Seasons & episodes

Chris' world falls apart as he receives the results of his biopsy, and a nervous Scott receives a call from the police over the rape allegations.

Chris is highly suspicious as to Charity’s whereabouts the previous evening. She claims to have been out clubbing with Louise but disbelieving Chris heads to The Woolpack to check out her alibi. Charity manages to catch Louise in time and begs her to cover for her. Remembering how she owes Charity a favour over Ray’s death, Louise reluctantly backs up the story, but Chris is sure she's lying. Chris later cries tears of frustration when the reality of his illness hits home. He tries to spend the evening with Joseph to make the most of their time together, but his tired son falls asleep.

Syd is put in an awkward position, but he is desperate to help Chloe. Meanwhile, Rodney catches up with old friends when the fair comes to the village, and Chris spends some precious time with Joseph.

Syd tries to make amends over the blazing row with Chloe the previous night but with little success. Later Chloe instantly forgives Syd after finding out the police charges have been dropped. However, just as the relationship starts to get back on track, Syd overhears Chloe asking her mum whether the job in France is still available. Furious at Chloe's persistent deception, Syd tries to play it cool but can’t resist her for long and the pair end up back in each other's arms. After a night in Juanita’s caravan, Rodney is flying high.

Chris is forced to abort a cricket game with Joseph due to his failing health. Set on protecting his son from the truth he packs him off to a friend's for the holidays. Shocked at how quickly his boss is deteriorating, Terry does his best to comfort the dying man. When Chris resorts to alcohol Terry tells his a few home truths about his life in a bid to provoke him into positive action. Syd is thrilled when Chloe announces that she has decided not to take the job in France and that she loves him.

Edna corners Terry to give him an earful about squatters frequenting Pear Tree Cottage after hearing suspicious voices and noises coming from the empty neighbouring house during the past couple of weeks. Initially Terry thinks nothing of it, until he spots a flustered Charity heading towards the cottage. He starts to think that perhaps Charity is up to no good. Meanwhile, determined to catch Charity out, Chris decides to play happy families by cooking her dinner. Later in The Woolpack, he reminds Charity that the school holidays are nearly over so Debbie can move back in, meaning that Charity won’t have to see Cain any more.

When Terry spots a flustered Charity leaving Pear Tree Cottage, at the same time she's due to meet Louise for a lunch date, he concludes that Chris was right about the affair. Meanwhile, Charity and Cain reach an agreement over Debbie returning to Home Farm now that the summer holidays are over. It soon becomes clear that Cain has another motive behind allowing Debbie back into the Tate household. Confiding in Debbie over his relationship with Charity, Cain tells his daughter that her moving back may help to drive Charity and Chris further apart. Having refused to take the life-prolonging medicine Chris starts to put his affairs in order.

Cain packs Debbie off to Home Farm to be his eyes and ears, but the teenager can’t keep her secret for long, soon revealing to Charity that she knows about the affair. A hard slap round the face is Charity's knee jerk reaction to being accused of being a gold digging tart. Upset and scared Debbie flees from the house to phone Cain, who immediately makes his way to the Tates, to demand an explanation. Meanwhile, forced into investigating Pear Tree Cottage after more complaints from Edna about squatters, Terry discovers Charity's necklace.

Having discovered the truth about his wife's affair first hand, Chris is in a terrible state. After hitting the bottle he turns on his only ally Terry for not informing him sooner. When Terry explains about finding Charity’s necklace at Pear Tree Cottage, Chris's imagination goes into overdrive, declaring that he wants them both dead. Later, alone in the house Chris loads up his shotgun and waits for Charity to return. Meanwhile, Charity makes peace with Debbie following the reactive slap she dished out to her daughter previously.

The atmosphere at the Tate breakfast table is stale, with Chris refusing to discuss the dramatic events of the previous night with a frustrated Charity who is keen to salvage her marriage. The situation is no better over at the Dingles, as Cain dishes out insults to his family including young Debbie. Having sorted Cain out with a good slap round the chops Lisa tells him that Debbie is the victim not him. When Chris finally agrees to talk, Charity pours her heart out to him, assuring him that she regrets the affair and loves Chris more than ever.

Terry’s worried that Chris means to do something reckless to harvest revenge on his estranged wife. So he’s relieved when Chris reveals that he’s merely planning to divorce Charity on the sly. Meeting with the Tate lawyer, Chris stipulates that the divorce settlement must leave Charity with as little as possible. Meanwhile, ignorance is bliss for Charity, as she plays the attentive wife. It never rains but it pours for Lisa, who is summoned up to Carlisle by Granny Clegg for family business. Marlon is left holding the Dingle fort, including keeping Cain out of trouble and being nursemaid to an ungrateful Shadrach, whose first port of call from hospital is The Woolpack.

Bitter Chris begins to privately discuss divorce proceedings with his lawyer. When she informs him Charity will still get access to their joint accounts Chris makes plans for a major spending spree. Knowing his days are numbered, Chris is determined to bankrupt Charity and begins by buying Debbie a horse. Unbeknown to Charity, Chris has a hidden agenda, just when she thinks he is making an effort with Debbie, he is really planning to make their lives hell.

Louise gets a fright when she spots a mouse in The Woolpack. The sighting forces Diane to withdraw her interest in purchasing Eddie’s double-glazing to concentrate the funds on more pressing issues. Eddie is still trying to keep the wolf from the door as his boss is harassing him to meet impossible targets. The floundering salesman finds trying to flog Betty double-glazing a tough task.

After a romantic night in the bedroom with her husband, Charity feels she is beginning to win back Chris’s affections after her misdemeanours. As the day progresses she becomes increasingly amazed by Chris's generosity as gifts are showered on them including a helicopter, holiday and mystery package. Charity is knocked for six when the lord of the manor announces that the gifts are actually all for him and that he has filed for divorce with the intention of leaving her penniless.

Rodney bites the investment bullet by buying the mill for one million pounds in a property auction. Despite paying over the odds, he assures Nicola that he's set to become a millionaire. The only problem is ensuring that Eric gets planning permission passed within two weeks. Always keen on making a quick dollar Eric accepts the bribe of fifteen grand, but will he be able to deliver the goods in time for Rodney to clench the deal?

Zoe tries to come to terms with the news of her brother's imminent demise. Having filled Zoe in on the deterioration symptoms, Chris makes her promise to leave Charity in the dark. If his wife learned of Chris's terminal illness her solicitor could detest his will on the grounds that his mind was not fit. Chris asks Zoe to stay at Ashley’s place for the time being, fearing that her and Jean may be in danger at Home Farm. Marlon tells Cain, who has been out drinking all night, about Chris throwing Charity out the house.

It's the morning after the night before and homeless Charity wakes up next to Cain in a hotel bedroom. Her heart sinks as she realises her predicament has been worsened with Chris. To further the blow Charity is shocked when her credit cards are refused as she tries to settle their hefty hotel bill. Embarrassed she is forced to leave her designer watch as security. A later call to the bank reveals Chris has spent up to the limits on all of her cards, leaving her practically penniless.

Tempers flare in the Woolpack, and Elaine seeks advice from Siobhan.

Chris is overwhelmed by his hatred for Charity, Steph and Eric join forces to dupe Rodney and Robert is frustrated to find he cannot resist Donna's advances.

The day begins on an emotional note for Chris Tate, having visited Joseph at boarding school in the knowledge that it may be the last time he sees his son before his death. Tearfully, Chris asks Zoe to take care of Joseph after his demise. Reasserting his overwhelming hatred for Charity he says that he’d rather see the bitch dead than get one penny from him. Charity, on the other hand, has high hopes regarding the pending liaison with Chris, even borrowing money from Debbie for the hairdressers in a bid to impress.

As the police forensic team arrives at Home Farm to investigate Chris’s suspicious death, a distraught Charity tries to describe the events leading up to her husband's dramatic and unexpected death. Asked to describe Chris's state of mind prior to his death Charity recalls his weird mood swings from anger to the calmness when he said that killing her would be too easy. Meanwhile, oblivious to the tragic events down the road, the villagers gather in The Woolpack to enjoy the talent night.

Gossip is rife throughout the village as many theories about Chris' death are posed.

The horror of the events at the manor reverberate around the village, as the locals try to get to the bottom of the tragedy and gossip about possible motives for Chris’s murder. Meanwhile, the police continue their investigations and Zoe is surprised at how well Joseph has taken the news. After learning the cause of death from the post-mortem detectives begin to dissect the crime scene and remove the computers from the house hoping they might find some evidence.

As the murder case evidence continues to mount up against Charity so does the pressure on Zoe, who is finding it increasingly difficult coping with the suspicious circumstances surrounding her brother's death. At the police station, Charity is informed that traces of poison have been found in her car. The pleas that the evidence must have been planted there seem far-fetched to the police.