Elizabeth is furious with Freddie, who is unrepentant. Pat is furious with Susan who is equally unrepentant

Radio Times: Lower Loxley’s prodigal son returns

Characters: Elizabeth, Freddie, Johnny, Justin, Lilian, Lily, Pat, Susan

• Back from the wonders of the Isle of Wight festival, Johnny and the newly-pierced Freddie make their weary way back to Ambridge, but discover on reaching Borchester that they have no money for the bus fare and neither has a working phone.
• As the wanderers consider their next move, a frantic Elizabeth imagines all manner of calamities befalling her son. Lily does her best to calm her mother, whose focus is Freddie’s impending Maths exam.
• Freddie spots Justin’s Borchester office and goes to try and phone for a lift home, but the redoubtable Anthea gives him short shrift. The duo then bump into Justin himself, but he, too, is initially impervious to all Freddie’s false charm. Relenting at last, he phones Elizabeth himself before handing the phone to Freddie, who quickly receives the full force of his mother’s fury.
• Meanwhile someone else in Ambridge is in trouble. Pat summons Susan to the house where Clarrie is unable to hear them, and accuses Susan of spreading rumours. Susan stands her ground, pointing out that if Pat had lowered her voice when speaking to Justin, she would not have overheard the conversation. In any case, he claims triumphantly, a housing development would affect the whole village, so someone has to let people know. Fortunately for Susan, they are interrupted by the return of a dirty but happy Johnny.
• Justin relates the Johnny and Freddie saga to an amused Lilian, but he is furious because Emma called to see him, asking about the possibility of low-cost housing for her and Ed. Icily, he rings Pat to ask whether she is aware that their recent conversation has become public knowledge. Pat informs him that she is addressing the source as they speak. Justin makes it clear that he wants a decision very soon. Having heard her end of the conversation, Susan comments that Pat and co will be accepting the offer. It’s for the good of the village, rejoins Pat. Not everyone will see it that way snaps Susan.
• Home at last, a ‘hideously disfigured’ Freddie feels the full weight of Elizabeth’s fury. He has humiliated her, stolen from her and lied to her. As Freddie goes upstairs to shower and sleep, Elizabeth asks Lily what punishment she should mete out; stop his driving lessons? No, that will just punish you, says Lily. And there is no point making him sit the exam because having missed one paper he can never pass it now. It would be flogging a dead horse.