Steve McDonald finds he can do nothing right ever since Andy's beating. Jim tells him to get lost from the motorcycle shop after a bike Steve had been working on proved to have a loose bolt in the braking system. Vicky longs to get away for a while, and is surprised when Bet offers to pay her taxi fare to go see her horse, Saracen. While waiting for her taxi, she sees Steve, and after hearing of his woes, invites him along. Later, in order to justify staying away with Steve, she phones Bet with a story about being invited to her friend Belinda's for a New Year's Eve party. The ruse works, until Belinda herself phones the Rovers to wish Vicky a happy new year. The McDonalds become frantic about Steve's whereabouts. Curly very reluctantly agrees to meet Angie and Des in the Rovers. Angie has arranged a blind date for Curly, who turns out to be none other than Raquel Wolstenhulme, whom Curly has not seen for seven months (since episode 3224, transmitted on Friday 10 May 1991, to be exact)