Dr Jack Kerruish finishes his last day at The Dry River Clinic in Africa. Jack is moving back to England as he not welcome by the African government any longer. Jack feels he has finished the job he came to do and after a farewell from his African friends, he travels to England to find work as a country G.P.

Meanwhile in the rural village of Cardale, Derbyshire, Dr Beth Glover; senior partner of The Beeches surgery is greeted by a speeding sports car driven by her flash ex-colleague Dr. Daniel Acres. Dan is about to begin his first day at the new health centre. He wants Beth to join him there but she says no - she's happy at The Beeches. Beth's partner Dr Will Preston arrives for work and tells Beth he doesn't know how will they cope now Dan has gone. As they walk into The Beeches it is a state of chaos with patients everywhere and local pensioner Alice North demanding to be seen quicker than she was last week, practice receptionist Kim Beardsmore says she's she what she can do.

Jack i

Ellie tries to help pensioner Douglas Hart with his cataract problem. However he is stubborn and gets by with a lot of help from his close friend Alice North.

Will is being constantly nagged by is wife Sarah. She feels Jack's presence at The Beeches will push Will into being a part-timer. Will says 'Roll on the day'.Dan Acres implies to Sarah that Jack and Beth are seeing each other.

Jack and Ellie tell Beth that she must be more firmer with hospital in order for Douglas to get the operation he needs. Beth says it's not as easy as that and that patients have to wait their turn.

Jack later pops around to Beth's to discuss waiting list procedures. She invites him to stay for dinner. They resolve to have a work free conversation, despite the initial awkwardness they find that they alcohol in common!

Sarah presses Will about Jack and Beth, she tells him what Dan said and says with Jack and Beth now 'at it' he will certainly be pushed out of the practice.

Douglas falls over whilst trying to

Teenager Gemma Sinclair gets an injury whilst training for a running event. Her father; Alan is convinced that Gemma is the next big thing in running and his constant pushing does not help her recover.

Whilst Will is playing squash; Sarah is in bed with Dan Acres. They have been having an affair. She asks Dan to persuade John Reginald to make Will a partner at the health centre. Dan says he will try.

Will tells Sarah he is happy at The Beeches. Sarah tells him that Jack doesn't think very highly of him.

The Beeches crew attend an opera recital. Jack and Ellie are bored stiff, whilst Sarah spends the evening flirting and exchanging looks with Dan. Jack and Ellie convince Beth to take a weekend off as she is exhausted. Beth says shared nightcalls with the health centre would be the perfect solution - if they weren't at war.

Gemma takes a shine to Jack as he treats her injury. After he finishes surgery he finds a package on his car bonnet. It is a tape from Gemma telling him how much she

During a medical seminar Rhianne annoys Beth by constantly throwing bits of paper at Jack. After the seminar Rhianne asks Jack if he's free for the afternoon. He says he is and Rhianne takes him to a football match on the back of her bike!

Rhianne is on call when one of Beth's patients; Hilda is taken ill. Rhianne diagnoses meningitis and sends her to hospital despite protest from Hilda's friends Liz and John. Beth is furious when she finds out and interrupts a drink between Jack and Rhianne to tell Rhianne that Hilda doesn't have meningitis but the flu. Hilda's stiff neck came from a fall and her other symptoms related to a bout of the flu that she had just had. Beth tells Rhianne that if she had listened to Liz and John she would've been able to spare Hilda going into hospital.

Over dinner Rhianne tells Jack that she thinks Beth fancies him. Jack denies it and says there is nothing going on between he and Beth. Jack and Rhianne kiss and head for bed but are interrupted by an emergenc

Sarah is upset that she and Will haven't received and invitation to the captains ball. Will assures her that it's probably just stuck in the post.

Beth asks Jack if they can meet for supper. He tells her he's not sure what kind of relationship they have anymore. He's confused as to whether they are friends, lovers, what? Beth assures him that nothing's changed and it will just take them a while to get back to where they were before he proposed.

Beth battles with Rob Clulow, a friend of The Beeches staff whom, despite a heart condition can't give up smoking. Beth tries to get Mr. Jenkins to operate on Rob but he refuses seeing as how Rob has made no attempt to quite smoking. Jack and Beth are adamant that Rob should have the operation but Will agrees with Jenkins.

Rob's son Harry becomes friends with Tony Preston. They both go to the new school. Whilst playing at the wreck Tony and Harry become involved in a fight with some older lads. In no time at all bricks and stones are being hurl

Will and Sarah host a housewarming party. Beth is not happy that Will has invited fundholding advisor Greg Miller and when Sarah tells Greg it's Beth who's holding The Beeches back from going fundholding, Beth makes sure her views on fundholding are made clear.

Brian Drake complains to Beth that Jack won't fit him in for a medical even though he needs it for work. Beth asks Jack why he hasn't fit Brian in and Jack explains that he was keeping to the practice policy - non-urgent medicals are carried out in the third Saturday of every month.

Chloe is tired and irritable. James tells Jack he thinks something is wrong with her. Chloe goes to see Jack and tells him she has found a lump in her neck. Jack feels it and doesn't think it is anything serious but send Chloe for a biopsy anyway. The biopsy shows that Chloe has Hodgkin's disease - a form of Cancer. Chloe insists that James shouldn't know that she is sick. Jack tells her he will help her beat this illness.

Jack is surprised to see Br

Jack and Beth visit Beth's friends Annie and Dominic. Beth sees them as the ideal couple whilst Jack is not so sure. They have a daughter Victoria and Dominic lets it slip to Jack an Beth that Annie is expecting again.

Will is looking after Tony and Julien for the weekend. They are bored as he is on call.

Annie takes Victoria out for the day, she is not comfortable with her and tells Dominic that she doesn't love her. Annie secretly goes to John Reginald and says she wants an abortion. He refuses her one without talking to both she and Dominic. Annie is distraught and stays out all night. Dominic calls Beth who stays with him whilst Annie is missing. When she finally returns home she is wet and speaks nothing of Victoria. Dominic asks her where Victoria is and Annie says she is in the ford. Dominic drives up to the ford but there is no sign of Vicki, just her shoe and a gushing river. When he returns home Beth calms him down and tells him that Victoria is in bed. He doesn't understand

Joe Rawlings returns to Cardale and declares to his parents that he has come home to get better; to kick his drug habit. Joe visits John Reginald at The Health Centre and asks him to help him get off the drugs. Reginald refuses as he's tried to help Joe many times before.

Beth is trying to write a speech for the impending G.P's dinner; despite his jokes Jack assures her she'll be fine. Will asks Jack and Beth if he can have tomorrow morning of as the Ear, Nose and Throat unit are down a consultant. Jack and Beth agree but are concerned that Will is growing away from The Beeches.

Alice slips in her back yard and hurts her arm. Andrew treats her and puts her arm in a sling. Alice tells Andrew that she is trying to find someone to help her catch a fox that has been terrorising her hens - he asks her not to kill the fox and says if she gives him 48 hours he will sort the fox out himself.

Chloe asks Jack if she and James can come and see him in the surgery tomorrow. Its nothing medical, Chl