Yorkshire, 1974. Britain is in recession, the oil crisis and black outs loom large. The Maynard family move into their dream house, only to find a "presence" already living there. Len, Jenny and their daughter Sally must struggle to keep their already-fragile family together as they are attacked by poltergeists. Soon it becomes apparent that Sally is their main focus of attention. The house becomes a living nightmare. They must exorcise the evil spirits for them to survive.

On the Wirral in the grim early years of Margaret Thatcher's premiership, the opportunities for thrill seeking young men looking to escape 9 to 5 drudgery are what they've always been: sex, drugs, rock n' roll, fashion, football and fighting.

Cooper and Ed are brothers: Coop acts, in ads and soaps, spending his real energy chasing women for one-night stands. His younger brother Ed, an earnest young man, works in an ad agency. For the past year, since finding his girlfriend in bed with another man with a video camera running, Ed has been in a funk: he's carried a torch, his social life has tanked, and his work has suffered. Ed will be fired on Monday unless he can save a major account. It's his birthday weekend: he wants to work, but Cooper wants Ed to rediscover his sex life. Cooper works hard to help Ed score, but disaster piles on disaster. Can a decent guy save his job and get a life?