Mike learns how determined Vicky is to make a new man of him.

Radio Times: Mike and Vicky get some retail therapy.

Characters: Elizabeth, Hayley, Jennifer, Mike, Nigel, Ruth, Vicky

• Mike has no idea of the treat in store as he and Vicky head for the shops to replenish his wardrobe. He thinks they will be in and out long before the Christmas lights switch-on.
• At Lower Loxley, Hayley reveals that she knows what faces Mike; she has arranged to meet Vicky later for the switch-on. More immediately, Elizabeth and Nigel outline their plans for Christmas events to the whole staff. Hayley volunteers to create an activity sheet for the children.
• There’s bad news for Jennifer: a place came up at The Laurels but was not offered to Jack because Peggy had asked for a garden view. Jennifer thinks that after yesterday’s nasty episode they shouldn’t be so fussy, though it’s doubtful whether Peggy would agree. She is even wondering whether breaking Peggy’s glasses recently was really an accident.
• Now Mike is getting the idea: if it’s a choice between fashion and comfort, he will just have to squeeze himself into tight jeans. Also his old second-hand DJ won’t do any more for their dancing. But Vicky is not finished yet and she now reveals her rendezvous with Hayley at 6:00, so Mike’s vision of an early return home for a ‘siesta’ is shattered.
• Later Jennifer and Ruth meet in Borchester for the lights; she has had chance to discuss yesterday with Peggy, who assured her and Lilian that Jack has not been rough with her. As expected, Peggy insists on waiting for a garden-view: Jack loves watching the birds. When the Ambridge gathering grows, Mike learns that his hair is next on Vicky’s list for a make-over and when she discovers that the Ambridge lights switch-on is on his birthday, that’s an irresistible excuse for a party.