Season 13

Beth is disappointed to discover from Sinbad that, while he was cleaning her windows, Keith got out of Margaret's bed.

Jacqui is shocked when Ron announces he is leaving, and reveals to DD that Josh could just as easily be Mike’s son. Mick and Carol embarrass Marianne by insisting on appealing to her boss for funding. With help from Katie and Caroline, Simon is determined to reach Terry.

Mo brings her sister Rosie to look at the houses for sale in Brookside Close - but Katie and Sinbad are both keen to point out their shortcomings. Beth’s bad mood improves after she goes to see Margaret, while Mike and Ron realise that DD is determined to find out which of them is Josh’s father.

After Simon spends a second night with Caroline, Katie decides to throw him out - but perhaps he can persuade her not to? Marianne is transferred to another office in Newport, so she will only be able to see Mick at weekends. Beth considers quitting university, but Margaret offers to help her by typing up her work on Patricia's laptop computer.

Beth and Margaret have a fun night out - but Margaret doesn’t want Beth to join her in bed afterwards. Simon is not impressed by Caroline’s failure to persuade Terry to move in with them. Tony’s doctor persuades Ron that there is no prospect of him ever regaining consciousness.

Simon introduces Terry to his friends and to non-alcoholic lager, giving him something to think about. Ron is lost for words after a celebrity demolishes Tony's pile of pennies, and feels that there is no hope for Tony. Beth and Margaret kiss.

Margaret and Beth edge ever closer, and make important announcements to each other - but Margaret is still worried. Terry is accused of having a television and a poisoned mind. Barry discovers that some money has gone missing from the till, and tells Jimmy to sack Mo.

Jimmy docks Mo’s wages, but Rosie makes him doubt he is acting legally. Carol starts to work at the pizza parlour, but then discovers that Garry has been arrested. Jacqui discovers that both Katie and Terry have been brainwashed by Simon and can’t think for themselves any more. Ron says goodbye to Tony, and resolves not to visit him again.

An unexpected arrival at the Farnhams' discovers Beth and Margaret frantically trying to put on each others' jeans. Mick takes Carol out to play on the swings in the park. Caroline's father wants to take her home, but Terry persuades him not to. Sinbad consider taking on the mortgage of number 10 so that Mandy and the girls can continue to live there.

Margaret is terrified that Beth will reveal their secret, as Beth prepares to consult a lesbian rights officer. The police arrive at the Rogers' house, but Katie reassures then that Caroline is not being held against her will. Jimmy discovers that the envelope from which he had stolen some money was his own pay packet.

Marianne believes that her bosses are trying to force her to resign. Sinbad refuses to accept that number ten is about to be sold, along with what is under the patio - but Eddie seems as keen as Rosie to buy it. Beth goes to a gay bar with Chris, her lecturer. An employee of Penny’s former company appeals to her for financial help.

Sinbad and Mandy go on a tour of local building societies, while Terry is drawn deeper into Simon's world. But is he willing to make the ultimate commitment? Margaret looks forward to an outing with Beth, but is shocked when she sees two men holding hands at the next table. Jimmy nearly steals from the pizza parlour, and David and Jean return home to find that Penny has sold some precious rings.

Terry begins a new life as he is baptised by Simon. Beth apologises for taking Margaret to a gay bar and telling Chris about her, and Mandy discovers that Rachel has been playing truant. Jimmy doesn’t realise that Jackie has asked Sinbad to keep a close watch on his activities - until Barry discovers Sinbad peeking up into the toilet cubicle he is using.

When he can’t be truthful with Barry, Terry starts to regret joining Simon’s group. When Jimmy doesn’t flush drugs down the toilet quickly enough, his head is going there instead. Garry and Leo spar in the pizza parlour, and one of them is injured. There is an unexpected caller at the Jordaches' - Roy, a former cell-mate of Trevor.

When Roy wants to see where Trevor is buried, Sinbad hopes Mandy won’t just give him a spade. Simon disposes of music tapes Katie had bought without realising they contained evil messages, and resists Lyn's attempts to evict him. Margaret feels out of place and mostly ignored at Chris’s party, and Rachel is horrified to discover who has got a job as a cleaner at her school.

Mandy and Sinbad brace themselves for the grisly task they have been dreading for so long - they must move Trevor's body! Unfortunately, there is a squatter next door. Margaret plans to go ten-pin-bowling with Beth - but Chris joins them. Ron makes some enquiries on Lyn's behalf, but then receives some devastating news from DD.

David helps Penny to write a fictional CV including something believable as a spare-time interest, but her interview doesn’t go well when she is questioned in a foreign language she claims to speak fluently. Mandy needs money to pay Roy off - but has none. Until Sinbad leaves the Tony fund with her for safe keeping.....

Katie offers sympathy to Katie following Tony’s death, but Simon sees this as a betrayal. When Roy returns and starts ransacking the house in search of more money, Mandy reaches for her kitchen knife again. Margaret feels ignorant and uneducated, and considers going to college. Ron has one last big favour to ask of Jimmy - he wants him to be a coffin-bearer at Tony's funeral.......

On Valentine's Day, Leo tries to make Mick and Carol believe that they have sent each other Valentine's cards. Margaret has planned a meal for two at the Farnhams', but Beth receives a better offer. Extreme coldness and a chocolate-stained coat make Penny realise that carrying out market research on the streets is not the job for her, and there is frantic packing at the Jordaches'.

Katie defies Simon by going to Tony’s funeral. Margaret is delighted to see Derek again, despite the tragic circumstances. At Tony’s burial, Jimmy breaks down and confesses that he was the driver responsible for the deaths of Tony and Frank.

Jimmy goes on the run, as Ron tries to find him. Simon puts Terry to the test by instructing him to sleep with Katie. Chris tells Beth her lover has left her. Margaret offers to accompany Penny on her ordeal of a return visit to the Jobcentre. But Max and Patricia return to the Close, bringing some good news.

When DD finds Jimmy at Tony’s graveside, she brings him home to live temporarily with her and a shocked Mike and Jacqui. Penny and Margaret both try to improve their chances of being allowed to continue to live at the Farnhams’. Terry wants to hand in his bible and leave, but Simon persuades him to reconsider.

As she prepares a dinner-party in the hope of reconciling Beth and Margaret, Patricia reveals to an surprised Max that their nanny and her next-door neighbour are lovers. Meanwhile, Simon makes another attempt to bring Terry and Katie together again, but he may be about to lose one of his disciples for good. When Jean sees Jackie going to visit DD, she tells Ron.....

DD and David try to convince Simon that he has no right to continue to occupy Katie’s house without her, but Simon sends Terry to convince Katie to come back. Sinbad urgently needs to get a loan so that he can replace the missing Tony fund money. Barry tells Jimmy he still has a job at the club - but Jimmy goes out to buy cocaine.......

DD is having doubts about her faith. Sinbad starts getting the cold shoulder and losing work, as Ron spreads the word about the missing money - and Jimmy threatens to join in if Sinbad reports back to Jackie that he has been shoplifting. After going to visit Chris at her flat, Beth ends up spending the night with her.

Terry agrees to buy the Rogers’ house so that it can be Simon’s official church. Margaret realises that Beth is lying about where she spent the night. After Jean, Patricia and the new home owners Eddie and Rosie Banks are persuaded not to let Sinbad clean their windows, he and Mandy take out a loan so that they can repay Ron, who is having tea with DD.

Tony’s life is celebrated at a memorial service, and Bev has a surprise for Ron. Marianne doubts the wisdom of going to work in London when Carol so obviously wants to steal Mick from her. Patricia encourages Margaret to confront Chris - but when she does, she is not prepared for what she finds out.

Marianne moves in with Mick, but doesn't exactly get a warm welcome from Leo and Gemma. Katie fears that she faces eternal damnation. Ron and Bev go for a night out at the "Legion", and stand-in compere encourages Ron not to return to his former role. Mandy catches Rachel smoking at school.

Terry brings Father Heaton into Simon’s church - but he isn’t allowed to stay for very long. Ron goes for an interview for his old role at the "Legion", accompanied by Josh and Bev. A stranger catches Margaret's eye, and may take her mind off the straying Beth - Carl, the son of Eddie and Rosie Banks.

Marianne, trying to win her way back into Mick's life, plans a surprise for Mick's birthday - but she is not the only one. Margaret, perhaps on the rebound from Beth, and anxious to prove her independence, seems to be falling for Carl. Ron tries to drum up support, but Ray's seems to be increasing. Mandy searches Rachel’s schoolbag, and Max considers an alternative career.

Margaret is the focus of Carl's attentions, although he is hiding something from her. Although the Rogers' house has been sold, Simon refuses to leave. DD goes to confession, and Bev needs a dress altering for her "talent night" appearance. Jimmy resorts to burgling to pay for his drugs habit, and finds himself hearing alarm bells and being pursued by mad dogs.

David is appalled to see barricades being erected at the Rogers'. The police visit the parade with news that Oscar’s home has been burgled, and they want to speak to Jimmy. Is there a connection? Penny receives a tempting offer from a tabloid, but Marianne refuses to go on a night out with Mick. Margaret sleeps with Carl, and Rachel won’t talk to Beth.

The Banks family move into the Close, and get a welcome they could never have expected, as their arrival coincides with a dawn raid by the police on the Rogers' house. Patricia has her first scan, David recaptures his youth, and Ron follows Jimmy, seeking his own justice - but not expecting to be given the power of life and death over him.....

Jimmy is taken to hospital, and his life hangs in the balance. Penny wants to accept the offer for a newspaper interview, but Patricia doesn’t think it’s good enough. Terry makes a firm commitment by moving in with Simon, hoping he has found himself a family. Barry wants advice from Max, and Carol plans to turn the Banks' house-warming into a lingerie party.

Katie tries to retrieve her clothes from her home, but finds that the locks have been changed. Jimmy is allowed back home - but Jackie has packed her suitcases. Max needs to persuade Patricia to take a major risk. Carol gets all the women together for a lingerie party, but gate-crashers arrive and catch Bev wearing only some of her underwear. Then there is a worse interruption - a brick through the window.......

Mick and Marianne seem to be discovering that they don’t have much in common. Max has flowers for Patricia, but perhaps they are a bribe to soften her up. Jimmy reluctantly attends the drugs clinic, only to be told that he should have an HIV test. Eddie and Rosie replace their broken window, and fear that their secret is out.

Max's future plans involve big risks, but is Patricia willing to share them? She takes a test, and receives worrying news. Jimmy can't bring himself to take an AIDS test. Marianne is about to go for a job interview, but Leo and Gemma have just filled up their water-pistols. Father Heaton makes another attempt to persuade DD to return to the church.

Margaret is smitten with Carl, but his past is about to catch up with him. A terrified Jimmy tries to forget his drug-taking and kick his habit. Patricia undergoes a further test, and aerobics turns out to be more difficult than some of the residents expect.

Margaret feels used, and is convinced that there is only one place for her - in Bosnia, with Derek. Patricia encourages her to telephone him. Carl tells his family that he wants nothing more to do with either his wife or the army. DD returns to the church, and acts as confessor for Jimmy. Leo and Gemma play April Fool jokes on Mick and Marianne.

Carl is taken away by the police again, but not before Margaret returns his trousers and works her way up a queue of people wanting to slap him. Bev rehearses a song, Jimmy cuts himself burgling, Barry suggests to Max that they cut Oscar out of the restaurant deal, and David disrupts Penny’s interview with a familiar journalist.

Eddie and Rosie bring their younger son Lee home from the secure unit in which he has been held for the past two years. Marianne hears that she has got a new job - and that Eddie works for the same company. Jackie insists that Jimmy has an AIDS test, and Margaret says her goodbyes to DD, Patricia and Beth as she leaves for a new life in Bosnia.

Ron tells Bev that the talent contest has been cancelled - but she knows different. Marianne leaves for London, but not before having a furious row with Mick, which ends with them becoming engaged. Max is having doubts about the new restaurant, Rosie makes an unexpected discovery, and Jimmy tries to be a decent husband again - or does he?

The florists' is broken into, and everyone thinks they know who the culprit is. Eddie reveals his claim to fame - he was once a winner on "Bullseye". But Rosie will only let him put his dartboard up in the garage. Patricia and Penny go to Westminster.

Bev wins the talent contest, but only with a little help from a friend. Carol thinks she is about to win the man of her dreams, but she’s going to be seriously disappointed. The Farnhams have an uninvited visitor, as Jimmy continues his criminal activities.

As further threats are made, the Banks family's big secret is revealed - Lee is a convicted car thief. Jimmy is confronted by a mob of some residents, and there are sure to be worrying times ahead for Patricia, as she is told something about the baby she is carrying.

The vendetta against the Banks family takes an unpleasant turn. Max and Patricia discuss their options. Sinbad's mother needs his help, and David plans a neighbourhood watch meeting.

Penny discovers that her late husband had a mistress for years, with whom he fathered a ten-year-old son. Marianne has some hard words with Carol, and Eddie boldly confronts the father of Lee's persecutors. Patricia insists that she doesn’t want to abort her unborn baby.

Sinbad discovers that his mother’s home is riddled with damp and is no place for her to recuperate - but Mandy offers to let her stay in the extension. Max is having second thoughts over whether Patricia should have an abortion. Bev has visions of being a pop star, but her first hit is Ray's face when he makes a pass at her. Jimmy’s next burglary doesn’t go as successfully as some of his others.

The residents all receive some revelations about Lee through their letterboxes. Penny is offered an opportunity to appear on breakfast television - which, just before being sacked as her PR adviser, Patricia suggests that she declines. Jimmy appears in court and is granted bail - but Jackie is not impressed to hear that there are five other offences to be taken into consideration.

Revelations, confrontations, unwanted visitors and some surprising decisions all play a part in David's residents meeting.

An unscheduled breakfast television appearance of David interrupting Penny's GMTV interview causes amusement in several households. Jackie has asked Jimmy to record it on video - but he needs to sell the video recorder to raise money to buy more drugs. Bev starts work as a cleaner at the nightclub, and someone else calling in also seems keen to employ her.

Clive’s alleged former lover arrives unexpectedly at the Crosbies’ - and, after being punched, provides conclusive evidence that he fathered her son. Bev realises she is not the only applicant for a cleaning job on the Close. Marianne is asked for a list of workers who are surplus to requirements. Rachel and Lee join Beth and Chris on an outing to New Brighton - and Rachel spots her sister and her lecturer snogging.

A probation officer visits Jimmy, and gives him some advice. After Barry uses a fifty-pound note to pay for his petrol, Simon decides that he is the devil, and must be fought and defeated. When Rosie is not successful in persuading her to allow Rachel to see Lee, Mandy is surprised that both of her daughters want to talk to her about lesbians.

The cult’s propaganda is being spread around the Close and the local school. Penny gets a job as a shop assistant, and celebrates by getting drunk in the club after Max’s leaving do. Rachel is making Beth’s life a misery, and Chris objects to being held to ransom. Carol comes to clean for the Farnhams, but leves the ironing for Patricia to do.

Mandy wonders if Beth could get a student loan to help withthe family’s cash-flow problems, but discovers that she already has one. Chris comes for tea, and is shown photographs from the family album. Ruth feels that she is becoming a burden. Jimmy is finding it hard to survive, and turns to Jackie for help.

Rosie goes to face Lee's persecutors, with dire consequences for everyone. Although Mick averts a nasty accident, he ends up needing an ambulance himself. Meanwhile, Barry gives Penny a lift to work and offers to find her somewhere to live. David tries to fight back against Simon.

Jimmy goes one step too far in his never-ending search for a fix, as both he and the television go missing when Mandy and Sinbad are invited to tea. Mick is hailed as a local hero by Carol, but Marianne is furious with him for nearly getting himself killed. Max accidentally employs Bev as a second cleaner, and the

Jackie is close to breaking point, but Barry agrees to provide a reference for Jimmy, and promises that there will still be a job at the club for him. Max plans to sack Carol - but, after hearing her sob story, he increases her pay instead. Then he discovers that Bev has a new best mate, Penny. Mandy is visited by representatives of the company that have taken over her loan.

Eddie and Rosie discover that Lee is having a tough time at school - but Mandy agrees to allow him to be friends with Rachel. As Jimmy's court appearance gets nearer, Jackie is worried but supportive. Sinbad discovers that Ruth hasn’t told him about her relatives in Australia, and Beth is meant to be babysitting at the Farnhams'. But David calls in unexpectedly, and discovers that is not all she is doing.

Jimmy is due in court for sentencing, and has to be persuaded to attend by Jackie and Sinbad. David is so determined to tell Patricia about Beth’s affair with Chris that Jean kicks him out. She does, however, throw a duvet after him. When Penny has nobody to celebrate her birthday with except Bev, she becomes seriously depressed.

Jimmy faces a bleak future as he begins his prison sentence, and resolves not to let Jackie visit him. When both cleaners arrive at the same time, David and Max just try to keep them apart - but Patricia is ready and willing to sack the one she doesn’t want. Barry finds a much greater challenge than installing a television when he is sent round to Penny's flat.

Penny makes Barry promise not to tell anyone about her suicide attempt - but, as he is in her bathroom and she is half-dressed when Max and David arrive early in the morning, they form a quite different conclusion about what has been going on. A suspected burglar turns out to be Carl - out of the army, separated from his wife, and eager for another conquest.....

Barry moves Penny out of her new flat and into his - but there are doubts that this is to have someone there while he is in Spain. Simon and Terry try to warn clubgoers about the dangers of drinking. Eddie faces a difficult choice at work - job cuts or pay cuts - and Ruth has a telephone call from her brother

Kenny Maguire calls at the Farnhams’, and Max is shocked to discover that he has to pay protection money or risk the future of his new restaurant. Patricia finally insists that David apologises to Jean so that she will let him back into the bungalow. Carl and Mike invite Beth and Chris to a barbecue, intending to c

Eddie and Rosie are determined to save Carl and Sarah's marriage - but Sarah plans to see a solicitor, and Carl is more keen to win a bet by helping a Mo to lose weight. Can either Mo becoming trapped on a window ledge wearing nothing except a bin bag, or the prospect of Rebecca never seeing her father again, bring about a reconciliation?

While he is out, DD and Ron watch some of his video diaries. Max confides in someone about his problem with Kenny, who increases Mandy’s repayments. She tries not to discourage Sinbad from going to Australia, even though she would prefer him to stay. David overacts to Beth babysitting Thomas again, and Jean shocks him by revealing why she finds his attitude so hurtful.

Mike is shocked to discover that Ron has confiscated one of his tapes. Eddie’s mate Joey is annoyed to find that he is one of the employees recommended for redundancy. David is appalled by the story Jean tells him, and wants to cancel their anniversary party. Penny is taken aback when Barry brings another woman to his birthday barbecue, and Max is horrified to meet the restaurant’s “head of security”.

Eddie threatens an all-out strike unless Marianne can offer a suitable compromise. David tries to come to terms with Jean's past, by getting drunk and trying to burn letters Jean received from her female lover. Mandy must decide whether to declare her love for Sinbad, or lose him forever. Barry takes Max to buy a new suit, and prepares to begin his own eviction process at the Rogers' house.

Just as Sinbad is about to go to Australia, Mandy finally asks him to stay. Patricia is not impressed by Max's new look, but he is more concerned with the problem of Kenny Maguire, who reappears and offers to "insure" the restaurant for £2,000. Eddie holds a meeting to vote on whether the offer should be accepted, and Joey is furious about the result. David wants to cancel his anniversary party.

Things go from bad to worse for Eddie when he finds out what Carl’s job is. Penny visits and threatens an old friend to help Barry. Max manages to raise £2,000 for Kenny, and believes his troubles are over. But Kenny then suggests a further payment, and moves on to put the squeeze on Mandy and Sinbad. When Patricia discovers that her new wallpaper is not as unique as she thought, it’s coming right off.

Ron and Mike agree to have tests to decide who is the father of Josh. Max needs to persuade David to go to the his anniversary party, but it’s not going to end well. Barry makes Penny an offer. Sinbad and Mandy see Ruth off at the airport as she leaves, then see something that shocks Mandy on CCTV cameras outside the club.

Jackie suggests that Bev misleads Ron and Mike so that she is the only one to find out the identity of Josh's father. Barry decides to have a few strong words with Max. After getting near to a first kiss, Sinbad tries again, but Mandy is furious when he confesses that he already knew Beth was seeing other women. Jean is disappointed when David announces that they will be living separate lives from now on.

Mandy tells Beth she knows she is having a relationship with Chris. After Eddie refuses to give him a lift, Carl goes with Sarah to check out their chances of getting a council house. Barry is unsuccessful in his efforts to dislodge the cult, sustaining injuries while trying to tear down the boards from his windows. But he finds a way of leaving Kenny Maguire in no doubt that he and Max are not going to pay him protection money.

Kenny repays £2,000 to Barry, and is charged a further £100 for the concrete poured into his car - but then goes round to convince Mandy to combine all her other debts into a regular single payment to him. When David refuses to eat the meal Jean has made for him, she throws it into his lap. Beth tries to explain to her mother that she likes women, and it is not just a phase that she is going through. Sinbad visits Jimmy in prison, and encourages him to send Jackie a visiting order.

Although Mo warns Carl that she will break his legs if he breaks Sarah's heart, he arranges a date with one of his neighbours. Max tries to persuade Barry to re-think his planned methods for regaining access to his house. Simon has an invitation for Katie, giving her the opportunity to do something with her knee that she has wanted to do for a while. Mandy chooses an unfortunate time to confront Chris about Beth - during an examination one is invigilating and the other is sitting.

Bev is desperate to intercept the mail before Ron sees the letter revealing the test results, and accidentally discovers a dark secret that Ron would rather remained covered up. Rosie tries to persuade Carl that his marriage is worth saving - but he believes Sarah would be able to find a much better husband. Beth comes home, but won’t unpack until she can be sure she wants to stay.

Jacqui is on the warpath, but then turns down Carl’s offer to stay out of her life, forgives him and indicates that a knock on her door would not be unwelcome. Beth is disappointed that Chris is not as keen for her to move in as she hoped. Sarah is impressed by a council flat that has become available, but Rosie has seen better kennels. Bev opens the envelope which will reveal the identity of Josh's father.

Max is confident of evicting Simon and his cult from the Close, but Barry has some alternative plans in reserve in case he fails. Sinbad is confident that Beth will come back home in a few weeks, and wonders if Mandy would like to go on a short holiday with him. Sarah agrees to turn down the council flat on offer, but Carl doesn’t want to live anywhere with her any more. After discovering who Josh's real father is, Bev asks Jackie for advice, then rushes off to slip into something tempting.

Bev plans some serious seduction, attempting to sleep with Ron at every opportunity so that she can have his baby. Sarah is not convinced as Eddie that she and Carl can get back together. Barry takes the law into his own hands, but his attempt to dislodge the cult with the help of his gun goes disastrously wrong as he is disarmed, tied up and held prisoner behind the barricades.

Mandy visits Chris and tells her that she will report her to her bosses if she doesn't break up with Beth. Carl tries to break up with Sarah, but she insists that they keep trying, or he won't see Rebecca. Ron is finding it difficult to cope with Bev's demands in the bedroom, and dozes off at the "Trading Post" counter. Barry is suspected of having gone broke and done a runner - but he is a prisoner of Simon's cult.

Bev wants some advice about aphrodisiacs from Jackie. Chris tells Beth their relationship is over. As rumours spread that he has gone to Spain, Barry's ordeal continues, he is getting nowhere by appealing for sympathy from his old friend Terry, and there seems to be no escape for him as Simon intends to relax and take his time over his "conversion".

A tired Ron is still attempting to evade an amorous Bev, who reveals that she has stopped taking the Pill and may be pregnant already. Barry attempts to escape by tricking Caroline into untying him, but he stumbles on the stairs and falls. A desperate Max agrees to Penny forging Barry's signature on a cheque, and Beth comes back home, but Sinbad advises Mandy not to reveal her role in Chris’s decision.

Barry is conscious again, and suffering from a sore head. Simon banishes Caroline to her room to pray, and prepares to exorcise Barry's soul. Beth skips the Banks' party to go and find out why Chris ended their relationship. When she returns, she tells Mandy that she is leaving home for good. Rachel also takes time out from the party, and sneaks Lee and a bottle of cider into the garden. Sarah warns Jacqui to keep away from her husband, and David's plans for a quiet evening go up in flames.

Simon is determined to break Barry's will and force him to sign over ownership of the house. Penny and Max continue to search for clues, but can’t understand why nothing is missing except Barry and his gun. However, Sinbad has a helpful suggestion to make. Ron attends a family celebration. After spending the night with Carl, Sarah learns some home truths and decides that he is no longer to be part of her and Rebecca‘s lives.

There is still no sign or word from Beth, and Mandy, fearing the worst, starts to ring the local hospitals. Max and David, two worried men, try to get their houses in order with Bev's help before their wives return. DD agrees that Bev can attend Mike's graduation, and Simon decides that the rest of the cult must move on, leaving him to deal with Barry alone.......

David is pleased to see the cult members leaving, but then finds out that Simon and Terry are staying. Max visits Jimmy in prison to try to find out where Barry might be, but Bev reveals to Patricia that he has disappeared. Carl is surprised to discover Sarah working at the pizza parlour, and that she doesn't want him in her life any more. Jean does her best to spoil David's card school.

Terry shaves off his beard and prepares to start a new life. Patricia wants Max to go to the police, but he is concerned that they will find out about Penny's forgery. It is Mike's graduation day, and both Bev and DD have chosen the same hat. Rachel is interrupted while entertaining Lee in her bedroom, and Barry discovers that Simon plans to make a powerful political statement by blowing the house up.

Bev wants to talk to Ron about marriage, but he is not committing himself. The residents of the Close are cordoned off as the emergency services move in and remove three unconscious bodies from the bombed house.

Carl receives a letter from Sarah's solicitor, but Eddie isn't convinced that they should divorce. Max tells Barry he wants out of their deal, but Barry promises to keep him away from the more unsavoury aspects. Jimmy meets a new cell-mate, and Sinbad goes up to replace Mandy's bedroom window, but getting down is much more of a problem.

Barry visits Terry in hospital after his condition improves. Mandy calls a doctor to look at Sinbad's back. Mick won't let Rachel try out for the soccer team. Eddie invites Carl and Sarah to join him and Rosie for dinner.

Marianne is irritated that Garry is staying at Mick's. Penny wonders where she and Barry are heading, Katie is invited on holiday, Jacqui is invited on another date by Carl, and Sinbad visits Jimmy in jail.

DD believes that Ron and Bev are being hypocritical in having Josh christened. Rosie invites Jackie and Bev for drinks, darts and aerobics. Carl borrows Eddie's car to drive Jacqui to Formby. Barry wants to go on holiday with Penny, but she has to get Max and Patricia's permission.

When Jacqui returns, DD understands what she has done, but is concerned that Carl will treat her the same way as Sarah. Eddie is more concerned about the sand in his car. Lee's trickery forces Mick to give Rachel a trial. Barry assures Max that he is serious about making the restaurant business work.

Rosie asks Mandy if she can repair Carl's trousers. Carl offers to fill in for Sinbad on his window round. Bev disagrees with Ron's choice of godparents for Josh. Patricia is on edge, Jimmy is tempted by Don, and Mick goes with Sinbad to bring Terry home from hospital - but he wants to stay with Simon.

Terry agrees to move into Barry's, Carl thinks Jacqui is moving too fast, and, after seeing Lee's trainers, Leo wants some new ones. Rosie needs to find a replacement darts player, Sinbad trains Carl to clean windows, someone dies during the night, and Bev has to console Jean.

Mandy thinks Beth is working too hard. Jackie receives a visiting order from Jimmy, and wonders what he's after. Sinbad finds Terry reading the Bible to Simon at the hospital. Rachel wants some new clothes. It's Mick's team's first match of the season. Carl finds that there are fringe benefits on the window round, although Mike isn't impressed.

Ron asks Mike to be Josh's godfather. Carl gets a shock when he returns to "collect". Mick and Lee negotiate a settlement for Rachel. Jimmy recovers Don's stash of drugs. Leo splits his new trainers, and Marianne arranges for replacements, to Mick's annoyance.

Mick takes back the expensive trainers and wants to ground Leo for a week, but Marianne disagrees. Rachel plays for the soccer team, and is the only goal-scorer. Patricia has to be rushed to hospital, but no-one is around except Bev, who hasn't passed her driving test....... Ron and Mandy try a spot of match-making at Beth's 19th birthday party. Jacqui overhears something she shouldn't, and Carl has a bucket of water thrown over him.

Jimmy starts dealing in drugs at the prison. Sinbad discovers that Carl is setting up in competition for the window round. Marianne feels that, however she treats Leo and Gemma, she can't please Mick. Bev is concerned that Jacqui will tell Ron or DD what she has overheard, and Patricia gives birth to a baby girl, Alice.

Sinbad discovers Carl cleaning the windows on the Close, even Mandy's. The paediatrician confirms that the Farnhams' new baby daughter has Down's Syndrome, and Patricia has doubts about whether she can cope. New grandparents David and Jean try to put their past differences behind them, and Ron, who also has to learn to be a grandparent, dumps Bev.

Max plans to decorate the house before Patricia comes home, but David insists on doing it for him. Sinbad gets up at six o'clock to make an early start on the windows, but ends up getting arrested. Ron tells Jackie he plans to sleep in the storeroom above the Trading Post.

David and Jean want to make up, but David has a small problem. Patricia is disappointed that Max still hasn't visited her again at the hospital. Sinbad tries to sabotage Carl's window-cleaning efforts, and is arrested again. Jackie invites Ron to stay in her spare room.

When Sinbad calls on Jackie for his window money, he discovers that Ron is staying there. Then Bev turns up as well....... Carl is undercutting Sinbad's prices, so David and Max put them both to the test. Jean makes a few surprising discoveries at the social club, and the Farnhams bring baby Alice home.

Jimmy tells Sinbad he is getting an early release, but that he wants to surprise Jackie....... Max and David take Alice out for a walk. Rosie encourages Jean to shake up the over-55's club, and lends her a dartboard. Carl's ladder is removed from under him while he is cleaning an upstairs window, but Sinbad denies responsibility.

When Sarah returns from her night out, Carl tells her he is not giving her any more money, but she threatens to deny him access to Rebecca. Jean tries to reassure David about his problem. Audrey is not impressed by Eddie and Rosie's talk about "Bullseye", Bev decides to go to Greece for a fortnight, and Max can't bring himself to change Alice's nappy.

Max is still avoiding being near Alice, to Patricia's annoyance. Jean is determined to liven up the over-55's club, with bingo. Carl's ladders are stolen. Eddie practises his motorcycle obstacle riding. Jimmy arrives at Jackie's with flowers, but he's not the only one.......

Jean competes with Audrey's slide show by performing aerobic exercises. Carl begins to feel that he is fighting a losing battle. Ron thinks he can move back into Bev's flat, but finds that she has changed the locks. Marianne takes Mick to view a house, and they decide to make on offer on it.

The Banks family visit the Hogfest in Southport, leaving Sarah without a babysitter and Mick furious when she brings Rebecca into the pizza parlour again. Barry and Penny return from Florida, and David sees them kissing.

Jean enlists Penny's help to find a new venue for the over-55's club. Mike has a job interview at the BBC, but hasn't enough experience. Eddie tries to help Sarah get her job back, but Mick refuses. Barry gives Jimmy another chance, and sends Max home to Patricia.

Max and Barry are faced with a surprise applicant for the post of maitre d'. Rosie takes Sarah and Rebecca to New Brighton for the day. Eddie faces rivalry from Joey at Litrotech, and Jean's new over-55's club is a success, although Audrey plans to revive hers too.

David and Audrey do their dance demonstration, but they have a very limited audience. Max can't bring himself to hold Alice. Marianne and Mick find another house they like. Barry receives an enquiry about the salon from a local "businessman", Eddie loses the ballot, and Sarah tells Carl that his interfering mother has made her decide to go home to Reading.

Barry plans to solve the problem of nosey neighbours by inviting them to a housewarming. Garry's father is released from jail, but Mick is worried about whether Carol will he happy about her son going home with him.

When Mick goes to invite Garry to Leo's birthday party, he finds a card school in progress and clashes with Greg. Joey seeks Eddie's help, but Rosie won't allow him to give it. David and Barry are not impressed to learn that the Son of God is staying in the flat with Terry.

Ray brings Emma to apologise to Barry, but Penny insists that he pays her. Simon is released on bail. Greg is annoyed to find that Garry spent another night at Mick's, and wants to continue to stay there. Audrey gives David some tense moments on Jean's outing to Blackpool. Ron moves back into DD's bed.

Barry consults his new PR woman, Patricia, about Penny - and Penny consults Max. When Jacqui returns and finds that Ron has moved back in with DD, she decides to move out. Terry is concerned when Simon leaves the flat to do something alone.......

When Mandy can't pay her loan instalment, Kenny agrees to a postponement in exchange for a favour, and Patricia is amazed when Penny agrees to go out with him. Jacqui and Katie go to inspect "studio flats" which look more like crummy bedsits.

Thomas breaks Patricia's fax machine, she tells him off, and he runs away - but Jimmy, out selling drugs, finds him. Leo discovers where Simon is living, and is sent on a secret mission. Mick asks Mike to look after the pizza parlour while he is on his honeymoon. Jacqui moves into her new bedsit.

Jimmy boasts about his good deed, and claims expenses from Patricia. Penny agrees to stay with Barry, and Ron agrees to stay with DD. But Bev is back from her holiday.......

Barry and Penny baby-sit for Max and Patricia. Mick sees Leo take a can of drink, and follows him into the woods. Beth returns to college, Sinbad is given some gardening work, and Bev reacts angrily when she finds out that Ron has returned to DD and now wants his clothes back.......

Marianne is offered a job in Glasgow, but intends to turn it down without telling Mick. Patricia leaves Alice with Bev while she sees an agent, and Barry and Penny go to look at cars. When Mick leaves for his "honeymoon", Greg moves into his flat. Simon tells Terry he has seen the light, and Jimmy has shrubs to plant for Barry.

Ron wants Mike to keep quiet about what he has discovered, but he tells Beth, who thinks he needs more proof. Simon's attempts to "spread the word" are not appreciated. Mandy finds that Kenny hasn't been paying off her debts. DD has an idea which Ron has doubts about. When Greg holds a party, Garry telephones the police, but who will be arrested?

Max and Patricia wait for news of Alice, and Max is surprised to find that Patricia is still keeping in touch with her PR work. Mike misses a job interview by being in police custody. Simon is trying the patience of Barry and others on the parade. Greg makes Jimmy a tempting offer, and the Dixons try to keep up with Barry's bay trees.

Although Jimmy is initially sceptical about Greg's criminal intentions, he becomes convinced that he is serious. The residents meet to discuss how to get rid of Simon - but they can't agree, and some of them act alone. Garry, Rachel and Lee go shoplifting.

Kenny makes Barry a proposition involving pirate videos. Simon desperately tries to work out why God allowed him to be viciously beaten up. Bev tells Barry and the Farnhams that she wants to leave to go to London. Jimmy has concerns about his health, but Barry has the answer.

Carl looks for a job with Barry and Max, but is taken on by Kenny instead, It is the renewal day for Ron and DD's wedding vows, but not everyone can stay until the end.......

Barry is annoyed when Penny offers Emma a job. Rachel gets Lee to back up her lies. Alice's christening doesn't go entirely without hitches. Simon decides that he and Terry should save the world by taking their own lives.

Marianne is called back to work due to the strike, and has to help out in the canteen, to Joey's amusement. However, his theft of the storeroom keys doesn't cause the problems he hoped. Max tries to make Patricia rest after her collapse, but she escapes with Alice.

Carl finds another job, and Eddie likes it even less than the previous one. Patricia insists on joining Barry, Max and Penny at their meeting, feeling that they are spoiling her campaign - and Barry sacks her. Beth confronts Kenny about the loan repayments, but to no avail. Terry isn't convinced that committing suicide to become a martyr is a good idea.

Joey drafts in flying pickets to prevent the "scab" labour arriving, but the police turn up too, and Eddie wonders who tipped management off. Ron makes another attempt to retrieve his clothes. Patricia is determined to continue working. Simon and Terry decide to make a final statement, which involves stealing Barry's car.

When she is asked to transcribe tapped telephone conversations between Eddie and Joey, Marianne considers resigning. Then Carl manages to take a photocopy of her work....... Penny is surprised by Barry's concern for Terry, while David wants to protest against the introduction of wheelie bins.

Beth encourages Mandy to request receipts and further information from Kenny, and she ends up having to pay him more. When Carl reveals to Eddie that the union's phone calls have been tapped, they discuss with Joey what action to take - in the garden, just in case. Patricia loses a potential client after taking Alice with her to the interview.

Beth tracks Kenny down at the local betting shop, and accuses him of ripping Mandy off. Terry discovers that Simon has died, and turns up at the opening of Barry's new restaurant to accuse him of murder. Greg decides on his robbery plan, and Eddie and Joey's counter-plotting causes Marianne to lose her job.

Mick overhears Marianne enquiring about the Glasgow job again, while Greg gains more information about Litrotech when she collects her belongings. David starts to wage war on wheelie bins, but agrees to help the deranged Terry. Mandy tries to stand up to Kenny and gives him a meal, but he has another idea about how she might clear her debt.......

The Banks family wake up to find someone in their kitchen. Marianne and Mick invite Sinbad to be their best man, but Marianne has another offer to consider. So does Mandy, as Kenny tries to obtain repayment in kind - but Sinbad offers her money to help her pay back her loan.

David refuses to use the wheelie bins, so the binmen refuse to remove his rubbish. Terry discovers how to get to the front of a hospital queue. Greg is nervous as he prepares for the wages snatch. Marianne wonders whether she and Mick should postpone their wedding. Eddie and Joey confront Foy and gain a victory.

Mandy can't understand why she is finding money she didn't know she had. Beth and Emma object to the new waitress uniforms Barry has chosen. Police investigations begin into the armed robbery, and Mick realises that he may be a suspect, as Garry switches the snatched money with cash from the pizza parlour till.

DD tells Ron that she is not willing to divorce him. Penny is not surprised to hear that Beth and Emma's new uniforms are in the wash. Barry tries to get Terry to do ordinary everyday things. Mick and Marianne are arrested at their wedding.

Emma and Beth set up a picket line, and Mo refuses to cross it. Mandy goes out with Kenny. Mick has to go on an identity parade, and when the cleaner picks him out, he is charged with robbery.

Eddie and Rosie get Lee a mountain bike for Christmas. Mick wants to stay at the parade until things are resolved, and the wedding is also put on hold. Penny becomes more irritated by Terry's behaviour, especially when he gets into bed with her, and Barry's attention to him - so she gives Barry an ultimatum. Josh says his first word - which he could only have heard from Ron.

David repairs Max's window, but Penny is unmoved as her deadline approaches. Terry rides away on Lee's Christmas mountain bike, and is reported to the police. Sinbad receives news that he is &pound

David believes he has won his wheelie bin battle when his rubbish is collected, but it is Jimmy who, on Barry's instructions, has disposed of it. Sinbad plans to surprise Mandy by buying her house for Christmas. Mick asks Jimmy for tips on surviving prison life. The bailiffs arrive at the Jordaches and repossess Mandy's sewing machine, just as Max needs repairs done to his Santa costume.

Mick invites Greg to run the pizza parlour while he is on "holiday", but Greg is planning to disappear. Barry takes Terry to Simon's funeral, where they meet his father - and on the way home, Terry ends up in police custody after attempting to walk across a busy motorway. Mandy agrees to sleep with Kenny.

David finds out that Terry has been admitted to a mental hospital, but Barry plans to get him out. Jacqui and Katie return to DD's after their flat is robbed. Kenny arrives at Mandy's, but she is not keen to go through with his plan.

Barry plans to get Terry out of the country. Mandy invents a tale to explain why Kenny has been paid off, then finds that it's not over yet. Jean makes a "living will", while David holds auditions for the pantomime, and must decide who to cast as the ugly sisters.......

Patricia wants Max to exert his authority over the business while Barry is away.......so he delegates the decisions to Penny. David talks Katie into taking on the role of choreographer of "Bing Crosbie's Christmas Cracker", while Audrey is only too willing to come over and look at his script. Meanwhile, Mandy's television is repossessed.

The Farnhams find gifts on their doorstep, while Jean finds Audrey on hers. Kenny arrives at Mandy's with a new television. Marianne wants to take the Glasgow job, but Mick doesn't want her to take the kids with her. David takes Audrey up on her offer, and Mike and Beth also share a bed.

Mick pleads not guilty, and Marianne gives him his engagement ring back. Then Leo, Lee, Rachel and Garry are arrested for shoplifting. David tries to distance himself from Audrey, but she threatens to tell Jean what they have been doing. Max and Penny wonder if Sam would buy Barry out.

Sinbad overhears David and Audrey discussing their "affair". The parents of the shoplifters are disgusted with their offspring, particularly Greg, who can't believe Garry was so stupid that he got caught. Bev practises her songs, and almost gets a few notes right.

Leo and Garry go to be cautioned at the police station, but Rachel and Lee run away to London. Greg also plans to disappear rather than confess what he has done to Mick. Carl, Mike and Beth hold a party at Jacqui and Katie's. Sinbad plans to gift-wrap number 10, but gets a terrible shock.

David feigns illness to avoid seeing Audrey at the pantomime rehearsal, but the players arrive at the bungalow, and he is drafted in to play the dame. Sam agrees to buy into the partnership with Max. Greg promises not to let Garry down again. Rachel books a room at a guest house, and sneaks Lee in.

Beth invites Mike to a ball, but Carl isn't convinced that he stands a chance with her. Rachel splits from Lee, but may he heading into even more trouble. Penny gets Jimmy to decorate the house, and Marianne leaves for Glasgow.

Lee arrives home, delivered the last few yards of the way by Jimmy, but Mandy is distraught to learn that Rachel is still in London. Anxious to avoid Audrey, David goes down with Sinbad to search. Ron is offered a role in the pantomime.

Sam gives Penny an extravagant Christmas present, and when she hears that Barry isn't returning until after Christmas, she agrees to spend it with Sam. Rachel realises what she is getting into, and leaves Nick. Max asks Jimmy to run the club until Barry returns, and Penny asks him to look after the house and use the food she's bought.......

Cornered by Audrey during the final preparations for the pantomime, David activates the fire extinguisher, drenching Ron and wrecking the electrical systems. Max is nervous to hear from Penny that Sam has gone to proposition Barry regarding the buy-out.......but who does Sam find managing the club? Mandy tells Beth the truth about Kenny and Sinbad.

Mandy tries to find out whether Rachel slept with Lee. Sinbad attempts to pay off Kenny, but just gets roughed up. Jimmy overcomes Max's reluctance to allow him and Jackie to have a meal at his restaurant. Julia tries to teach Mike and Beth to dance.

David adds up the pantomime takings, but Audrey reveals that they are almost entirely cancelled out by the costs of repairs to the church hall. Mandy tries to repay Kenny with Sinbad's money, but he says it will cost her another &pound