Maggie is a 28-year-old server who has spent eight years building a life in London's queer and artistic communities. She faces an unplanned pregnancy and the financial necessity of moving to the Essex suburb of Basildon with her boyfriend. She cares for Ed but fears that leaving the city means giving up her creative ambitions and the social circle that affirms her identity.

Phil is a 28-year-old office worker who lives in an unconventionally leased warehouse in Bermondsey. He masks his vulnerabilities, stemming from a past traumatic encounter in Burgess Park, behind a detached exterior he calls his "Action Man" persona. Though deeply involved in the city's alternative scene, he struggles with genuine intimacy and feels defensive about his precarious lifestyle.

Ed is a 30-year-old bicycle courier dealing with the physical toll of gig-economy work and the recent death of his father. He strives to present the image of a conventional, cheerful expectant father to Maggie. Beneath this facade, he experiences frequent panic attacks while secretly exploring his sexuality and past desires in public spaces.

Rosaleen is a working-class mother and call center employee living in Basildon. Raised in a strict Catholic environment in Ireland, she has spent decades repressing her own needs to act as the emotional caretaker for her family. Recently diagnosed with cancer, she finds herself entirely unable to communicate her fear to her son Phil.

Keith is a landscape gardener who possesses a gentle confidence and a deep interest in the physical world beneath London's surface. He shares a working-class background with Phil but approaches intimacy with much more patience and openness. He challenges Phil's emotional distance by directly asking for authentic connection.

Callum is Phil's older brother and Ed's best friend. He copes with emotional distress through heavy drinking, erratic behavior, and dealing drugs in Basildon. Despite his abrasive exterior and destructive habits, he harbors a fierce, protective loyalty toward those close to him.

Louis is a rising star academic who comes from a wealthy, privileged background. His established relationship with Keith acts as a source of jealousy for Phil. Beneath his exterior of intellectual confidence, Louis possesses his own vulnerabilities regarding his connections to others.

Joan is Ed's eccentric, recently widowed mother. She copes with her grief through peculiar rituals, spending her days in an armchair on the pavement and developing a fascination with magpies. She is blunt and unsentimental but forms a solid, supportive bond with her neighbor Rosaleen.

Steve is Rosaleen's husband and the father of Phil and Callum. He shares a comfortable, silent intimacy with his wife. Though he can sometimes be oblivious to the depth of her internal struggles and physical anxieties, he remains deeply devoted to his family.

Holly is Callum's fiancée, caught in the emotional fallout of his erratic behavior. She constantly attempts to maintain a sense of normalcy and stability, bearing the immense stress of loving someone who copes poorly with grief and turns to substance use.

Ali is a sharp-witted, cynical art school friend of Maggie's. She serves as a representative of the intellectual, queer London art scene and acts as a pragmatic sounding board for Maggie's anxieties about leaving the city for the suburbs.

Peter is Ed's late father and Joan's late husband. A former laborer who died at age 50, his recent passing casts a long shadow over Ed's mental health and Joan's daily life, serving as a constant reminder of working-class vulnerability.

Kyle is a childhood neighbor of Maggie, Phil, and Ed who grew up with them on the same estate in Basildon. He represents a shared link to their adolescence and holds memories of their early, formative interactions.

Pauline is Rosaleen's late best friend from her strict Catholic upbringing in Ireland. Her memory heavily influences Rosaleen's present-day grief, representing a time of unexpressed intimacy and serving as the catalyst for Rosaleen's departure to England.

Debs is one of Phil's housemates living in the precarious warehouse arrangement in Bermondsey. She harbors lingering fantasies about reconciling with her ex-girlfriend, Ali, and actively participates in organizing communal events.

Valerie is a marine biologist unexpectedly thrust into the media spotlight due to her resemblance to Princess Diana. She conducts the rescue operation for the stranded whale while privately maintaining a hidden romantic relationship in budget hotels.

Tamsin is Valerie's romantic partner. They currently meet secretly in budget hotels across Essex, intentionally keeping their relationship hidden from the public eye and Valerie's unexpected media attention.