Dr. Summerbee helps 16-year old Debbie White to get on the pill, because she thinks the relation with her boyfriend Carl Lomax is serious enough for that, and her friend Jenny wants some too. But their parents and the parents of their peers think the good doctor has gone too far. Somebody throws a stone through a window of the police house in Aidensfield, but sergeant Craddock thinks there are more important matters to tend to than finding the culprit. A big inspection is on in a few days and he wants the police station to be in tiptop shape. He changes his mind however when his own police car gets vandalized with paint. And the vandal is just getting started. Vernon Scripps accuses David of eating too much, but they must soon realize that they have an unwanted visitor.

Carl Lomax is found guilty in vandalizing police property and he is persona absolutely non grata with Mr. and Mrs. White because their daughter Debbie got contraceptive pills for his sake. As a matter of fact the whole pill story is making quite a stir in Aidensfield. Dr. Summerbee has one strong support though. Mike Bradley has grown quite attracted to the beautiful doctor after his divorce from Jackie. He is with her when her surgery gets burgled and a lot of drugs are stolen. Things do not get any better when Carl Lomax escapes from custody and Debbie decides to run away with him. Vernon Scripps' latest venture is slot machines, but the sleazy character Charley Woods is the sole supplier in that field, and he does not like competition at all.

Vernon Scripps' past catches up with him. Igor Saukas from Lithuania is captain on a coaster which makes a call at Whitby. Saukas uses the opportunity to call on his old friend, but Scripps is not too keen on seeing Saukas because of a deal involving faulty umbrellas and now Vernon is convinced that the Lithuanian is out for revenge. Much too his surprised Saukas instead offers him another deal - Lithuanian peat. Clive Denby from MI5 is also very interested in the Lithuanian. He asks sergeant Craddock to assist in the surveillance of him. Eamon Maxwell insists that something is wrong with him although Dr Summerbee's examinations show him to be in good health. Every time she has put his mind at ease he comes up with a new "disease". He may even have a death wish, because he often stands on the railway tracks and jumps aside at the very last moment.

There is a new face at the police station in Ashfordly. Probationary PC Tom Nicholson. He is a transfer from Scarborough, where he made quite a splash of himself and even hit the front page of the local newspaper. So PC Bellamy and PC Ventress decide to have a little fun at his expense. A number of items have gone missing from Lord Ashfordly's African collection. Lord Ashfordly is contacted by Chief Daniel Moketso, who asks his lordship to return some items which belong to his tribe's legacy, and the missing items are part of that legacy. Vernon Scripps tries his luck running a taxi service. If only it was not for the customers.

Betty Hargreaves runs the nursing home in Ashfordly. She gets under suspicion of influencing her patients to change their wills in favour of herself and the nursing home. She may even have helped one or two of them into the great hereafter too. A series of petty thefts also seem to centre on Betty Hargreaves and her patients. Oscar Blaketon does a little private investigating and finds some surprising and disturbing facts about her too. PPC Nicholson is let loose on patrol and causes a traffic jam when he gives Gina a friendly wave. David gets a job clearing estates of deceased persons for an auction house and accidentally clears the wrong house.

Ashfordly Hall opens its doors to the public with guided tours by Vernon Scripps. During one of the tours master art thief George Woodford sneaks away and hides in his lordship's wine cellar, where he makes himself comfortable until nightfall. Under the cover of darkness he then removes four valuable sketches by the famous English painter John Constable. Woodford is recognized on some press photos, but when the police want to question him, someone has beaten them to it, gagged the old man and knocks PPC Nicholson down. Of the sketches there is no trace. Not even in Woodford's hiding place. Somebody "accidentally" locks PPC Nicholson in one of the cells and then "forgets" all about it till next morning. A wise move because then he cannot make any mischief.

PPC Nicholson responds to a call about a break-in at the Shields Carpet Factory only to find the manager Trevor Shields "working late" with his secretary Maureen Felton. To get even Shields fires the works manager Neville Sawyer, and when an accident happens at the factory Shields blames Sawyer for that as well. But the safety records speak differently and the factory is closed. Vernon Scripps suggests to the local Women's Institute that they organize a beauty pageant, but is immediately opposed by Joyce Jowett who finds the idea revolting. When it is decided to go forward anyway Mrs. Jowett tries to stop it by notifying the police that the pageant is indecent. But Sergeant Craddock will not do anything because it is not illegal. That does not stop the virago however.

Steve and Amy are two of a group of squatters who move into Geoff Lawson's empty cottages on Oddy's Field. When Lawson hears about it he tries to get the squatters out, but that is easier said than done, and the squatters make Lawson look like a fool time and time again. When not even a court possession order helps three thugs break into the cottages to remove the squatters by force. Lawson is the prime suspect, but when the police catch the bullies they say they were hired by a woman. PPC Nicholson feels he is kept out of the investigation, follows up on a lead and questions Amy, who is very pregnant with Steve's baby. As expected Nicholson only screws things up - and triggers off the birth of Amy's baby.

Meryl Johnson is the manager of the Ellerby Building Society. One day she gets two uninvited guests. They want to keep her and her son Toby as hostages for a couple of days and then make her pick up all the money of the society for them. Luckily she manages to get a warning off to PC Ventress without the villains noticing it, and the police put her cottage under surveillance. There have been a number of salmonella related deaths in Aidensfield. The only common denominator seems to be the homemade chicken pie of the Aidensfield Arms. When Toby Johnson gets ill PPC Nicholson, who is on surveillance duty, reports the good Dr. Summerbee leaving, but not arriving (because he was taking a nap). Speaking of Dr. Summerbee, she gets a secretary to help her at the surgery, Jenny Latimer.

Dr. Summerbee gets a visit from her old friend actress Heather Conway over Christmas. Her stay is not a courtesy call though. She is hiding from somebody and that somebody is close on her heels. Emma Turner is blind and very dependent on her guide dog Peggy. But one day Peggy has disappeared. The dog is Emma's only company over the holidays, but despite a thorough police search there is no trace of Peggy. Fortunately an article in the local news paper turns up a lead. Joyce Jowett has become the new chairman of the local finance committee. She is very interested in the old folks' Christmas party and Vernon Scripps promise her to supply a Christmas tree with lights and everything. Getting a tree is fairly easy, but David has a small mishap with the coloured lights.

Charlie Draper robs the jewellery shop in Ashfordly, but when he tries to escape he is hit by a car. While he lies unconscious on the street his partner grabs the loot and Draper's gun and drives off. Draper's old partner in crime is Jack Wetherby, but he has gone straight since he came out of prison - or so he says. Meanwhile Draper is recuperating at the hospital under the watchful eyes of Sleeping Beauty, sorry PPC Nicholson. Famous cricket player Vinny Sanders has a car breakdown just outside Aidensfield, and he moves in at the Aidensfield Arms while the car is fixed. His stay makes Oscar Blaketon is beside himself with joy and Blaketon organizes a match between The Aidensfield Arms and another pub with Sanders playing for the Arms. David is alone at the garage when a consignment of petrol is delivered and pours it into the garage tanks. If only he could remember what goes where. To top it all the fuel may be stolen.

Walter Ames collapses at the square of Aidensfield and dies. When the police search his cottage for names of relatives they find something much more interesting; complete plans for serious crimes. All crimes have all been committed except one, and they were all planned by someone known only as "The Bookman" by Scotland Yard. The remaining crime is a hit on the Bank in Ashfordly. To prevent the robbery the police keep an eye on all newcomers in the area. Vernon Scripps has a new venture. Scripps' Roaming Holidays, where tourists can rent a gipsy caravan and drive along given routes through the country. The horse is even very easy to handle as long as you keep it away from Ashfordly Hall - and a few other places.. PPC Nicholson gets very attentive when an attractive woman asks for Sergeant Craddock at the police station, but PC Ventress thinks he may better tend to Mrs. Craddock himself.

Sergeant Craddock has been promoted and a new sergeant is expected at Ashfordly police station. His name is Dennis Merton and he is an ex-CID. From their patrol car PC Ventress and PPC Nicholson spot the disqualified driver Paul Rogers going in the opposite direction in his car after seeing his girlfriend Sandra, but Rogers denies having been driving when they confront him. His father Ken Rogers has had CID chasing his tail for years, and by going after Paul the Ashfordly police land themselves in the middle of a major CID investigation. David is out of form from sitting in the taxi and wait for customers. Vernon Scripps supervises David's training and spots the talented boxer Jeremy Purves. Scripps has high hopes for his new protégé, but despite his talents Purves lacks the deciding punch.

Jim Wainwright's barn burns down and although the fire was started deliberately Wainwright claims it was an accident and not worth any police attention. The next day the headlights of George Allsop's Land Rover are smashed and he too says it is not a police matter. PC Ventress and PC Bradley think otherwise because the Wainwrights and the Allsops have been in a feud with each other for many years although things have been quiet between them for a long time. But they may be starting up again. Vernon Scripps thinks Aidensfield and other villages need a cinema. He gets a projector from a closed-down sex club and plans to drive around and show pictures at the village halls. Joyce Jowett is against the idea and wants to have final approval of the films.

A valuable Ming vase has been stolen from Colonel Potter's mansion. The theft was discovered by his son Eric, but the colonel is little senile and sometimes does not remember even owning a Ming vase. Dr. Summerbee thinks Eric himself is behind it, because he cannot get his father into a retiring home fast enough so that he can get his hands on the family fortune, but a professional gang is operating in the area. A V.I.P. comes to Aidensfield and the police in Ashfordly are requested to guard the railway station and see to it that a motorcade can get through the area. Therefore he specifically forbids PC Bradley to question a young couple, who has moved into a holiday cottage about their relation to George East, who stays at the Aidensfield Arms in connection with the theft of the Ming vase. But he cannot stop Oscar Blaketon who has been hired by Eric Potter to find the vase.

When Helen Jones comes home from walking her dog she finds an intruder in her house. The intruder escapes, but not without Helen recognizing him as her long lost husband Alan, who disappeared with a lot of his employer's money. Only Alan does not look a day older than the day he disappeared. David and Vernon Scripps help a young Frenchman Anton Berail. Berail's father owns a large vineyard and Anton thinks, Vernon's cottage is suitable for growing wine. Sergeant Merton tells PC Bradley and PC Ventress, why he had to leave the CID and become a uniformed police officer. Oscar Blaketon organizes a treasure hunt to raise money for playgrounds and everybody spend a lot of time trying to solve the puzzles. Mike teams up with Tricia Summerbee and they make cupid work overtime.

PC Bradley investigates a break-in at Agnes Moorcroft's guest house, but the only thing missing is the last page of entries in her guest book. Somebody seems to be very interested in her guests Sue Dixon and her daughter Tracey. Bradley thinks it may be her estranged husband, but the attractive Mrs. Dixon also has a big, dark secret in her life. The new health food shop in Ashfordly is desperate for goat's milk and Vernon Scripps is just the man to supply it. Business is booming and soon there are customers - and goats - all over Aidensfield. Especially goats. They turn out to be regular four-legged Harry Houdinis.

The walking disaster area PPC Nicholson comes of age and the whole village is planning a surprise party for him. To keep him - and everybody else - out of harms way Sergeant Merton sends him out to check tax discs together with PC Bellamy. Jimmy Sutton is suspected to be involved in an armed robbery and the Ashfordly police are asked to check on his whereabouts, but neither his mother nor his wife Lesley have heard from him. PC Bellamy stumbles across the robbers hiding out in the woods, and when he is injured PPC Nicholson offers to be their hostage instead. A heroic action with tragic consequences for him. Lord Ashfordly is playing host to a party of American veterans from World War II. Vernon Scripps persuades him to let the local brass band to be responsible for the entertainment. This is a bad idea because the band leader George Sugden does not like Americans and especially not this lot.

Sergeant Merton is dating Vivienne Keen, but the morning after a date she accuses him of stealing her purse. Merton of course denies the allegation and is suspended pending investigation, but things do not look to good for him when the purse is found in his apartment. Furthermore a similar allegation was made against him ten years earlier, but the case was dropped. PC Bradley still thinks his superior is innocent and begins his own, private investigation at the risk of being suspended himself. Bernie Scripps is acting strangely. He has seen Dr. Summerbee a lot recently and Vernon is afraid he suffers from a serious depression.

Harvey Cottrell buys furniture at almost stealing prizes. He shows great interest in Alice Stanton's Greek figurine and the next day it is gone. The same thing happens to an old mirror belonging to John Salter, and Cottrell turned really nasty when she would not sell him that. The villagers of Aidensfield have to elect either Oscar Blaketon or Joyce Jowett as the parish representative for the counsel and the candidates do everything they can to outdo and discredit each other. Many villagers find it hard to get to the village hall to vote and Blaketon offers to take them there in David's taxi. Dr. Summerbee thinks that exercise will improve general health in Aidensfield and organizes a fitness class. But fitness may not be too good to herself because she collapses after the class.

Saul Arkwright walks his dog close to Lord Ashfordly's estate when the dog is shot by one of Lord Ashfordly's guests Oliver Langley. Since Langley just drives off nearly hitting Arkwright in the process the latter see no other alternative than to make a complaint to the police. When the police do not do enough in his opinion Arkwright takes matters in his own hand. Vernon Scripps has had a new "bright" idea. He has bought a surplus U.S. Army half-track tank to drive tourists around the countryside. But since he has a boil in a very private place David has to drive the half-track for him. David only flattens half the village trying to get the hang of it.

Josie Peters is number one in her class. The class is going on a field trip, but she thinks she cannot go because her family is too poor to pay for it. Her school has a fund for situations like that, but her father will not accept any charity and insists that he will get the money himself. The night before the field trip Ralph Peel, Len Peter's employer, is mugged and the proceeds of the day are stolen. Josie also has a crush on her teacher Roger Gifford, and when her father reads about it in her diary he believes that her fantasies about him are true. The ventriloquist Ernie Dobson has died and left his dummy Enoch to David, who treats the dummy like a real person and drives Vernon Scripps mad.

Alex Robinson stays at the Aidensfield Arms while he tries to purchase land. But Ian Sinclair has beaten him to it and closed the deal with a couple of potential sellers. Lord Ashfordly has invited Robinson to dinner and he asks Gina to accompany him. His car has a flat tire and they have to go in hers. Late in the evening she feels bad and has to go home. The next morning she wakes up in her car only a couple of hundred yards from Ashfordly Hall. The previous evening Sinclair is seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident, and everything suggests that Gina is responsible. Sylvia and Linda are singers in a band, and to ensure that nothing untoward happens their father hires Vernon Scripps to drive them to and fro when they have a gig. But the loud music soon gets too much for him and David has to take over. The two girls soon discover that David is a real push-over in the hands of young females.

Ellen Richards has a miscarriage, but both she and her son Anthony show signs of being beaten by her husband Ray. Ron Wiley has died and Bernie Scripps is in charge of the funeral arrangements. His brother Vernon gets the idea that they can do the catering as well together with his new partner Gloria Gray at the expense of Gina, who usually caters for special occasions. Not surprisingly he and the others suddenly find themselves banned from the Aidensfield Arms.. But Vernon may get more than he bargained for when Gloria's daughter Millicent turns up at his doorstep. Mike Bradley and Tricia Summerbee are very much in love with each other, but he is afraid to commit because of his failed marriage with Jackie.