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Series 1, Episode 1

When Ellie, Hannah, Shoo and Josie's long-held plan to start a new life in Barbados - courtesy of £3m stolen from Ellie's gangster husband - goes awry, they find themselves in hiding in a remote Scottish village called Hope Springs.

Further details

Hope Springs. Image shows from L to R: Hannah Temple (Sian Reeves), Shoo Coggan (Christine Bottomley), Sadie Cairncross (Annette Crosbie), Ellie Lagden (Alex Kingston), Josie Porritt (Vinette Robinson). Copyright: Shed Productions

Knowing they need to become "legit" if they're ever going to realise their Caribbean dream, Ellie decides the gang should buy the Hope Springs Hotel as cover. The other women are horrified. And they're not the only ones with doubts.

Sadie's pushy pregnant daughter, Ann Marie, is less-than-impressed by the newcomers, as is local lawyer Euan Harries and his hot-headed son, Ronan. To make matters worse, the girls find themselves attracting unwanted police attention from local DI Gil Cameron, Ann Marie's fiancé.

Fearing the locals will revolt against their plans to shut down the hotel and lie low, the girls are forced to run Hope Springs as a legitimate business. A moody Shoo isn't happy until handsome local lad Dean McKenzie catches her eye. Suddenly life doesn't look so bad after all.

But when an argument breaks out between arch enemies Ronan and Dean, the girls are shocked to discover their Scottish hideaway is home to an ongoing murder investigation. However, it is a mysterious fire that well and truly puts paid to their plans to escape to the sunshine...

Broadcast details

Date
Sunday 7th June 2009
Time
8pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
60 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Alex Kingston Ellie Lagden
Vinette Robinson Josie Porritt
Christine Bottomley Shoo Coggan
Sian Reeves Hannah Temple
Annette Crosbie Sadie Cairncross
Alec Newman Euan Harries
Ronni Ancona Ann-Marie Miller
Paul Higgins Gil Cameron
Lorraine McIntosh Ina Harries
Richard Madden Dean McKenzie
Tony McGeever Ronan Harries
Mark Frost Roy Lagden
Clint Dyer Marius Gruber
Sanjeev Kohli Mo Khan
Belgit Gill Rita Khan
Guest cast
Gayanne Potter Female Prison Officer
Steve Money Wayne Fletcher
Chris Capaldi Fabian
Lorna McDevitt Gail
Chris Young Police Officer
Gary French Stan
Writing team
Ann McManus Writer
Maureen Chadwick Writer
Liz Lake Writer
Hayley Gelling Script Editor
Production team
Sheree Folkson Director
Brian Park Producer
Brian Park Executive Producer
Anne Mensah Executive Producer
Sandra MacIver Executive Producer
Ben Yeates Editor
Andy Harris Production Designer
Tristin Norwell Composer
Nick Green Composer

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