Season Seven Episode Guide

The storylines:

This season sees the arrival of the Corkhill family, whose members, including as yet unseen relatives, would maintain a presence on the Close for the rest of the series. And while it also involves the return of Lucy, the death of Edna, Karen’s first days at University and more of the usual mischief with Damon, one event would long be remembered, as three of the residents are taken hostage in their home by a deranged man with a gun. Only two of them would survive the ordeal…

The dates:

It is reasonable to suppose that most scenes are set on approximately the dates on which the episodes were originally aired. There are only occasional more specific references that it is Monday (279); Tuesday (278 ); the 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing (289); August (291); Bank Holiday Monday (295); August 27th (296 – as Matty goes to the interview he mentioned in episode 293 was on this date); 5th November (316); and Saturday (320).

Name-checks:

“News at Ten” (277); “Indiana Jones” (280); “Superman IV” (280), “Jaws” (280); Maupassant, writer of a story read by Father Gibbons (282); Paul Newman (286); “This Is Your Life” (286); Rudolph Valentino (287); Clint Eastwood (288 ); Samantha Fox (291); David Bailey (292); Greta Garbo (292); Maggie Thatcher (292, 294); John Wayne (293); Robbie Burns (298); Sir Walter Scott (298 ); William McGonigal (298 ); William Miller, and his creation Wee Willie Winkie (298 ); Lady Di (305, 308 ); Max Bygraves (307); Algernon, “The Importance Of Being Ernest” (308); Adrian Heath, Everton footballer (308); Felix Randall, Liverpool playwright (309); Gunga Din, Indian waterbearer (309); Nigel Dempster, gossip columnist (313); and “Jason and the Argonauts” (318 ).

Locations:

All of the action in this season is set in Liverpool, except that Pat, Sandra, her mother, Fiona and Alec are seen in various parts of Glasgow in episodes 297 and 298; Ralph and Harry are seen in various Welsh locations, including the countryside, as they go to Blaenau Festiniog in episode 316, encountering the Railway Guard and Joe Pritchard on their way; and Terry, Pat and Sandra go to London, meeting Kate’s family under unfortunate circumstances, in episode 292. There is, however, only one exterior scene of the trio in their Citroen 2CV, slightly lost as they near their destination – and while this scene is set “south of the river” in London, it may not necessarily have been recorded there.

Births:

None. It is Tom’s birthday in episode 283, which is “next Friday” in episode 282.. He was 19 when Rowena, now 17, was born (302). In episode 310, Claire is 10 months old, and Lucy’s birthday is “next week” – she celebrates it in episode 311. Karen is now 19 (311, 312), Harry is 66 (284), Julia is 64 (314), and, according to Damon, Kate is 25 (285). Edna was born on 4th March 1920 (319).

Marriages:

None. Bobby and Sheila have now been married for either 27 years (278 ) or 26 years (279, 280). Harry and Edna courted for three years, and were married for 40 years (301)

Deaths:

Three. Kate Moses is shot dead in episode 289 by John Clarke, who then commits suicide with the same gun; and, following a stroke, Edna Cross passes away in episode 298, on Tuesday (299) 3rd September 1985 (319). We are also told that the following are no longer alive: Jim’s wife (280); Mrs Clarke, John’s 80-year-old mother (284); Laddie, John’s dog, who he killed (289); Albert, Julia’s husband who passed on “a long time ago” (304); Franky, Billy’s murdered older brother (304); Doreen’s Nan (308 ); and Fat Eric Norton, a 54-year-old fireman for whom Harry was once a character witness (312).

Toilet visits:

Edna (289); Damon (309); and Julia (318 – twice, and she had been “in and out all night” too!)

Characters mentioned but not seen yet…….perhaps on the way later:

Stephen, Teresa’s son (281), Mr Howman, a dentist earning £20,000 p.a. (315), and Mr Montague, Tracy’s good-looking geography teacher (319). Oh, and Billy’s younger brother……Jimmy (304, 312, 314).

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

Suzi (278, 281); Marie Jackson (279, 299, 300, 301, 303, 308 ); Michelle (279, 301, 319); Archie (280, 301);Margaret (280, 282); Gary (280); Little George Jackson (280, 320); Bernadette (281, 294); George Williams (282, 283, 299); George Jackson (283, 295, 299, 303, 320); Tommy McArdle (289); Petra (291); Gordon (295, 304, 307, 309, 311, 315); Grace (295, 296, 298, 301, 315, 319); Greg (301); Deakin Matthews (303, 304, 318 ); Andrew (308 ); Janice (310, 313, 314); Ruth (311); Howard Drucker (314, 318 ); Joyce (315); Malcolm Pollock (318); Albert Duff (319).

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

Carol’s daughter Debbie (278 ); Archie’s grandchildren (280); Jim’s daughters Judith and Angela/Angie (280); Priscilla, getting a Russell Grant autograph (284); Mr Owen, Mrs Clarke’s doctor (284); Tina Roberts, Camilla’s aunt (288 ); Charlie, a picket (293); Joan Ryder, Karen’s friend who failed all her “A” levels (294); Pauline Walker, a friend of Annabelle’s who once ate a slug (296); “Smelly” Simpson, who Paul knew at Dunkirk (296); Ken, friend of Sandra (297); Jenny, who Fiona shares with (297); Sandra’s brother Graham (297); Cousin Maurie in Sheffield and Gus Webster in Dagenham, who send Harry sympathy cards (299); Jean’s kids (300); Tom’s secretary Jane (301, 314); Mr Watkins, the Corkhills’ previous next-door neighbour (301); Freddie Willis, an ex-jailbird (303); Private Beswick, whose bullet, not Paul’s, killed a Jap (304); Tracy’s friends Paula (305) and Debbie (306); Pamela’s brother, who went to Cambridge (307); her father (308 ); her aunt Barbara (308 ); Doreen’s auntie Joan on her father’s side in Maghull (308 ); Dilys’s mother and father (308 ); the Dubois (309, 313); Tom’s cousin Tim Curzon and his wife (309); Sylvia Williams, a friend of the family who Lucy doesn’t like (310); Kev, Bobby’s boss (310); Brian Malone, who fancies Tracy, but has a face like a map of the moon (310); Ozzy Netherland, a footballer who Sheila was almost engaged too, now an alcoholic landlord (310); Jack, a railwayman in a story told by Ralph (312); Mrs Kerfoot, Julia’s next-door neighbour (313); Norman Greenwood, James’s contact (314); Mr Fox, an expensive solicitor Mr Harrison recommends to Billy (314); Mr Harrison’s wife (314); Baker, manager at Cottington Towers (314); Ronald Armstrong, a long-jumper who Julia used to have a crush on (315); and Billy Whizz, new chief accountant. (318 ).

Goofs:

Although Tom’s company has always been referred to as Curzon Communications, the sign seen in episode 283 reads CURZONS COMMUNICATIONS.

In episode 297, Sandra says her brother is Graham, although in episode 233 it was Derek.

In episode 318, Heather refers to “Hamilton Devereux”, missing out the “&”.

Trivia:

Annabelle was a patrol leader in the Girl Guides (295). It is 15 years since Paul has gone to an army reunion (303). Lucy shops at Sainsbury’s (311), as does Heather (286). Billy works at James Pollock’s (302). He reads “The Sun” (303). The killer of his older brother Franky got 11 years (304). Doreen’s fireplace is from Paul Fell & Co. (301). Tracy is taking “O” levels in June (319).

Edna’s funeral is the first one Jessica goes to (300). Harry was decorated for bravery in 1944 (291). He has supported Everton for fifty years (311). A man had to be peeled off the front of the train Harry drove in 1973 (290). The car Harry buys has the names BARRY and JANICE on the windscreen (281). It is Lot 102, a 1982 Fiesta, and costs him £1,350 (282). Ralph has driven for “30-odd” years (283).

Bobby and Sheila stayed in a caravan when they honeymooned at Rhyl (281). Bobby has his vasectomy at the Belgrave Private Clinic (277). Karen gets two Bs and a C in her “A” levels (302). The book Damon gets her, and which ends up back with her after it has been passed from one neighbour to another, is “Interpersonal Communications in the Western Democracies” by Dr. D. Kirkham (306). She met David in “Picton Library” (307), and has an aunt in Basingstoke (307).

Matty has been out of work for two years (293). Pamela, a law student (308 ), is from Leatherhead, Surrey (307) and is in Wilberforce Hall (308 ). Her first choice of university was Exeter (307), and her father is a solicitor (307). She has a bear called Barbara, named after her aunt (308 ), and played Algernon in “The Importance of Being Ernest” at her all-girl school (308 ). Dilys, studying English, lives on a farm near Colwyn (308 ). Susan is taking History (308 ). Camilla Roberts measures 36-24-36 (291).

Staff Nurse Kate Moses (291) is/was a lapsed Baptist (287). Sandra is an atheist, formerly a Presbyterian (287); John Clarke, whose late mother was in hospital for three weeks, has sold shoes for eleven years (285). One of the newspaper headlines following the siege in which they were involved was “SIEGE POLICE INTERRUPT BLACK MAGIC ORGY” (290). Sandra had only previously been to one funeral (291), while Terry had been to Petra’s (291). He is scared of heights (318 ). Kate was Tony and Debbie’s older sister (292). Their grandfather came to England in 1940 (292). Sandra’s friend Alec, who she has known for six years, is moving to Falkirk after Christmas (297).

Heather has no brothers or sisters (286). She receives a letter dated 6th September 1985 from Maxwell, Entwistle & Byrne, Martins Building, Water Street, Liverpool L2 3TD, telephone number 051-227-4545 (310). Jim Curzon’s daughter Judith is married and lives in Kent, and his other daughter Angela (“Angie”), who works abroad for an airline company, has a married boyfriend (280).

Flashbacks:

Scenes from two earlier episodes are repeated in episode 310, as Heather remembers Roger at his best and his worst.

“Blink-and-you-miss-it” moment:

In episode 307, Annabelle and Paul look through a number of “recent” photographs of themselves with Lucy, in which she doesn’t look quite as she did when previously seen, or as she appears in the framed photograph on the mantlepiece until episode 304. However, it would soon become clear that that IS how she looks now…….

The end-of-season cliffhanger:

This is the second season to end with Heather in tears after the break-up of a relationship. This time she sits sadly at the bottom of her stairs, after Tom has left her, never to return…