Created by writer Kay Mellor, it followed two families; the Thompsons, based in Cheshire, England (in the fictional market town of Westbury), and the Stevens, living in Sydney, Australia.
It also contained some strong language and scenes of a sexual nature, all of which were screened, in most ITV regions, mid-afternoon immediately prior to children's programming.
Several of those who worked on the series later went on to greater success: Jude Law was a regular cast member for two years (as Nathan Thompson) and Russell T Davies wrote for the programme.
Amanda Wenban later joined Yorkshire Television soap Emmerdale before heading back to Cheshire to play the role of Ruth Tyler in the second series of Russell T Davies' camp and ironic late night soapy-drama Revelations.
The link in the storyline was businessman Mike Thompson (Malcolm Stoddard), who walked out on his family on his birthday and flew to Australia to be with his true love Diana Stevens (Briony Behets), whom he had left years earlier.
This plot line was somewhat similar to the opening storyline of the popular Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters which had successfully aired on ITV daytime since 1983.
After two years, stories involving the Thompson and Stevens families—and the UK-Australian crossover angle—had run their course, with several characters either dead or left for pastures new (typically Brighton or Canberra).