Brian is determined the land purchase will happen even if Debbie and Adam disagree; Ruairidh is on his side.

Radio Times: Adam is made to wait, and Rob works the room.

Characters: Adam, Brian, Debbie, Ian, Justin, Rob

• Adam, Debbie and Brian are at the BL party. Jennifer can’t make it. She’s having to help Kate with the costumes. No one is surprised about that. Ian is also busy but promises to be free.
• Justin meets Rob at the party too. Rob is obviously caught out by not having been involved in the Secret Santa. Justin is surprised that Rob is still sticking with the job. Given how people feel about him, it can’t be comfortable. Rob says he won’t be swayed by the local hostility. If they are that gullible and petty minded he couldn’t care less. Justin still assumes that a break with Rob’s parents will be good.
• Rob is interested to hear from Brian that Debbie is at the party and goes off to find her. Brian also tells Justin that Debbie is fully committed to the land purchase. When Rob does find Debbie he says they would have made a good team, if it weren’t for Charlie Thomas. Debbie thought that too. Until she now realised the sort of person Rob was. She’d been hit by someone in the past and knew better now. And judging by the rest of the guests at the party, no one else wants to talk to him either.
• Ian finally turns up at the party. Adam has a Secret Santa gift but Ian recalls the earlier gift from a previous year. Ian is curious if he ever found out where it was from. Then he gets a call from the kitchen and has to leave. Rob tries to tell Adam that he knows that Adam is missing Charlie Thomas. But Ian appears from the kitchen and makes it clear that he and Adam are together and go off to dance leaving Rob on his own.
• Justin tells Debbie that he is really pleased in the interest in Home Farm purchasing the extra land. Without Brian, Debbie makes it clear she isn’t quite as enthusiastic as Brian. She is wondering if BL might be prepared to sell it off in parcels. Justin says Andrew Eagleton wouldn’t agree and, Brian reappearing, says he wouldn’t either.
• Debbie and Brian argue. Debbie says they need to reach a compromise. Adam is the future of the farm. If he doesn’t agree then the farm won’t operate. Brian then claims that Ruairidh agrees with the purchase. Debbie is horrified that he is taking the view of a 14 year old but Brian says the land purchase is going to happen.