It's Friday night. Manny and Fran want to go out. Bernard wants to stay in, get drunk and ignore his friends. And if Manny dares to use 'party' as a verb, Bernard won't be responsible for his actions.

Manny organises a travel writing festival but has a jealous rage when Fran is captivated by the twinkling eyes and lavish hair of famously charming explorer Jason Hamilton (Julian Rhind-Tutt)

Manny puts a bet on the Grand National for Bernard, who says he's not interested in gambling but immediately becomes addicted, and has to exploit Fran and Manny so he can replenish his dwindling funds

Manny's parents come to stay. Bernard wants rid of them, preferably the day before yesterday. And Fran is rather grumpy about pretending to be Manny's girlfriend to corroborate Manny's letters home.

It's International Children's Book Week. Bernard and Manny reckon they can do better than the trash children are offered these days, so they decide to write a kids' classic and retire, Rowling-rich.

Manny defects to a swish new bookshop next door run by a super-efficient manager (Simon Pegg), and when Fran returns from holiday, she finds the shop a hovel and Bernard completely gone to seed