Season 2 Episode 23
Episode 87

Sky One Transmission Date:
Tuesday 17th November 1998

Written By
Currently Unknown

Directed By
Currently Unknown


Luis, Coates


Warren, Julie


Pat, Jerry


Alex, Adi


Sean, Kelly


Bob

GS: Bob Adams (Martin Beaumont)  Adi Coleman (Roger Davies)  Doctor Weiss (James McCarthy)  Pat Gregory (Bill Kenwright) 

Warren prepares for his surgery. Ian arrives at the boardroom expecting to discuss with Jerry how he will be building a team around Luis, only for Jerry to tell him he wants Luis sold. “Pat Gregory” from Athletic Bilbao will be meeting Rodriguez, and Jerry hopes he will have left the club by the end of the day. As Warren waits to be taken down, Julie hands him a Gameboy she has bought with a football game. Ian stops Luis and asks him why Jerry wants to sell him. Luis explains Jerry thinks he might have slept with his wife, but it is just something he and Lynda have allowed Fletch to believe. Ian isn't impressed and orders Luis to go explain everything to Jerry.

Julie is rabbiting away about Kelly still chasing after Fletch as Warren dozes off from his anaesthetic. She kisses him on the lips and wishes him luck. In the showers, Luis tells Fletch he didn't really sleep with Lynda and hands him his car keys from the bet, before asking Fletch to come with him to explain things to Jerry. Fletch takes great pleasure in seeing Luis squirm, and says while he'll keep his car, he can't get involved with whatever Luis does with Jerry's wife! Jerry and Luis sit down to a meeting with “Pat Gregory” at The Grange, where Gregory is surprised when Luis insists he is happy at Harchester. Gregory believes his old pal Jerry has coached Luis to make him appear reluctant, so he'll end up pushing the price up. Luis tries to stall by saying his agent should be here, and Jerry informs him he is flying in tomorrow.

An out-cold Warren is wheeled back into his room where Julie waits. While Pat is called away on a call involving Duncan Ferguson*, Jerry reveals to Luis why he is really going, and it is down to his "sleeping with his wife". Luis goes to pains to make Jerry realise it isn't true, but Jerry is now convinced Coates has put Luis up to this story. After seeing Pat off and letting him know Colin Hutchinson from Chelsea has also been in touch, Jerry meets Bob Adams who is accompanied by the Managing Director of Harchester Sound. Bob has caught wind of Jerry and Luis having a meeting with Gregory, and Jerry says he would prefer the local radio station had the story rather than Fleet Street, inviting Bob to the club for a meeting later.

In his office, Ian is still dead against the sale of Luis, ranting that he was a bargain for £2.5 million and he can't just replace him. Frank and a sheepish-looking Billy enter, and Billy sits before Ian and believes he is going to be sacked, which amuses both Frank and Coates. Ian reveals he wants Billy to travel with the first team to Arsenal tomorrow evening, and Billy is ecstatic, hugging Frank. Kelly confides in Sean that the rumour about Luis getting back to Jerry was down to her, but he reassures her that she wouldn't get fired over it. Sean then asks Kelly if she'd help him go shopping later, as he wants to pick up something for "a girl" and needs a woman's point-of-view. Billy walks into the Rec Room and Alex and Adi are smug as they are going to the Arsenal game. Billy shocks them when he reveals how he is playing at the same game, and Adi is annoyed at Coates picking Billy when Arsenal is his old club.

Frank is pleased that someone was sitting with Warren when he finds Julie, and after he has gone Warren stirs. Sean and Kelly scower the shopping centre for baby clothes and toys, and Kelly tells him he's good to Natalie as she doesn't have Dean anymore. Sean tells Kelly he knows Fletch has been messing her about, and she should find a nice guy her own age instead, but Kelly says she can't stop caring for Fletch. Warren fully comes round, and teases Julie about the kiss he can't remember from before his operation, so she reminds him despite being worried Frank could come in. Fletch is surprised to hear Natalie is pregnant when Sean arrives home with stacks of bags. He is even more surprised when Sean says Natalie is moving in and maybe Fletch could find somewhere else. Fletch gets desperate and tells Sean he isn't cut out to live alone.

Bob Adams doesn't buy Jerry's story that he wants to sell Luis because he isn't settled, believing something dodgy has gone on behind the scenes. Frank explains to Warren how sorry he is for not being the one to tell him that Ian wanted to let him go, and how he lost his bottle. Warren tells Frank when he found out he seriously wanted to do himself in, but has promised himself he will play again, even if he has to drop down to Non-League. Frank is proud and says he believes him. Bob calls in on Ian in his office, and gets out of him his own Luis story. Ian paints it to Bob that Luis has got some mystery medical condition which will stop any club coming in for him. And to prove what he is saying, Jerry is hiding Luis in case the press/public see him collapse, and won't have him play at Arsenal away tomorrow - just watch!

Notes:

Best Known For: Bill Kenwright plays Pat Gregory. Presumably as Kenwright has a long career as an actor, it was decided to give him a fictional character in Pat Gregory rather than have him appear as himself, as he later does when he is Everton’s second largest shareholder in 7.11 (#303) Saving Priceless Ryan, becoming chairman the following summer. Only with him being on the Everton board since 1989 and an already strong presence in English football, surely it would have been more logical to have him in DT as himself here?

The Best: Sean and Kelly’s shopping trip. Fletch’s reaction when Sean suggests he let he and Natalie live alone at the house, with the prospect of living alone scaring him so much. When Bob asks whether Luis has slept with someone's wife Jerry's face is a picture.

Quotes: Luis’s explanation of why Jerry might want rid of him is cute: "I think it is maybe the bet I have with Fletcher"  Coates: "Go on..."  Luis: "The winner is the one who... [cheeky grin] sleep with Mr Block's wife!". Doctor Weiss makes an in-joke on viewing Warren's knee through the camera "We really must get satellite television for this set - I'm sure this is a repeat!" and starting procedure "Seems to be going together nicely. Pity we can't operate on the lad's personality while we're at it!"

Continuity: Bob Adams obviously remembers the Dean Hocknell situation with Georgina Jacobs (also being Lucy Patcham’s old boss) when he suggests a chairman would only want to sell a player of Luis's quality eight weeks in if he'd “slept with someone's daughter” amongst others [1.25].

Additional Info: *Gregory (supposedly at Athletic Bilbao) receiving a call regarding Duncan Ferguson at Kenwright’s Everton is interesting, as Ferguson was controversially sold to Newcastle United for a fee of £8 million in November 1998, the very month this episode aired. For his operation, Weiss explains to Warren how he has to replace his damaged ligament with some of the tendon from his thigh. Jerry refers to Chelsea and Everton wanting to buy Rodriguez pre-season. Bob refers to Luis as the biggest signing the town has had.

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