S1 • E1
Brownall House Job Centre manager Trish aims to turn the unemployed into the fun employed but faces apathy from her staff,notably bored Angela and security guard Paul,who moonlights as a carpet fitter and uses the Centre's phone for his business. The only reliable employee,young Karl,sick of seeing professional shirkers like Bryony and Graham,decides to quit but changes his mind on meeting new temp Chloe. He agrees to give a presentation but when his white-board is sabotaged is grateful to Bryony for helping him out. He looks forward to a drink with Chloe but,on finding that she has a boyfriend,goes to dinner with Trish instead.
S1 • E2
Trish brings in army sergeant Steve Fox for a recruitment drive. He gets few takers but the female staff all fall for him - especially after he has expelled a man working whilst signing on - and Karl thinks he would be a great best friend. Only Paul resents him. Angela and Trish vie for his attention,Trish getting her hair caught in a hand drier in the process but after Steve has extricated her they go on a date. Sadly she comes on too strong to him and so she ends up in the pub with the other workers.
S1 • E3
When the local car plant closes overnight Brownall House is inundated with hundreds of the unemployed,Paul using the opportunity to try and sell them carpets. Flu-stricken Karl unwittingly antagonizes a woman before accepting an energy drink from investigator George,which turns out to be lethal. Trish takes a turn at the desk,discovering that Angela is using the works computer for her dating site but when she asks George to fix it he ends up causing all the building's computers to crash. As a result all applications are processed by hand and the staff must work after hours - though at least Trish has the ammunition to make Angela join them.
S1 • E4
Trish panics on learning that an undercover inspector is coming to rate Brownall House. She is certain he is hard-of-hearing Alan Tucker and goes out of her way to be helpful - as well as acting as marriage guidance counsellor to a pair of notorious benefit cheats. And there is a further complication when regular claimant Graham appears to have died. In fact the inspector,a young woman,is seen by Angela,who is customarily unhelpful and disinterested so Trish ,as damage limitation,sends in the charming Karl. Unfortunately the inspector mistakes his easy manner for an attempt to flirt with her and the centre only just passes the inspection.
S1 • E5
Karl brags about having had sex with his new girlfriend,barmaid Mia,but is appalled when she comes in to sign on,as she is working and claiming and he is not meant to date clients. Thus he makes excuses to keep her from his colleagues. However she tells him she will soon be working on a cruise ship and encourages him to join her. He gives written notice but Trish,bleary-eyed after a visit to the optician,cannot read it and he eventually withdraws it. Angela buys a coffee percolator but is too mean to let the others use it so George gets revenge by putting new-mum Danielle's breast milk in Angela's coffee.
S1 • E6
On her birthday Trish asks Karl to be acting manager to which he reluctantly assents as Angela spitefully drops him in it when an angry claimant glues herself to her desk and the queue of job-seekers increases. Furthermore nobody takes Karl seriously when he gives Paul a warning for storing his carpets in the office. Trish confides in Karl that she is angry with her ex-husband for leaving her for a younger woman and makes him accompany her to his house,where she breaks in and reclaims her dogs. Mission accomplished they return to work and Trish's birthday party.
Trish Collingwood
Karl Lyndhurst
Janette Hodgkins
Angela Bromford
Paul Franks
Natalie Mason
Graham Pleck
Bryony West
George Dhot
Ash