Rob dresses as a turkey in Doctors

This week in Letherbridge…

MONDAY

When a dress arrives for Zara at the Mill, everyone wants to know what it’s for, and Zara reveals Emma’s surprise dinner plans for Al’s return. Emma is angry that Zara let slip about the dinner to Nina and Kirsty, and as the news spreads over the Mill, everyone has an opinion. Luca winds Emma up about not being invited, and Nina’s eagerness to attend.

Bear overhears Tye on the phone, setting up a meeting later. He tells Sid that Tye was on the phone to Martine, talking about getting back together. 76-year-old Maud is worried her neighbour Joan is in trouble – she hasn’t seen her for two weeks. She wants Rob to check on her. He peers into the house, but panics when he sees Joan through the window, slumped on her sofa. Rob wakes Joan up but she struggles to hear him with her hearing aids switched off.

Maud is suspicious of Joan’s grandson Dean, a twenty-something, who tells Rob to go away. Maud urges Rob to investigate Dean and he suspects that Dean is using Joan and stealing from her. Later, Rob finds drunk and confrontational Dean with his grans bank card. He says it’s for shopping, but Rob suspects Dean is stealing from Joan.

TUESDAY

Ruhma is called to see head midwife Harriett Eldridge at St Phils. Ruhma thinks she’s going to be in trouble for the incident with Jenny.

Bear visits a patient, Jeff, a 63-year-old gay man on VPAS visit. Jeff is clearly expecting someone, but their wires are crossed, so Bear is shocked when Jeff makes a move on him. It’s revealed that Jeff was expecting an escort and thought Bear was him.

Jeff is embarrassed when his wife Rebecca arrives home earlier than expected, and then the actual escort Robin arrives and it all falls out before them, like Phillip Schofield in a This Morning dressing room.

We have a flashback with Nina to a happier Christmas

WEDNESDAY

Nina’s dealings with a patient bring up memories of her dead husband during the mid-week visit to The Mill.

Nina sees Craig, a patient who is dreading this Christmas, as he lost his wife in a car accident earlier in the year, and it’ll be the first time he and his girls have had Christmas without her. Nina understands as it brings up memories of her losing her husband several years ago. We watch in flashback, as Nina’s early family life with a young Suni and her husband Rahul. Back when times were happier and they were a family. As the story unfolds, we watch how each Christmas develops and the dynamics change.

THURSDAY

Convinced by another officer, Rob reluctantly joins the police Christmas night out dressed as a turkey and proceeds to get hammered and falls asleep in the loo. When he comes to, he finds PC Pat and his colleagues have all left. He asks for help from a couple Cyndiand Leonard (Played by Harry Reid arguably the ‘best’ actor to play Ben Mitchell in EastEnders), but Leo is annoyed by Rob’s behaviour.

Jimmi is hosting an elegant dinner party for Al and Zara, but Scarlett shows up instead of Emma. It turns out that Emma’s son Chris had an accident in Australia and Emma has gone to look after him. So Scarlett has taken Emma’s place. Jimmi is dismayed when his waiter for the night arrives dressed as Santa. Jimmi had booked a silver service waiter and the company got it wrong. Nick needs the job, so he begs to stay.

Rob is clucking annoyed as a Turkey

Doctors, Monday to Thursday at 1.45 pm on BBC One and the iPlayer. The series takes a break until January after this week of episodes.