Episode 7699 (20th December 2016)

Plot
Ashley wonders the streets in his pyjamas. He ends up in a square where an Old Lady tries to help him, but Ashley insists he needs to get home. Ashley finds an old The Undertones poster in a record shop window so he goes inside and asks the Shop Keeper for two tickets. The shop keeper explains it's a poster from 1979, but Ashley gets out his wallet and offers him more money for the tickets. The shop keeper spots a card in Ashley's wallet saying he has dementia and gives him a jacket before Ashley walks out. Doug draws his blue car up beside Ashley and tells him to get in, but Ashley doesn't recognise the man and becomes distressed when the man knows his name so he runs off. He goes past the record shop and asks the shop keeper for help. The shop keeper tries to get Ashley to come into the shop to wait for the police but confused Ashley is adamant he needs to go. Ashley finds himself standing in front of a bus when the man in the blue car turns up again and tells him not to move, but Ashley gets away again. Ashley walks into a church and starts crying. Aaron follows Ashley into the church and sits down beside him but Ashley doesn't recognises the Young Man. He begins talking to the young man about his mother and shows him a record before explaining how he missed the bus. Ashley asks if he has enough money for a taxi but the young man offers to give him a lift. Whilst stopped at some roadworks, Ashley questions where they are going and when the young man says they are going home, Ashley insists it isn't the way gets out the car and walks into the path of an oncoming car. The young man manages to get Ashley back into the car by playing the record on his phone. Ashley and the young man return to Emmerdale, and Ashley talks about his 'girlfriend'. The young man knocks on a door, but Ashley insists his mum doesn't live there, so they head into The Woolpack for a drink. The Landlady questions why the young man gave Ashley a pint, but Ashley doesn't recognise Chas even when she takes the pint away from him and suggests brew instead. Ashley becomes distressed when the landlady tries to help him when he trips. To calm Ashley, the young man suggests they put the record on again, but Ashley insists he wants to get home. Laurel states she can get him home, but Ashley doesn't recognise the Woman as his wife. The woman takes Ashley back to Mulberry Cottage and explains they've been so worried. Ashley tells the woman about his mother who has terminal cancer and reveals his mother wanted him to get married. Ashley talks about when he got a ticket to Helsinki but his girlfriend had decided to stay, so he ended up going to Finland when she hadn't even left the country. He explains how he's planning to propose. A doctor checks over Ashley and tells the woman he's fine. After the doctor leaves, the woman tells Ashley to get some rest. Ashley wakes up from the sound of Dotty crying and becomes distressed when he sees the man from the blue car in his house. When the man turns his back, Ashley runs out of the house and into the pub where he asks the young man for help. The woman follows him into the pub, and the young man insists the woman will look after him but Ashley begs not to go back, so the young man suggests a pint. Over a pint, Ashley talks to the young man, who explains the woman just wants to make sure he's okay. The woman asks Ashley to come back but Ashley tells the woman and man to leave him alone and shout he wants to go home. The woman insists he'll feel better with some rest before hugging him. She tells Ashley that he is home and she is Laurel. Laurel thinks she has managed to calm him down and is hopeful Ashley has remembered him when he calls her Laurel, but her hopes are dashed when Ashley questions who is Laurel.

Regular cast

 * Ashley Thomas - John Middleton
 * Laurel Thomas - Charlotte Bellamy
 * Doug Potts - Duncan Preston
 * Aaron Dingle - Danny Miller
 * Chas Dingle - Lucy Pargeter

Guest cast

 * Old Lady - Eileen Kinsey
 * Shop Keeper - Ellis Todd
 * Man - Andrew C Wadsworth
 * Choir Boy - Euan Lynch
 * Young Man - Bryan Parry
 * Landlady - Lynette Creane
 * Woman - Cal Freestone

Locations

 * Station Road
 * Unknown square
 * Unknown streets
 * Vinyl Explosion
 * Unknown church
 * Unknown lane
 * Main Street
 * The Woolpack - Exterior
 * Mulberry Cottage - Downstairs rooms