Red letter day

Cain hides a letter to Aaron from Robert, leading to an emotional showdown for the Dingle duo

t’s rarely a barrel of laughs at Mill Cottage and, as Cain and Aaron are holed up during lockdown, needless to say they’re not throwing on Lycra leggings and doing Joe Wicks’ online PE lessons. Cain, in particular, is in sombre spirits in light of his recent divorce from Moira. Not that he’d admit it, of course.

‘It’s just not in Cain’s DNA to open up,’ says Jeff Hordley, who plays the brooding mechanic.

Thoughts of Cain’s failed marriage are put aside when he spots that a letter has been delivered with a prison stamp on. It can only be from Aaron’s ex-hubby, Robert, who was banged up for life last year after he murdered his sister Victoria’s rapist, Lee Posner.

Having seen his nephew slowly piece his life back together

Ifollowing Robert’s decision to sever contact, Cain fears the letter could set him back, and he quickly stashes it inside a magazine.

‘Cain fears that Aaron will “overthink things and go down a rabbit hole” – which is a line from the script,’ Jeff tells us.

‘He’s just scared that his nephew is going to react badly to the letter so he decides – for better or for worse – to hide it.’

As the days slowly pass by, the pair cope with the monotony by getting drunk.

But while Cain’s sozzled, he accidentally lets slip about the correspondence from the clink.

Aaron’s fuming, and when Cain then forgets where he put the letter, Aaron delivers some home truths about his uncle and Moira’s relationship.

A contemplative Cain later attempts an apology, but he struggles to be honest about his own issues. Meanwhile, Aaron eventually finds the elusive note… But what does it say, and how will Aaron react?

‘Aaron carefully constructs a way to try and get Cain to open up,’ adds Jeff. ‘As the episode progresses, we see a shift in the pair of them from how they are at the beginning to how they are at the end.’

Will the duo confront their demons, and emerge from lockdown in a better place?

CAIN IS SCARED THAT HIS NEPHEW IS GOING TO REACT

BADLY