Massood is getting sick of his brother’s optimism in the face of the family’s financial hardship: “Something will turn up,” AJ smiles, as the rest of them fret about paying the mortgage. 

It’s a state of affairs that results in Massood venting his frustrations on Syed, as he asks his son, “Is there anything in life, Syed, that you haven’t made a complete mess of?”

Luckily, AJ saves the day by selling his bike and organizing a fireworks display in the Square that's topped off by a performance from a troupe of dancing girls. But just as Massood is feeling at peace for the first time in a while, along comes a familiar face to pull the plug on proceedings. Yes, Zainab is back.

Syed may have been chastised by his father, but he has further worries when Amira shows up on his doorstep with big news. She’s getting married again, will be living in Birmingham and wants custody of her daughter: “We want to be together. Him, me and Yasmin.” 

She urges Syed to talk to Christian about her plans, but soon realises that the relationship between the two men has soured since she was last in the area – “The timing of my visit couldn’t have been much worse, could it?” she comments. 

An unsuspecting Christian later tells Syed that their marriage will never work as he clearly isn’t enough for him. All of which prompts Syed to give full custody of Yasmin to Amira. But will a heart-to-heart between Syed and Christian at the end of the week change their outlook?

Baby problems are also troubling Phil as he prepares for a visit from social services. Sharon is surprised when Phil reveals that they are going for foster care of Lexi instead of residency as they stand a better chance of winning the case. There’s also a bit of a shock when he presents her with an engagement ring to wear at the meeting. 

Lola and Billy make a big effort to impress by pumping the smell of freshly baked bread through the house and putting vases of flowers on every sill, but Rick (the fostering assessment social worker) is initially unimpressed by Phil’s taciturnity. 

It’s only when Sharon makes an impassioned speech that things start to go their way: “As far as kids are concerned, we’ll go to the ends of the earth for them,” she states.

One person who’s not having any luck with officialdom is Kim, who gets on the wrong side of environmental health thanks to a conked-out cooker, a broken fridge and – worst of all – a mouse infestation at the B&B. 

She’s told to close the kitchen, but this doesn’t stop her from organizing a candlelit dinner for Kat and Alfie on the premises. Despite an unscheduled appearance from a rodent, the evening goes well, with Alfie remarking that he feels that they’re “coming out of the woods” following Kat’s recent disclosure about her affair.

Little does he realise though that she has received a text message earlier in the day that reads, “He can’t make you happy like I can”, while the evening ends with her mum’s engagement ring being mysteriously retrieved from the pawnbroker’s by Kat's mystery lover…