Set in 1990 Stockport, the show follows Conleth Hill’s Martin Parker, a self-made electrical-retail mini-magnate who owes everyone and believes no one has noticed. His accountant wife Diane, played by Rosie Cavaliero, and shop-girl mistress Kath, written and performed by Sian Gibson, gradually swap notes and weaponise the mounting bills. The first six-part run landed on BBC One and iPlayer in July 2023; a second series arrived in May 2025, again dropping the full set for binge viewers.
Creators Paul Coleman and Gibson, both former Manchester students, mined their 1990s memories for references to Anneka Rice, Juliet Bravo and violently patterned shell suits. Coleman pitched the project as “suburban Fatal Attraction” and filmed on location around Stockport’s precincts and neon-bright shops. Director Joseph Roberts keeps the camera tight on the triangle, letting peripheral characters like Sheila Reid’s acid-tongued mother-in-law Gladys supply running commentary.
Critics split along generational lines. The Guardian lamented that the show “wishes it was a Victoria Wood drama”, while the New Statesman hailed “comic perfection” tempered by the fear that anyone under 45 might need footnotes. The Royal Television Society North West still awarded it Best Comedy Programme in 2024, beating Brassic and Inside No. 9. Whatever the quibbles, the series proves that a Ford Sierra, a Filofax and two vengeful women can still deliver a lethal shock.
Production Details
BBC One / 2 Seasons / 12 Episodes / 2023 - Present
Created by: Paul Coleman Sian Gibson
Writer(s): Paul Coleman Sian Gibson
Producer(s): Gill Isles
Main Cast
Conleth Hill as Martin Parker
Sian Gibson as Kath
Rosie Cavaliero as Diane
Sheila Reid as Gladys
Rhiannon Clements as Bev
David Mumeni as Mr Scott
Austin Haynes as Ryan Slater
Alan Mehdizadeh as Karim
Dominic Holmes as Tom Parker
Abby Russell as Julie
Ian Barritt as Bob
