Au Revoir, Pet (1)

Oz (Jimmy Nail)The boys' latest job for the Overseas Estates Department takes them East, to the lush, Buddhist paradise of Laos, where they have been seconded by the Australian Embassy.  Moxey falls in love for the first time when one of the Embassy staff takes a shine to him but the rest of the gang are fed up of rain and noodles. One by one, they’re all realising that there’s more to life than being part of their gang. And a letter from Bomber in Arizona, telling them that he is swapping his trowel for a settled family life, brings their nomadic lives into sharp focus.  Realising that this could be the last time they are all together, the boys make big plans for some serious rest and relaxation in neighbouring Thailand, once the job is done.  Oz, Dennis, Moxey and Wyman have their eyes set on the bright lights and nightlife of Bangkok, while Barry and Neville opt for the classier option of a trip on the Orient Express.  But what should be a sedate and relaxing trip through the historic sites and lands of Thailand turns into a nightmare, when Barry mysteriously disappears whilst on a temple visit. Neville raises the alarm and the remaining boys set out to rescue their friend from his jungle captors.

b:28/12/2004

Au Revoir, Pet (2)

Barry (Timothy Spall) and Tatiana (Branka Katic) As the boys set out to rescue Barry from his jungle captors, Neville has some surprises to announce – Tatiana is pregnant with Barry’s child, and the oily Tarquin, the spook from Cuba [see series 4], was also on their train.  Moxey sums up their feelings of confusion: "It’s so Agatha Christie. The Orient Express, people with a past thrown together by fate and then the Brummie vanishes!"  The first stop in their quest to find Barry is the local police, where the boys try to find help, but they are just advised to go home. Meanwhile, Tatiana meets the hostage takers, who demand £100,000 to release Barry. The boys are horrified and still have no idea where to start the hunt for their friend.  When a man who claims to know where Barry is being held approaches them, Oz volunteers to go with him and then calls for help from a mobile phone. He figures that the police can follow the phone signal and send choppers to fly him and Barry out. No one is really convinced but at least it’s a plan.  When the morning comes, the rest of the gang know they can’t let Oz go it alone, so they’ve all packed to go on a jungle mission. Their contact drives them deep into the jungle but, unsurprisingly, it’s a set-up. Suddenly, they are surrounded and marched off to their new home – a wooden hut in a jungle village. Now only Tatiana or Tarquin can rescue them...

b:29/12/2004