A Matter of Life and Debt

In this episode it is all about the dough when a baker gets a loan to set up his own specialist pie shop. Plus how a single mum proved the high street banks wrong by creating a successful language school after starting at her kitchen table, and one woman's journey from being a successful entrepreneur to having £10 to her name... and back again.

The programme meets dad-of-five Roger, who is holding down two jobs as he gets a loan allowing him to finish and launch his own business - a unique ice cream van. An NHS worker reveals how she struggled with crippling credit card debts. And, following her recuperation after an accident, a woman launches her mermaid swimming school in Bournemouth with the help of a spirited loans advisor.

Jade is looking for £1,500 to redecorate her daughter's bedroom, while Miriam needs £1,000 for an educational trip to Germany. A former bus driver explains how an addiction to credit drove her to bankruptcy. In Manchester, an ethical loan allows food fan Mark to launch his BBQ business in an authentic American school bus, and in Stroud a £500 loan means Fergus's dream of becoming a therapist comes true.

Members of London Mutual Credit Union try to get loans for everything from home improvements to a daughter's birthday party. The programme meets the young Muslim woman whose loan allowed her to turn a passion for modest fashion into a viable business. And there is the dramatic tale of a former army major who lost everything when he built up huge debts with his gambling addiction.

The programme meets the woman who waited over 20 years before a small loan allowed her to realise her dream of opening her own sewing business, and a grandmother keeps her son's name alive by setting up a cafe in his memory with the help of an ethical loan. There is also the horror story of a young man's experience of dealing with loan sharks, and we're at London Capital Credit Union to find out if they will approve a loan for some much-needed garden maintenance.

Loans help couple Katerina and Colin set up a health food shop in rural Wales, and Syrian refugee Razan take her own line of Halloumi cheese out of the family kitchen and into the big time. We meet a mum who ended up homeless after struggling with redundancy and spiralling debts, and we also follow members of the Lewisham and Bromley credit union, including 78-year-old salsa dancer Leroy, who needs £400 for some furniture for his new flat.