Simon and Liz go into the office for Saturday overtime and encounter two burglars plotting to rob the shop below. Derek and new side-piece Harriet turn up, as do Samantha and Isobel, and the burglars hold them all captive.

Simon seems strangely unconcerned when Samantha tells him that her exam results were excellent and Derek admits to losing a large sum of money – later found – from company accounts. Isobel takes advantage of his distracted state of mind to get him to authorise her ordering a new kitchen.

Samantha is seeing a new beau, Charlie, and feels sorry for her father's loneliness. When she runs into Hugo, she angles to match Simon with Lyn but only finds herself falling for Hugo and dumps Charlie. Hugo, however, has moved on.

Derek moves into the office due to spiders at home. Samantha rows with Simon after he chides her for coming in late and she moves in with Nell though, when Nell has a visitor, she also moves to the office. Simon, pursued by widowed Mrs White, decides to lie low at the office.

After falling into a canal whilst out jogging, Simon meets Ernestine Hargreaves, who comes to check him out for water poisoning and they start seeing each other. However, Ernestine is allergic to cat fur, discovered when Simon finds out that Samantha has been looking after a stray that she found.

Eyecatchers is to promote a breakfast cereal called Nyum Nyums which Derek finds repulsive. The contract is to be signed at a wine bar but the clients want to meet Derek and Simon with their wives so Liz and Isobel play the parts. Simultaneously, Samantha discovers that a boy called Sean, who she thought was dating her, is two-timing her.

When Samantha's friend Roz comes to stay over at the Harraps', she gives Simon a very passionate goodnight kiss and Isobel walks in on them. She sees Simon as a seducer and almost quits until Samantha explains that Roz kisses older men for a bet.

Simon's relationship with Lyn is progressing very well and she stays the night with him. They even consider marriage. Simon is, however, perturbed to find that Samantha and Hugo have locked themselves in her room and he suspects them of being intimate.

A woman called Lyn takes the office next door to Eyecatchers and Derek is predictably smitten. The Harraps also have new neighbours and, after a shaky start, Samantha becomes good friends with the son, the similarly aged Hugo. Derek is jealous as Lyn keeps telling him how great Simon is and asks Simon to stay away from her whilst on holiday, unaware of Lyn's connection to Simon.

Simon finds a young woman named Jennifer drunk in the street. He brings her home to sleep it off and gallantly gives her his bed while he sleeps on the sofa. Next day, however, she tells Samantha that she is Simon's betrothed and they are going to get married. Among the celebrants is Jerry, Jennifer's boyfriend, who is out to do Simon harm.

Simon discovers that Samantha has been missing Wednesday afternoons from school, telling the teacher that she's seeing a psychiatrist. In fact, she is going to matinées of Hamlet, because she has a crush on the lead actor and is mortified when she finds out that he is getting married.

Samantha wants to know about her late mother, but all Simon will say is that she was faultless beyond using his toothbrush. She seeks Nell and Derek for more but Simon has primed them not to mention the mysterious Harry.

Widower Simon Harrap runs Eyecatchers, an advertising agency, with business partner Derek Yates and, helped by daffy Scots housekeeper Maddie, is raising his 13-year-old daughter Samantha. His mother-in-law Nell is critical of his womanising after he returns from Monte Carlo with the leggy Gillian and tells him he should consider remarrying for Samantha's sake. Whilst not going quite that far, Simon does turn down a further evening with Gillian to be home in time to sample the sausage rolls his daughter has made him.

When Simon learns that his new client Mr Brocklebank is an old flame of Nell's from four decades earlier, Samantha resolves to reunite them. However, Mr Brocklebank is now married.

Simon and lazy radiator repairman Ron swap jobs for the day and Ron amazes Simon by pulling off a deal. Meanwhile, Samantha befriends a girl named Katie and shares her – to Simon – outlandish fashion sense. Simon agrees to the girls going to a pop concert but insists on chaperoning.

Whilst Simon needs a bank loan, Fergus needs to impress girlfriend Anthea and persuades Derek to pretend that Fergus is his boss, using the Eyecatchers office. Alas, Anthea, unimpressed by Derek, wants him sacked.

After being beaten at squash by Simon, Derek bets Muriel's car against Fergus' that Simon will beat Fergus at squash – which he does. The bet is won by Derek, but is on again when Fergus's niece and Samantha audition for the same part.

Samantha and her new friend Gemma plot to get Simon paired off with Gemma's mother, Laura.

Simon has to accept that Samantha's coming of age when she tells him that she likes a young man named Jeremy, causing his paternal, protective instincts to surface. When Jeremy asks him to tell Samantha something on his behalf, Simon fears the worst. Meanwhile, Derek learns that Muriel is pregnant.

Simon and Samantha are pleased for Nell that her friendship with Pinky is progressing and encourage Pinky to propose. They're all shocked when she meets Major Pendleton who, whilst having a wife in Canada, books the local church for a wedding in the name of Pendleton.

Simon and Nell have a falling-out after he rejects her offer to help in the agency. Hurt, she announces that she's moving to Spain. Samantha attempts to get them to reconcile but in vain. Isobel tells Simon that Samantha has run away from home and will only return when her grandmother and father reconcile! Meanwhile, Derek smartens himself up and wins a fashion contract.

Nell and Isobel have been practising hypnotism on Derek and ruin a proposed contract with a client because every time the word 'egg' is mentioned, Derek behaves like a chicken. Simon is angry but they hypnotise him into letting Samantha watch an old home movie of him with her mother.

Samantha confesses that every time she thinks of the death of her cat Fluffy from several years ago, she's unable to stop crying. This comes in useful when Derek calls with a woman he's only just met but for whom he plans to leave Muriel. Samantha's tears shame the couple into seeing sense.

Simon tries in vain to dissuade Derek from seeing Glenda, a woman with a reputation, behind his wife's back. The next day, Simon arrives to find Derek sans trousers and with no memory of the night before. All is revealed, however, when Mr Sharma, to whose Indian restaurant Derek went with Glenda, arrives