Packed to the Rafters

- Season 1

(2008)

Happily married couple, Julie and Dave are over the moon when Ben, their last child, finally decides to leave home. After raising three kids, the couple are free. It's a chance for them to do what they want, and on their own terms.

An unemployed Dave struggles to regain his manhood and position in the family, landing himself in hospital.

Rachel's growing alcohol dependence sends her family over the edge. Her careless actions could spell the end for one of them. Julie desperately brings the family together for a therapeutic barbecue but simmering tensions erupt.

Sammy and Nathan's marriage is in crisis when she can no longer bear keeping the secret reason for their move into the Rafter home. This leaves Nathan with no option but to count on the family he's always taken for granted.

Ben finds himself in uncomfortable possession of a devastating secret which could blow his family apart, and with Dave's freelance career failing to take off, Julie makes a tough decision which tests the strength of their marriage.

Rachel faces up to her shameful past. In flashbacks, she tells how she met, fell in love and eventually left Daniel, the man responsible for emailing their private video. Ted decides to move back home but what is he hiding?

Nathan's world is turned upside down as Julie and Dave make a splash at his father-in-law's 50th birthday party. Nathan learns a valuable lesson about wealth and happiness when the life he has and the life he wants collide.

Ben's world is turned upside down after a drunken one-night stand. Dave must face up to the secrets of his past while Carbo strikes up a surprising friendship with unexpectedly romantic results.

Dave reconnects with his foster brother, '80s rock star Steve Wilson, leading to an offer he can't refuse. Meanwhile, after a risky gamble with his boss's money, Nathan races the clock to save his job.

Rachel is faced with a terrible decision. Ben gets the wrong idea when he stumbles upon a secret in Melissa's handbag. Sammy is offered the possibility of a glamorous job in London - but will she leave Nathan behind?

Julie forces her dispirited family to the beach for a restorative weekend away - leading to everyone feeling restored but Julie herself. Ted receives advice from beyond the grave.

Ted steps back into the weird and wonderful world of dating. His journey begins when, encouraged by Louise's letter to the future, he attends a meeting of Friend Finders - a social networking group for people over 50.

Dave's birthday end in disaster after a fight breaks out in a pole-dancing club. Forced to take on extra work to pay some unexpected bills, Dave reluctantly bonds with Warney - and discovers the beginnings of a surprising friendship.

Julie struggles with the realisation that her 'mother's radar' is not always exact when it comes to her children's problems. Rachel is trying to keep her relationship with Vishnu a secret from the family - but is he all that he seems?

Ben willingly takes on a call to jury duty where he meets Kat, a massage therapist with a refreshing perspective. Meanwhile, Dave's fledgling business is struggling under the weight of too much work until he gets a helping hand.

Looking for direction and focus, Rachel throws herself into a new chapter in her life. This includes an embarrassing night of speed-dating and also the nerve-wracking experience of applying for a job far above her level of experience.

Dave sees red when he learns that the man Rachel is seeing is an old cricket friend from many years ago. He remembers Rob as a tireless lothario.

After a drunken one-night-stand with Kat, Ben faces a gut-wrenching dilemma. Should he tell Melissa the truth?

The full moon inspires erratic and crazy behaviour amidst the Rafter clan.

Julie fears that as she heads into menopause she's losing the "mojo" that has always enabled her to dispense sound wisdom to family and friends.

Julie is struggling to adjust to what she believes is the onset of menopause and the first anniversary of her mother's death.

Julie and Dave wrestle with a life-changing decision that will shake the family's foundations. Meanwhile, Rachel reveals a secret, and Ben fears the worst when Melissa's ex-fiance turns up at his door.