For better or worse, both Ed and William will be at Keeper’s Cottage on Christmas Day.

Radio Times: Alice and Chris make secret plans and Nic has a brainwave.

Characters: Alice, Christopher, Clarrie, Jolene, Nic

• Alice has enjoyed a morning shopping in a heaving Borchester and now, because Chris is working close at hand, she can have lunch at The Bull with him. They are looking forward to some parties, starting with Susan’s, though they have some misgivings about that: Susan is bent on putting on the sort of party that she thinks Brian and Jennifer would like, all in the name of bonding. But they expect everyone to stand around on their best behaviour getting bored. What is to be done?
• Nic has taken Clarrie shopping but is a bit worried about Clarrie’s plan to cook Christmas dinner with one hand. Maybe Emma will help, though Clarrie is not sure what time they will be coming.
• In the evening, Chris and Alice are back in The Bull laying plans for games at Susan’s party; they are also hoping to borrow some cheesy Christmas CDs from Fallon. Jazzer is there too; he has been dumped by Jackie.
• Nic is heading for The Bull but she calls on Clarrie first to say that she and Will and the kids will join them for Christmas dinner. Will has agreed, though quite how much arm twisting she had to do is not revealed. She is a star, that Nic; let’s hope she can prevent the brothers from punching each other’s lights out. Clarrie is delighted.