We can always rely on Sarah Lancashire to put on a mesmerising show, from Happy Valley’s straight-talking police sergeant Catherine to the unforgettable Julia Child in Julia – and who could forget her iconic stint on Coronation Street? If, like us, you’re eagerly awaiting her return to our screen as the spymaster Reed in Black Doves series 2, we have unearthed a brilliant forgotten classic: Clocking Off.

The hidden-gem BBC drama follows a different Manchester factory worker each episode as they cope with a plethora of personal woes, played out by a star-studded cast. Showcased more than a decade before Sarah’s performance as Sergeant Catherine, Happy Valley co-star Siobhan Finneran also features in this hidden-gem drama.

With Clocking Off now available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer, here’s everything you need to know about the series, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Clocking Off about?

The BAFTA-winning anthology series, which aired on the BBC from 2000 to 2003, is in theory a workplace drama revolving around a Manchester textile factory. But Clocking Off focuses on more than the place of work, diving deep into the dysfunctional personal lives of its workers.

Sarah Lancashire played the role of machinist Yvonne Kolakowski, a single mum of three on the edge after her abusive boyfriend throws her and her three children out on the street. Her story, which aired in the first series, opens quite literally with a bang, we see Yvonne running down the street in a clown costume. Moments later, her house is up in flames.

Adding to the drama, is her colleague-turned-pursuer, Jim Calvert (Christopher Eccleston), who despite her personal problems, has taken quite the shine towards her. The romantic chase culminates in Sarah having a dramatic outburst in an Indian restaurant and a table does gets thrown.

Then there’s the ever-enigmatic Siobhan Finneran as Julie O’Neill, her good friend and a cast regular whose special revolves around whether she’ll emigrate to Hong Kong with her brother or whether a romance with a new female worker will blossom.

There are so many other faces we know and love in the cast, including Lesley Sharp as Trudy Graham, who decides to reinvent herself with plastic surgery after a lifetime of caring for her terminally ill father. We also meet Call the Midwife’s Pam Ferris as Pat Fletcher who must juggle the demands of a management role while having an alcoholic, gambling husband at home.

Who’s in the cast of Clocking Off?

The cast for Clocking Off includes:

• Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) as Yvonne Kolakowski
• John Simm (Grace) as Stuart Leach
• Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) as Jim Calvert
• Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) as Julie O’Neill
• Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey) as Trudy Graham
• Philip Glenister (Life On Mars) as James ‘Mack’ Mackintosh
• Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty) as Babs Leach
• David Morrissey (Sherwood) as Franny Rothwell
• Pam Ferris (Call The Midwife) as Pat Fletcher

Is Clocking Off any good?

Yes – if you love a deeply human British drama with hugely relatable characters and great writing, you’re going to want to watch Clocking Off next. Sarah Lancashire is as mesmerising as ever as Yvonne, a vulnerable, headstrong and sometimes misguided woman, who doesn’t always get it right. And then there’s her undeniable chemistry with Siobhan Finneran, which we all witnessed years later in Happy Valley when they played sisters.

How can I watch Clocking Off?

You can watch Clocking Off now on BBC iPlayer.

What other Sarah Lancashire dramas can I watch now?

If you want an even more moving performance, we’d recommend Sarah’s Channel 4 drama The Accident. Sarah plays a mother who’s consumed by guilt after a large construction project’s explosion in a rural Welsh town. Her husband, local politician Iwan (Mark Lewis Jones), had originally championed the project, which proves to have catastrophic consequences. You can watch The Accident on Channel 4 now. If you love cracking a mystery, we’d point you towards Rose And Maloney, where she works as part of a detective duo to get to the bottom of miscarriages of justice claims. You can watch Rose and Maloney now on Prime Video.