Rob reveals his marital problems.

Radio Times: Kathy’s worried, and Helen lends a sympathetic ear.

Characters: Caroline, Helen, Kathy, Oliver, Pat, Rob

• That’s not a very impressive shopping list! Of course Helen had assumed that Rob was preparing to cook for Jess this weekend. No, this is just a snack for the journey; Jess is not coming and Rob is spitting tacks. Helen takes a break and ushers him into the back office to calm him down. He thinks Ambridge is perfect; there’s no better place for them to start over but Jess won’t give it a chance. It helps to talk; there is no-one else in Ambridge to whom he could have sounded off so. His departure evokes a big sigh from Helen.
• Caroline is not being a good patient but Oliver is being very firm with her and assures her that everything is under control at Grey Gables. Later he cooks for her (or did he just warm up Ian’s efforts) but she isn’t hungry, except for the crème brûlée. She seems cheered by the fact that the organ fund is only £2k short of what they need to commission the work, although that is only half the total.
• The next fundraiser, as Kathy explains to Pat, is a silent film evening. Kathy has had a bad week getting figures ready for Martin Gibson – figures he could have got from others. He has made a thorough nuisance of himself, always with a glass in his hand, on expenses. When Helen appears, it is clear that Kathy knows about her meeting with Rob in the back office, having called at that time. Pat seeks an explanation but gets a very short response from Helen.