Cutting It is a BBC television drama series set in Manchester, England, focusing on the lives and loves of the team running a hairdressing salon.

The show features a number of actors who subsequently became established stars, including Amanda Holden and Ben Daniels.

In the first series, Alison Henshall, known as Allie, and her husband, Gavin Ferraday, run a hairdressing and beauty salon.

Allie is reluctant, insisting that she is not maternal and tells Finn that she aborted their baby but later admits that she gave their daughter up for adoption.

Finn makes it clear that he wants Allie back but, despite a one-night stand, she chooses to stay with Gavin until he leaves, needing space.

On his return, he insists Ruby tell Allie the truth and she is horrified to learn that Finn is her biological father.

Mia is equally horrified to discover that the stylist is Chantal Morisot, her former boss and the woman she stole Finn from.

Allie realizes that she made a mistake leaving Gavin and Shane tells Ruby that its only a matter of time before they get back together.

She assumed they would get back together and return to London but Finn let her down gently, telling her that he was with Allie and Manchester was his home now.

Allie's baby isn't due for another few weeks and resents Finn's constant fussing, insisting on organizing Ruby's wedding.

Sarah Parish as Allie Henshall: A very strong and determined character in her mid-thirties often having moments of weakness because of unfulfilled dreams.

Allie was an idealistic and sweet young girl until her heart was broken in Italy by the man she loved when she found she was pregnant and her mother bullied her to give the baby up for adoption.

Allie has ambition and intentions of achieving something greater in life and, due to her tragic past, she has no desire to have children.

Although he is ambitious and determined like his wife, he feels he has conquered almost everything in the world of hairdressing, and wants to settle down and raise a family.

In the second series we discover Syd almost became a pop star through a talent show - she has a second chance to take the leap but falls back.

While putting on a hard face, she is mixed up about what she wants from life but has had a tendency to become involved with wealthy married men as she has no real desire to settle down.

Darcey comes across as a snob, frequently turning her nose up at anything Smedley gives her and expressing disdain for her mother's slovenly appearance.

Darcey had been misled to believe she was mixed race due to a recessive gene through a Jamaican ancestor and is disturbed by the revelation that her real father is DC Washington.

An overweight, lazy, and depressed individual, she spends her time sitting in a messy house wearing leggings and ill-fitting T-shirts complaining about her family in great detail.

Tom spends a great deal of time fretting over his relationship with Brawdie and goes out of his way to show her he truly loves her even if it is not reciprocated.

In the second series, Calypso has an opportunity to participate in a talent show, but her mother refuses her the chance to go to London to attend.

Ruby is an intelligent, fast thinking and occasionally scheming young lady; she often has a knack for being too brazen when it is uncalled for and runs her mouth without considering consequences, often leading her to various reprimands at work.

Near the end of Series 1 it is revealed Ruby is Allie's biological daughter (given up at birth) and that she had intentionally applied for a job at the salon at age sixteen so she could get to know 'the woman who had given her up'.

Ruby's adoptive parents are open-minded individuals, her mother suffers with multiple sclerosis and her father grows cannabis in the attic to help tackle his wife's pain.

Shane is closer to Ruby than the rest of the salon staff but does not take friendship or loyalty at all seriously and will easily overturn either in favour of money.

Regardless of the unreturned feelings, it was Eugene who had to help Allie pick up the pieces when she returned from Italy pregnant and dumped.

A self-made man upon his return to Manchester, he is incredibly wealthy and owns two bars with a third called Byzantium opening upon the start of Series 1.

He intends to win the already married Allie back, even if it means dropping his beautiful and infatuated wife, Mia.

Mia was a mousy and shy assistant stylist for Finn's third wife Chantalle who had spent most of the time belittling her and trying to convince her to give hairdressing up as she had no style and vision.

Mia is sharp and scheming and when her husband opens "Blade Runners" for her, she uses every trick she can to try to bring Allie's salon down as revenge for her affair with Finn.