Jim, Paul, Scott and Henry are bored at Harold's 'bucks party' at No. 32, and try to make their excuses to leave. But Harold refused to let them go until his son, David, arrives. Before any of them can protest, there is a knock on the door, and an excited Harold goes to answer it. Everyone is shocked when he walks back in from the hall and introduces David - a younger version of Harold in every sense of the word...

It is the morning of the wedding, and at the Clarke house, Mrs. Mangel supervises Des and Mike as they lug a heavy trunk full of Eileen's belongings for her trip to Europe through the living room. Des and Mike try to persuade Mrs. Mangel to let them empty some of the luggage so they are not as heavy, but she insists that Eileen entrusted her with making sure everything was packed, and promptly locks the trunk. Mike goes to make Mrs. Mangel a 'quick cup of tea' at her request, and Des tells Mrs. Mangel he appreciates all the help and support she has given Eileen in recent months.

. . .

At the Mangel house, David is trying to make Harold feel better about Kerry's absence from the wedding. Jane walks into the living room, and David is instantly taken with her. Harold frets that Jane is still in her tracksuit and not dressed for the wedding, but she reminds him that it's only 8.30. David coughs to signal his desire to be introduced to Jane, and Harold duly obliges. David tells Jane that, although she is not dressed for the wedding yet, she is wearing a 'very fetching outfit'. Mrs. Mangel arrives home, and Jane introduces her to David, before Mrs. Mangel proceeds to start the dusting. Harold is offended that Mrs. Mangel is concerned with dusting on his wedding day, but she dismisses his concerns and begins unsettling the dust in the room by puffing up the cushions. This causes David's allergies to be set off, and he 'retires' to his room. Harold goes after him, and Jane is left giggling at the antics of the two men. Mrs. Mangel chastises Jane for laughing, but does concede that Harold and David appear to be from the same mould.

. . .

As the Ramsays have breakfast, Scott comes out of the bathroom and kisses Charlene, disrupting her nail varnishing in the process. They bicker, and Scott bumps into Madge, prompting her to calm everyone down and suggest they sit down and take a break from wedding preparations. Madge asks Scott about Harold's bucks party the night before, and in particular, if David arrived. Charlene speculates that David is a dork, and Madge lets a disapproving shrill of 'Charleeene' out. Scott winds them all up by telling them that David is a real wild child, and good-looking. Henry comes into the kitchen, and joins in on the fun, saying David looks pretty dangerous - much to the confusion and surprise of Madge, Charlene and Edna.

Harold is going over his wedding vows at No. 32, and is overheard by Jane and Mrs. Mangel. Jane tells him the vows are beautiful, and assures Harold that the service will be one that no one ever forgets. Mrs. Mangel sarcastically comments 'very possibly' under her breath, which infuriates Harold and he challenges Mrs. Mangel's remark. She makes him even angrier by suggesting he may be having second thoughts about the wedding, and an outraged Harold takes great offence. Harold lays into Mrs. Mangel and warns her that if she makes any further negative comments about his impending marriage to Madge, he will have Madge make sure that instead of gently throwing her bridal bouquet in Mrs. Mangel's direction, implant it in her left ear. Mrs. Mangel is horrified by Harold's sudden rush of anger, and tried desperately to take back her comments, but still finds herself criticising Madge by suggesting Harold sees qualities in her that others find hard to detect, before hurrying out of the living room. Jane apologises for her nan, but Harold insists it is not necessary since Mrs. Mangel made him realise there was no need for him to be anxious about the wedding anymore because he loves Madge so much.

. . .

Out on Ramsay Street. Henry pulls up in front of the Ramsay house with the bridal car, and is startled to find David Bishop waiting for him. David begins to talk about the fact he and Henry will soon be 'brothers', and expresses his hope that they can be friends.

. . .

Inside No. 24, Charlene makes a last minute adjustment to Madge's hair, and tells her she looks beautiful. Madge tells Charlene she is honoured to have her as her matron of honour, and starts to cry. Charlene jokes that by the time they reach the church they'll both be bawling, and Madge starts to reminisce about arriving in Ramsay Street, and eventually followed down by Charlene and Henry. She tells Charlene she is very proud of her children, before the car horn beeps from outside, and they leave the house.

Outside the church, Jane and David are arriving, and Helen and Edna chat before Edna sees Harold and calls him aside for a quiet word. She tells him to quit calling her 'Mrs. Ramsay', and apologises for Dan's absence at the wedding, reminding Harold how keen he had always been for the pair of them to wed. Harold proudly nods knowingly, but is rudely awoken when Edna gets serious and warns him to look after her girl and ensure he doesn't turn into 'another Fred!' Harold assures Edna she has nothing to worry about, and she then jokes that they've had the sermon before even going into the church, before she kisses him on the cheek and tells him he'll do her as a son-in-law. The wedding car then approaches the church, and everyone rushes inside. Mike takes photographs of Madge and Charlene as they get out of the car, and the wedding march begins from inside.

. . .

As Henry leads Madge up the aisle, Harold looks on in delight, while David appears unimpressed with his new stepmother. Mrs. Mangel demonstrates her disapproval to the union by deliberately making a mistake on the organ, and Harold glares at her.

. . .

As the service gets underway, Madge's family looks on proudly, and Des appears quite sad, as he thinks of Daphne. Madge and Harold exchange their vows, and Reverend Sampson pronounces them husband and wife. The couple kiss, and the guests burst into a spontaneous round of applause.

. . .

. . .

To the sounds of Bury Me Deep In Your Love, the bride and groom emerge from the church and are immersed in confetti. Various wedding photos are taken, including shots of the wedding party and some Mrs. Mangel proudly standing beside Reverend Sampson, before Henry clowns around in the background and ruins Mrs. Mangel's moment. More confetti is showered over Madge and Harold as they head for the car, and are whisked away from the church.

. . .

. . .

The wedding reception gets underway back at the Ramsay house. Scott organises for him and Charlene to return to Brisbane with Edna after the wedding for a couple of weeks of sun on the Gold Coast. Paul offers to shake Harold's hand in congratulations, and Harold jokes that he doesn't want to let go of Madge's hand once during the day. David compliments Madge on how well she looks, and welcomes her to the family, before calling her 'Mother'. Madge looks uncomfortable with David's title for her, but hides her feelings from Harold and tells him he's a 'charming boy'. Henry proposes a toast to Madge and Harold, and as Madge thanks everyone and declares it's the happiest day of her life, Des gets upset and leaves. Mike notices Des walking out through the kitchen, and goes after him.

. . .

Mike finds Des sitting at the kitchen table in No. 28 looking at a framed photo from his and Daphne's wedding. Des explains to Mike that he had been feeling okay until he thought of Daphne dressed in her wedding dress. Mike tries to reassure and comfort Des, and Des tells Mike he wouldn't know what to do without him. Mike manages to persuade Des to come back across for the wedding cake, and Des poignantly puts the wedding photo face down on the table.

. . .

David is boring everyone with his best man's speech and Jim cleverly interrupts him to suggest he take a break to look through the telegrams while Charlene makes an announcement. Charlene presents Madge and Harold with a present from all the residents of Ramsay Street - a honeymoon at the Green Valley guesthouse. Madge and Harold are delighted with the gift, and Madge prepares to get changed out of her wedding dress. Harold tells Madge he doesn't want her to get changed because he wants her to look like that forever. There is some teasing and joking from the guests, Sally catches Madge's bouquet and Harold and Madge kiss.

. . .

. . .

Notes: Writer Rick Maier went on to become the Channel Ten's executive producer for Neighbours. Ian Smith (Harold) apparently had a bad rash on the day the wedding ceremony was recorded, so the episode's director doubled for him in the close-up shots of Harold's hands giving the ring.

Comment: Madge and Harold's episode was another example of Neighbours' ability to 'do' weddings so well. Like so many of the weddings in the early days of the series, the entire cast was present for the episode, there were plenty of poignant moments mixed in with comedy, and viewers were delighted to see two of their favourite characters marry at last after a long courtship. This episode is also a perfect example of the wonderful camaraderie and chemistry that existed amongst the cast at this period of the series. The most notable example of this was during the scene in which Harold and Mrs. Mangel had a set-to before the wedding, where Ian Smith and Vivean Gray demonstrated their excellent comic timing, and firm grasp on their characters.

Summary by Moe. Captures by Karl

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