Seasons & episodes

Kim is trying to juggle running the stud farm business with bringing up her child James. She is forced to leave the toddler in the care of Roy. But he too is distracted and the youngster toddles off to explore Home Farm. But when he veers towards the river Biff and Lady Tara are at hand to prevent a potential tragedy. Later Biff confides in Betty that he has been seeing Tara. Eric has the tables turned on him when he falls for Jed Outhwaite and Mrs Cunningham's scare and buys the fake Greta Garbo signature for £200. The couple decided to repay the wheeler-dealer after falling victim to his antiques business. And when schoolgirls Kirsty and Donna get their noses pierced, neither realise the trouble they will cause.

Steve is given a rough time at the quarry after Roy tells the foreman their new employee was responsible for cutting overtime on the estate. And his day ends even worse when he gets involved in an argument with Ned which threatens to turn to violence. Zak and Butch finally manage to bury the dark secret found in the boot of the classic car in Home Farm's woods. It's been a close shave for the Dingles - but have they covered their tracks well enough? Kirsty and Donna are in deep trouble with their families and their headmaster for having their noses pierced.

Rachel is forced to do some quick thinking when the police arrive at Kathy's home on an anonymous tip that a young child has been left unsupervised. Jed's plan to get Mrs Cunningham on her own for a romantic meal soon turns into a disaster when a chip pan sets the house ablaze. Donna and Kirsty run out of luck when their headmaster excludes them from school for wearing nose rings.

Butch and Zak are shocked to discover Chris has unearthed their dark secret. But instead of feeling the wrath of the police the pair are left red faced. Biff decides to surprise Lady Tara at a charity meeting. But he is left crestfallen when she emerges with Lord Michael Thornfield. Kathy is convinced Eric is responsible for sending the police to her home. He denies any involvement, but later tells Marlon if she can't cope she should sell her business to him.

Steve gets into trouble at the quarry when he is told to stay behind and do unpaid overtime. But he soon realises the other workers have an ulterior motive - when they give him a good hiding. Biff tackles Lady Tara about her relationship with Lord Michael Thornfield. But the jealous chauffeur is left in no doubt that he is her number one, when she offers to take him to the next function she attends - as her partner. Mandy accuses Paddy of not taking her seriously. He promises support but is not really listening, too preoccupied with planning the village fete with the Vicar. Later, he makes the big mistake of not listening to her and ignoring her so Mandy lies about her being pregnant - with the possibility of it being twins, or triplets or even quads.

Battered Steve is nursing his wounds after being set on by his new colleagues at the quarry. But tough man Steve is determined not to let his pride take a beating too -and turns up for work despite pleas from Kim. When he sees one of his tormentors he snarls he's happy to take him on - one to one - a challenge that is quickly turned down. The quarrymen think Steve worked hand in hand with Chris to bring about changes that cut their wages. But Steve tells one of them they can beat him all they like - but should never link him with Chris. And if that wasn't enough for the down-at-heel Marchant's, Kim is distraught to discover her horse Kaiser is sick. Zoe tells penniless Kim the illness will be expensive to treat. Kelly learns a few home truths from Roy when she persists in blaming everyone else for her troubles.

Poor Alan finally realises two's company, five is most definitely a crowd. But when he suggests homeless Heather puts a little more effort into finding a new home for her family - he could hardly imagine the scenario. His bar manager Terry has pushed Alan into taking action after the cuddly landlord took pity on the Hutchinson's after a fire destroyed their own house. But when Heather returns to The Woolpack late after a fruitless search and pours her heart out to Terry over a night-cap, suddenly the two are drawn together. Kathy finally blows her top at Eric. She's been forced to close down the tea-rooms for a morning after Eric withdrew Marlon's services as chef. Tired and confused Kathy muses her future over a large lunchtime gin and tonic.

Zoe visits the Post Office to ask the Windsors to talk to Kelly about coming home. But when Vic drops by at the vet's surgery his daughter is less than pleased. After all didn't he lie to her about the death of Kelly's mum, his first wife? Kelly mistakenly thinks Zoe will put her up for as long as she wants, but later finds out it was Zoe who instigated the visit. And when the teenagers mouth runs away with her during an argument at the vet, she is told she must be out by the end of the month. Headstrong Kelly packs immediately but neither her best mate Mandy nor confidante Roy can put her up.

You might have thought Kelly had learned something about herself when no-one was prepared to give her a bed for the night. Having left Zoe's in a huff, she ended up sleeping under the stars. But Kelly is still carrying a king size chip on her shoulder, and when Chris fails to persuade her to move back into Home Farm, he tells her there only one place left for her to go - home! But without showing an ounce of remorse for her worried parents the petulant teenager marches back into the Post Office and immediately starts a row with step-mum Viv. And when her dad Vic brings in a celebratory bottle of wine, all Kelly can say is that she doesn't intend staying for long! Steve gets the call from quarryman Micky Bell to say he can join in the theft of stone from the quarry.

Steve seems delighted to be let into the quarry scam after convincing ringleader Micky Bell he can be trusted. And he leads his co-conspirators to believe he can get them an even better deal for the stolen stone than they are already getting through a London contact. But wily Steve, who knows more than a trick or two, turns the tables in spectacular fashion, on the men who only weeks ago beat the living daylights out of him. Kirsty ushers her mum Heather and Terry out of The Woolpack before Alan gets up. She's frightened he'll tell Heather about catching her stealing. When Alan confronts her she says that the food was a poor girl at school who she has befriended. Happy with her explanation Alan lets the matter drop, much to the schoolgirl's relief.

Kim is furious Steve didn't tell her what he was planning at the quarry. And she is convinced his actions have placed her and baby James in danger. But she is relieved to hear that the police expect Micky Bell and the other quarrymen will be remanded in custody when they appear before magistrates. Steve is summonsed to Home Farm where he hopes to be given a better job with a fatter pay cheque. But Chris has something not quite so grand in mind. Kim receives a visit from a police officer who says that all but one of the quarrymen have been remanded in custody. Micky Bell pleaded not guilty and has been released on bail. Suddenly the phone rings. The silence at the other end frightens Klm to the core. Kelly's heart to heart with Donna seems to have done the trick and the youngster trots off to school minus her nose stud. But scheming Kelly has one last pearl of wisdom for her younger sister. And Kirsty is troubled when Lyn questions her about the girl she has been stealing food for.

Romance and revenge are set against the more gentle backdrop of Emmerdale's annual summer fayre. Mickey Bell makes his move on Kim and baby James despite police assurances that the bailed bully-boy wouldn't dare come near. Steve races home fearing the worst when he spots police cars entering the village. Crafty cook Marlon sticks the knife into his conniving boss Eric's back, when he deliberately tips off the police that under-aged drinkers are being served at the winebar. With one recent caution for a similar offence, Eric is lost for words when he is caught red-handed. Kathy and Biff win the dance competition at the fayre while Lady Tara watches on, consumed by jealousy. But when the secret lovers meet later and kiss passionately it's Kathy who's left raising her eyebrows. Summer romance reaches The Woolpack too.

Eric is like a rubber - he just keeps bouncing back. With the imminent loss of his wine bar license he looks to triumph over adversity by tempting Kathy to take it over. But feisty Kathy is having none of it and tells him she doesn't want his license on loan - she wants to buy him out of the business for good! Kathy has other things on her mind - like what's going on between Biff and Lady Tara after chancing on the courting couple. Her bluntness takes Biff by surprise when she asks outright if he's sleeping with his boss. And he is forced to admit that he is. Alan confronts Terry about his relationship with Heather but is told to mind his own business. When the previous night's tips go missing Alan immediately places the blame on Kirsty. His first reaction is to tell her mother Heather, but he is talked out of it by Lyn. Lyn finds Kirsty at the Cricket Pavilion surrounded by chocolate but the youngster says she did not take any money.

Lady Tara admitted she was more than a little jealous when she watched her lover Biff dancing with Kathy at the summer fayre. Now she's determined to make it up to him with a picnic and drinks at her secluded summer house. And she's even laid on a stand-in chauffeur to pick them both up so they can share a glass or two. But their idyllic day is shattered when the couple arrive back at Oakwell Hall to find Chris waiting to deliver some shocking news - her father has died. Terry and Heather decide to come clean to her kids about their relationship. The couple steal themselves to see what the reaction will be only to be left feeling slightly foolish. In typical teenage fashion neither Kirsty nor Lyn seem the remotest bit interested.

Eric has the perfect answer to the threat of losing his license - bribery! His wine bar business could be ruined if he can't find a way to keep his license after being caught for the second time serving under-aged drinkers. So the wheeler-dealer literally cooks-up a plan to swing things in his favour come the licensing hearing. Using all his charm he convinces licensing magistrate Neville Grayson to visit the wine bar and gets Marlon to rustle up a lip-smacking meal served with the finest wine. And for desert - a brown envelope filled with money. Eric is at his ingratiating best as he fawns round his target. But is Grayson corruptible, or will it all backfire? In the finest traditions of her family Lady Tara tries to keep the stiff upper lip following the untimely death of her father. Her lover Biff tries to persuade her not to go to work, but she'll have none of it. But when Kim blunders in annoyed that Tara's late for Stud Farm business, her ladyship can barely contain her grief.

Lord Michael, fresh from a foreign jaunt, arrives like a knight in shining armour to comfort Lady Tara after the death of her father. She's delighted to see him - but Biff is consumed by jealousy. He sees Michael as a threat to his secret relationship and is anything but impressed when he declares he's going to be staying for a few days to look after Tara. Biff's interest in Tara is starting to grate on Michael too and after a terse exchange, the chauffeur is warned his job might be at stake. But when arrangements for the funeral are discussed and Lady Tara tells him Biff will be at her side, the penny finally drops. Eric is fighting to keep his business afloat. After the bribery fiasco he realises his license is as good as lost and is desperately trying to find a substitute. Alan scoffs at the idea when he's approached - but village postmaster Vic is hooked.

Lady Tara sets tongues wagging when she turns up for her father's funeral with lover Biff on her arm. In typical fashion, Chris ponders what it all means for Home Farm. Zoe is more concerned for Biff after the pain he's suffered following Linda's death, while Lord Michael tries to coerce Kim into helping Tara "see sense". But it is obvious that both Biff and Tara share a deep love, and neither is remotely interested in the gossip they've created. Tara believes that her father would have been proud of the way she conducted herself and tells Biff that without him she could not have got through this terrible time. Mandy is struggling to make her second-hand clothes business a success. But Zak and Butch hatch a plot to give Mandy's fortunes a boost - and head off to the holiday village. The cat and mouse game between Eric and Kathy continues unabated.

The village is awash with gossip as news of Biff and Lady Tara affair spreads like wildfire. When Roy tells his dad sparks fly still further. After all it's still only months since Linda died - and his former son-in-law is with the wife of the man who killed her! Ned races off for a confrontation with Biff but is stopped in his tracks by Lady Tara's lawyer Laura Johnstone. Later Biff's pleads with Ned to understand that Lady Tara was an innocent and that he has to be allowed to get on with his life. But it falls on deaf ears. Eric is not having a great day either. As the war over ownership of the wine-bar/tea-rooms hots up Kathy proves she can match him when it comes to being vindictive. She's taken out an advert in the Hotten Courier disassociating the tea-rooms from the wine-bar, which is about to lose its license due to under-aged drinking.

Kim is at her wits-end as baby James life hangs in the balance. The toddler has contracted CROUP and doctors tell her and Steve that while most children survive, this has been a particularly severe attack. Kim lashes out at Steve blaming him for not acting quickly enough. As the bedside vigil continues Chris- who is usually at loggerheads with his former step-mother - offers some sincere words of comfort and heart-felt advice. Lyn has realised something is amiss after learning that her sister Kirsty had been caught stealing sweets from the post office. She catches Kirsty hastily finishing off a chocolate bar in her bedroom and finds a pile of sweet wrappers in the bin. Kirsty claims nothing is wrong but Lyn. realises her sister is clearly ill.

Kim and Steve are overjoyed when they're informed that baby James is out of danger. The toddler has been suffering from severe CROUP which was made worse because the baby was also found to have asthma. Both Kim and Steve are upset with themselves for not spotting James' breathing difficulties which will now have to be treated with daily medication. After everything that has happened recently though, the couple are thankful that James is going to get better and both promise one another they will try to be better parents. Will's day of reckoning at the rugby trial has arrived. Terry has spent weeks putting him through his paces and teaching him tactics. Now it's all down to the youngster to put on an impressive performance.

Kathy is displaying all the business acumen of a seasoned tycoon. She's made an offer to buy out Eric but he's insisted on an independent valuer - who he's given a back-hander to - in return for placing a higher price on the business. But Kathy has double-guessed Eric and arranged for another firm of chartered surveyors to attend at the same time. Eric's man takes fright and leaves. With the licensing committee due to sit, Eric reveals to Marlon his final plan to hang onto his business. He's going to blame everything on Dee's departure and Marlon's shoddy running of his affairs while he was recovering! Chris and Zoe rumble that all is not well with Lady Tara.

Legal-eagle Laura shows Lady Tara exactly why she's worth £150 an hour, she knows that to make the asset-stripping of Home Farm go smoothly she needs to get Chris on-side. Initially Chris seemed as if he'd joined forces with his sister Zoe try to protect the business built-up by their father, But with a little smooth talking and a salary increase he's soon eating out of her hand. Lyn forces her mother Heather to follow Kirsty when she rushes out after a meal. Heather is shocked to see her daughter being sick behind the village hall. Eric loses his final gamble to save his business when magistrates strip him of his license. He looks a forlorn figure as he writes a sign saying that the wine bar is now closed. Eric later tells Kathy to get her solicitor to draw up the transfer of the business - she's won!

Heather tries talking to Kirsty about her bulimia, but Kirsty’s adamant that there’s nothing wrong with her. The Sugden boys fight for Emma’s attention. Eric packs up the wine bar and causes an outburst with Kathy when he loses control and grabs her. Zoe wants to know why Chris has suddenly sided with the opponent and is oblivious to the fact that the evictions are about to begin operation. Roy gives Kim an old teddy of David’s for James and Steve thinks it's emotional blackmail. Robert asks Sarah for advice on how to win over a girl and leaves Emma a bunch of flowers. Lyn tells Kirsty she needs to wake up to the fact she’s unwell so people can help her. Heather’s beside herself at work and shuts Terry out. Zoe sneaks into the stud office looking for answers but is abruptly caught by Laura. Zoe warns Laura that she’s not going to let her destroy Home Farm and in retaliation, Laura says that from now on she’s only allowed to Home Farm via invitation.

Eric has lost his wine bar - and is in danger of losing his marbles too. Cocky as ever, he tries to make as much of a nuisance of himself, as he noisily packs crates, deliberately disturbing customers. Kathy simply wants him out of her hair, now she's in sole charge and Betty and Rachel are both happy to see him down at heel. Eric's sidekick Marlon has twinges of guilt about the way he maneovoured his bosses downfall. Kathy is roundly applauded by customers when she laces into him in The Woolpack but Marlon can sense the depth of his bosses despair as he leaves looking like a real outcast. Later, as Marlon looks for him, he can hardly imagine the horrendous scene he will walk straight into. Meanwhile, Zak turns knight in shining armour to a pregnant woman.