Episode 4885 (7 July 2014)

It’s Linda’s birthday, and the Carters are organising a party at the Vic. Johnny gets a text from Gianluca; a boy he met at Pride who wants to see him again that night. Nancy suggests that Johnny invite him to the Vic for the party but Johnny is reluctant. Mick sets up a spa room in the living room and tells Nancy that he needs her to keep Linda upstairs and away from her birthday surprise. Nancy reluctantly agrees.

When Nancy stops Linda from heading downstairs to get more wine, Linda clocks that her family are hiding something. While they are decorating the Vic, Johnny tries to pluck up the courage to ask Mick about bringing Gianluca to the party but is interrupted by Nancy. Linda peers out of the window and sees that Lee is back; she knows exactly what her present is. Mick gets Lee into a cardboard box - he wants to wrap him up for Linda. Linda is desperate to go downstairs and see Lee but Nancy begs her not too. Instead, the girls wind up Mick – pretending Linda is ill when Mick comes in to tell her that her present is ready. Johnny sits with Lee who is still in a cardboard box. The boys have a heart to heart – Johnny fills Lee in on Gianluca and Lee suggests inviting him to the party but Johnny confesses that he doesn’t want to upset his mum. Lee assures him that inviting him is the best option and Johnny ends up agreeing.

Mick and Johnny clock on to the fact that Linda is faking being ill and decide to have some fun of their own. They suggest taking her temperature and Linda soon relents – she knows exactly what her surprise is! Lee comes in and Linda is over the moon to see him. Lee tells the family that he’s staying for a month and then is off to Chatham to do a plumbing course – Linda is delighted. Shirley arrives back, with George.

In the café, Tina slips a punter some weed. Carol tells Tina that she is willing to turn a blind eye – she understands; Tina’s doing it for her family. Stan and Cora pop to the café together with a hip flask, and proceed to get drunk. When Stan overhears Patrick showing Carol Anthony’s medical article, he asks to take a look, and seems mischievous. Carol notices how drunk Cora and Stan are getting and orders them to leave.

Denise is concerned when she discovers that Patrick has ordered ‘The Medical Journal’ in to the Minute Mart – is there something wrong? She is relieved when Patrick shows her that it’s because Anthony has written an article about his time in Cambodia. When Denise explains to Ian how worried she was about Patrick, he belittles her feelings and implies that her problems are non-existent. Denise finds Patrick in the café and apologises for not being around much recently for him. He assures her that he’s fine but is dubious about whether she is having problems with Ian. Patrick heads to the restaurant and tells Ian he wants a word. He empathises with Ian; he’s lost a child himself. However, he sternly reminds Ian not to take Denise for granted.

Back at his place, Patrick opens up his magazine to find that Stan has defaced the picture of Anthony. Patrick gets incredibly angry and storms over to the café to confront Stan and Cora. Denise feels for Patrick and, later, heads to go and see him but Ian stops her in her tracks, sits her down, and apologises to her for not paying her enough attention recently. Back in his house, as Patrick goes to grab a glass of rum, he loses control of his hand, knocks the glass off of the table and falls to the floor...

Lola and Billy are admiring William’s modelling pictures when the electricity cuts out. He assures Lola that he’ll sort it while she pops out. Lola returns to a concerned Billy – she clocks that there’s something he’s not telling her. Billy admits that he’s been running their electricity off of Aleks’ flat. Lola is pretty certain that the flat is empty and so Billy decides it will be okay to go over and take a look at the fuse board. He confesses to Lola that he has keys to the flat – it was one of Janine’s old properties and he kept hold of them. Billy heads into Aleks’ flat and startles Tina when she comes out of the bathroom...

Alfie sees Roxy and Aleks together and makes a snide comment – Roxy tells Aleks that he’s not worth it and defiantly, in Alfie’s ear shot, suggests they go clubbing together that night.