The Great British Benefits Handout

Three long-term unemployed families on benefits are given a cash lump sum of £26,000 in return for signing off, to see if they have what it takes to improve their lives and escape the benefits trap. This opening episode introduces the three families, including Tony and Diane from Hull and their 21-year-old son Michael, who persuades his parents to let him buy the latest PlayStation. Scott and Leanne from Liverpool order some bouncy castles as they start a party business, while single mum Rachel treats her family and friends to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.

Tony and Diane realise that their plan to start a business may not be as easy as they thought. Scott can't resist buying a lizard, even if it costs £260. Rachel experiences life debt-free for the first time, and pays off 6 months of her rent.

Cameras continue to observe three families who were given £26,000 in return for coming off benefits. In Hull, Tony and son Michael start buying stock for their secondhand business, including two large slot machines. In Liverpool, Scott and Leanne go through their business plan, and elsewhere in the city, single mum Rachel talks to her friend Mary about how to look for a job when you have never had one.

Tony and Diane are experiencing a shift in their relationship when she gets a job for the first time in seven years, Meanwhile, Scott and Leanne's business goes from strength to strength, and single mum Rachel hands out her CVs to local companies in a bid to find work for the first time in 15 years.