Olivia Poulet

The civil servants at DoSAC are preparing for a visit from the shadow minister Peter Mannion. For Mannion and his team, this informal pre-election briefing is a good opportunity to measure up for new curtains. For Nicola Murray, it is simply another distraction on a day when nothing seems to be going right. All she really wants to do is get Glenn and Olly to kick-start the Fourth Sector Pathfinder Initiative. And then she gets a call.

In The Rise of Nutters, something goes terribly wrong on BBC2's Newsnight and everything begins to unravel for Malcolm Tucker as enemies in the Government and the Opposition both make bids for power.

After weeks of trading bitter blows in the press, DoSAC minister Nicola Murray MP and her shadow Peter Mannion MP are invited onto BBC Radio 5Live for a debate on Richard Bacon's late-night phone-in programme. Director of Communications Malcolm Tucker and Opposition PR guru Stewart Pearson decide to listen in the comfort of their respective offices, but when some breaking news threatens to make things difficult for the politicians, the programme quickly turns into a phone-in like no other.

As the election looms and the Opposition eye the prize, the word around the Westminster Village is that Malcolm Tucker is running out of both options and friends. He may have bitten off more than he can chew with Steve Fleming, but when an offer of help appears from an unlikely direction, Malcolm starts to set his finest trap yet.

Belle goes on a second date with Alex, as a "real" girlfriend - a situation Belle is unsure how to navigate. Later, she sees regular client Matt who always requests the professional "girlfriend experience" - a role that is much easier for her because the rules are so much clearer. When Matt leaves, there is a buzz at the door and Belle is confronted by his angry wife. This confrontation leaves her distraught, leading her to abruptly give up on pursuing a "real" relationship with Alex. When she goes to break up with him, he talks her out of it and she decides to throw caution to the wind.