Back - Episode Guide

The Nichols family are preparing for the funeral of Laurie, a much loved father, brother, husband and the celebrated landlord of the John Barleycorn Pub. Uncle Geoff insists that Stephen should say one last goodbye to his dad at the funeral home, but Stephen is scared he won't know what to say and pretends he's too busy. As the day of the funeral arrives there's an unexpected mourner at the graveside: the charismatic and charming Andrew. He was one of the many children fostered by Stephen's family in the 80s - his parents' favourite. Just about everyone is thrilled to see Andrew, except Stephen who can't seem to remember him at all. Is Andrew who he says he is? And why has he turned up now after 30 years?

The Nichols family gather together as Alison, Stephen's ex and the family lawyer, reveal what's in Laurie's will. A horrified Stephen finds out that Andrew has been left a five per cent share of the family business, the John Barleycorn pub. With the business in debt, Stephen and Andrew go head-to-head to find the best way to make some extra cash. Ellen decides that joining the church is the next logical step in her spiritual journey and she and Julian the vicar get into some casual baptism. Maureen the dog continues to send Stephen reaching for the antihistamine as well as the red wine, but there's another even more irritating presence in Stephen's bedroom.

Footfall is down in the John Barleycorn and Andrew, who now has a stake in the business, is trying to figure out ways to sex up the pub and bring in a younger crowd. Geoff is keen to help, but Andrew enlists the help of Cass, who, as an artist, has a 'good eye'.

They swap out Jan and Mike for more attractive and younger barstaff, defurb Stephen's pine-heavy refurb and make the John Barleycorn look more like an authentic country pub. But Stephen is furious with Andrew's meddling and insists that the Barleycorn already is an authentic country pub. So when Andrew's improvements appear to bring the 5-star TripAdvisor reviews rolling in, Stephen is suspicious and worries that the John Barleycorn is flying too close to the sun. He soon seems to be proved right.

Stephen and Andrew are on a road trip to visit the pub's suppliers and spread the news of Laurie's death. Andrew tries to help Stephen along the way with getting over his ex-wife, clarifying a memory from their childhood and making shocking revelations that Stephen's parents' marriage wasn't all that it appeared to be. Back home Ellen gets a little bit too hands on with the church's drug outreach programme and Cass starts selling her stuff to raise funds to go travelling. Geoff has been left in charge of running the John Barleycorn and brings back a taste of the 1970s - smoking, cheese and pickle rolls and a collection for the lifeboat men.

Having discovered that the fire insurance policy is out of date, Andrew buys Cass's shares so he can renovate the pub after the fire. Cass and Ellen hail him as a hero. A furious Stephen, fuelled by what is now his customary 'morning wine', takes Maureen the dog for a walk where she escapes into the woods; Stephen almost immediately wishes she hadn't. Dognappers demand money from Stephen or they will kill Maureen, but help could be at hand. Some news from Alison about a local planning decision looks like being the key to revealing exactly why Andrew has returned to the John Barleycorn after 30 years. Cass finally goes off on her six-month travelling odyssey, and the family soon learn that she's got married to an unlikely man.

Andrew has transformed the John Barleycorn into a huge success with a brilliant new look and a talented French chef. Stephen, feeling depressed and defeated, is drinking even more heavily than usual. Laurie's birthday memorial is fast approaching and Stephen needs some help writing a speech to better what will surely be Andrew's amazing oratory. When other former foster children turn up, Andrew's back story starts to be brought into question. Buoyed up by this, Stephen throws every ounce of his manic energy into finding out the truth about Andrew's past. And when he finally does, it's a revelation that looks like it could change everything.

After a long absence, a rejuvenated Stephen prepares to head back to the John Barleycorn, just as Andrew is starting to feel restricted and weighed down by the mundanities of being a provincial pub landlord. Have the tables now turned for these reluctant foster brothers? On Stephen's return, his sister Cass has some surprising news about mum Ellen's relationship status, while the opening of a rival cutting-edge pub just up the road evokes curiosity and trepidation, especially when it becomes apparent that the new establishment needs a manager, and is looking to headhunt a certain hotshot from the Barleycorn.

The revelation that Laurie might not be Stephen's dad contributed hugely to the latter's mental collapse. Without that blood connection Stephen was on an equal footing with prodigal foster son Andrew. So the return of Charismatic Mike, one of Ellen's ex-lovers, leads Stephen to wonder if this whirlwind of a man might be his biological father. Maybe Stephen isn't destined to be a poor copy of Laurie after all. Andrew helps collect Mike's DNA, while Geoff considers renting a JCB to exhume his late brother. Meanwhile, Alison's exasperation with her ageing parents leads to an unlikely good Samaritan helping out.

Stephen's on a health kick, cycling everywhere and making Ellen happy that he's become 'normal' again. Cass moves into a shared student house with dreams of living the full student experience, even though she's only doing a part-time A-Level course. Geoff meanwhile has a dramatic change in his relationship status. But soon things start to unravel: Stephen's health kick is shown to be not that healthy, Cass's student house has no students in it, and Andrew suspects the motives of Geoff's new partner. He asks Alison to help him investigate and, while she does so, becomes friendlier with Alison's mum.

One of the last things Stephen's father did before he died was organise a pub quiz. Stephen fumbled the jackpot question and forfeited the substantial prize. Laurie died having never forgiven his son. So when the Barleycorn is called upon to host a pub quiz, Stephen's in an emotional dilemma. Can he exorcise his demons and redeem himself, or will he fail and feel his father's opprobrium all over again? It doesn't help that he's facing the team that beat them the last time - The Brights. Can Andrew help Stephen? Or is he too busy getting ever closer to Alison's parents?

Alison's parents, with the help of Andrew, have made a huge life decision that leaves Alison shocked and angry. To Stephen's dismay Ellen and Julian announce their engagement, just as Geoff's new relationship spectacularly collapses and he is faced with having to sell his farm and move away. To complicate matters further, Cass reveals that she was romantically involved with Geoff's parther. And when Alison suspcts that the demise of a loved one is very probably Andrew's responsibility, she and Stephen conspire to hatch a potentially deadly plan that will solve the Andrew problem once and for all.

Stephen and Alison, keen for revenge, are on a road trip to track down Andrew's birth mother. Meanwhile Alison's newly-single mum is working at the Barleycorn, out of place and miserable. Geoff has a crisis when he's offered a fortune to sell the picturesque burial plot next to his late wife's. As Stephen and Alison get close to achieving their goal - with the help of the mysterious 'Old George' - have they crossed a line? Emotions run high as Alison's rescue dog takes a sinister interest in Ellen, Stephen and Andrew distrust Julian, and a new arrival surprises everyone.