Dave Smalley buys a lost Archaeopteryx fossil by accident at an auction and uses the reward money for this to buy a share in his landlady's lodging- house. She turns him into an exploited man-of-all-work about the house, but after a lady guest persuades him that he resembles Napoleon he becomes convinced that he is a born leader and mounts a takeover bid to reverse their roles.

On the eve of his own marriage, a man offers shelter to a runaway wife with whom he strikes up an unexpected bond.

A newlywed has a trying time proving his innocence when his mother-in-law catches him kissing another girl!

A north-country chimney sweep standing for Parliament is opposed by a local bigwig. His campaign is imperiled when his artist son, Tony, falls in love with a girl who has reason to hope that the bigwig will be elected.

A rich American businessman in London makes believe he's lost all his money so that his daughter will marry a composer.

A frugal coal miner turns into a spendthrift when he wins £20,000 on the football pools!

Three long-married couples in northern England discover that their marriages are in fact invalid, causing much re-evaluation and chaos. This was the fourth television film version made by the BBC of this comedy by J. B. Priestley. It featured several actors repeating their rôles from the earlier 1951 version including Frank Pettingell, Helena Pickard and Eileen Beldon.