The Archers

There’s an awkward moment for Alice, and Harrison seeks the advice of a mate.

Susan insists Bert smokes outside while at Ambridge View, and for him to see it as a chance to cut down. Chris arrives to look after Bert while Susan heads to work at the shop, warning Bert not to ride his scooter into the village.
As Martha forages in the garden, Chris asks Bert not to smoke in front of her. Bert teases Chris about Brad saving his bacon at cricket yesterday. He also quizzes Chris about Lottie and notes he was never a fan of Alice. Offended, Chris prepares to leave with Martha, but Bert asks for a lift into the village.
At the shop, Chris complains about Bert to Susan and buys fete tickets for himself and Lottie, noting under-12s go free. Bert grumbles about not getting a concession until Susan relents and offers him one.
Lynda is impressed by Robert’s progress painting the shepherd’s hut, and they discuss finishing it with decorative lantern hooks made by Chris. They reflect on their decades in Ambridge and talk about fete preparations, including Alan dealing with complaints about having to pay for entry.
Fallon is grateful to be staying with Lynda and Robert and checks that it’s still alright. They reassure her and offer her privacy, though Lynda also invites her to help with fete planning. Fallon contributes an idea to support Alan’s bell-naming initiative but admits she doesn’t have the headspace to join the fete committee. Lynda understands.
When Chris asks after Harrison, Fallon realises he doesn’t know they’ve split up. He is shocked by the news, and Fallon asks him to reach out to Harrison because she’s worried about him.

Chris is stressing at being several players down, including Harrison, against the Not Outs today. He persuades Brad to come back to play for the Battling Bulls. Chris is also anxious about his living arrangements, now that he, Martha and his Grandad Bert will be staying with Susan and Neil.
Fallon is late for work at the Bull, and has a shock for Kenton and Jolene – she and Harrison have split up. Kenton and Jolene try to understand what happened, but Fallon admits that they just realised they can’t get back what they had.
Kenton goes to see Harrison, presuming Harrison was up to something when he was away, or knowing that he didn’t love Fallon, and berates Harrison for stringing her along. But Harrison denies that and shows how down and sorry he feels. He feels a real disappointment to Kenton. Kenton implores Harrison to try and make things work, but it’s too late – Harrison doesn’t want to lose Kenton and Jolene as family, but at least Harrison won’t be going far, for the time being, with his new job role.
At the busy Bull, catering for the post-match cricketers, Kenton reports back to Jolene – Harrison seems broken. Jolene asks Fallon to come and stay with them, but she doesn’t need taking care of and focuses on keeping busy in the pub. Jolene reflects to Kenton that Harrison and Fallon will change their minds in time, when it sinks in just how much they’re losing.

Susan and Tracy rouse stubborn Bert, who joins them in the garden for a drink. Bert insists he isn’t sulking and points out that Tracy said some hurtful things at the pub. Whilst they agree not to discuss Clive, Susan has an idea for a proper shake-up – Bert will come and live with Susan, for a few weeks at least, to give Tracy some respite. Susan feels it’s time she did her bit.
In Leeds for Harrison’s big night, he’s delighted that Fallon is with him, complimenting her on her dress. Harrison points out various colleagues and Fallon makes a comment about one in particular who clearly had a thing for him. He assures Fallon nothing happened, acknowledging that as a team they were close and had to look out for one another. Harrison steps up to make a speech as his team receives an award. Emotional Harrison gives a shout out to Fallon, who calls out “I love you!”
Later, Harrison admits something to Fallon – he had the option of returning to her six months earlier but chose to stay on with the job, without discussing it. Fallon understands. This leads Fallon to be honest with Harrison and open up about how things have not been right between them, since her miscarriage and his reaction, and then her accusing him of bottling George. Harrison agrees that they are on different tracks. They agree it’s time to break up. But what do they do tonight? Too late to head home – they can have one last night together in the hotel.

It’s Tracy’s 51st birthday dinner at the Bull, and Bert makes the most of her staff discount, with Susan insisting on paying. They can’t help but mention absent Clive, who Bert defends. Apparently Clive is busy with a new venture and needs some investment. Tracy is quick to point out how Clive stole from Bert’s pension. Embarrassed Bert makes to get up, and Susan sighs at Tracy’s outburst.
At the Bull, Elizabeth chases Fallon up about her new job offer at Lower Loxley. Fallon shares with Lynda her misgivings about people having to pay to attend the fete. Tracy snaps at Lynda about it, but mainly due to the situation with Bert. Fallon buys Lynda a drink and offers sympathy, with Lynda reciprocating as she asks about Fallon and Harrison. After a pep talk about deciding what you want, Fallon confirms to Elizabeth that she wants the job.
From her garden, Carol sees Bert passing and wonders why he won’t stop to make a typically snarky comment about her gardening. As they chat, Carol comments on Clive and Bert wonders why everyone has it in for him. Carol doesn’t soft-soap Clive’s criminal past, but encourages Bert to stay in touch with him. She talks about her late son Richard, and Bert supports Carol’s idea of a memorial service to him.
Later, with the party cut short, Tracy regrets her outburst. Bert clearly has a blind spot when it comes to Clive. Tracy knows that whatever she does for her dad, he’ll always choose Clive over her, and it hurts.