Summary[]
PC Monks tells everyone that there's an unexploded WWII bomb in the Square. Lisa and Phil bicker about her carelessness in getting pregnant. Billy and Phil resume fighting and PC Monks handcuffs Phil. Lisa tells Pauline why Melanie left Ian. Pat helps Melanie behind the bar and finds Steve sitting in the dark.
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PC Monks tells Dot she's not allowed to smoke, since the bomb was discovered during gas main works. Those who are in the pub start to worry about their families at home and elsewhere, but are told to stay put because the police will spread the word. Peggy and Frank use the full pub to their advantage by announcing their plans to move to Portugal. Lisa claims getting pregnant as an "accident". Phil opines that it seems very convenient. Lisa goes to the ladies' and Jamie follows her! Barry and Natalie stage an unwanted revival of the nauseating theme. Dot recalls the Blitz. Steve becomes very nervous and has apparently developed a fear of confined spaces since his stint in prison. He gets a pill out in the gents, but drops it down the sink. He returns to the bar and orders more whisky instead. The policewoman is about to announce that the bomb has been made safe when there is a huge gas explosion. The electricity goes off. Beppe offers to help PC Monks but she is very cool towards him. She also discovers that a good friend of hers was seriously injured in the blast so becomes less effective in her job. Dot faints and Jim tries to give her a kiss. PC Monks handcuffs Phil after he fights with Billy again. She takes him outside and gives him a talking to then lets him go. Melanie kindly asks Steve if he's OK. He asks for a quiet place, and she suggests the storeroom, where he sits and starts on an entire bottle of whisky. Ian watches Melanie, jealously. Dan says that when Peggy leaves, everyone will boycott the pub, and Melanie puts her arm around him, and Pauline, who is with Ian, tells Melanie what she is and isn't allowed to do. Melanie says Pauline can believe what she wants and goes to the ladies', where Lisa is. Pauline follows Melanie and whinges about her "flaunting herself" and tells her she's a lying little slut and gives her a slap! Lisa is enraged, and follows Pauline into the crowded bar and tells her exactly why Melanie left Ian. Pauline asks Ian if it's true, and his silence proves it is. However, Ian counters that Melanie was sleeping with Steve and she admitted it on the wedding day, but he forgave her. Pat helps Melanie behind the bar and goes to fetch some mixers, and finds Steve sitting in the dark. Steve tells Pat that he can't bear being locked up anywhere, and asks her to leave. Pat shares her own feelings about prison and having killed someone. Peggy makes sandwiches. Mark helps. Peggy whinges that the new cook hasn't got any food in and blames Dan. Gianni confesses to Beppe that the reason Sandra stayed away and never contacted him was because he told her to, when he met her in passing soon after she left Beppe. Steve comes back from the store room, and Pauline tells the entire pub that Ian only lied because Melanie was having an affair with him. Steve says that they weren't and Pauline, instantly believes this version of the story and that Ian is lying again. Pat talks to Frank and knows that he doesn't really want to go to Portugal. Peggy appears and they change the subject hastily. Frank leaves and Pat asks Peggy if she's sure about moving to Portugal. Peggy says her family have gone and Pat says hers did and that made her even more keen to remain near friends. Later, Sonia has a go at Peggy about them giving in to Dan. Beppe chats to PC Monks and discovers the reason for the frosty reception - his sacking. He explains what he did and why - it wasn't for money but that he loved the woman who was killed. This makes PC Monks forgive him. Dot reminisces about the war and Reg Cox being an air raid warden. Dot and Jim do some war songs. Finally, they get the all clear and are let out. Dot suddenly realises that it's 15 years to the day Reg Cox was killed, and Pauline remarks that she's probably right, and it was her Arthur that found him. Peggy tells Mark he's reminded her where her home is, and now decides that she doesn't want to move to Portugal after all. They tell Dan, and Frank adds nastily that they'll get Dan out. Dan says no chance, and Frank replies, "Then it's war." |
Credits[]
Main cast[]
- Dan Sullivan - Craig Fairbrass
- Phil Mitchell - Steve McFadden
- Frank Butcher - Mike Reid
- Peggy Butcher - Barbara Windsor
- Lisa Shaw - Lucy Benjamin
- Jamie Mitchell - Jack Ryder
- Billy Mitchell - Perry Fenwick
- Pat Evans - Pam St. Clement
- Steve Owen - Martin Kemp
- Jackie Owen - Race Davies
- Gianni di Marco - Marc Bannerman
- Beppe di Marco - Michael Greco
- Melanie Beale - Tamzin Outhwaite
- Ian Beale - Adam Woodyatt
- Pauline Fowler - Wendy Richard
- Mark Fowler - Todd Carty
- Dot Cotton - June Brown
- Natalie Evans - Lucy Speed
- Barry Evans - Shaun Williamson
- Jim Branning - John Bardon
- Robbie Jackson - Dean Gaffney
- Sonia Jackson - Natalie Cassidy
Recurring cast[]
- Winston - Ulric Browne (uncredited)
- Maggs - Margaret Heald (uncredited)
Guest cast[]
- Debbie Monks - Fiona Bell (credited as "PC Monks")
- PC Walker - Paul Bridle
Notes[]
- This hour-long special episode was broadcast on a Sunday at 8.00pm, as an extra episode to coincide with the celebrations of the show's fifteenth anniversary.
- The end of this episode featured a piece from Julia's Theme rather than the regular drum beats.
- When this episode was repeated on the Drama channel in April 2022 it was split into two half-hour episodes. The first half ended with Ian looking guilty after Lisa reveals to everyone he lied about Lucy being ill.
- Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 12,900,000 viewers (8th place).