Wed, Aug 3, 2005
Jean is suffering from stomach pains,which she puts down to food poisoning but she is actually pregnant. Wilf organizes a fund for the baby and falls foul of new vicar Snaith,who accuses him of stealing the church chalice. Phyllis finds herself at the centre of an unexpected love triangle when window cleaner Silas Craddock and Donald are prepared to fight for her. Nick leaves Ormston for Rattenbury but Deborah, now definitely in love with him, pursues him and they return to the hospital for a romantic dance together.
Wed, Jul 27, 2005
When the local home for disadvantaged people is forced to close Deborah welcomes one of the residents, Eileen Fisher, in her house but had not bargained for Eileen's admirer, Jimmy, following suit. Jean gets a surprise visit from a tax inspector whilst Donald is irate when he finds Nick practising emergency surgery and is only too glad when the young doctor announces that he is leaving Ormston.
Sun, May 26, 2002
Neville Manly, the shy new NHS inspector declares the cottage hospital the official annexe to Rattenbury General. To celebrate, Deborah revives the Flower of the Valley beauty contest, to be judged by Neville, who finds himself under siege from the competitive entrants. Arthur visits stroppy Sally Waddington, the local telephone operator,who has not set foot outdoors for ten months,since her mother was put in a home,suffering from dementia. She believes she too is going mad but she is agoraphobic.When Jean breaks her ankle Wilf rings for help but the ancient exchange, already faulty, blows up and Sally has to face her fears to fetch Arthur personally. In hospital next to Jean she tells Arthur, who is feeling side-lined, how much Tom appreciates him, as well as encouraging Jean to enter the beauty contest where the besotted Neville declares her the winner, restoring her self-confidence. When the celebrations end Arthur discovers that Tom and Deborah have moved him into their house.
Sun, May 18, 2003
Edie McClure's eldest daughter Joanne falls pregnant after a one night stand. She goes into premature labour at her father's iron works but Tom delivers the baby and keeps it alive in a fish tank with hot water bottles round it. To the Cosgroves it is harsh to see others bear children as Linda has a condition, caught from a G.I. in the war,rendering her virtually barren.When the village water supply gets cut off Deborah,researching local customs, sees the opportunity to help Linda by staging a fertility rite,which involves village women dancing naked. The water is restored,not due to any ceremony but to Michael,who has climbed into the well. In the absence of water the vicar and his chums have been drinking brandy after two crates,destined for the bishop,have erroneously been sent to him.
Sun, May 5, 2002
With no cash available to pay builders the villagers rally to get the cottage hospital up to scratch before an N.H.S. inspector arrives to approve it.Despite being told the post is cursed Deborah becomes chair of the newly revived parish council and, whilst the villagers stall the inspector,who has arrived early, she tries to get cash from bombastic mill-owner Horace Trubshaw. He agrees providing Tom will pick three workers for him to sack,which Tom refuses. However he is 'persuaded' to provide funds when his put-upon chief clerk Jack Stubbs exposes him for embezzlement. Jack's son,who has diphtheria, goes missing and the inspector - who has been generally humiliated by the plan to stall him - is so impressed by the community's response to locate the little boy that he approves the hospital. Eddie finds he has somehow asked Jean AND Helen to the pictures and is dumped by both of them.
Sun, Apr 20, 2003
Molly, a deaf six-year-old,is found on the hospital steps with a note asking that she be looked after. She is sullen and destructive but eventually Tom locates her single parent mother,who has given up in desperation, and reunites them with Molly's father,who was unaware she existed. Grumpy Alec Rossendale insists that his house is haunted and keeps pestering the vicar for exorcisms. Phyllis believes the ghost is that of his late wife, tormenting him for his adultery and rigs a fake exorcism, which achieves closure - thanks to a supernatural intervention. Helen is frustrated by Eddie's inexperience and also wants to quit secretarial college whilst Wilf and Jean find treasure - and mice - in a job lot of stuffed animals.
Sun, May 11, 2003
Eddie's uncle Fred, the drayman, has leukaemia and is anxious that Eddie, whose garage is beginning to thrive, should succeed him when he dies. When Rev. Brewer tells him to live his last few months to the full, Fred gets Arthur to help him fulfill his wish list of final acts including a race with Eddie to the top of steep Castle Hill, where he collapses. Eddie saves him with a blood transfusion but he dies next day. Arthur has persuaded him not to make Eddie leave the garage but Eddie is touched when Jean offers to take over driving the dray. Elsewhere a mysterious rash which has gripped the village is traced to Michael's love of itching powder and the vicar leads the revolt when Wilf discovers an ancient by-law allowing him to charge people to leave the station.
Sun, Jun 29, 2003
Eugenia decides to turn the hospital into a platform for Tory propaganda so Phyllis calls on Labour M.P. Reg Samuel to give her a run for her money. Wilf has taken to making pies since the baker has now retired and he gives Jean a batch to deliver to the hospital. In the confusion as the Labour group demonstrate against Eugenia the pies go flying and both M.P.s get hit with them ,being burnt by hot gravy. Eugenia initially wants Jean to be arrested but calms down as she and Reg bury their differences and are tended in the hospital. Helen plays Cupid for Jean and Eddie whilst the vicar tells Sam that he is duty bound to give Archie a lively send-off and not a quiet funeral. In the midst of all this Deborah collapses with an ectopic pregnancy.
Sun, May 12, 2002
Tom is perplexed by carpenter Bert Cartwright's hostility to doctors until he learns that Bert blames Arthur for the death of his little boy years earlier. When Annie, Bert's wife, falls ill, Bert resists her hospitalisation but, in her delirium, she mistakes Michael for her son who 'watches over her' and agrees to go, saving her life. Michael finds ancient coins in the woods but when the Reverend Brewer and station master Wilf start digging for treasure they unearth an unexploded bomb. Fortunately ex-munitions worker Phyllis knows how to defuse it - or thinks she does, but at least the remainder of the coins are unearthed.
Wed, Jun 29, 2005
Local festival Apple day arrives as does Len's tubby cousin Elton, to act as chef. However he has a medical condition and ends up in hospital. Phyllis and Donald start to get cosy as she asks him to be her escort for the day and Nancy loses no time in getting on the dance floor with Nick Logan.