "Goodnight Steve."

Stella McLoughlin

As Liz and Lloyd sit watching a morning reality tv show, Steve comes in and announces that he's going to see Becky and make her see sense. As he leaves, Liz mutters to Lloyd that Becky wouldn't know sense if she saw it. However, she's impressed that he's fighting for his woman, a quality she admires in a man, and she asks Lloyd if he'd fight for her. Lloyd, engrossed in the tv, mutters of course he would. Liz then decides that it would be nice to do something in the evening, and Lloyd mumbles, "Yeah, sure." Then he frowns, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Maria tells Natasha that Tony's holding her hand and helping her negotiate with Luke over Ladrags. Natasha says she'd let him hold more than her hand, she thinks he's gorgeous.

Over at the factory, Luke asks Julie why the Women of Wilmslow order didn't go out. She says she sent him a memo, she made an executive decision to delay the order because she wasn't pleased with the work. He tells her she's not an executive, so she can't make executive decisions, and he wants her to be good and quick. "Get me?" he asks. "Get you big time, Mr. Strong," she simpers.

Lloyd is in the back room of the pub when he gets a phone call. A friend asks if he'd like to go on a last minute holiday to Ibiza, and he says he will. Poppy overhears and tells him he's a lucky so and so.

Steve doesn't have a good time getting Becky to talk to him, so he asks her if she'll meet him later at the Chinese restaurant in the Parade. "Meet me and we'll really talk," he begs, but Becky runs off upstairs.

Joe comes downstairs and Gail asks how he slept. He says he has a lot on his mind, she tells him to join the club. Just then David comes downstairs with a hold all, but flops onto the sofa and switches on the tv. Gail asks what he's doing. "Leaving, later," he replies.

Jason goes into the shop to see Tara, but Umed cries, "Here's the fancy man, chase me! Chase me! It's the big builder boy in his big brown boots!" (You'd be forgiven for thinking Umed is a youngster, but alas, he's not!) Jason ignores him and tells Tara that the work at the gallery is finished, but the floor shouldn't be walked on for 24 hours. She asks if he'd like to join her in the Rovers for a celebratory glass of bubbly. Dev raises his eyebrows so she glares at him. "I didn't say anything," he says. "Good!" she says, and she and Jason go out of the door.

Hayley gives Becky a little pep talk and tells her she doesn't really want to be there with her and Roy, however much she loves them, they're not her future. She asks where Becky sees herself in 5 years time - living in their spare room or settled down with the love of a good man? She reminds her that Steve's waiting for her in the restaurant, her and no one else. Becky remarks that their prawn balls are supposed to be pretty special.

Tony drops into the salon and tells Maria that he's struck a deal with a mate's courier firm to give Ladrags a really cheap rate. Natasha says that it's nice that her business partner keeps her in the loop. Maria says he's not actually her business partner. Tony smiles at Natasha and asks who she is. "Natasha," smiles Natasha, holding out her hand. Tony suggest that while he's there perhaps he should have a wee trim, and she leads him to a chair, winking at Maria as she passes.

In the Chinese restaurant, the waiter asks Steve if he's ready to order. Steve explains that he's waiting for someone, and refuses a drink saying he doesn't want to be squiffy when she gets there. The door then opens and who should come in but Liz and Lloyd! (Of all the restaurants in all the world……!) They spot him and come and sit at the very next table. (I think if I'd been Steve I'd have left and met Becky outside and gone somewhere else….however, this is Soapland….) Soon Becky arrives and Steve tells her she looks beautiful, and she orders a pint of cider with a whisky chaser. As she sits down, taking the chewing gum out of her mouth and sticking it to the menu - eww! Steve tells her to look under the table. She does, and there's a suitcase, he tells her they're getting on a plane, tonight. She starts to tell him what Hayley said, when Lloyd appears from the gents, and sits down at the next table. "So Batman brought Robin with him, did he?" says Becky, frowning. Just then Liz comes out of the ladies. "Oh my God, and Wonder Woman came too!" She stands up, telling Steve she's going home, but he cries that he didn't invite them, it's pure coincidence. She looks at Liz and says, "Pure? Her?" In a matter of moments there's a slanging match going on, with Becky calling Liz ‘Barbie's Grandma' and Liz tells Becky she looks like Dracula's daughter. Steve says they'll go somewhere else, but Becky takes her jacket off and sits down again. "No we won't," she says defiantly, and then tells the waiter she wants to order the most expensive things on the menu, starters and main. He tells her that'll be soft shelled crab and lobster. Becky thinks lobster will be magic.

Natasha has finished Tony's hair, (although he doesn't look any different) and then fawns all over him, telling him he has excellent interpersonal skills and it's no wonder he's such a successful businessman. Then she asks if he'd like to come out for a bevy sometime. He points out that he's still married, and she replies that she thought he was separated. He then pays for the haircut and leaves, and Natasha and Maria burst out laughing.

Back at the restaurant, Steve is trying to talk to Becky about their honeymoon. "You only go on honeymoon when you're married," she tells him. He tells her he's booked a honeymoon package to the Maldives. She looks like she's considering it for a moment, but then starts to say, "But we're not……" when Liz interrupts. "You are some piece of work," she snaps, "he's packed a bag for you and everything!" Becky points out to Steve that wherever they go there's always people, idiots watching on, listening in." Steve points out - "Not in the Maldives!" Liz asks who she's calling an idiot, and before very long another fight breaks out and Becky throws her soft shelled crab at Liz. Then, with a roar, Liz leaps up, knocking her table over, and lunges at Becky, grabbing her face with both hands.

Sophie and her friends have gone to Ryan Connor's band practice. Sophie and Ben laugh that Sian is in love and she'll be offering to do backing vocals next.

The fight is still in full swing at the restaurant and the insults get worse, with the result that Steve and Lloyd then end up at loggerheads. Becky runs out and Liz tells Steve to go after her. "Why go running after her?" asks Lloyd, "there's plenty of dogs in the street!" A moment or two later they are all out in the street, the waiter too, who is shouting out that they haven't paid the bill. Liz snaps that they're not paying for Steve and Becky, and Steve says he can pay for himself. He suddenly remembers Becky and turns to see her getting into a taxi and being driven away. He starts to run after it but the waiter cries, "Your bill!" and Liz cries, "Your bags!" so he goes back into the restaurant.

Back in Coronation Street, someone else is getting into a taxi - David. Gail calls after him to stop being so childish, but he says there's no point in staying if she's going to choose Joe over him. "What about when I'm 80," says Gail, "will I still be putting you first then?" David just replies that he's cutting the apron strings. She asks him where he's going and he tells her he's going to his dad's in Liverpool. She asks if he knows David's coming and he says, "Yeah, he's made up!" With that he slams the door and is driven away.

Becky has arrived back in Coronation Street and bumps into Michelle who takes one look at her and says, "Trouble in paradise?" Becky asks how she put up with that witch for all those months - Liz, the mother in law from hell. Michelle tells Becky that Liz was actually sticking up for Becky before she threw Michelle out yesterday, and adds that no one will ever be good enough for her precious Steve. "Not you, not me, not Lady Diana," she says. Becky asks for one last piece of information - did Steve ever buy Michelle soft shelled crab? She looks pleased when Michelle replies no.

Ryan and Sian have gone outside the church hall and he pulls a bottle of beer from his inside pocket and offers her some. She takes it and tells him he was dead good. She says it was like a proper band, a proper gig. Then they kiss and he asks if she'd like to go somewhere. Sian asks where, for what? He says it's up to her. She then says they ought to get back inside, Sophie will be wondering where she is. "Do you have to do everything Sophie says?" he asks, and they kiss some more.

Steve eventually arrives back in the Street, complete with suitcases, to find Becky standing outside the Rovers with a pint in her hand. "You know if you're not married and you go on holiday you can't call it a honeymoon." He says that you could, but she tells him they could call it a funnymoon, then she points at the sky. "Look, there's a funny moon tonight!" Just then a car pulls up beside them - it's Hayley, who calls out of the window that she ought to have a peaked cap on. Steve asks why. "Cos she's taking us to the airport, stupid!" says Becky, and kisses him. "We're going to the Maldives, cock!" and with that they both get in the car and Hayley drives them away.

Anne Logan

Hello all. Welcome to another first Friday episode. We begin in the factory office. It's 10.15am and Tony strolls in late because he had a few drams last night. Luke seems very disapproving. The phone rings but when Tony tries to pick it up, Luke has stuck the receiver to the phone body. Ha ha ha! He thinks it's hilarious. Eileen's coming out of Dev's shop on the phone to Todd, who apparently wants to buy a motorbike. Liz greets her and they discuss their sons and the fact that Steve's left both of them to do his work. Liz isn't complaining because she and Lloyd have the pub to themselves for two whole weeks.

Over the road, Len Windass has a go at Joe about slacking on the contract. Joe says it's just a few supply issues, but Len says he's heard different. He's heard Joe is a week behind. Joe assures him it's already sorted. "When I come back from Spain I want kitchens, not excuses, Len warns him.

Poppy and Lloyd discuss Ibiza when Liz comes in. She thinks Poppy must be planning a holiday but Poppy says she's just giving Lloyd some advice. Uh oh. That's when Lloyd breaks it to Liz that he's off to Ibiza - tonight! Clunk! That's the sound of Liz's jaw dropping to the floor, mainly so she can take a deep breath to have a go at Lloyd. "Don't bother sending a postcard!" she says, slamming out of the room. Tom's sticking to his work. Literally. He can't cope with the parcel tape. He tells Maria he's starting to wonder whether she trusts him any more. He doesn't know why she's involved Tony. Maria points out that she's six months' pregnant with a full-time job, so she doesn't have time to learn the business. Tom says they can catch up on the backlog but Maria doesn't see how. "I don't know about you, but I can't physically work any faster." Tony arrives at the door. He tells them he contacted the head of the American company and he's agreed to stagger future shipments. Maria thinks this is fantastic. Tom's not so sure. Tony gets a phone call from Rosie, panicking because someone's turned up for a meeting and Luke's not there.

Mr Appleton, from Women of Wilmslow, is in the factory having a go at the machinists about the shoddy work. Julie tries to calm him down but he says that if he'd wanted to talk to the monkey and not the organ grinder he would have brought a bunch of bananas. Tony arrives just in time and takes him into the office. Rosie's impressed that Tony knows how to take charge. The others are confused about who's in charge. The contract was renegotiated by Luke.

In the taxi office, Eileen has noticed that Lloyd's name has vanished from the rota for next week. She doesn't think a two-week bonkathon justifies this, especially with Eddie Windass going away (not to mention Steve being away). Lloyd tells her he's going on a lads' trip to Ibiza. "I'm a grown man, Eileen. I saw an opportunity and I took it. I don't have to explain myself to anyone." "And you wonder why you've been single so long!" says Eileen.

Tony's showing Mr Appleton around the factory, with the machinists giving him a bit of cheek (clearly written by someone who's never worked on the factory floor, if you ask me!) when Luke comes in. Tony takes him aside and has a go at him for renegotiating the contract without consulting him. Luke wasn't aware needed permission, but Tony says when deadlines are being missed and work is substandard it's clear he should have consulted. Mr Appleton comes in, impressed by the "smashing bunch" of workers. Tony invites him to lunch and they leave Luke looking after them with a sour expression.

Yahoo! Kings College has offered Amber a place. She doesn't say which King's College. Cambridge? London? Taunton? Wimbledon? Uncle Umed is sure she'll be a Queen's Counsel within ten years. Dev gets straight on the phone to tell Tara and isn't interested in talking about the gallery. Tara hangs up on him. Uncle Umed asks if there's a problem, but Dev says it's nothing Tara can't handle. Amber adds that Tara is a smart cookie. Uncle Umed hopes so. "Because considering how much this gathering is costing, she must have practically beggared herself."

Peter's getting a hard time from Michelle for using hand lotion ("dermatological defence serum" Peter insists). Luke comes in grumpy and Michelle gives him some advice about Tony - he can be a total control freak but you couldn't get anyone better in a crisis. Peter and Michelle give Luke some cheek about how Tony probably reacts if he talks back to him. Luke puts them straight, saying that, technically speaking, he's in charge, not Tony.

Outside, Luke calls someone named Mr Summer. "About that matter we discussed, I'd like you to proceed!"

Amber and Darryl sit at the bus stop. It seems Amber is going to be a student in London. She tells Darryl that if Tara's broke she doesn't want them to get any less in their roles as waiting staff because being a student in London isn't cheap. "This girl ain't slumming it," she says. Darryl looks very awkward.

In the pub, Liz sits in a booth with Eileen, still raging about Lloyd. Eileen tries to calm her down by saying Lloyd's just go used to being selfish. Lloyd comes in and Eileen tells them that until they start sorting out their problems like proper adults, she's dead to the pair of them.

Uncle Umed's criticising the gallery launch plans when Ted and Audrey come in. Audrey notices the flyer for the gallery and Dev tells her about the gallery. Uncle Umed says Audrey and Ted would be elevating the evening by their presence. They agree to come. "You suddenly changed your tune," mutters Dev. Uncle Umed says he's just a natural salesman. As Ted and Audrey go their separate ways, Ted meets Ken, who confesses that he still hasn't told Martha about Deirdre. "I'm trying to find the right words." Ted says there are only three: "I am married." Ken says maybe he's just a coward. Ted points out that maybe he's not as interested in Martha as he thinks.

In the pub back room, Liz talks to Lloyd, asking if he knows how much he's hurt her. "I were really looking forward to having you to meself for two whole weeks." Lloyd says he's sorry, but he had a life before they got together. He says he's set in his ways and finding it difficult to change. Liz insists she's not trying to change him, but she wants to be more than an afterthought in his life. "When you get back, you are SO going to make this up to me," she says coyly, and they make up.

Len Windass has a win on the poker machine. Joe comes to talk to him and wants to "loan" some money. He means borrow. Len warns him the loan people are the real deal and he's no good to anyone with broken legs.

In the factory, Luke goes through a revised rota that will give priority to the Women of Wilmslow order. Three machinists will be dedicated full time to the order. Sally protests that Tony likes them to be flexible but she's told it's not open to debate. Tony arrives back, saying Mr Appleton has calmed down and sends apologies to Julie for the monkey remark. When Luke mentions the new rota, though, Tony's mood changes. He refuses to go into the office to discuss it and tells Luke that no decisions are to be made without Tony's input. "Is that clear?" Luke says: "It's my factory now. I'm your new boss. I didn't want to announce it like this, but since you've given me no option, as of three o'clock today I commenced a full buyout of all Carla's shares." Tony asks if this is another of his stupid jokes. "Do you see me laughing?" asks Luke. If Tony's face looked any more thunderous you could hear the rumbling from Tasmania!

The End of episode one.
Margaret Carr

Tony is not best pleased with Luke's announcement and storms after him into the office. Luke confirms that he has bought Carla's shares and whilst it was hardly sensitive it is in fact true. Outside the factory team (well there is a token Sean who is much in need of a story at present) listen as best they can through closed doors which they are once Tony has slammed then shut behind him as he departs in a fury.

At the Rovers Uncle Umed is trying to chat up Poppy, asking both for her phone number and if there is a Mr Poppy. Apparently there is one of the latter, a bodybuilder trying to ensure his bicep is large enough for a full size tattoo of her head. Umed decides that discretion may be the better part of valour at this point. Lloyd is eavesdropping as he has arrived with a tatty holdall ready for his holiday. Jokes are made about getting searched at the airport with Poppy demonstrating by snapping on exciting looking yellow rubber gloves.

Joe meets Gail in the Street and after some persuasion she manages to get him to join her for a dinner that evening, if he provides the wine.

Tony is phoning Carla's solicitor and is getting the run around because she will only deal with his representative. Tony wants to short cut the discussion and starts to drive off, almost knocking over Natasha as she emerges from the Kabin. He stops and opens the window to apologise. She leans in and noticing his cards in his folder takes one - which he sees but does not stop her. She tries to convince him that she needs a drink to calm her nerves, and she knows he is married, but he does not have to stay in every night pining (for the fjords no doubt). He excuses himself and drives off and Natasha is rather pleased with herself that she can contact him when she wants.

Sophie comes into the Corner Shop and Sal sees that her shoes are broken so they will have to go shopping on Sunday for another pair. Sophie however wants to go to church and Emily being present has a certain amount of sympathy for Sophie's side of the argument. Sal says shopping or no boyfriend visits, so Sophie turns into stroppy teenager and leaves the shop. Later Sophie and Emily meet in the Street and the latter observes that these days church going is not popular amongst the younger generation. But Sophie likes going, they talk about real things and how to make a difference and wanting good things, but she knows everyone else believes - but she thinks she is just pretending. Emily assured her that many others have doubts and Sophie is learning to believe - that is a brave and wonderful step, congratulations.

Back at the Rovers Poppy is now talking to Dev who is collecting glasses and calls her an angel and hopes someone tells her that every day. She confirms that her boyfriend does and indeed he has a tattoo of her face on his bicep. Lloyd realises that there is something odd going on - five minutes ago he was working out! Poppy admits that there is no man - it is all fiction to ward off the punters - and he must tell no-one.

At the gallery opening Umed tries to inject some reality into the discussion asking how much! Tara is not impressed. Dev arrives and passes the glasses to someone he assumes is a waiter - turns out that he is the prime photographer! Tara tells the boy wonder Justin to talk to the arts reporter from the local paper (they have arts reporters on local papers - gosh that's posh that is). Umed is describing some of the work to Audrey and Ted - and spouting total rubbish probably!

Back at the Rovers Lloyd's clothes are now in one of Liz's cases - but not the pretty pink one! Liz asks if Poppy's fella is equally difficult and at this Lloyd and Poppy share a smile as they know something Liz does not! Liz notices the shared joke and immediately starts thinking that something is going on between the two of them and loses her rag and totters off upstairs.

Tony is with Carla's solicitor pointing out that he introduced them. She makes a point of saying that client confidentiality is important but searches through a file until she finds the right instruction: "Please encourage Mr Strong to proceed as quickly as possible. I wish to sever all my links with the company as soon as possible and please take all measures to ensure that my contact details are not given to my husband or Mr Strong". So it is pretty clear that Carla wants nothing more to do with the factory or Tony - so that settles his uncertainty on that point. It was not Carla who wanted time - Luke Strong had delayed making the decision.

Luke arrives in the Rovers and offers to buy the factory team a drink. They ask about the disagreement but Luke assures them that he and Tony will be partners and it will settle down. And Carla will not be back - a point which Natasha picks up from her nearby vantage point.

At his flat Tony is working his way rapidly through some very large scotches (he and Peter Barlow should get together - they seem to have a mutual interest in drinking very large quantities).

Audrey has dropped in on Gail and notes that the table is set as she was going to suggest the Rovers. She and Gail argue over David and Audrey says she is foolish to let Joe get his feet under table. Gail orders an apology - but will Audrey give ground - never. She departs and Gail tells Joe to get his feet under the table before the dinner goes cold.

Lloyd is pleading with Liz who is leaning out of an upstairs window. Eventually she slams the window closed so he phones her and has to explain the private joke with Poppy which now sounds far from funny. She comes down to see him off. Which requires a fairly big snog (in prime time too). Anyway she asks for a postcard addressed to Silly Cow. And a little later Liz exacts a little revenge telling Poppy that as Lloyd is away she will be working more hours herself next week and Poppy less - that will give her more time to spend with her imaginary friends.

Tony has called Rosie to the flat and wants to know what he wants her to do - bring some files from the factory? He has put Carla's clothes in a black bag and he wants Rosie to remove them. Rosie picks them up and departs - not even trying her usual silly banter.

At the Rovers Natasha is telling Poppy she fancies a newly single married man and she has his number. Eventually she sends a text message: "An indiscreet little bird told me what a tough day you've had. If this is how she is treating you then believe me, your wife isn't worth it. Thinking of you, your mate, Natasha." [I understand that fully spellings and punctuation appear in all text messages these days]. And it is sent.

At his flat Tony is looking through photos when the phone beeps. He reads the message with a lack of belief and then suffers an attack, almost unable to breathe - he dashes to the window to open it and unbuttons his shirt. A man in a bad way. Is his conscience ever going to catch up with him?

See you next week.
K Richard W

Boy, Tony looks rough. Apparently, after that panic attack brought on by Natasha's text, he found the bottom of a whiskey bottle, tore up a picture that had Carla in it and crashed out on the settee. We're seeing him struggle to wake up. He picks up a fragment of the torn photo, conveniently with Carla's whole face on it, and looks at it ruefully.

Peter is reading the newspaper, eating cereal and downing whiskey. Oh dear! He encourages Simon to get a move on or he'll be late. He puts the empty bottle in a bin under the sink, along with a few others and looks at them ruefully. (Yes, I know I used that adjective before but it seems to be a running theme tonight!)

Maria is rueful, as well. She's not bought anything for the baby yet, somewhat out of superstition, it seems. Last time, she and Liam had bought everything ahead and the baby died. Kirk is having a cuppa with her and tells her a new baby shop is open, called Les Enfants. He thinks that's the name of the owner, Les. Maria doesn't even try to explain. She's opening the post and discovers a letter from Carla's solicitor and is surprised to discover that Carla has signed over her share of Ladrags to Maria! Tony's not going to like that! Maria thinks it could be out of guilt about the affair and is inclined not to accept it but Kirk, in a flash of good sense, reminds her that she's going to need every penny she can get to help support the baby.

Bill and Jason are just leaving the Kabin where Bill has bought a bag of wine gums. He winds the ever-gullible Jason up, who believes Bill's claim that there really is wine in wine gums. Jason ruminates about the lack of business but Bill figures something will turn up. They greet Audrey who's just opening up. Audrey wants to have a word with Bill and they set a time to meet later on in the Rovers.

In the factory, Luke is on the phone to Carla's solicitor, finalizing the deal to buy the factory. As Tony comes in, Luke takes the opportunity to rub his face in it a little, telling the solicitor to thank Carla when he talks to her. Tony's quiet. Luke rags Tony, asking if he can call Tony "Junior". Tony snipes "As long as I can choose what I call you. It may not be endearing". A client comes in, all smiles, thanks to Luke getting him primo executive box tickets at the upcoming ManU game, which further puts a sour look on Tony's gob.

In the betting shop, Peter is struggling with a handful of pens that won't fit in the holder. Jason comes up behind him. Peter's frustrated (and needing a drink, no doubt) and tells Jason that Michelle has buggered off to Ireland because her mother is ill, though he doesn't think it's all that serious and it drops him right in it, doesn't it? (And cuts into his drinking time!) Jason figures it's probably best not to put a bet on at this time and leaves Peter to his sorry self.

Tony watches Luke escort the client out, not having sat in on the business meeting. Unlike him but I suppose he felt pushed out by the new owner somewhat. Luke turns around to the machinists and tells them that the nice Mr. Appleton has doubled his next order and asks them who likes carrots? He means incentives but Julie goes on and on in a very Kirk-like episode about how she doesn't like carrots and who puts carrots in a cake anyway? The rest of them are excited about additional bonuses and Luke just looks ruefully at Julie and says "ever regret saying sommat?" Sean points out that at least he can get away and sit in the office, which he promptly does, leaving the rest to gossip. Janice seems to find Luke very handsome as does Sean but Sally doesn't know if the new partnership is going to work out too well which is overheard by Scotty, as Sean has just referred to him. Tony reminds the errant worker bees that along with a carrot comes a great big stick. Point taken. He and the knot in his face go into the office where he tells Luke that schmoozing isn't going to be a substitute for hard graft. Luke's plan of action is getting to know the client, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes...knowledge is power, Tone.

Tara has a client on the phone, a client who is interested in the photographer that is being shown in the gallery but the client only wants to hire him as a wedding photographer. That doesn't go down well with Tara. She ruefully tells Umed and Dev that it's early days but she seems to be a bit discouraged. Both men pledge their support, Umed to the bitter end! Tara is hoping for a good review in the Gazette. Peter comes in for a bottle of jam and a bottle of whiskey ... for a client of course. He prevaricates, puts it back and then just asks for a half bottle. He can't get out of the store fast enough but is met outside by Deirdre who was looking for Peter to bring Simon over for tea as Amy's coming over later. Peter agrees and hurries off, bottles clanking which is noted by Deirdre with a frown.

Tony is meeting up with a man down by the canal. Turns out it's a private investigator and Tony wants as much dirt on Luke Strong as can be upturned. His likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses....Knowledge is Power! Everyone has secrets, Tony wants Luke's. The PI goes off with the folder of info that Tony had given him and Tony gazes thoughtfully in to the murky waters.

After the break, Natasha is ...er... rueful about the text she'd sent Tony. She figures she just jumped in with both feet and shouldn't have sent it. Poppy reassures her. Natasha figures she's made a fool of herself. In a booth, Audrey and Bill are having a drink. Audrey gets right down to business. She would like repayment of the loan she gave Bill to buy the builder's yard. Bill promises to make payments though Audrey says there's no rush. However, knowing that the business is slow, Bill isn't too pleased.

Back to the shop, Umed is prattling on about elephants and then implies that the gallery is a white elephant just as Amber arrives for her and Darryl's pay for serving at the gallery opening. Tara had directed Amber to Dev's wallet for wages. Umed gives Dev a knowing look. Dev is supportive of Tara's venture. So far anyway. Kirk and Tony are both in the shop. Kirk is amazed at the discovery of "all day breakfast" in a tin and blathers on about all day breakfast, dinner and tea, which stretches Tony's patience to it's limits. Kirk seems to have that effect, doesn't he? But Kirk also passes on the news about Carla's gift to Maria, further increasing the clouds over Tony's day. Tony walks out of the shop without making a purchase.

In the kebab shop, Minnie wonders about the lambs that skip over the field, only to find themselves wrapped around a kebab post. (And she's got her long hair down, you'd think she'd have to have it at least tied back when working with food!) She mentions Amber's upcoming life in London which doesn't make Darryl too happy. Amber arrives to give Darryl his share of the money she'd got off Dev. Minnie tells Amber that Darryl has been down since he found out Amber might be moving to London.

Deirdre is standing in front of the locked door of the bookies'. Peter comes across to open up, and he's still defensive and sarcastic but not nasty. He says he's only closed because of staffing problems. She says she and Ken are worried about Peter but he assures her, while popping a mint in his mouth, that they're doing fine. Of course, that brings up the more difficult subject and they end up shouting about it. He says he has a drink now and then but the bottle she heard earlier clanking in his bag was olive oil. He insists he's fine. She tries to get him to realize he could be looking at a problem and he continues to deny that he's got one. He can handle it. She leaves, not reassured at all. He takes the mint out of his mouth and pulls out that small bottle, already half done, and takes another slug.

In the factory, Tony walks across the floor and sees a woman in the office with her back to him. He thinks it's Carla but it's Rosie. It throws him for a loop and he starts gasping for breath again. Very well done, this, with the sound going all echo-y and him staggering through and outside where he hears Luke laughing. Turns out Luke is laughing at someone on the phone. Tony's breathing finally settles down but he's really off kilter, you can tell. Tony sees Maria struggle across the road with a new push chair filled with shopping bags and he hurries over to help her lift it up the curb. She chatters about her purchases, including a soft monkey with a Man City shirt on it. It's too much for Tony and he backs away before she can tell him about Ladrags.

Tony makes his way back across the road but is spotted by Natasha who hurries up to him and apologizes for the text. He says it's fine but he just needs a drink now. She invites herself along to the Rovers but he's not headed there. It sounds like he just wants to be alone. She doesn't think drinking alone is a good idea. He gathers himself together, opens the car door and invites her along with a smile.

Tvor

Tony and Natasha arrive at Tony's apartment. Natasha complains that Tony drives like a maniac. They joke about Tony being in a rush to get her back to his apartment, or may be he really is a maniac and after Natasha is glib and jokes about running away he jokingly and flirtatiously locks the door behind her. He moves in for a kiss which Natasha is all too eager to return. Tony breaks away citing that "it's been one of those days." Natasha tells him she knows what he means. Audrey and Maria have been wittering an at her all day about babies and now she tells Tony, "There's two things I need tonight- a drink and a man!" They kiss again.

In the Rovers, Jason comes in to the bar and joins Bill for a drink. Bill mentions that he owes Audrey the best part of £8000 and that he will have to pay Jason as and when he has work for him now.

In Maria's house, Maria has shown Tom the letter Carla sent her giving her Carla's share in Ladrags. Tom and Maria have an argument about expenses etc when Tom mentions that he wants to go on another business trip to NY. Maria accuses him of being jealous of Tony and reminds him that they can't afford transatlantic flights and cocktails in New York. Kirk interrupts them to tell Maria he is off to the lockup with the shirts. He has overheard Tom's plan to go to NY and offers to accompany him. "We'd eat up that Big Apple and spit out the seeds!" Maria is exasperated.

In Tony's flat, Tony and Natasha are locked in an embrace and headed towards the bedroom. Natasha is not backwards in coming forwards and asks Tony if his wife is definitely out of the picture since she is not the home wrecking type. Just as Natasha is wittering on, Tony pulls away from her. Natasha is worried she has spoiled it and witters on some more but Tony tells her to shut up. "Look," he snaps, "d'you wanna symposium o' the breakdown ae mah marriage? Or d'you wannae do what we came here to do?" (Ooh, I do love his Weegie accent sometimes.) Natasha tells him she wants to do the second thing. Tony starts to talk about his marriage and tells Natasha that this will be the first time he has been with another woman since Carla left him. It turns out that Natasha is doing too much talking and it looks like Tony is losing interest. She tells him to make the best of it. "It's not easy in mah shoes," he replies. Natasha tells him to take his shoes off then.

In the Kebab shop, Darryl is worried about Amber going to London and not having enough money. He asks her not to get a job as a pole dancer. He would rather she got a job stacking shelves instead. Amber mentions that he could come to London with her and they could rent a room. Darryl can't see that working out though. "Right, so we might as well just give up now then, eh?" asks Amber. They have a back and forth about whether they are finishing with each other. They're not but Darryl has been listening too much to Minnie and is afraid that Amber will forget her when she leaves. Amber assures Darryl they are stronger than that and tells him to ignore everything Minnie says from now on.

In the Bookies, Blanche is telling Peter that she preferred Michelle to Becky by a mile but she is just making small talk and asks Peter if Simon can come round to Ken & Deirdre's tonight since Amy is spending the night at theirs. Peter agrees to bring Simon round in a bit.

In the shop. Tara is frantically going through the Weatherfield Gazette looking for a blurb on the opening of her silly art gallery. It's not there. Dev tries to cheer her up by telling her that the Gazette is a load of rubbish anyway.

Deirdre is having a cuppa at her place with Eileen (since when has this been a regular occurrence?) Deirdre is moaning about Ken, Simon, Peter etc. Apparently Ken tried to read a poem to her this morning but she told him to shut up since she was trying to get a piccalilli stain out of the carpet. Eileen asks her if Peter is drinking or not. "Oh well," Deirdre sighs, "there's another story!"

In the shop again and Umed had managed to change a ring tone on his phone. Audrey asks him if he can change the ring tone on hers but she can't find it. Audrey tells Tara how lovely the opening of the silly gallery was. Tara tells Audrey that the taste of the folks round about is too provincial for the art she was trying to sell. But she's going to double her efforts and keep trying.

At Tony's Natasha is asking Tony how it felt when Maria went around accusing him of murder. She jokes about how funny it would be if he had killed Liam and she was sitting there with a murderer. Tony turns it round saying, "Not very. Liam was mah best man. He died in mah arms. A car driven by a lunatic ran into him full force and that driver is still out there living his life without a care in the world..... I may be a lot of things, Natasha, but I'm not a murderer." Natasha apologises for her joke but tells Tony she could murder a glass of wine.

Tyrone comes into the betting shop where he has a winning betting slip for Jack. Peter tells Tyrone a silly story about Michelle running off to Ireland to see her Mum who has flu which I think is the cover up for Michelle's sudden departure following the tragedy of Kym Marsh losing her prematurely born son, Archie.

Audrey is at the bar, asking Poppy if she likes the ring tone on Audrey's phone when Jason comes over to where Bill is standing and is openly hostile to Audrey across the bar. Bill tells her to forget it. In a booth, Julie is sitting with her mum who seems to be asking Julie to come home. Julie tells her, "I feel really at home here, they all like me..." and Paula comes in and interrupts them. Julie offers to get the drinks in while Eileen and Julie's mum chat. They talk about how they would never expect to be in contact again.

Tom is at Maria's still where he tells Maria that Tony is only helping Maria because he thinks she's pretty. Maria gets upset and throws him out.

Back at the bar, Bill tries to make Jason feel better but he is still scowling. In the booth, Eileen asks Julie's mum (what's her name?) when they're going to get together properly to catch up, "Tea at my house or a bender in town?" It's decided that Eileen will cook tea for them both one time. Umed is in Dev's ear at the bar (not literally, of course) getting at him about Tara. Dev asks Umed why he can't just say that he doesn't like Tara and eventually Umed tells him to just give Tara the elbow. He says if Tara really does like her, then she will come back and it will be on his terms. Dev realises Poppy has been listening to all of that. (When is Poppy getting a proper story? And why don't we get rid of Tara and get Dev with Poppy instead? Please?) Poppy assures that anything she hears in the bar won't go any further. Barmaids are like priests, see. Only with bigger earrings, presumably.

Simon has dropped Peter off at Ken & Deirdre's. Deirdre asks him if he won't stay for a cuppa. "Oh no thanks, Deirdre, I got to uhm... Well, I just don't want to, to be honest. Why bother making an excuse?" he says undiplomatically. But he does have a point. The kids talk about their daddies. Amy says her daddy is stronger than Simon's daddy. "Your daddy's dreamin'," says Simon, "aaaand he's bald!" Deirdre and Blacnhe remind Peter subtly and not (respectively) not to drink. Peter assures them he is taking care of himself but Blanche is not sure. "He'll be tekkin' them stairs three at a time, fumbling with his keys," she says, wisely.

Tony and Natasha are polishing off a bottle of wine in those horrible wine glasses of Carla's (what is it with the Connors that they have such bad taste in decor- you've seen Liam's place, right?) Natasha, it seems, has just been telling Tony her romantic history, "I'd say the kleptomaniac was the low point." She is still very chatty and happy while Tony seems quite down. She tells himm that she likes a man who cries. Tony protests that he hasn't cried but apologises for being maudlin. Natasha tells him that she doesn't mind if they talk for a while, it doesn't have to be all wham-bam-thank you ma'am. "But I do like a bit of it eventually..." she hints ever so unsubtly.

Jason has joined Julie, her mum and Eileen. Julie asks her mum about a builder she once knew who might be able to take Jason on. It turns out that builder is now dead. They have a laugh about that. Poppy comes over and Eileen introduces Paula Carp, her oldest friend from school. They reminisce some more about a friend wetting herself on a school trip and how they used to raise hell. "Awww, did you raise hell, mam?" Jason asks.

Peter has got home and has a big drink.

Natasha is putting on her coat and ready to leave Tony's. Tony is full of regret about how his marriage ended. Natasha assures him that Carla is the one who has missed out on this sensitive Glaswegian. Tony thanks her and starts to cry. He is embarrassed but Natasha just laughs and says, "I finally made him cry." All of a sudden Tony tells Natasha to take her coat off. "I beg your pardon?" she asks. He tells her again to take the coat off, this time a little bit menacingly. She looks back at him with a steely stare and says, "Who do you think you're talking to? You take it off!" Tony shuts the door again and moves in for another snog.

Stella McLoughlin

It's the morning after the night before, and Natasha finds Tony busy tidying up his living room, he tells her it was a good night, but….. She assures him she's not the kind of girl who has to be surgically removed after just one night. (Really? She seemed pretty desperate to me!) She does, however, write her mobile phone number down for him, after joking that she had considered writing it on the mirror with lipstick! She then heads off into the bathroom.

At the Battersby-Brown residence, Kirk tells Chesney he'd like to add his work for Ladrags to his CV, but doesn't know what the job description would be. He tells him he took boxes from the van and piled them up in the lockup. "Warehouse technician?" suggests Chesney. Kirk likes that idea and says he might well use it. Just then the post comes through the door. Chesney leaps up and rifles through it, grabbing one letter and hurriedly stuffing it into his schoolbag as Fiz comes downstairs. She picks up the pile of letters and stops to look at one of them. Kirk reckons it's from ‘him' - meaning John, and asks why he's still writing to her. She says she doesn't know and she doesn't care, and he says that he's a nutter and wants locking up. Fiz points out that he is already in prison. "You know what I mean," says Kirk.

Natasha gets to work late and Maria comments that she's still wearing yesterday's clothes and wants to know where she got to last night. When Natasha tells her that he's dark, handsome, sexy and Glaswegian, Maria is horrified. "Tony? You slept with Tony Gordon?" Natasha confirms it, but adds that they didn't get much sleep. Maria is shocked and reminds her that he's only just split up from Carla. Natasha reckons she must be irresistible - and "it were flamin' fantastic!"

Pam runs into Dev in the street and asks if she can store some meat in his fridge. He asks what would be in it for him if he lets her and she tells him she could sort him out a leg or two - or is he a breast man? He makes a comment about living on sandwiches for a week and Pam suddenly cries, "Dev, I could kiss you!"

Deirdre meets Peter and tells him that Simon had a good time with Amy, and asks what he did with his evening. He tells her he was doing his books, so she tells him that if he likes either she or Ken could pick Simon up from school and have him at their house for a bit. He accepts her offer, saying that the flat needs a bit of a blitz, and he needs to do the laundry.

Maria asks Natasha if she's seeing Tony again but she's not sure. She says that he's not the type to lay his cards on the table, he's like a iceberg, you only see a bit of him. Maria snorts, "What are you, the Titanic?" Natasha says no, but it was like the film, two strangers meeting and having a night of passion. "It was magic, especially when he cried," she says. Maria says she doesn't remember him crying in the film. "Not Leonardo," says Natasha, and the penny drops. "Tony cried?" she asks, amazed, and Natasha explains that he was talking about his ex at the time.

Julie seems somewhat distracted and doesn't answer when Fiz asks if she's coming to the Rovers for a drink after work. Eventually she tells Fiz that she's going home for a nice long soak in the bath. Just then Kirk comes along and Julie asks what he's doing there as he was supposed to be working for Tom. Kirk tells them that Tom didn't show up so he's been working by himself, adding that he got hungry so has come home for some dinner. "You don't think he'll mind do you?" At that moment Fiz sees Tom holding a large bunch of flowers, knocking on Maria's door and suggests he goes and asks him himself.

As they go off in that direction they meet Pam who says she doesn't want to diddle Roy, but opens her bag and shows them her new range of gourmet sandwiches.

Kirk asks Tom if the flowers are for Michelle. Tom replies that they're for Maria, and Kirk wants to know why he's buying his sister flowers. "You do know she's pregnant?" he asks. Tom says of course he knows, he didn't think it was water retention, but he's offering them as an apology. Kirk wants to know what he's apologising for, and so Tom suggests they talk about it over a pint. He tells Kirk that he told Maria he thought Tony was only helping her because she's pretty. He assures Kirk that he's helping her because he cares about her and he feels responsible for what happened to Liam. Kirk tells him she doesn't need a bloke at the moment, she needs someone to help with the business.

Maria arrives home to find that Ozzie (where has he been for the last several months?) has chewed up most of the contents of her living room.

Ken goes to see Martha who is playing some old jazz, and this prompts a discussion about getting older and what they would change about their lives. She says she wouldn't change a thing, but Ken says there are things she would definitely change about his. She points out that in that case they wouldn't be sitting there right now.

Maria goes to see Tony at the factory and tells him that Ozzie has chewed up the folder with the Ladrags contracts in. Fortunately he has copies and hands them to her. She apologises for bothering him but he says it's nice to see a friendly face. She says he could always call Natasha - and then apologises, saying it's none of her business. He says that she must think he's right piece of work. She tells him there's nothing wrong with feeling lonely and wanting to be with someone. Just then Julie bursts in with a problem about someone's machine, and so Maria leaves.

Chesney is on his way home, and as he gets closer he takes his school tie out of his pocket and puts it on. Obviously, he hasn't been to school.

Tom arrives at the salon looking for Maria. Natatsha tells him she isn't there, and then flirts shamelessly with him. Just how desperate is this girl?

Peter is in the flat, talking to Simon's rabbit as he drinks a glass of Scotch. Just then he hears footsteps and hurriedly finishes his drink as Deirdre and Simon come in. He asks her if she wants a drink - adding hastily that he meant coffee or tea. She asks him how he got on with cleaning the flat, but the answer is obvious as it's in a mess. He tells her that the hoover had packed up and he'd spent most of the afternoon trying to fix it. She looks at him like she doesn't believe him for a moment, and leaves.

Tony knocks on Maria's door and she opens it and invites him in.

Ken goes to take his leave of Martha, saying he'll come back tomorrow. She tells him she's meeting some friends, but suggests he joins them, and then she can cook them something and he could stay over. There are a few awkward moments as he struggles to find something to say, and then says he needs more time. He asks if they can talk about it tomorrow. She thinks there's nothing left to say, but eventually agrees.

Simon sits watching tv while Peter downs yet another drink behind him. Then he leans over to put the empty bottle under the sink but loses his balance and falls forward, cutting his head on the open drawer. Simon rushes round to him, obviously concerned, but Peter tells him it's nothing.

Back at Maria's house, she and Tony are enjoying a chat as he tells her about girlfriends from his past. She then asks if he's going to stay in Weatherfield but he says he hasn't thought that far ahead. He asks about her and she shrugs. "Where would I go?" He says she could go anywhere now she's got money, but she says all her friends are round there, and her brother too. "Besides," she adds, "this is the only real home I've had, even if I haven't got Liam here to share it with." He then says he must be going and they stand up. Maria cries out and he asks if she's ok. She says it's just the baby and put his hand on her tummy, telling him to feel. She then notices that he's shaking and asks if he's all right. He says he is, (although he's visibly shaken) and he says again that he must go, but he'll speak to her tomorrow. As he goes out of the door she stares after him with a puzzled expression on her face.

Anne Logan.

This update is for Junell Moss, also known as Scissors or Giggs, the founder of the KiwiCorries list. Junell's celebrating one of those big birthdays this weekend. You know -- the sort that end in "Oh!"

We start the episode with Maria leaving her house and looking across at the factory.

Peter's at home putting a plaster on the bump on his head.

At the Barlow breakfast table, Blanche demands to know what's going on between Ken and Deirdre. Ken's never there and Deidre's snapping at him. In fact, Ken's not at the table, either. Deirdre says nothing's going on but it's clear she resents having to do the grandparent thing with Simon because Ken's absent. Blanche wants to know what's keeping Ken so busy. Deirdre says he's doing some research on canals for a friend who is going to write an article.

Bill feels guilty about having to lay off Jason, but Kevin and Sally tell him he had no choice. Kevin says the trouble is that by the time things pick up and Bill needs more help, Jason might have found someone else to employ him. "I've been lucky, hanging on to Tyrone all these years," says Kevin. "Mind you, I couldn't lay him off even if I wanted to." "Why not?" demands Sally. Kevin reminds her that he and Tyrone are partners.

Julie leaves the house for the factory. Kirk doesn't want her to go without talking to him because he knows something is up. But she rushes across the road anyway.

Meanwhile Sally and Kevin appear to have walked all the way down to the end of the street, crossed the road opposite the salon and are now walking back. I'm assuming because otherwise they couldn't get their conversation finished in the time it would take to cross the road to work. They don't appear to be doing the Roy and Hayley thing of taking teeny tiny steps for the same purpose! "Surely it's still your garage?" Sally asks. Kevin says Tyrone's a partner in the business. "But not an equal partner," she says, pointing out that Tyrone doesn't put the time in that Kevin does. And his wife doesn't do all the extra bits and pieces to help that she does. "She's offered," Kevin says. "I hope you said No," says Sally. "We don't want her poking her nose into our business, looking through the books and everything." "I haven't said anything," sighs Kevin. "Well, maybe it's about time you did. Or I will." Oh, I love it when Sally gets indignant. You just know there's trouble ahead. Kevin's worst fears are confirmed when they get the garage and Sally invites Tyrone to bring Molly round for tea.

As Sally enters the factory, Tony gets out of his car. Away at the salon end of the street, Natasha sees him and gives a coy little wave.

In the salon, Maria's laying out equipment as Natasha comes in. She's a bit miffed with Tony for not waving. She says he just gave her a little smile as if she's someone he remembers but he's not sure where from. Maria suggests he regrets sleeping with Natasha. But Natasha thinks he's a man and just doesn't show his feelings. Maria disagrees but Natasha says all he needs is a bit of encouragement.

Peter and Audrey meet in the street and she comments on his plastered forehead. "You'll have people thinking you got drunk and fell over," she jokes. Peter tells her that's exactly what he did do. He then has a go at her for poking her nose into his business, how much he's drinking and how he looks after Simon, just like everyone else round here. And demands to know whether she plans to call Social Services about it. "Go on. Why not? It's folk like you that keep ‘em in business."

Tara complains to Dev that the business is failing already. Uncle Umed tells her the problem is mobile phones. Now that everyone can take pictures, nobody wants to pay money for them. Tara thinks he has a point. But she says because everybody can take pictures, they should be more interested in serious photography, not less. Umed says "serious" photography means "seriously expensive." Tara says it's not just that people haven't bought anything. They're not even interested.

Ken arrives on the houseboat, clearly with his own set of keys. Nobody is home.

Tara goes off to the gallery and Dev starts to scheme. He wants Umed to phone the gallery pretending to be a London art critic. At least he does until he hears Umed's London accent - it's more like the accent of someone who was born within the sound of Bow Bells but who moved to Mumbai at ten days' old and then had their tongue seriously damaged. "The idea is good. I just need someone else to do it," he says.

Julie's rushing down the street when Kirk stops her. She confesses that she might be pregnant and she's off to buy "one of those test thingies" to find out. Kirk is left dumbstruck.

In the shop, Molly questions Tyrone about the dress code for tonight's meal. They're interrupted by Dev and Umed rushing in. Dev wants her to pretend to be the art dealer. Even Tyrone is greatly amused by Umed's London accent. Dev changes his mind, saying Tara would recognise Molly's voice.

In the street, Audrey tells Deirdre about Peter mouthing off at her just because she asked about the cut on her head. It's news to Deirdre that he didn't get the cut while playing with Simon.

Tom goes into the salon and Natasha greets him cheerfully. He wants to talk to Maria. She's not that keen to talk to him. He seems embarrassed. He wants to apologise for what he said about Tony fancying her. Maria tells him he's jealous of Tony because he's a successful business. Tom seems happy to agree to that. He promises to buy Maria a drink. When he's gone, Natasha says he's like a puppy wanting someone to pat him. Maria suggests Natasha should try it. She might like it.

Martha arrives home and is pleased to see Ken. He tried to apologise for rejecting her advances, but she tells him she understands. She's sorry for not thinking before she spoke. He praises the peace and quiet of the boat, with time to sit and read a book. She's surprised he doesn't get that usually. But then, he never tells her anything. "For all I know, you leave here, climb back over the monastery wall and slink back to your cell." A phone rings but she ignores it and asks Ken to get some wine from the fridge. They discuss the literature they want to read. She's calculated that if she wants to read all of Proust, she will have to live to be a hundred. Ken suggests they could spend the rest of their lives sitting there just reading. "Oh," she says. "That would be wonderful."

In the shop, Minnie comes in looking for Dev. She wants her pay. But seeing her gives Dev an idea. "I bet that you could sound really posh over the phone," he says.

Sean and Audrey gossip about Steve and Becky in the pub. Maria and Natasha come in and Tom offers them a drink. Maria goes to talk to Audrey so she can leave Natasha and Tom on their own. Kev and Ashley come in, discussing Sally's plan to have Tyrone and Molly round to tea so she can lay down the law. Ashley suggests that Kevin stay in the pub all night, but Kev says he has to be there to stop Sally going way over the top. "Which you won't be able to do," grins Ashley. "Oh, I know that," Kevin agrees.

Simon's having his tea next door. Deirdre suggests taking him home, even though Peter probably won't be back from a race meeting yet. Blanche is confused about why she'd do that if Peter's not home. "I've got a key," Deirdre tells her, asking Simon if he'd like her to read him a story. Blanche is annoyed that Ken isn't back.

Kirk rushes home and finds the empty test packet on the coffee table. Julie's not home, though.

She's in the pub, where Maria's telling Audrey that Natasha has some funny ideas about men. While Tom's in the gents, Natasha comes over to tell Maria that her plan isn't going to work. She sees Tony come in. "And now it's definitely not going to work." He offers her a drink. Audrey heads home and Maria goes to talk to Tom. Kirk comes in, waving the packet around. Julie tells him it's all been a false alarm. Kirk looks quite stricken. He tells her he doesn't know whether he's relieved or not. As Ashley and Kevin head for the door, Tyrone and Molly come in. Ashley jokes that he's going to tell Sally they had to have a drink before they could face her cooking. Tyrone tells Molly that Sally's not too happy about Tyrone being a partner and Molly wanting to get involved. "Oh, isn't she now? Maybe it is time we went round there and sorted a few things out!" says Molly. Tyrone doesn't look happy.

Deirdre isn't surprised that Peter's not home. She sends Simon off to get into his ‘jamas and takes the chance to check the cupboards. Of course, they full of booze and empty bottles. She's so busy tsking and shaking her head she doesn't hear Peter coming. He tells her she has no right to search his flat. "Are you still saying you're not drinking?" she demands. "How did you get that cut on your head?" Peter tells her he's not answerable to her. "Get out!" "Not until I know Simon's safe with you. No, I won't," she tells him.

The end of the first episode.
Margaret Carr

Hello, good evening and welcome. Sit back, kick your shoes off and relax - it is another roller coaster of an evening.

We start with Peter and Dreary being less than her usual compliant self - he wants her to return her set of keys and she wants Simon to stay at number one, but Peter is not giving way. She phones ken but as usual he is not answering - so she leaves a message on his answering machine telling him to return immediately. Peter of course is dismissive - after all what can Ken do at his age. So Deirdre decides to phone social services, which surprisingly she has on a single short dial. She reminds Peter that she works for the council and knows how they do things (and of course her planning department must be right next door to child protection(!)). Blanche answers and is quite surprised to find that she is child protection services. Even Peter is surprised by the use of the short dial code but Dreary says she has had it on her phone ever since the bust up at the Christmas panto.

And where is Ken - well we can guess - on a boat with Eccles, drinking a glass of wine with the delectable Martha. He smiles and says this must be his last. She giggles and points out that he said exactly the same over the last bottle. Now Ken is about 20 years older than me and my wife and I cannot consume two bottles of wine between without feeling terribly ill - so how can Ken manage it?

In the Rovers Maria and Tony have a brief chat and it is clear that they are getting along together a little better. Maria notes that Tom and Natasha look good together but Tony does not let on that he has been seeing the odd bit of Natasha himself.

Over at Tara's gallery the reception might be going well but the only item in demand is the toilet! Dev seeks to re-assure her that eventually the photographs will start moving - just give it time. And the phone goes and it is a "Dealer from London" who wants to buy - but it does depend on size to match the client's library. There is a huge smile on Tara's face, but she has not yet realised this might be an April Fool. Minnie mouse is on the other end of the phone bargaining the price downwards but Tara simply keeps going lower until Minnie mouse agrees to buy. Umed tells her well done - but Mouse looks rather worried. And back at the gallery Tara is celebrating her first sale - three photographs for seven hundred pounds. Dev is almost beside himself as he finds this out.

At Number one Deirdre arrives with Simon and then she calls Ken whilst explaining events to Blanche. Answering machine again so a very sharp pointed message is left. HOME NOW! Dreary knows that Peter has been lying for weeks and the priority must be Simon. At which point she pours herself a drink. [Pot, kettle, black as Blanche points out].

Martha is swaying (and the boat is not moving) to the music and making coffee giving Ken a chance to listen to his messages. He sobers up rapidly. He tells Martha that it is a family emergency, overlooking the need to mention that his wife has been calling, and he is going to have go. They cuddle and it would also appear that he is on a promise for next time around.

Sal and Kev are entertaining Molly and Ty to dinner. Sally seems to be taking care to score points off of Molly when she comments on the wine she has brought. Kev and Ty drink beer instead and the former reckons that they need to break out! Molly has decided that she wants to help the business by doing the books but Sal tells her it is a lot of tax and very complicated. Molly points out that she used to help her father with his books and he always reckoned that she was quite good at it. Until as Sally points out he went bust. Sal says that if she wants any help, she will ask and she turns to discussing dessert. Arctic roll from the freezer.

Peter appears to be cleaning up the flat and comes across a Mr Men book before heading out. He arrives at Number One just as Ken has arrived home. Peter points out that he is sober - and he smell alcohol on both Ken and Deirdre. Peter grabs Simon and Blanche wraps a blanket around Simon. Ken and Deirdre hardly have a leg to stand on.

Dev has caught up with Mouse who explains how Tara kept reducing the price, but Dev is not a happy bunny. Mouse has arranged for a mate to collect the pictures and she expects Dev to cough up the seventy quid for her ten per cent as the dealer!

In the Rovers Tony heads to the toilet, Tom to the bar and Maria tells Natasha off for her shameless flirting with Tony. Natasha says there is no need to play hard to get, but Maria reckons that if she behaves like a slapper she will treated like a slapper. Tony returns but does not want the whisky, so Tom tells Poppy it is no longer required and she downs it in one!

At his flat Tony is talking to his investigator - he wants dirt on Luke Strong and soon. He hangs up and sighs at the lack of progress. He makes another call, turns on all his Glaswegian charm and apologises for dashing off. Perhaps the listener might like to come over for a cup of coffee or something.

Back at Number one Dreary is sharing a piece of her mind with Ken who is obviously responsible for doing nothing to sort out Peter. He claims to have been at a library - but Blanche did not know that a bar had been installed. He claims a drink with the friend with whom he was undertaking research. Dreary feels he ought to be spending more time with his family and less on the Weatherfield canal. She goes out the back to have a cigarette. Blanche heads to bed but tells Ken that her daughter is worried. She tells him that Dreary needs more than being talked to.

Natasha arrives chez Gordon and he notes that she has changed into something very slinky, but claims that it was needed because Tom had spilt his pint over her. She tells Tony that Tom is not interested in her - he only has eyes for Maria. He is well smitten. She also tells him that Maria had warned her off - but she pulls him close and whispers that she has never been any good at taking advice.

Ken goes into the yard and tells Deirdre to come back inside but she ignores and asks after Blanche. Ken says she has gone to bed and observes this chaos is not doing her any good. Dreary assumes that Ken is now blaming her for all the problems - because if she had her way then Social Services would be in charge. Ken points out that Simon would be in a foster home - but otherwise he is at home with an alcoholic. She says it feels as if Ken will accept any old excuse and that he has washed his hands of the situation - indeed of all of them. He looks guilty and she points out that she barely sees him any more. And Peter is going to hell in a handcart. Ken does not know why she is interfering - why can't she let people live their lives in peace and sort out their own problems. She is worried about Simon - but as Ken points out Simon is not hers biologically. She says she will remember that the next time Simon needs picking up from school or that he has simply been forgotten. He says he did not mean the point about biology. She repeats the family is falling apart and Ken is locking himself away in a different universe. He says he has a right to his own life. She reminds him that it is his son and his grandson so he can deal with it and she stomps inside leaving him alone with his thoughts.

And next week it will all continue.
K Richard W

Wherein Peter Barlow's alcohol problem hits a crisis point.

And we start with Peter who's mightily hung over. Simon clangs and bangs in the kitchen trying to make his own toast and it's not doing Peter's banging head any good. Simon doesn't want to be late. Peter just wants to go back to bed.

Over at the other Barlow residence, Deirdre is still mightily ticked off at Ken and slams and plate of toast down on the table. Blanche tries to play the good cop and asks Ken if he's going to the library again, would he pick her up the latest Marian Keyes only she's very good at writing "how's your father". He says he will though I doubt he's seen the inside of the library for months. Deirdre is spitting sarcasm and suggests Ken check on his grandson because it's none of her business, is it? Simon and Peter are no blood of hers! Ken just snipes that he can't even have his breakfast in peace and Blanche shrugs and says it's another day in Paradise! But let's face it, Ken really doesn't seem to have his mind on his family these days and we know why!

Natasha has spent the night with Tony and she's fixing her face before she leaves. She prattles on about makeup and Tony's power shower and then apologizes for it and prattles on some more. He's kind about it and agrees she can come over again and gives her a kiss.

Julie is urging Chesney to get a move on as Maria has brought Kirk's Ladrags wages. There's no more work there for the moment but he's on the top of her list if they need someone. Julie nags Chesney again and he drags himself out the door. Kirk wants to spend more time with Julie but she gets ready to leave for work. He says that he'd really like to think about them having a family but she puts him off because there's only one wage coming in and nowhere to live with a baby. He points out she's still got a flat (which she is renting out) but she dismisses that, puts on some lip gloss and puts him off. He promises to get a job and he's going to brush up his CV. He reminds her that he's really a grafter when he gets the chance (which he is so I'm surprised he's not found something. Then again, Ashley always said he'd hire Kirk back when things got better and he didn't, he hired Graeme). Anyway, Julie leaves and it looks as if Kirk's brain is finally suspecting something's up.

Tara comes in the corner shop asking for champagne to celebrate Justin the photographer's first sales. She's got more news but is making him wait. She remembers he's got a vintage bottle of it at home but he is reluctant to let her have that. He's been saving it for 10 years for an extra special occasion (so I guess his wedding to Sunita wasn't enough?). Tara skips off happily.

Natasha and Tom meet outside the salon. She apologizes for ducking out on him but she had a better offer, Tony Gordon. He takes it somewhat gracefully as Maria comes out, noticing that Natasha is still wearing last night's clothes and assumes she was with Tom. He doesn't tell Maria different and Natasha has to rush inside to a waiting client.

In the betting shop, Peter's rushed off his feet. He takes a phone call and it's Michelle. He gives her a very loud earful for dropping him in it and threatens to sack her if she's not back soon. Jason and Colin are in the bookies' but Peter's anger and bad mood put them both off.

Molly knows all about the scheme where Dev had set up Minnie to pretend to be the art dealer. Umed has come in and adds his two or three pennies worth to the conversation, pretty much along the lines of what he usually says. He keeps pointing out that the money that Minnie used to buy the photos was Dev's. Molly gives Dev a hard time for lying to Tara. Dev blindly thinks that if Tara's happy, what difference does it make, what can possibly go wrong? (A Soap Opera Phrase Of Doom if ever I heard one!)

Peter's in the pub sucking back whiskey and chatting to Poppy. Ken arrives and apologizes for the palaver the night before. Peter apologizes too and they decide to have a drink though you can tell Peter is almost spoiling for a fight already. Peter keeps knocking them back and Ken starts to broach the subject of getting his son some help. Jason arrives and mentions Peter's giving Michelle a bollocking on the phone. Peter's not pleased and asks for another drink. They head for a seat. Ken offers to help in the shop but that goes over about as well as you'd expect. Peter's sarcastic and belligerent and makes fun of Ken and accuses him of having his life run by Deirdre and Blanche, which of course, he denies. The conversation ends with Peter pushing one too many buttons and Ken telling his son to go to hell and leaving him chuckling in the booth.

Kirk meets Julie and tells her he's got an interview at the job centre and he shows her his CV, complete with a thumbs up photo of himself in the corner, *and* he's wearing a suit. He figures the look and the photo projects his earnestness about making a good future for themselves. She swallows hard and wishes him good luck. Oh it isn't looking good, is it?

After the break, Hayley is clopping down the pavement and comes across Kirk and Julie emerging from the pub. Hayley mentions she's not seen the factory workers in the cafe at dinnertime lately and Julie blushes and admits they're buying sandwiches from Pam these days. Uh oh. Anyway, Hayley compliments Kirk on looking a proper Bobby Dazzler. Kirk thinks he'd probably get hired if that was really his name. Julie just looks annoyed where she used to find something like that endearing. He leaves her with a kiss on the cheek. Hayley takes Kirk's comments to heart and wonders if there will soon be pittering and pattering of little feet but Julie puts that to rest firmly. She's sure they aren't ready for that.

Eileen is having Paula for lunch. Colin comes in looking for a needle and thread for a lost button. All she has is black and he doesn't want that. She introduces Paula, remember her? He doesn't look as if he does and she just goes stone faced. He gets Paula's name wrong.

We're at the gallery and Tara is schmoozing with the photographer and about to drink up Dev's vintage champagne. Dev nearly swallows his own scruples when she tells him she's commissioning Justin for more photos. I think he's watching little birdies with pound signs for wings fly out the window.

Ken has dropped in on Martha unannounced (isn't that what he usually does?). He looks desperate for sanctuary. She's been burning incense and essential oils. (I swear, this woman is too perfect. I can't stand her). He admits to more family problems and she decides the solution is a pot of Earl gray and a squidgy pineapple upside down cake. He sinks into a comfortable chair with a huge sigh of relief.

Back at Eileen's, Paula is trying to beg off dessert because she's developed a headache. Eileen offers to find the painkillers and Colin returns for final inspection before his date with Rita. Jason jokes about his how his granddad seems to have all the women flocking around him. Paula makes a sarcastic remark about Colin's womanizing at his age. He again calls her Pauline which makes Paula snap at him, correcting her name. He just shrugs and takes off. Eileen apologizes for her self obsessed father and goes to get the dessert. Paula puts a tired hand on her head to stop it banging.

Dev listens to Justin and Tara prattle on about the new commission until he has to tell them that they have to slow down. That sale might just have been luck. Sensing a domestic, Justin leaves them to it. She's sarcastic and defensive, and then dismisses him and he tucks his tail between his legs and leaves.

We're at the salon next, Maria and Natasha have a break for a cup of tea and Maria finds out that Natasha was with Tony not Tom. Maria is surprised and doesn't seem inclined to be approving. The man in question arrives. Natasha perks up but sinks back again when Tony says he's come to see Maria about a meeting about Ladrags and he barely looks at her and leaves.

Peter staggers out of the corner shop with a bottle in his hand and nearly topples over. Ashley catches him and it's pretty clear that Peter is drunk as a lord. Ash offers to pick up Simon and have him for his tea but Peter won't have it and grows about everyone thinking he's got a problem. (Oh, ya think?)

Julie is unpacking a few groceries. Kirk reminds her she's not asked him about his interview, which doesn't seem to have gone too well. He's got more interviews with agencies but she keeps wondering where Chesney is.

Peter urges Simon to bed. Simon wants a story read but Peter won't tonight. He promises to do it tomorrow but the little boy whines that he promised last night and isn't doing it. Peter snaps at him so he goes off to his room.

Deirdre is not happy. Ken's missed his tea and she's not keeping it hot for him. She and Blanche talk about whether Ken spoke to Peter or not.

Peter is staggering around the flat to Blondie's Heart of Glass, smoking a fag and still sucking back the booze. He sits down and is barely conscious. The music changes to Brass in Pocket and Peter slowly passes out, dropping the lit cigarette to the carpet.

Oh dear.... Stay tuned for the next half when fire rages out of the flat. Will Peter and Simon be saved?

Tvor

Oh dear, As Peter's brilliant 80's Hits CD plays Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders in the background, his cigarette is burning in the carpet. Peter, like many of us, I suspect, has taken the battery out of his smoke alarm. Not good! Simon is asleep in bed. Meanwhile at the Barlows', Deirdre and Blanche are having an argument about cleaning the bath.

Is it just me or are Tara and Dev driving everybody up the wall? I've got to the stage where I just fast forward through their scenes; things are getting so predictable and Tara is so annoying. Anyway, Minnie comes into Dev's shop, while Dev is moaning about Tara and Umed is urging him to dump her, and she's only gone and brought the three pictures from Tara's gallery with her. Dev just about loses his mind and pleads with Minnie to take them away before, predictably, Tara walks in and sees them. He even tells Minnie to put them in her flat but Minnie doesn't like them. Neither does Umed and neither does Molly who, helpfully says, "Ooh, they are rubbish! How much did you pay for them?" Uh oh! Guess who walks in! Tara asks where Dev got the pictures from and Dev tries to cover up with a pathetic lie about them being copies he made. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Tara is not an idiot and knows Dev is lying. Dev tells Tara he bought the pictures, not some poxy art dealer. Tara's not happy.

To the strains of the most excellent Another Girl, Another Planet by The Only Ones, the fire takes a hold. Simon is still blissfully asleep, unaware of anything.

At their house, Kirk lets Chesney know that he knows Chesney wasn't at school today. He tells Chesney how disappointed he is that Ches would lie to him and that he will have to tell Fizz.

Simon wakes up and smells the fire. I hope ITV are not trying to imply that smelling smoke will wake you because anyone who's ever been to school knows that's simply not true. Simon creeps out of his bedroom door to the living room.

Maria and Tom are in the Rovers having a drink. Maria mentions that Natasha might be in later but Tom tells her he's not interested, he only goes for the unobtainable ones and throws a meaningful look at Maria. Also, Rita is talking to Eileen about Colin's upcoming birthday. Rita is wondering if Colin would appreciate a party. Eileen is sure he is expecting one.

In the Barlows', Deirdre answers a phone call from Simon who wants to know what his address is. Over the noise of Banarama, Deirdre tells him, "19 Rosamund Street. What do you want to know your address for?" and is a bit perplexed when Simon says it's for the firemen. He tells her that his rabbit won't wake up and his dad is asleep and must be really tired because he can't wake him up. Simon hangs up before Deirdre can get any more information from him. Panicking, Deirdre tells Blanche she is going to see what's going on and tells Blanche to stay there in case Simon calls back.

Out in the street, Deirdre sees smoke coming from above the bookies. Tony and Luke are outside the Rovers. She shouts to them if they have a phone. They all run across the street. Tony gets onto 999 and gets the fire brigade while Luke bashes down the front door when he hears that Peter and Simon are trapped inside. Deirdre shouts from below to Simon. Ultravox plays Vienna in the flat as Peter comes round momentarily but passes out again, this time, on top of Simon.

Luke finally gets the door bashed in and he and Tony rush upstairs. Tony tells Luke to get Simon while he drags Peter out. Luke wants to save the rabbit but Tony shouts for him to be sure Simon is out. Downstairs, the ambulances and fire brigade have arrived. Luke takes Simon out and goes back into the inferno to grab the rabbit like a fool. There's a ruckus in the street as everyone comes out to have a good rubberneck at the tragedy. Ashley asks Deirdre if he can help in any way but there's nothing he can do except find Ken- Deirdre hasn't been able to get a hold of him. Simon and Peter are in ambulances, saved from the fire.

At Dev's Tara is packing all her stuff up and getting ready to leave, despite Dev's desperate protests. Tara is having none of it and leaves anyway, telling Dev he humiliated and undermined him. "It's over," she says.

At the hospital, Tony and Luke have been checked out and are as fit as fiddles. I bet they'll have sore throats for a while though. Ken finally makes it to the hospital and tells Deirdre he was having a drink with his mate Phil and didn't hear his phone all night. Deirdre cries, "I was so scared!" into his shoulder.

In the street, Dev is running after Tara but she's in a taxi on her way out. Bye bye, Tara! Missing you already! Not!

In the Rovers, Rita is drinking with Creepy Colin and Eileen. They are counting their blessings after the fire. Creepy Colin tells Eileen that he loves her, to Eileen's shock, and he tells Rita that he counts her among his blessings. Rita tells him that she was just thinking the same about him.

Dev comes into the Rovers and sees, conveniently, Lisa, the accountant he was dating when he was having the affair with Nina (remember?) sitting on her own at a table. He buys her a drink. I wonder if we can guess what's going to happen here.

In the hospital, Luke has a self-congratulatory moment with Tony but Tony brushes it off saying, "A desperate mother can lift a car when her child's trapped underneath. Doesn't mean to say she takes up professional weight-lifting." and makes it clear that he was not impressed that Luke had to go back for the rabbit. But all Luke means is that they made a good team together tonight.

Fizz comes home to her place and stops Chesney from running upstairs, asking him what he thinks he's doing bunking off school. She reminds him that she's responsible for , him and she'll be walking him to school tomorrow. When Chesney protests that there's no need, she tells him, "I know, I just like spending time with ya! Now you can go to bed."

In the hospital, Peter comes round and asks for Simon. Ken and Deirdre tell him that Simon will be OK and how he called for the address to give the firemen. Peter rips the IV out of his arm to go and see his son, against Ken and Deirdre's advice.

In the Rovers, Dev and Lisa are drunk as skunks and leave to go to Dev's place, "somewhere quieter, somewhere warmer and somewhere a little bit more private." If you know what I mean.

Simon is next to his son in the hospital. Simon is on a ventilator until all the toxins are out of his airwaves. He tries to read to Simon from the Beano comic he bought but he breaks down in tears. Poor Peter, I suspect it's not going to be easy.

Stella McLoughlin

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

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