Christmas special featuring the string-vested sage of Govan. Rab's a changed man having ditched alcohol, found religion and discovered the cooker, while Mary-Doll has a new career.

The pressure of looking after Rab, who has a bad back, begins to tell on Mary and she has some bad news for her husband.

Country singer Marilou Devine has died in tragic circumstances, plunging the Govan community into convulsive grief. However, a court sentence of community service ensures that Rab must pay more attention to the living rather than the dead.

It's business as usual in Govan's Giro Valley as Mary is mugged. Gash leaves his wife for her sister and a couple of guilty secrets hit the lurid light of day.

A booze cruise to Millport opens up old wounds for Rab, which causes some strife.

Relief barman "Mad Dog" comes highly recommended by his old pals in Broadmoor. Before long, he's left Rab and Jamesie on the brink of a drug problem.

It's a new dawn for the Nesbitts as a new Labour Government and a new daughter-in-law are sworn in. So why does this new era of opportunity leave Rab feeling so old?