A British television sitcom set on Merseyside that revolves around the relationship between Malcolm, a polite and friendly but dull man from middle-class Meols, and Brenda, a sharp-tongued, rough-around-the-edges working-class girl from Liverpool. Instead of the typical 'will they, won't they get together?', after getting together in the first episode, the show is more 'will they, won't they break up?' Watching refers to both the acerbic people watching that Brenda does and the bird watching that Malcolm enjoys, much to the disappointment of Brenda.
Allie Henshall and Gavin Ferraday are partners in love and business. They own Henshall Ferraday hair salon, where Allie's sisters Darcey and Sydney work alongside them. As Allie and Gavin consider taking over a vacant property across the road, they are rocked by the news that a rival hairdresser has bought it. To make matters worse, Allie discovers that the new salon, Blade Runner, is run by her ex, Finn, and his wife, Mia Bevan. Finn fathered the child Allie claimed to have aborted. He left her when he found out she was pregnant, but he's back in town to try and woo Allie.
The show is about the Bannon family, who all have strong spy links. The parents, Dirk and Talia, were once arch enemy spies, but fell in love and got married. They now have three children who have all been brought up with spy techniques as a matter of course.