2616: Darren and Rhys go head to head

Rhys fears a dismal day ahead working in the Dog with Neville, so begs Hayley to keep him company. As the pair make fun of an oblivious Neville, Josh's appearance changes the dynamic and the atmosphere grows chilly.

Trying to ingratiate himself with his in-laws, Darren is charm personified and embarks on a mission to firmly position himself behind the bar in The Dog. Despite infuriating Josh and Rhys, Darren has the opposite effect on Suzanne who's given food for thought. Neville's also impressed by Darren's suggestion about loyalty cards and welcomes him to the team.

Rhys is perturbed to hear about Darren's new role in the family business and maintaining he can do better, the boys go head to head - Rhys's hen night versus Darren's loyalty card scheme - the loser having to walk away from the pub. As the competition heats up, all manner of dirty tricks are played.

Celebrating in the SU Bar, an inebriated Rhys is eventually brought home by Josh and a furious Neville sacks him on the spot, leaving the door wide open for Darren who's offered the role of assistant manager. Darren's back where he belongs and thanks to Rhys, it was far easier than he'd anticipated…

Meanwhile, Kris is in full-on professional mode when he tries to motivate Zak for a busy day ahead at the call centre. Zak, however, is unimpressed and tells him that he'll be in later when he's good and ready. At work, Kris covers for Zak when Sheila asks where he is, before telling him that she's recommended him for promotion to assistant senior supervisor (ASS).

Zoe's struggling to cope with the soul-destroying task and under pressure from Kris to sell, she finally snaps just as Zak makes a very late appearance. Sheila flies over and tells Kris that Zak has one more chance before he loses his job. Taking great delight in monitoring Zak's calls, Sheila is thrilled to collate all the ammo she needs to sack him and insists that Kris is the man to do it.

Against his better judgement, Kris tells Zak to leave the building and although he's in high estimation in Sheila's eyes, Zoe thinks that he's the lowest of the low.

Confronting Kris, Zoe tells him exactly what she thinks but Kris remains steadfast in his decision. Kris is later shocked when he hears that he's not welcome to Zak's leaving drinks and as the team head off, Kris is left alone to ponder if it's worth being Sheila's second in command…

Elsewhere, Cindy impresses Tony by her idea for a customer loyalty scheme in Il Gnosh and exuding brains as well as beauty, he's completely under her spell. With things going well between them, she also suggests that they should probably think about a family holiday with Holly and Harry. Tony agrees, much to Cindy's delight.

Searching through brochures, Cindy's dismayed to find that she has different ideas to Tony about the holiday, but soon those thoughts are swept away when he presents her with a toothbrush and the promise of a few nights a week chez Hutchinson…