KATE CLEG'S LIFE lacks glamour. A local reporter, she lives (overweight and boyfriend-less) with her parents and gran up north in Slackmucklethwaite, a town whose only attraction is a pub, The Punch Bowl - affectionately known as 'The Punch Up'. Attempts to introduce a touch of class into her family life are lost on her salt-ofthe- earth parents. 'Custard with fagash in it' is the verdict of her father on the 'crhme anglaise containing real vanilla' she brings home. Kate's only escape is via the romantic/erotic novel Northern Gigolo she is writing late at night under her duvet.

However, the arrival of Nat Hardstone - the boss's son - at work provides Kate with the opportunity she's been hoping for. Inevitably, she falls for the charming cad. Convinced he feels the same (despite the fact that he spikes her drink with cocaine before seducing her) and perhaps confiwng