Neil hits the woodwork.

Radio Times: Neil hits the woodwork.

Characters: Brian, David, Debbie, Matt Crawford, Mike, Neil, Ruth

• One of the cows at Brookfield has a fever, possibly mastitis. David decides to give antibiotics himself rather than call Alistair – another economy measure.
• Pip needs some new clothes. David is surprised at the suggestion of buying from a charity shop to save money, but Ruth manages to kit Pip out at bargain prices. David is still having problems about selling his car, but in the end he agrees that it is the only sensible option.
• Matt Crawford is rather more than pleased to see Debbie again, and won’t take no for an answer to his intimate approaches, inviting her to his new night-club in Felpersham on Thursday. Brian arrives in the nick of time, but he’s having his own problems with Matt, who thinks that Brian’s objection to the proposed leisure complex is based more on local popularity than economic considerations. They agree that they must wait until next week’s board meeting for a decision, but Brian is not at all sure that he’ll be able to stop it.
• Mike and Neil reminisce about the long list of past tenants at Mrs. A’s flat as they work at splitting logs for delivery – the orders are apparently coming in – and about Hayley as the latest in the list. The rift between her and Helen has not gone unnoticed. David offers them a dead ash at Marneys, but it turns out to be not worth the effort of moving, so David will have to clear it himself! Meanwhile Mike is rather vague about his commitment to the logs over the coming days.