In the 1830's in northern England, Riah Millican, a widow with three children, takes a job as housekeeper to a reclusive former teacher, Percival Miller. Miller makes Riah the gift of a black velvet gown, and even educates her children. But when Riah discovers the reason behind Miller's gifts, she vows to leave his house, but Miller has a hold on her, even after his death, when he leaves his house to her on the condition that she never marry. Riah's daughter, Biddy, grows up and becomes a laundress in a large house where her education keeps her from fitting in and makes her a target. But it also catches the eye of a son of the house, and with Miller's legacies, Biddy may yet find her way to happiness.

When a broken hearted boy loses the treasured wooden nativity set that links him to his dead father, his worried mother persuades a lonely ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replacement, and to allow her son to watch him work on it.

Sam can't think of any sins to tell the priest at his first confession. He worries that he won't be a real Catholic if the priest doesn't absolve him of some misdeed. Jacob, Sam's friend, devises a solution in the form of a prank, but the result is tragic.

A pair of scientists investigate a mysterious death.

Down in Pussy Willow a challenging conversation is happening between two generations.

Based on real events from 1983; DC Peter Finch is awarded a medal for the courage he showed in arresting a dangerous criminal. Meanwhile transvestite David Martin is released once again from prison - he's provocative and aggressive and, when he's caught again during a burglary, he shoots one of the police officers, leading to a nation wide manhunt. Innocent filmmaker Steven Waldorf is subsequently shot as a suspect by Finch, provoking a national scandal that rocks the police force.

Arrogant aristocrat Rupert Campbell-Black has high social position, women at his feet, money and fame in the world of show jumping. But Rupert has a rival - the brooding gypsy Jake Lovell, whose loathing for the "Pin Up of Penscombe" has driven him to the top of the riding world to match Rupert's skills. A bitter feud festers between the two stars, who have fought and fornicated their way round the show rings of the world, and now comes to a showdown at the Los Angeles Olympics. As rivals in love and sport, the stage is set for what becomes a compulsive blend of sex, romance, and adventure.

After a wealthy philanthropist expresses an unusual interest in a ring found by her niece Annabelle, Miss Fritton explains that she's descended from a pirate who, in 1598, stole treasure from another: the philanthropist's ancestor. This discovery sends the racuous girls of St. Trinians on the hunt for buried treasure.

A farmer becomes an unintentional celebrity when, because of a strike, he has to walk his 500 geese 100 miles to market at Christmastime.

Set up by their boss to be knocked off following a final heist, soon-to-retire crooks Brian Hope and Charlie McManus get wind of their impending demise and run off with the spoils of their crime. Fleeing their boss, the drug dealers they robbed, the police, and Brian's angry girlfriend, the duo take refuge in a training convent for nuns. In disguise, they convince Sister Superior that they're nuns, a charade they're forced to maintain as their enemies arrive.