The hospital staff have an intriguing case on their hands when local tramp Sebastian Fox is found dead. Ken Hopkirk rummages through his belongings and is surprised to find war medals, leading to the discovery that he was a decorated Navy hero. When a relative is traced but refuses to help with funeral arrangements, the Royal team decide to give him a fitting send-off by scattering his ashes at sea. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Goodwin is shocked to discover a farmer's cattle herd have contracted a disease which has passed into cheese that's available in the area, and Jill Weatherill, Matron and Sister Brigid encounter a runaway girl.

Jill and Gordon's wedding day finally arrives, but a huge explosion at a nearby care home disrupts proceedings in spectacular fashion. As the Royal staff help pull the elderly residents out of the rubble, the horrifying truth behind the cause of the accident is discovered.

The staff are excited by the arrival of a TV film crew at the hospital, especially Mr Harper, who is desperate to be caught on camera - and it looks like his dreams of stardom may be about to come true when Mr Middleditch gives him an important job for the broadcast. Elsewhere, the atmosphere is much more tense, as Dr. Ormerod and nurse Meryl Taylor are called out to help a boy who has been trapped below the surface of an icy lake for 20 minutes - and to make matters worse, the ambulance carrying the unconscious lad back to hospital gets caught in a snowdrift. On a lighter note, Ray Piper is brought in with a huge bump on his head - and there's much hilarity when it turns out his wife has hit him with a frozen turkey. But before the day is out, he's not the only member of his family to be admitted.

Ormerod faces a taxing time when a prison van overturns on the moors. The driver is killed, a guard is seriously injured and one of the convicts escapes, while the others are rounded up and taken for treatment at the hospital, where Ken Hopkirk recognises an old friend. Goodwin fails to diagnose a serious case of post-natal depression - an error which almost ends in tragedy when the mother is found standing perilously close to a cliff-edge - and student nurse Samantha Beaumont discovers she has an unexpected love rival.

A fishing trawler causes havoc at a wedding reception and Adam has to make a difficult choice.

Dr. Ormerod is furious to discover the police have launched an investigation into his wife's death, and reveals in a heated outburst that she was planning to leave him at the time of the accident. Bad news strikes a family when it emerges a couple's son has developed a hereditary heart disorder, a mother-to-be suffers kidney failure during childbirth and hospital porter Ken Hopkirk needs an operation after injuring himself while lifting a piano. Romance blossoms for Dr. Goodwin and student nurse Samantha Beaumont, and Lizzie Kennoway's driving lesson ends in disaster when she slams into the back of Mr. Harper's parked car.

New GP and anaesthetist Dr. Jeffrey Goodwin has a tough first day at work when he witnesses a car crash, gets attacked by one of the drivers involved and has his own vehicle and possessions stolen on his way to The Royal. After recovering from his injuries, Goodwin treats local landowner Lord Firminger who's collapsed on his estate, and gets off to a shaky start with Rose by asking him to perform emergency surgery on a cancer victim. Back at the hospital, Cheriton's mother Annette arrives to collect her dead son's things, surprising staff nurse Meryl Taylor by revealing a photo of a fiancee she never knew about.

A group of drunken mods arrive at the hospital in a shocking state, and Ken Hopkirk soon makes the grim discovery that they have been drinking industrial alcohol supplied by their friend, theatre technician Alun Morris. Meanwhile, a fourth member of the boozing group is brought in and has his stomach pumped immediately - but it soon emerges that the illicit hooch has blinded him. Elsewhere, Mr Rose and his surgical team treat a widow with a gangrenous toe at her farmhouse, and student nurse Samantha Beaumont receives a telling-off for laying out operating instruments in an incorrect order.

A dangerous situation arises on board a sinking trawler and Matron hands in her resignation.

Dr. Ormerod returns to work after his accident, but when his brusque treatment of a hypochondriac schoolgirl ends in tragedy, it's clear he still needs time to recover. New nurse Catherine Deane starts her rounds on the wards, and Mr. Middleditch has a surprise announcement to make.

When a mother falls seriously ill, staff at the hospital are faced with a dilemma.

Jill becomes unwell after earlier receiving the results of a pregnancy test. Elsewhere, when a baby goes missing, suspicion falls on the parents of a girl admitted with a broken ankle. Meanwhile, Gordon makes a discovery about a diabetic patient that explains his behaviour and, in a dramatic finale, tragedy looms over the hospital.

Ormerod faces a testing time when his father-in-law arrives demanding to know whether he was seeing Dr. Weatherill while his late daughter was still alive. Following a heated exchange, it emerges that the disgruntled patriarch has hired a private detective to investigate the couple - but the situation only serves to bring them closer together, culminating in a marriage proposal. At the Royal, a painfully thin girl causes concern for Goodwin - whose green-eyed monster emerges when student nurse Samantha Beaumont agrees to a date with a younger man - and the hospital is evacuated after a suicide victim's corpse is brought in emitting toxic fumes.

Weatherill decides to return to work after having a baby. A local family prove a handful for the hospital staff. In Africa, Goodwin faces the horrors of war and makes a promise to a dying woman - but can he keep his word?

A piano teacher (guest star George Costigan) remains suspiciously secretive about his past when brought in to casualty after collapsing outside the hospital. Matron's revelation about Susie cools Alun's interest in her, and Mike takes pity on a mother while he treats her son. Elsewhere, Jill delivers bad news to an elderly patient and the porters are forced to take industrial action in support of a colleague.

Suspicion falls on Adam over missing hospital funds and Mike attends a meeting to assess the mental welfare of a 50-year-old man who still lives with his mother. Elsewhere, Gordon's ex-father-in-law pays an unexpected visit with some sobering news and Ken has a confession to make to his colleagues.

Samantha struggles to cope with the reality of her recent discovery and takes desperate action which leaves her life hanging in the balance. Frankie and Gordon attempt a daring rescue to help a teenager in danger on the weir, while Ken has something to hide from Harper. Jeff's casual encounter with a friend of Lizzie's suddenly turns serious when he realises his career could be at risk.

Dr. Goodwin faces the pressure as rumours about him frantically circulate the hospital and when Dr. Weatherill passes on some important news, he wastes no time in using it to set the record straight. Nurse Taylor's happiness about her future with Frankie is sensationally shattered as the extent of his dishonesty is revealed, while Matron is shocked to see a familiar face on the ward.

The hospital has its hands full when a typhoid epidemic breaks out in the community. Things get worse as the disease's source is traced back to the wards and staff struggle to locate it. Dr. Weatherill is forced to reprimand Dr. Ormerod after catching him sleeping on the job - but also has a startling piece of news to give him.

Lady Isabella Martindale has had a horse riding accident and is driven to THE ROYAL by her Chauffeur Tom, who Lizzie takes an instant liking to! Whilst Mr Rose diagnoses Lady Isabella with a broken ankle, Adam Carnegie tries to charm her into making a donation to the private wards.

Dr. Cheriton has the unenviable task of informing a patient she has little time to live, and the situation soon prompts the wedding of the year. Arriving at the scene of an accident at the railway station, Dr. Ormerod is forced to make a drastic decision, but an oncoming train signals disaster. Gambling fever grips the hospital when a champion jockey is admitted and, as always, Greengrass is in the thick of the furore.

Ormerod faces a difficult dilemma when Caroline's father Henry turns up suggesting they turn off her life-support machine, having done all they can, but the guilt-ridden doctor wonders whether he'd only be letting her die so he can be with Weatherill. Meanwhile, Goodwin puts his career on the line when he allows a member of the public to cure a back injury, student nurse Samantha Beaumont is less than impressed by a date with theatre technician Alun Morris and a patient's pet parrot causes chaos in the hospital.

Brigid arrives at a decision and Lucy Klein is disturbed by the unscheduled reappearance of a figure from the past. Mr. Harper rests on his laurels, certain his future is assured, while Ormerod and Weatherill reveal they are about to end their relationship - only to find the news is already common knowledge.

Goodwin comes to the aid of a man brought in with a leg injury which his friend claims was sustained in an agricultural accident, but it soon emerges that he's actually suffering a gunshot wound - prompting his panic-stricken acquaintance to pull a revolver on the hospital staff. As armed police surround the Royal, the doctors strive to persuade him to hand over the gun, but will they be able to prevent further bloodshed? Meanwhile, Ormerod helps fossil collectors hurt in a landslide, Matron tries to convince Sister Brigid to return to work and student nurse Samantha Beaumont is less than impressed at the offer of a date with Alun Morris.

Goodwin returns to England with Nkeshi, but his plans for her future face some opposition. A singing superstar requires a hospital stay but Frankie almost loses his job when the paparazzi catch them in flagrante.