Tom is still struggling to fulfil his first big ready-meals order.

Radio Times: Rhys arrives in the nick of time, while David is rebuffed.

Characters: Christine, David, Fallon, Jazzer, Jim, Rhys

• Try as they might, Jim and Christine are not likely to convince Jazzer of the delights of the cryptic crossword. He leaves them to their clues and heads for The Bull to assume the role of quiz-master. When he has gone, Jim denies that he feels lumbered – just as well since the friend of a friend who is allegedly going to provide Jazzer’s long-term accommodation does not seem likely to materialise. Jim admires him: although he has not had any of their advantages, he has retained his spark through all his difficulties. He has even become an avid reader, immersing himself in one of Jim’s books on Greek mythology.
• If Jim had gone to the quiz, he might understand Jazzer’s reading: Greek mythological characters figure in some of the questions he has set. David seeks to join a team; he was humiliated with a rejection from Bert, Joe and Mr Pullen – they were holding out for Derek Fletcher. So he joins Tom and Brenda instead, though Brenda’s welcome might have been more tactfully expressed than an admission that they were desperate.
• Arriving halfway through the quiz, Rhys is content to prop up the bar and help out occasionally. Fallon is running the bar.
• Tom has not had a good day: he went to see about renting another business unit but was disappointed to find that the rent required was way too high, even for a valued existing client. Anyway, when he looked more closely at the cost of setting up his own kitchen, he has realised that Brenda was right: it’s too expensive. The clock is ticking on his first big order for ready-meals; where is he going to prepare them?