Ep 3. A Matter of Conscience

In Hi-de-Hi! season 3 episode 3, titled "A Matter of Conscience," the staff of Maplins holiday camp are faced with a moral dilemma. Joe Maplin, the owner of the camp, has decided to hold a beauty contest, much to the chagrin of head Yellowcoat, Peggy Ollerenshaw. Peggy is vehemently opposed to the objectification of women and refuses to participate in the event.

Meanwhile, Ted Bovis, the camp's resident comedian and wheeler-dealer, sees the beauty contest as an opportunity to make some extra money. He convinces Gladys Pugh, the chief Yellowcoat, to enter the competition and promises to fix the results in her favor. Gladys initially resists, but Ted's persuasiveness eventually wins her over.

As tensions rise in the camp, Spike Dixon, the new junior Yellowcoat, becomes embroiled in a romantic entanglement with a young woman named Tiffany. Spike is initially smitten with Tiffany, but he soon discovers that she is using him to get closer to Simon, the camp's sporty and popular Yellowcoat. Spike is torn between his loyalty to his friend and his feelings for Tiffany.

As the beauty contest approaches, Peggy becomes increasingly vocal in her opposition to the event. She rallies the other staff members to her cause and tries to drum up support from the camp's guests. However, her efforts are met with apathy and even hostility from some of the male guests.

On the day of the contest, tensions come to a head. Gladys is excited to be competing and has even convinced herself that she stands a chance of winning. However, when she discovers that Ted has rigged the results in favor of another contestant, she is devastated.

Meanwhile, Peggy's protests have attracted the attention of a feminist group, who arrive at the camp to stage a demonstration. The situation quickly spirals out of control, and the staff are forced to call in the police to restore order.

In the midst of the chaos, Spike must make a difficult decision. He finally confronts Tiffany and tells her the truth about his feelings. In a moment of clarity, Tiffany realizes that she has been behaving selfishly and apologizes to Spike, paving the way for him to reconcile with Simon.

In the aftermath of the beauty contest debacle, the staff of Maplins are left to pick up the pieces. Peggy feels vindicated by the outpouring of public support for her cause, while Gladys is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams. Ted, ever the opportunist, is undeterred and immediately begins planning his next money-making scheme. And Spike, having learned some important lessons about loyalty and the importance of standing up for what he believes in, emerges a wiser and more mature young man.