In the Cotswold village of Pagford grasping shop-keeper Howard Mollison, chairman of the local parish council, is keen to turn the village's popular but dilapidated community hall into a money-making spa, bringing protests from honest solicitor Barry Fairbrother. The council votes on the matter but with no clear majority. When Barry suddenly dies a vacancy occurs on the parish council. Howard urges his weak son Miles to stand, to the disgust of Miles' wife, sex shop owner Samantha, who detests her father-in-law. School-master Colin Wall, husband of Tess, Barry's ally on the council, also puts himself forward as does Barry's greedy brother Simon Price , who bullies his son 'Arf'. At the same time social worker Kaye Bawden is dismayed to be told that her department's lack of funds means she cannot get little Robbie Weedon away from his drug addict mother Terri and tarty sister Krystle. Written by don @ minifie-1

Barry is laid to rest but a blogger claiming to be his ghost posts online messages, exposing Simon as a thief and causing him to withdraw from the candidacy. The Mollisons are highly amused - until the ghost points out Miles's shortcomings and then Colin is attacked online, having rowed with his teen-aged stepson 'Fats' over the boy's sexual involvement with Krystle. Krystle herself has only fond recollections of Barry's kindness to her and her family. Samantha Mollison holds a dinner party for other candidates and their associates, including Kaye and married doctors Parmender and Vikram, who supported Barry, but it descends into chaos and argument as Parminder locks horns with Howard. That night Howard has dreams involving death. Written by don @ minifie-1

As Terri's attitude seems to improve Barry's widow Mary confides in Colin that she believes his civic duty killed her husband and warns Colin against accepting the vacancy. Colin reckons that he will lose and does so by one vote to Miles. This gives the Mollisons the deciding vote on the future of the community hall and Miles predictably backs his father though he defends Samantha against Shirley at Howard's birthday party, where Arf snaps Howard having sex with business partner Mo. The result ends up on the Ghost's website. Krystle is shocked to see Terri back on the drugs and flees the house with Robbie. Something very bad happens as a result, for which several people feel responsible though they must get on with their lives. The Ghost's identity, though revealed to viewers, goes undetected to most of the village. Written by don @ minifie-1