S6 E1 • No Turning Back

Mary Parker, the mother of Jack who has just had a liver transplant, wants to meet the family of the donor to thank them personally for saving her son's life. Karen and Beth advise Mrs Parker that donors and their families must remain anonymous. But Karen begins to wonder whether a meeting would help both families to come to terms with the situation. Despite warnings from Anna and Beth, Karen arranges for the Parkers to meet Julie Sprake, whose son Ben was the donor. The meeting between Julie and the Parkers threatens to backfire when Julie wants to become more involved with Jack. The situation lurches from bad to worse when Julia disappears with Jack. Bob and Mary Parker are distraught, and blame Karen for their son's disappearance. Julie and Jack are discovered on a remote hillside, and Jack is whisked to hospital. The Parkers are frantic, fearing the worst for their son. Anna and Simon are settling into family life. But the pressures of new parenthood put their relationship under st

Première diffusion : 21 avril 2002

S6 E2 • Relative Strangers

At the health centre Karen and Beth are concerned about one of their elderly patients, Wally Vernon. After he's missed three appointments, they decide to visit him at his ramshackle home on the edge of town. Wally is a muddled old man, in poor health, who can barely look after himself. But he's struggling to look after his great grand-daughter, after her teenage mum left her in his care. He hides the baby from the nurses. Puzzled by noises they'd heard in Wally's house, Beth and Karen return and discover baby Tina. Wally explains that Tina's mum Katie is a wild child, and he has no idea where she is. He also tells of how he is estranged from his daughter Sarah, who kicked out Katie, when she got pregnant at 15. Beth and Karen appeal to Sarah to help with baby Tina. Wally just can't cope, and Tina could be taken into care. But Sarah has washed her hands of her daughter, and doesn't want to know about her father. Social workers pay a visit to Wally after being informed that he is struggl

Première diffusion : 28 avril 2002

S6 E3 • Happy Returns

David and Karen are expecting a visit from an old flame of David's, Evelyn. Karen is on edge, and goes into a frenzy of spring cleaning to prepare for Evelyn's arrival. It's 20 years since they've seen her, and Evelyn's knowledge of Karen's past is potentially explosive. Karen's also convinced that Evelyn still has feelings for David. Meanwhile, Jess is bitter about Joe and vicious in her condemnation of him to her parents. But there's something else troubling Jess, and she decides to confide in Beth. She is worried that she is pregnant. Unaware of the prospect of fatherhood, and tired of the constant rebuffs from Jess, Joe is not letting the grass grow under his feet. He's rapidly working his charm on the beautiful Bella, Anna's nanny. Things get frisky as they play computer games. But their steamy encounter is interrupted by a knock at the front door. It's Jess, who wants to talk to Joe about the pregnancy. Jess catches Joe as he tries to make a hasty exit. Jess realises from his sta

Première diffusion : 5 mai 2002

S6 E4 • Trust

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Humiliated after David's rejection, and jealous of Karen's happy family life, Evelyn wreaks revenge by revealing the sordid secrets of Karen's past to Cheryl. The news spreads like wildfire through the town. People begin to give Karen strange looks, and make snide remarks. Patients refuse to be treated by her. She is shattered when she discovers that Evelyn has blabbed about her. Karen has worked hard to put the past behind her. Now it is being raked up all over again. Will she ever escape the mistakes she made? David is incensed that scandal is being spread about his wife. His fury provokes a fight with Dick, who he thinks is to blame for the gossip. When Annette Wilson hears about the scandal she is adamant she won't let Karen near her epileptic son Sam. She thinks she will be a bad influence. However, her refusal to allow Karen into her home hides an underlying problem. Her marriage to Ken is rocky after he was sacked following an affair with

Première diffusion : 12 mai 2002

S6 E5 • In Your Dreams

The final touches are being put to Anna's wedding dress by Pat, a wheelchair-bound patient. She was crippled in a car crash, which killed her husband, leaving her to cope with two children on her own. When Anna and Karen visit to treat Pat, they are entranced by the gorgeous man working in the garden. Pat is delighted to tell them that Mark may become a permanent fixture in her life. She is head over heels. Mark makes her feel alive again. Her sister Fran is concerned about the relationship. It's too soon after Pat's husband died. The children are less than happy about the idea of Mark moving in. Pat is torn between her children, and the chance of a new life and love. Simon's life is crumbling around him. The paper factory is on the verge of collapse. He's consumed with guilt over his fling with Evelyn and doubts about marriage to Anna. In his heart he knows that he's not really in love with Anna. It is breaking his heart to think that he may have to leave his baby daughter Amy. Karen

Première diffusion : 19 mai 2002

S6 E6 • United We Stand

Pregnant mum of three Sandra Peterson is causing concern for Anna and Karen. She's rushed off her feet with the three youngsters, and has been missing her ante-natal appointments. Sandra tries to brush aside Karen and Anna's concerns. Her husband Tony doesn't seem interested in the new baby, and Sandra is trying to battle on alone without causing any fuss, even though her last pregnancy led to serious complications. In fact Sandra has been avoiding her appointments because she's been having pains, and she's terrified that she's developed pre-eclampsia again. The nurses discover that Tony is angry because Sandra stopped taking the pill without telling him, and now he's terrified that he's going to lose her. Then her waters break, and it's panic stations. Tony summons Karen and Anna, whose car breaks down, and they have to run the rest of the way. They arrive just as Tony delivers a baby boy. But there's a surprise in store for all. Sandra is having twins and she gives birth to a little

Première diffusion : 26 mai 2002

S6 E7 • Hold My Hand

Karen and Anna are caring for pensioner Tessie Banks, who's just been released from hospital. The 81-year-old has just weeks to live and is being looked after by her devoted grandson Garth. The two nurses are not sure how the shy 24-year-old will cope without his grandmother, and set about trying to ensure there will be a network of friends to support him. Karen feels sorry for Garth, and thinks he is just a shy and lonely young man. But her attempt to help him goes horribly wrong. Garth has heard the rumours about Karen's past and thinks she must be fair game. He grabs her arm and violently pushes her to the floor before attempting to rape her. Karen is terrified and screams at him to stop. Tessie's cry for help from upstairs stops him. Karen is desperate to escape from the house, but she can't tell Tessie what has happened. She gives Tessie her medication, as Garth, realising the horror of what he has done runs out of the house. When Karen arrives home David has prepared a romantic c

Première diffusion : 2 juin 2002

S6 E8 • Don't Let Go

A wedding cake arrives just as Anna is about to leave the house for Tessie Banks' funeral. In all the despair after her heart-breaking split with Simon, she forgot to cancel the cake. It's a painful reminder of what should have been a happy day. Karen is dreading the funeral. It will mean meeting Tessie's grandson Garth the first time since he attacked her. She has refused to tell David what happened. David thinks she's upset by Tessie's death. Garth is distracted. His grandmother's funeral is reminding him of the funeral for his parents. He tells Beth he's going for a walk along Blackscar Top, his grandmother's favourite spot. At the church Karen freezes with fear as she sees Garth. But she knows she has to face him. When he runs out of the church, overcome with emotion, she follows him to the graveyard. Conquering her fears, she urges Garth to seek help from a bereavement counsellor. Garth is tormented. He wants to share his feelings with Karen, not a counsellor. Karen is forced to a

Première diffusion : 9 juin 2002

S6 E9 • Never Alone

Schoolteacher Rose Davies is a well-loved member of the Skelthwaite community and has taught at the local primary for years. Her irreverent fun and wacky teaching methods have made her a favourite with her pupils. New Head Elaine Cheverton takes a different view of Rose's erratic behaviour. Elaine suspects that Rose is a secret drinker, and asks the nurses to find out. As a former pupil of Rose's, Beth finds Elaine's accusations outrageous. She defends Rose, and over looks the fact that Rose's trademark scattiness is out of control. Anna takes a more rational approach, and wonders whether Rose is suffering from depression- something, which would explain her mood swings and irrational behaviour. The final straw comes when Rose disappears with a group of children. The children are found wandering near a busy road. Beth finds Rose in the woods, and realises that she is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's. With Rose off sick, the concert that she had been organising looks as if

Première diffusion : 16 juin 2002

S6 E10 • Flesh And Blood

Anna Kirkwall faces every mother's nightmare when baby Amy shows symptoms of meningitis. She rushes her to hospital where the diagnosis she dreaded is confirmed. Anna keeps a bedside vigil, willing her baby daughter to pull through. She blames herself for not noticing sooner that Amy was unwell. Amy's illness sparks a major health alert in Skelthwaite. The health centre is under siege from worried parents. Sean and Laura Henderson are particularly concerned about their son Danny. Anna had left Amy with Danny just before she was rushed to hospital. Sean accuses Anna of putting Danny's life in danger, and threatens to report her for negligence. The crisis also puts a strain on Sean and Laura's relationship. Sean is keen for them to marry and have more children. But Laura is scared that changing what they have will wreck their present happiness- what if Sean loved his own baby more than Danny? Meanwhile Karen Buckley is making frantic attempts to find Anna's son Luke. Luke is playing trua

Première diffusion : 23 juin 2002

S6 E11 • Count On Me

Beth is out jogging and comes across an old man, Ray, injured at the road side. He's been knocked over by a motorbike - which Beth sees speeding off. Worried, Beth tries to call an ambulance but Ray refuses to be fussed over and won't involve the police. While accompanying Karen on her rounds, Beth spots the bike outside one of their patient's houses. It belongs to Graham who suffers from emphysema. Despite the severity of his condition, he refuses to be an invalid and tries to carry on a normal active life. He lives with his 17-year-old daughter, Jeanette who is fiercely protective of her father and resentful of the nurses' interference. When quizzed by Beth and Karen, Graham admits that it was him on the bike - he still rides it from time to time despite the nurses warnings that he's too ill. During the night, Ray has a relapse and Beth rushes him into hospital. Ray is furious when Graham and Jeanette turn up at his bedside and angrily turns them away. Beth notices that Jeanette is t

Première diffusion : 30 juin 2002

S6 E12 • Extra Time

Lively, outgoing mother of five, Linda Sargent, arrives in Skelthwaite and starts work at the factory. But Anna soon realises that Linda has something to hide. She won't explain why she left her last job and keeps missing appointments at the health centre. Anna starts to notice some worrying symptoms and decides to do some detective work. She discovers that Linda has Parkinsons but Linda swears Anna to secrecy, terrified that her ex-husband, Marty, may use this information to gain custody of the kids. Anna is torn between her commitment to patient confidentiality and her responsibility as Linda's employer. Then an accident at the factory nearly ends in disaster and Marty decides to take matters into his own hands. Anna has to persuade Linda to face the situation and stop running away, before she puts herself in any more danger and risks losing her kids for good. In a last ditch attempt to get Goddards back on its feet, Tom wins a one-off contract for a hotel chain. But it's going to be

Première diffusion : 7 juillet 2002