The Rotherhithe Project

Rotherhithe is emptying out. People are getting scared and moving away, and Danny is getting the blame. He has put money into a new development being run by Tim Fanshawe, a developer with a smile that does not reach his eyes, and Fanshawe has hired men who use heavy-handed tactics on the remaining owners. But Danny did not know about the tactics, and nobody believes him.

The twist is international. The Japanese consortium backing the project turns out to be from a group that makes the Mafia look like the Women's Institute, which changes the arithmetic of the whole thing. Danny is in over his head with people who outgun everyone he has ever dealt with, and he has to get out without being caught in the crossfire. The comparison is the episode's best line, and it earns it: these are the people who make the Mafia look like the Women's Institute, and Danny has signed up with them on a handshake.

The episode has a good eye for the fear spreading through the streets. Neighbours who have known the Kanes for years are suddenly packing boxes, and the blame follows Danny around like a dog. It is the closest the show comes to a public opinion storyline.

Mako brings real weight to Mr Yamamoto, and Paul Geoffrey's Fanshawe is the right sort of slimy. Around them the regulars watch the local panic grow, with Jonjo O'Brady, Ronnie Blythe and Polish Joe caught between loyalty and common sense.

Barry Purchese and Murray Smith wrote it, Brian Ward directed. Leslie Grantham, Don Henderson, Barbara Wilshere, Peter Gowen, Leon Herbert, Kevin Short, Jack Galloway, Mako, Paul Geoffrey and Michael Attwell make up the cast.

The Rotherhithe Project is the episode where the family business meets the global economy, and the global economy wins the first round. The ending leaves Danny holding a smaller share of a bigger problem, which counts as a win in this line of work.