The Larkins dash to the railway station and manage to stall Mariette's departure to France. They convince her to stay for a donkey derby/gymkhana and cocktail party in a few days.

The Larkins dash to the railway station and manage to stall Mariette's departure to France. They convince her to stay for a donkey derby/gymkhana and cocktail party in a few days. The pressure is on for the Larkins - this has to be a magical social event which will change Mariette's mind! Meanwhile Pop meets the glorious Angela Snow in the village, which sets tongues wagging, adding extra fuel to the Normans' gossip that Pop and Ma are philandering and Mariette has had a baby on the quiet.

The village is agog to know what the Larkins are up to so throng to the events. The donkey derby is a hilarious affair that sees Miss Pilchester bucked from her donkey and Pauline finally a winner. The gymkhana is disrupted when the disgraced Tom returns to make a point and Charley mounts a pony determined to lose his tag as one of life's lovable losers. The cocktail party is full of surprises especially when the Larkins announce that Mariette is indeed leaving but that baby Oscar will be joining the family. In the final scenes we see Mariette on the train to France but is she alone...?