Cold turkey all round

Radio Times: The bird is not enough.

Characters: Clarrie, Ed, Eddie, Emma, Joe, Neil, Susan

• Joe is over at Willow Farm seeing to the turkeys but there is a problem.
• Ed has had another bad night with a nightmare about drowning and is worried in case he is ‘sent down’ – today would be his last chance to see Emma in hospital, but she is due to come home and Clarrie, whilst trying to reassure him about tomorrow, wisely advises Ed that Neil is definitely not yet ready for him to visit Emma. She is carefully preparing Ed’s clothes so that he will look his best in court.
• Joe has found Neil to help him round up his pigs which have escaped and been worrying the turkeys. Three have to be slaughtered. Neil apologizes for his fences being in disrepair and pleads lack of time through constant hospital visiting. Joe says the apologies should go to Eddie and Neil responds as one would expect!
• Clarrie gives Eddie a fiver to buy Ed some treats while they are out trying to sell their garden ‘furniture’ as Joe arrives back exhausted, with the three turkey carcasses. He explains the circumstances to Eddie who says that Neil should at least pay for the birds and threatens to take him to court – Clarrie calms him down by reminding him that their relationship with the Carters is quite bad enough, thank you!
• Neil and Susan arrive late at the hospital because of the pig/turkey trouble at Willow Farm. Emma is more than ready to come home but regrets not being able to say goodbye to a particular nurse who isn’t around.
• Clarrie has already plucked one of the turkeys and takes it to the Carters as a sort of peace offering when she visits Emma. Susan and she talk amicably about Emma’s physiotherapy appointments and how it will take 20-24 weeks for the bone to heal – she won’t be left with a limp but will always have a scar. Neil thanks Clarrie grudgingly for the turkey and after she has gone, begins another anti-Grundy tirade. Emma eventually tells him to ‘shut up’ and Susan and Neil apologise for upsetting her.
• Eddie wonders where Clarrie is at 3a.m. and finds her in the kitchen plucking another turkey. She is worried sick about tomorrow for Ed, about Joe being exhausted, about how they will cope with the turkeys at Christmas – and can’t stand Eddie’s cavalier attitude – so tells him in no uncertain terms to LEAVE HER ALONE.