Episode list

Bradley Hardacre has risen from poverty to become the wealthy owner of mine, mill and munitions works in Utterly. The Fairchild family live in a poor home, so what is their connection to Bradley and why does he wants to destroy the Cottage Hospital?

Austin Hardacre gets a nasty shock when he walks into his new office. Matthew Fairchild is excited at the thought of going to Cambridge with Morris Hardacre and tells his father whilst he is visiting him in the Cottage Hospital; however, he sees Charlotte Hardacre there and the attraction continues, which in turn upsets Morris, who gains revenge by changing Matt's job.

Agnes encourages the now-hungry strikers, whilst Charlotte is "doing good" at the soup kitchen. As Bradley is making sure George can leave the hospital (to use him for the SBD experiments), lack and Isobel are again found in the stables, and Agnes discovers that her son Matt has lost his good job and is now digging coal. She then sees her husband George being driven in Bradley's car: a blackleg!!!

Lady Patience tells Bradley that his daughter is carrying on with a miner. Agnes tells George that the person Isobel is carrying on with is their son lack. Bradley agrees to talk to the strikers and offers them a silent hooter - the strike is ended. George tests Bradley's anti-tank boot which explodes, mid Bradley manages a pit disaster, in which he knows lack is involved.

As Agnes and other women are waiting for news of the miners trapped down the pit, the miners themselves are settling down to life underground. Bradley hears that his plans sure going astray as Charlotte reaches the trapped miners, but though they manage to escape as lack supports the roof for them, Austin tricks Jack into shaking hands and the roof collapses.

Jack is unconscious in hospital. Bradley orders Austin to continue with the tunnel, until he reaches the cottage hospital, and then let off SPD to finish him off. Agnes and Isobel fight over Jack but he wakes up besotted with Charlotte.

George is home from hospital and Agnes tells him that Matt has gone to kill his father, Bradley Hardacre, so they both go to the hall and tell Bradley. That night Matt enters the hall via lady Patience's bedroom and is waylaid by Lady P Austin goes one further: he knocks Bradley out and orders him to be taken to the hospital, due to be blown up at midnight with the deadly SBD.

As Austin celebrates Bradley's death, Bradley buys himself out of the hospital only to find that George hasn't caused the hospital to blow up by putting the SBD in his tea. Not only Charlotte, but also Morris discovers Matt with Lady P, whilst Bradley and Austin try to wangle or mangle the truth from George as to what happened to the SBD and discover that George is a walking bomb.

Morris is ashamed at Lady P's affair with Matt and so decides to shoot himself but instead takes it out on Hesketh, his bear. Bradley and Austin discuss the fate of George and the SBD sugar lumps. Dr McDuff uses a stomach pump to get the SBD out of George and finds lots of strange things that George has been swallowing.

Jack has a proposition for Bradley: sell Isobel off. Bradley agrees but Lady P informs him that he'd lost interest in her anyway. Lady P tells Matt H he does not continue to see her she will have his poems published in her name. Isobel implores Charlotte to sleep with Jack so that he will go off her. Austin, McDuff and George experiment with the bouncing bomb with disastrous results.

Bradley is angry with Jack over the forge, Agnes is angry too with lack, again for buying the forge. Isobel is angry with Jack when Bradley tells her she was sold to him. Lady P is angry when Morris tells her he's taking Matt to Cambridge. Morris appears to Matt in a dress and tells him he is a transvestite: Matt runs off.

Bradley reluctantly agrees to using lack's truss Ranges to hold up the chimney, Big Tom. Guy arrives to help Morris who is upset because Matt doesn't fancy him. They discuss plans to blow up the Prince with SBD. MacDuff tells Lady P that hypnotism will help her to regain the use of her legs, but it backfires on him. She walks away and kicks Bradley to prove it.

Bradley and Austin lecture peasants on how to behave for the Prince's visit. Lady P visits Matt, but finds Agnes and they argue. She gives Agnes a book of Matt's poems published under her own name. Matt discovers the book, leaves upset and attempts suicide at the top of the big chimney. Jack runs after him to stop him.