Potato wars at Home Farm as Tony and Brian almost come to blows over dinner.

Radio Times: Brian gloats at Tony’s misfortune.

Characters: Brian, Clarrie, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Pat, Siobhán, Tony

• Brian is on the phone to Siobhán – he’s dreading Tony and Pat coming over to dinner tonight. Evidently Simon has not said anything to Debbie as yet about seeing Brian and Siobhán at the café. Besides, Brian is suspicious that Simon and Brenda might also be trying to hide something – and not for the first time on Simon’s part, according to Brian. Elizabeth’s arrival at Siobhán’s (to accompany Siobhán to her antenatal class) stops the phone call. In her usual hard done to manner, she rants and raves about everything from Marjorie dropping some milk, making Hayley late for work, to Julia’s neglect of Marjorie’s dog ever since she adopted it.
• At Bridge Farm Clarrie is telling Pat about yesterday’s Baby Spice incident – they agree that Ed has a way with livestock. Pat says how happy Helen is living at Greg’s – Pat has even been over for tea (acceptance at last?). An angry sounding Tony arrives in search of Tom (who’s over at Peggy’s). As he leaves, Clarrie tells Pat how she is dreading a visit from Mr Woolley following Lynda’s complaint about their untidy front garden.
• After the antenatal class Elizabeth expresses surprise and scepticism at Siobhán opting for a water birth. Siobhán tells Elizabeth of the unfortunate encounter with Simon – she thinks Brian is more worried about Debbie finding out than Jenny.
• The dinner party is underway at Home farm. There is some small talk about Helen’s touches to Greg’s cottage, but it’s not long before the volatile subject of potatoes comes up. Brian is gloating about the profit he has made from his Hungarian imports and is derisory about Tony’s subsidised organic ideology. Tony is angry at the likes of Brian undercutting the ‘honest’ organic farmer like himself with his cheap foreign produce. Both Pat and Jenny try to change the conversation – without success – until Pat also angrily joins in the debate. It takes the threat of no pudding from Jennifer to bring about an uneasy truce. Not a happy gathering, that’s for sure!