Alistair comes clean and gains Shula’s support to sort out the mess he is in.

Radio Times: It’s confession time for Alistair.

Characters: Alistair, Emma, Matt, Shula, Susan

• Matt’s deadline having passed, he wants his money. Alistair needs more time and convinces Matt that he has nothing to gain by pushing further. Matt sees the sense in this and agrees to a goodwill payment by the end of the week and the rest by the end of the month.
• Emma is now installed in her parents’ home but is worried that she cannot raise Ed. He has gone to Jazzer’s. She needs to talk to him – and not just because he would normally take a turn looking after George – but to tell him she loves him. Emma seems convinced that her dad would not throw Ed out of the caravan but Susan is conspicuously silent on this point – and shows little sympathy for Ed’s position.
• Alistair has taken Kenton’s advice and come to talk to Shula. He makes a clean breast of his predicament and he is not expecting forgiveness but he wants her to know that he still loves her, he never stopped loving her and he doesn’t want to lose her. Does she want him to leave?
• Still no word from Ed, but Brenda will step into the breach and look after George. Susan coldly recommends giving Ed time to cool down and realise how much he misses her.
• Shula has now heard the full story, including the blood doping, Matt’s request to put Hassett Harrier down and yesterday’s deadline. Her first inclination is to tell Matt where to go but Alistair fears he could sue. So Shula determines that ‘we’ will find the money somehow. So Alistair can come home but he must face up to his addiction, recognise that it is a serious problem – an illness – and seek a cure; there must be no more gambling!