The Archers BBC Radio 4

Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Ben Archer… Ben Norris
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Harrison Burns…. James Cartwright
Lilian Bellamy… Sunny Ormonde
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Jakob Hakansson…. Paul Venables
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell… Carole Boyd
Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw
Oliver Sterling…. Michael Cochrane
Jason Burntwood…. Ian Conningham

Freddie is in the loading bay at Casey Meats talking to Vince on the phone. Yet another customer called yesterday complaining their delivery is short. Freddie thinks a driver is taking the missing meat. Vince sets Freddie to trying to spot a pattern. He mentions that one of the drivers has a criminal record. But Freddie says he’s served his time. Freddie asks Jason how easy it would be for something to go astray from an order. Jason points out that most customers don’t have time to check through deliveries when they arrive. Later Vince and Freddie look at a spreadsheet of incomplete deliveries. There’s no pattern that links to a single worker. They’ll have to follow drivers on the late shift. Vince still thinks ex-con Antonio is the prime suspect. But Freddie points out that he himself has been in jail. Later, Freddie leaves a voicemail for Vince saying he’s going to follow Jason tonight.
Lilian and Oliver meet on the way to the shop. Inside Vince is buying champagne. He’s taking Elizabeth away for a long weekend but he forgot to pre-order the fizz. Lilian gets a call from Jakob – the tests results for Cinnamon are back. She rushes to the surgery. It’s bad news – Cinnamon has strangles. Jakob recommends a full lockdown. And with the horse’s paperwork missing the stables looks incompetent at best. Horses will have to be quarantined when it’s show season, the cross country course will shut and lessons will have to be cancelled. Lilian needs time to think. But later she tells Jakob a lockdown is the only way.

It’s Lynda’s birthday and Robert serves pancakes with raspberries and Bridge Farm yoghurt in the garden. Ben stops by with a birthday card from all at Brookfield. Lynda wastes no time in press-ganging him into giving a presentation on wartime nursing for their D-Day event. At the Tearoom Chelsea presents Lynda with a whole marmalade cake baked by Fallon.
Meanwhile, Fallon is at The Bull dropping off some loaves for collection by the brewery for its bread beer. She tells Jolene Lilian had planned to help at the pub but something has come up at the stables. Jolene is looking for pictures of Auntie Connie, who served in in Egypt, when she comes across photos and artwork from Fallon’s schooldays. She finds a picture of Connie with a note from her American sweetheart, and a poem. Fallon confides that Harrison sent her a poem but things are difficult and he is still sleeping on the sofa. They find a diary entry written by Connie but Jolene’s not sure Fallon should read it.
When Fallon returns to the Tearoom she tells Lynda she is on board for the D-Day event. She agrees to make Woolton Pie, a hearty but frugal vegetable-filled dish. But as she tells Lynda and Robert about Auntie Connie’s diary entry she is overcome and has to step outside. The situation feels impossible, she tells Lynda. But she loves Harrison – misses him.
That evening at the Bull, the participants in the D-Day event gather to finalise their plans. During their chat they take the opportunity to toast Lynda’s birthday.

Lynda and Robert are in the attic sorting through some of the Edwardian furniture her mother left them. She wants to bring some down from there, but there’s barely enough room with all the things they’re already using. She spots a chest of Robert’s father’s military memorabilia, including the medal he tried to give to Freddie. There should be an event in Ambridge to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, says Linda. And she has an idea. Over tea on the lawn she suggests that they have a living history museum evening at Ambridge Hall. Robert will start with an account of the D Day landings. Then visitors can watch demonstrations of different aspects of the war. Chelsea could do wartime hairstyles and fashions, and Tony or Pat talk about wartime foods. Fallon could do Blitz baking! At the Tearoom with Robert, Lynda broaches the subject. Chelsea is keen and Fallon recalls a great aunt who served in Egypt during the war.
Lilian asks Jakob to take a look at a horse called Cinnamon, a new arrival at the Stables, who is a bit under the weather. But Lilian can’t find his stables contract, which Alice would have filled in. It has details of his health and vaccinations. When they go to see Cinnamon – who following protocol for new arrivals is still in the quarantine field - they notice he's not in a good way: lethargic and not wanting to lift his head. Jakob is going to send off some samples for tests. It doesn’t look good, but they’ll have to wait for the results to come back.

Lilian and Oliver chat as he takes an early bank holiday ride before another busy day. Oliver asks after Alice who is still staying with Ruairi in London. Lilian wishes she could have done more before everything got so out of hand. She feels guilty about encouraging Alice’s relationship with Harry. And she fears things might be awkward at The Bull after the crash. Later, Lillian awkwardly broaches the subject of Alice and Fallon with Jolene, who has no problem with her being supportive towards her niece – family is family. Lilian apologises and all is well between them. She insists on helping Jolene with queueing customers.
Vince asks after Fallon and orders a pint of Shires. Jolene offers him a taste of bread beer. He makes Jolene laugh when he asks for a shot of butter as a chaser. He takes a call from Freddie who tells him another customer is missing meat from their order. Jolene overhears, telling Vince that Wayne was also missing some steak from a recent delivery. Freddie gets Casey Meats driver Jason to give him a lift to the customer who complained. Jason’s working the bank holiday for the overtime cash: his twin daughters want to go skiing. He asks if Freddie can put a bit more overtime his way. Later in the canteen, they chat. Freddie has to change the subject when he almost lets slip that his family owns Lower Loxley. He’s summoned by Vince who tells him that there is no mistake in the online distribution system and they need to get to the bottom of the problem quickly.

Harrison greets Fallon as he returns from church and they chat awkwardly, with Harrison apologising for leaving his bedding where he slept, on the sofa. Fallon's finishing up mowing the grass and Harrison's off to training ahead of the T20 cricket. Before he goes, he mentions Philip Larkin’s poem – The Mower. He offers to read her the last line but she suggests he send it to her instead.
At the Tearoom Chelsea isn’t looking forward to playing but Pat gives her a pep talk and some fielding practice, using a cheese scone. Fallon arrives and confesses that Harrison, likewise, isn’t enthusiastic: he’s a bit embarrassed about his bad grace and sledging in the match against Leyton Cross.

Tracy takes Harrison to task as he hammers in the stumps. He agrees that he should email the other captain to apologise, and say sorry to Pat. But when he tries to talk to Tracy about the team vice-captaincy she gives him short shrift. He tells her George doesn’t want the job and she agrees to think about it. During the match she’s on fire, bowling a hattrick of wickets to help her team trounce the men. Harrison takes the opportunity to seek out Pat and offer a heartfelt apology.

Fallon turns up with leftover cake Natasha has sent for the teams to enjoy. She agrees to stay for one drink as 'Tracy’s Tigers' lift the Mark Hebden trophy and Tracy announces her new role as vice-captain. Fallon tells Harrison she read Larkin’s poem and took hope from the ending: ‘we should be kind while there is still time.’