Season 1

2001 · 6 episodes

Episodes

1Episode 1Abby spots an ad, which seems to promise the way of life she dreams of, but there's a problem: it specifies a married couple and Abby is a single parent. Abby persuades Kenny, her childhood friend and neighbour and a perpetually aspiring musician, to pose as her husband, at least for the interview on Ronansay. Kenny agrees reluctantly: the role of Abby's husband and father to her children is too close to his most cherished fantasy for comfort. Abby, Kenny and the children set off on the long drive north. After much infighting, the islanders draw up a shortlist and interview several candidates - all unsuitable. Then they meet the Peterson family who seem so ideal that when Abby and her "family" arrive on the island, the islanders have already offered them the post. But as a bitterly disappointed Abby, Kenny and the children wait for the return ferry, the Petersons reveal that they are the leaders of a doomsday cult, looking for somewhere to bring their followers. The islanders beg the Wallaces to stay, and Alfie and Charlotte take their places in the school just in time to stop it being closed.
2Episode 2Abby, Kenny and the children are settling down to life on Ronansay. The B&B is open for business, although the roof leaks, the plumbing is unreliable, and the fire won’t light. The salmon disease, ISA, has been diagnosed in the fish farm owned by Alistair Macleod. Alistair and Big Jerry Kennedy face at least six months without an income while the farm is quarantined. Abby and Kenny’s "marriage" is experiencing teething troubles. Kenny offers to leave the island and Abby agrees. But even on the ferry away from Ronansay, Kenny creates another misunderstanding. He inadvertently starts a rumour that Abby used to work in a topless bar and, with Gordon to fan the flames, the island soon has Abby marked as an ex-prostitute. When she gets wind of the rumour and its origin, Abby tells Kenny him he can never come back to the island: she’s told everyone he’s dead. But then Kenny redeems himself by selling his car and hiring Alistair to fix the roof of the B&B, saving the salmon-farmer from having to leave the island to look for work.
3Episode 3Abby finds a chest belonging to the previous owner of the house, the late Annie Macdonald. In it are keepsakes of her fifty-plus years of marriage. Going to ask Helen Kennedy for an address for Annie’s son, Paul, who has moved away from the island, Abby notices that she has been crying. Later, when Abby meets Helen again and sees that she has a split lip, she guesses that her husband, Big Jerry, has beaten her. He has been taking unemployment hard. He is full of anger and is drinking heavily. When Big Jerry hits Little Jerry, it is a blow too far for Helen. She takes her son to stay at Abby’s. Abby tells Helen that she was the victim of an abusive relationship in the past. The islanders are divided in their attitude to Helen and Jerry’s situation. Some of them believe that they should sort out their problems in private and go on as usual, and that Abby is doing no good by interfering. But she has an ally in Douglas. Big Jerry confronts Abby and accuses her of driving Helen away from him. Abby replies that he is the only one who can do that. When Alistair lands a three-month job on a trawler he seizes the opportunity to pass it to Jerry giving his friend and ex-employee a chance to salvage self-respect and possibly his marriage. Helen sees her husband off at the ferry. She says she still loves him, but she wants him back whole.
4Episode 4A power cut interrupts the island’s viewing of the annual Celtic v. Rangers match. Kenny begins to suspect that the B&B is haunted, his imagination fuelled by a ghost story that Alistair told them during an outing in his boat. Murdo Campbell has become reclusive and Douglas is worried about him. Unknown to the rest of the island, Elizabeth Campbell has developed Alzheimer’s dementia and Malcolm and Murdo are finding it hard to look after her. A doctor comes to see Elizabeth and recommends a nursing home on the mainland, but Murdo won’t hear of it. Elizabeth goes missing - and so does Charley. During a conversation with Gordon about the ghost, Kenny lets slip that he and Abby have separate bedrooms, which fuels intense speculation on the island about the state of their marriage Malcolm agrees that his mother must stay at home and they will do their best to look after her. Douglas finally summons the courage to propose to Mary.
5Episode 5Abby’s old friends, Jackie and Donna, come to the island for a hen weekend before Jackie’s wedding. Abby realises she has changed since coming to Ronansay and has grown less tolerant of her friends’ raucous behaviour. Relations become further strained when Jackie accuses Abby of leading Kenny on - and reach breaking point when Abby finds Jackie and Donna playing strip poker with Alfie (and losing). During an evening of heavy drinking at the Raeburn Hotel, the pair from London turn their lack of inhibitions on the men of the island, embarrassing Abby further. The next morning, Kenny and Jackie are discovered asleep together on the floor of the bar by a group of the islanders. Disgusted by how Kenny has betrayed and humiliated Abby, the islanders shun him. Under their disapproving stares, Kenny prepares to leave for good. Abby announces to the islanders that Kenny hasn’t betrayed her, their ‘marriage’ is a pretence created to give the opportunity of a life on Ronansay. If the islanders want them all to leave, they will. But one by one the islanders express their appreciation of what Abby, Kenny and the children have brought to the community, and ask them all to stay.
6Episode 6Kenny struggles to come to terms with being "single" again, but Abby has no problem. Douglas and Mary plan their wedding. Mary asks Carolyn to be her maid of honour, but Carolyn demurs, she’s having trouble with the whole idea of her mother’s remarriage. Mary is hurt by Carolyn’s response and tells Douglas they’ll have to call it off. Douglas is upset by Mary’s change of heart. Kenny advises him to grab the moment. Spurred on by Kenny’s advice, Douglas sends out the wedding invitations anyway.</BR> </BR> A Filipino woman, Ida, arrives on the ferry. Gordon decides that she is an illegal immigrant - or worse. Malcolm arrives to meet Ida: she’s a nurse he has employed to look after his mother. But he hasn’t told his father about her and Murdo greets her arrival with unconcealed hostility. He tries to send her away but Malcolm steps in to protect her. Thanks to Ida’s tact and sensitivity, Murdo eventually drops his hostility towards her. Outside the church, Carolyn arrives and embraces Mary. Malcolm arrives with Ida on his arm and proudly introduces her to everyone. As the wedding party go into the church, Kenny arrives. Abby comes out to meet him. and while the Wedding March plays, they stand together looking at the sky.