Joyce takes a three day break leaving Les in charge. He is not very good, accidentally attacking Clive and being coerced by Bianca into sacking Mateo for flirting with her, though a full-scale protest with television coverage leads to his reinstatement. The Stewarts prepare to scatter the ashes of a deceased friend but the wind blows away the box, opening it to reveal what appears to be a severed head - actually Les's new wig, as the boxes got mixed up, All this determines Joyce to return to work early, with old flame Cyril, who has escaped from a Thai prison. Madge, meanwhile, is untypically nice to everybody, believing she is terminally ill, but, as she breaks the news to the Garveys a fight breaks out, due to Les's incompetence.