Alistair’s gambling threatens to return. Mike puts his money on his son.

Radio Times: The Tuckers get their priorities in order.

Characters: Alistair, Helen, Kenton, Mike, Pat, Roy

• Kenton has spent an awfully long time in Ambridge Organics without buying anything. He just had to get away from the café where Susan has been bending Emma’s ear incessantly about not being able to go to the Ball.
• Mike seems to be getting the hang of not working: he has got up late again and has called at Jaxx in the hope, the vain hope, that Brenda might have dropped the odd hint about what she would like as a birthday present. Kenton’s next visitor is Alistair; he lost a cow this morning and is feeling down.
• Kenton’s hints are not needed anyway: Roy proposes giving her a pamper day at the Grey Gables Health Club. He will buy Hayley a cut-down version so that she can keep Brenda company for part of the time.
• In the privacy of Kenton’s flat, Alistair reveals his despair about the huge mortgage payments that now burden them. If only he could come up on the lottery, or in some other way win enough to pay it off … No, no, NO! Kenton, not renowned for his wisdom, gets this right and checks that Alistair is still going to his meetings. But without the buzz from poker, life it seems is rather dull.
• Pat calls on Mike to tell him that Helen has seen her doctor and something is happening to help her; it’s all down to Mike, even though he admits to being less than sympathetic at first. A really big thankyou is due. Mike observes that what Tom did was an amazing thing, although when Roy bursts in he clearly does not agree. Alone together, Mike tells his son that he would like to help out with the cost of IVF. Roy agrees and both are happy.