The Wind in the Willows

After having overthrown the Weasels in the battle of Toad Hall, Toad hosts a celebration dinner for his friends. He reminisces about his time in prison, escape from jail, his exploits with the barge woman, etc. His friends are less than impressed with how he handled some of the situations, but Toad gets offended when they tell him so.

Invited to the weasels' den for a 'literary evening', Toad is taken prisoner and a ransom demanded. Badger has no intention of paying for his return, but Toad's incessant chatter drives the weasels to distraction, so they play a final trick on him before letting him go free.

Mole hears sounds which he cannot account for. It leads him to fear that there might be a ghost in his house. Eventually, though, he discovers that the sounds are produced by a hedgehog which has fallen into a crevice immediately above his burrow. With the help of Rat, he saves the animal.

After Rat's place is shaken by the passing of a great steamer, he and Mole hear the calls of the riverbank youngsters, who have lost their friend Billy (a fieldmouse) in the commotion. A desperate search for ensues, and he is found clinging perilously close to the weir. Rat and Mole stage a brave rescue, and bring the youngsters back to the rat's to dry off and have a hot drink. Rat admonishes the youngsters for playing dangerously on the river, before entertaining them with a rendition of "We'll Go Boating".

The weasels buy the part of the Wild Wood upon which stands the entrance to Badger's home. They order Badger to vacate the property. When Badger takes the weasels to court, the Judge decides in their favour, as the Weasels' deed to the property appears to be valid. It is Mole who saves the day when he discovers a Roman document signed by Julius Caesar which conveys the ownership of the area that is now the Wild Wood to the Badgers and their descendants. With this document in hand, Badger is able to chase the Weasels away only minutes before they take permanent possession of his burrow.

Mole's cousin, a famous literary figure called Auberon Mole, comes to stay after being invited by Toad to a 'literary soiree.' Mole's friends deem his dwelling and appearance too humble for the famous guest, and 'try to give him a little bit of style'. Toad and Rat redecorate Mole's house, and Badger sets out to teach Mole a smattering of Latin and Shakespearean drama. Eventually Mole decides to resist the attempts to have him present himself as someone he is not. Auberon and Mole have a lovely time, and the others are somewhat ashamed of their earlier actions.

Mole's jam, Rat's walnut cake, Badger's pickled walnuts, and Toad's 'homemade' elderflower wine all compete to be best in show. The weasels also have an abnormally large pumpkin. But two of the competitors are cheating.

On a Toad-inspired hiking trip attended by Mole and Rat, the trio soon bump into an old friend - Alfred the horse who once pulled Toad's caravan. Tired of the ghastly 3 quarters of a mile journey thus far, Toad leads the way to the derelict caravan full of desire to hit "the open road again". But then Toad is off on another craze astride his new Dersey-Patterson bicycle.

Based on Chapter 9 of the original book, Rat is visited by a seafarer, who captivates him with stories of his travels, and entices him to journey south, to embark on a ship bound for Constantinople. Mole inlists Toad's help to catch him before he leaves the River Bank behind forever.

After Badger interrupts the Chief Weasel's attempts to rob Billy Rabbit in the Wild Wood, the angry Chief plots his revenge. When his henchman stumbles upon an old hunter's trap, he sees what seems to be the perfect opportunity. However, despite the Chief setting everything up, things go horribly wrong when the henchman tries to relocate the trap.

Toad opens Toad Hall to the public in order to (modestly) show off his many family heirlooms. But the weasels have a dastardly plan to sabotage his efforts. All Toads possessions begin to disappear, causing him terrible embarrassment. Fortunately, Badger is on hand to save the day and Toad learns his lesson of too much showing off.

Based on Chapter 7 of the original book. Portly, Otter's young son, goes missing. He has picked the worst possible time: there are otter-hunters on the prowl. Rat and Mole set out on a mission to find him, and in the process have a supernatural encounter with Pan - a statue under which Portly, who has also encountered him, is found sleeping.

The Riverbank residents are organising a fun gathering where they show off their singing, dancing and instrument-playing talents: Otter on the piano; Rat playing accordion and singing Ducks Ditty; Badger's slideshow journey across the world. The piece de resistance of Toad singing excerpts from Gilbert and Sullivan suffers a setback when he swallows his fake moustache just before coming on. Mole, who had not intended to appear in the show, is drafted in at the last minute to sing. The episode finishes with a lovely choir song: "Dulce Domum". Sadly, Toad finally manages to recover just as the guests are leaving and saying their goodnights.