Ronnie Marsden is the patriarch of the Marsden family. The family moved into the house formerly owned by the Reynolds family. At first things seemed to be fine between Frances and Ronnie, but she soon told him that she’d had a cancer scare. She got a job working at Eric Pollard's factory, as Ronnie drove around Europe in his truck. Soon Ronnie flirted with Louise Appleton, the Woolpack landlady. Flirtation grew into an affair, following a football tournament. Diane Blackstock, Louise’s partner in the Woolpack, discovered the truth about the affair and tried to stop Ronnie and Louise.