Granny Murray
Not necessarily a blood relation to all the children she looks after, Granny Murray is called Granny Murray by all who know her. This is not because she comes over as a particularly ancient person - in fact she is a very stylish and has a very youthful outlook and is full of surprises. She is 'Granny' because she looks after and cares for so many and gives the impression that she has lived an extremely interesting and varied life. Her secret is that she is a very good listener.
What is surprising about Granny Murray is that she has seldom travelled beyond the city boundaries and that all her knowledge of life has come about from all the fascinating, diverse, and famous people she has met through her life. A lot of the people she met were through her late husband Angus who had his dance band 'The Merry Monks' who played all around the city. Granny Murray herself was a window dresser at Nicholson's - a grand old store on the high street where she acquired much of her outrageous style and again met with many people from all walks of life. When she retired from her job at Nicholson's, Granny Murray trained as a nursery nurse and then registered as a childminder.
Granny Murray is the fountain of all wisdom and gives each programme its thought or saying of the day. However when it comes down to enjoying yourself and having a good time, Granny Murray loves to take the lead whether it is being first on the dance floor or joining in and cheering and laughing the loudest at any theatrical event. Granny Murray is the perfect playmate whatever your age!
Tina
Tina is a taxi driver. Her taxi garage under the arches also serves as a prop store for the theatre company.
Tina is also studying for an Open University degree in English but this is very much on the back boiler. With Tina's busy life, Granny Murray is a huge help when she looks after Tina and Raymond's children Mark (6) and Kimberly (4).
Raymond
Raymond has always been a flamboyant character which serves him well in his job working as a buffet steward on the railway. His customers would often remark 'You should so be on the stage Raymond'. So it was a happy chance when he met and married Tina and together they formed the perfect amateur showbiz couple.
Raymond also fancies himself as a designer and loves to design and make the costumes for his shows. Raymond's one fear in life is creepy crawly things and has to rely on Tina to remove spiders from the bath.
Raymond and Tina's children are very proud that their parents are in plays and shows but sometimes they could do with a little more time from their mum and dad, but being left with Granny Murray is the next best thing.
Other characters
There are many other characters, including:
Bobby - a single parent and works at the bus depot cleaning the buses. If it wasn't for Granny Murray looking after her son Luke (4), life would be very difficult for Bobby.
Rudi - sells fruit and veg in the market and has three children, Claire (7), Jack (5) & Toni who is still a baby. Rudi is blind but you would hardly know it as his hearing is so acute he is aware of all that is going on around him.
Mickey John - a teacher at the primary school with an abundance of enthusiasm for everything. He looks after his daughter Annabel (4) three days a week.
Dr Juno - Dr Juno is a paediatrician at the hospital. When Dr Juno was very small, she had an illness that meant she had to go to hospital a lot. The nurses and doctors were so kind to her she wanted to do the same thing when she grew up.
The Ferry Boat Band - a band who play on the ferry boat that sails from the city to the continent.
The band has three members and can be relied upon to provide music for any special event, amateur dramatics and of course to entertain the passengers on the ferry boat as she sails. The band is also there to open every episode with the title music and make musical comments throughout each story.
