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Joanna Bacon plays Steve's mum, Janet (episode two)

Janet dotes on Steve. Steve's father left when he was young and Janet has devoted herself to her perfect son. Essentially lonely, she'll take any excuse to get out of the house and likes a good drink. She's on the lookout for Mr Right – or even just Mr Anything.

A regular face in British television, Joanna has made appearances in Minder, One Foot In The Grave, Square, Casualty, Little Britain and, most recently, The Bill and Holby City. She has also had roles in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla and Stephen Elliot's Easy Virtue.

Camille Coduri plays Shelly (episodes two and six)

Shelly is Laura's friend from work – aged 43. She's a divorcée and a single mother. She has one son, aged eight, and does not stop talking about him. She's desperate to go out and get drunk, desperate for love or sex or a snog, or anything she can get to interrupt the tedium of her life.

In short, she's trying to relive her youth through Laura, her soulmate. They're as mind-numbingly average as each other.

After early roles in feature films such as Nuns On The Run and King Ralph Camille went on to work on various television shows with recurring roles in Trial And Retribution, Sinchronicity and, most recently, Doctor Who. She has also appeared in Nick Love's feature films The Business and The Firm.

Blake Harrison plays Barney (episode four)

Barney is Steve's mate, aged 25, but viewers can still see the little eight-year-old boy in him trying to impress his dad – showing off.

After an early stint on The Bill, Blake shot to fame as Neil in the award-winning show The Inbetweeners. He will next be seen in Re-uniting The Rubins, alongside Timothy Spall and Rhona Mitra.

Ian Burfield plays Barney's dad, Mike (episode four)

Mike is in his sixties, but hangs around with Steve's friends. He lives through his son by ogling women with him, secretly fancying Gaye, going clubbing with them, that sort of thing.

He's a basic "bloke" – a bit sexist. There's a real chemistry between Barney and Mike. There are none of the usual taboos surrounding the sorts of things a father and son should talk about or do together. It's a bit weird, of course. But they couldn't live without each other.

Ian has been a mainstay of British television with recurring roles in London's Burning, City Central, Red Car, Family Business and EastEnders. He has also made appearances in The Bill, Heartbeat and Casualty, as well as roles in the feature films V For Vendetta and The International.

Nathasha Stokes plays Barney's girlfriend, Gaye (episode four)

Gaye is in her early twenties and is a giggly character. She's one of those people that laughs at everything, thinks everything's "fun" and, as such, is a bit over-bearing.

Nathasha Stokes was trained at the E15 Drama School and Him & Her is her television dΓ©but.

Ralph Brown and Marion Bailey play Becky's parents, Nigel and Jill (episode five)

More fun than Steve's parents, Nigel and Jill are happy with their lot. They're honest to the point of rudeness, though.

Jill is kind and rather empty-headed, like Laura, while Nigel is harsher and meaner - more alpha, like Becky. He has to be polite when they meet Steve. They, too, are putting on a front of "niceness" around others.

Marion Bailey has found roles in some of the stalwarts of British television such as To Have And To Hold, Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Casualty, The Bill and Holby City. She has also worked on several British feature films including Mike Leigh's All Or Nothing and Vera Drake.

Ralph Brown is a veteran of British television, having worked on The Bill, Coronation Street, Spooks, Nighty Night and Life On Mars.

He has also appeared in Alien 3, Amistad, Withnail & I (where he played Danny, inventor of the legendary "Camberwell Carrot"), Star Wars - Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Mean Machine, Stoned and, most recently, The Boat That Rocked. He will next be seen alongside fellow cast member Russell Tovey in Huge, with Noel Clarke, Nick Moran's The Kid and Killing Bono.

Lizzie Roper plays Paris (episode five)

Paris is Dan's "girlfriend" – actually, a professional prostitute who has no desire to make small talk with Becky and Steve or indulge Dan in anything remotely close to romance.

With a background in stand-up, Lizzie has played a vast array of character roles. Most recently, she has been in The Stephen K Amos Show, Waterloo Road, Shameless, New Tricks, Being Human, The Impressions Show and Harry And Paul.

She's also been busy on the radio in Tim Minchin's Strings on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2 and Katherine Jakeway's North By Northamptonshire on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

Recent films have included The Arbor (winner of the 2010 Tribecca Film Festival Award) and Gurinder Chadha's Angus Thongs And Perfect Snogging. She's also a busy voiceover artist, voicing Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ documentaries and cartoons such as Pinky And Perky and The Iconicles.

Martin Delaney plays Jamie (episode six)

Jamie is Becky's gay friend, aged 23. He's quite good-looking, in a boy-band way. Steve finds him intimidating.

He's the über-Becky – mean and nasty without any of Becky's lovely caring warmth. He enjoys the laughs he gets from belittling other people. He's a bully but with a smile on his face that lets him get away with it.

In addition to working on various television shows, such as The Bill, Family Affairs and Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, Martin also is a talented writer and has worked, most recently, on The Kevin Bishop Show. He has also recently appeared in Robin Hood (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ) and the Only Fools and Horses prequel, Rock And Chips.