Colin and Jane have decided that their marriage isn't working and that the best thing is to separate. This could be tough on their children, Joe and Emily, but their parents are civilized about the whole thing and determined to remain friends. In fact, after the split their relationship improves considerably. Jane, a nurse, embarks upon a new relationship with Roger, a single parent of three children, the terrible trio of David, Felicity and Robbie. Colin, meanwhile, has started to see Jennifer, the therapist he and Jane consulted when trying to work through their problems.

The Phoenix and the Carpet is a six-part British miniseries based on E. Nesbit's 1904 fantasy novel of the same name. Produced by HIT Entertainment for BBC One, it aired from 16 November to 21 December 1997. Four Edwardian children find a strange egg in their newly-arrived Persian carpet. It hatches into a Phoenix bird that grants wishes and also transforms the rug into a magic carpet, which takes them on a series of adventures all over the world and at home.

A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.

Four Edwardian children find a strange egg in their newly-arrived Persian carpet. It hatches into a Phoenix bird that grants wishes and also transforms the rug into a magic carpet, which takes them on a series of adventures all over the world and at home. A truncated edit of the three-hour miniseries for the home video market.