The Empire Girls

Sue Wilsher, author of When My Ship Comes In, makes an emotional return to 1950s Essex

Tilbury, 1950s. The Empire is a pub run by Vi, Doris's mother. When Doris falls pregnant out of marriage, she is kicked out of the house and forced to fend for herself.

Desperate to look after her daughter, Doris finds refuge in Southend and takes a job in a factory, hoping for a better life. When she finds herself cast out one night, Doris has nowhere to go but home - back to Tilbury. But she's still not welcome there and once again has to look for shelter and work.

Homeless and as a single mother, life is tough for Doris. And it becomes harder when she helps a neighbour, Claude, to find a new life in Britain. Now Doris must decide where her heart lies...