Hello… Mum!
Lydia’s reunited with ‘dead’ mother Agatha – who comes bearing bad news…
It’s a case of ‘dead woman walking’ at Wishing Well this week when Lydia’s long-lost mum, Agatha, pitches up. It’s a huge shock for the cleaner, but it’s not the only one she has to deal with…
Agatha’s appearance is all thanks to Mandy. Following Lydia’s encounter with long-lost sister Beth, the demanding Dingle is determined to have Beth explain herself. When she calls round to see her, she’s staggered to find Agatha – whom Lydia had been told had passed away. Agatha then asks Mandy to take her to her daughter.
‘Lydia’s up at Home Farm, cleaning and blustering about, when Vinny calls by and says, “You’ve got to come home”,’ reveals Karen Blick, who plays her. ‘She heads back, and there’s a beautiful moment of recognition of “My goodness, there’s my mum, after 40 years.”
‘It’s very emotional as Agatha explains why she put Lydia into care, and also reveals that she and Lydia’s dad searched for her for years. Because Lydia had changed her name – from Jenny Finn to Lydia Hart – her parents found that it was very difficult to trace her.’
But the reunion takes an unexpected turn when Agatha reveals that Lydia’s dad died from the genetic brain condition Huntington’s disease.
Lydia’s stunned, and shares the news with Sam, Samson and Mandy. She realises she could have inherited the illness, but she also believes the chances are comparatively small. Later, however, she learns the survival rate is just 50 per cent…
‘That’s a huge thing to process,’ adds Karen, ‘and she needs to decide whether to take the test. She thinks that maybe ignorance is bliss.’
Is poor Lydia set to get a devastating diagnosis?
Ben can’t envisage doing a ‘normal’ nine-tofive job. It’s not the Mitchell way
It takes a lot to shock Ben Mitchell, but lover Callum certainly managed it a couple of weeks ago when he revealed that he wanted to join the police force. A crim and a cop sharing the same bed? The handcuffs might be fun for a bit, but long-term, it’d be a disaster.
With Callum showing no signs of backtracking, Ben admits to his boyfriend this week that he’s unsure they could stay together if he goes ahead with his plan. But could there be another option? As Callum comes up with a shock proposition, Phil’s lad is given food for thought…
It’s not just Callum’s career dreams that are giving Ben a headache. At the start of the week, Kathy overhears him blackmailing Martin into doing another dodgy job, and is horrified to learn just how low her son has stooped.
Furious, she confronts him about his behaviour, and warns him to change his ways. But Ben doesn’t want to listen, and rages at his worried mum.
‘Through his dodgy loan-shark business and his treatment of Martin, Ben has become someone that people fear – just like his old man,’ our Walford mole tells us.
‘He enjoys that power. He also can’t envisage doing a “normal” nine-to-five job. It’s not the Mitchell way.’
Bobby witnesses his uncle Ben’s outburst and shares his concerns with Callum, while also encouraging the former soldier to apply for the force. Kathy, meanwhile, asks Lola for help, who in turn persuades her baby-daddy to have a weekend away with her and Lexi, hoping it will give him a fresh perspective on life. Ben looks forward to the trip, but his high spirits are cut short by Callum’s bombshell suggestion.
Following Callum’s words, Ben takes a long, hard look at himself, and when he later sees Martin with little Arfur, his conscience kicks in.
Soon, he has gone ‘soft’, and is ordering colleague Tubbs to let debt-ridden Karen off a payment. And, in a surprise turnaround, Martin’s suddenly strutting round the Square with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.
Has Ben set him free? And, if so, will Martin finally tell Stacey the truth about his ‘affair’ and bring her back to Walford?