Ash and Adele are both awaiting to see who gets promoted to Duffy's old post. Adele is more worried about her son, who has been chucked out of school. Karen is worried about passing her exams and says she wants to pass first time. Mike tells her that many of the best consultants have failed first time but Karen says she hates failing and that she must pass first time. Meanwhile a silly old fusspot Mrs.Hatton gets on Mike's nerves when she complains about some minor points. He later says to Karen that in Africa people are dying because the neccesary medical treatments aren't available, while in Britain we've got 'patient's charter whingers like that old trout'.
A man and his adult son are out walking in the hills when the man sustains a bee sting in his throat. He struggles for breath as his son phones for an ambulance. When the ambulance arrives Josh is told by Mike Barratt, via walky-talky, that the patient will not survive long enough to get him to Holby and insists that Josh and Brian will have to perform a cricolarangotomy at the scene. Brian bottles out so it's left to Josh to perform the operation. Mike gives instructions down the walky-talky and after a few nailbiting misses Josh finally manages to perform the operation (which basically involves making an incision in the man's throat) successfully. Josh feels rather pleased with himself and everyone back at Holby is delighted.
Also admitted is an Italian chef, who was hit on the head with a solid breadboard and lost conciousness. He is treated in Casualty and is told he needs to be kept in overnight for observation but he says he can't and that he needs to get back to work to make a fancy pudding. He leaves the hospital and returns back to work. He makes the pudding successfully but starts to feel unweel. The boss is delighted with the pudding but just as he's examining it the chef faints and falls on to it, thus ruining it. He returns to Casualty and later dies. His Irish girlfriend Eileen, who worked with him at the restaurant is upset when Mary finds a photo in his belongings showing him with a woman and a child. Eileen guesses that he has a wife back in Italy.
The major storyline of the episode centres around old man Wilf Battersby (played by John Rutland), who has senile dementeur. He has been senile for several years and doesn't know who anyone is. His daughter Gloria has cared for him for five years but cannot cope with him anymore. He cuts his hand on a window and she and her husband Ron (Leslie Schofield) leave him at the doors of Holby Casualty. Gloria insists she and Ron abandon him there and return home. Once in the hospital Ash sees to Wilf's injuries and so do Mike and Charlie. They try to ascertain who he is but Wilf doesn't seem to know. Mike says because he doesn't know 'whether it's Christmas or Easter' they need to call in a social worker. Then Wilf is left alone and leaves his cubicle and starts wandering round the hospital. He finds himself outside Frankie's porters lodge and tells Frankie he's waiting for a bus. Frankie brings him back to A&E and after being assessed by a social worker it is decided that he needs full time nursing care. Meanwhile his daughter feels guilty about leaving him at the hospital so she and her husband go back to the hospital to collect him. But they can not take him home because Wilf doesn't know who they are. After talking to Charlie, who advises that Wilf needs to be in a home, Ron tells him that if he went into a home all his savings which he had put aside for his grandchildren when he died would have to go. Gloria says she doesn't care how much it costs and admits she just 'can't cope anymore'. Then, for a brief moment, Wilf seems to recognise who his daughter is and tells her that he loves her and says 'I'm getting worse, aren't I ?'. Gloria is delighted but then he asks 'what's the time ?' and he's back to how he was before, and he tells her to get away from him.
Meanwhile up in the admin section of A&E Mark Calder has leaked a fake document via fax to the press. Jane asks if leaking is ethical but Mark says he's got the hospital's best interests at heart.
Episode first broadcast Saturday 18th December 1993
Written by Christopher Watson
SERIES 8
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