 It dealt with Deric's mother Annie (Thora Hird), her decline into dementia and how Deric (Pete Postlethwaite) and his wife, partially-sighted novelist Aileen Armitage (Penny Downie) coped with this.For her performance, Hird won the 2000 BAFTA for Best Actress, the 1999 RTS Award for Best Actor - Female, as well as the 1999 National Television Award for Most Popular Actress.The film also won a 1999 Peabody Award and the 1999 International Emmy for Best Drama.