 After being thrown out by her mother, Liz, Mel Burton is caught sneaking out of Max and O.B s flat (with the help of O.B) much to Max s annoyance as he still hasn t forgiven her for his little brother Tom s accidental consumption of Mel s vodka (disguised in a cola bottle). As Max and Tom prepare to fly off to Spain to visit their sister Cindy, Max makes it perfectly clear Mel cannot stay with O.B in the flat - something Max s girlfriend Clare (debut of Gemma Bissix, taking over the role from Samantha Rowley) reiterates. When Max is gone, OB convinces a reluctant Clare to let Mel stay for a few days but warns Mel, an alcoholic, that if they re going to let her stay with them she has to try and cut back or at least hold off until night time. As a way of starting fresh from his brother Sam s recent conviction for rape, Russ shaves off his hair and gets back to work at the S.U bar where he has a run un with some insensitive customers. Jez and Joe break up the fight and the three check out a nearby clothing sale where Joe, a fashion designer, sells a custom made jacket for a very reasonable price with the possibility of starting his own collection. Sarah and Rhys enjoy their first day as a couple together, but agree to keep it a secret. Sarah thinks it s because her mother disapproves of Rhys, but Rhys  real reason is because he slept with her mother! Later at The Dog, Rhys runs into Sarah s dad who says he s sorry their romance didn t work out and that he worries Sarah will never be allowed to have a boyfriend as "they ll have to go through their mother first"! Rhys, to say the least, is nervous and makes up an excuse to quickly leave. Below the flat in Il Gnosh, Jessica and Olivia continue their protest to get their jobs back after being fired by germ-a-phobe Tony when Jessica contracted viral Meningitus, despite making a full-recovery. Due to several unsuccessful cheers, banners and posters the girls decide the only thing left to do is have a naked sit-in. Tony closes the shop down and tries to convince the girls to get dressed, but refuses to give them their jobs back. At this point, a local journalist and his photographer sneak in through the side door and conduct an interview with the girls. After much pressure, Tony tells the girls he ll give them their jobs back but they decline - saying they ll only accept them if he strips, too. Unfortunately timing is not on Tony s side as at this moment the police walk through the door and arrest all three for indecent exposure!