The story follows sisters Margaret, a cook, and Pat, a successful actress in the United States, after they are reunited on a television programme after spending 27 years apart.

Pat Bedford, the glamorous British star of an American soap opera, appears on the show to promote her memoir, unaware that she herself is one of the surprises.

Pat is embarrassed by her working class Northern origins, but hugs Margaret and feigns happiness in order to appear gracious and likeable.

The next morning, a film crew from Magic Moments arrives to follow the pair getting to know each other, and Pat resigns herself to staged bonding for the cameras.

Margaret phones her boyfriend, Jim, to tell him that she will return home shortly, but his disapproving mother does not pass on the message.

While hiding from Stella at a petrol station, Pat is accidentally hosed down with water, leaving her soaking wet.

Having left all her luggage, credit cards, and identification in London, Pat has to borrow money from Margaret to buy a cheap suit.

Claire joins them for dinner, where she gives Pat "a note from a fan", which appears to be from Vera, asking to meet, but in fact was written by Stella.

Vera claims that she drove Pat to make a success of her life, and tells her daughters that she has to sell her luxurious house because of the timeshare scandal.

The third draft also reworked the character of Claire as Celia Imrie had become pregnant, and added the running gag of Pat's malapropisms.

[2] In 2010, the film was adapted as a 90-minute radio drama, starring Sarah Lancashire as Margaret and Tracy-Ann Oberman as Pat.

"[3] For Screenonline, Mark Duguid wrote the drama is Wood's "most ambitious, rounded and mature work to date" and describes it as "rapturously received".