Episode Guide (Series 1)
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1: Strangers On A Train (9 Jan 73)
Bob Ferris and Thelma Chambers are about to be married. He goes to London to buy her a barometer, as a surprise wedding present. On the train back to Newcastle, he meets Terry Collier, an old friend who's just been discharged after five years in the army.
They reminisce about old times, then a tactless remark about Thelma annoys Bob and he storms off.
Terry decides not to go back to Newcastle, so he leaves the train at Doncaster. Bob, who's been asleep, wakes up and sees Terry on the platform. Thinking that they must have reached Newcastle, Bob gets off the train.
When the next train arrives, Bob gets on it but leaves the barometer in the waiting room. Seeing it, Terry picks it up and rushes to get on the train so that he can return it to Bob. Meanwhile, Bob gets off to retrieve the barometer and gets stranded again when the train leaves without him.
Also appearing:
Deidre Costello (Woman On Train), James Mellar (Steward), Angelique Ashby (Stripper)
2: Home Is The Hero (16 Jan 73)
Thelma is still annoyed about the sudden return of Terry Collier. She's convinced that he means trouble for her and Bob.
Terry has arrived back at his parents' home to find that they've gone away, so he has the empty house to himself.
He goes to see his sister Audrey and she tells him that their parents are away at a funeral. He pays a visit to Bob's new house, where he reveals that he married a German girl while he was in the army.
Bob tells Terry that he can stay in the new house while his parents are away. Terry accepts the invitation and sleeps on a bed settee in the living room.
Late that night, Thelma pays a surprise visit. Thinking that it's Bob who's sleeping in the living room, she joins Terry in bed. Next morning, Bob comes over to the new house and finds Thelma and Terry in bed together.
Also appearing:
Derek Etchells (Stan)
3: Cold Feet (23 Jan 73)
Bob has begun to have second thoughts about the wisdom of marrying Thelma.
Although they've been close ever since childhood, their relationship has always been rather a stormy one.
Thelma has always seemed to be socially superior to Bob and, as their wedding day approaches, all of his old insecurities surface again.
Terry doesn't help by reminding Bob of the perils and misfortunes that marriage can bring.
After much soul-searching, however, Bob manages to convince himself that marrying Thelma is the right thing for him to do ... probably.
Also appearing:
Donald Gee (Vicar), John Barrett (Verger), Shay Gorman (Barman), Roy Denton (Man In Waiting Room)
4: Moving On (30 Jan 73)
Terry is devastated when he learns about all the changes that have happened while he's been away in the army. Bob takes him on a guided tour of all of their old haunts, most of which seem to have been knocked down and replaced with high-rise buildings.
The Employment Exchange sends Bob for an interview for a job as an electrician. The interviewer turns out to be Bob Ferris.
Terry decides to try his luck in Berwick-On-Tweed. Bob goes to see him and persuades him to return to Newcastle.
Also appearing:
Ronald Lacey (Ernie), Effie Norrison (Landlady), Elizabeth Lax (Wendy), Iain Blair (Hughie)
5: I'll Never Forget Whatshername (6 Feb 73)
Terry tries to track down some of his old flames. That proves to be rather difficult with a 'little black book' that's five years out of date.
Bob decides to show him how it's done. The result is a big surprise for both of them.
Also appearing:
Margaret Norris (Jackie Nolan), Sandra Bryant (Glenys Roberts), Norman Mitchell (Pub Landlord), Loran Wilde (Barmaid)
6: Birthday Boy (13 Feb 73)
It's Terry's birthday and nobody seems to care.
Meanwhile, Bob is planning a surprise party for Terry. As a result of a case of mistaken identity, the wrong man gets the surprise.
When Terry finally arrives at his party, he comes out with a few 'home truths' that don't go down well with some of the guests.
Also appearing:
Sandra Downes (Janey Freeman), Michael Ralph (Hugh), Christopher Biggins (Podge), Norman Mitchell (Pub Landlord), Shirley Steedman (Deborah), Elissa Derwent (Clare), Olive Milbourne (Mrs Collier), Brian Grellis (Colin), Stephanie Turner (Mary), Derek Etchells (Stan)
7: No Hiding Place (20 Feb 73)
Bob and Terry don't want to know the result of the football match between England and Bulgaria before they watch the game on television. They go to great lengths to avoid seeing or hearing the result. Eight long hours are spent trying to find places where there won't be a radio or a television set.
They spend the day wandering around town, giving blood and flower arranging with the Women's Institute. They even try, unsuccessfully, to find sanctuary in a local church.
Meanwhile, Flint is anxious to 'put them out of their misery'. He's bet them that they won't be able to avoid learning the result of the match. He finally catches up with them just before the game is about to be televised. They pay up, then discover that the game had to be abandoned because of a waterlogged pitch.
Also appearing:
Brian Glover (Flint), Donald Gee (Vicar), Corbett Woodall (TV Announcer), Lorna Wilde (Barmaid), Bernard Douglas (Dallas), Brian Godfrey (Garry), Katy Allen (Rita), Drina Pavlovic (Sonia)
8: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? (27 Feb 73)
Bob decides that Terry needs to widen his circle of acquaintances. He invites him along when he and Thelma have dinner with two of their friends, Alan and Brenda.
Brenda is a rather snobbish woman who likes to make out that she's from a 'refined' background. Terry recognises her from when they were younger. He spends the evening reminding her of her humble roots, causing embarrassment all round.
Also appearing:
Olive Milbourne (Mrs Collier), Julian Holloway (Alan Boyle), Jacquie-Ann Carr (Brenda Boyle)
9: Storm In A Tea Chest (6 Mar 73)
Bob wants to move some of his belongings into his new house. He gets Terry to help him.
Among the belongings he moves are two teachests full of mementoes of his childhood and youth. Thelma tells him that she doesn't want the house cluttered up with junk, so the teachests have to be moved back to Bob's parents' house.
Bob decides to make a stand and gets Terry to help him return the teachests to his new house. Thelma gives them to the vicar for a church jumble sale. Not knowing this, Bob reports them stolen.
When he discovers the truth, he goes off with Terry and buys the items back from the vicar. The police see him and Terry with the teachests and arrest them, thinking that they are the thieves reported earlier.
Bob decides to dispose of his 'memorabilia'. When he returns to the new house, he discovers that Thelma has moved in two teachests full of her old junk
Also appearing:
David Gillespie (Police Sergeant), Donald Gee (Vicar), Michael Stainton (Policeman), John Owens (Policeman)
10: The Old Magic (13 Mar 73)
Bob has to break the news to Terry that he's asked someone else to be best man at his wedding. He takes Terry out for a meal as a gesture of apology for not making him best man.
The two lads wonder if they've still got 'the old magic'. They try to chat up a couple of girls, then discover that one of them is Thelma's sister, Susan, who's been living in Canada and has come home for the wedding.
Also appearing:
Anita Carey (Susan Chambers), Brenda Cavendish (Norma), Barbara Ogilvie (Mrs Ferris), Gertan Klauber (Waiter)
11: Countdown (20 Mar 73)
Wedding preparations are in full swing. Thelma's mother is busy trying to organise everyone.
After they've collected their top hats and morning suits, Bob and Terry go for a "swift half" with Thelma's father. The "swift half" turns into many pints of beer with whiskey chasers.
Fed up of all the fuss over the wedding, the men decide to take their wedding suits back as a "gesture of men's lib". They bump into Thelma's mother in the tailors and immediately 'chicken out' of their protest.
Also appearing:
Anita Carey (Susan Chambers), Joan Hickson (Mrs Chambers), Barbara Ogilvie (Mrs Ferris), Bill Owen (George Chambers), Robin Parkinson (Shop Assistant), Lorna Wilde (Barmaid)
12: Boys Night In (27 Mar 73)
Bob decides not to go out on a stag night. Terry is horrified by the idea of a 'quiet night in'.
Bob has been taking tranquillisers and sleeping pills in an effort to calm his nerves and get some sleep. He wakes up in the early hours and decides to try on his wedding suit.
Still wearing the suit, he sits down to rewrite his speech and spills ink all over his trousers. They need cleaning, so Bob and Terry go off to a launderette.
While they're waiting, Terry produces a bottle of whiskey and insists that they have a drink. Shortly afterwards, Bob suddenly passes out, finally overcome by the combined effects of tranquillisers, sleeping pills and alcohol.
A policeman comes into the launderette and, finding Bob out cold, arrests them for drunken behaviour. They have to spend the rest of the night in a police cell.
Also appearing:
David Gillespie (Police Sergeant), Michael Stainton (Policeman
13: End Of An Era (3 Apr 73)
Bob and Thelma's big day finally dawns and everyone is suffering from wedding day nerves.
Bob gives Terry a photograph album containing a record of their childhood and youth.
When Terry gives the best man's speech, he points out that the photograph album also contains a record of the courtship of Bob and Thelma. He returns the album to Bob.
Also appearing:
Anita Carey (Susan Chambers), Joan Hickson (Mrs Chambers), Barbara Ogilvie (Mrs Ferris), Bill Owen (George Chambers), Daphne Heard (Aunt Beattie), Christopher Biggins (Usher), April Walker (Jutta)