Asking around the village, Ian begins to sound a little less sure about fatherhood. (Apologies for the references to manscaping, I didn’t know it was “a thing!).

Radio Times: Kate offers maternal wisdom

Characters: Ian, Jennifer, Kate, Lexi, Pip, Toby

• Pip bumps into Toby and asks how he is doing with Kitty after the “Tracy” incident. She thinks there is something odd about him. Meanwhile he is really late for an appointment so she gets his suit and helps him find the address of his next appointment. While he changes Pip discovers he has “manscaped” his chest. And then she realises he has “manscaped” his eyebrows too. Pip says he can do a lot better. Toby agrees. It was great to start with but she is a bit of a nightmare. Pip tells her sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
• Jennifer tells Kate how horrified she is about Roy and Lexi. She’s only just got over Lilian and Justin. Kate suggests she should now understand how she felt about Phoebe. At least Jennifer won’t need to worry about Kate – she’s far too busy. Jennifer congratulates Kate on the success she has made of Spiritual Home but then, despite the facial at Grey Gables Kate promised, she seems to have left her purse at home. Jennifer says she can pay her later. Kate says she will sort out Lexi for her if she pays.
• Ian joins Jennifer for a coffee after her facial. She wants to know all about their initial adoption meeting. They were both blown away and Adam is already making plans. Ian would take a career break while Ian cared for the child but they would both share the parenting. Adam thinks an older child is the way to go. Ian wants to ask about how she felt about bonding with Ruairi. Jennifer said it wasn’t easy. His history wasn’t his fault and the minute she saw him her heart went out to him. It took ages for him to trust them but he was a sweet boy from a loving home. It took a good few months. He is a credit to Jennifer and rather stubborn – so a lot like Brian.
• Kate and Lexi have a conversation about Roy – or rather Kate lectures Lexi on Roy. Lexi asks her to approve the cleaning of the caravan but she wants to leave that to Jennifer. Jennifer arrives and is cold with Lexi but then dumps the list of repairs on Kate, it would be good if she actually did help for once.
• Toby does dump Kitty and instantly rings Pip to tell her. Pip doesn’t take it very seriously. She asks how he dumped Kitty and he said much the same as Pip did to him – sudden like a rapier to the heart. He invites her to join his pub quiz team and she agrees – but not without taking a photo of his manscaped eyebrows.
• Lexi and Ian chat in The Bull about her being a parent, Lexi says she knows from the umbilical cord if something is wrong with her daughters. And then a rather drunk Kate explains what a great parent she is. Phoebe, Sepo and Noli are all just so attuned to her. She says Ian will take to parenting like a duck to water, just like she did. Ian sounds a little less than convinced.