Episode 3827 (25th August 2004)

Plot[]

Convinced Pearl is not being entirely upfront about her Frank Bernard, Edna decides to find out once and for all exactly what it is that Pearl is hiding. Edna makes a shocking discovery. Edna confronts Pearl with her discovery that her son Frank is serving a prison sentence for rape. Pearl is angry with Edna for poking her nose into her private life. Edna tells her that she did it for Len’s sake and tells Pearl that if Frank is going to live under Len's roof, Len has a right to know the truth about him. Diane fears the worst when the hospital calls her back the day after her test results and asks her to come in. As she sits in the waiting room with Jack, Diane is gripped by fear and tells him that she's going because she doesn’t want to hear the worst. She explains that when they told her mother she had six months to live she was dead within three weeks. Jack convinces her to stay and she is delighted when the doctor reveals that her cancer hasn’t spread and they will operate to remove it in a month's time. Back in the village, Rodney is delighted with Diane's good news but he upsets her when he tells her that what he wants is a chance to show her how much she means to him. Diane has a go at him for putting his own interests first. When he hears that she will have an operation in a month's time, Rodney tries to convince her to let him pay for a private operation and for once Jack agrees with Rodney that it would probably be better to have it done sooner rather than later. In a jubliant mood, Diane invites all the locals to wedding. Val mopes in the cafe and tells Bob that Rodney has dumped her. Bob is surprised that Val is prepared to give up so easily and inspired by Bob, Val convinces herself Rodney is only playing with her. Val decides to tell Rodney that she is moving out, but is surprised by his indifference. Val is about to leave Mill Cottage when she takes a call confirming the booking of Rodney's Egyptian cruise. Believing the cruise is a making up present Val is delighted. When Rodney returns, having been ticked off by Diane, he asks Val to stay for a drink. Ashley is annoyed with Laurel when she lets slip to Debbie that Niamh is going back to Malawi for good and Ethan won’t be going with her. Grinning Debbie goes to say goodbye to Niamh, now convinced that she will have Ethan to herself.