I'm really enjoying (if that's the right word, it probably isn't!) this. The only thing that annoyed me was in Ep1 Anna Friel just being turned away at the Jobcentre, being told she'd get nothing for 13 weeks.
A) She would be eligible for JSA Hardship Payments as she had children - it's a lower rate than JSA (which is too low anyway) but would be payable while she was sanctioned, and also while she was waiting for her claim to be assessed.
B) The woman she saw wouldn't make any decision on her claim, just take all the details down. She did explain that, but she then made it sound as though it was a foregone conclusion and just let her leave, not even bothering to explain about Hardship Payments or alternate things she may be entitled to. I didn't find that realistic IME.
Someone asked up thread about people having to wait that long for benefits - if you are 'Vulnerable' ie are disabled, have kids, are a carer etc you can apply for Hardship Payments. Also, you are eligible if you've been sanctioned - I assume someone actually calculated the exact amount required so you don't starve to death but not enough to pay your bills and they give you that amount instead of the JSA.
IME, half the time, employers never bother to fill in the form sent to them to obtain reasons the employee was fired - so they'd be awarded the JSA anyway. But that was a while back and the shop owner looked like the type to fill the form in with graphic detail of why she fired AF!
I found tonight's episode hard to watch, when she was trying to teach her kids how to look after themselves. And when Sean Bean thinks he's averted disaster and then getting that voicemail.