On the day David watches Herefords go for slaughter, he snaps and Graham gets an earful.

Radio Times: David gets confrontational.

Characters: Alan, Clarrie, David, Graham, Lynda, Ruth, Susan

• David is deep in despair as he and Ruth have to watch three of the Herefords go for slaughter. Things aren’t much better when they go to talk to the music teacher, Mr Chambers, at Borchester Green later on, and Susan, in her role as school secretary, comments that his musical taste extends to steel bands rather than orchestras. Not only that, the new head seems keen to make the school into a technology college.
• There is conflict at the Bull where both Alan and Lynda are trying to rehearse their plays. Lynda is extremely sniffy about the way Alan likes to lubricate his rehearsals, and Alan’s attempt at a joke to lighten the atmosphere falls flat. Susan is more interested in the prospect of moving to a bigger house than in the rehearsal; she thinks her job might become permanent. When Graham Rider tells her they might get £125,000 for their current house, she’s overjoyed.
• Susan might be delighted with what Graham has to say, but David certainly isn’t. When Graham has a dig at him about turning down offers on Woodbine Cottage, about the way farmers always plead poverty, and, in particular, about shooting the badger, David sees red. He tells Graham he’s sick of being sniped at by Matt Crawford’s toadies. They have been struggling financially at Brookfield for years. The Herefords were supposed to be the scheme that would turn their fortunes around, and this morning they had to see three of them slaughtered. There might be more. How dare Graham stand there and sneer.