Tony and Bren arrive early to the canteen in much better moods than usual. Unfortunately, everyone else is in a bad temper. Stan's had trouble with his father, Dolly and Jean bicker continuously, Anita is convinced her new haircut makes her look like Fatima Whitbread (and isn't happy about it) and Twinkle thinks she's pregnant. Phillippa suggests having a "Bring Your Mother To Work" day to cheer everyone up, though sarcastic Enid (Dolly's mother) and nymphomaniac Connie (Jean's mother) do little to raise the workers' spirits. And that's before Bren's mother has even arrived...
Christmas time, a time of love, food and fun. However at Garyâs home Christmas time is a time of hate, burnt turkeys and deep fat fried phones! Gary is determined to do the cooking, and Deborah wants to split up with Tony, who's thrilled with his new drum set.
Gary is forced to depart with his decaying sofa, hence he reminisces of the girls that once occupied it. Tony in the meantime has woken up after a drunken night out and realises he's brought home a live snake.
Dorothyâs ten-year-old nephew comes to stay, while Gary and Dorothy attempt to save their downwards spiraling relationship by visiting a counselor. Meanwhile, Tony meets Deborahs mother, and despite his best efforts, things go from bad to worse for him.
The group settle down for a night in front of the TV, when deciding to play a chain of tricks on an all-too-chirpy Tony. In between their pranks, they reminisce about old TV shows such as The Good Life.
Lost in happiness and rapped in love, Deborah and Tony are now a couple. In contrast Dorothy and Gary seem to despise each other. Nevertheless the foursome head off for a weekend away in a caravan, where Tony gets jealous of their camping neighbors and Gary attempts at proving to the group he can instantly stop smokingâ¦leading to hair-tearing chaos.
The group prepare for Dorothy and Garyâs wedding reception; with Tony the nervy best man. The day doesnât go plan when the registrar collapses and in the end the event is called off; however the couple still venture off into the sunset for their honeymoon. And after five long years and an array of desperate efforts, Tony finally gets to sleep with Deborah.
In yet another attempt to impress Deborah, Tony is now helping pregnant women to give birth in water. Dorothy has agreed to marry Gary, but it's the events of their wild stag nights that makes the pair contemplate otherwise.
Tony makes a sauna out of the shed and Deborah and Dorothy depart from the men to go on a sailing weekend. Tony and Gary are then left to entertain their attractive female neighbours with a barbecue - a wooden one made by Tony.
Gary has come into some money which those around him develop an appetite for; Tony on the other hand has gained a rather large appetite of his own, and a stomach to go with it.
Gary seems to be slipping into middle-age mode and finds he is wearing the same clothes as George. To avoid descending into the crisis of age further, Gary organises a night out to a rave. Meanwhile, Deborah is now a mature student and Tony feels rejected, while simultaneously jealous of her newly found student friends.
Thereâs no room in Garyâs flat for a third-person, and he begins having nightmares about telling Dorothy or Tony that one of them must leave. After telling Tony to leave, Dorothy announces she's leaving the flat to move in with Deborah; Tony hence returns.
Dorothy and Tony are avoiding Gary after cowardly stepping out of an aggressive driving dispute. Hence Gary hires a "large man" to prove his manhood. But as always, things do not go to plan.
Gary and Tony are shocked when their affectionately-loved pub (The Crown) is being revamped as landlord Les is replaced with the inexperienced Ken. Dorothy too, has concerns of her own; she confronts Gary about doing all the housework and Tony engages in astrology to impress Deborah.
Tony returns from his trip around the world, and isn't pleased to find out Dorothy has moved into the flat. Meanwhile, Deborah is unhappy and Tony tries to impress her with his beard.
Tony resorts to extremes when attempting to remove his tooth without having to see a dentist. Meanwhile, Gary and Deborah are away on a creative writing course, and a tooth-aching Tony and Dorothy get a little drunk and carried away.
Dorothy has just had an operation, but Garys attempts at taking care of her seem to be having the opposite effect. Meanwhile, Tony is embarrassed with the glasses he has to wear, and is determined the others won't find out he has to wear them.
In an attempt to rebuild Dorothy and Garyâs crumbling relationship, Dorothy prepares a romantic meal. Unfortunately, her hopes for a night of romance are dashed when Gary and Tony indulge in heavy drinking at âThe Crownâ.
Tony is finding juggling three different girlfriends a difficulty. Meanwhile, Garyâs embarrassing father comes stay, and Dorothy and Gary's relationship is pieced back together.
Tonyâs collection of pornography creates a rift in the relationship with his latest girlfriend; while Gary is bitter about not being invited to Deborahâs dinner party, of which Dorothy and her new boyfriend shall be attending. Hence, Gary decides to hold his own dinner party, with Les preparing the food. Inevitably, things don't go to plan.
The episode begins with Tony and Deborah sitting watching a drama programme,of which Deborah is engrossed and Tony is finding tediously boring.After failing to divert Deborah's attention away from the TV and onto himself Deborah loses patience and firmly states that although she finds him attractive,Tony's selfishness and immaturity will always prevent them being a couple.Gary meanwhile is starting to arise suspicions that Dorothy could be having an affair after reading an article in a magazine that bares striking resemblence to the couple's relationship (such as receiving guilt inspired presents and giving lame excuses to avoid seeing each other).The evidence prompts Gary to ask Dorothy outright upon her arrival at the flat,to which she simply replies 'that its for you to find out'.
Gary decides to play detective in order to find out Dorothy's whereabouts and begins by hiring a disguise(a Mexican hat) and a red Nissan Micra which he sit's in outside Dorothy's parents house to keep watch on any suspicious visitors.Tony meanwhile joins the Happy Companion Scheme at the local old people's home,in the hope that it will prove to Deborah that he is capable of caring about people other than himself.
Dorothy considers having a baby with Gary, but his lack of maturity is giving her doubts. Meanwhile, Tony has been given the run of Deborahah's flat. This ultimately leads to chaos, as he spills orange juice into her underwear draw, after reading her diaries.
A not-so-sober Gary proposes to Dorothy, an act he regrets the next morning. Tony is jealous of Deborahâs new relationship, and sets up a bugging system to listen in on the pair.
Gary becomes obsessed with the newly-hired and attractive cleaning lady who has been hired to conquer the squalor of the men's flat. Meanwhile, Tony has found a modelling job and intends to use the cleaning women to make Deborah jealous.
Gary and Dorothy go on a romantic weekend together; while Tony is left to fend for himself at the flat. Simultaneously, he's lost in thought over Deborah, who has now got a new boyfriend - the arrogant estate agent Ray.
Gary has got into the habit of persistently lying; hence when George is injured in the office and Gary is to blame, he attempts to cover the fact up so that Dorothy doesnâÂÂt find out the truth behind the accident. Meanwhile, Deborah has decided to sell her flat.
The broken blowing fence is preventing the foursome from getting any sleep and a stomachache is paining Dorothy. In the depth of night, Tony ends up trying to fix the fence several times, and Gary goes to an all-night chemist to get some medicine for Dorothy.
Gary feels sexually-inferior to Tony, when stumbling onto the subject of how many women the pair have each slept with. Hence Gary largely exaggerates and sets out to find proof of his supposedly many women to an unconvinced Dorothy and Tony.
Tash tries to organise her wedding to Spike, but soon realises that everything is too expensive. She then decides to let Sal and the Guild organise the wedding, which then takes place by a river with a fairy theme, and Tash and Spike write their own vows to say in front of the registar. The reception takes place on a nearby field and afterwards Spike, Tash and Raif go away in a mobile home.
Yasmeen tries to teach the Guild how to successfully play netball ready for a game against the Guild of a neighbouring village, Hole. However, the Guild lose. The next match is bowls, which they nearly win until Rosie gets Clatterford disqualified for indecent exposure. Meanwhile, Tash plans to move in with Marcus. However, Spike writes her a love note telling her to meet him by a tree at 5pm. She runs away from a house viewing to meet Spike, and she accepts his proposal.
The annual reenactment of the 1646 Clatterford Skirmish is cancelled by the Council citing health and safety concerns. The Guild then decide to organise it themselves, and plan many events including a minor battle reenactment, in which James plays Charles I. Meanwhile, after an incident at the factory, Rosie steals from the SPAR and has problems with Margaret, her alter-ego. She is then seen at home by James, who suggests a higher dose of medication, which Sal does not allow. Sal then talks to Margaret and appears to solve the problem, although it is some days before Rosie will leave her house.
Lady Anne Crump (Marcia Warren) visits the Guild to judge their competitions. Sal organises the Guild's ramble, which to Eileen's dismay has no plan or theme, instead Sal says they should spend the time talking and bonding. During the ramble, they by accident meet the Vicar, who is having a picnic with a woman called Veronica (Jan Hartley). The Guild then get stranded in fog. Also, Sal encourages Spike to ask Tash out, but he gets confused and asks her out instead. Tash meanwhile is protesting with her fellow druids about the Army practising on nearby land.
Tash and Spike plan to go to Glastonbury, but a ticketless Tash hopes to get past security by pretending to be a security guard. Caroline is also at Glastonbury to see her son perform. Meanwhile, Sal wants a quiet weekend to herself, but Susie comes round saying she thinks she is pregnant after having an affair. However, after looking at the medical records Tip soon tells Susie she can not be pregnant as the man she had the affair has had a vasectomy. Sal's quiet weekend is then ruined further when Tash and Spike come back from Glastonbury early after Tash failed to get past security.
As the first anniversary of Mike's death approaches, Sal tells James how much she misses him. Sal teaches James how to be compassionate with his patients and Tash gets a job in tele sales. Meanwhile, the Guild launch a website and hold a Victorian tea so they can put the some photos on the website. However, Kate and Eileen argue over who will make the website. Delilah flies off her bike and is rushed to hospital.
Tonyâs annoying brother and girlfriend are commandeering Garyâs flat; whose tolerance, along with Tony, Dorothy and Deborah, is wearing thin. However the foursome's tolerance is soon increased when they discover a free holiday on offer to them from the irritating couple.
Dorothy, Gary, Tony and Deborah go out shopping. Dorothy contemplates splitting up with Gary, who simultaneously gets trapped in a lift with the career-troubled Deborah. Tony's newly found happiness (a rusty old van), is also going nowhere because it breaks down.
When Gary discovers that Dorothyâs record is a rare type, he sells it to Tony for his record store. However, when Dorothy begins to question her recordâs whereabouts, Gary quickly creates a web of lies to cover up the truth. Meanwhile, Tony takes Deborah on a date.
Gary is thrown into a panic when evidence suggests that the new flat mate, Tony, is gay. Meanwhile, Tony pretends he can speak German in order to read Deborahâs letter so that he can impress her.
Gary receives a post card from Dermot that says he shall not be returning home, after finding love abroad. Hence Gary advertises for a new flat mate, but is unimpressed with the offers he receives. Finally, he settles with record seller Tony Smart.
Dermot gets a job at DeborahâÂÂs restaurant, while an arrogant Gary dreads about telling George and Anthea theyâÂÂre going to lose their jobs. Nevertheless, over a meal celebrating Anthea's birthday, Gary intends to spill the bad news.
Dermot lures Deborah into having a meal with him at the flat, but the hired organist is a disappointment and to sabotage the evening further, Deborahâs violent boyfriend returns from abroad.
Gary and Dermot play a game of squash at a sports centre and see Dorothy with another man. Gary and Dorothy then agree to have an open relationship. Meanwhile, Dermot starts a new job in marketing where he meets up with an old flame.
Gary has a new alarm system installed into the house, leading to a power cut. But it's not just the alarm system thatâs gone haywire, so has Gary and Dorothyâs relationship.
Gary has promised to take Dorothy to a concert, but Dermot has made the same promise to Deborah. Unfortunately there are only two tickets, hence the pair play a game of chess to win them.
Dermot owes rent to Gary but has spent the money on a new suit. Meanwhile the pair fear who'll be moving into the newly vacant flat above them. Such fears are dashed when it turns out to be an attractive blonde, Deborah.