Season Fifteen Episode Guide

The storylines:

Rod and Tracy both have some troubles at work and with Kirsty and Jamie; and Sheila moves in with the Corkhills after briefly occupying an awful bedsit, soon becoming the first to discover that Annabelle is having an affair. Paul also has his suspicions, though, as does Gordon, after facing and overcoming prejudice, leaving the Close with Chris, then breaking up with him. Chrissy and Frank have a variety of problems with all of their children – particularly Growler, who does a disappearing act – but successfully outwit Harry’s plans to get them out of his house, although he is too busy wooing Betty to realise this yet. Barry’s latest relationship is not altogether successful, but things look more promising for Jonathan and Cheryl, after he travels half way around the world and convinces her not to marry someone else, and for Terry and Sue, who get engaged. But how will the unexpected return of someone from her past affect their plans?

The dates:

There are only the following specific references: It is June in episodes 588 and 591, and Father’s Day / Sunday in episode 589. It is Monday in episode 590, and American Independence Day / Pam Schriver’s birthday, in episode 593. It is Thursday in episode 595; and, based on other references to Tracy’s birthday, it must be Tuesday in episode 607. The Olympics are on television in episode 613 (Harry is planning to watch them); it is leap year in episode 614: and Hallowe’en in episode 628. In episode 629, Damon died a year ago last next week, and it will soon be Remembrance Sunday. Finally, we are told in episode 632 that “Operation Hickory”, seen in episode 606, took place on 15th August.

Name-checks:

“Comic Relief” (588); Oliver Reed (589); “Terry and June” (589); “Bill and Ben” (592); Fagin (593); William McKinley, 25th US President (593); Pam Schriver, tennis player (593); Rick Astley (594); Lester [Pigott] (594); Robin Hood (595); Lady Mountbatten (601); Greta Garbo (604); Jane Fonda (604); “Bodie” (605); “Inspector Morse” (605); “The Professionals” (605); the Beatles, John Lennon and Aunt Mimi (608); Mrs Thatcher (609); Turner, artist (609); Bruce Grobelaar (610); Tom Finney, footballer (613); Mike Tyson, boxer (614); Humphrey Bogart (619); Julia Fordham (623); Lech Waleza (624); Dick Turpin (624); Reagan and Gorbachev (626); and Ginger Rogers (628).

Locations:

All of the action is set in Liverpool, except for eight consecutive episodes in the middle of the season. In episode 605, Jonathan and Sarah are seen driving into, then inside, Manchester Airport; in episode 606 there is just one scene of the same pair in what appears to be a large entrance lobby of.a grand hotel, which, based on the dialogue, is in Calgary – although the scene was probably not recorded there; and finally, Jonathan and Cheryl, joined occasionally by Ben and Joe, are seen in a vast number of locations in Vancouver in episodes 607 to 612, on the credits of some of which a separate “Vancouver Production Team” is listed.

Births:

None. Jonathan says that Laura would have been 25 today in episode 587 [oh no she wouldn’t!]. Chrissy was under 20 when Sammy, now 15 (614, 617, 622, 627) was born (594). It is Billy’s 41st birthday in episode 620, and in episode 621 he is 41 and one week. Edna was born on 4th March 1920, according to her gravestone (604, 616). Sally is now pregnant, expecting a baby by Christmas (604). Tracy’s 18th birthday is soon (605), this Wednesday (606), tomorrow (607), and today (608). Mona will be 80 this weekend (613). Sheila is in her 40’s (600), and it was her birthday recently (626). It will be Paul’s 64th birthday next week in episode 626: it is his birthday, and also Terry’s, in episode 628, and in episode 629 Matty is “nearly 50”. It is also mentioned that Claire is 4 (615, 628), Rod is 20 (628), Growler is 13 (598, 617), Barry is now 29 (599), Gordon is 20 (607), Gerald Fallon is 72 (614), and Katie is 11 (617).

Marriages:

None. Bobby was Sheila’s husband for 30 years (593, 606); Billy was married for 20 years (596); and Jonathan married Laura one year ago today (604).

Deaths:

None. We are told in episode 601 that Franco’s accountant, mentioned again in episode 602, has died, and his body was found in Sefton Park. Edna died three years ago (617) on 3rd September 1985, according to her gravestone (604, 616). We finally discover in episode 608 that Cheryl’s brother who died was called Stefan, and he is mentioned again in episode 611. Edna’s late father, who pinched a gun from a dead officer, is also mentioned (614), as is Betty’s late husband Reggie (617); and Frank’s mum (621). It is the funeral of.Christopher’s friend who had AIDS, but whose name we never discover, in episode 623.

Toilet visits:

Terry (588); Jamie (619); a member of management and a factory worker, in adjacent urinols (624); and Annabelle (625). Rod has the urge to go in the middle of Operation Hickory in episode 615, but then finds he has more important things to do.

Characters mentioned, so far unseen, but who will be appearing later:

Teddy (587, 598, 601, 602); Sue’s mum (588); Jackie (595, 596); Sean, Kathy’s son in Ulster (608); Mr Taylor, Geoff’s new form teacher (611); Miriam Charles, a friend Annabelle hasn’t seen for years (625, 626); and Nisha’s mum and dad (618, 632).

Gone but not forgotten – seen previously and still mentioned occasionally, but not reappearing in this season:

McArdle (587); Donna (587, 608, 610, 611); Laura (587, 588, 589, 591, 592, 604, 611, 614, 617); Doreen Corkhill (589, 593, 595, 606, 607, 621, 622); Damon (591, 599. 600, 603, 606, 620, 626, 629, 630); Bobby (591, 594, 595, 596, 603, 606, 608, 617, 618, 621, 626, 629, 630); Alex, now split from Rebecca (592); Auntie Margaret (593, 594, 600) and her two kids (594); Lucy (598, 604, 613); Guy (599); Andrew (600); Edna (604, 613, 614, 618); Sally (604, 616, 623); two of Sue’s nieces (604); Heather (604); Shelley (607, 615, 618, 621. 622, 630);.Arthur Parkinson (613, 614, 630); Ann Barber (615); Celia (615); Jessica (616); Madge (616); and Sinbad (622, 623, 624).

And those that are also mentioned, but are destined to remain unseen forever:

Ben McKinley, client (587); Travis, solicitor (587); Trina, a mate of Kirsty (589); Dave, Kathy’s husband (593, 626); Ernie Bishopgate, a mate of Harry (593); Frank Meyer, a mate of Barry (594); Pamela (Grade 5 Music) and Paula (tomboy), Sizzler’s daughters (594); Emma Jackson / “Jaws”, at school with Sammy (594, 619); Steve, Ronnie’s brother, and Pete Kelly, an 18-year-old mate of his (595); Richard Jackson, the basketball captain in the Lower Sixth (595); Mr Bowler, a teacher (595, 596, 599); Teresa, a three-year-old sister mentioned on the radio news (596); Macca, a mate of Growler (597, 621); Teddy’s daughter Pamela and their dogs (598); Tony, Karen’s boyfriend – a 27-year-old unmarried lecturer who runs a magazine about interior design and offered her a job (599); Karen’s uncle Richie, who is divorced (599); Mona’s cousin Jane (601); Penny’s nan (602); Nigel and Adrian, on Sheila’s weekend course (603); Sue’s sister, who lost her first baby, and the third of the three children she has now (604); Beverley, hairdresser (605); Spiros, a chef Jamie met in London (605); Ted Sutcliffe, a policeman who was in hospital for 13 weeks (607); Carol, who Cheryl is to meet for coffee (607); Eric Holmes of the probation service (609); Old Docherty, an enemy of Sizzler (609); Freddie, Ma Johnson’s husband (609, 610); Cheryl’s grandmother, mother and father (610); Mrs Grier, school secretary (612); Graham “Wally” McNally, a little “puff” at school (612); Joe Chisnall, on holiday in Disneyland with his grandchildren (613, 614); Mickey’s mum (613); Rosie, a friend of Katie (615, 616); Auntie Florence, agony aunt (615); Maggie’s son Colin at college (617); Mr Samuels, Chrissy’s boss (617); Betty’s daughter, the plumber she married, and his mother in Bletchley who they moved to live near (617); Kathy’s sister Jenny, who has a son going into the Navy (618); Gilly McCabe, who was in 12th grade and lost a race to Cheryl by pulling a muscle (619); Mr Aristopolous, according to whom Jonathan’s food is moussaka (621); Jackie and Sue, who work at the salon (621); Mrs Driver, PE teacher (622); Sister Fitzpatrick (626); Mr Beale, at Brian’s work (627); Mr and Mrs Taylor, who are going demonstrating in London (627, 628); Shona Kelly, a redhead playing the Virgin Mary (628); Tom, a relative of Julia (628); Lacey, a mate of Katie (628); “Witch-face” Gardiner, Sammy’s teacher (629); John Peters, wished a happy birthday by his wife Pam and daughter Josie on the radio (631); Ernie, chief salesman (631); P.C. Peters (632); and three of Nisha’s sisters (632).

Goofs:

In episode 587 Jonathan claims that Laura would have been 25 today – but her accident was on her 24th birthday, which was much less than a year earlier.

Spot the contradiction in Ralph’s statement in episode 591: “Listen, mate – over the past six months we’ve had every conceivable concoction stuffed inside them pancakes. We’ve had ham, jam, tomatoes, mushrooms, raisins, even sardines. It’s June, Harry. We’ve been scoffing those pancakes since February.”.

Sheila talks about “changing”, rather than “exchanging”, contracts in episode 601.

Penny’s second and third words (and maybe the fourth and fifth as well) seem to be in the wrong order in episode 601: “I wouldn’t probably be still walking the earth”.

In episode 613, neither Growler’s words, “I thought I was going for my eyes tested”, nor Paul’s “Surprised you’re spending so much trouble over it”, sound quite right.

Also in episode 613, the envelope containing the concert tickets which arrives in the post for Annabelle is stamped, but not postmarked.

Tommo’s surname, previously established as Tomlinson, becomes “Thomson” in episode 615, as Rod frantically radios for help after his friend is knived. Well, maybe his memory was temporarily disturbed…….

Episodes 620 and 624 are the fourth and fifth in which the registration number of Harry’s car, parked in the background, mysteriously becomes YKA 168W instead of AWA 40X.

In episode 621 Chrissy tells Frank that “Katie’s got her dancing class tonight”, so it is surprising that later on, in episode 628, Katie is seen asking them if she can have dancing lessons!

Trivia:

Annabelle used to like shopping at Banks of Southport (613). Molly Harrison is now in the Netherlea Nursing Home for the Elderly (601), and Mona, who lived in Kendal for 40 years, joins her there (602). The bedsit into which Sheila briefly moves is number 17 (617, 618). The parents of Sizzler, who used to be in the army 594), split up when he was 8 (594). According to Penny, her marriage has been dead for seven years (603).

Billy reads the “Daily Post” (631). Jamie, who reads Billy’s “Sunday Mirror” (589), has been on the dole for 7 months (607). Kathy has bought a dress for £8.95 in a sale at “Jill Wray’s” (595). Betty’s late husband Reggie used to have an Escort (617). She never learned to drive (617).

Jonathan has been working on the Rowley and Watkins contract (587, 588). It is two years before he buys into the partnership (611). His rival for Cheryl, Ben(wall), is from Ottowa (608), and lectures at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver (608). Cheryl answers Jonathan’s telephone with its last four numbers, 9004 (631). Donna is now working as a floating courier on a cruise liner (608).

The Rogers’ shop at Tesco’s (610). Katie, who has a toy called “Mr Koala” (598), is in the first year, and Geoff is in the third year (611) at Brookside Comprehensive, whose head [presumably the recent successor to Mrs Pierce!] is Mr D. H. Davies B.S C. (612). Mr Jenkins is the third year pastoral head, and Sammy’s biology teacher (622). There are 1000 pupils in the school (622) – including Ronnie, whose 25-year-old cousin is on her second marriage and third kid (596). Sammy’s new friend Nisha is from India, and her parents have a shop (618). She shares a bedroom with three of her sisters (632).

The “For Sale” sign at the Grants’ house bears the telephone number 051 259 9180 for the sellers, Assurance Trust”, of 46-48 Kennedy Road, Liverpool 12 (591, 593, 600, 601 and others). Having previously been mentioned as Brian Lawrence’s business number too, the very same phone number also appears on the door of one of his tow trucks, seen in episode 609 !!

Blink-and-you-miss-it moment:

In order to conceal the fact that neither Debbie Reynolds nor any stand-in appears in episode 600 as Katie, despite there being a scene in which the Rogers set off on holiday together as a family, there is so much luggage in the back seat and on the back window-ledge of their car that it is impossible to see her. Viewers are left to assume that, when Frank tells Katie to sit down, she obeys!

The end-of-season cliffhanger:

The doorbell rings, and Jonathan goes to answer it, practising the German phrases he needs to use, and reminding himself just one more time that he mustn’t mention the war. Before they come out of the kitchen, Terry assures Sue that Jonathan has just been winding Cheryl up, and their dinner guest is not really a German called Klaus at all – as Cheryl soon finds out, when she is introduced to Martin Howes. However, when Sue sees who has arrived, she becomes flustered, apologises and rushes out of the house, followed by a bemused Terry.