Ben, played by Robert Lindsay, is a moderately successful whose occupation as is entirely appropriate for someone whose life seems akin to pulling teeth. As Ben himself says, "It's not that I don't like my ... it's just that I'm frightened of them."

His quick-witted , Susan, played by Zoe Wanamaker, works as a – and while she deems herself a master cook, her family have devised an emergency code system to warn when something suspicious, like Hawaiian Medley Surprise, is on the table.

Eldest Nick, played by Kris Marshall, 19, is enjoying a year off after , but spends most of it sprawling on the and plotting get-rich-quick schemes rather than looking for a real .

Janey, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe is 16 going on 25, sharp as a tack, and full of teenage angst with a keen interest in – as long as they aren't her brothers.

The of the family, Michael, played by Gabriel Thomson, is a bright and sensible 12-year-old whose world revolves around his .

And, as if Ben didn't have enough chaos at , he's forever engaged in combat with his ditzy and free-spirited dental , Brigitte (Daisy Donovan).