Nelson’s funeral passes off with typical suspicion and curiousity but an overwelming sense of loss

Radio Times: Ambridge says farewell to an old friend.

Characters: Caroline, Elizabeth, Janet, Jennifer, Lillian, Nigel, Rosemary, Shula, Sid

• Outside the church before Nelson’s funeral, Janet chats with Nelson’s daughter Rosemary, who expresses gratitude for the funeral arrangements, and for Jennifer’s obituary. Apart from Nelson, the topic of the day is Robert leaving Lynda, who is not there.
• The hearse arrives. There’s a floral arrangement spelling the word NELSON which Jennifer finds hilariously tasteless but Caroline thinks he’d have thought it was the cat’s pyjamas.
• Lizzie gives her funeral oration to a packed church. She’s worn red instead of black because she sensed that’s what Nelson would have advised.
• Much chat in the churchyard. There are two gangsterish men in camel hair coats and with big-haired wives. Nigel presumes they contributed the vulgar floral tribute. Nigel tells Shula that Detective Sgt Coverdale was in the church, in his words just checking that Mr Gabriel really was dead. Nigel half-seriously speculates as to whether Nelson might have been bumped off by someone. Rosemary had said she thought it was natural causes, though the death certificate was in Spanish so she can’t be sure. Julia looks distraught. It’s a pity that Ellen could not be there. There is a rather stunning young woman crying her eyes out – perhaps she was Nelson’s last flame.
• In the Bull for the wake. Shane’s there in his leather trousers – he made the quiche. It’s a lavish do, and it’s all paid for by Nelson, so he must have made good in the end. The mysterious young woman has sloped off.
• The womenfolk chat about how they all seem to have been chatted up by Nelson at some time. Jennifer says she went out with him 35 years ago and everyone thought he was Adam’s father, though Jennifer stresses that he wasn’t. Caroline seems to be the only one who evaded Nelson’s charms though, in common with many women, she did use him as a shoulder to cry on. At that moment, an irate woman turns up the bar, yelling for a drink and cursing the fact that she missed the funeral owing to fog in the channel. It’s Lillian.