Plot
Self-absorbed middle-class couple Maggie and Andrew Prentice have just taken early retirement and intend to spend their final years luxuriating in their new home overlooking a vineyard in the south of France. However, when their estranged son Graham and his wife (they only refer to her as 'Boot-face') die in a car crash, Maggie and Andrew are forced to become legal guardians and later adoptive parents of Graham's three children, thirteen-year-old Georgia, eleven-year-old Philip and seven-year-old Jake, meaning that they will never be able to go to France. In the first series, Maggie and Andrew officially adopted the children. Maggie especially hates this as she doesn't like children, and the children blatantly resent her and Andrew for the way they treated their parents. To make matters worse the children are argumentative and fussy. Georgia is a vegetarian environmentalist, Philip only eats spam and Jake won't eat anything round.
During the series, the family struggle to get along together, with Andrew and Maggie missing their former privileged life, and the children unwilling to give their grandparents a chance initially. Maggie and Andrew also began to feel considerable remorse for the appalling way they treated their late son, Graham, and they gradually grow to love and care deeply for their grandchildren, particularly in the final episode of the series, when Philip is being bullied and Maggie and Andrew encounter the bully's parents, who greatly remind them of themselves: negligent, selfish and more interested in having a good time than being a loving, attentive parent to their child.
The Prentices also employ a cleaner, Liz, who lives her life based on horoscopes and daytime talk shows such as Oprah. Over the course of the series, Liz develops a relationship with Tom, a builder, who arrives to install a damp course in the kitchen and then is employed to do further jobs, including converting the garage into another bedroom for one of the children . Tom is a serial womanizer with various one night stands turning up throughout series 2 much to Liz's frustration. Both Liz and Tom only appear in series 1 and 2. It is revealed in series 3 that they left together after Liz became pregnant.
Also making regular appearances are Rosie and Hugh Buckingham, Maggie and Andrew's best friends. Snobbish and child-free, they regularly turn their noses up at things such as pets, camping, and vacuuming whilst regaling Maggie and Andrew with their tales of their latest holiday, trip to the gym, or game of golf, depressing them with tales of the life they used to enjoy.
During series 2 and 3 Philip acquires a new friend and girlfriend in Roxanne. Loud, scruffy, and outspoken, she owns a very large rottweiler dog named Die Hard.
Characters
Maggie Prentice (Penelope Keith) Maggie was dreaming of moving to France, drinking fine wines and eating good food. She declares that moving to France will be an opportunity to end all ties with Graham. She readily admits that she did not particularly like her son Graham, nor his wife, but upon hearing news of his death, she hates herself for not being a better mother to him. She dislikes children and doesn't want to have to take in her grandchildren. Throughout the series she is shown to be more compassionate and grows to enjoy having the children around.
Andrew Prentice (William Gaunt) Andrew shares Maggie's idea that moving to France will be a chance to cut Graham from their lives, but when Graham dies, Andrew is more relaxed about having the children come to live with them, as it gives him a chance to be the good father he never was to Graham. He too was looking forward to early retirement in France, but he realises rather quickly that he has no choice but to look after his grandchildren. He does however show reluctance to make certain sacrifices such as selling his vintage car (Volvo P1800 ES Sports-back), his wine cellar laden with some of France's finest and his weekly game of golf.
Georgia Prentice (Ann Gosling) ( Born 1982 ) Georgia is a sullen and self-righteous 13-year-old vegetarian environmentalist. She resents having to live with her grandparents and is determined to make things as difficult for them as possible, especially Maggie. She repeatedly feels isolated in being the only girl and believes she is not as likeable as her brothers. During the series she deals with an eating disorder which brings her slightly closer to Maggie.
Philip Prentice (Matthew Clarke) Philip is 11. ( Born 1984 ) He struggles to cope with the death of his parents and becomes increasingly difficult, although not as much as Georgia. He will not eat anything other than spam. During the course of the series he develops an interest in the drums as well as girls. He is seen to be bullied in the last episode during which in the final scene he gives Maggie a Mothers' Day card, giving the impression that he has accepted Maggie and Andrew as his adoptive parents.
Jake Prentice (Jamie Lucraft) Jake is seven years old. (Born 1988) He has a keen interest in all animals from goldfish, stick insects, hamsters and rabbits. He seems less affected by his parents' deaths than Georgia and Philip: this is mainly due to his age.
Liz (Tracie Bennett) Liz is the Prentices' cleaner. She has an unpleasant daughter, Laura, and lives her every day through horoscopes, advice pages and daytime television. During the series she becomes involved with Tom, who has a string of ex lovers calling and bumping into him. Liz, unhappy and fearful that he will not be faithful becomes reluctant to stay involved with him. In series 2 when her violent ex-husband Jack gives her two black eyes, Tom goes to 'sort him out', only to end up in hospital himself. Liz then sees him as a hero and someone who can protect her. Liz does not appear in series 3.
Tom (Mark Powley) Tom is a builder. He arrives at the house to install a damp course. Both Georgia and Liz immediately have a crush on him. He is then employed to convert the garage into a fourth bedroom and from then on becomes more involved with Liz. By the second series, the relationship develops further with Tom hitting Liz's ex-husband after he beats her up. Tom does not appear in series 3.
During episode one of series 3, when Roxanne mistakes Rosie for the new cleaner, she mentions that 'the last one got pregnant and ran off with the builder'.
Rosie and Hugh Buckingham (Wanda Ventham) and (Timothy Carlton) Hugh and his idle, pampered wife Rosie are Maggie and Andrew's oldest and best friends. They are a wealthy, childfree couple who regularly went to the gym, played golf and went on holiday with Maggie and Andrew, but after the children arrive, Maggie and Andrew can no longer do this. Rosie and Hugh depress Maggie and Andrew with their stories of luxurious holidays, massages, parties and rounds of golf, making them long for their old life back.
Roxanne (Diana Magness) Roxanne is an outspoken, slightly scruffy school friend and then girlfriend of Philip's. The Prentices are somewhat intimidated by her and her dog Die Hard.
Ant (Jeremy Swift) Ant is a social worker. He first appears in the first series when Philip is taken to hospital with a head injury after pretending to be a human cannonball. The hospital think he has been mistreated and Ant is appointed to take on the case. He makes semi-regular appearances, coming back to oversee the adoption process and even directing Jake's school's nativity play. It is revealed in series 2 that his wife has left him for a woman named Ruby. He does not appear in series 3 and is not mentioned.
Jelly is a dog, bought by the children as a birthday present for Maggie in series 2. She only appears in this episode as she is re-homed when it emerges that Philip suffers from an allergy when Jelly is near him. Although Maggie did not like or want Jelly at first, she bonds with the puppy but when Phillip becomes ill, and they discover that he is allergic to her, Maggie and the family are saddened to let her go.
Graham Prentice (Unseen character) (1962–1995) Graham is Maggie and Andrew's estranged son. Maggie and Andrew never wanted to be parents, and thus their relationship with Graham was not a loving one. Maggie admits that Graham especially resented her. He and his unnamed wife (referred to as 'Boot-face') vehemently badmouthed Maggie and Andrew to Georgia, Philip and Jake, and the children often recall the horrible things Graham endured at his parents' hands, such as being abandoned at boarding school whilst Andrew and Maggie enjoyed themselves abroad. Despite not bonding with Graham, upon hearing news of his death, Maggie was furious at herself for not trying to be a better mother to him.
