Eric of Arabia

Lovejoy is asked to value an ancient Chinese terra-cotta figure of a pig. Then he falls off a bicycle and breaks his leg, which lands him in hospital and puts Jane and Tinker in charge of the delicate work. The pig's owners, curiously, are doing their best to have it under-valued, and when the forgery gets broken, its contents are revealed: a valuable medieval Chinese bank note. Which may also be a forgery.

So Lovejoy, laid up and bored, makes use of micro-surgery techniques to examine another pig, one of several held by the choleric dealer and possible swindler Sir Desmond Clark. Meanwhile Eric needs to sell his ancient motorbike and comes up with the story that it once belonged to Lawrence of Arabia. With the help of a fellow biker named Natasha, the tale is spun well enough to find a buyer. And pigs might fly. The episode went out on 16 February 1992, and the two plots keep it busy even while its hero stays in one bed.

Ian La Frenais, Jonathan Gash and Steve Coombes wrote it, and Ian McShane himself directed, in his only turn behind the camera for the series. The cast is familiar: Phyllis Logan is Jane, Dudley Sutton is Tinker, Chris Jury is Eric. Kenneth Griffith plays Sir Desmond Clark, Burt Kwouk is the Banker, Glen Goei is the Translator, Ozzie Yue is Lee Chan, Amanda Noar is Natasha Glendenning, and Angela Bruce is Dr. Pilger. Burt Kwouk, best remembered as Cato in the Pink Panther films, plays the banker. Kenneth Griffith, a Welsh character actor who also made pointed documentaries of his own, is perfectly cast as the choleric Sir Desmond.

Two storylines, one hospital bed, and a running joke about pigs: the episode is a fine argument that an unexpected setback can be more entertaining than a perfect day among the relics. Lovejoy solves his mystery without leaving the ward, and Eric sells a motorbike on the strength of a lie so lovely nobody wants to check it.