
A working-class family in London's East End is struggling to stay afloat during the recession under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Only the mother Mavis is working; father Frank and the couple's two sons Colin, a timid, chronically shy individual and Mark, an outspoken, headstrong young man, are on the dole. This situation is contrasted by the presence of Mavis's sister Barbara, and her husband John, whose financial and social loftiness appears to be a comfortable facade over the unspoken soreness of a lackluster marriage.

as Mark

as Colin

as Frank

as Mavis

as Coxy

as Barbara

as John

as Haley

as Hayley's Friend

as Boyfriend

as Estate Manager

as Unemployment Benefit Clerk

as Man in Pub

as Barman

as Rusty