Gary: Tank Commander - Episode Guide

Cpl Gary McLintoch and his tank crew return from Iraq to tackle their toughest mission yet - a recruitment stall in the local shopping centre. And when the worst recruit ever is signed up, the boys try desperately to pull off the great escape.

Gary swaps the tank for a Green Goddess as the army covers a firefighters' strike. The boys prepare for their first fire, but when it finally comes, it's their people skills that face the ultimate test.

General Randy Badger arrives from America on official duty. He enlists Gary and the boys, and instigates his own mission - to drink beer, see strippers and find his Scottish ancestors, the McBadgers. Hoo ya.

Gary goes to St Andrews for a debate against a formidable opponent. He has been briefed on what to say, but when he takes the stage, he surprises everyone, including himself.

Gary complicates a training exercise by agreeing to pick up a cooker for his Dad. Collecting it with a tank is one thing - hiding it from the sergeant is another.

Gary and Charlie are on guard duty on Gary's birthday. Charlie starts a rumour about himself that gets out of hand, and Gary's determination to enjoy his birthday is tested by some awful presents and unexpected guests.

Gary, Jacko, Charlie and Adam have completed their latest tour of duty in Afghanistan and arrive at the aircraft hangar ready to be taken home, only to be told their flight has already left. Faced with waiting another 12 hours in a hot, cramped hangar, Gary decides to try and bribe his way onto an earlier flight using a pretty uninspiring collection of belongings from the boys. He's been turned down by the RAF as well as most of the squaddies in the hangar until finally he meets Cammy, a squaddie with an impeccable sales pitch and an offer Gary mistakenly thinks is too good to be true.

While transporting a tank back to the barracks, the boys defy orders by stopping off at a service station for a bit of breakfast. Charlie is so worried that Sergeant Thomson will be angry, that the boys decide to add to his anxiety by hiding the tank from him. This sparks off a chain of events that sees Gary having to call in all sorts of favours in order to stay one step ahead of Thomson; something that becomes increasingly difficult when Julie gets involved.

Following a prank that went wrong, Sergeant Thomson takes a brief break from his day off to punish Gary and the boys by putting them on kitchen duty for the Captain's important dinner. Chef works hard to keep them under control while also trying to create a dinner good enough to impress Colonel Fanshaw, the Captain's father. But when an inebriated Thomson returns to wreak havoc in the kitchen, it's left to Gary to ensure that the dinner is a success and the Captain isn't embarrassed in front of 'Colonel Daddy'.

It's been fifteen years since Gary's mum passed away and his dad Martin thinks that it's finally time to scatter her ashes. Gary, Martin, Julie and Gary's aunt Margaret all set out to his mum's favourite beauty spot, but find that it's changed a lot since they used to go there. Gary needs to come up with a back-up plan but he's distracted by a series of mysterious phone calls that not only annoy his aunt and Julie, but also manages to offend his dad on the worst day possible.

Patrolling the outer perimeter at a climate conference is looking like being one of the most boring jobs they've ever had, until Gary catches sight of a family of protesters dressed up as rabbits. Rounding them up is only half the battle, as Sergeant Thomson insists they are delivered to the police who are waiting at a far away checkpoint. As they travel with their prisoners, the family try to get through to Gary with their message of peace, but it's their costumes that have the most emotional effect on him.

The army are looking for soldiers to be part of their new advertising campaign. Sensing a shot at fame and stardom, Gary would rather do it himself, but as they're looking for teams he signs Adam, Jacko and Charlie up for the audition as well. Jacko and Adam take dramatic tension a bit literally as they come to blows during their rehearsals, so Gary has to act as peacemaker if he is to stand any chance of landing the audition and becoming the new face of the 'armeh'.

The annual fitness test proves too much for Gary. Physical trainer, Corporal Fox, doesn't hold back in telling him how bad a shape he's in so, humiliated and determined to save face with the boys, Gary challenges Fox to a race, with a demotion on the cards if he loses. With the help of Jacko, Charlie and new recruit Mickey, Gary finally faces up to an uncomfortable home truth and makes a confession to his dad and Julie, but will it be in time to help him win the race and keep his job?

Gary delights Captain Fanshaw by 'saving his life' on a competitive skills exercise. With the enemy being led by his father, Colonel Fanshaw, the Captain is so grateful that while the others are fending off the Colonel's increasingly audacious attacks, he offers Gary a new job that sounds too good to be true - and turns out to be exactly that. Under the piercing gaze of Sergeant Thomson and with the rest of the team dropping like flies, it's up to Gary to somehow win the task - without impressing the Captain.

Cammy, an old adversary of Gary's, is posted to the barracks and old rivalries are soon restored in the form of a brawl. Sergeant Thomson punishes them both but a series of tit for tat exchanges follow. Things quickly get out of hand when army property is defaced and Gary is the one blamed. With the boys unable to provide an alibi and Thomson refusing to believe that Cammy is to blame, Gary finds himself in serious danger of being kicked out of the army forever.

Under threat of barracks closures, Sergeant Thomson is more irritable than usual as he prepares everyone for the visit of MP, Steven Maxwell. The frantic preparations see Thomson injured so Gary steps up to show the MP around. Under strict instructions from Thomson to stick rigidly to the 'boring' agenda, Gary has a better idea and he and Mickey defy the Sergeant to appeal to the MP's appetite for action, but they underestimate just how insatiable it is.

A posting to Germany hasn't quite lived up to the excitement levels of Afghanistan and Iraq and Gary is desperate to get home. But when Charlie announces that he's just got engaged, the final week gets a lot more interesting. Charlie's bride-to-be makes quite an impression, and while Mickey thinks she seems fun, Jacko is less generous with his feedback. Gary's initial misgivings are replaced with his excitement at being asked to be best man, and he starts making preparations for his special day.

Hallowe'en is a big deal on the barracks and the boys are determined to successfully defend their dooking for apples trophy. Gary goes with Julie to see a fortune teller, who gives Gary a spooky and terrifying prediction. All seems fine back at the barracks as Jacko and Charlie train Mickey up for his dooking debut, but Gary starts to panic as the prediction starts to come true. It takes the lure of a massive trophy to get Gary to the Hallowe'en party, but once there he comes face to face with the terrifying conclusion to the prediction.

Gary returns with the best of the best action from series one. Featuring Gary and the boys showing an American General a good time, being attacked by little girls during a fire strike and buying a cooker from a man in a dress, all tied together with a top selection of flashbacks from the front.

The sitcom character talks to Nicola Sturgeon, Kezia Dugdale, Ruth Davidson, Willie Rennie, Patrick Harvie and David Coburn.