Helen’s big announcement has to wait because Jack is no more.

Radio Times: Peggy receives a troubling phone call, and Helen has to change her plans.

Characters: Helen, Lilian, Pat, Peggy, Rob, Tom

• Feeding her cats, Peggy has an early phone call from The Laurels; Jack died peacefully during the night.
• Equally early, Rob rings Helen who for some reason is behind the barn amongst the pigs. He wants her and Henry to move in right away. Helen says she must tell her parents and Tom first; she will do it after Henry’s party, and Rob will come at four to offer moral support. Oddly he seems only too well aware that he is not Pat and Tony’s favourite person.
• Lilian seems more upset than Peggy about Jack, but is pleased that Peggy finds comfort in thinking that Jack knew her when she showed him the wedding photographs. She takes Peggy to The Laurels to see him for the last time.
• Pat and Helen assemble Henry’s dinosaur birthday cake. When Tom arrives, Helen tells them she has some important news, and will reveal it after the party. The party goes well, but leaves the adults exhausted, and Henry is put to bed for a sleep. (Just how does Helen manage to persuade an over-excited three year old to go to sleep straight after a party?). Then, as Helen is about to summon Tony to hear her wonderful news, Lilian and Peggy arrive to tell them about Jack and so Helen’s momentous announcement will just have to wait. Unfortunately she is too late to ring Rob to prevent him from turning up as arranged, and when he does, armed with a huge farm set for Henry, he is suitably embarrassed to be intruding. Pat’s glacial reception does little to help. Helen sees him out on the pretext of putting rubbish in the bin, and tells Rob they will now have to wait until after Jack’s funeral. It will be agony.