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Grandmother Taslima Dhin has spent her life at home, bringing up her children. Aged 58, she needs to learn to drive to take her ill husband for regular hospital visits in Bradford. Taslima isn't just challenging convention by taking driving lessons: her instructor is a man to whom she's not related, which forces her to ask questions about the traditions she's held dear. Thirty-eight-year-old Humera Ahmed wants to learn to drive so she can to take her children to school. Despite the prevailing traditions of conservative Muslim communities, her instructor, Mr Ramzan - who is also an imam at a local mosque - believes that motors aren't just for men. The only issue is, will Humera be ready for her test before his patience runs out? Korsa Bibi, one of only two Muslim driving instructors in Blackburn to wear a veil, takes on a new student. Aysha is 20, married with a two-year-old son, and wears the veil - yet she was born Stacey. Her dark past is something she wants to leave behind.
Samiah has seen life - married at 16, divorced at 18, the Bradford-born woman is only now seeing the possibilities that life can offer. A new job has given her career opportunities and financial independence - driving will give her the liberty to go where she wants, when she wants. Yet after 50 hours of lessons, she's still miles away from being ready for her test. Instructor Yaqoob has the unenviable task of keeping her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road. Grandmother Taslima Dhin has more on her mind than driving lessons. She has the builders in at home, and it's a nightmare. She's also desperate to see her mother, who hasn't been to Britain to visit her daughter in the 45 years Taslima's been in the country. The planned family reunion depends on her mother getting a visa, and it's not a done deal. Zaida Quereshi, who blazed a trail as the first female Asian instructor in Burnley, believes her current student is ready to take the test. With only three weeks to go, learner Tasmia needs to confound the Muslim community's expectations. Zaida understands her student's mindset, but is she able to instill enough confidence in Tasmia for her to become a 258th success story?
Blackburn's changed out of all recognition over the last 30 years, and ex-mill worker now driving instructor, Lynne Randall, has watched the changes with growing curiosity. But learning isn't one-way traffic in Lynne's car. Teaching Muslim women gives her the perfect opportunity to get some answers to all her questions. Pupil Naz prepares to answer questions on more than just the Highway Code. Korsa Bibi has been an instructor for almost a year - one of only two in Blackburn to wear the veil. Business is thriving for this family breadwinner, but her home life is giving her some major problems.
It's an emotional time for grandmother Taslima Dhin. Not only is it the holy month of Ramadan, but she's also waiting to hear whether her 75-year-old mother will get a visa to visit her only daughter. In the 45 years that Taslima's been in Britain, her mother has never been to see her. While she waits for news, Taslima carries on with her driving lessons. But both she and her instructor Ali are beginning to feel frustrated by her slow progress - one step forward, two steps back. Mother of three Humera is finally ready to take her test after five months of lessons. Having missed her deadline to pass in time to drive her oldest son to his new secondary school, she is determined get there as soon as possible. But as her test approaches, her confidence is evaporating and the instructor, Mr Ramzan, needs to find new ways to keep her concentrated on the task in hand.
24-year-old architecture student Arifa is on a mission. With her life a constant commute between her home in Blackburn, university in Liverpool and work in Preston, she's desperate to learn to drive. But she's got another reason to learn - to get away from the spotlight of her community and live her own life. Her instructor Vera understands her dilemma. As one of the first Asian women to drive in Blackburn over 30 years ago, she attracted huge attention. Taslima has now had over 30 driving lessons and she's making slow and steady progress. Starting to drive has made her realise that she can learn anything and she's eying up her first ever college course to study English. But this ambitious woman is beginning to have second thoughts about learning to drive with her instructor Ali. In her tightknit community in Bradford, it's not that common for a 58-year-old grandmother to be taking to the road and Taslima will have to decide whether she has the determination to continue learning, despite what anyone else might say - and if so, will it be with Ali?
Kosar Bibi has been a driving instructor in Blackburn for just over a year. Her latest pupil, Aysha, is her surrogate daughter - a white girl who converted to Islam three years ago after meeting Kosar. Kosar is the breadwinner in her family and she has been saving hard to make the holy pilgrimage of hajj. Her life has not been easy - her husband Raz has been struggling with a heroin addiction but he is determined he will be ready to take his wife and daughter to Mecca. Will it make the difference in his life that his wife is really looking for? It's the day of Imrana Gathia's driving test. A Blackburn mum of two, she desperately needs to drive to give her children all the opportunities they are asking for. But Imrana suffers from nerves and it's up to instructor Salma to get her to the test in one piece. 18-year-old Samiah is at a crossroads with her driving, and her life. She's been learning to drive for 21 months and after spending a small fortune on over 70 lessons, her long-suffering instructor Yaqoob needs to enlist some extra help. Samiah faces a mock driving test to find out just how bad her driving is - and how much more work she still needs to do.
