Elizabeth Perrin

Elizabeth is still mourning the recent death of her husband, Reggie. She wishes to do something truly absurd, not just to earn a million pounds, but also to honour his memory. She is perhaps the most enthusiastic of the group and always ready to give her full support to leader Jimmy.

Jimmy Anderson

Jimmy's life has been littered with a series of frustrations. Too young to fight in the war and now too old to remain in the army, he lacks drive and motivation. On top of this, his personal life has been touched by tragedy as he was abandoned by his first wife Sheila and left widowed after his second wife Lettuce was squashed by a juggernaut.

His role as head of the group and his relationship with Miss Hackstraw has given him a new sense of purpose however.

C.J.

C.J. is the formidable former boss of Sunshine Desserts but is now retired. He lives alone while his wife resides in Luxembourg in a situation that he is very happy with. His sole interests now lie in claiming his share of Reggie's inheritance and trying to persuade Miss Hackstraw to sleep with him.

Doc Morrissey

Formerly a medical officer at Sunshine Desserts, Doc Morrissey is now retired and happily lives with his ethnic friends. A thoroughly genial man, Doc's main weakness lies in the area of women. He is continually sexually frustrated and Miss Hackstraw's refusal to sleep with him causes him much exasperation.

David Harris-Jones

David was once Reggie's employee but has now been made redundant. He is hesitant and lacks self-confidence despite the fact that he and Prue have been happily married for many years.

Prue Harris-Jones

Prue is David's devoted wife and they are rarely seen apart. They never argue, have the same taste in fashion and are blissfully happy together. The only blot on their marriage is their son, Reggie, who lives in a caravan with a gypsy girl and their child.

Joan Greengross

Joan worked as a secretary for decades but is now without a job as her boss preferred to employ a younger model. She firmly supports the cause to celebrate older people due to both her own circumstances and her devotion to Reggie.

Although Joan is now estranged from ex-husband Tony, she has found happiness with Hank.

Hank Millbeck

Hank is only 29 years old, yet due to his career working in futures he appears much older. He has been made redundant as his bosses believe he can no longer cut it in his field.

Despite the age gap, he and Joan are very happy together and agree to marry.

Tom Patterson

Tom can be a pompous prig but he is, at heart, a decent man. An estate-agent by trade, he is currently without work and firmly supports the cause.

Tom's response to meeting ex-wife Linda again is initially frosty but soon thaws.

Linda Perrin

Linda has devoted her life to bringing up the two children who she had with Tom: Adam and Jocasta. Now that they have grown up however, she finds that she is too old to enter the workforce and therefore wholeheartedly supports the cause.

Linda shows great antagonism towards Tom but this merely hides the warmth that still exists between them.

Geraldine Hackstraw

Geraldine is the thoroughly professional solicitor who is responsible for deciding whether Reggie's inheritance should be paid out.

Her weak link lies in her love life. She is flattered by the attention she receives from C.J. and Doc Morrissey but it is in Jimmy's direction that her interest lies.