The Archers

Brad sees things from another perspective, and Neil attempts to stay positive.

Susan wants to make worried Emma a drink but she has to get to a tree job. Mick’s surprised to see Emma so preoccupied; he thought George was being released this week. Susan comments that nothing’s ever plain sailing with George. As they’re talking horrified Susan spots a rat. She brandishes a candlestick but amused Mick isn’t sure that’s the solution. When they flush it out of hiding Susan’s convinced it’s not the same rat. What if there’s an infestation? Susan heads off to break the news to Alan.Amber’s topping up her social posts in between preparing the house for George’s arrival home on Thursday. Will offers to help but Amber’s keen to get the bedroom ready herself. She can’t believe George will soon be here with her at No.1 The Green. Will reminds her things might not go their way today at the hearing; they have no control over the situation. Amber’s trying to think positively. Will confesses he hasn’t told Poppy yet. Amber acknowledges she’ll be gutted. Will loves that Poppy gets on so well with Amber. Amber comments that Poppy’s lucky to be a Grundy girl. Her own parents shut her out, and still haven’t accepted George. They’ve never been interested in anything she’s done. Will assures her she’s part of their family now. Will seeks support from Emma as they await news, and she offers it unreservedly. They all wait together until the call comes – George is not guilty. Everyone’s overjoyed, and Amber tells George she can’t wait to be with him. They declare their love for one another.

Ruairi observes it feels good to be walking beside a field they’ve planted. He’s never felt so fired up about going to work. Adam’s surprised to learn Ruairi was with Paul last night. He agrees to have a drink with them both later. However Paul and Adam find themselves alone in the bar as Ruairi’s called away, and conversation doesn’t flow easily. Paul admits to Jolene that he doesn’t know what to talk to Adam about. Jolene enlists the pair as guinea pigs for testing out her ‘box of chatter’. Adam thinks it sounds like hell but joins in anyway. He admits afterwards to having fun, as does Paul. Jolene exclaims that’s what makes the Bull award winning.Emma tells Jolene that Clarrie’s perfecting George’s favourite treacle tart in readiness for his homecoming on Thursday. Jolene reiterates how much she and Kenton appreciate what George did for them. Emma still wishes they hadn’t involved him, but she can’t wait to finally hug her son again. Later George explains to her about the shank found in his bed, and that it might mean extra time in prison. Appalled Emma counsels that there’s no point thinking beyond the hearing tomorrow. George doesn’t know if he can take any more. His mum offers him her strength – they’ll get through this. She heads to the Bull and fills Jolene in. She feels like George is even more vulnerable now. Jolene goes to hug Emma but is rebuffed. Emma just wants her to pray that the hearing goes George’s way.

The Grey Gables job shadowing scheme is underway, and Brad tries to persuade dismissive Ian how crucial and interesting the porter’s job is. Ian asserts he’s never been good at sticking on a false smile. However when he notices a restaurant reviewer’s booked in, he hastily offers to look after her. He reports later that she was very impressed with the shadowing idea. He apologises to Brad for his earlier sniffy attitude – it’s been good for him to see the front of house stuff. Brad admits ruefully he’s not looking forward to his billet on Security, shadowing Mick.Kirsty tackles Justin about his intention to sell his Borchester Land shares. She’s concerned about the implications, and for the future of Rewilding Ambridge. Justin insists it will make no difference, but Kirsty protests they’ll have a much harder time of it with the Board. Justin assures her he’s keeping his own personal stake in the scheme, and will always be on hand to offer advice on how to handle the Board. George is still in suspense over the date of his hearing. He’s keen to put his case, but again the officer tells him he can have his say when the time comes. Relenting slightly, the officer admits she believes George’s side of the story. George gets an update from Amber about Bartleby. Covering his worries about the upcoming hearing, he lets Amber believe his subdued mood is due to the pony. Later when he finds out he could get an additional six weeks on his sentence, George is distraught.

Pip offers to take Cleo on the school run until her gran and Leonard are up and about. Stella enthuses about her job. She feels like she’s in at the beginning of something really exciting. Pip’s distracted when she finds Paul’s lost trainer. Stella reckons she’s going to have to bite the bullet and ask if she can start taking Cleo with her to work. Later she reports her boss was fine about it – he loves dogs.Paul calls Ruairi while Ruairi’s checking on the rutting stags. He notices one of the stags is bleeding down its face. Paul warns him off approaching it but Ruairi ends the call. Paul rushes to Home Farm, and his fears are confirmed as Ruairi’s nursing an arm injury. Paul helps him tend to it, and they check on the stag – this time through binoculars. Ruairi takes the opportunity to broach dating. Paul’s up for it so they agree to meet on Saturday. Just as they’re about to kiss a roar from a stag breaks the moment, and they part. Paul’s lovely about his damaged trainer, assuring Stella there’s no need to buy him a new pair. Stella treats him to dinner instead. They chat about her job, while Pip receives a text from Rosie wanting to say goodnight to Cleo. Pip thinks Rosie’s going to miss having the dog around. Stella jokes lightly that she can’t win – but it’s nice Rosie likes Cleo so much now. Later Ruairi catches up with Paul outside the Bull, and they share their postponed tender moment.

Ed tells Adam and Ruairi about Bartleby and the difficulty for George, and there’s an awkward moment. Meanwhile Brian’s wondering about the maize harvest. Adam assures him everything’s on schedule. Brian probes Ruairi’s knowledge of the situation, and Ruairi passes the test with flying colours. Brian capitulates; it looks like he has time on his hands. He obediently heads off to read a book. Later they put the idea of a holiday to Brian. The Scottish castle won’t be available until 2027 so is off the table. Brian gets the hint that they want him out of the way. Ruairi suggests gently that everyone needs to get used to the new situation, and when Brian gets back he’ll have proof that the farm’s been managed well. Brian can see the sense in this. Some sunshine will do him good. .It's time to say goodbye to Bartleby. Amber cuts some of his mane to make a bracelet for George. As reality hits Amber’s distress becomes clear. She’s promised she’ll be here for George but she doesn’t know if she can do it. Brad suggests they move to a distance, but she still can’t look. Tearfully she exclaims she’s let George down. Brad assures her she’s been brave, and hugs her until she feels better. Everyone agrees it’s time for a drink.Later Ed tells Adam he doesn’t want their working relationship tainted by bad feeling over George. They agree not to mention his name. But Adam promises that if George ever upsets Alice, prison will seem like a Sunday picnic.

Justin asks Brian for a chat. Brian thinks there’s no point – Justin’s abandoning Borchester Land, end of story. Justin’s disappointed; he was expecting more fight from Brian. Brian counters he longer cares about Justin’s antics. Justin’s sorry – he doesn’t mind losing touch with the rest of the Board, but he and Brian are family. He proceeds with the reason for the chat: he thinks Brian should have the opportunity to buy Damara’s stake in BL. Brian points out he doesn’t have the money, but Justin suggests a consortium of investors, meaning Brian would gain effective control of the Board. When Brian questions Justin’s motives he responds that he still has the future of the planet in mind, and Brian’s a first class farmer. Brian scoffs.Brad fills upbeat George in on the latest goings-on in Ambridge, before giving him the news about Bartleby. He’ll be put down tomorrow. George does his best to rationalise this. He knows it’s the right decision. Sensitive Brad offers to represent George as they say their goodbyes, and Amber will go along too. George is grateful. Brad promises to take Bartleby’s favourite treats and get photos. George acknowledges he’ll have to find his own way of saying goodbye, and becomes tearful as his call is ended. The officer announces a cell search to rattled George, and soon discovers a shank made out of a sharpened toothbrush. Horrified George denies all knowledge but is told to save it for the hearing. George protests he’s being released next week, but the officer remains unmoved.

Ed wonders whether Adam and Ruairi are managing Home Farm permanently now. Adam checks Ruairi’s affirmative response, and Ruairi acknowledges it’s something they’ll have to discuss. When Ed’s gone, Ruairi asserts Brian’s starting to get the message that retirement would be good for him. If Ruairi keeps learning the ropes, Brian might be persuaded to step back. Adam and Ruairi agree they’d be happy to work together. They’ll go for this plan. Alice arrives and they explain the idea; they’ll be speaking to their dad about it this afternoon. However before they can begin Alice interrupts them, arriving early for her birthday lunch with her dad. Awkwardly, Adam and Ruairi set out their plan, confirming they’ve spoken to Debbie and Kate. To their surprise, Brian declares it an excellent idea, and suggests they all celebrate together. Brian checks Alice is happy with the farm plan. Alice agrees it makes sense – Adam’s such an experienced farmer. Brian adds that Ruairi’s keen as mustard. Emma’s bought all George’s favourite foods to welcome him when he’s home. She’s also got nibbles for his party on Friday. Amber assures her she needn’t have bothered with that, or the new duvet set Emma’s bought – she’s happy to organise everything herself. She’s already given George’s bedroom a makeover. She hopes Emma isn’t offended. Emma acknowledges the room looks really classy. She reckons George will love it. Ed takes a call from Meg Mellor. It’s bad news. Bartleby’s not looking good; a decision will need to be made this week. Emma exclaims it will break George’s heart.

Alistair’s booked lunch at Grey Gables with an old vet school friend. He chats with Ian, who admits to taking a dim view of the hotel’s current job shadowing scheme. Later Ian learns he’ll be shadowing Brad, who’s amused at the prospect. Ian comments drily that he can’t wait to be a porter. Brad inadvertently discloses the courgette poisoning incident last week. Ian can’t believe he didn’t know about it and heads off to tackle Oliver and Dane, reporting back later that Oliver’s ticked off Dane for not keeping Ian informed. Meanwhile Alistair’s lunch prospect looks unlikely as he gets an emergency call from Pip.Stella’s apprehensive about starting her job on Wednesday. Dog care is proving a problem, though Pip has a solution. Her gran and Leonard will look after Cleo for the time being. Stella’s grateful, and arranges to drop the dog into Brookfield today so she can get used to the house. Pip has challenges of her own with a tricky calving. Alistair arrives with Paul and reckons the cow needs a C section. They deliver a healthy heifer, though Pip feels bad for dragging Alistair away from lunch with his friend. Alistair assures her that as a vet himself, Ray will understand. They discover Cleo’s made off with one of Paul’s trainers. Paul’s fine about it but after he’s gone Stella’s mortified. She thinks the dog arrangement is doomed to fail. If she can’t handle something as simple as this, what chance has she got with her new job – maybe she should stick to straightforward farming.

Stella phones Pip to tell her the interview went pretty well, the only awkward moment was when she had to explain why she left her previous post. The job looks fantastic though and she’d love to do it, if it’s offered. Later though, Pip’s surprised when Brian turns up at Rickyard rather than Stella. When Stella gets back soon after she tells Pip she’s been offered the job and has bought champagne to celebrate. But then Brian emerges to offer Stella her job back at Home Farm. He acknowledges he’s been making mistakes recently and knows how damaging they’ve been. But now he’s finally ready to hand over the reins and wants somebody he trusts to manage the farm until one of the family is ready to take over. Brian tells Stella to turn the other job down and come back to Home Farm, where she belongs. Emma and Amber are at Handale prison, visiting George. Emma doesn’t want to worry George by mentioning Bartleby, when he’ll already be anxious about the potential consequences of shopping Markie. George dismisses those concerns when they see him though and talks about the things he wants to do first when he gets out, including visiting Bartleby. But George soon realises something’s wrong, despite Emma and Amber’s attempts to convince him Bartleby’s okay. Eventually they have to admit he may be put down. George gets very upset, despite Amber’s reassurances that Bartleby looked gorgeous when they saw him. And Emma’s sure he’ll still be there for George when he gets out in two weeks’ time.

Amber wants to talk about George’s party, but Emma is more concerned with Bartleby, whose owner, Meg, reckons he hasn’t got long left. Knowing about Bartleby from George, Amber insists on taking Emma to see him. On the way they discuss how much Bartleby means to George and how hard it was when he had to sell him. Amber’s seen all the videos, while Emma reveals some fond memories too. When they get there Meg explains how much Bartleby is struggling, even if he looks okay now. Amber can’t bear the idea that George won’t get another chance to see him. Meg didn’t know George was in prison and says she’ll do her best to keep Bartleby going until George gets out, but she can’t promise anything.Ruairi tells Adam he still doesn’t know if he got through to Brian about retiring. But at least everybody Ruairi’s told so far about the Scottish castle idea is very enthusiastic. Ruairi then goes off with Ben and, while they’re scoring sheep on their readiness for tupping, Ben reports that his first day as an agency nurse went as well as he could have hoped for. Ruairi’s in awe of what Ben’s doing, especially compared to the aimlessness of his own life. Ruairi feels he’s in the right place at Home Farm now, though. Adam then tells Ruairi that all the Bridge Farm Archers love the Scottish castle and Debbie said she’s in too. Ruairi’s achieved the impossible in getting the whole family to agree – maybe they’re not so dysfunctional after all!

When Brian mentions the objectionable idea of Amber’s homecoming party for George, Alice wonders if that’s why he’s been flipping out recently. But Alice is more worried about Brian taking on too much at Home Farm and wants him to advertise for a new manager. Meanwhile, Ruairi has gone to sound out Stella about taking her old job back, so long as Brian agrees to retire. Stella reckons that’ll never happen though, so it’s a no from her.Having been accosted by several people about the poor job Grey Gables made of the Flower and Produce Show, Oliver tells Dane they need to get the village back on side. Dane thinks that time will heal the breach, but Oliver feels poor communication between different departments was the root cause. Which is why he’s considering Lily’s idea of a job swap - only they both know it would never work. But having staff shadow one another could be a goer, Dane reckons, especially if they introduce an element of fun. He’ll come up with a plan, but leaving their jobs out of it as they both know all the other jobs already. Later, Ruairi shows Brian and Alice the amazing castle in Scotland he’s found as a potential family holiday destination. They both think it looks perfect, but Brian’s mood darkens when Ruairi mentions Stella and retirement. Ruairi then admits his fear of losing Brian, like he’s already lost Siobhan and Jenny. So, he’s decided to come back for good to both Ambridge and Home Farm.

Stella looks to the future, and Adam has reservations.

When Justin encounters Brian on the Village Green they swap barbs over what happened at the Harvest Festival, before Justin suggests Brian could do some sort of penance. Brian wonders whether Justin’s equally keen to clear his conscience.At St Stephen’s Leonard asks Alan if he’s recovered from nearly poisoning himself at the Flower and Produce Show. Alan’s just grateful he had qualified doctor Azra with him. Susan then asks Alan about the quality of forgiveness, especially when the wrongdoer hasn’t been forgiven. Justin comes in, suggesting he could pay for repairs to the church or whatever Alan thinks best. When Brian joins them he and Justin try to outdo each other in their magnanimity. But Alan doesn’t want their money, suggesting they come to Bible Study group instead. Brian, Justin and Susan then receive a salutary lesson in putting forgiveness and reconciliation above all other considerations.In the graveyard Leonard finds Jill by Grace Archer’s headstone, on the seventieth anniversary of her death. Jill knows Phil marked the date every year, regretting the jealousy she felt towards Grace. Thanks to Leonard she now understands you can have room in your heart for more than one person. When Brian and Justin emerge from church they tell Leonard they’ve made up their differences. The reconciliation doesn’t last though, as Justin points out the price Brian’s paid for allowing his temper to get the better of him: he’s driven his business off a cliff. And whilst Justin isn’t one for quoting scripture, maybe Brian should think about removing the ‘log in his eye’ before judging anyone else.

In a largely empty marquee Susan and Emma assume most people haven’t bothered entering the Flower & Produce Show again, though Ben’s entered several categories on Jill’s behalf. Azra’s surprised to find Alan judging with her, before Susan apologises to Alan for Brian’s behaviour at the school Harvest Festival. Emma then tells Susan that George’s homecoming party will be held at Will’s house instead of Grange Farm. Susan presumes her and Neil won’t be invited, but Emma insists they should go, no matter what Amber thinks. Emma then tries persuading Amber to invite them, but when Amber sees Susan she tells her about the nightmares George has had in prison, where he’s trapped in a sinking car while Neil and Susan stare down from the riverbank. Amber says their betrayal nearly broke him. If they go to the party they should be aware just how much it might upset him. As part of the judging Alan decides to taste a courgette, but when he reports how bitter it is Azra makes him spit it out. One of her patients suffered Toxic Squash syndrome, after ingesting high levels of cucurbitacin in pumpkin soup. She thinks the courgette tastes bitter for the same reason. Alan’s grateful for Azra’s intervention when he hears about the terrible effects it could have had. After the judging Ben discovers he won in all three categories he entered, pipping Susan for best cake. Susan’s preoccupied by what she heard from Amber though, and makes her excuses to Emma. They won’t be going to George’s party after all.

Ruairi and Paul wake up in Paul’s bed, before Ruairi gets a call from Brian and panics – he should be at work. Brian has in fact come to see Alice and is outside in the Stables Yard. Alice is still angry with Brian, refusing to accept his apology. Ruairi then creeps out of the house, kissing Paul goodbye, only for Ben to interrupt and tell Ruairi he’s just missed Brian. Later, Ben finds Ruairi at Home Farm where they chat about Paul. Ben manages to squeeze a confession out of Ruairi that he really likes Paul, but he doesn’t know if Paul feels the same way.Lilian finds Brian in the Eco Office, telling him she’s worried how upset Alice is. Brian needs to find a way to make it up with her. Brian insists he’s tried, then admits he’s struggling to run the farm without Stella. Lilian is convinced the stress is getting to him – and blaming Justin for his troubles isn’t the answer. For his own sake Brian needs to let Adam and Ruairi do more – they’re more than capable. Alice appears and tells Brian that Chris apologised to Martha’s teacher on behalf of the family, but apparently hardly any parents noticed anything was wrong. Martha’s friends haven’t said anything to her either. Brian’s relieved, until Lilian repeats the point she made earlier and Alice agrees that Brian should take a step back. Brian however still can’t see past his fight with Justin - and is determined to win the fight, even if it’s the last thing he does!

Late arrivals Justin and Lilian have to squeeze in next to Alice and Brian at the Harvest Festival, with Justin sitting right next to Brian. Lilian warns them both that discussing BL is off-limits. But Brian can’t help himself and suggests that Justin takes the words of Alan’s sermon about farmers producing an abundance of food to heart. Justin rises to the bait and their discussion becomes heated. When Justin insists he’ll go ahead and sell his shares if he doesn’t get his way Brian explodes, before Alice and Lilian give them their marching orders. After the service Lilian tells them they should be ashamed. Alan agrees, their behaviour was unacceptable, nearly ruining the children’s performance. Justin gives a half-hearted apology, before Alan accuses them of caring very little about those around them. Later, Lilian drops in on Alice, who’s still furious at Martha’s big day almost being ruined. Alice fears the repercussions from gossiping parents at school. Lilian thinks Justin is a liability and Alice agrees, but it’s Brian she’s completely fed up with for jeopardising Martha’s progress at school.After checking the ewes with Ben at Home Farm Ruairi goes for a drink with him at The Bull. Ruairi then spots Paul and remembers how awkward it was the last time they met. But Ben calls Paul over before making his excuses to leave Ruairi and Paul together. They establish that Ruairi’s come back to Ambridge for a bit to help Brian and that Paul is currently single, before heading off to get a taxi to a cocktail bar.

Jim tells Alan how much he’s enjoyed engaging in religious debate with the Shop’s customers, now they’ve relocated to St Stephens. Alan gets a message asking him to be a judge at the Flower & Produce re-run, before Jim asks why Alan became a vicar. Alan hasn’t time to talk to Jim about it now but is happy to another time. Later, under questioning from Jim, Lilian admits she doesn’t believe in God but is happy for others to follow their own path, so long as they don’t hurt anyone. On the Green, Alan tells Lilian how snowed under he is with work. He mentions several parishioners asking more theological questions of him than he’s used to, making him wonder if he’s doing a good job. Lilian assumes the speculative queries are down to Jim’s influence and Alan reckons he’s got enough on without this!Preparing to go in the water Ed tells Fallon she can still change her mind, but Fallon’s determined to do the full challenge: fifty lengths of the marked-out course. Once they’re swimming though it’s Ed who struggles to keep up, after pushing himself too hard to begin with. When he has to stop Fallon whistles for assistance, before continuing on alone. After Fallon finishes Ed apologises for not being there for her, though she insists he was. Fallon then admits it was difficult at times, with so many difficult feelings filling her head. But she kept going and thinks Ash would be really pleased they all turned up for him – even Jazzer with his paddleboard and flippers!

When Jazzer turns up with paddleboard, flippers and extra luggage, for his trip to the Lake District with Ed and Fallon, he’s forced to squeeze into the back of the car with everything next to him. Fallon will watch while the others swim, or paddle to commemorate their friend, Ash. Later, Ed and Jazzer reminisce about the high-jinks they got up to in their teens, before Fallon mentions Jazzer nearly dying from an overdose. Jazzer reckons Dross cleaning up their act was the making of them in the end. They mull over what getting older actually means, before Fallon decides she won’t let her fears get the better of her. She’s going to do the swim tomorrow too.Lily apologises to Azra for what happened at the Flower & Produce Show, then asks if she’ll be a judge at the re-run next Sunday. Azra agrees, telling Lily not to be so hard on herself over what went wrong at the Show and the cricket furore. However, Lily feels life is passing her by, confessing that she doesn’t see Grey Gables as a long-term destination. She likes the people there, but communication between different departments is a big problem. Azra thinks it’s similar in hospitals, suggesting that if people could do a job-swap it would help them understand everybody’s roles, however it’s too impractical. Lily thinks a job-swap could work at Grey Gables though and will suggest it to Dane. But in the meantime, Azra suggests, Lily needs to think about what more she actually wants from her life.

Justin’s confident he can override any dissent when the results of the feasibility study are discussed at this afternoon’s BL Board meeting, while Lilian joins Alice in looking forward to Martha’s first school Harvest Festival service on Thursday. Before the meeting Brian assures Justin the fight isn’t over, no matter what the feasibility study says. Martyn tries to smooth things over but mentions a rumour that Justin could be looking to buy land elsewhere. Justin admits he’s considering his options, including selling his BL shares, if necessary. Later, Brian and Martyn discuss Justin’s shock announcement, agreeing it would be disastrous if he sold up. Neither of them could afford to buy the shares and fear the potential consequences of an outsider buying into BL. Later, Justin admits to Lilian he hadn’t planned on dropping his bombshell today. Lilian tells him he’ll be going to Martha’s Harvest Festival. Ruairi has gone to The Nest for tea with Alice and Martha. He might have come back to Ambridge to help Brian, but he’s delighted to catch up with them too. They chat about Martha settling in well at school, to Alice’s great relief. They agree Alice is coping well with her alcohol addiction, but Ruairi wants to continue calling her every week. He’s less worried about her now than when she stayed with him in London though, remembering how he once found her unconscious. Alice is mortified by his recollection and Ruairi apologises for upsetting her. But Alice knows she wouldn’t be where she is now without her family’s support and hugs Ruairi.