Episode 5

By Sarah Woods

Naomi is unimpressed by the groceries that Zoe brings back from the food bank, but Marcus resolves to help his mum. And Zoe is determined not to be down-trodden.

They say that you're only ever two pay cheques away from destitution, so what happens when one of those pay cheques moves out of the family home to live with a woman called Caroline? A Speck of Dust tells the story of a newly single parent struggling to navigate a modern world of zero hours contracts, benefits sanctions, online dating and dust. Lots of dust. Her journey is one that many people in the UK are taking.

Between 1979 and 2008, the number of people living in poverty in the UK almost doubled, from 7.3 million to 13.5 million people, and inequality reached levels last seen in the 1920s. Between now and 2020 an additional 1.5 million working-age adults are expected to fall into poverty.

A Speck of Dust explores these big questions by focusing on a small story - a single speck of life.

Written by Sarah Woods
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.