25 February 1998

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  • John’s late for work, so Tommy is, on his birthday, feeding the pigs. Tony’s in a foul mood with John too and when he finally arrives they argue but John takes the Fergie and goes to mend the fence that his father’s been on about. Tony asks, but John wants to say nothing, about last night.
  • Shula accused Caroline of setting her and Alistair up last night, a charge which Caroline can’t really deny. They laugh it off and Caroline admits that some of her misgivings are down to any man having a hard time living up to Guy’s memory.
  • Kate tells Pat she can’t bear being on her feet all day in the dairy and hands in her notice, Pat’s not happy and Kate leaves to walk home.
  • Pat’s cooking Tommy a birthday tea, as much so that John and Tommy can line their stomachs before they had out to meet Roy for drinks! There’s no sign of John, in fact no-one seen him since he left to mend the fence. Tony and Tommy head off to try and find him lest he’s late for meeting Roy. As they’re driving up the lane they see the headlights pick out the tractor turned over in a ditch. Tony gets out to investigate and quickly sends Tommy back to the house to call for an ambulance – and is most insistent that he not return with Pat. As he kneels next to him it’s obvious that John is in a bad way, he’s cold to the touch and unconscious. As Tony starts talking to him he’s breaking up and the episode ends with Tony sobbing.

    A strange ending because there was no “Barwick Green” at all. We heard Tony’s sobbing, twenty seconds of silence and then the continuity announcer introducing the next programme. We can only assume than John’s accident was fatal: four years, a week and a day since Ambridge’s last fatal road accident. We will know after tomorrow’s episode.

    Those of us in Britain knew rather sooner, it’s all over the morning papers, including these articles in the Daily Telegraph, the Times and the Guardian, or this locally held copy of an article from the Independent (the indy only allow access to that day’s news, the other papers keep the links live).

    I wrote a short article on my feeling to the whole situation.

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