Faith in the Future

Characters

• Faith - A 40-something, divorced mother of two looking to rebuild her life following the break-up of her long-term relationship. Formerly a commercial artist, she begins working as an art teacher at a local college where she meets upholsterer Paul, who becomes her on-off boyfriend. Although keen to put herself first and enjoy life as a single woman, issues such as Hannah's return and the menopause get in the way.
• Hannah - Faith's headstrong daughter, who returns home after a year travelling expecting to live with her mother again, only to find she has sold the family home and now lives alone. Having dropped out of university in Second Thoughts, she takes on a variety of unsuccessful jobs, including dressing as a giant mouse to promote cheese, before deciding to train as a counsellor. Like her mother, she has a difficult love life, having several failed relationships.
• Paul - Faith's on-off boyfriend; an upholsterer who also teaches at the college. Although attracted to Faith, he is constantly frustrated by her regular changes of heart and erratic behaviour.
• Jools - A kind-hearted, but somewhat naive, young man who becomes obsessed with Hannah after she is dumped by his friend Nick. He is notoriously clumsy and accident-prone. Although other women, including Hannah's friend Caroline and Faith's friend June, show an interest in him, Jools only has eyes for Hannah, despite her continuing disparagement of him.

  Minor characters

• Joe - Faith's son. A regular character in Second Thoughts, he appears in just one episode of Faith in the Future, when he tells his mother he has important news for her. Faith suspects Joe is about to come out as gay; however, his news is actually that he has joined the Conservative Party - something that Faith, an ardent Labour supporter, is horrified by.
• Caroline - Hannah's long-time best friend who develops a crush on Jools, despite being married with a child. She later splits from her husband Dave, but is apparently oblivious to the signs that he is actually gay.
• Zoë - Faith's eldest daughter whom she gave up for adoption prior to her marriage, and whose existence is revealed in the final series. She is a somewhat innocent, naïve girl who contrasts sharply with the more gregarious Hannah.
• Harry - Hannah's tutor, later her boyfriend. He asks her to move in with him in the penultimate episode; however, when she catches him cheating on her she decides to go travelling with Jools instead.
• Mark - A somewhat boorish builder who Hannah thinks is chatting her up; however, he is actually interested in Faith and begins dating her towards the end of the series.

  Episode guide

Series 1: 1995

Series 2: 1996

Series 3: 1998

DVD release