Howard arranges a military exercise!

Howard arranges a military exercise!
Howard arranges a military exercise! (Image credit: BBC)

Rob is dismayed to discover that he is the only policeman to have grown a moustache for Movember. He has to spend the day sorting through tedious files with Jimmi, but is later thrilled when DCI Driver offers him an attachment in CID. At the Mill, most of the staff are horrified to discover that they're going to be doing team building, military style. As Jas has phoned in sick Valerie is delighted to be drafted in. At an extremely difficult assault course, Howard says he'll make soldiers of them yet. Heston won't let him get out of the hard work and Howard stuns them all by gracefully negotiating the assault course. Later, Karen slips on some mud and ends up in a makeshift stretcher. Next up is the wilderness survival exercise, and Chris and Emma appoint themselves as opposing team leaders. The teams are tasked to find tokens, and the team that makes it back with the most in time are the winners. Karen is upset when her team leave her stretcher to find some checkpoints. After Chris has found a token they realise that they’ve forgotten where they left Karen. Emma's team encounter Marvin, a wild-looking man who scares them all away. Chris and Emma's team both miss the deadline but meet each other and decide it's a draw. They all come to the realisation that they've left Karen alone... with a wild man in the woods! Meanwhile, Karen is filming herself on her mobile phone – Blair Witch Style, saying goodbye to Rob and the kids. Mrs Tembe finally finds Karen and when they eventually get back to the Minibus they find Howard having a nap. They drive off, leaving him in the forest by himself.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.