Autumn 1977. Derek ‘Dusty’ Springfield is an 18-year-old misfit, who five years earlier was plucked from his home in the industrial outskirts of Leeds to attend Public School on a scholarship. He has just returned home at the end of his studies to wait for his Oxbridge results that he’s hoping will result in his permanent escape. Life at home is awkward for the brainy lad and embarrassing for his working class family who can’t relate: his feckless dad, no-nonsense mum and two older brothers; one a football hopeful and the other a distinctly dodgy acquirer of flash consumer goods.

In the wait for his university exam results, Dusty befriends a lightning fast Greyhound, comically named Slapper by his older brother and the two become inseparable. When two bumbling thieves attempt to kidnap Slapper, Dusty must do all he can to protect him, whilst trying to earn the respect of his family again. Dusty can’t believe his luck when his crush from afar, the out-of-his-league Chrissie, agrees to help him find Slapper. All the while, his results day is looming over him, and his future lies sealed within an envelope.

Find out more:

Related stories