The Bounder

- Season 2

(1983)

Mary has left Trevor but his efforts to conceal the fact from Howard and Laura are not very successful. Because he is useless at housework Trevor employs the younger Doreen as a cleaning lady but Howard wrongly believes that she is the woman with whom Trevor has been having an affair and causing Mary's departure so he scares her away. When Trevor produces Mary's luggage trunk Howard expects to find her corpse inside,forcing Trevor to admit that Mary has left as she is fed up with the both of them.

Howard sets up a dating agency but it is not very successful and two dissatisfied - and mismatched - clients prim,middle-class Celia and rough diamond Bert arrive at the house to complain. Howard manages to get Celia cosy with Trevor when they both get drunk but Laura is outraged when Howard suggests that she is the sort of swinger Bert is seeking. However Howard does manage to appease Celia with a night at the opera.

A jewel thief nicknamed Raffles is burgling houses in the locality and Laura is the latest victim. The police are called and Howard,with his past record and lack of an alibi,is the immediate suspect. However,having set a trap, Howard and Trevor discover Howard's old cell mate Greasy breaking into their house with Laura 's jewels. The police arrive but they are fooled into believing that Greasy is a passing motorist whose car broke down on his way home from the opera and he escapes.

Following her burglary Laura buys an Alsatian dog called Sabre but he growls at Howard every time he goes near Laura. Howard decides to train Sabre but,to Trvor's amusement,fails miserably so he gives the dog to a man he meets in the pub,lying to Laura that he has returned him to his original,blind,owner. When Sabre leads the man back to Laura's house she and Trevor are amazed at how able he is for an alleged blind man and when Howard comes in he has a lot of explaining to do.

When Trevor learns that Mary has been seen with the younger,better-looking insurance salesman Reggie Thorne,he suspects they are having an affair so Laura goes out with Reggie and discovers the connection was quite innocent. Howeverit is now Howard who gets jealous as Laura begins to date Reggie and he poses as a gangster to frighten him away - very successfully in the event.

Howard feels sorry for former prison friend,alcoholic forger Softly Simpson when he sees him trying to sell his copies of paintings so he persuades Trevor that Softly is a famous artist and Trevor has Softly paint his portrait,with which he is thrilled - though everybody else sees it is actually a portrait of the Duke of Wellington. Laura sets a trap to expose the fraud which eventually ends up with Howard literally being framed.

Learning that Mary wants a divorce and that Laura is escorting Trevor to important functions Howard sets out to sabotage the relationship by persuading Trevor's secretary Gloria that her boss is in love with her. As a result Trevor takes Gloria to the firm 's dinner but falls foul of her jealous boyfriend who is acting as a waiter there. The resultant scandal gets in the papers but also sees Mary possibly returning to Trevor and Laura actually kissing Howard.