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Failed slacker musician Andy, dumped by his girlfriend Gwen, is about to kill himself when his sister Sam rings and asks him to collect his nephew Errol from football practice. Andy takes Errol with him to the club run by Gwen's seedy, cross-dressing father in an effort to win her back but he fails. As Andy drives Errol home the pair bond as they appreciate that they are both misfits.

After being moved on for busking Andy visits Gwen but is thrown out by her loutish new boyfriend Casper. He agrees to baby-sit a supposedly poorly Errol but finds he is shamming to get out going to school-mate Alfie's birthday party. Andy persuades him to go with him but Alfie bullies Errol and Alfie's boastful father Tom is equally obnoxious. Fortunately Andy and Errol meet up with a pair of allies to get revenge on the dreadful twosome.

Andy wants to take part in the Battle of the Bands, the prize being a residency at Val's club, which will mean he is near to Gwen. None of the musicians he auditions for his band are to his liking but Errol turns out to be an excellent keyboard player and so a duo is born. Andy tries to help Errol get a date with Ruby, a girl from school whom he fancies but this goes wrong when Ruby assumes Errol is gay because Andy thought he was doing the right thing in saying Errol liked One Direction. However the duo's performance at the battle goes down well, impressing both Shelley and Errol's teacher Melodie.

After spending the night with Shelley Andy is 'persuaded' by Sam to give her moral support at a family lunch hosted by Joan, mother of Sam's ex-husband Ben. Also attending is Ben's brother Rex, a trendy doctor back from voluntary work in Africa and Andy is immediately jealous, sabotaging his cookery and causing an accident in a football game. Sam tries to keep her past drug and drink addiction from Joan since Ben is wrangling for Errol's custody now that he has a new girlfriend. When it is revealed that Andy had sex with Joan twelve years ago and Andy's friend Bruce announces that his wife is cheating on him it is all too much for Errol, who has a panic attack. Andy is blamed but saves the day, which unusually ends in reconciliation for all concerned.

Errol is going on a school trip to a farm and dreading it. Andy tells Sam he finds Shelley clinging and hopes to get back with Gwen, which seems likely when Gwen turns up for afternoon delight, claiming to have broken with Casper. After she has left Shelley returns but Andy is getting high with Melodie, Errol's teacher, and then Gwen comes back to say she has made it up with Casper. Andy cannot explain why there are three women in his life so they all dump him, after which he goes to collect Errol, who has fled the school trip.

Andy gets a call from Mo Khan, head of Rage Records, impressed by the demo Andy sent him. In the event though Mo only wants to sign up Errol - who is wary, but thinks it will help his family if he goes ahead. However Errol's earnest ecology message does not go down well and then he accidentally eats Mo's ecstasy tablets, mistaking them for mints. With Errol rushed to hospital and Sam fighting Ben at court for the custody of Errol Andy has to prove that he is the best - or worst - uncle in the world to help his sister.

A year has passed. Ben has taken out a restraining order against Andy, whom Errol visits in secret whilst Sam is a nervous therapist. Andy works in a carpet show-room and desperately tries to get himself the sack. He also has song-writer's block. Ben discovers that he is seeing Errol though ultimately some good does come out of it whilst Andy also meets seductive customer Teresa.

Errol is anxious to impress haughty school-mate Willow and woos her on the Internet using a cool persona. However he comes unstuck when he is forced to reveal his identity and bad dancing - though at least he makes another friend from it. Sam meets ex-husband Ben's new girlfriend Veronica and seeks to befriend her to weaken Ben. She invites her to a party where Andy admits his shortcomings to Teresa, the former customer with whom he is having an affair. However she tells him that she is married and was only using him before saying goodbye.

Errol persuades a cash-strapped Andy to leave his sick bed and enter a song contest with a big money prize. Andy wants it to be a solo effort but Val, Gwen and her new boyfriend Casper are keen to join in though Gwen and Casper have rowed and Andy must reconcile them, as well as giving Sam sex advice. Errol also wants to be involved and takes drastic action when this is denied him. Fortunately there is enough studio time left to make a group recording complete with an impressive video.

After being told by old flame Shelley that she is pregnant Andy agrees to join Sam as a chaperone at Errol's school Halloween dance. There are revelations all round as Andy gets locked in a cupboard with shy teacher Melodie, something similar happens to Errol with the desirable Ruby - who tells him that her friend Tiffany fancies him - and Sam's secret lover is exposed as the not quite divorced Bruce.

Errol is not happy that Ben has moved girlfriend Veronica in and is pleased to spend the weekend with Andy. Strapped for cash Andy hopes to use Errol in his plan to persuade dying uncle Frank to leave him some money. Frank warms to Errol but makes clear his dislike of Andy, who sets out to find Frank's money, supposedly buried in the garden. After an attempt to reconcile Frank with estranged daughter Maggie Andy does succeed in getting some cash out of him - through selling him drugs.

Andy receives a surprise cheque in the mail. Now all he needs to do is cash it and pay his landlord in the next three hours.

As Andy tries to work up the courage to confront Teresa about their child, he is distracted by an offer from a record company exec. Meanwhile, Errol butts heads with Bruce and Sam contemplates motherhood.

Andy makes a start on his new song-writing career, but finds it more difficult than he could have imagined. Errol decides that he needs a girlfriend and vies with Andy for the attention of Lex. Sam and Bruce are trying to conceive.

Andy tumbles into a drug-fuelled romance with singer Jasmine, waking up to find he is engaged. Errol lets a girl think he is 'experienced' to look cool. Sam has to find a way to break some news to the family.

Sam enters the hospital operating theatre for the removal of her cancer but it is Andy, off the drugs for a week, who is the more stressed and the efforts of Bruce to cheer him, Elliot and Sam's ex-husband Ben, fall flat. Waiting for news Andy and Errol exchange philosophies and Errol is forced to confess why his wrist is bandaged. It is long wait for all of them before they learn how Sam has fared.

Errol tries to rinse Ben and his new partner Veronica for money to finance a trip to Europe and when they refuse turns to Bruce but when the two men realize they are being played off against each other they join forces to make Errol earn the money. Andy and Sam's loud parents Jane and Neville arrive, announcing that they are divorcing. Andy is shocked and clumsily tries to stop them whilst Sam is just angry that Jane seems to have also preferred Andy over her but after the women have had a heart to heart there are reconciliations all round - though the divorce still goes ahead. At least Andy has a nice surprise when Melodie comes back into his life.

Andy is over-joyed when Melodie reappears in his life but their reconciliation is literally in his dreams. Meanwhile in his fantasy-writing class Errol pens a fairy tale in which idiot stable boy Andy seeks to find his beloved princess Melodie, meeting various characters based on friends and relations. With the help of Errol's classmates Andy tracks Melodie down but it is not necessarily the case that they will live happily ever after.

Andy finally goes on tour, whilst Erroll makes new friends.