Usha goes for all-out warfare. Brian and Alice make their peace.

Radio Times: An old rivalry rears its head at The Stables.

Characters: Alan, Alice, Brian, Ed, Jazzer, Shula, Usha

• Usha is still upset about the anonymous letter, and Alan does his best to calm her down, suggesting that going into work might take her mind off things.
• Brian treats Alice to lunch, partly to cheer her up about her rejection by Cranwell, but also to tell her about his trip to Ireland. Alice handles both matters maturely, and says that if Jennifer is happy about Brian going to Ireland, then it’s fine by her. Meanwhile she wants to concentrate on what really matters – her lunch.
• Jazzer wants to know how Ed’s relationship with Fallon is going now that she’s on tour again. Angrily, Ed tells him they’re fine. Jazzer thinks Ed needs a change of scene. Why doesn’t he hit Borchester with the lads?
• Another horrible letter arrives for Usha, and this time it’s sent to her home. Alan tells her she must show both letters to the police. Usha blames Shula; if she hadn’t spoken so freely to the journalist, the letters wouldn’t have been written.
• Brian and Alice enjoy their meal, then Brian raises the subject of Alice’s university fees. She doesn’t want to take money from him, but Brian tells her to treat it as a loan. She can repay him when she gets a job. Alice is happy to accept it on those terms, and it’s clear their relationship is back to what it was before the affair with Siobhán.
• A furious Usha goes to the stables, where Shula has a class of children waiting. Usha launches into an attack; Shula had no thought for the damage she was doing to Usha’s reputation. Shula tries weakly to offer a defence, suggesting that she’s not the only one with doubts – Usha’s family have theirs. Usha realises this information was given to Shula in confidence, and she is doubly angry. She then reminds Shula of the damage she did when she had a fling with Richard, and to drive home her final attack, she shows Shula the latest letter. Even Shula is shocked.