To be fair my recollections of events in this case was helped by http://www.lowfield.co.uk where the Google search engine pointed me in the right direction (somehow I cannot get the same results from the BBC website).
I cannot disagree entirely with Miss Mid City (well whoever disagrees with a pretty woman?) but, as with the characterisation of Will which I have discussed elsewhere, the lesser characters are used to provide some sort of irritation or annnoyance to the main action and serve as a reminder of their existence on the planet and to enable some diversity. However these lesser players are always written “one way” and unlike those we hear regularly have less chance to appear heroic, kindly, positive or dynamic (or any show any redeeming features) because the period they spend in range of the microphones is so limited.
What I did note is that James always seems to be given money to go away and leave Ambridge alone. How old is he?