Joe is ungracious. Darrell is touched. Emma is resourceful if unpleasant. Nic is in labour.

Radio Times: Alan tries to be encouraging, and Emma comes to the rescue.

Characters: Alan, Darrell, Emma, Joe, Nic, Susan, Tracy

• Susan is disappointed that her birthday party will be at The Bull rather than Grey Gables, and not entirely pleased when Tracy refers to the event as her half century. But Tracy has big plans for celebrating it, and when Susan leaves for work, she asks Emma where Susan’s address book is.
• Alan calls on Joe with some produce from the Harvest festival, but gets a distinctly ungracious reception. Nic does her best to jolly Joe along, without success.
• Alan finds Darrell and asks him to come to the Vicarage for a cup of tea and something to eat later. Darrell admits that he was out of order speaking to Shula as he did, and would like to apologise.
• Waiting for the school bus, Nic encounters Emma who, at first, is rather more pleasant than usual. Nic takes this an opportunity to mention a calendar of children’s art work that she wants to produce for the organ fund; high and mighty Emma announces that she has her own plans for that particular cause, but it is still under wraps. As the bus draws in, Nic’s waters break, but Emma rallies round. She rings Will and takes the children home to Ambridge view.
• Darrell is very grateful for Alan’s offer of not only some food, but a rucksack and sleeping bag too; he bursts into tears.
• Emma basks in the praise that comes her way when Susan and Tracy hear what has happened, but quickly reverts to type when Susan says Jake and Mia can stay there while the baby is born; Keira will not like that, she says. Meanwhile Tracy has made a start on the guest list. Unfortunately the first two on the list are people Susan would rather not remember.