Fortunately, the other women of Ramsay Street were quick to help raise Susan’s spirits by doing the “Neighbours thing” of turning up unannounced with cakes and casseroles. Although she enjoyed the girls’ night in, Susan quickly fell back into depression and spent the night alone on the sofa. The following day she snubbed Izzy on two occasions, but anger got the better of her and she rose to a drunken Ms Hoyland’s bait by claiming she was the winner out of the two of them, for she had known what it was like to love someone, to be married and to raise a family. She insinuated that Izzy’s status as a “loose woman” would mean she could never hope to experience similar love, leaving her downing her words along with her champagne.

Despite being entangled in the Kennedys’ marriage problems, Izzy managed to attach herself to another member of the male variety this week in the form of an old oil-rig buddy of Max’s, Gus Cleary. Gus’ true colours began to peep through the friendly façade, however, when viewers witnessed him secretly bidding against the Hoylands for No.32 in the property auction on Friday. His budget wouldn’t allow him to beat them, however, but it was a sure indication that he isn’t all he seems. Izzy, though, is more than happy with the extra attention.

An indication of Neighbours’ allowance to take on slightly meatier topics was evident this week with Sky and Boyd’s relatively frank discussions of sex. Max, in typical Neighbours fashion, assumed that the teens were already at it like rabbits, but Boyd soon put him straight. However, this assumption roused Boyd curiosity at least and he sneaked into the pub’s bathrooms to buy some condoms from vending machine. Either Australian condoms aren’t prone to inflation (so to speak), or Lou sells them cheaply at $2! However, the machine was faulty, and so it seems the red-faced youngster will have to follow in the footsteps of every other Ramsay Street resident with a family planning problem and see Karl – risking further embarrassment. Fair play to Neighbours and the BBC for keeping such scenes intact, however. A far cry from 1995/96 when the very suggestion that sex was on the agenda caused outcry.

Harold’s change of attitude became more apparent with his unprovoked outburst towards Toadfish in the Coffee Shop. Karl, amazed by his friend’s irritable moods took him to one side and diagnosed a possible imbalance in the brain causing Harold to behave out of character. Harold was slightly alarmed by this but honesly didn’t see how it could be true. Any suggestion that he was back to his normal self was quashed later in the day, however, when he made references to Lyn about her physique, and her appearance as a true example of a fine woman, ‘but not like Izzy, by virtue of Lyn being older!’

And, finally, the Scullys were invaded by the TV crew of Channel 44’s Making Mansions reality programme. Their surprise was even greater by the discovery that the show’s presenter was none other than Sindi Watts! The scene in which they were presented with the news couldn’t have been worse for Lyn, though, as she was in the middle of a blazing public spat at Izzy’s interference in the Kennedys’ marriage! Although only partially underway, this story looks set to be both comic and poignant as it marks the last story to include Joe Scully. Actor Shane Connor was dismissed from the programme last year, and the next block of episodes will mark his last appearance. However, the makeover story will also see a much needed revamp of the No.26 indoor set which hasn’t been redecorated since early in the 1999 season when the Martin family were still resident.

The No.28 set received new cream curtains this week, to replace the old dark pink ones. How Susan and Karl found time to shop for them and install them during their break up is best left to our imaginations…

Sindi Watts was added to the permanent cast list on Tuesday's closing credits.

Graphical errors abound again! Grundy's themselves have made an error with the opening production credit captions which now appear overly stretched lengthways, and the BBC broadcasts of the closing credits have altered almost every day for the past few episodes, with variations between using and not using a black shadow on the credits text and variations between using either four or all eight of the episode still frames. However, on Friday, not only was the shadow added to the text, albeit in the wrong direction, but the credits scroll overran, meaning the final trees and pool slides had to be trimmed down to fit into the sequence’s duration.