18 February 2026

Hywel is about to go into the office

Hywel arrives at the door of Quantum Hydro Works and is about to unlock it when Brynmor approaches, in a furious mood.

"What's your game?"

“Hywel, what’s your game?” he snarls,                                                                                                                                                     

"Good morning to you, Brynmor"

which Hywel regards as rather a strange greeting.

"You've sold all your shares"

“I’ve just spoken to the finance department and I understand you sold your shares in the company – the job lot!   Have you got any idea how weak that makes the company look?   That one of the senior board members has done something so pathetic?”

"I have every right"

Hywel tells him to hang on, pointing out that he has every right to do whatever he wants, 

Brynmor disagrees

but is told, in no uncertain terms, “No, you hang on, because that means you don’t have confidence in the company – the company you work for!   Everyone will be panicked!”

He will not listen to any objection on Hywel’s part, but drones on, “I just hope you haven’t told anyone,” causing Hywel to suspect that he is being threatened.

"But those shares back today!"

“There would be huge repercussions if this came out!” exclaims Brynmor, just as Rhys emerges from number 21 in the background.   He takes great interest in what is going on in front of him.   “So, if you want to keep your job, I suggest you buy those shares back today!” instructs Brynmor.

"It was on top of the microwave"

Rhys wishes them good morning, handing his father his phone;  “It was on top of the microwave, he comments, then continues to the brewery.   

"Do you think he heard?"

Brynmor wonders whether he heard, 

"Go and find out – now!"

instructing Hywel to go and find out – now.

"That smells nice"

Hywel does so, remarking to Rhys that the batch of beer brewing at the moment smells nice.   

"You're not getting 'Employee of the Month' then?"

“I don’t see you getting ‘Employee of the Month’ this month,” Rhys jokes, “Now I know why you offered to contribute to the business – 

"Wanted to ash your dirty hands, did you?"

“wanted to wash your dirty hands, did you?”

"I was trying to help"

His father protests that he was simply trying to help his son, who does not believe a word of it.   

"Don't tall anyone what you heard"

“Look, do me a favour – don’t tell anyone about what you heard – keep it under your hat,” he urges.

"I would need a sombrero"

Rhys maintains that he would need a sombrero to hide Quantum Hydro Works’ secrets and Hywel regrets ever working with Brynmor.   “Are you going to listen and buy your shares back?”   Hywel does not know what to do.

"Hiya, Mark"

Howard comes into the Deri, in a particularly good mood and greets Mark, who is sitting at the bar, looking depressed.   

Geraint will get them a pint each

Howard will buy him a pint to cheer him up and orders two from Geraint.

"Have you had the insurance money?"

“Have you had the insurance money to fix the place?” he asks, 

"Someone's coming tomorrow"

but is advised that someone from the company is coming to see the house tomorrow – but it is a huge job.

“Who have you got to do the job?”   Mark says the insurance company has someone it uses.   

"Cowboys from away, probably"

“Cowboys from away, probably – you don’t have to use the company they offer you – APD would be happy to do it – and we’d be cheaper.”

"I had a quote from APD"

Mark replies that he had a quote from APD the other day, but is told, “You should have asked me – I would have given you a higher quote than what the job would cost.   

"Compensation for all the fuss"

“Compensation for all the fuss.”

Mark admits that would have been great, because he needs every penny.   

"He's paying"

Howard is now going to slip to the toilet, as Mark informs Geraint that he is paying.

Diane visits MFC . . .

A customer is just leaving MFC when Diane comes in, 

. . . where Britt has dropped off to sleep

to find Britt dozing on one of the seats.   She suddenly awakens 

"Sorry, Diane"

and apologises, “Sorry, Diane – I must have fallen asleep for a minute.”

"You must be up all hours"

Diane is not surprised, remarking that she must be up all hours with people wanting food, 

"They need food – and I need to help"

"but Britt corrects her, “They need food, Diane – and I need to help people – especially after what happened to the boy out there – Ollie.”

"It will be worth and hour of your time"

Diane suggests that Britt might like to come on a trip to Carmarthen with her, assuring her that it will be worth an hour of her time.   

Who is that, listening in to their conversation?

Back from the toilet, Howard enquires about the damage at Maes-y-Deri, with the chap further along the bar taking an interest.   

Mark lists the sad state of the house

“The floorboards and the walls are soaking, the electrics have gone, the television and console are kaput.”

"Have you sent in the contents form yet?"

Howard wonders whether he has sent in the contents form yet;  “You did say you needed every penny – 

"I've got a friend who works at the dump"

“I’ve got a friend who works at the dump in Carmarthen and people throw away all kinds of things.   50-inch TVs, iPads, iPods, expensive stuff that doesn’t work.”

"So I pretend the stuff's mine?"

Mark understands what he is getting at;  “So you’re telling me I should pretend that your mate’s secondhand junk is mine?”   Howard is sure that he would be happy for them to take a few things off his hands – 

"The insurance guy would be none the wiser"

and the insurance guy would be none the wiser.

"I don't want to end up back in jail"

Mark regards it as too much of a risk and does not want to end up back in jail, but when faced with the prospect of the extra cash, he agrees to the idea;  

"All right, then – for Cheryl's sake"

“All right, then, for Cheryl’s sake – but on one condition – that you don’t tell anyone, all right?”

"I want 30%"

Howard has his own conditions to attach to this deal;  “I want 30%, though – and the entire job goes to APD.”    Mark reluctantly agrees.

Geraint is after payment

Then Geraint produces the contactless terminal for the payment from Howard.

This is where Britt has been taken . . .

Britt is now at ‘The Oaks Centre’, 

. . . feeding the homeless

where she is making herself useful, providing food and drink for various homeless people.   

"I'm sure there's something familiar about him . . ."

She tells Diane, “I’m sure there’s something familiar about him over there – 

". . . I think he was at school with Chester"

“I think he was at school with Chester.”   

"You must miss him"

Diane agrees that he looks about the same age and realises that Britt must miss him.

"Him – and the rest of the children"

“Every day, Diane – and the rest of the children.   No one says how quiet it is after they’ve gone.”   

Diane can understand how she feels about helping, especially when her family is all over the world;  

"You always want to do your best for the children"

“As a mother, you always want to do your best for your children – but sometimes it’s not enough.”

Britt would not mind staying a bit to help a bit longer, if that is all right with Diane;  

She still stares at the boy

her attention is still fixed on the boy at the table.

"Join the queue to strangle Hywel Llywelyn!"

As Brynmor comes out of The Quantum Hydro Works office, he is on the phone;  “You can tell the board members they’ll have to join the queue, because I want to strangle Hywel Llywelyn first!   Of course I’ll keep it quiet – the last thing we want to do is spook the shareholders.”

"I have to go"

Then, as he passes the Deri, he has to terminate the call, having seen Kath, 

"I'm glad you've decided to see sense . . ."

who says that she is glad he has finally decided to see sense in relation to Maes-y-Deri 

". . . have you heard what happened?"

and also wonders if he has heard what happened there.

Rhys with his sack-truck

Rhys approaches, wheeling a bag of brewery ingredients 

"Water flooding through the ceiling!"

as Kath explains, “Water flooding through the ceiling – there’s a terrible mess.”

When Brynmor asks Rhys if he is all right, 

"Better than you, probably"

the reply is, “Better than you, probably.”   

Brynmor goes after Rhys . . .

Brynmor is in a hurry to follow Rhys 

. . . and Hywel sees where he is heading

and at that moment Hywel is coming out of number 21;  he is anxious to find out why Brynmor is walking purposefully in that direction.

"So what do you want – money?"

Brynmor gets straight to the point, “So what do you want – money?   Cash is King.”   

"I don't want anything"

Rhys smiles and replies that he does not want anything.   

"Everyone has a price"

“Come on – everyone has a price – you are your father’s son,” Brynmor points out, as Hywel walks in.

"I'm not going to keep your embarrassing secret"

Rhys makes it crystal clear, “I’m not going to keep your embarrassing secret – last time I kept quiet for Quantum Hydro Works, I regretted it.”

"I've got enough dirt on you and your toxic company . . ."

Now Hywel takes over, “You listen to me, Brynmor, I’ve got enough dirt on you and your toxic company to bring it all down around your ears – do you understand?”

"Careful – or you'll be out of a job!"

Brynmor in turn threatens, “You’d better be careful, Hywel, or you’ll be out of a job before you turn round!”

"Stuff your job!"

His response to this is, “Stuff your job!   I don’t want anything to do with Quantum Hydro Works ever again – understand?”

"You're going to regret that"

Brynmor says that he is sorry to hear that, stressing that it is a decision Hywel will regret.

A large television arrives at Maes-y-Deri . .  

Howard and Mark carry a large flatscreen television into Maes-y-Deri, 

. . . but Howard falls over the sofa . . .

but Howard falls over the sofa 

. . . if it was not broken before, it is now

and they drop it on the floor.   

“I really hope nobody saw us carrying all this stuff in,” Mark frets.

“Are you worried everybody will want one?” Howard jokes, as Kath can be seen silently creeping in through the back door.   

"People will think there's something dodgy going on"

Mark is afraid that people will think there is something dodgy going on.

"It's obvious that there is!"

“I’d say it’s obvious to everyone that something dodgy is going on,” comments Kath, much to their surprise.   

"Is that telly stolen?"

“Kareena at number 47 said there was a lot of coming and going – is that telly stolen?   

"And what's all this stuff?"

“And what’s all this stuff?”

"It was his idea"

Mark explains that it is secondhand stuff and blames Howard for having the idea of claiming for extras on the insurance.   “Before you say anything, I know it’s a stupid idea – so let’s take it back with somebody else sees it.”

"Perhaps it's not such a stupid idea"

His mother stops him there;  “Perhaps it’s not such a stupid idea.”

"You did the right thing, Dad"

Rhys gives his father a drink on the house, commending him for doing the right thing;  “I’m really proud of you – and as you’ve got some spare time, perhaps you could look after this place while I’m out.”   Hywel is surprised by this change of mind.   

"You can have a practice now"

“You can have a practice now, while I sort out this delivery.”

"I'd like to stay a bit longer"

Diane returns to the centre to collect Britt so that they can avoid the traffic, but she would like to stay even longer and can catch the bus home later.   

"We have to take care of ourselves first"

“Remember, if we want to take care of others, we have to take care of ourselves first,” Diane advises.

He appears to be worked about those two

The boy she has been watching is looking anxiously over her shoulder at two unsavoury individuals 

He is grateful to her

when she takes him another cup of tea and it sits down opposite him.   She asks if he had enough to eat and he is very grateful.   

"I expect you know Chester"

“I’m sure I remember you – I expect you know my son, Chester.”

"Monk?    No way!"

“Monk?   No way!” he says, surprised, and asks what he is doing now.   Britt says that he is living in Portugal with his girlfriend.   

"He's done all right for himself"

“He’s done all right for himself, then.”

Britt enquires whether he has any family, but he maintains that it is complicated.   She agrees that she does not know her natural parents, as she was raised by foster parents – 

"My brothers were a bit wild"

and it was not easy because she had two brothers.   She remembers that they were a bit wild, to say the least.”

He tells Britt that he has one brother, but has not seen him for years;  

"He was wild as well, but in a good way"

“He was a wild one as well, but in a good way.”   

Britt wonders who they are

He looks over to the corner again, so Britt wonders who they are.

"I thought it looked a bit tacky"

When Rhys comes into the brewery again, he finds that his father is removing all the bunting;  “I thought it looked a bit tacky, you know?”   

"You've only been here five minutes"

Rhys remarks that he has only been there minutes.   

"I was worried about the sort of customers"

“Yeah, but I was worried about the sort of customers we were attracting.”

"I don't care – as long as they pay"

“I don’t care what sort of customers we are attracting – as long as they pay for their beer!” Rhys observes, 

"You should attract a wider range"

but his father recommends that he should aim to attract a wider variety of clientèle.

"If you offered a unique experience . . ."

“Your product is excellent, but if you offered a different, unique experience, I’m sure they’d flock here – and I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but as someone who knows the market and has a lot of experience in business – 

"Would you consider a partnership?"

“look, would you consider going into partnership with me?   I know you rejected the money I offered you, but this is different – I don’t want to undermine anything you’ve done – I just want to build on the strong foundations you’ve put down.”

"What – 50-50?"

Rhys asks what exactly would that mean for the business;  “Would it be 50-50?”   

"That's what a partnership usually means"

His father smiles, remarking that is what a partnership usually means, 

"Thanks, but no thanks"

but Rhys’ answer is, “Thanks, but no thanks.   I appreciate your help, Dad, but let’s leave things as they are.”   Hywel is disappointed.

"I have to go"

“Right, I’d better go or I’ll miss the last bus home,” says Britt and she is thanked for all the cups of tea and the chat.   She asks where he will go now and whether he has somewhere to sleep.

"I'll try to get a place in a hostel"

“I’ll try to get a place in a hostel – and I know a couple of places,” he replies, then glances across to the two men again.   

"I've had some hassle from them recently"

“I’ve had some hassle from them recently.” 

"Come with me and bring your bag"

This gives Britt an idea;  “Right, come with me and bring your bag.”

"Where did they come from, then?"

Howard is explaining to Kath over the bar at the Deri that the items were not Mark’s, so she wants to know where they came from.   

"Are we pushing our luck?"

Before he can say anything, Mark wonders if they are pushing their luck by putting two tellies in the front room.

"Stick to your story, Mark"

“Well, how will the insurance people prove they weren’t there when the water came in?” asks Kath, “Stick to your story and everything will be all right, understand?”

Howard is pleased to see that she has faith in the plan;  

"I want 30% of the profit!"

“Faith?   I want 30% of the profit,” she insists, 

"And I want my 30%!"

while Howard is quick to point out that he wants his 30% as well as the assurance that the work will go to APD.   

Mark has little choice but to agree

Mark reluctantly agrees.

He nervously looks out of the window

The homeless boy is now in the MFC flat and is peering anxiously through the blind.   

"Everyone's asleep"

Britt advises that everyone is asleep so they have to be quiet.   She provides some bedding on the sofa 

"I really appreciate your kindness"

and he really appreciates her kindness;  she is just sorry that she can only offer him one night there, but at least he can have a nice shower in the morning and somewhere tidy-ish to sleep.

"And a big breakfast int the morning!"

“And a big breakfast in the morning!” she promises.   

The home-going drinkers unsettle him

There is the sound of shouting outside which makes him nervous.   He says that he should not be there, 

"You'll be safe here tonight"

but she is adamant that he will be safe there tonight.

Geraint shepherds the last one out

It is locking up time at the Deri and the last drinker is leaving, accompanied by Geraint, 

"They've clearly enjoyed themselves"

but, as they go through the door, Brynmor is coming in.   He comments that the drinkers who have just left have clearly enjoyed themselves, as they can be heard singing and shouting on their way home.

"Nothing I can't handle"

Kath assures him that it is nothing that she cannot handle and he regrets that they did not have a chance to finish their chat earlier.   She asks if he would like a drink, 

"I have to go to London for a while"

but he says, “I was just calling to say I have to go to London for a while, to sort out a few things at HQ.”

"You don't have to tell me, you know"

“You don’t need to tell me where you go or what you do, you know,” she comments, 

"I just wanted to tell you"

but he maintains that he just wanted to tell her, then awkwardly turns to leave.

He goes on, “I was just thinking, is there anything I can do to help with the damage at Maes-y-Deri?”   

"Everything's under control"

Kath informs him that everything is under control, then, after another awkward pause, 

"Good night, then"

he does actually leave, as she wishes him a safe journey and good night.

She bolts the door . . .

As she bolts the door behind him,

. . . and is feeling quite emotional

she is not far from tears .