Season 5

Dennis is threatened with the sack if he makes another mistake. Len reveals that the PPOP members are all doing business with Laurie and that Alderman Langton has sold Laurie his share of the factory. Val doesn't know what to do to help Ken. She blames him and he hates her for not being completely interested in him. He tells her he doesn't need a wife, he needs someone who understands him. They realise they shouldn't have married. Len thinks of taking on an apprentice with all the work at the shop and the club. Dennis takes the blame for a smashed crate so that he will be sacked. After drowning his sorrows, Ken returns home to find Val has left. Val arrives at Dave's flat with her suitcase.

Ena press-gangs the residents into going to the service. Frank demands £25 for the repayment for the furniture. Stuart Hodges turns up and Emily falls for him.

Myra only pays Frank back £20. Stuart tells Emily he plans to see the Mission of Glad Tidings bursting, not close it. He wants to brighten up the Mission. Myra puts the £5 down on a deposit for a holiday. Val thinks of joining the congregation when she sees Stuart. The Representative from the hire purchase company tells Jerry that Myra hasn't paid the last two months' instalments. Martha finds it hard work coping with two jobs. Jerry discovers Myra has not paid the mortgage for three months. She tells Jerry she is pregnant.

Martha goes to Lily's to look after the children and Minnie stands in for her at the Rovers and the Viaduct Sporting Club. Stuart wins Ena over by helping her wash the Mission walls. Jerry is horrified when Myra continues to spend on hire purchase. Myra tells Jerry the £20 she paid Frank was from her dad. He tells her they owe £85. She breaks down and he tells her that he'll take over the payments to sort them out. Gus leaves Minnie on her own at the club where she has an accident whilst cleaning the stairs.

Stuart and Dennis find Minnie at the bottom of the stairs, having fallen through the bannisters. Len grows annoyed as Laurie doesn't pay him for the work at the club. Minnie is taken to hospital, Ena plans to sue Laurie. Jerry refuses to do foreigners to get more money, not knowing that the electric bill has arrived. Gus gives £10 to Dennis to bribe Minnie with but then discovers that it's Len's fault, not theirs.

Minnie convalesces with Ena with her torn ligament. Jerry asks Len for a rise but Len tells him he hasn't been paid by Laurie yet. The Booths' electricity is cut off for not paying the bill. Stuart arranges a holiday for Minnie at the seaside. Len lends Jerry £3 to pay the electricity. Stuart calls in a solicitor to sort out Minnie's claim. Wormold is annoyed that Len vouched for Jerry over the mortgage.

Myra is refused credit in the Corner Shop. Val insists Ken buys a car rather than them going on holiday. Harry tries to help the Booths manage their money but they still can't afford to pay the money they owe.

Jerry refuses charity from the neighbours. Elsie tells Irma she's welcome to use their bath. Jerry rows with Len when he tells him Myra wears the trousers. He asks Jack to lend him £80 but is turned down. Dennis walks in on Irma's bath, to Elsie's amusement. Frank gets drunk and breaks the news that he has won £5,000 on the premium bonds.

Frank starts throwing his weight about the Street. Martha is invited to Spain with the family for a holiday - her first trip abroad. Len is sued by Minnie's solicitor. He has no orders coming in and has to sack Eddie and Jerry. George Dickinson agrees to pay the Booths' debts if they'll live with him. Myra blames it on Jerry not earning enough. Jerry gives up and agrees to everything George and Myra says. Len settles out of court and gives Ena £50.

Frank sells his shop to Summitt Supermarkets for £6,000. He buys a new car, a white zodiac, and throws a party in the Rovers. Jerry finishes at the Builder's Yard and is taken on at Roscoe & Pitts. Martha gets a passport. Frank is patronising to the Booths and is cold shouldered. The residents drink Frank's champagne but grow annoyed as he lords it over them. Ena plays the piano but the party ends abruptly as Martha dies of a heart attack in the snug.

Ena lays out Martha's body in the vestry for people to pay their respects. The Haddons sort through her belongings at Mawdsley Street. Minnie returns and learns the tragic news.

Annie is in a somewhat maudlin mood as she sweeps outside the Rovers but is cheered up when Albert tells her she's in the prime of her life. Elsie is in a similar mood but doesn't receive any such compliments from Dennis. Swindley returns to Gamma Garments.

Emily is prim towards Len when he slaps her bottom when she is up a ladder in the shop. She asks for an explanation and is told that he wouldn't do the same to Ena. She feels insulted, thinking that he looks on her as being a frump but he manages to cheer her up. Annie worries about Minnie as she hasn't seen her since the funeral and Albert agrees to check on her.

Val and Concepta lament how little they see of their husbands. Minnie finds it hard to cope with Charlie's dog, Little Titch, who doesn't seem to like her. She looks through things that used to belong to Martha and starts to get maudlin. Elsie comes home from work sick. Exotic dancer, Pip Mistral, calls on Charlie and invites him to a party on Sunday for the birthday of one of her friend's at their flat.

Len and Harry buy new clothes for the party. Concepta and Val have fallen for the story about the regimental do. Elsie gets in some new dresses for Emily to try on to compliment her new look. Ken feels guilty about going to the party. Concepta doesn't realise that Harry has dosed himself with aftershave and thinks it's Lucille's cheap scent.

The men tell Val and Concepta about the strippers. Irma offers to help Jack out in the Rovers in the evenings with Annie away. Emily entertains Leonard Swindley with a romantic meal. She proposes to him but he refuses and runs out.

Charlie's act doesn't go down very well at the club. Emily resigns from Gamma Garments as she feels she can't work alongside Swindley. She tells everyone she's leaving the district for good. Len is amused that Emily is interested in Swindley and advises him to go for it. Val is hurt that Ken had an intelligent conversation with Pip Mistral - she'd have rather he'd kissed her. Jack shows Irma the ropes at the Rovers. Charlie tells Dennis he won't make it in show business. Swindley has a drink with Jack and decides to accept Emily's proposal. He calls at Emily's flat late at night to tell her of his change of mind.

Concepta is summoned to Ireland when her father falls ill again. Harry and Christopher go with her and the Barlows take Lucille in. Jack refuses to sack Irma just to please Annie. Len is paid for the work he did at the club. Ena feels pushed out by Charlie. Elsie discovers Dennis has given up his job. She tells him to pack and leave but he tells her that he's written off to get a trade in ladies' hairdressing.

Jack gets prepared to give Emily away. Swindley has a hangover and is very nervous. Concepta, Val, Annie, Ena, Minnie, Hilda, Stan and Charlie wait in the Mission Hall with Stuart, Lucille is bridesmaid, Ken and Harry are ushers. Emily tells Jack she can't go through with it because he knows it's wrong. The wedding is cancelled. Swindley knows that Emily did the right thing. He feels that she has spoken for both of them. He goes to the honeymoon hotel in Abersoch alone.

Emily goes to Wakefield for a rest, after sending the wedding presents back. Three riggers, Duffer, Dan and Joss, descend on the Street trying to make trouble. When they insult Ena, Len stands up for her. They challenge him and two mates to a fight that evening. Harry can't help Len as he has to arrange for the family to go to Ireland again. Annie removes her miniatures from display, anticipating the fight. Charlie, Ken and Gus back out of helping Len. He refuses not to fight and faces the riggers alone. Annie dials 999.

Emily appears to be having second thoughts as she prepares to depart for the Mission. Swindley and the other men are feeling the worse for wear following his stag night. Trevor tries to sell packets of rice to the wedding guests.

Dennis goes for David but Elsie stops him. He feels upset and feels that Elsie is showing herself up. Elsie tells him that she's just mothering David. Ken writes a television script based on Elsie's anonymous letter saga. Dennis asks Ken to find out what sort of person David is. Harry gets Stan an interview for his old job. Lucille sorts out her new bedroom at the Rovers. Ken comes round to the idea of being a father when Val tells him that she is expecting.

Stan has his interview at Amalgamated Steel. Elsie decides to finish with David. Ken tells Dennis that David is unbalanced and hates being crossed. Harry and Concepta say their goodbyes. David refuses to let Elsie finish with him and tells her that he won't leave her life. Lucille assures Harry she'll be alright. Alone, she weeps. Stan gets the job. Irma finds David crying in the Street. He tells her that if he can't have Elsie no one can.

Lenny Phillips threatens to close the club if trade doesn't pick up and Norman Phillips tells Charlie he'll be the first to go. Stan finds the chauffeuring easy. Charlie thinks of putting on a talent show at the club. Dennis tries to make David see he'll get over Elsie but David considers using his service revolver.

Charlie and Norman organise the talent contest. The residents grow concerned for Elsie's welfare. David confronts Elsie in No. 11 and draws the gun on her when she tells him he's behaving childishly. When she starts to cry he breaks down and shows her that the gun is empty. He runs out and Dennis comforts Elsie.

Dennis talks Lucille into entering the contest. Florrie starts acting strangely and being rude. At the contest at the Viaduct Sporting Club, Irma plays Hylda Baker with Charlie as Cynthia. Annie sings "We'll Gather Lilacs", Tommy Martin plays his spoons but Lucille wins the £10 prize by singing "My Guy".

Stan prepares for his first day of work and even Irma is impressed by his chauffeur's uniform. Annie sulks over losing the talent contest but compliments from Jack and Lucille cheer her up. An upset Florrie snaps at the customers and Irma. She accuses the customers of laughing at her over her Irishman. Stan shows off the Rolls and gives Hilda, Irma, Ena, Minnie, Albert, Charlie, and Little Titch a ride in it. The dog relieves itself in it and Minnie rips a seat with her hat pin. Stan is sacked. Norman offers Lucille a contract as a singer but she turns him down, not being interested in show-business. Irma has enough of Florrie's bad-tempered behaviour and walks out. Florrie feels old and alone and snaps, wrecking the shop and breaking the window with a tin.

Irma clears up the mess in the shop. Florrie has to have six stitches in her arm. Albert plans to turn his yard into a garden. Annie offers to look after Florrie but Nurse Hadfield tells her that she wants Hilda to do the job. Albert tries to get the boiler in the Mission going. Annie worries that she and Jack have grown apart in recent years and Jack has to convince her that he still cares for her. Florrie tells Hilda that she regrets buying the shop and wants a man in her life. Stan lifts the flagstones for Albert with beer as a payment. Dennis takes Elsie to see a horror film. Ena takes charge of a lonely and confused Florrie when she goes into the Rovers in her pyjamas. Stan uncovers a bomb in Albert's yard.

Florrie turns on Irma and her customers as her depression deepens. Stan takes Hilda and some friends for a ride to show off the Rolls Royce. Norman summons Lucille to the club and puts a proposition to her.

Minnie is thrilled that Tickler is a wrestling manager. Len discovers someone has stolen his petty cash. The residents are surprised when Minnie starts spending money. Trevor writes off for a job in London. Albert's gold sovereign is stolen. He and Len start an investigation to find the thief.

The residents don't know who to vote for in the elections. Hilda can't sleep through worrying about Trevor. Tickler asks Florrie to help finance Stan's wrestling. Ena tells the candidates to visit her at the same time. The residents demand their money back from the Ogdens. Val feels there's something wrong with Lucille. Minnie rents a television but Ena wants to know where the money's come from. Stan goes into training. Ena agrees to let him use the Mission for 10% of his earnings.

Dennis's old friend Rita turns up looking for a bed for the night. Jack grows frantic about missing Annie. Charlie attempts some electrical re-wiring in the Barlows' bedroom.

The children gather to watch Swindley's pantomime. Ena and Florrie take charge of refreshments while Minnie takes her responsibility as the prompt very seriously. David complains of a torn ligament.