SERIES 11 EPISODE GUIDE

All screened on ITV, see local listings for times.

A change in format this series, full cast lists for each episode will appear after the review.

Episode 9 - first screened 10th January 1999 (21:30)

Blue Watch returns after the tragic death of Nick Georgiadis, but while in a minutes silence as a mark of respect, the bells go off, and Blue Watch rushes to a man trapped in a silo at the docks. Sicknote climbs into the silo and puts a life line around the man. The problem then is to get the man out as quickly as possible as he is sinking fast. Attempts to pull him out of the top are useless, so they cut a hole in the side of the silo, to drain some of the shingle out.

Back at the station, Chris tells Blue Watch that they have to go on, and Sicknote suggests a drink after work. Chris and Pearce go back to the office, and Pearce accuses Chris of being partly to blame for Nick's death. After work, they all go for a drink, but Dan first visits his mother to try and cope with the death. Pearce is surprised when Fiona, his girlfriend from Leeds, turns up out of the blue.(to the amusement of the rest). Joe is acting "nice" to Dan, but Sally is giving Joe the cold shoulder. Marianne and Maggie also arrive and everyone joins in a toast to Nick. Marianne later leaves the pub, but is followed by Chris who apologises for not speaking to her. She then accuses him of being a fraud, and says she holds him personally responsible for Nick's death. Pearce invited Fiona to stay at his house, Jack goes home for an early night (not like him!) and finds out that his ex-wife has moved away with their son to somewhere in the London area. Finally, Sally takes Dan home and ends up in bed with him.

Pearce wakes up in the morning to find that Fiona is leaving to go back North. Chris is summonded by DO Chapman to HQ. Chapman asks Chris if everything is alright after he recieved Nick's phone call for an urgent meeting. Jack goes to see his solicitor and finds out that he has a very good case for custody of his son. Most of Blue Watch are knackered after the previous night except Joe. George goes to tell Chris about his secondary employment, but decides not to at the last minute. The pump ladder is then called to a man trapped inside his car. A young man had accidentally crashed the scoop of his digger into the car's windscreen trapping it's owner. Sally and Dan free the driver and the situation is quickly resolved.

After the end of the shift, Sally feels uneasy around Dan and so makes her own way home. Yvonne arrives to see Sally but just misses her, she tells Joe that if he's still interested in Sally to go for it. Pearce walks outside to find Fiona waiting for him in a cab ready to take him to dinner. Chris pays off his gambling debts by selling his Land Rover. Sally goes round Dan's again and they decide to keep their romance to themselves for now. George goes to tell Chris about his extra job, and tells him that the owner gave all the names of the people in the club to the police........

Episode 10 - first screened 17th January 1999

Chris is visited by club owner Terry Martin, who Chris sold his Freelander 4x4 to last week, and asks if Chris wants to join a card game. Lisa is curious to know why Chris sold his car, and so he tells her that he had to sacrifice his car to support her. This makes her storm off in a mood. Yvonne arrives at the station to see Sally, but bumps into Joe first. She tells him that Sally hasn't been home for two days, and gives him her mobile number for that "chat" he wanted. Sally arrives minutes later with Dan, but she is worried that the rest will talk if they are seen together. Meanwhile Jack bursts uninvited into his solicitors office after his lawyer hasn't phoned him for a few days. She explains that there is nothing he can do at the moment. Recall brings a baby's mobile into the crew room for Sicknote. He isn't too enthusiastic though........

Joe is busy getting some kind of scam together in a bucket (more of which later), while George has another word with Chris about his unauthorised secondary employment. Jack arrives during the middle of roll call, and is grilled by Chris. After roll call the rest of the watch tease Pearce about the previous night with Fiona, Joe starts a bet with George on who will 'score' between the sheets first (Recall or Pearce)! Joe gives Sally the message from Yvonne, so Sally makes up a story about where she's been for the past two nights. Joe then asks her if she has been with Dan, she denies it. the bells then go off and they are all on their way to smoke issuing at a timber yard. When they arrive there, there is no sign of any fire but they search the place just in case. Pearce spots a young girl (we know as Lisa) near a phone box, and when he challenges her she runs.

After finding no fire, they all head back for Blackwall and find that the police are there waiting for George. they go upstairs and ask George about Terry's club. DO Chapman also arrives to talk about Chris' idea of a school liason but overhears what George is talking about and warns him of an inquiry.

Sicknote is summonded to Chris' office and asked if he will be schools liason, he declines. A phone call comes through to Geoff from Fiona, which Chris doesn't like at all. Jack then makes a call to his ex-wife's mother, demanding to know where his son is. While doing this the bells go off but Jack remains on the phone, Chris eventually tells him to get on the appliance but Blue Watch is delayed. The call is for both machines to a fire in a School. Twelve children and a teacher are trapped on the second floor. Sicknote seems to be in a great hurry, shouting at everyone to get a move on. Pearce, George and Sicknote are sent in as the first BA crew.

While in the school Sicknote spots a girl who has left the rest of her schoolfriends and wandered into the fire. He rushes through to get her, causing the ceiling to collapse after him. Sicknote takes her to the roof and she passes out at the top. Dan, and Jack go in a different entrance and rescue the remaining children in the school. Sicknote is brought down from the roof and gives first aid to the child. She eventually starts breathing again, and Sicknote wants to go to the Hospital with her. Chris orders Sicknote to get on with his job, so he walks away and is physically sick - nice :)

After the shout, Joe produces the mysterious bucket. It is the new nickname for Sicknote's kid competition. Sicknote gets upset and announces that Jean has had a miscarriage. Chris then sends him home. Joe goes to see Jacqui, who tells him to move out of their flat. Fiona sees Pearce and tells him that there is someone else. Jack tries to talk to his ex-wife Linda's parents without success, while Lisa goes to the pub and meets Recall again. Jack goes back to the parents house again later and finds his son outside in a car. He confronts his ex-wife but she drives off with his son. Joe finally asks Yvonne for that 'chat', and the episode finishes with Sicknote and Jean in tears.

Episode 11 - first screened 24th January 1999

This weeks episode starts with the Pump's crew (Pearce, Jack, Sicknote and Sally) already on scene at a park. A puppy has got stuck in a drainage pipe down a hole, and the crew have been there an hhour trying to get it out. Jack has the idea of flushing it out using the hose reel. Sally turns on the water and has to use a lot of pressure but eventually manages to push the puppy to the other side of the pipe where Sicknote is waiting to catch it.

Back at the station, Joe is trying to find a place to stay, as Jacqui has chucked him out. No-one is prepared to help him. the pump arrives back and everyone starts taking the mick out of Pearce. Dan finds out about Fiona leaving Pearce. Chapman is already talking to Chris about George, and asks Pearce how Sicknote is doing. Pearce disagrees with Chris by suggesting light duties for him. The pump is then called out to a burst water main, but it is a hoax. Pearce sees Lisa going into a phone box. A few minutes later both crews are called out to a flat fire a few streets away from where the pump is. The Pump Ladder arrives as the rest are coming out from another hoax, there is no flat 6! Pearce goes over to the crowd to ask anybody if they phoned the brigade. He then spots Lisa in the crowd and grabs hold of her. Chris sees Pearce in a confrontation and tells Dan he will go back on the pump instead of the pump ladder. Chris walks over to where Pearce is, grabs Lisa and takes her around the corner. Pearce tells him to call the police but Chris doesn't think that is neccessary. Lisa calls him Dad so that Pearce can hear, and tells him that she made the hoax calls. She then runs off after Chris has a go at her.

Meanwhile, Joe is teasing Recall about his young girl he's been seeing in the pub (Lisa). Recall denies any kind of romance, claiming she is just a friend. Joe then has a laugh at Pearce, but Dan tells all of them about Pearce's break-up. Maggie eventually offers Joe a room, which he has to accept. Chris confronts Pearce about the hoax caller, but Pearce says he hasn't told anyone. He claims that he isn't going to tell anyone at all. Jack keeps getting calls from a mysterious woman called Karen, but he doesn't answer the calls at work. Maggie and her husband take Joe's things back to theirs, but you get the feeling that her husband doesn't like the idea. Sally and Joe are being friendly when Dan comes out and challenges Joe. He then splurts out about him and Sally, and she walks off. When Sally tries to explain it to Joe, he ignores her, then when Dan tries to sort it out with her, Sally calls everything off.

Chris recieves a visit from Terry Martin, who threatens to tell the brigade about the gambling unless Chris joins in a card game. George is still worried about the inquiry, and asks Recall to talk to the Union about it. Lisa waits for Recall outside the pub crying and he takes her for a drive. Joe meets up with Yvonne and tells her about Sally and Dan. Yvonne is then chatted up by Chris! Lisa tells Recall that she thinks she will be kicked out by her dad. When Recall says he will talk to her dad, she shuts up quickly. Jack goes out with Karen (his solicitor) to talk about his case for custody. Maggie calls on Sicknote and Jean to see if they are alright. Jean ends up crying over her miscarriage (again).

Next day at work, (has anybody else noticed that they haven't been on night shift :)) Dan tries again to sort it out with Sally, but she avoids him. George tells Chris that he is thinking of leaving the brigade. Jack comes in looking rough, and is almost late for roll call, but a shout interupts the call. Both appliances are called to smoke issuing at a block of flats. Dan and Jack start on the top floor, as more calls come in of smoke in lower floors. Jack bursts into an old lady's flat disobeying an order from Dan. they find that it is coming out of a heating grill. Meanwhile, Recall finds a young man who says that his girlfriend is trapped in the boiler room where the fire is. Sicknote, Sally and Joe get kitted up in BA, but Sicknote is ordered on BA control, which he protests to. Sally and Joe go down to the boiler room to rescue the young girl. they find her but a jet of steam blocks their exit. Joe blocks the steam as Sally takes the casualty out of the room. A sudden rush of steam knocks Joe over and some pipes crash down on his head. Sally goes back in to get him.

When they get back, Maggie offers Sicknote a special cup of tea. He has a go at her and the rest of the watch for treating him as if he is going to crack up. Magiie goes to talk to him and he starts crying in the locker room.

Episode 12 - first screened 31st January 1999

The episode begins with the crews taking part in a chemical incident. Sally and Sicknote get kitted out in the chemical suits and go into the incident area to find out what they are up against. The realism is shattered when someone comes through the containment area with a tray of cups of tea! Dan makes the mistake of not clearing the area. Sicknote throws himself into his work to avoid talking to Jean. Maggie gives Joe his ironing, including a pair of jeans that stand up on their own!

Recall tries to find out what's the matter with Jack, as he is acting strange. Jack tells him that he is getting back together with his ex-wife Linda. DO Chapman arrives to see George about his secondary employment. Chris gets anxious about it. After the meeting, Recall asks Chapman if George could keep his job, Chapman says it is increasingly unlikely. Dan asks Sally if she wants to go away for a couple of days, she says she will think about it. Dan has his assessment for his crew commanders course in front of the DO. He has to take number one crew for a ladder drill. Joe makes a mess of tieing the hoses to a rope, and Dan jumps on him. After the drill, Pearce tells Dan to stop acting like a spoilt child and stop accusing Joe of trying to balls up the drill.

After work, Jacqui arrives to see Sally about her and Joe getting back together. Yvonne goes out with a professional older man (which we find out later is Chris). Karen goes to see Jack, she tells him to enjoy life and relax, but he ignores her. Sicknote starts to blame Jean for her miscarriage by doing too much exercise and getting "Slapped Cheek Syndrome" so she slaps his cheek! Lisa goes out bowling with Recall, he tells her she should go out with people her own age. Joe goes out with Sally and ends up asking her if she is playing him off with Dan. She storms out of the restaurant.

Yvonne goes home the next morning to find an upset Sally on the sofa. Sally then admits she can't stop thinking about Joe. Dan arrives at work and talks to Pearce about his crew commanders course. The pump then gets called out to a sign in a precarious position on a building site. Dan and Pearce go up to secure it and while doing so, the scaffolding starts to collapse leaving Dan on a narrow platform 75 feet above the ground. The pump ladder rushes to help them, while Pearce tries to keep Dan calm. The Hydraulic Platform arrives and Sally goes up in the cage. Some more scaffolding collapses and Pearce tells Dan to jump across to his platform. Dan does this just as Sally gets up to their level and helps them get down.

After work, Dan goes round to thank Pearce, and they go to the Ship Aground for Jack's 40th birthday drinks. Joe hires a strip-o-gram for him but he storms off home. George's wife Kelly arrives and recognises Chris from Terry Martin's club. George confronts Chris who says his hands are tied. Karen goes to see Jack again, and tells him that Linda and his on are in America. She shows him a fax saying that they won't come back. Jack spins out and tells Karen to leave, he then trashes his flat. After seeing Joe and JAcqui get back together, Sally says she will go away with Dan. Sicknote has too many vodka's and is about to go home when Lisa turns up. She tells everyone that she is Chris's daughter and tells Chris that Recall is her boyfriend!

Episode 13 - first screened 7th February 1999

Karen aits outside Blackwall to tell Jack to get another solicitor. Pitbull takes the mick out of George and Recall, but Jack snaps at him. Recall gets called into Chris's office and asked what he was doing with Lisa. Outside, Dan takes a rescue drill, with Joe standing up the tower with a dummy dressed up as a school girl for Recall! The rest of the watch takes the mick out of Recall, but Jack is still acting strange. Pearce tells him to go up the ladder, but Jack refuses. He says that he doesn't find messing about with other peoples kids funny and takes his BA set off and walks inside. George speaks to Chris about the club, but is interupted by Pearce coming to tell Chris about Jack's outburst. Jack gets shouted at by Chris, but he answers back. Recall is worried about him and tries to find out whats up with him. Sicknote recieves a call from Jean but won't speak to her. George sees Chapman arrive, and the DO tells Chris that he will have to recommend George's dismissal.

George is called into the office in front of Chapman and Chris. Chris reveals that he was in the club that night and gets a bollocking from Chapman. Lisa comes to the station to see Recall, but he tells her to go home. Both crews are then called out to a fire in a converted warehouse where the building is being used as a theatre for an illusional show. Dan, Joe, Sally and Recall get kitted up in BA and make their way through the maze of mirrors and false walls to get to three persons reported. they find two dead and the other barely alive. A turntable ladder arrives with a very young operator so Jack goes up to fight the fire from a higher point. While he is up there, he cracks up thinking he is invincible and tells the TL operator to get him closer. Jack thinks he sees his son through the flames. He almost jumps into the flames, but George spots him and tells Chris, who tells the operator to get Jack down. Dan suspects that The Torch is back. When everyone checks on Jack, he snaps and has a go at everyone. Chris comes over and Jack asks him how he could leave his kid after a few one night stands.

Back at Blackwall, Jack gets a grilling by Chris for threatening the officer in charge. Chris signs him off-duty and tells him to go and see a councillor. Joe has to tell Maggie that he is moving back in with Jacqui. Recall tries to call Jack but he doesn't answer, so he goes round to have a few beers. Terry Martin tries to blackmail Chris, but he can't as Chris has already told Chapman about the gambling. Jacqui has a welcome home party for Joe with Sally and Dan turning up as well. They find out about Joe's teddy bear called Mr Socks! Sicknote goes home to find Jean is going away to think. Sally takes Dan back to her flat, but finds that Yvonne is home with her new man, who appears from the bathroom and is Chris, much to Sally's amusement. he then leaves quickly! Lisa then turns up at Recall's house when he is half drunk, and so he lets her stay one night.

©Gareth Perkins 1999 EMAIL: gperkins@geocities.com

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