The Afternoon Play (2003–2007)

1. S01E01Turkish DelightJanuary 27, 2003—A bored housewife finds glamour and excitement when she starts a job belly-dancing in a Turkish restaurant.
2. S01E02Coming Up for AirJanuary 28, 2003—An overworked, unhappy widower who suffers from stress ends up with shock-related amnesia when he takes a holiday in Spain. With the help of
3. S01E03The Real Arnie GriffinJanuary 29, 2003—An undercover store detective, who prides himself on his disguises but longs to solve real crimes, seizes a chance to impress both his estra
4. S01E04Heroes and VillainsJanuary 30, 2003—On a deprived housing estate, down-and-out Jonny steals some dodgy leather jackets that turn out to have drugs in them. When his girlfriend
5. S01E05Girls' WeekendJanuary 31, 2003—Four old friends take a hen weekend by the sea, where the bride-to-be discovers that the others have all slept with her fiancé. The fiancé,

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Venus and MarsJanuary 26, 2004—Best friends Oliver and Grace begin to ponder why they have never taken their relationship further. After a passionate weekend in the countr
2. S02E02Sons, Daughters and LoversJanuary 27, 2004—Divorcee Hardy Rose finds new love with high-flyer Kate, whilst his son, Ben, falls head over heels for an older woman, Anna. But when Anna
3. S02E03DriveJanuary 29, 2004—Julie, a 29-year-old temp with a steady boyfriend, finds her life is going nowhere, but when she gets a contract at Sunshine Cars, she gets
4. S02E04Viva Las BlackpoolJanuary 30, 2004—Divorcee Kathy is not taking being separated too well, but her situation is further complicated by her ex-husband's new wife trying to bed h
5. S02E05Glasgow DreamsFebruary 2, 2004—Yasmeela and her father, Arob, who live on an isolated, rough Glaswegian council estate, find themselves being avoided and ridiculed on a da

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01The HitchJanuary 24, 2005—Two couples learn that their ten-year marriages were not legal as the priest was a fake reflect on their lives while preparing for a new cer
2. S03E02The Trouble with GeorgeJanuary 25, 2005—Rose Lapwood finds that marriage to her sweet-but-dull husband George is becoming intolerable, but as her friendship blooms with neighbour D
3. S03E03The Good CitizenJanuary 26, 2005—A man enters a rural police station and announces he is seceding from Britain and starting his own republic. As he is hounded by the press,
4. S03E04Reverse PsychologyJanuary 27, 2005—Sonia, a very successful sexual health doctor, is unhappy about her parents' constant interference in her day-to-day life, and decides to sp
5. S03E05The Singing CactusJanuary 28, 2005—14-year-old schoolboy John Reilly, suffering from his father's death, finds escape in his own world with an imaginary 'singing cactus', Nati

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01Tea with BettyJanuary 16, 2006—Single mum Wendy, bringing up an autistic son and dealing with a challenging ex-husband, faces a constant struggle as she tries to encourage
2. S04E02The Last Will and Testament of Billy Two-ShedsJanuary 17, 2006—Sam, an overworked young student, inherits her grandfather's allotment and finds herself taking on his ghost into the bargain. She finds her
3. S04E03Your Mother Should KnowJanuary 18, 2006—A battle of wills between Edith, a steely little old lady, and her new daughter-in-law, Jessica, ensues when hapless hunk Gary arrives on th
4. S04E04Are You Jim's Wife?January 19, 2006—Rachel is devastated when husband Matt insists they divorce and sell the cafe they ran together. Determined to avoid the inevitable, Rachel
5. S04E05MollyJanuary 20, 2006—To the frustration of her snobbish mother, Molly's never happier than when she's spending time with loser boyfriend Johnny, or tinkering wit

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01Johnny ShakespeareJanuary 22, 2007—Johnny, a confident and charismatic but illiterate young man, finds that after life on his estate, the only way is down. But when he meets a
2. S05E02Death Becomes HimJanuary 23, 2007—Hospital patient Frank lies silently in a coma as his family gather around him, preparing for the inevitable, until a maverick doctor decide
3. S05E03Come Fly with MeJanuary 24, 2007—After being dumped at the altar by text, bride Kate advertises for a man to go with her on her fully booked, all expenses paid dream honeymo
4. S05E04Pieces of a Silver LiningJanuary 25, 2007—Retired vicar Geoffrey takes a stand on his council tax and gets sent to prison for his trouble. Trapped in a cell with a lifer proves to be
5. S05E05The Real DealJanuary 26, 2007—Smart and cynical solicitor Clare thinks the only place she deals with matters of the heart is at work – in the divorce court. But when she

Season 5 ranked & reviewed