When nurse Ann Venables goes to Africa to help out with a disaster relief effort, she leaves her teenage children in the care of her ex Jimmy and her mother Diana. The kids try to exploit the fact that the easy going handyman and his posh ex-mother-in-law cross swords at every turn ultimately leading to be adults realisation thats to survive Ann's absence, the kids need them both.
Jimmy overcompensates for his previous failings as a father by letting his kids throw a party. Knowing Diana would completely disapprove of this, Jimmy agrees not to tell her and keep her away from the house on party night. Under the pretext of seeking advice on matters "too personal" to discuss around the kids, he invites her to dinner. At Diana's favourite restaurant, Jimmy discovers that while he and the kids have been sneaking around behind Diana's back, Diana has been sneaking around theirs.
After Jimmy's van and all its contents including his tools and his jacket with his keys in the pocket gets stolen, Diana insists they change all the locks. This leads to a stand off between Jimmy's laissez faire attitude and Diana's belief in the heat of battle about whose house this is, Diana reminds Jimmy that since she and her husband gave Ann the deposit on for the house, the place is partly hers.
Jimmy's money problems are getting out of hand and he has to nick the kids money on the sly, until he gets caught by Diana when he is in financial trouble at the bank,
When Alex's teacher writes home to say that "Alex is possibly gifted but we'll never know because he has the attention span of a gnat," Jimmy, surprised by this comment about his son, latches onto the "gifted" part while Diana's focus is on Alex's "not living up to his pontential". molly is delighted that alex is given all this attention which gives her the change to fly under the radar and do what she wants for a while.
Jimmy loses at a pub quiz and he has asked Diana to help out to win the pub quiz, and Diana goes along with Jimmy for a fun night out with her ex-husband. Molly stays out for the night with a friend but she gets back in the early hours of this morning.
Ann's partner Dr. Howard Banks come back from Africa to raise funds for the relief work. Jimmy instantly dislikes him, but the rest of the family like him. Howard tells Diana that he and Ann want Molly and Alex to go and live with them in Africa. Meanwhile, Molly has got a job working at a chip shop but she hates it and soon wants to leave
Diana takes the grandchildren to Africa, leaving Jimmy in charge. When they return, there's a surprise in store. Diana and the children return from Africa to find Jimmy buried under a pile of pizza boxes.
Jimmy accidently sees Diana naked in the shower and Molly takes advantage of his shock by getting him to agree to her having a tattoo. Meanwhile, Alex takes an aptitude test at school and the results indicate that accountancy is an appropriate career. Jimmy has something disturbing on his mind and he can't get rid of it. the result of which he finds less than motivating.
Jimmy plans a poker game with Kev, Siobhan and Bobby, but when one of them drops out, Diana steps into the breach and, with a little inside information, is able to see through Jimmy's bluffing. Meanwhile, Molly is eager to look better than rival Becky in the school photograph.
Jimmy is invited out to meet Siobhan's father. His nerves aren't helped when Diana decides to tag along. Diana and Siobhan's dad soon hit it off, but when Diana wants out of the relationship it is up to Jimmy to help her end things.
Jimmy's plans for a leisurely weekend are ruined when Diana makes a surprising and unwelcome discovery about the past. Cue Jimmy having to run around trying to find out who was having an affair with Diana's husband before he died. Whilst the attention of the adults is elsewhere, Molly and Alex's tit-for-tat war starts to get out of hand.
Jimmy's efforts to impress the children's mother on a short visit home turn to disaster.
Jimmy is short of cash, so Diana hatches a plan that will help them both.
After a visit to the hospital, Jimmy reveals feelings no-one knew he had - least of all Jimmy.
Jimmy and Diana want to give Molly and Alex a normal, traditional family Christmas - but this is not a normal, traditional family! Meanwhile, the school play puts everyone under pressure.
Jimmy decides that he wants to a proper father to his children and parent them without Diana's help. Things don't quite as he planned though.
Jimmy thinks that Siobhan will want to become engaged to him after he learns that Kev has got engaged.
Diana challenges Jimmy to audition for her choral society but she isn't prepared for the results.
Kev and Bobby take action when they think that Jimmy has started drinking again after splitting up with Siobhan.
When Jimmy discovers what Alex has been up to in his room he finds his skills of being a father pushed to the limit.
Jimmy finds both his his work and his social life affected after Kev is injured at work.
When Jimmy brings home a table tennis set chaos ensues.
Jimmy decides to start training after Diana laughs at how skinny he is.
Jimmy is looking forward to a nice quiet Chrstmas until fate and a farmyard animal become involved.