Until now, Frankie Abbott's mother has kept the awful secret of his father private. But Frankie is growing up - even if he is 10 years late about it - and his questions finally reveal the skeleton in mum's cupboard.

With a bit of help from Craven, Dennis Dunstable tries to make his abusive alcoholic dad turn over a new leaf.

Dennis has to decide how to spend his birthday money, and spends it on a horse at an auction.

A road accident means that the Fenn Street Gang become shop-keepers.

Working for the crooked Mr Bowler has brought Craven a flash car and flash clothes. Working for himself has brought Duffy packed lunches and overalls. Craven cannot resist showing off, but showing off with Bowler's money is not only silly, but also very dangerous.

The relationship between Craven's parents consists of Mrs Craven yelling and Mr Craven obeying. So he decides to incite his father to rebellion, and succeeds - in splitting them up!

Craven has been walking the tightrope of life too long, and naturally it is the idiot Abbott who makes him lose his balance. The question is - can Duffy provide the safety net?

Duffy has taken Craven on as first assistant painter, but their industrial relationship is soon put under strain. Something has to give, and it looks as though the result might be a rise in the unemployment figures.

Bernard still waits to start work at London University, while at home the bills keep on piling up. When a friend suggests a lucrative part-time job, he jumps at the chance but the kind of work involved makes him wished that he had looked before he leaped . . .

The happiest day of a girl's life is her wedding day - that is unless she's being married from the Duffy household! The whole affair of the wedding of Duffy's cousin, Deborah, however, is somewhat complicated by Maureen's kidnapping, and the assistance of Frankie "nurse" Abbott.

Frankie Abbott hits town looking for a new girlfriend.

Frankie Abbott is enjoying life on the dole, spending his days in bed and only waking occasionally to play with his new camera. This his mother meets private investigator Mr Drew and persuades him to re-employ her son.

At last Maureen passes her O-levels and begins a new career as a "real" nurse. Little do the patients and the staff realise what they are in for with the arrival of a modern-day Florence Nightingale gone berserk!

When Dennis is persuaded to take a holiday by the sea, his father goes too and takes the cure. but, much to the horror of elderly residents of a certain hotel, the sea air revives the spirits in both father and son!

The gang go other-worldly when Maureen gets them interested in spiritualism. At a meeting held by Mr Grout, a local medium, he tells them that one of them could easily turn out to be a medium too. Abbott immediately assumes that he has psychic powers, but a surprise is in store for Maureen!

Mr. Dunstable has his last drunken row with his wife - who leaves him. So he decides to move in with Dennis. But Dennis, now making sweet, if slow, progress with his girlfriend, has other ideas.

Dennis knows who his real friends are - or does he? Things come to a head when Maureen takes him to a party

Maureen is a bundle of nerves as she waits for her "O" level results which will affect her nursing career. What better cure for the nerves than a nice date with a "nice chap"? So Duffy and Craven, with the best will in the world, pick the "nice chap". But where there is a will there is not always a way.

Mr, Bowler likes Peter Craven working for him because he has "style". He very much wants Duffy on his payroll, too, because he has even more "style". Duffy says no, but Mr Bowler is a determined man who thinks anyone will change their mind - with a little persuasion . . .

No longer able to say "Please Sir!" when they have a problem, Form 5C from Fenn Street Secondary Modern are out in the cold hard world. But school friendships die hard and the mob determine to preserve their group identity.

Things are not going too smoothly for Eric and Sharon. While Eric is busy having a brush with the Law, Sharon realises that there are other fish in the sea. It is then that ace "tec" Frankie Abbott comes onto the scene - on his first case!

Penny (Bernard's wife) decides that a woman's place is certainly not at home but the problem is keeping her job a secret from Bernard, who has rather old-fashioned views on women. Because, when at last he does get off the dole, his new job brings him into contact with all sorts of people.

Dennis falls into bad company and is introduced to Russian bitter. The result is an appearance in the Magistrate's Court. Bad enough, you may think, but when Duffy, Craven and Mr Smith (one of their old teachers) appear for the defence, things go from bad to worse.

Eric and Sharon get back together and the gang have a day out at the seaside. When they decide to stay the night in a hotel, Eric and Sharon get themselves into all kinds of trouble.

Taking a girlfriend home for the first time is always a nerve-racking experience. But whenh you have a mother like Frankie has, the confrontation is particularly difficult!