Foul-mouthed mother-from-hell Karen Matthews is fed up being a nobody, until she hatches a cunning plan for a shot at the big time. Henpecked common-law husband Craig Meehan has an unhealthy obsession with his laptop. Simple-minded uncle Michael Donovan just wants to fill the void left by his two daughters getting taken into care. Stereotypical Yorkshire copper D.I. Radgitt faces a race against time to unravel the web of lies and find the missing girl, little Shannon Matthews, aged 9.