Alec Callendar

Alec is a Solicitor and senior partner of Semple, Callender & Henty (and later Semple, Callender & Callender). Alec was drawn to the law through his love of the novels about fictional lawyer Perry Mason. He has read every one of them several times and he even has a picture on the wall of his office of the actor Raymond Burr who played Mason on television. Alec has always dreamed of taking on a big case in the high court but alas he has discovered that Pinner is not exactly the mean streets of Los Angles.

Alec was married to a French woman called Jenny with whom he had two children, Simone and Jamie. Sadly Jenny became ill and died leaving Alec alone for six years until one day Alec is visited by a new client, a Mrs Zoë Angell who is seeking a divorce from her husband who has been having an affair. After a false start Alec and Zoë soon hit it off despite the fact Zoë is half his age because have several shared interests, particularly musicals.

Alec soon realises that he has feelings for Zoë but at first does not pursue them because of their age difference. However he eventually asks her out and much to his surprise Zoë accepts. Their courtship is not without its problems mainly because of the reaction of those around them such as Alec's colleagues, Zoë's Mum and sister and worst of all Alec's daughter Simone. However Alec and Zoë ignore all their concerns and continue to see each other and eventually fall in love and marry. Not long after their marriage Zoë announces she is pregnant but sadly she suffers a miscarriage. The aftermath sees Alec and Zoë's relationship be tested like never before but they manage to get through it and soon Zoë is pregnant again and this time she gives birth to Alec's third child and second daughter Fleur.

Zoe Angell

Zoë Angell is a PE teacher married to a milkman who seemed to have a happy stable life until she discovered her husband has been having an affair. She goes to see a solicitor to file for a divorce and it is there she meets Alec Callender. Alec is her solicitor. After a false start they hit it off very well mainly because they both have a love of musical theatre. Despite the fact that Alec is old enough to be her father she finds herself drawn to him rather more than her sort-of-boyfriend Roy Morgan Jones who's idea of romantic afternoon is a jog round the park or a workout at the Gym.

Despite advice to the contrary from her sister Debbie when Alec asks her out she accepts. The relationship has to overcome several early hurdles, namely Alec's prim and proper vicar's wife daughter Simone and the fact that when Alec meets her parents he gets on very well with them because they are the same age. Despite this Alec and Zoë fall madly in love with each other and they are soon living together.

Zoë is reluctant to marry at first because, although she loves Alec very much, she is somewhat wary of marriage after her previous experience and also she is worried that Simone will interfere. However Zoë and Alec eventually end up eloping to Gretna Green. About the same time she discovers she is pregnant. Sadly she suffers a miscarriage. Zoë tries to just get on with her life, which upsets Alec, and their marriage is severely tested as Alec tries to get Zoë to open up and let out her feelings. Thankfully they get through it together and eventually Zoë gets pregnant again and gives birth to a daughter, Fleur.

Jamie Callendar

Jamie is Alec's son. At first he is still at University studying to be a solicitor like his father. Jamie is a bit of wisecracking joker and at times a bit of a slacker. He seems to spend more time enjoying himself than he does doing any work; his favourite past time seems to be annoying his father with prank phone calls confessing to a hideous crime.

After finishing University Jamie comes to work at Semple, Callender & Henty to replace Alec's partner Mile Henty who has left to win back his wife. Despite the fact he is now a fully qualified solicitor Jamie is no less of pain to his father, in fact he more so as he now works for him.

Jamie finds it difficult to get into work particularly on the salary his father pays him. As time goes on however Jamie matures slightly although he's still a joker. Jamie gets a chance to prove himself to his father when Alec finally gets a big case Jamie goes along to observe but before Alec can even begin he is called away to attend the birth of his daughter leaving Jamie to try and get the case adjourned until a later date. When he can't do that Jamie takes up the case himself and wins. Alec is so proud of Jamie he makes him his junior partner thus creating Semple, Callender & Callender. Jamie takes his new role very seriously especially as his father is on paternity leave and Jamie is determined to keep the firm together and not let Alec down but nearly works himself into an early grave forcing Alec to come back to work.

After a while Jamie suddenly announces he wants to leave the law profession. Alec is most upset that Jamie is quitting just like that and it causes some friction between father and son. Jamie changes his mind however when he hears a speech Alec gives to Zoë's students about being a solicitor and he is reminded of why he became a solicitor in the first place.

Miss Flood

Miss Flood is one of Alec's secretaries at Semple, Callender & Henty. She has worked for the firm for 30 years and is extremely loyal. Miss Flood isn't the most exciting of people; she likes to live a simple gentle life and seems to be married to her job, as she never seems to go out with men nor does she show much interest in them quite unlike her fellow secretary Hillary. This changes slightly when she meets Gerald Tipple, a man who puts on plaster casts at the local hospital. The two court each other for several months until they eventually decide to get married. When she is not working Miss Flood is, on the quiet, an aspiring novelist who writes romance under the name Elvira Storm. She is also a lover of Humphrey Bogart films, especially Casablanca.

Hilary (Series 1-5)

Hilary is the other secretary at Semple, Callender & Henty. To say Hilary has not been blessed with intelligence would be putting it mildly. She is very much a working class type girl, very loud and colourful. She very rarely understands what those around her are talking about and will often misunderstand what they are saying and, 9 times out of 10, get completely the wrong idea. This character trait can be exasperating for Miss Flood and Alec but at the same time Alec particularly can't help but find Hilary endearing.

Hilary has a very big heart and always means well although her lack of tact can cause a lot of upset to people who don't know her too well. To begin with she is going out with Derek, a bit of a layabout whose activities have seen him up before the magistrates on more than one occasion. He is always drifting from job to job.

Hilary and Derek decide to have a trial separation during which she meets Miss Flood's nephew Anthony and much to Miss Flood's horror they hit it off. When Anthony returns to Newcastle Miss Flood hopes that will be the end of it but Hilary decides after a while to go to Newcastle to surprise 'her Tone' but when she arrives at Kings Cross she meets 'her Tone' getting off the train. He has come back to work in Pinner and he proposes. The engagement however doesn't last and they soon split up. Hilary then rekindles her romance with Derek and tries with little success to try and get him to propose to her. Even a pregnancy scare doesn't do the trick. Derek is later sent to prison on The Isle of Wight and Hilary leaves Semple, Callender & Callender to be near him.

Simone

Simone is Alec's daughter. She is a very prim and proper person, married to the local vicar. After the death of her mother Simone made several attempts to find her father a nice suitable lady his own age to settle down with and enjoy his latter years with. Alec however never took interest in any of them. Simone was less than impressed when Alec turned up to his 54th birthday tea with 26 year old Zoë in tow. Simone of course worried about what the neighbours would think but Alec told her as politely as is possible to tell your daughter to keep her nose out of his business. Simone slowly came to accept Alec and Zoë but when they moved in together she insisted they get married but again they ignored her for a while at least. The next big shock came when Alec and Zoë told her she was about to have a little half brother or sister. Simone despite her initial shock gradually came to accept all these things, as even she couldn't deny that Zoë and her father are happy together.

Dorothy Burgess

Dot is Zoë and Debbie's Mum. She runs a greengrocer's shop with her husband. She loves her daughters but they have both caused her problems over the years. First there's Zoë who got divorced and then started seeing a man twice her age and then there's Debbie and her useless boyfriend Trevor. Dot at first disapproves of Zoë seeing Alec because of the fact they are so different in age and her first meeting with Alec when he was wearing an Asses head didn't help things. Eventually she and her husband got to know Alec and in fact they hit it off because they are similar in age. Once Zoë and Alec had settled down Debbie started to get restless and began seeing Zoë's ex Roy Morgan Jones behind Trevor's back but then he asked her to leave Trevor and move in with him. Dot's daughters have caused her great deal of trouble over the years but like a all good mums she's always there with a shoulder to cry on, a cup tea and an 'I told you so'.

Debbie Burgess

Debbie is Zoë's sister. She lives to begin with her useless boyfriend Trevor who works nights and therefore her sex life is non-existent. She has a very close relationship with her sister and is always there to listen to her griefs and woe's. Debbie like everyone else is skeptical about Zoë and Alec but underneath she is jealous of their relationship. She tries to cheer herself up with a casual fling with Zoë's ex sort of boyfriend Roy Morgan Jones but unfortunately things get a bit serious for him at least and he asks her to move in with him. Debbie ultimately leaves Trevor but she also dumps Roy when she meets Eddie, a florist who supplies her shop and like Alec is a several years older than her. She can't believe her luck; she has finally found herself a decent, older fella like Zoë.