Alistair blows his top. Alan receives hate mail. Lilian sets a trap.

Radio Times: Shula pays for her past mistakes.

Characters: Alan, Alistair, Lilian, Matt, Shula, Tom, Usha

• Alan and Shula meet to talk over church business, particularly Bishop Cyril’s retirement. Alan senses that things aren’t too good between Shula and Alistair, but she brushes his offers of help aside. She does say that she’ll make Alistair enter the Soap Box Derby, though.
• As Alan opens his mail, he finds a racist letter. Shula tells him to burn it, but Alan thinks he might need to use it as evidence. When Usha comes in, Alan doesn’t want her to see it, but then realises she has every right to. Usha thinks they need to lower the profile of their relationship.
• Lilian admires Tom’s new van, though thinks burgers are a bit down-market. She’s puzled when he asks her when the ‘happy event’ is due.
• Shula tells Alistair that Caroline has had a low offer for the Dower House – only a million. Alistair reacts with angry sarcasm, then pitches into Shula, telling her she sets herself up as the moral guardian of all the professional males in the village. He’s furious that she’s entered him for the Soap Box Derby, too. But he does apologise, saying he’s very stressed
• Lilian tries to trap Matt. On the pretext that she’s lost an earring, she gets him to open Jade’s drawer in the office – and there is a pregnancy testing kit. Who could Jade’s boyfriend be?