Stella, 42 (Ruth Jones)
Pontyberry born and bred, Stella is a single mother of three - Luke, Emma and Ben. Stella got pregnant with Luke when she was 16 by her then boyfriend Rob Morgan who upped and went to Canada with his scandal fearing family. It was the 80s after all. Years later she married Karl and had Emma and Ben. Stella's never achieved much career wise - she always wanted to be a nurse but bringing up her kids got in the way of that dream. Especially when she and Karl divorced. Stella's got an ironing business which keeps the wolf from the door and the bailiffs from the living room. She's a lioness of a mother who'll do anything for her kids and hardly ever thinks about how she looks - hence her lovely array of rugby shirts and bleached blonde hair that needs the roots doing.
Luke, 24 (Craig Gallivan)
A troubled soul who never quite fitted in until he found solace in the joyriding of stolen cars. Society made him pay with an eighteen month prison sentence.
He's a good boy at heart and loves his Mam. He'd secretly love to make her proud. He's never asked much about his father - he'd rather not know if truth be told.
Emma, 16 (Catrin Stewart)
Emma's not the brightest star in the galaxy but she’s sweet and funny. Stella's pinning all her hopes on her, willing her to live the life she never lived herself. But Emma's bored of school and would much rather spend her time with Sunil the love of her life.
Ben, 12 (Justin Davies)
Stella's youngest and brainiest child. Very much the baby of the family, with a natural curiosity that often gets him into trouble. In fact it's Ben's inquisitive mind that causes a major upheaval in Stella's life.
Paula, 42 (Elizabeth Berrington)
Stella's best friend since school, Paula is a functioning alcoholic undertaker. She runs Simpsons Funeral Services with her father who is simply known as 'Daddy'. Paula has a voracious appetite for sex.
Bobby, 30 (Aled Pugh)
Bobby is Paula's assistant at the undertakers. He's very Valleys and very camp. He can be warm as custard and icy as a chisel. He's very good at his job, and loves to console.
Dai, 46 (Owen Teale)
Dai is an ex-serviceman injured on duty. He doesn't work now but is always willing to help. He is Stella's big brother.
Meg, 66 (Maggie Steed)
Stella and Dai's mother - a real Welsh Valleys 'mam' with a melodramatic attitude to everything.
Ken, 68 (Michael Elwyn)
Stella and Dai's father - keeps his wife in check and is the voice of reason in the family. Ken is a gentle, loving, ex-miner.
Karl, 45 (Julian Lewis Jones)
Plasterer and typical Valleys boy, Karl was married to Stella for eight years before going off with Nadine, who he met down the gym. Since then he's literally turned a different colour - bleached blond hair and orange fake tan. He's a good dad to his kids and not a bad ex husband. Karl is a natural optimist and tends to think everything in life is 'stunnin'.
Nadine, 29 (Karen Paullada)
A Valleys 'princess', fake-tanned within an inch of her life. Nadine thinks she's better than the people she lives with and has ideas well beyond her station. She prefers to be called Nay-deen but everyone ignores her wishes and she's just good old 'nu-deen'. She can rub Stella up the wrong way on a daily basis but mostly Stella finds Nadine to be good entertainment value because she's so thick. Secretly Stella is grateful to Nadine for taking Karl off her hands.
Jagadeesh, 48 (Pal Aron)
Jag is a born diplomat and spends most of his time pouring oil over troubled waters, usually waters that have been troubled by his wife Tanisha. He runs the local newsagents/general store with her and is the proud father of Sunil, 18 and bemused father of Jasminder, 16. Jag was born in India and moved with his parents to Leeds when he was a teenager. The family moved to Wales three years ago.
Tanisha, 50 (Sudha Bhuchar)
Tanisha is a bit of a snob. She's ultra proud of her would-be doctor son, Sunil and wishes on a daily basis that her daughter Jasminder wasn't such a disappointment. She's not over the moon about Sunny's liaison with Emma, but hopes it's just a phase he's going through. She's a traditionalist but a realist also.
Sunil, 18 (Rory Girvan)
Sunil is a bright boy, destined for medical school. He's gorgeous and quiet and gentle, and very much his father's son. He's totally in love with Emma.
Jasminder, 16 (Taj Atwal)
Jasminder is very much her own person. She, like Emma, has no interest whatsoever in school and just wants to have a good time ALL of the time but she’s all talk and no action when it comes down to it. When she meets Luke, she falls massively in love with him.
Alan, 44 (Steve Speirs)
Alan is a lollipop man and youth rugby coach. He is a single dad having been given custody of Little Alan when his ex-wife Melissa left him for Keith. Alan has been in love with Stella since school but Stella only sees him as a friend.
Little Alan, 12 (Daniel Gammond)
A miniature version of his dad Alan, Little Alan shares his father's love of pasties. He is Ben's best friend.
Daddy, 75 (Howell Evans)
Paula's father and the owner of Simpsons Funeral Services. Daddy is very opinionated - it's just that no-one other than the people around him can actually understand a word he's saying. He has a love-hate relationship with the undertaker's assistant, Bobby.
Sean, 32 (Kenny Doughty)
Sean is an 'in-comer' to the Valley, originally from Barnsley in Yorkshire. He's a gentle, kind, gorgeous looking painter and decorator who gets to know Stella as the series unfolds!
Rob Morgan, 44 (Mark Lewis Jones)
Rob came from a well-to-do Pontyberry family who owned Morgan Chempak, a pill packing factory back in the 80s. Rob and Stella went out together when they were at school. They were each other's first loves. Rob made Stella pregnant when she was 16 and his family, fearing the scandal, upped and emigrated to Canada before the baby was even born. Stella was left broken hearted to bring up the baby on her own. She never heard from Rob again.
Nancy, 48 (Joanna Scanlan)
An upbeat eternal optimist from Birmingham, Nancy is a Jill-of-all-trades who travels around in her camper van making money however she can. One of her outlets is selling products from the Living Change range. When she comes to Pontyberry, she falls instantly in love with Alan.
Rhian, 42 (Maxine Evans)
Rhian hasn't had a shower for some time. She was at school with Stella and already has seven grandchildren. She's a heart of gold and a mouth like a sewer. Everything in Rhian's world is either 'cockin rosy' or a 'cockin disaster'.
Marj and Glen, age unknown (Deddie Davies and Dafydd Hywel)
Marj and Glen are Stella's neighbours across the road. They have a horse. Which sleeps in their house.
Mrs Barclay, 50 (Beth Robert)
The posh lady of Pontyberry. She's Stella's nightmare ironing customer, ultra fussy and incredibly arrogant.
