Gary is moving up the social ladder in both eras, though not particularly smoothly. In 1998, Yvonne has been invited to the Woman of the Year bash at 10 Downing Street but Gary is refused entry when nobody believes he's really her husband. In 1944, Phoebe experiences the sharp end of rejection when the local West End butcher refuses to serve her, as he deems her below the standards of his regular customers.

When an unexploded bomb detonates at the entrance to Duckett's Passage, the time portal between the 1940s and the 1990s is damaged and Phoebe unknowingly follows Gary through to 1998. Meanwhile, Reg receives a blow to the head that vastly increases his intelligence, and Gary enlists Ron to look after Phoebe in 1998 and keep her away from Yvonne.

With the time portal still haywire, Ron finally makes it back to the 1940s, where he inevitably makes Gary's life even more difficult. In 1998, Yvonne starts doing consultancy work for Chelsea FC, and much to Gary's delight, acquires some VIP match tickets.