The Archers

Tony’s been dropped from the cricket team and feels an injustice has been done. He blames ageism. Pat’s sympathetic but points out Freddie’s probably just trying to put the best team together. Tony implies he’s the better player of the two of them and asks Tom for his opinion – but Tom’s not getting involved. Later the boot’s on the other foot when Pat gets the call. Raging that she’s been dropped too, she admonishes amused Tony for gloating.

Neil approaches Alan about the ring of bells for the sewage leak protest, and to his surprise Alan is enthusiastic. He thinks they should aim for a marathon ring of ten hours. It will call people to arms and encourage questions in people’s minds about climate change. Before Neil knows it they’re delivering flyers. Alan’s secured the support of most of the PCC in advance of their meeting tomorrow. Not yet official then, cautions Neil. Akram joins them and Neil explains they’re less anti-Borsetshire Water and more hoping to open a dialogue. Akram helps with the leaflet delivery; he’s right behind them on this.

Freddie thinks paying Rex will split the cricket team. Lily assures him they won’t know, but Freddie still thinks it’s against the spirit of the game. He asks her if she’s run the plan past Lynda, and Lily says she intends to. Later Freddie’s dismayed to hear that Vince has approved the payment, and more so that he wants not one but two players to be paid. Lily assures Freddie that this makes it a policy rather than favouritism, but Freddie’s still worried. Two members being paid doubles the chances of the news getting out. Lily sweeps on, announcing she’s found a new team member. She’s played for Felpersham uni and she’s brilliant. Freddie points out that for every new member, someone else will have to be dropped. Lily agrees this will be a difficult conversation, but a team has to evolve. The difficult conversation falls to Freddie himself, and he makes a call.

Clarrie and Emma visit George and find to their surprise that he’s very worried about Eddie. George believes they’re keeping information from him about an illness. He’s had a letter from Keira and Poppy, suggesting he speaks to the family to find out more details. With Emma and Clarrie nonplussed, George realises he’s been duped by his sisters. Clarrie thinks it’s sweet that they’ve concocted this plan to get George to see her and Emma, but George thinks they shouldn’t have used his grandpa this way. However he does admit it was kind of a Grundy thing to do. Emma’s really happy to see George smile. He admits he misses them all. Emma suggests tentatively that they might visit again, and George agrees.

Lily has some proposals for Kirsty to begin forging a relationship between Grey Gables and Rewilding Ambridge. They’d start by including the rewilding in their tour offer to guests. But Kirsty’s only half listening, preoccupied with the lack of progress on her Beechwood house sale. Lily reckons she’s being too patient with Tom and Natasha – she should give them a cut-off time. Changing the subject, Lily wonders whether Kirsty might consider being on the cricket team. She can play a bit and has the right positive attitude. Kirsty’s unsure. Lily seeks Rex’s opinion, but he announces he probably can’t play this season himself. He’s busy with the taxi at weekends and needs the money. Lily offers to consider paying him to play. Rex is uncertain about this private agreement, but Lily insists she’ll talk to Vince as their sponsor.

Helen gives Susan and Clarrie the difficult news that, with the dairy struggling, one of them will have to go. She offers the option of voluntary redundancy. The two women have a heart-to-heart, speaking fondly of their thirty years together at the dairy and all they like about it. Susan thinks she might hang up her hat. Clarrie suspects Susan’s saying this for her sake; she thanks her but couldn’t bear it on her conscience if this is the case. When pressed Susan admits she wants to stay on. It will be in Helen’s hands to decide. Helen announces she’ll hold interviews. She’ll do her best to make it a straightforward process, but it won’t be easy.

Lynda and Freddie watch their newly promoted cricket team at nets, wondering how they’ll fare in the higher division. Freddie reckons enjoyment is the key to success, whereas Lynda maintains that setting high standards is key. She can see dead wood that needs clearing out, via a razor sharp selection policy. Anyone who doesn’t make the grade will have to be told. Later Lynda laments Freddie’s lack of discipline during practice, and declares his proposed list of top eleven players ridiculous. Lily assures her he’s joking – there are no women on the list for a start. But Lynda feels this is no arena for larking around. Freddie’s answer is they can look for another captain. Lily doesn’t think it’s a bad idea for her to be involved, and they settle on a role for her as director of cricket, in charge of selection.

Emma tells Susan that she’s had a letter from George wanting her to visit him again. Susan’s thrilled for Emma, who can barely contain her excitement. Emma could take on the world if she had to!

While Akram starts preparing their evening meal in Lynda’s kitchen, Khalil is still off with him after events on Tuesday. When Khalil stops doing his homework, Akram tries boosting Khalil by telling him how brave he’s been. But for Khalil the point is that his cancer could still come back. And if it does, he doesn’t want to have spent his whole life being careful, following every rule. They end up having a big hug, admitting how much they’ve missed each other.

Brad struggles at nets, but it’s soon apparent he doesn’t have any talent for cricket. Brad’s envious of Chris and Tom, who make everything look so easy. It’s the same for Tracy. Despite Jim’s reassurances, Brad reckons he doesn’t take after his mum at all. Then Eddie calls Brad, heaping pressure on him to do more work for George. After nets, Jim and Freddie discuss how standards on the cricket team have slipped following the winter break – and Brad clearly isn’t the answer to their prayers. Then Freddie thinks of something else Brad can help with, persuading Jim to take on Brad as his apprentice scorer.

Later, Eddie expresses his disappointment in Brad in no uncertain terms, despite Brad telling him George doesn’t mind him quitting. Eddie perks up though when he hears George has some new business ideas. Eddie then sings Brad an unfinished rap song he’s composed about tractors and hi-vis vests. When unimpressed Brad doesn’t respond in the right way Eddie reckons George is probably better off without him.

Unknown to their parents Henry and Khalil bunk off school to go to the demo at Borsetshire Water. Tony’s still worried about Pat going in case there’s any trouble, but wishes her and Emma luck. Dressed as toilet rolls Emma and Pat join in with the chants while waiting for Borsetshire Water board members to arrive. They spot Henry and Khalil, who insist they’re doing the right thing by skipping school for a worthy cause. Nevertheless, Pat insists on calling worried Helen and Akram to let them know where the boys are.

Later at the demo, Tony introduces himself to Akram, who’s concerned Khalil will miss an important medical appointment. They find Pat and Emma with Henry and Khalil, who are disappointed the board members haven’t turned up and it’s all rather low key. Tony and Akram take the boys away, just as Pat and Emma spot a protestor accosting a worker. It’s not the sort of action Pat feels comfortable with. But Emma persuades her that simply being there, making their feelings known, is important and worth doing.

Henry apologises to Tony that he had to come and get him, and for upsetting Helen. Henry admits he knows Tony was the one who found John when he died. Henry’s happy to wait until Tony’s ready to teach him tractor driving.

At the oncology clinic Khalil defends himself against Akram’s accusations that he shouldn’t have risked missing his appointment. Khalil hates being the sick boy, then admits how scared he is that his cancer could come back, despite Akram’s assurances that it won’t.

Playing football outside their Beechwood house with Akram, Khalil’s shot just misses Joy and Lilian. Akram apologises before disappearing inside to check on the workmen’s progress, while Khalil offers to try and repair the broken robot vacuum cleaner Joy is carrying.

At Bridge Farm Tony is touching up the scenery on his model train layout when Natasha probes into the awkward atmosphere between Pat and Tony. Tony admits there’s an issue over Pat’s new-found zeal for campaigning against Borsetshire Water. Natasha is sympathetic to Pat but Tony remains sceptical it will achieve anything. Tony then asks if Natasha is hiding and she admits to putting something off that she doesn’t want to do.

Later, Akram introduces himself to moody Kirsty, who curses her bad luck with her house while touching up some external paintwork. While helping Kirsty with this Akram talks about how the best laid plans can go awry. He always thought his family would return to Pakistan permanently one day, but the others seem settled in Ambridge – or at least they would be if they could get back into their house.

In the meantime Khalil has taken the vacuum cleaner apart before confessing he can’t put it back together. But when they take the vacuum over to Bridge Farm Tony is able to diagnose the problem and fix it, to Joy’s great relief.

Conciliatory Natasha finds Kirsty to apologise for her tone yesterday, but explains they really can’t shift on their position. Neither can Kirsty. Natasha doesn’t want their friendship to suffer, accepting that if the house sale isn’t meant to happen then so be it.

Whilst preparing the meal at Ambridge Hall for breaking their fast, Azra disapproves of Zainab applying to work at The Bull, a pub. Lynda admits how tricky she’s found the fasting, but Azra appreciates the effort Lynda is making to share their experience. Azra then queries Zainab taking part in the Tearoom’s pancake eating competition on Tuesday. An eating competition is not really in the spirit of Ramadan, even if it doesn’t start until after sunset. Zainab talks Azra round, claiming she’s doing it to help their neighbours, who have put themselves out to accommodate her . Besides, Azra is over-catering with this meal, so what’s the difference?

On a walk with Monty, after nipping into The Bull, Lynda tells Khalil how sorely tempted she was by Fallon’s brownies. Khalil extols mind over matter, before they compare and contrast Lent with Ramadan, coming to the conclusion that they are both testing in their different ways.

Later, as they prepare to break their fast, the Maliks explain the meaning of the Arabic prayers they recite, when the doorbell rings. It’s Akram, Azra’s husband, who has finally come home. Zainab and Khalil are thrilled at the lovely surprise, while Azra admits she kept his return secret so as not to spoil it for them. Akram gives Lynda some traditional presents from Adil for her and Robert. Azra then takes Akram to see the house on Beechwood, but they can’t stay long because of the smell. It will take ages before they can move back in, but at least they do have another option.