Episode 5290 (23rd June 2002)

Plot
Steve asks Joe if he'll give Karen her job back. Joe refuses. Karen is furious with Steve when she finds out as she feels humiliated. Geena makes a date with Joe and is upset when he later cancels it. While Audrey is out, Bet has her solicitor round to the house. Audrey arrives back and suspects that he's a boyfriend of Bet's. She is cross with Bet for abusing her hospitality. Bet explains that Edward Welch is her solicitor. Bet comes clean and tells Audrey all about the court case on Wednesday. Audrey softens. Sarah and Aidan kiss again and declare that they are now boyfriend and girlfriend. Ken sees them kissing and warns Gail about Aidan. Dev tells Mike he doesn't want to invest abroad with a bunch of people he doesn't know. Mike tells him he's missing a great opportunity. Todd sees Sarah and Aidan kissing and is hurt and jealous. Steve threatens to cancel the new flat which Richard is holding for them. Karen promises to look for another job. Curly and Emma go to Maxine and Ashley's for drinks and nibbles. Maxine has made cocktails, she's got the recipe wrong and they're lethal. Sally asks Joe about the machinist's job at the factory. He tells her to come and see him tomorrow for a chat. Sarah and Aidan are at home kissing on the settee when Gail arrives home. Gail is furious, throws Aidan out and tells them they aren't to see each other any more.

Regular cast

 * Steve McDonald - Simon Gregson
 * Karen McDonald - Suranne Jones
 * Audrey Roberts - Sue Nicholls
 * Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear
 * Gail Platt - Helen Worth
 * Sarah Platt - Tina O’Brien
 * Joe Carter - Jonathan Wrather
 * Geena Gregory - Jennifer James
 * Dev Alahan - Jimmi Harkishin
 * Maxine Peacock - Tracy Shaw
 * Mike Baldwin - Johnny Briggs
 * Ken Barlow - William Roache
 * Sally Webster - Sally Whittaker
 * Todd Grimshaw - Bruno Langley
 * Curly Watts - Kevin Kennedy
 * Emma Watts - Angela Lonsdale
 * Ashley Peacock - Steven Arnold

Guest cast

 * Aidan Critchley - Dean Ashton
 * Edward Welch - Martin Oldfield