Lucy Flannery

When long-serving council leader Roland Whittaker loses his seat to a Monster Raving Loony Party candidate with the same surname and initials, he is both flabbergasted and furious. Young Robin Whittaker (who conducted his entire campaign dressed in a chicken outfit and a Viking helmet) isn't happy either - he only stood for election as a student prank. Everyone expects him to resign, but he's persuaded to stick it out, and it's not long before he's being proclaimed Mayor…

Robin may be full of bright ideas, but his naivety makes him ripe for manipulation. As he attempts to get his head around local government, save Chesbury FC, launch a new currency and deal with Trekkies and a German delegation, will he manage to push through his policies?

Maria and Richard Reynolds are happily married, but broke. With debts piling up and their house falling down, there's only one thing for it: they have to start taking in lodgers. Their new housemates are two equally cash-strapped students - Ruby, who's conscientious and dedicated, and Paul, who finds academic pursuits more of a challenge.

Over the course of 24 episodes, the foursome go from being complete strangers to close friends. Richard and Maria discover they're not as young and groovy as they'd thought, Paul gets his heart set on Ruby, and Maria hears her biological clock ticking very loudly. The arrival of baby Piglet leads to havoc chez Reynolds, as the preparations for her naming ceremony reach a climax, and Paul and Ruby consider their future. And as both couples find themselves saddled with unwanted guests, can they send them packing and get their lives back?