The one-off series centres on six times in the life of the Tollits, a family living in a small town in North West England. The dad, Len, is a soft-hearted, well-meaning chap who is fiercely proud of his working-class roots but whose determination to prove himself the equal of those who may consider themselves his betters leads to confrontation and infuriates his wife, Pat.

They have two children, the pre-teen Sean and Siobhan, who, at 15, is at that awkward age of first boyfriends. Living in the granny flat in their garden is Mr Bebington, Len's late mother's boyfriend who has remained with them since her death. Pat constantly cajoles Len into getting Bebington out but he is quite content to let him stay and treats him as one of the family. Len's brother, Morris, who lives nearby, is a bit of a lost soul, a faded hippy who is loveable if half-witted. These are tales of a family bumping through a very recognisable, ordinary, extraordinary life.