The saga of number 5 finally reached an end. After an evening of thrashing things out Don agreed to give Nicky £12,000 for the house, with the money going into a trust until he's 18. Don was miserable at throwing away his savings but then again when is he not miserable? It looked like Steve was going to be done for handling the stolen whisky so he persuaded Vicky they should nobble the witness. She handed over £3000, but he wanted another £3000 once he'd changed his story and the case was over. Vera and Jack were under stress running the Rovers, with the accounting being problematic and Raquel deciding to work only lunches. Liz went for the evening job and Vera said she'd think about it, deciding that it might be worth taking her on rather than some young thing who might inflame Jack's passion because he could "tell the difference between mutton and lamb". Tricia was avoiding some important looking letters and, short of cash, she flogged her telly to Roy. Jamie ended up going into his flat to watch it and Roy went off on one of his earliest Roy monologues about communication.
TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 15th and 17th January 1996
Thanks to the bribe, Malcolm Fox changed his witness statement, and the charges were dropped against Steve. The family celebrated but Vicky's Uncle Nick was fully aware that something dodgy had gone on and warned her that if it came out everything would be a lot worse. Tricia reached rock bottom. She tried to seduce Mike Baldwin in the hope he'd take sex instead of the rent; he turned her down, and warned her not to start turning tricks in his flat. Worse came when the police turned up and arrested her. The letters she'd been throwing away had been about a court date for non-payment of her TV licence and since she'd not appeared she had to go to prison. Jamie was put into care. Awful Brian went to number 1 and told Denise that he was leaving her sister. When Ken walked in on then, and tried to stop him from upsetting Denise, Awful Brian told him about their affair. Ken belted him then threw Denise out on the Street.
WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 19th and 22nd January 1996
Jamie turned up on Deirdre's doorstop having run away from the foster home. She took him in, against her better judgement, and agreed to look after him to stop him running away again. (As usual, Social Services were portrayed as absolute nightmares). Ken refused to take Denise back, calling her vile, and told Alison about her affair. With nowhere else to turn she ended up running off with Awful Brian though it seemed very much under sufferance. Fiona and Maxine were left speculating about what happened - and what would happen to their jobs - so Ken told them she'd run off. It did mean however he was literally left holding the baby. And so began Daniel's life of being royally ignored by both his uncaring parents. Audrey was giddy because Stephen, her long-lost Canadian son, was heading to Europe to try and sort out a new factory. Gail and Alf were less excited, with both of them anxious about this blast from Audrey's past.
THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 24th and 26th January 1996
Jim was confused to see that Sean had taken on a replacement for Liz at the bookmaker's, even though he'd said they were overstaffed. He believed she'd not been fired for the right reasons and Liz confessed about her attraction to Des. She said it had happened at a bad time in their marriage and that she'd not slept with him. Jim believed her but he wasn't happy, so he wasn't. Tricia got out of prison and cried on Deirdre's shoulder about her mess of a life. Curly and Raquel set up Andy and Anne Malone, but they didn't seem to get on. Finally they hit it off. There was also a weird plotline in which both Phyllis and Maud proposed marriage to Percy because their tea leaves told them to; how on earth does a dull old stick like Percy get two intelligent funny women like that fighting over him?
FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 29th and 31st January 1996
Stephen arrived from Canada and Audrey went to the airport to meet him, embarrassing him in front of his colleague. He went back to Grasmere Drive and met Gail for the first time; they were both nervous, but soon started to get on. Stephen went to the cafe and was very complimentary about it, but Alma got all flustered when she met him, because she fancied him something rotten. God knows why, he's a dull old stick. The corner shop was ransacked by burglars. Maureen was especially upset because the burglar alarm wasn't on, as Maud couldn't reach it; they rowed over the damage, just as a buyer came in to look at the shop, and he soon fled. Maureen decided not to tell Reg and to handle it all herself. And if you thought Derek's gnome was a stupid plotline, get ready for the Ghost of Ivy Tilsley. Vera went to Don's to arrange a Street outing and, while on the landing, she claimed she saw Ivy's spirit. She fled in fear (making the set wobble as she went) and told Jack what she saw. He was unsurprisingly unconvinced.
It would be just like Ivy Tilsley to refuse to leave this mortal plain and instead hang around being a nuisance. @merseytart almost feels sorry for Don. Almost.
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