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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 6

Joe starts his first day at a specialist school. Louise reveals a truth about her son Ralph to a shocked Maurice. Vincent attempts to atone for his misdemeanours.

As a parent, how do you know if the decisions you make for your child are right? If your child can't always express his own feelings, how do you even go about making the decisions in the first place? These questions hang over Paul and Alison as Joe starts his first day at a specialist school in Manchester. For a boy who finds change the hardest thing of all, life is changing utterly - and Paul and Alison are unprepared for how Joe reacts.

They are also unprepared for how they feel. As Alison wonders about her role as a mum, Paul is exposed to questions that unsettle him. Will Joe forever be labelled? Will his future be like that of Sophie's autistic son Mark who, at 16, is struggling to cope? In the past, Paul and Alison would have told each other what they were feeling. Now, tellingly, they don't. Could this be the first indication that they are pulling apart?

Also facing an uncertain future is Maurice. Having appointed Ralph as his new brewery assistant, he gets it in the neck from Louise who is adamant her son shouldn't be working for him. Maurice demands to know why. When Louise finally tells him the truth, it knocks Maurice sideways.

Meanwhile, Vincent is determined to relight Nicola and Eddie's fires, to atone for his own marital misdemeanours. And James warns Rebecca that he's not going to get stuck with her family - and if she wants a life of her own, she shouldn't get stuck with them either.

8 months left to watch

59 minutes

Audio described

Clip

Music Played

  • The Jam

    Start!

  • The Undertones

    You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)

  • Blossoms

    Getaway

  • Orange Juice

    I Can't Help Myself

  • The Jam

    In The City

  • Edwyn Collins

    North of Heaven

Credits

Role Contributor
Alison Hughes Morven Christie
Paul Hughes Lee Ingleby
Eddie Scott Greg McHugh
Nicola Daniels Vinette Robinson
Joe Hughes Max Vento
Rebecca Hughes Molly Wright
Maurice Scott Christopher Eccleston
Vincent Daniels Jude Akuwudike
James Thorne Aaron Pierre
Ralph Wilson Leon Harrop
Louise Wilson Pooky Quesnel
Emily Scott Emelia Rae Levy
David Nowak Adam Wittek
Pavel Kaminski Tommie Grabiec
Head Teacher Jayshree Patel
Beth Jennifer Hennessey
Ramesh Ibrahim Ismail
Gary Mallard Craig McDonald-Kelly
Mark Berwick Travis Smith
Sophie Berwick Lucy Gaskell
Emmett Jack Hartley
Writer Peter Bowker
Producer Jenny Frayn
Director Sue Tully
Production Company Fifty Fathoms Productions Ltd

Broadcast

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