Plot
Laurel is left without a babysitter after Hilary and Doug are delayed returning to the village and she is forced to take Daniel into work. Nicola is furious and Laurel asks Jasmine to look after Daniel while she finishes up. When Hilary and Doug finally arrive the family sit down for a late lunch. Daniel starts to cry, but Hilary stops Laurel from attending to him, reassuring her that he will settle of his own accord. Laurel goes to check on the, by now, quiet Daniel after lunch but she is horrified to discover that he has stopped breathing. A desperate Laurel phones for an ambulance, while Ashley attempts CPR. The paramedics arrive and attempt to revive him, but Daniel has passed away. Mel turns up for her first day at work and is nervous when she realises that she'll be doing her shift with Viv. It's not long before nosy Viv starts asking Mel about her marriage, but Mel keeps her mouth shut and refuses to rise to Viv's barbed comments, much to Viv's annoyance. Also, Jo is forced to store Charlie's guns in the loft. Jake threatens to tell Jack about her 'liaison' with Charlie, but Jo convinces him of the truth.
Cast
Regular cast
- Mel Doland - Caroline Strong
- Greg Doland - Shaun Prendergast
- Jake Doland - James Baxter
- Arthur Doland - Billy Harrower (uncredited)
- Shadrach Dingle - Andy Devine
- Daniel Thomas - Rachel Moonie (uncredited)
- Laurel Thomas - Charlotte Bellamy
- Ashley Thomas - John Middleton
- Louise Appleton - Emily Symons
- Sandy Thomas - Freddie Jones
- Betty Eagleton - Paula Tilbrook
- Bob Hope - Tony Audenshaw
- Cathy Hope - Gabrielle Dowling (uncredited)
- Heath Hope - Sebastian Dowling (uncredited)
- Viv Hope - Deena Payne
- Jo Sugden - Roxanne Pallett
- Zak Dingle - Steve Halliwell
- Lisa Dingle - Jane Cox
- Belle Dingle - Eden Taylor-Draper (uncredited)
- Nicola De Souza - Nicola Wheeler
- Edna Birch - Shirley Stelfox
- Jasmine Thomas - Jenna-Louise Coleman
- Hilary Potts - Paula Wilcox
- Douglas Potts - Duncan Preston
- Jack Sugden - Clive Hornby
- Gabrielle Thomas - Annelise Manojlovic (uncredited)
- Pearl Ladderbanks - Meg Johnson
- Sarah Sugden - Sophia Amber Moore (uncredited)
- Donna Windsor-Dingle - Verity Rushworth
Guest cast
- Charlie Sellers - Michael Keogh
- Paramedic 1 - Fiona Egan
- Paramedic 2 - Kivan Dene
- Dr Marshall - Carol Alexander
- Dr Michelle Pegg - Barbara Drennan
- PC Deves - Joe O'Byrne
Locations
- Church Lane car park
- Mulberry Cottage - Living room, kitchen and front garden
- The Grange B&B - Front garden
- Emmerdale Village Store & Post Office - Exterior and shop floor
- Butlers Farm - Kitchen, yard and living room
- Keepers Cottage - Living room and front garden
- The Woolpack - Public bar
- Main Street
- Café Hope - Café and upstairs flat (living room/kitchen)
- Hotten General Hospital - Corridor and consulting room
- Wishing Well Cottage - Living room/kitchen and barn
Notes
- Final appearance of Clive Hornby as Jack Sugden as he left the show suddenly due to illness (explained in-show as Jack travelling to Spain to look after his ill mother). Although he intended to return, Hornby never recovered from his health problems and passed away in July that year, with Jack dying off-screen in February 2009. Jack appeared in this episode as a ghost, using pre-recorded footage, edited into the scene.
- Final appearance of Rachel Moonie as Daniel Thomas.
- Send Us a Quiet Night by June Tabor plays in place of the theme music during the credits.
- This one-hour episode, again with a title, was broadcast at the programme's usual time of 7.00pm.
- Viewing Figures: UK broadcast - 7,510,000 viewers (17th place).
Memorable dialogue
Bob Hope: "Yeah, but simply, people come in asking for stuff and you try not to jam your fingers in the till when you shut it."
Mel Doland: "Won't you be here?"
Bob Hope: "No, child-minding with these, and then I'm off to work myself. You will be in the capable hands of Darth Vader."
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Jack Sugden: (about Jake Doland, to Jo Sugden; final line) "He's just a kid. He thinks he's God's gift. I was a bit like that."