Clive Parnell was Newton & Ridley's yuppie promotions manager. In 1990, he was placed in charge of the promo nights for Pomme de lite cider, touring pubs with the pomme pomme delight girls, scantily-clad women who he referred to as "livestock".
Inevitably the tour soon brought Clive and the girls to the Rovers Return. After clearing it with a surprised Alec Gilroy, Clive fetched the girls in the Pomme de lite minivan, warning them that the landlord was "a bit of a groper". Steph Barnes and Jenny Bradley refused to go in, embarrassed at being seen in the costumes by their neighbours, but Clive forced them by threatening not to pay them for the promos they'd already done. Having known about the event beforehand, Des Barnes filled the pub with mates for a laugh, but when he saw various men making a play for Steph he demanded she hand in her notice. Steph later resigned - of her own volition - but when Clive was given the push for fiddling his expenses and trying it on with the girls, Steph was given his old job.
In April 1991, Clive met Steph when they were a holiday at the same destination, apparently by coincidence. Steph was on her own as she'd had a falling out with Des. According to Steph, Clive pestered her, climbing the balcony to her room and writing a message on her leg cast. Steph remained faithful to Des but when he found a picture of her and Clive together in her holiday snaps, and Clive's phone number scribbled on her flight ticket, he walked out and spent the night on a mate's sofa. He believed Steph when she told him how Clive had pestered her, but he refused to let Clive get away with it. With Clive now freelance, Des arranged a meeting with him at The Gallery pub down by the canal to discuss a leisurewear promotion, using the name Jack Newton. Upon meeting Des, Clive was upfront with the fact that he pursued Steph, but told him that he got nowhere, thinking it would satisfy Des. This angered Des all the more, but before Des landed a punch, Clive warned him that he did unarmed combat. In the ensuing 'fight', Des didn't manage a single thump, with Clive easily knocking him to the ground. Having heard about Des's scheme from Jack Duckworth, Steph arrived at the scene at that moment and broke up the fight, telling Clive that she wouldn't touch him if he was the last man on Earth. Walking away triumphantly, Clive told Steph that she'd be killed in the rush if he was.