Roy’s date isn’t wholly successful; Rob takes every opportunity to needle everyone in sight, finishing with a veiled threat to Brian.

Radio Times: Rob needles at any opportunity, and Roy gets back in the game.

Characters: Alistair, Brian, Justin, Lucy, Rob, Roy, Shula

• Rob joins Justin at the estate shoot. Justin feels that it will be an opportunity to mix with other farming shots. As Justin moves away, Brian turns up. Rob wonders if he’s beating. Brian is mortified. Rob then asks if he won’t feel out of place in such company. More mortification. Shula trots by on her horse. Rob draws her to one side, and warns her against disturbing the shoot, even though, as she points out, she’s on a public bridle way. He points out that he’s now in a position to apply for the path’s diversion and tells her to keep that in mind. Maximal mortification as Rob leaves the scene.
• Roy meets his date Lucy at the patisserie, and with mutual compliments flying around, they head for a table. Roy nervously mentions that it’s his first date in a long time; Lucy rather honestly admits that this is her fifth. Ah well, with the introductions out of the way, Roy dives straight in, enquiring if Lucy would like tea or coffee.
• Shula complains bitterly to Alistair about Rob’s high-handed attitude. He agrees that it’s a cheek but was only to be expected. They agree that the threat of the bridle path diversion was probably a bluff. Alistair leads off with his bit of news. It seems that Anisha enjoyed her visit and wants to visit again to discuss possible partnership terms. Shula is grateful that she wasn’t put off by the potential financial drain on practice profits caused by the Grundy family.
• Roy and Lucy talk excitedly about their favourite TV programmes. They avoid favourite books as neither has much time for reading. Lucy suggests owning up to their guilty secrets, hers being that she still adores The Pet Shop Boys. Roy explains that he likes them too, in fact, he has a signed album. He says that in his last job, he arranged a festival and they were the top act. Much “oohing” from Lucy. She then goes on to mentioning her ground rules. No cheating, for instance having two dates at the same time. It’s akin to cheating on your wife. Roy’s sharp intake of breath could be heard five miles away.
• Back at the shoot, both Brian and Justin agree that the birds were overly skittish. They both shot badly. But up saunters Rob, the hero of the day, to accept Justin’s plaudits for such wonderful shooting. As the meeting breaks up, Rob calls to Brian that he wanted to see him at the end of the day. At the patisserie, Roy and Lucy are preparing to leave. She asks if she had said anything wrong as she had noticed an awkward moment. Roy insists that all was well and, after a brief kiss and an exchange of numbers, they go their separate ways. It doesn’t auger well.
• Rob tells Brian about his strong reservations about the state of Home Farm’s wheat, so too does Justin. Brian responded by reminding him of Adam’s presentation to the BL board, of which he, Brian, was chair. He had pointed out the possibility of early teething problems. Rob insisted that he didn’t want Justin used as a test bed for half-baked ideas. He also wonders if Adam up to managing things at the farm, given his current personal difficulties? Brian says that he will talk to Justin about matters later. Rob counters by saying “OK, but you have been warned”.