Episode 7278/7279 (1st September 2015)

Plot
It's the day of Val's Val-tacular funeral. Paul arrives from Portugal. Diane tells Andy and Victoria that Eric has barred her from the funeral, but Victoria insists that she must go. Andy tells Diane that he will not be attending as he cannot face another funeral so soon after Katie's. Tracy, David and Finn have worked through the night to get the church ready for the funeral but Edna is appalled at what they have done. Diane goes round to Pollard's Barn and tells Eric that she would do everything to go back and swap places with Val, but Eric says he hate her although Diane insists that she will attend Val's funeral. Andy tells Victoria that he has to move on and close Katie's Facebook account and cancel her accounts and subscriptions. Enda walks out of the church after she sees the naked sailors, telling Ashley that she will say a prayer for Val at home. The tribute act arrives but due to a booking error they have been sent a Meatloaf Impersonator instead of the Elton John one Doug booked. Lawrence tries to give Lachlan money as he heads off to visit Chrissie at Rebecca's but Lachlan doesn't really want to go. As the hearse arrives at the church there is no sign of Eric, but he turns up and as the coffin is being unloaded from the hearse, Eric gets in the hearse and drives off. A stranger arrives at Home Farm and skulks round the stables. Pete asks James why he believes that Ross has forgiven him, as it is not in his nature but James insists that Ross will either act in the moment or not at all. Whilst waiting for the hearse the Meatloaf impersonator performs in the church and Paddy tries to tell Pearl that he is not the real Meatloaf. As Lawrence puts Lachlan in a taxi to the airport, the stranger, Connor arrives at the front door of Home Farm and introduces himself to Lawrence. Connor offers to look at the broken stable door, which he broke himself. The funeral party arrive in the pub to wait for Eric to return with the coffin where Pearl eyes up the impersonator. David and Diane find Eric on a country road with the coffin, but Eric gets angry when Diane insists that he return the coffin and go to the funeral and hits David with a wreath. Alicia tells Paul that he have decided to put off running their own bar until Eric is better, but Paul tells her that she is a natural, and that he wants her and David to become partners in the bar. Rodney quizzes the meatloaf impersonator about his line of work whilst Bernice tells Chas that she has decided to see if Lawrence is gay once and for all. Lawrence offers Connor £40 for fixing the stable door but he refuses the money. Diane talks to Eric about Jack's death and tells him he is not alone as he still has David and Alicia. Diane and David tell Eric that it is time to say goodbye to Val but walks off into a field leaving David to drive the hearse back. After talking to Chas, Andy decides that Aaron could do with a friend right now as well, and they sit in Keepers Cottage with beers to sort their respective paper work. Ashley begins Val's funeral service and David reads the letter to Val that he found in Eric's jacket pocket. Fire eaters perform and white doves are let off whilst Val's coffin in lowered into the ground. Connor flirts with Lawrence and asks him to cancel a meeting for him and attempts to kiss him. Lawrence pushes Connor away which causes a glass to smash and orders him out of his house. Bernice walks into Home Farm to find Lawrence cleaning up the broken glass having forgotten about their arrangement for the agricultural ball so he cancels their date. Andy opens Katie's final phone bill and wonders who the last person Katie called was. Pearl compliments the impersonator but soon realises that he is not the real Meatloaf when he removes his wig. Aaron panics when Andy says he will call the last number of the phone bill, knowing it was him that she called. He manages to get his mobile on silent just as Andy rings it. David tells Eric that he read his speech but Pollard is furious that he read his private letter to Valerie at the funeral. David suggest to his father that he needs to talk to someone but Eric insists that he should just go back to Portugal as he doesn't need him.

Regular cast

 * Diane Sugden - Elizabeth Estensen
 * Doug Potts - Duncan Preston
 * Eric Pollard - Christopher Chittell
 * Tracy Shankley - Amy Walsh
 * Finn Barton - Joe Gill
 * David Metcalfe - Matthew Wolfenden
 * Alicia Metcalfe - Natalie Anderson
 * Rodney Blackstock - Patrick Mower
 * Paul Lambert - Mathew Bose
 * Victoria Barton - Isabel Hodgins
 * Andy Sugden - Kelvin Fletcher
 * Aaron Livesy - Danny Miller
 * Edna Birch - Shirley Stelfox
 * Ashley Thomas - John Middleton
 * Bernice Blackstock - Samantha Giles
 * Jimmy King - Nick Miles
 * Pearl Ladderbanks - Meg Johnson
 * James Barton - Bill Ward
 * Emma Barton - Gillian Kearney
 * Ross Barton - Michael Parr
 * Lawrence White - John Bowe
 * Lachlan White - Thomas Atkinson
 * Adam Barton - Adam Thomas
 * Paddy Kirk - Dominic Brunt
 * Dan Spencer - Liam Fox
 * Kerry Wyatt - Laura Norton
 * Leyla Harding - Roxy Shahidi
 * Pete Barton - Anthony Quinlan
 * Chas Dingle - Lucy Pargeter

Guest cast

 * Meatloaf Impersonator - Jimmy Love
 * Connor - Rob Mallard

Locations

 * The Woolpack - Backroom and public bar
 * Pollard's Barn - Downstairs rooms
 * St. Mary's Church - Outside and interior
 * Main Street
 * Café Main Street - Interior
 * Church Lane
 * Dale View - Garden
 * Home Farm - Dining room, kitchen, living room and stables
 * Butler's Farm - Field
 * Unknown road
 * Keepers Cottage - Living room
 * Unknown field
 * Cemetery

Notable Diaglouge
David Metcalfe: "This is insane, this is absolutely insane. What if he does something stupid, eh, apart from stealing a hearse"

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Eric Pollard: "Just the two of us now" (whilst in the hearse with Val's coffin.)

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Eric Pollard: "I was alone when I met Valerie... Now I'm back to square one."