Stage Direction

Times are challenging for the Watkinson family. As Adam recovers impatiently from Covid, Jimbo's TV show Opera Stage is axed by the sponsors as being of 'minority interest', Brexit has resulted in Nicola's redundancy, Leanne and Paul want desperately to adopt their foster-child Isla, and Gareth and Lisa are still running the canine rehabilitation centre on the slenderest of shoestrings.

There are, however, signs of encouragement. Adam is asked to write another musical, Jimbo has been offered a part by the outrageous director Jason Harmsworth in La Bohème, and Nicola has secured temporary employment as a holiday rep in Southern France. Meanwhile, Leanne and Paul are nursing Isla patiently through the heartbreak of orphanhood.

As ever, there are complications. Adam is not sufficiently recovered to face the combined demands of writing music, book and lyrics; La Bohème is set in 1980s Liverpool, where Jimbo is required to sing one of Puccini's finest arias whilst posturing with an electric guitar; Nicola has to endure demanding tourists and an over-attentive colleague; resources at the canine centre are stretched to breaking point and, for Leanne and Paul, the pathway to adoption is beset by obstacles.

If any family deserves better, it must be the Watkinsons, but they've triumphed in the past, so why not again?