Lynda and The Echo drag the Grundy name through the mud but Joe drinks enough cider to forget.

Radio Times: Shula and Kenton’s birthday-bash.

Characters: Alistair, Joe, Kathy, Kenton, Nigel, Shula

• Joe is not keen to stay at tonight’s birthday celebration to the bitter end so a lift from Kathy would be welcome. She is non-committal – doesn’t know her plans. Say no more, nudge, nudge, wink, wink; Joe is a man of the world and has seen Kenton leaving his neighbour’s house recently.
• Nigel pauses briefly from monitoring his hatching chicks to admonish Kenton for pinching the bottom of one of their visitors. He must rush over to the Stables with some glasses for Shula, leaving Kenton to receive his birthday present (silk underwear) from Kathy.
• Nigel is quietly pleased to get away from Kenton; as he tells Shula, her twin is trying his patience. Shula shows him the Echo with an article about the “Neighbours from Hell” endured by Lynda Snell, 41 (as if!).
• Alistair gives Kenton a hand with collecting £120 worth of booze and, what do you know, Kenton has left his credit cards in his other jacket. He promises to settle up later.
• The party is fantastic; Alistair has waited years for a bash like this.
• Joe introduces Shula to his cider (wow!) and in no time at all her wordsh are all shlurred. She is still awake enough to recognise the implications of Lynda’s anger with the Grundys. Joe is seeking alternative pasture for the animals, Bartleby and Baby; they need a big paddock – just like Shula’s.
• The party looks set to go on into the wee small hours; although Phil and Jill made good their escape when the smoochy music started. Joe and Nigel observe that Kathy and Kenton are clearly “an item”, which Joe thinks they deserve, at their time of life.