''Faith in the Future'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

comedy television show running from 17 November 1995 to 27 February 1998. A sequel to the show '' Second Thoughts'', it aired on ITV for 22 episodes. The show continues the story of Faith Greyshott ( Lynda Bellingham), newly single after splitting from her long-term partner, Bill, at the end of ''Second Thoughts''. With her daughter Hannah ( Julia Sawalha) away travelling and her son Joe now in a shared flat, Faith decides it's time to stop being a wife and mother and live her life for herself; however, her plans are scuppered when Hannah returns and moves back home. The series has been repeated on

ITV3 ITV3 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9pm, replacing Plus (Granada). ITV3 is the sixth-largest UK television channel ...

Characters

*Faith ( Lynda Bellingham) - A 40-something, divorced mother of two looking to rebuild her life following the break-up of her long-term relationship. Formerly a commercial artist, she begins working as an art teacher at a local college where she meets upholsterer Paul, who becomes her on-off boyfriend. Although keen to put herself first and enjoy life as a single woman, issues such as Hannah's return and the

menopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...

get in the way. *Hannah ( Julia Sawalha) - Faith's headstrong daughter, who returns home after a year travelling expecting to live with her mother again, only to find she has sold the family home and now lives alone. Having dropped out of university in ''Second Thoughts'', she takes on a variety of unsuccessful jobs, including dressing as a giant mouse to promote cheese, before deciding to train as a counsellor. Like her mother, she has a difficult love life, having several failed relationships. *Paul (

Jeff Rawle Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is an English actor. He is known for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom ''Drop the Dead Donkey''. He also portrayed Silas Blissett in ''Hollyoaks'' from December 2010 until 2012. Rawle ret ...

) - Faith's on-off boyfriend; an upholsterer who also teaches at the college. Although attracted to Faith, he is constantly frustrated by her regular changes of heart and erratic behaviour. *Jools (

Charlie Creed-Miles Charlie Creed-Miles (born 24 March 1972) is an English actor and musician. Creed-Miles was born in Nottingham, and had his first starring screen role, aged 21, in ''The Punk'' (1993). His brief relationship with actress Samantha Morton Sam ...

- (Series 1);

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

- Series 2–3) - A kind-hearted, but somewhat naive, young man who becomes obsessed with Hannah after she is dumped by his friend Nick. He is notoriously clumsy and accident-prone (to the point that he thinks it is his fault when a tree crashes through Faith's window). Although other women, including Hannah's friend Caroline and Faith's friend June, show an interest in him, Jools only has eyes for Hannah, despite her continuing disparagement of him.

Minor characters

*Joe ( Mark Denham) - Faith's son. A regular character in ''Second Thoughts'', he appears in just one episode of ''Faith in the Future'', when he tells his mother he has important news for her. Faith suspects Joe is about to come out as gay; however, his news is actually that he has joined the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

- something that Faith, an ardent Labour supporter, is horrified by. *Caroline (Emma Bernard) - Hannah's long-time best friend who develops a crush on Jools, despite being married with a child. She later splits from her husband Dave, but is apparently oblivious to the signs that he is actually gay. *Zoë (

Susannah Wise Susannah Walker Wise is an English television and stage actress. Life and career She trained as an actress at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1995. Wise is best known for her work in the British soap opera ''EastEnd ...

) - Faith's eldest daughter whom she gave up for adoption prior to her marriage, and whose existence is revealed in the final series. She is a somewhat innocent, naïve girl who contrasts sharply with the more gregarious Hannah. *Harry (

Christopher Villiers Christopher Francis Villiers (born 7 September 1960) is an English actor, screenwriter and producer. Biography Villiers was born in London, the son of Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Wing commander David Hugh Villiers (1921–1962) and his s ...

) - Hannah's tutor, later her boyfriend. He asks her to move in with him in the penultimate episode; however, when she catches him cheating on her she decides to go travelling with Jools instead. *Mark (

Ivan Kaye Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the Duke of Milan in all three seasons of '' The Borgias'', and King Aelle in the first four Seasons o ...

) - A somewhat boorish builder who Hannah thinks is chatting her up; however, he is actually interested in Faith and begins dating her towards the end of the series.

Episode guide

Series 1: 1995

Series 2: 1996

Series 3: 1998

DVD release

''The Complete Series'' of Faith in the Future was released by Network on 13 April 2015.

References

External links

*. *. {{Little Brother Productions 1990s British sitcoms 1995 British television series debuts 1998 British television series endings ITV sitcoms British television spin-offs London Weekend Television shows Television series by ITV Studios English-language television shows Television series by Little Brother Productions