With her five children now grown up, Caroline Fairchild decides to resume her former career in the cut-throat world of publishing. Against the wishes of husband Donald, also working in the industry, she takes up the position of Editorial Director for her old company, Oasis Publishing, in London. Little does Caroline realise that Oasis Publishing – part of an American conglomerate overseen by the megalomaniac Edgar Frankland Jr. – is poised to take over Donald’s employer, Ginsberg Publishing, and that Frankland takes a rather harsh line on married couples working together within his empire. Caroline and Donald’s solution is unorthodox, yet practical: they become an undercover couple, with Caroline using her maiden name and Donald steadfastly refusing the advances of female colleagues. The ploy seems to work – but there is one unpalatable aspect for Donald: he now finds himself taking orders from his wife... Two of British comedy’s greatest stars come together for this highly original and cleverly written series. Executive Stress features Penelope Keith (The Good Life, To the Manor Born) and Geoffrey Palmer (Butterflies, As Time Goes By) as the middle-aged couple struggling to keep their marriage under wraps to protect both of their careers, a situation partly inspired by the difficulties faced by the wife of writer George Layton (Don’t Wait Up, Doctor in Charge) on returning to professional life after having had two children.