A bored teacher, bold caretaker, passionate art dealer and young maverick meet through a bizarre road accident. At first they don't seem to have much in common, but they soon develop a genuine interest in each other, and as their pasts unravel, forge odd alliances and friendships.
It’s Stockport 1990 and Martin Parker, a man with the ambition of Alan Sugar and the looks of Robert Kilroy Silk is slowly waking up to the fact that things are changing. With a chain of electrical stores, a wife, kids and a flash car, he has the perfect life. But in reality he’s swimming in a sea of debt and lies, and it falls to the two women in his life, Kath and Diane to plot his downfall.
Sophie and Paul (an aspiring musician) can't pay their London rent and turn to friends and family for support. Over the course of a summer, things go from bad to worse: The couple lose everything and find themselves lost in the underbelly of life on the streets. Though frustrated, their good humour and positivity land them odd jobs and a temporary shelter.
In the town of Margate, eldest sister Trish is pregnant and expecting a girl baby. Her sisters Clare and Leila rally around her with their mum. But other sister Mel makes an unexpected return that threatens to destabilize the entire family.
The Man In The Hat sets off from Marseilles in a small Fiat 500. On the seat beside him is a framed photograph of an unknown woman. Behind him is a 2CV into which is squeezed Five Bald Men. Why are they chasing him? And how can he shake them off? As he travels North through France, he encounters razeteurs, women with stories to tell, bullfights, plenty of delicious food, a damp man, mechanics, nuns, a convention of Chrystallographers and much more, coming face to face with the vivid eccentricities of an old country.
Sheila Reid (born 1937) is a Scottish actress, best known for her performance as Madge Barron in Benidorm. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sheila Reid, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.