Brian calmly rides Jenny’s and Debbie’s waves of emotion in an effort to keep his own guilty secrets submerged.

Radio Times: Will comes face to face with trouble.

Characters: Brian, Debbie, Greg, Jennifer, Simon, Will

• It’s breakfast time at Home Farm. Jenny is distraught in her worrying about Debbie, who appears to be neither eating nor sleeping. What should she and Brian do? They’ve never seen her so upset. Simon has rung again and Debbie still refuses to speak to him. Perhaps she, Jenny, should speak to him or to Brenda even? Definitely not – that would only set the tongues wagging in the village shop, and surely Jenny doesn’t want that? Debbie would be mortified. Leave well alone for her sake … (and mine! Can’t you just hear Brian’s thoughts?!) Debbie appears briefly.
• Will is informing Greg by phone that he has seen a couple of men with lurchers coming out of a field on the Estate. They don’t look like Sunday walkers, more like hare coursers. Greg is saying he’ll come over when they make a move on the Land Rover – at which point Will challenges them. Meg is brutally hit with a stick, the LR windscreen is smashed and the men make a hasty getaway in their mud-spattered ‘white’ van.
• Brian answers a call from an enraged Simon, accusing him of telling all to Debbie, and how dare he?. Brian counters the allegation and firmly dictates that Simon should calm down, speak civilly and trust him – if he (Simon) sorts out his side of things with Brenda Tucker, he (Brian) will try to persuade Debbie to speak to him. It’s in both their (Simon’s and Brian’s) interests for the couple to mend their differences.
• Greg is going to call the Police while Will takes Meg to see Alistair just in case. Greg thinks Will was very brave to tackle the situation, but suggests he report to him first next time in the interest of safety.
• Jenny is desperately trying to divert Debbie with breakfast, or a ride with Alice, or even a turn on the tractor later? Debbie can’t face eating or going out. Jenny takes a call from Peggy and Brian takes over with Debbie. He tries to suggest that Brenda just has a schoolgirl crush on Simon – why doesn’t she consider talking to him? She is incredulous that Brian appears to be defensive of Brenda Tucker (who split up Aunty Lilian and Scott, if you remember, Dad …) and of her husband – why, he wouldn’t even go to their wedding because he hates Simon so much! He assures her that now he can see how happy Simon makes her. She really must talk to him and sort things out.