A working-class family in London's East End is struggling to stay afloat during the recession under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Only the mother Mavis is working; father Frank and the couple's two sons Colin, a timid, chronically shy individual and Mark, an outspoken, headstrong young man, are on the dole. This situation is contrasted by the presence of Mavis's sister Barbara, and her husband John, whose financial and social loftiness appears to be a comfortable facade over the unspoken soreness of a lackluster marriage.

Cast

Phil Daniels

Mark

Tim Roth

Colin

J

Jeffrey Robert

Frank

Pam Ferris

Mavis

Gary Oldman

Coxy

Marion Bailey

Barbara

Alfred Molina

John

Tilly Vosburgh

Haley

L

Leila Bertrand

Hayley's Friend

Hepburn Graham

Boyfriend

Peter Wight

Estate Manager

Eileen Davies

Unemployment Benefit Clerk

Herbert Norville

Man in Pub

B

Brian Hoskin

Barman

P

Paul Daly

Rusty