Alan tries to help Elizabeth think ahead.

Radio Times: Alan tries to help and Ian makes a new friend.

Characters: Alan, Brenda, Elizabeth, Helen, Ian, Jill

• Jill talks to Alan about Nigel’s death. She is very concerned at Elizabeth’s inability to cry or to talk about her feelings. Jill’s concern is that she still sees Nigel’s body in her mind. Alan understands; when his wife died and he had to care for Amy, the only thing that got him through was Mabel. Now Elizabeth has Jill to help her through a terrible time. Jill tells him how wonderful the family have been. Kenton has taken charge of the children and David is doing all the things no-one else thinks of – even organising the cleaning of the place where Nigel’s body landed.
• Ian makes a second visit to Helen and Henry. This time he is able to hold Henry, and tells Helen how touched he is that Henry’s middle name is Ian. Helen admits she was difficult and controlling during her pregnancy, and recognises how patient Ian was with her.
• Alan manages to get Elizabeth to focus a little on the funeral, which will probably be at Loxley Barratt, where the Pargetters were all buried. Elizabeth is finding it so hard to accept that Nigel is no longer there, even though she saw his body; somehow his presence is very strong. Alan gently tells her how he felt when his wife died. He told Amy that her mother wasn’t in this world any more, but that she would never stop loving Amy. This seems to help Elizabeth.
• Jill tells Alan how much she loved Nigel, and how much he loved life.
• Helen has another visitor – Brenda, who is amazed at Helen’s new-found calm, especially when she learns that although Helen will be discharged on Friday, Henry will have to stay in hospital. As Brenda and Ian leave, they agree that this change is simply because at last Helen is happy.
• Jill asks Alan how she can help Elizabeth to think about the funeral. If only Phil was there; he always knew what to do.