Party

Party (broadcast 10th December 1998) was the fifth episode of Dinnerladies.

Synopsis
The firm celebrates a new partnership with a Japanese firm with a Christmas party. Tony and Bren want to have each other as their plus one but this is long lived when Bren's mother forces Bren to take her instead. As the workers get closer, is it possible that Bren and Tony finally succeed to make something more out of their friendship? As Stan and Jean's like for one-another gets stronger, who knows what else could be sparked?

Plot
The day unfolds with the team discussing a potato resembling Del-Boy and Tony whizzes in to give them their invitations to a party to celebrate a recent partnership with a Japanese firm. The day moves on to them providing food to meetings. At that moment, Philippa Moorcroft walks in asking for Stan. An excited Stan leaves with Philippa to go and dispose of a spider. Alone in the kitchen, Tony starts a conversation with Bren about who her plus one is. They both agree to go with one-another. A that moment, Petula comes rushing in asking for sponsorship. When finding Bren's invitation, Petula forces Bren to take her but when Tony tells her that they had already decided something, Petula forces him to take her friend Tina.

The day moves onto night and Tony is preparing for the party. He and Stan begin a conversation about Stan's hairpiece. Anita and Twinkle then walk in with their plus ones, Hugo and Tiffany. Then Jean and Dolly walk in without any sign of Keith or Bob, their plus ones. Tony is not pleased with the fact that Bren is still wearing her overall. Bob and Keith walk in and Dolly is immediately annoyed by Bob's catchphrase of "What say?". Keith annoys Jean with him not recognising her dress. They are then dragged away by their wives. Bren puts on her dress and Tony is immediately surprised at how lovely she looks. Petula then walks in but not with the promised Tina. Instead, a gormless woman by the name of Babs walks in. She says immediately that she's come from Urmston.

Later that night and Anita walks in with Hugo, followed by Twinkle and Tiffany. A drunk Anita wishes to show Hugo her pans, which she immediately drops. She then is rushed into the toilet by Twinkle to be sick. The three of them then leave to continue the party. Dolly and Jean then walk in together moaning about their husbands. Jean is furious that Keith is dancing with other women. The two men then walk in and Jean tells her husband to be on the dancefloor in five minutes and then she leaves. Bren and Babs walk in and Bren points Babs in the direction of toilet. Tony and Stan enter talking about the horrible party food. Stan then takes the men through but Tony talks to Bren about her mother dancing with the Japanese owner of the joined firm. Babs comes out and approaches the men who are sitting around a table, telling them that she's come from Urmston. She then leaves.

The men begin to speak about their perfect wives whislt Petula and Bren talk about dancing. Tony says how much beautiful he thinks Bren is tonight. Petula tells Bren that she isn't too sure she can be bothered with men after her heartbreak with Clint. When Bren asks her who Babs is, Petula simply answers that she's from Urmston before walking away whilst passing wind, no surprise to Bren. The men split up, leaving Tony to go to talk to Bren and the others to talk about appliances. As Mr Michael shows the Japanese business man, Mr Tashimoto, in Bren gets the idea to make chips from spare potatoes. As soon as Mr Tashimoto sees Petula, he runs away scared of her forcing him to do more hokey cokey. She follows him. Mr Michael accompanies them too leaving Tony and Bren to attempt to talk about their relationship. Philippa runs in, upset that Mr Michael may not be in love with her. Twinkle and the other two tell Tony and Bren that they're going to go clubbing and that they are going to leave Anita behind. Tony and Bren are alone again but get interrupted by an awkward Babs who just stands there. Again, she initiates the conversation with Urmston related topics. She leaves.

A little bit later and Mr Michael and Mr Tashimoto are finished eating a bowl of chips. He promises that if the twinning goes smoothly that there will be chips every day. They bow and the two men leave, leaving Tony, Bren and Philippa on their own. Tony asks Bren if she is as good at sex as she is with chips and she admits that she is. After agreeing to go home to Tony for hot passionate sex, Bren leaves to give her mother some chips. A Dolly and a drunken Jean stumble into the canteen asking where their husbands are and are disappointed when they hear that they have been deserted for appliances. Dolly leaves to find the men leaving Jean to flirt with Tony. She makes a move on him but he tells her that he's promised to Bren. She backs off and Dolly and the men return, Dolly scolding them for abandoing them when there are chips about. She grabs their coats and they all leave. Bren enters just in time to say goodbye leaving her and Tony alone once again. Bren decides to go with Tony soon for what he called "Booze or something". Stan walks in and is pleased to find chips. Stan tells Bren about their earlier conversation about women before asking Bren if she'd like to have sex. Bren assumes she's misheard him and asks him to repeat it but he knows that she's given him an opportunity to pretend he never said anything and he walks off. Petula walks in for a lighter and Bren tells her that Stan has matches but Bren asks her whether she's right to go with Tony. She leaves to give Anita her coffee but as Tony walks in asking about Bren, a confused Petula tells him that she's going off with Stan- who she believes is Tony. As they leave, Bren comes in with Anita and Babs also comes in. Stan walks in and is immediately surprised with Bab's knowledge of the kitchen appliances. Stan offers her a lift back to Urmston but takes her without hearing her answer. Tony and Petula enter and Bren asks Tony about whether he has his cigarettes who is miffed about her apparently having packed him in for Stan. She immediately corrects her mother on the names and her mother, embarassed, leaves.

Trivia

 * Sue Devaney (Jane) is not featured at all in this episode.