Number 96 1974

Vera Collins endures a brutal gang-rape at the hands of bikers, an event that casts a long shadow over her uneasy romance with the politician Nick Brent. In an attempt to rebuild her life and independence, Vera teams up with Maggie Cameron and Simon Carr to launch a new business venture, a project shaded by the bitter rivalry those three once shared in their regular TV series.

Across town, Aldo Godolfus has been skimming cash from a deli to dodge income tax, only to lose the money in a devastating fire. With the loss looming, he takes a night job at the Connaught Rooms function hall to claw back his financial setback.

In another thread, Les Whittaker quietly keeps a secret from his wife Norma: he recruits Herb Evans and Alf Sutcliffe to help him run a sauna in the building’s cellar, a scheme that treads carefully around domestic suspicion.

Sonia Freeman, formerly of Number 96, returns after a stint in a mental asylum. Now married to newspaper journalist Duncan Hunter, she battles forgetful spells and unsettling hallucinations. Her condition alarms Duncan, her longtime friend Jack Sellars, and Jack’s new girlfriend, flight attendant Diana Moore, who has just moved into Flat 6. It’s revealed that Diana and Duncan are scheming to push Sonia toward madness, and Jack, alongside the police, arrives just as they push for a deadly outcome.

Vera’s personal life takes another turn when she ends up in bed with Simon, who is unable to perform. It’s soon revealed that Simon is gay and maintaining an affair with lawyer Don Finlayson, a revelation that adds another layer of complication to the building’s intertwined lives.

As the ruby wedding celebrations planned by Dorrie and Herb Evans loom, many residents become embroiled in the festivities. A startling discovery in Dorrie’s marriage certificate reveals that the best man, Horace Deerman, signed in the wrong place, leading Dorrie to fear she is secretly married to Horace. She, Herb, and Flo Patterson set out to track him down, only to find Horace—a derelict alcoholic who, to her dismay, takes a fancy to her.

Amid all these entanglements, Vera finds herself drawn to Nick, but a startling confrontation arises when she meets his son, Tony Brent. She realizes he was the leader of the bikers who raped her. Tony recognizes Vera and makes a reckless bid to run her over at the Dorrie and Herb fancy-dress party, only to strike Simon instead. As Tony makes a second attempt to target Vera, his car crashes into a brick wall and explodes. Simon survives the incident, and Vera ultimately marries Nick, who later rises to the position of Prime Minister.