Episode 8957 (1st February 2021)

Plot[]

Laurel wakes up on the couch with an unopened bottle of vodka in her arms. Manpreet approaches Ethan in Main Street tries to explain her actions but Ethan doesn't want to hear it and tells the doctor he wishes she'd been found dead. Charles orders his son to apologise. He tells Ethan he's forgiven Manpreet and questions why he can't too. Jimmy fears Juliette will turn up again. Laurel uses all the will power she can muster to stop herself drinking. Jai and Priya worry about Rishi but Rishi insists he's fine. Kim video calls Al to pressure him into returning the money stolen from the HOP bank account. After hanging up, Al begs Priya to tell the truth about the money but Priya insists it's not her problem. Laurel decides to pour the vodka down the sink, but before she does so, she receives a notification from a pregnancy app on her phone informing her she would've been twenty-one weeks pregnant. Devastated by the reminder of her termination, Laurel pours herself a mug of vodka and downs it. Nicola suggests to Jimmy that they talk to Carl about Juliette. Jimmy is dead set against it as he's adamant Juliette won't be going anywhere near his son and hits out at Nicola by reminding her she's not a blood relative. A furious Nicola storms straight over to Mulberry Cottage and begins ranting to Laurel about Jimmy but she's stopped in her tracks when she finally looks at Laurel and realises she's been drinking again. Concerned, she asks Laurel what's happened. Laurel blurts out she was pregnant and had a termination because the baby had Down Syndrome. Harriet finds Ethan sitting at the playground and asks him how he's doing. When Ethan reveals that he's struggling with the thought of moving to the same village as Manpreet, Harriet reminds him that Christianity teaches us forgiveness; people can make mistakes but doesn't mean they're a bad person. Kim calls a meeting to discuss the HOP's finances. Jai suggests they build the chalets so they can generate more income. Kim reminds him the business doesn't have the money to do so, so Jai suggests they look for outside capital. Laurel confides in Nicola about the termination. Nicola can't believe Laurel kept this all to herself. She assures Laurel she would've supported her and reminds her friend she did what was right for her and that's the only thing she could've done. Laurel admits she would've gone ahead with the pregnancy if she was with Ashley and questions what that says about her relationship with Jai. At that moment, Jai appears at Mulberry Cottage after being called by Nicola. Jai deletes the pregnancy app from Laurel's phone and encourages Laurel to talk to him. Jimmy apologises to Nicola for what he said earlier. Nicola states she may not have given birth to Elliot and Carl, but she would lay down her life for those boys. Jimmy worries Juliette will try to take Carl away but Nicola refuses to let that happen. Laurel admits to Jai that her drinking has been coming ever since she accidentally had that drink at Meena's get together and now she's back at square one. Jai encourages Laurel to restart the clock on her sobriety and promises he'll be there to support her. Afterward, Laurel pours the remaining vodka down the sink and apologises to Jai for letting him down.

Cast[]

Regular cast[]

Guest cast[]

None.

Locations[]

Mulberry Cottage - Living room and kitchen
The Grange - Front garden
Main Street
Café Main Street - Interior
David's Shop - Exterior
Hawksford Outdoor Pursuits - Hide Bistro
Gennie Walker Memorial Playground

Notes[]

Viewing Figures: UK broadcast - 5,635,971 viewers (19th place).

February 2021 episodes

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