Trouble at the Top

An infamous throwaway remark at the Albert Hall cost Gerald Ratner his cut-price jewellery empire. Five years on, he is pinning his hopes of a return to the big time with the first of what he hopes will be a chain of luxury health and fitness clubs. But he has just three months before the opening.

One of the richest men in Britain, Sir Michael Bishop is also chairman and financial mainstay of the struggling D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. The stage is set for a showdown when he asks for help in the form of an Arts Council grant.

With debts of £1 million, poor form on the pitch and dwindling crowds on the terraces, former rugby league giants Hull Kingston Rovers are facing extinction. In a last-ditch attempt to pull the club back from the precipice, the directors have placed Rovers into the hands of company troubleshooter Edward Klempka. Can he dig Rovers out of the mire and help to return them to their former glory?

Lord Brocket turned his ancient family seat into an exclusive conference centre. But now he is injail, convicted of fraud, and the business has collapsed. Hotel manager Michael Longshaw has arrived to take charge of the 540-acre site, given one year in which to reverse the fortunes of the Hertfordshire estate. But. as he introduces forecasts, sales targets and mission statements, there is a growing sense of unease among the staff.

As new managing director of model agency IMG, Jonathan Phang takes the reins of a struggling company that lacks young star quality. Phang has been given just six months to find the next generation of supermodels, cut costs and make a profit. Last in the series, which will return next year.