The Archers

Natasha throws a spanner in the works, and Eddie is left touched.

Lily cautiously approaches Fallon at the Cruck Barn and asks if she should avoid Lower Loxley. She doesn’t want to make things awkward for Fallon. Fallon doesn’t need her to, and Lily stresses that she wasn’t having an affair with Harrison, no matter what Kenton thinks. Fallon doesn’t think they were, and doesn’t want Lily and Harrison to hide away on her account. They agree that they needn’t avoid each other, they will be civilised but not over-friendly.
Anna and Usha are excitedly visiting The Laurels ahead of Carol’s proposed respite stay. Anna’s so impressed with Alan’s powers of persuasion and calls him a saint.
Alan visits Carol, who is visibly weakened. She sleepily reveals that the nurses couldn’t get her up today and have tried to contact Anna. Alarmed, Alan messages Usha. Carol is very quiet and happy for Alan to just sit with her. She says she’s not frightened now, and keeps drifting off. She agrees to him saying some prayers as her breathing slows.
Leaving The Laurels, Anna and Usha realise their silent phones have meant they’ve missed many calls and messages. Usha rushes Anna to the hospital where Alan is still saying prayers – he confirms that Carol has just slipped away. Anna can’t believe this when she seemed to be on the mend. She begs Alan to tell her how she died and he confirms it was peaceful, without apparent pain. Giving Anna some privacy, she holds Carol’s hand and, distraught, asks Carol why she couldn’t hang on for her to be with her at the end.

Tony and Leonard celebrate their latest repairs with muffins. When Leonard tentatively suggests that Joy and Mick deserve some too, Tony puts his cards on the table – he never wanted others involved. However, Tony is overcome when he receives a special delivery from Dom at the actual Repair Shop – it’s Tony’s late son John’s repaired tractor toy. Leonard gently suggests that this is the point of the repairs, to bring joy to others. Tony accepts that they could expand their little team. They can also manage expectations by limiting drop-offs to their new set sessions at the Tea Room.
George reminds Esme what a great worker his Grandpa is, and that Eddie’d be a better choice of worker at Meadow Farm than lazy Larry she’s hired. Angry Esme reminds him that she doesn’t work with liars, and that includes Eddie.
Lynda visits Esme and proposes a joint venture of a secure dog field on her unused land. Esme rejects this – she hasn’t the time to get involved and doesn’t think Lynda and Robert would be a good advert for such an enterprise.
When Amber calls George to say that her waters have broken on her due date, Lynda offers to drive them to the hospital, where Amber’s keen to film content. Later they call Lynda to say they’re on their way home – it turns out the baby had been pressing on Amber’s bladder and she’d wet herself – making her think the baby was coming – an easy mistake for a first-time mum!

Alan is delighted to see Carol much improved and sitting out of bed. He updates her on the lack of progress in fundraising for the church bell repair and she tells him she’s managed a few steps with the physio. Carol agrees that she was a little hard on Anna, so Alan suggests sending a bouquet of flowers, which he orders on his phone. Carol is pleased to get the chance to practice her online banking, and with Alan’s help initially, she manages a transfer to his account. Feeling more optimistic about a stay at The Laurels, Carol teases Alan for smirking at her change of heart.
Kenton surprises Lily who is relaxing in her car on a break at Grey Gables. He believes Harrison and she were having an affair which ended his marriage to Fallon, and that Lily will get hurt. Offended, Lily says he’s wrong. She questions what right Kenton has to interfere. Saying he didn’t mean to upset her, Kenton leaves.

Harrison calls in unannounced at Woodbine, to Fallon’s frustration. He’s surprised to find his belongings packed in the hallway, to which Fallon responds that he can put them in the car to take to the Stables to be with Lily. Harrison has no intention of moving in with Lily. He’s been staying, uncomfortably, on Chris’s airbed. He doesn’t want to stay with friends and can’t afford to rent on top of the Woodbine costs. He realises that the only option is to stay in the house he owns, and he’s moving back in – today.

Joy and Mick are enjoying doing some repairs in their ‘Repair Grotto’ garage with items Tony has reluctantly given them to work on. Mick thinks this attitude is because Tony wants all the limelight. Joy thinks it’s probably just worry about losing items if more people get involved. Lynda calls in and is delighted with Mick’s repair to her hairdryer. She reveals over tea that she and Robert have decided to close the B&B business due to their bad review being widely shared. They will downsize and find something else to do together. Mick suggests a dog field like his friend runs – an enclosed field for hire to dog owners for off-lead exercise. Lynda is intrigued.
At the hospital, Anna and Tony visit Carol, who is feeling worse. She’s tired and also sick of the other patients and changes on the ward. Patients are disruptive at night and she never gets enough rest. She feels hospital is the worst place to be ill. Carol doesn’t think she’ll walk again, although Tony reassures her that many people he’s known at The Laurels have recovered well from broken hips. She brings up the million-dollar question – what’s her next step? Carol wants to return to Glebe, where she could have a bed and equipment installed, and carers four times a day. Although Anna protests, Carol doesn’t think she’ll be offered rehab and wants to talk to the Discharge team about getting her back home. The sooner Carol’s out of here, the better.