Who will grasp the nettle?

Radio Times: Nettle-eating nominations.

Characters: Adam, Bert, Brian, David, Eddie, Mike, Phil

• Adam offers Brian breakfast and a Father’s Day card from Alice, but Brian is still convinced he’s making a mess of things without Debbie. He’s worried that they might lose the contract with Brookfield if he goes on making mistakes.
• Eddie has the offer of Oliver’s baler again, so David is happy to give him some more work while the hay-making weather is so good, which might go some way to making amends for his treatment of Eddie on Friday.
• Adam is miffed with Mike for not saying he’d be late; Adam could have gone to the Gym. But all is forgiven when Adam reveals that he’s got a tenner on Mike for the Nettle-eating Contest.
• Hay-making does little to put a stop to Bert’s moans, though a pint from Eddie in the Bull helps.
• Brian’s increased workload, rounded off by sorting lambs for the abattoir, has exhausted him and made him even more sure that he’s just an amateur in comparison with Debbie. Adam, fresh from his cricketing triumphs, reminds him that he’ll soon have his spraying certificate, but Brian isn’t in any mood to listen. Apparently Sid isn’t minded to listen, either; he’s still carping about Alistair’s decisions on the cricket field.
• Phil puts a fiver on Mike for the nettle-eating. He recognises tough hands when he feels them. Old misery Bert is sure the whole thing is rigged.