Borchester Land agree in principle to sell Bridge Farm to the tenants.

Radio Times: The future of Bridge Farm hangs in the balance.

Characters: Annabelle, David, Joe, Lilian, Matt, Ruth, Stephen Chalkman

• There’s good news for Matt: the genealogist has found his mother. She is about 77, a widow, in reasonable health and living in a nursing home in Walthamstow.
• Bert is full of confidence about today’s ploughing match, though it seems that Pip disapproves of the whole business. It’s fun living with an eco-warrior. Ruth is also worried about a leaflet she has found in Pip’s room – about a direct action camp.
• Lilian finds Matt struggling even to start writing a letter to his mother. Why not do what he normally does – bring in a specialist. There is a charity that works as a go-between in such cases. Sorted!
• David catches Joe red-handed, spying on Bert’s garden for intelligence about his F & P entry, while Bert is winning the Netherbourne cup. A deal is struck: if Joe will spread the real story about the new digester plans (the current rumour is four times bigger) David will not tell Bert about the spying.
• At the Borchester Land board meeting, they are discussing Pat & Tony’s application to buy Bridge Farm. Chalkie thinks they should wait, in a rising market, and they still might be able to get some planning permission for development. Andrew agrees, Annabelle doesn’t: the tenancy must pass to the next two generations, if they are interested, so the money will be tied up for a long time. It would be better to sell. So they vote and an Archers’ cliff-hanger ensues; well it would be wrong if we were told before Pat & Tony, wouldn’t it!