Clocking Off

Some men just disappear. They kiss their wives and children goodbye, saying they'll be home for tea and are never seen again. Stuart Leach is one such man. Thirteen months ago he set off from home to his job at Mackintosh Textiles and never returned. Until now... And now that he's back, he cannot remember where he has been. In fact, as far as Stuart is concerned it is as if the last year does not exist. He has lost his memory, or so he claims. His wife, Sue (Alison Swann), and brothers - Martin and Kev - want some answers. Although happy that he is alive, Martin is not exactly pleased to see his brother back. Perhaps time may have stood still for Stuart, but while he was away, Martin and Sue had to deal with his disappearance, became close started sleeping together. Suddenly all Martin's hopes for a relationship with Sue are threatened. Martin is desperate to find out exactly what did happen to Stuart in the last year. How did he come by the knife wound on his back? Who was he trying t

Exactly what is a woman supposed to do when the man she sleeps with kicks her out of their home, leaving her and her children with no where to go? This is the question facing Yvonne, a machinist at the factory. The one thing she does know, is that she will not take it lying down. Burning down her house to claim the contents insurance seems like a good idea - that's the kind of woman she is. Yvonne is no victim. A sexy, funny and attractive woman, she has a history of relationships with aggressive, sometimes violent men, but she is a survivor who gives as good as she gets. Her absolute priorities are her three children, coupled with her determination to be independent and in control of her life. But her plan almost ends in tragedy when a misunderstanding means that Yvonne's children are asleep in the house when she sets fire to it. What has she done? Fortunately for her, her next door neighbour, Jim Calvert, comes to the rescue, risking his life to save Yvonne's family. Jim is a happy b

KT's life is about to be turned upside-down. At the bottom of the factory's hierarchy, KT works the shopfloor and lives with his grandparents at home. The last thing he expects is to be seduced by Katherine, the glamorous wife of factory owner Mack. For KT, it is straightforward. He has fallen in love, pure and simple. Katherine's motives, on the other hand, are rather more complicated... Young and attractive, Katherine appears to be the perfect partner for a successful, self-made businessman like Mack. Powerful, charismatic Mack is absolutely besotted with his wife. She is his most cherished possession; the only thing that matters more to him than his business. Katherine, however, does not feel the same way. On the outside, she has a fairytale life - a lady of leisure, with time on her hands to shop and lunch. In truth, she feels stifled and isolated as her inability to just walk out drives her further into this complicated entanglement. By sleeping with Mack's youngest and most vulne

Ever wondered what goes on behind the neighbours' doors? Sometimes its best not to delve into other people's lives, as Kev Leach finds out. Kev is pretty happy with his life - steady job, cute hairdresser girlfriend, Babs, own home and nights out with the boys. Then his work-mate, Brian Pringle, a machine engineer at Mackintosh, moves in across the road following his divorce. At first, things run smoothly - the pair share the petrol on the factory run and go for a quick pint after work. But then Kev gets nosy. Through his video camera, usually reserved for taping his more intimate moments with Babs, he takes a peek at Brian surfing the net. What Kev sees, or thinks he sees, is so unexpected, so awful that he can hardly process the information. Is he living across the road from a paedophile? Well, he might be, and then again he might not. The problem for Kev is that however much he thinks he sees, he's never quite sure if his suspicions are justified. As the weeks go by, Kev watches Bri

Good-time girl Bev likes a drink and a laugh, but life hasn't turned out quite as planned. She's lonely, her only son is nothing but trouble and it seems like the fun times are gone for ever. When Mal, widower and regular nice guy, turns up to service a machine at Mackintosh's, Bev suddenly glimpses a possible future and, from where she sits, it looks just fine. Knowing that Mal has always had a bit of a thing for her, she flirts and he asks her out. Mal's teenage sons Alex and Scott (Nicky Evans and Bryan Dick) take an instant dislike to Bev, but Mal is besotted, feeling alive for the first time since his wife died.When Bev moves in, bringing her tacky knick-knacks with her, Mal's eldest son is furious. The situation worsens when Bev tells him that his mother and father's relationship was not perfect—especially when it came to sex. Even Bev realises that this was a bad move, but she is a fighter and in pursuit of Mal and everything that comes with him—nice house, nice life, she is a f

After sitting all week at a sewing machine at Mackintosh, Freda is ready for a girls' night out. However, she has to tell her friends to go on without her. She has been babysitting her two small grandchildren and, not for the first time, her daughter Lindsey never arrives to collect them. Now Freda's life is about to change - either she looks after the kids or Social Services will. At first, it's a nightmare. How can she cope with the kids and a full-time job with not enough money and not enough time? She tracks down their father, Tony (Jonathan Wrather), who is less interested in his children than in getting back to his game of pool. Freda doesn't know where to turn. Luckily, a chance meeting with Mack offers her an opportunity to explain the situation and he gives her the space to sort herself out. Gradually, Freda stops seeing the children as an imposition in her life. With extra income from a new venture in curtain-making, part-time hours at work and friend Julie's open-hearted wil

Franny is one of those people who cannot admit defeat. Whatever he's up against, he'll keep going, until it breaks him in two. And if he decides that a course of action is right, then he pursues it, no turning aside, no consultation. No matter what the cost. He's a cook in the Mackintosh canteen. Nice enough bloke, good at his job but something of an unknown quantity. Franny doesn't let people in, not even his wife Imogen (Jane Slavin). They are trying to conceive a baby, but he won't talk about it. He just repeats his mantra that everything will work out in the end. Then his troubled sister, Terri (Clare Kerrigan) commits suicide. Distraught, Franny discovers that she has had a child, now in foster care. Franny tracks down the father, an arrogant young copper called Jason Woods (Marc Warren). When he doesn't seem interested, Franny decides to try to adopt the child himself. Imogen is taken aback by the lack of discussion, but she wants a child too - maybe this is the only way. But whe

Tasha (Katie Blake) is a textile design student, doing work experience at Mackintosh. She's a posh girl from a leafy suburb and she doesn't fit in. She desperately wants to but she comes from another world. Mack (Philip Glenister) is feeling his age. Living alone in his suburban family house, his dissatisfaction with life is growing. This is not what he wants, surrounded by housewives driving 4 by 4s, spending his weekends at elderly neighbour's barbecues. There's got to be something more. Tasha is thrilled when the girls invite her to the pub. Everyone is drinking up and having a good time, when she offers some coke around. They're not shocked, but it highlights the differences - they don't live the life where people can afford to snort coke. Just another thing that marks her out. Mack comes to the pub to get the keys to his filing cabinet but unusually he ends up staying. Normally, he avoids uncomfortable, social situations with his workers but he definitely has things in common with

Sometimes the reality of who people are is so terrifying, even to themselves, that it must remain hidden. Mark Talbot (James Murray) is one of these people. Someone with darkness in his past and in himself, a darkness from which he cannot escape, however much he wishes that he could. He seems like a nice enough lad, excitedly getting ready for his first day at Mackintosh. He's fit, clean, nice to his Mum - ex-army, Parachute Regiment no less, if his tattoo is anything to go by. He approaches his new workmates with confidence, he's charming, friendly and obviously one for the ladies, as his instant rapport with resident babe Hannah Phillips (Katisha Kenyon) demonstrates. The other blokes can't believe how quickly he's in there! However, after his first day at work, Mark is picked up by the police. He's obviously known to them and they are giving him some kind of warning now he's back in the area. But what has he been in trouble for? And why would the police be checking up on him if he's

Suzie Davidson is getting married to Jamie, the man of her dreams, but she disappears through the bathroom window in her wedding dress, leaving him at the altar. She later confesses that she has slept with bad boy old flame Stuart, and no-one at the factory seems to be in the mood to forgive her. And the strain she's put on her father suddenly takes its toll.

Pat is given a target of doubling the factory's production and is determined to get the staff on her side. However, success at work is marred by problems at home. She discovers her husband Roy, a compulsive gambler and alcoholic, has lost his job and has been stealing from their joint account. Then the bailiffs arrive.

When Maya hits Kev in a car accident, he finds himself suffering from epileptic fits, and is no longer able to drive or operate machinery. Maya, stricken with guilt, finds herself drawn into Kev's downward spiral.