The Shamwell Tales

Bow ties are cool...but secrets, not so much. Behind Robert Emeny's cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He's taken a job in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn't part of his plans. But then he's knocked for six - literally - by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils. Sean Grant works in pest control, lives on a council estate, and rides a motorbike. Robert is an ex-public schoolboy from a posh family who drives a classic car.

Posh boy Tristan Goldsmith has one last summer of freedom before he joins the family firm in New York - no more farting around on stage, as his father puts it. But the classically trained actor can't resist when the Shamwell Amateur Dramatics Society begs him to take a leading role in their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. As an added incentive, he'll be giving private acting lessons to a gorgeous local handyman who's been curiously resistant to Tristan's advances.

When love wars with principle, which one will win? Mark Nugent has spent his life in the closet — at least, the small portion of it he hasn't spent in the office. Determined to make amends to his neglected teenage daughter from a failed marriage, Mark swears off work — and love — so he can give her a stable home environment. But Mark's resolve to keep his heart under wraps is tested when he meets an out-and-proud young man he's instantly drawn to.

An ill-advised encounter at the office party leaves David Greenlake jobless and homeless in one heady weekend. But he quickly begs work from his ex-boss and takes a room in Shamwell with easygoing postman Rory Deamer. David doesn't mean to flirt with the recently divorced Rory - just like he doesn't consciously decide to breathe. After all, Rory's far too nice for him. And far too straight. Rory finds his new lodger surprisingly fun to be with, and what's more, David is a hit with Rory's troubled children. But while Rory's world may have turned upside down in the last few years, there's one thing he's sure of: he's straight as a die. So he can't be falling for David...can he?