Alistair speaks an unpleasant truth and Will offers an apology

Radio Times: Alistair confesses all. Will has a change of heart

Characters: Alistair, Clarrie, David, Eddie, Ruth, Shula, Susan, William

• Susan signs Ruth up to her rota for helping Will and slips in a coy reference to Ruth’s imminent half century. Shula appears, looking for Alistair, who is not answering his phone, and needs to know about a cancelled appointment. She then asks where Jill is, but before Jill can be found, Shula disappears. Having found a lost post-it note, David is forced to reveal that he has ordered a chocolate fountain for Ruth’s birthday party. Peals of faux laughter ensue.
• As Susan explains her plan to Will, she is taken aback by his ungracious response. He claims he scarcely knows some of the people who have signed up, and can’t see how it could help. he is not a charity case, so thanks but no, thanks. Susan accepts that she may have misjudged the situation, and leaves. Eddie is cross with Will, but Clarrie takes his side; how would it look if it came to court and Will was seen to be failing to look after the children himself?
• A dishevelled Alistair turns up at The Stables, claiming that his phone battery was dead – it then pings as a message comes in. Shula is appalled to see that he is still in yesterday’s clothes.
• Eddie tries to make Will see sense. Susan is offering help, not charity. can’t Will see how exhausted Clarrie is? She needs help even if Will doesn’t. Will thinks it is none of Susan’s business. She was only trying to help, says Eddie gently.
• Clarrie finds Susan in tears, and tells her she is a true friend. Clarrie doesn’t know how to thank her. She is thoughtful and generous – Will is simply scared because of the possibility of having to go to court. Will then appears, and offers an apology. Has Susan still got the rota? Of course she has.
• Shula accuses Alistair of gambling again. His phone pings repeatedly, so he tells her where he was; in the bed of one of the hunt members. Chris Carter was there this morning, so saw him leave. As Shula becomes ever more recriminatory, Alistair reminds her that she was the one who wanted to end their marriage. Maybe now she has got what she wanted.