The River follows the tranquil life of lovable, Cockney, ex-convict Davey Jackson who is lock keeper on the canal near the village of Chumley-on-the-Water.
Davey Jackson's peaceful life is turned upside down by the arrival of the neurotic, sharp-tongued Sarah MacDonald. Over the six episodes of the series the love-hate relationship between Davey and Sarah blossoms into a shaky romance, their potential happiness often spoiled by the machinations of Davey's cunning Aunty Betty and the hapless intervention of Davey's deputy Tom Pike.—Anonymous