Compo is bored. Since Cyril Blamire left for Oswestry, to live with a woman, things have been a bit too calm for him in town. But soon, Clegg brings the solution to all their boredom. A letter from Blamire asking them to welcome home an old fried of his, called Foggy Dewhurst, and help him cope with the sudden changes in his life, after he was more or less forced to retire. Compo and Clegg meet with the new "third man", the war hero Foggy Dewhurst, who because of his peculiar life and his endless wartime stories soon makes his presence noted around town. His military posture, and his "murderous" impulses only get him in a fight with Big Malcolm, and his military precision doesn't seem to be a great help, when the trio tries to carry Foggy's heavy wartime luggage up a hill.

Mr Wainwright is back in town, and quickly throws the trio out of the library. The trio goes back to the cafe, where Ivy is having the usual battle of wits with Sid. There they meet with Stuart, and old man who's having a strange click in his leg. Later the trio helps Sid to mend a whole in the roof of the cafe with the usual disastrous results. Meanwhile Wainwright dates the new female librarian.

The trio takes takes a little holiday in Scarborough, but what's the deal with Compo's cardboard box?

When the trio notices Compo's nephew Gordon is depressed, they come up with various ways of cheering him up.

It's Gordon's wedding day and, as always, problems are near. this time they appear with a face and a name: Big Malcolm. As always it's up to the trio to see that the wedding ends properly, but not without some incidents in between.

Foggy decides Compo and Clegg are not as fit as they should be. The path back to physical fitness is isometrics-or is it? Maybe... not.