South Riding (2011–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript
Blacksmith's daughter Sarah Burton returns to her native Yorkshire, after twenty years' teaching in London and South Africa, for an interview to be head mistress of Kiplington Girls' School. Her idealism impresses kindly Alderwoman Mrs. Beddows and socialist Joe Astell but dour farmer Robert Carne opposes her eventual appointment. He has a withdrawn young daughter Midge, whom Mrs. Beddows persuades him to enroll at Sarah's school. After an awkward first day Midge comes to like Sarah and is befriended by Lydia Holly, a very bright girl who lives in the Shacks, a shanty town Joe is hoping to clear in order to build a modern housing estate for the residents. Councillor Anthony Snaith supports him but tells Joe that Carne is against them. Sarah seeks help in modernising the school building from another councillor, Huggins, a hypocritical lay preacher who is about to be forced to pay money to Bessy, a girl he has impregnated. Despite his initial antipathy, Carne comes to respect Sarah after she has helped him deliver a calf when her car runs out of petrol near his farm. The next day he goes to visit his wife Muriel in an institution.
Whoa.
Come on!
Miss Torrence?
Would you step in please?
Wait a minute!
Hold tight!
Running away from landlord, is it?
Not exactly.
Miss Slaker?
Whoa, there, there.
Miss Dry.
Sorry! Oh!
Sorry, sorry I'm late.
Have I missed much?
In for the finish I suppose.
You've had Empire experience I see.
Yes, in the Transvaal, and then in
Cape Town. A wonderful experience.
And eight years at South
London United school?
Yes. The last three as deputy head.
You see, some people call
this the last town in England,
though we don't think so of course,
but Kiplington High
is a very plain school.
You won't find
many high flyers here.
Well, I believe if you have
high expectations then the
girls will respond to them.
I want my school to be excellent
and I won't settle for
anything less. Your school?
The school I'm headmistress of.
If you're appointed.
Yes, of course. If I'm appointed.
All the same I'm not sure
you know what you're in for,
coming to the
South Riding from London.
Actually, I do. I am a local girl,
I was born here. At Lipton Hunter.
Lipton Hunter? There was a blacksmith
called Burton at Lipton Hunter.
Yes, he was my father.
He didn't set much store by
education but my mother did
and I was lucky enough to have some
excellent teachers who encouraged me
to be the very
best that I could be.
And that's what I want to do for
every single girl in my school...
whatever her background.
If I'm appointed, of course.
What do you intend to teach
your pupils, Miss Burton?
Apart from the usual
curriculum that is?
I want my girls to know
that they can do anything,
that they don't have
to repeat the mistakes
the previous generation made.
Specifically?
Blindly sending their sons off
to be killed in their millions,
without thought, without question.
I'm determined that the
girls I teach will not be
the wives and mothers
of the next generation of
cannon fodder. Cannon fodder?
I led some of the best men I've known
at the Somme and they gave their
lives so that you could sit there
and spout your socialist clap trap!
I wasn't questioning
their bravery, I was merely...
Lets move on...shall we?
Mr Huggins?
Miss Burton, wouldn't you agree
that the greatest calling
for any young woman
is to become a wife and mother?
No, I would not.
Not necessarily.
But I do know that the
wives and mothers of today
and tomorrow are going to have
to know as much as they possibly can
about the world they're living in.
I mean, this is 1934!
The world's changing. The future is
going to be very different
and it is our responsibility to
prepare these girls to meet it!
Well... that's
what I think any road.
She's appalling, I don't even know
why you're considering her.
Because she was the only
candidate who had a notion
of what the future might look like.
And, and you don't have a
monopoly on the war, Mr Carne.
I don't claim to Mr Astell.
Glad to hear it.
Good God, man, do you not
recognise a real bright spark
when you see one? I recognise a
half-baked Bolshevist when I see one!
Gentlemen please. Mr Huggins?
I thought she was very
lively, very, very, erm...
I mean she'd stir things up a bit,
wouldn't she? But do we want that?
Well, there's not one other
candidate who had an ounce of her
ability or her determination
and I think we should
take a chance on her.
I move we put it to the vote.
Very well. All those in favour
of appointing Miss Sarah Burton?
Is that a vote in favour,
Mr Huggins?
Aye, it is.
I'm sorry, Robert. She's
a local lass and I liked her.
Ahh!
Oh! Oh!
Oh!
Oh, dear!
How's Midge getting
on with that new tutor?
He's handed his notice in.
To be frank I'm at my wit's end.
She should be at school,
you know,
not rattling round
a big house on her own.
Good schools cost money.
And besides, Midge is a
special case isn't she?
Why doesn't he come?
Why doesn't he come?
He's had an accident and he's dead
and they'll bring him home
on the milk float
all dead and broken.
No, don't think that,
don't think it!
He'll come.
He'll come, he'll come soon.
What if he doesn't?!
Mummy!
Mummy!
It wasn't my fault was it?
It wasn't, was it Mummy?
It was my fault.
It was, it was, it was all my fault!
I'll bring you back.
I'll bring you back Mummy!
I'll bring you back Mummy!
Hello darling! Mummy's here!
Midge! Oh, no,
that's not right! Midge!
It's all wrong! Daddy!
Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
Hey, hey, it's all right!
It's all right.
I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Daddy's here.
You're all right now, eh.
Hey.
Better now?
Mmm. Listen.
You've got nothing to be sorry about.
Understand?
Do you miss Mummy terribly?
I do, pet.
Come on, we can dance up here.
It's much nicer to be away
from all those horrid people.
Come on, Robert.
♪ Let me put my arms about you
♪ I don't want to live without you
♪ Oh, you beautiful doll
you great big beautiful doll
♪ If you ever leave me
how my heart will ache... ♪
You won't ever leave me will you?
No, I won't ever leave you.
Hey, come away from the edge.
Come and join me.
Look it's freezing up here. Hadn't
we better go back to the others?
I don't want to go
back to the others!
Don't you see?
I don't want to go
back to them ever!
Muriel! How far d'you think I could
lean before I went over the edge?
For God's sake!
If you want me...
..come and get me!
Muriel, promise me you'll never
do anything like that again.
I'm sorry.
I'm not sure I can
promise that, actually.
I do these things...
I can't help myself.
Will you promise to
always be there and catch me?
Yes, I will.
I will.
'I will.'
She was expecting
me earlier, you know.
She gets herself worked up.
She spends far too much time on
her own, Robert. I know that.
But what can I do?
Why not give Kiplington High a try?
Kiplington High!
You're not serious are you?
Why shouldn't I be?
It's local. It's affordable.
I know Muriel talked of
Cheltenham, but times are hard.
Come on, Robert,
what's the matter with it?
Not good enough for Lord
Sedgmire's granddaughter?
Or is it just because
you took against
that little firecracker
we've just appointed?
Her father was a drunk.
Lamed a good horse of mine.
She was right about the
war though, wasn't she?
None of us want
that to happen again.
No of course not, Emma.
I just don't care
for the woman, you know,
she's not my idea
of a headmistress.
Miss Burton?
Staking out your territory I see.
It's not really up to scratch is it,
the science lab.
It's totally outdated!
Darwin may have felt at home here,
but really, it won't do for us.
I know.
But... one thing at a time.
It's the quality of the teaching,
it's the inspiration
you can give the girls,
that's what counts, isn't it?
But that's what I mean.
I mean, we need modern facilities.
They need workbenches
with sinks and Bunsen burners
so they can try things themselves,
not just sit and watch.
This sends the girls a
message that they're not valued.
And have you seen the lavatories?
They're appalling...
they're overrun with black beetle!
I mean I must have something
done about them before
autumn term starts.
Can I give you a bit of advice?
Don't try to change
everything at once.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Now, I've got something to tell you.
I've persuaded
Robert Carne to send his
daughter to school here, next term.
I have to warn you,
she's very highly strung.
He's brought her up
more or less single-handed...
she's had governesses and tutors
but none of them really stuck.
No mother? No.
She ought to be with girls
her own age... but I warn you,
I doubt it'll be
easy for her, or you!
She's Lord Sedgmire's granddaughter,
you know! Should I feel honoured?
No, no, I'm just saying
it could be tricky.
Now. Are you busy tonight?
Well, I was... Because if you
aren't, I wondered if you'd like to
sample a bit of local entertainment.
Madame Hubbard's Dancing School
are putting on a
gala evening in aid of charity.
A lot of your pupils
will be performing.
And some of the
governors will be there.
A chance for you to meet
us with our hair down.
Good evening, Miss Burton.
Hello. Ah thank you.
Did you not bring a cushion
with you?
Could be in for a long night.
Out again Alfred?
It's the Lord's work, Nellie,
the Lord's work.
♪ Hurrah! Hooray
♪ We welcome you today
♪ Oh, we are so glad to meet you
♪ How cheerfully we greet you
♪ We'll do our best to please you
♪ Soothe you, cheer you
♪ Love you, tease you... ♪
♪ Tease you, tease you, tease you
♪ Some of us are rather haughty
♪ Some of us, rather naughty!
♪ Naughty, naughty, naughty
♪ Never mind old Mrs Grundy
♪ We have jokes for all and sundry
♪ And we hope before you go
♪ You'll find you like our show... ♪
'In the place of dragons
will be reeds and rushes.'
And the parched ground
will become a pool.
♪ You'll like our show! ♪
In the place of dragons.
What has that to do with us,
I see you asking yourselves.
There are no dragons here,
not in South Riding!
Plenty of sheep, plenty of cattle.
But we see no dragons.
But oh, my friends,
there are dragons here.
Dragons of misery, of poverty.
Of filth, of squalor.
Do you know the rural slum
they call the Shacks?
Filthy hovels where they sleep
as many as six in a bed.
Oh, here be dragons indeed!
Young women driven into vice. Men...
into drunken beastliness.
We must work to make this a
better place.
A place the Lord can look
down upon and smile.
A place of beauty,
a place of peace, a place of love.
Better sanitation,
better schools, new dwellings.
And we can have all these this...
and with God's help.
We will!
Good night, all. Good night.
Mr Huggins. I thought you were
better than minister!
Oh, Mrs Oldroyd, you mustn't
say that! Thank you.
Good night, good night, thank you.
Good night, good night.
Most interesting, Mr Huggins. You
might like to know that Mr Astell
has been trying to interest me
in a scheme to replace the Shacks.
If you'd like to come back for a
bite I could tell you about it.
Oh... that's very kind of you.
But unfortunately,
I promised a poor soul a visit...
perhaps another evening?
Oh, well, there's no hurry.
Well, don't let me keep
you from God's work.
Thank you. Goodnight, Mr Snaith.
God bless you.
♪ I've had my eye on you, oh
♪ A long, long time
♪ Yes, I know you have
♪ I've sighed my sigh for you, oh
♪ A long, long time
♪ Oh, do behave yourself
♪ You know I'd die for you
♪ Oh, yes, I know
♪ So why do I do?
♪ But before I do
♪ I want to get, get
♪ Get, get
♪ More than my eye on you... ♪
Oh!
Oh!
Oh, that was terrible!
This must never happen again, Betsy!
Come on, Mr Huggins, you're
always like this just after.
It wasn't meant to happen!
Oh, Lord I'm a miserable sinner!
And I've led you into
sin with me, Bessy.
You really shouldn't take on like
that, Mr Huggins, I were at it
a long time before I met you!
You're a good girl, Bessy.
I'm not a very good girl.
No, at heart,
you're a very good girl.
That's for you.
Go and get yourself something nice.
And this must be the last time!
We must pray to the Lord
to help us withstand temptation.
All right, Mr Huggins.
Night then! Goodnight, Bessy.
And God... God bless you!
What's this?
Grand Patriotic Finale.
♪ Keep the home fire's burning
♪ while the hearts are yearning
♪ Though the lads are far away
♪ They dream of home
It would be obscene
if it weren't so ridiculous.
I suppose they're just kids, they've
no idea what they're singing about.
♪ Through the dark clouds shining
♪ Turn the dark clouds inside out
♪ Till the boys come home
♪ There's a silver lining
♪ Through the dark clouds shining
ALL BEGIN TO SING
# Turn the dark clouds inside out
♪ Till the boys come home
♪ Turn the dark clouds inside out
♪ Till the boys
♪ Come home. ♪
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
Tell me if I'm intruding.
No, no. It's fine, I'm fine.
It's ridiculous that I let it get
to me like that. I don't usually...
It's just being back here where...
Hearing those stupid songs again.
Did you lose somebody?
Yes. Yes, my fiance.
Roy.
Carbery was his name.
Sorry.
It's all right.
Have you got a fag by any chance?
No, no. Don't smoke.
Right. No. Oh, here.
Sorry.
He was the love of my life.
I mean there have been
men since, obviously but,
none of them meant anything...
or not much.
Sorry. I can't believe I'm telling
you all this, I hardly know you.
Don't worry.
I don't betray confidences.
I was very young.
I think now if I'd married Roy,
I'd never have had a career.
Could I have settled
for being a wife and mother,
even loving him so much?
I don't know.
What about you...
were you in the war?
Yes, yes, I was.
And as you can see, I survived,
more or less.
Didn't think I would...
I was gassed.
You could say I was
one of the lucky ones.
Millions weren't so lucky.
No. Millions weren't.
But all the more reason
for us to try
to make the world
a better place, don't you think?
Yes. Yes, I do.
'I know a bank where
the wild thyme blows,
'Where oxlips
and the nodding violet grows,
'Quite over-canopied
with luscious woodbine,
'With sweet musk roses
and with eglan...Eglantyne.'
Lydia!
Now just look at it, man.
My dear Astell,
I know they're an eyesore,
but was there any need
to rub my. nose in it?
How else do I get you
to take notice? Good afternoon.
Do you actually want an epidemic?
Because that's exactly what
you're going to get
unless we do something
about it this year.
I have been taking notice, the
whole place is clearly insanitary.
And clearance has always
been council policy.
Clearance is only half of it.
We need a proper purpose built
housing...
Whoa! Estates, houses for families.
Schools.
Maybe even a cottage hospital.
Well, I agree with you. Put it
before Council on Wednesday week.
You agree with me?
You never agree with me.
Lydia!
You misjudge me Mr Astell.
We are in a slump
and I believe the way out of it
is through investment
in public works.
I was merely waiting
for the timing to be right.
You mean you've found
a way to profit by it.
Mr Astell, I hope you don't think
I would ever do anything improper!
Lydia!
Lydia!
Lydia, are you in there? What?
What are you doing?
What do you think?
Have you got a book in there? No.
You've got five minutes.
And then I need you.
Afternoon. Afternoon.
What strange, squalid lives
these people lead.
I could have gone to
High School, you know.
It's me our Lydia
gets her brains from.
Mental arithmetic,
singing, recitations...
Lars Porsena of Closium,
by the nine Gods he swore,
That the great House of Tarquin
should suffer wrong no more!
Tea please. I had it all off
when I was nine years old.
By the nine Gods he swore it,
and named a trysting day,
and bade his messengers ride forth.
BOTH: East and west and south
and north, his messengers ride fast.
And tower and town and cottage
have heard the trumpet's blast!
There you are you see!
Takes after your Dad.
You see, children,
economic circumstances
prevented me from developing my
talents in a proper academic
institution, but our Lydia shall be
the bearer of the torch of learning!
Your Dad were ever a good talker,
I'll say that for him.
Lydia, will you take kids
out after for half an hour.
Your ma and I want
some time to ourselves.
Mam?
It's all right, love.
You go along like a good lass.
Come on, hurry up wi' these then.
There are two possible sites for
an estate to replace the Shacks.
The most obvious one is
Cold Harbour, however,
there's also Leame Ferry Wastes.
Is the Wastes suitable for
building on? No, no, not at all.
Entirely unsuitable.
Surprisingly it is.
We'd have to drain it but the land
would still be much cheaper
than Cold Harbour.
Much cheaper. The last parcel
of land I sold down there only
fetched thirty pounds an acre.
Well, if this option
doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
I don't believe this. We shouldn't be
building anything anywhere, not with
the economy in the state it's in.
The families in the Shacks
can't afford to wait, Mr Carne.
People could die while we're
waiting for things to look up.
He's right Robert.
It's an absolute disgrace down there.
Might I suggest that as this is a
scheme which benefits the people of
the South Riding,
we see what they make of it?
Whether they want it or
not they can't afford it.
But if you look around you,
you will see that the way
out of a depression is through
bold spending on public works.
Look at what President Roosevelt is
doing with the New Deal in America,
look at what Chancellor
Hitler's doing in Germany.
I don't think we need to
take lessons from the Germans.
I understand there's some
strong feelings about this,
but I think what's needed
is transparency.
I propose we inform our
constituents of our plans,
outline the respective pros and cons
of both sites, with a view to taking
a firm decision in the new year.
All those in favour?
Erm, was that wise?
Wouldn't it have been better
just to push on through? Perhaps.
But I don't like unpleasantness.
Anyway it's my belief that Mr
Carne will be voted off the
council at the next election.
Thank you Robert.
Everything will be much easier then.
♪ Great Father of glory
♪ Pure Father of light
♪ Thine angels adore thee
♪ All veiling their sight
♪ All laud we would render
♪ O help us to see
♪ 'Tis only the splendour
♪ Of light hideth thee. ♪
Good morning, girls.
ALL: Good morning, Miss Burton.
I'm delighted to see that
you've learnt my name already
and I hope I shall have
learnt all of yours
by the end of the Autumn term.
Now, I'd like to extend a special
welcome to the first years,
who are new to the school, like me,
I hope you'll have
a very happy time here,
achieve some wonderful things,
and make me proud of you.
I'd also like to welcome two
new girls to the Lower Fourth.
Lydia Holly, who won
a scholarship here three years ago,
but has only just
been able to take it up,
and Midge Carne,
who has been privately educated.
I know your teachers and the older
girls will do everything they can
to make you feel at home, but if
you ever want to share a problem
my door is always open.
Little shrimp, isn't she?
Big goggles.
And the other one -
look at her little baby socks.
She's from the Shacks,
my dad says they're
like animals there.
You see this? Smells of dead girls.
Think on.
Come on, I'll look after you.
Thank you,
I shan't require looking after.
LYDIA LAUGHS
Suit yourself.
Hicks! Over here!
Here's the stallion I were
telling you about. Real class here.
Go over anything you want him to.
And you could breed from him.
If he's that good I wonder
you're selling him, Carne. What will
you take for him? 150 guineas.
A bit steep.
He'll fetch 200 in the autumn sales.
Well, let's see how he goes today.
Come on.
That's better. Well done...
Who can tell me...
Please, Miss, I know! I know!
Spoilt for choice!
I want you to answer the questions
that are right on the board.
All right?
Is everyone clear?
LAUGHTER
Girls!
Girls!
Girls, sit down! Sit down!
Sit down!
Such a beautiful day.
I've decided to change
the afternoon timetable.
We're going to have a game
of hare and hounds on the cliffs.
However, if I hear
any more noise from this classroom,
you will be spending
the afternoon sitting in silence
learning the periodic table.
Do I make myself clear?
GIRLS: Yes, Miss Burton.
CLEARS HER THROAT
GIRLS: Yes, Miss Burton!
Good.
Thank you, Miss Sigglesthwaite.
Miss Burton, may I come and
talk to you? Of course, after class.
No! Now!
You said,
if we had a problem. Please.
Sit down. I can't bear it.
I can't bear being here, I hate it.
You've hardly given it
much of a chance yet.
I told you!
I can't bear it! I want to leave!
Is it the lessons?
Are you finding them too difficult?
No, of course not.
You haven't made any friends yet?
Friends!
I wouldn't want to be friends
with a lot of grocers' daughters.
If you got to know them,
you might find some agreeable.
They don't find me very agreeable,
they think I'm a stuck-up snob.
Weren't any of them friendly?
That other new girl, for instance,
she said she'd look after me,
how dare she?
I never said I wanted looked after,
certainly not by her!
She's a wild animal!
Do you know what she did?
She held up her fist in a girl's
face and said it smelt
of dead girls! Did she really?
She sounds like a very
good person to have on one's side.
I wouldn't be friends with her
if she was the last girl on Earth!
I don't want to be in this horrible
school... Control yourself.
I won't, I won't!
Midge, calm down. I'll tear it up...
Midge, control!
Don't touch me!
Don't touch me, I don't want it.
Here. I don't want it.
Here.
You've had a rotten day,
haven't you?
Listen...
starting a new school
can be horrible, I know that.
I should be very sorry
if you wanted to leave before
you'd given it a PROPER try.
It's my first term here and I'm
trying to make a good impression.
I'd like to feel
we're good enough even
for Lord Sedgmire's granddaughter.
All right. You'll stay?
I can see it would look
very bad for you
if my father were to remove me
from the school after just one day.
I wouldn't want to put you
in an embarrassing position.
That's very considerate of you,
Midge. That's quite all right.
Thank you for talking to me,
Miss Burton. I shan't take up
any more of your time.
Have you seen the hares,
Miss Burton?
If I had, I wouldn't tell you.
GIRLS: Aw!
But you can see the trail,
off you go!
GIRLS GIGGLE AND SQUEAL
HUNTERS CALL AND SHOUT
Wire! Wire! Hicks, pull up!
HORSE NEIGHS
HORSE WHINES
Oh!
I'll take it.
Oh!
What are all these children
doing here? Get rid of them!
Go now! Go on!
Easy boy.
He's broke his back.
Give me the gun.
When I find out who put
that wire up without marking it...
There you go, sir.
Easy boy.
GUN CLICKS
GUNSHOT, GIRLS SCREAM
Calm down,
it's all right, calm down!
These things...happen! Calm down!
Was the horse insured?
No, it wasn't. Pity.
These things happen, calm down.
Calm down! Who's in charge here?
I am. You. Get these girls out of
here! That's what I'm trying to do!
They could have been killed running
wild like that. This is private
property, you should seek permission.
Do you seek permission to chase your
foxes all over other people's land?
I don't think so. Oh, and it's you
that seems to have come to grief!
You're supposed to be educating,
not... They're absolutely fine!
You're not fit to be
in charge of children!
Midge! You come with me!
Come on!
(Bloody man!)
(Bloody woman.)
Come on!
'It wasn't Miss Burton's fault,
Daddy, not really!'
We'd had a super afternoon
till then. You're angry because
poor Sheba had to be shot.
I don't care for the woman.
You would if you got to know her.
I don't intend to.
No, Daddy, you mustn't take me away!
I really like it there
and Miss Burton's lovely. Elsie!
Midge is a bit over excited.
Would you make her some
hot milk or something.
Bit much was it? No, no,
it wasn't, it wasn't!
No, no, I'm sorry.
I'm going to have to ask
for your patience again.
I can pay them both
together next quarter.
I'm sorry. Thank you.
PHONE RECEIVER CLICKS
HE GROANS
HE SIGHS
Hello.
Lydia, isn't it? Lydia Holly?
What are you doing
out of your classroom?
Miss Masters said I was to come
and see you, Miss. For what reason?
Fighting she said, Miss.
But it weren't proper fighting.
This girl made a remark
about folk in the Shacks,
so I grabbed her by the collar,
but I didn't hit her,
I just showed her my fist.
And then she started
yellin' an cryin' and sayin'
I were clatterin' her.
So Miss Masters said
I was to come see you.
I haven't got time to deal
with this now, come with me.
I'm teaching the upper fifth poetry.
Come on!
You can sit in at the back.
I remember the first time
Out of a bush in the darkness
A nightingale's
piercing cries and gurgles
Startled the depths of my soul
I remember the scream of a rabbit
as I went through a wood at midnight
I remember the heifer in her heat
Blorting and blorting
through the hours
Persistent and irrepressible
I remember my first terror hearing
the howl of weird, amorous cats...
GIRLS LAUGH
He's talking about all
the things that thrilled him,
frightened him,
inspired him, moved him.
And he's not afraid of saying
how he really feels.
Now, you all have a go.
Just begin "I remember".
Please, Miss Burton. Yes, Vera.
You mean you want us
to write a poem ourselves?
We've never done that, Miss Burton.
Well, it's high time that you did.
You know, DH Lawrence was just
a miner's son from Nottingham,
he was just writing
about what he saw and felt,
why shouldn't a farmer's daughter
from Yorkshire do exactly the same?
Now, close your eyes.
See what comes to you.
And remember,
poetry doesn't have to rhyme.
You too, Lydia, can someone lend her
a pen and a piece of paper, please?
Mr Carne! Whoa.
Good boy. All right, Hicks?
I'm all right, Mr Carne. What is it?
Beast man's poorly again.
Doctor says his
calving days are over.
How's that little Jersey doing?
That's just it.
About ready to calf, I'd say.
Shall you hire another beast man,
Mr Carne? No, we can't afford it.
We can't even afford the vet
until I've paid his bills.
Just do it myself
till things look up.
Walk on.
You see, you can do it after all.
How you getting on, Lydia?
Miss, I haven't finished!
Oh, you're not the tidiest
writer in the world, are you?
Everyone says that.
CLEARS HER THROAT
This is really something, Lydia!
Is this you, not something
you've read and remembered?
No, Miss, like you said.
Right, would you like
to read it out to the class?
No, Miss, they'd laugh.
They would not laugh.
Come on.
Share it with us.
This one day
I'd got up before anyone
Went up on't roof with my book
And something made me look up
And there he was
Staring at me
A young Todd fox
Full grown, the cheek of him
He wasn't scared
His eyes said look at me
I'm all fox, me, I'm perfect
I'm the fancy-man fox
and I bet you wish you were me
I could see the dewdrops
on his whiskers
He was so bright
His eyes said look at me
I'm more alive than you
I do what I like
and no-one stops me
But I felt alive too
I could feel my heart bumping
and something tight in my throat
And I wanted to pull up
my skirts and dance for him
Or something daft like that
But what happened was we just
looked at each other like that
And then he turned
and trotted away
And I could see the dark marks in
the grass where he'd put his feet...
That's as far as I got, Miss,
I was going to put something about
how I felt when he'd gone.
Thank you, Lydia.
Shall we all give her a clap?
RETCHING
Mam?
What is it?
Nothing, Lyd,
go back out, go back outside.
What have you taken?
Oh, no, Mam.
I've fallen for another baby.
I tried taking something
to stop it, but it's no good.
The last thing you need's another
baby! Try telling your dad that.
Oh, Mam.
I'm sorry, Lyd.
Go back outside.
What? Bessy Warbuckle's got bairns.
Go and help...
No, no, it's all right.
Go and help her with 'em.
No! I'll stay here with you!
RETCHING
It's all right.
It's very good of you,
Councillor Huggins,
to give up your time like this.
Not at all, I like to think that
I take a keen interest in all
aspects of the girls' education.
Do come through.
As you see.
Oh, dear. Not very uplifting
to the soul, are they?
Please would you excuse us, girls?
Ladies.
So you'll push the council
for a complete refurbishment?
Well.... Actually, I'm after
more than a refurbishment.
What we need is a proper
modern set of communal showers,
any new school would install
them as a matter of course.
Showers for the girls?
I see.
I know ladies aren't
supposed to perspire,
but the fact is
that growing girls do,
especially after a game
of hockey or a cross-country run.
So the idea is that they...
They all go in the showers together?
Yes, of course, Councillor Huggins.
Well, yes, the more the merrier.
I mean, no need for shame or
embarrassment. I mean, the Lord God
made us all, did he not, Miss Burton?
A happy thought indeed.
Very expensive,
but a worthwhile investment.
We must move with the times.
The South Riding must not
be seen to be lagging behind.
Yes.
A complete refurbishment.
Including a first class set
of showers.
I'm sure the older girls
would appreciate it particularly.
HE CHUCKLES
DOORBELL RINGS
I'll get it.
Hello, Mr Huggins. Bessy!
You can't be coming round here.
Who's that?
Er, Reg. Reg Aythorne, Mr Huggins.
Oh, right.
What can I do for you, Reg?
You can put right the wrong
you done to our Bessy,
that's what you can do. What? I
don't know what you're talking about!
It's no good, Mr Huggins,
I've told him everything.
I'm going to have a baby,
Mr Huggins.
Oh, Lord.
What are we going to do? Oh, it's
all right Mr Huggins, don't worry.
Reg says he'll marry me.
Well, that's very good of you.
We'll expect help though,
Councillor - financial help.
Well, yeah, of course. I... ã500.
ã500!
I haven't got that kind of money!
Well, you'd better borrow it then,
if you don't want
your name all round town
as a fornicating old hypocrite
who had his fun and wouldn't
pay for it! This is blackmail!
How do I know this child's mine?
She'll swear it is, though.
500, Mr Huggins. That'd set us up
right in that little
tobacconist's in Station Road.
We've had our eye on it
a while now, haven't we, Bessy?
Oh, God. Oh, God.
The disgrace'll kill Nellie.
Doesn't have to be like that,
Mr Huggins. You find the money,
we'll all be happy.
We're just two young people
trying to start
a respectable life together.
You think about it, Mr Huggins.
Come on, Bessy.
Come on, you're all right.
COW MOOS
Good girl. Come on. All right.
Come on. Come on. All right.
COW MOOS
Come on. All right. Ey. Ey, ey, ey.
All right. Come on.
CLANGING
Ooh!
SHE SIGHS
ENGINE SPUTTERS
Oh!
COW MOOS
Hello!
Oh. Hello.
What the bloody hell
are you doing here?
My car ran out of petrol. Shhh.
You need some help. Here...
I'll give you a hand. You? Shhh!
I was brought up with animals.
Hello, lady!
It's no place for a woman.
It's no place for a man, I'd say.
The cow and I are both female.
Come on, you need some help.
Just tell me what to do.
Come on.
Right.
Grab hold of them. Right?
And pass it to me,
when I ask you. Right.
All right, girl. Do I pull now?
No, no, not yet.
She's that narrow.
All right, all right.
I can't get in. I can't get
my hand in, she's too narrow.
God! She's too narrow.
This would have to happen
when my beast man's ill.
Maybe I could get my hand in.
Well, it's smaller, isn't it?
What do I do, what do I do?
The head's stuck. You get
your hand in and you push it out.
Careful she doesn't kick you.
All right, calm down, calm down.
Steady.
Good girl. Can you feel it?
Make room for the head.
Yep. I've got it, go now.
Come on, girl!
Ah!
THUMP!
All right.
HE LAUGHS
She's fine.
They're both fine.
Thank you. What now?
Ah, well, you'd best
come back to the house.
THUNDER
DOOR SLAMS
Oh! Oh!
Take a seat by the fire.
Oh! Oh!
Here....drink this.
You must be frozen.
Frozen, soaked, half dead.
But it was worth it, though,
wasn't it?
Yes, it was.
Wait here.
THUNDER
SWITCHES FLICK
Oh.
You'd best stop the night.
You'll catch your death going home
in those wet clothes.
There's a bath running
and I've laid out things
for you to wear in the morning.
No, I don't want to be trouble,
it's... Right.
This is the bathroom
and you can sleep up here.
Good night. Good night.
Oh, Miss Burton, isn't this lovely!
Did you sleep well? Yes, thank you.
My clothes fit you perfectly,
isn't that funny?
Elsie's dried yours and will iron
them while we're having breakfast.
Do come this way.
Sit here where I've laid
a place for you. Oh, thank you.
Do you take tea or coffee?
Er, coffee, thank you.
I must say,
you're a very good hostess, Midge.
Thank you. Oh, erm, Daddy's not here
I'm afraid, he had to go out early.
Oh. It's all right,
Hicks will take us to school.
It's all arranged. And he'll pick
up some petrol for your car as well.
Daddy's worked everything out.
Very kind of him.
Morning.
Hello, Muriel.
If you've had
any sadness in your life,
you'll understand how it is. I do.
Help!
You're going to do
great things here, Sarah.
Come on! There's nobody home,
but me! Whisky?
Whatever are you doing here?
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
Come on!
Miss Torrence?
Would you step in please?
Wait a minute!
Hold tight!
Running away from landlord, is it?
Not exactly.
Miss Slaker?
Whoa, there, there.
Miss Dry.
Sorry! Oh!
Sorry, sorry I'm late.
Have I missed much?
In for the finish I suppose.
You've had Empire experience I see.
Yes, in the Transvaal, and then in
Cape Town. A wonderful experience.
And eight years at South
London United school?
Yes. The last three as deputy head.
You see, some people call
this the last town in England,
though we don't think so of course,
but Kiplington High
is a very plain school.
You won't find
many high flyers here.
Well, I believe if you have
high expectations then the
girls will respond to them.
I want my school to be excellent
and I won't settle for
anything less. Your school?
The school I'm headmistress of.
If you're appointed.
Yes, of course. If I'm appointed.
All the same I'm not sure
you know what you're in for,
coming to the
South Riding from London.
Actually, I do. I am a local girl,
I was born here. At Lipton Hunter.
Lipton Hunter? There was a blacksmith
called Burton at Lipton Hunter.
Yes, he was my father.
He didn't set much store by
education but my mother did
and I was lucky enough to have some
excellent teachers who encouraged me
to be the very
best that I could be.
And that's what I want to do for
every single girl in my school...
whatever her background.
If I'm appointed, of course.
What do you intend to teach
your pupils, Miss Burton?
Apart from the usual
curriculum that is?
I want my girls to know
that they can do anything,
that they don't have
to repeat the mistakes
the previous generation made.
Specifically?
Blindly sending their sons off
to be killed in their millions,
without thought, without question.
I'm determined that the
girls I teach will not be
the wives and mothers
of the next generation of
cannon fodder. Cannon fodder?
I led some of the best men I've known
at the Somme and they gave their
lives so that you could sit there
and spout your socialist clap trap!
I wasn't questioning
their bravery, I was merely...
Lets move on...shall we?
Mr Huggins?
Miss Burton, wouldn't you agree
that the greatest calling
for any young woman
is to become a wife and mother?
No, I would not.
Not necessarily.
But I do know that the
wives and mothers of today
and tomorrow are going to have
to know as much as they possibly can
about the world they're living in.
I mean, this is 1934!
The world's changing. The future is
going to be very different
and it is our responsibility to
prepare these girls to meet it!
Well... that's
what I think any road.
She's appalling, I don't even know
why you're considering her.
Because she was the only
candidate who had a notion
of what the future might look like.
And, and you don't have a
monopoly on the war, Mr Carne.
I don't claim to Mr Astell.
Glad to hear it.
Good God, man, do you not
recognise a real bright spark
when you see one? I recognise a
half-baked Bolshevist when I see one!
Gentlemen please. Mr Huggins?
I thought she was very
lively, very, very, erm...
I mean she'd stir things up a bit,
wouldn't she? But do we want that?
Well, there's not one other
candidate who had an ounce of her
ability or her determination
and I think we should
take a chance on her.
I move we put it to the vote.
Very well. All those in favour
of appointing Miss Sarah Burton?
Is that a vote in favour,
Mr Huggins?
Aye, it is.
I'm sorry, Robert. She's
a local lass and I liked her.
Ahh!
Oh! Oh!
Oh!
Oh, dear!
How's Midge getting
on with that new tutor?
He's handed his notice in.
To be frank I'm at my wit's end.
She should be at school,
you know,
not rattling round
a big house on her own.
Good schools cost money.
And besides, Midge is a
special case isn't she?
Why doesn't he come?
Why doesn't he come?
He's had an accident and he's dead
and they'll bring him home
on the milk float
all dead and broken.
No, don't think that,
don't think it!
He'll come.
He'll come, he'll come soon.
What if he doesn't?!
Mummy!
Mummy!
It wasn't my fault was it?
It wasn't, was it Mummy?
It was my fault.
It was, it was, it was all my fault!
I'll bring you back.
I'll bring you back Mummy!
I'll bring you back Mummy!
Hello darling! Mummy's here!
Midge! Oh, no,
that's not right! Midge!
It's all wrong! Daddy!
Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
Hey, hey, it's all right!
It's all right.
I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Daddy's here.
You're all right now, eh.
Hey.
Better now?
Mmm. Listen.
You've got nothing to be sorry about.
Understand?
Do you miss Mummy terribly?
I do, pet.
Come on, we can dance up here.
It's much nicer to be away
from all those horrid people.
Come on, Robert.
♪ Let me put my arms about you
♪ I don't want to live without you
♪ Oh, you beautiful doll
you great big beautiful doll
♪ If you ever leave me
how my heart will ache... ♪
You won't ever leave me will you?
No, I won't ever leave you.
Hey, come away from the edge.
Come and join me.
Look it's freezing up here. Hadn't
we better go back to the others?
I don't want to go
back to the others!
Don't you see?
I don't want to go
back to them ever!
Muriel! How far d'you think I could
lean before I went over the edge?
For God's sake!
If you want me...
..come and get me!
Muriel, promise me you'll never
do anything like that again.
I'm sorry.
I'm not sure I can
promise that, actually.
I do these things...
I can't help myself.
Will you promise to
always be there and catch me?
Yes, I will.
I will.
'I will.'
She was expecting
me earlier, you know.
She gets herself worked up.
She spends far too much time on
her own, Robert. I know that.
But what can I do?
Why not give Kiplington High a try?
Kiplington High!
You're not serious are you?
Why shouldn't I be?
It's local. It's affordable.
I know Muriel talked of
Cheltenham, but times are hard.
Come on, Robert,
what's the matter with it?
Not good enough for Lord
Sedgmire's granddaughter?
Or is it just because
you took against
that little firecracker
we've just appointed?
Her father was a drunk.
Lamed a good horse of mine.
She was right about the
war though, wasn't she?
None of us want
that to happen again.
No of course not, Emma.
I just don't care
for the woman, you know,
she's not my idea
of a headmistress.
Miss Burton?
Staking out your territory I see.
It's not really up to scratch is it,
the science lab.
It's totally outdated!
Darwin may have felt at home here,
but really, it won't do for us.
I know.
But... one thing at a time.
It's the quality of the teaching,
it's the inspiration
you can give the girls,
that's what counts, isn't it?
But that's what I mean.
I mean, we need modern facilities.
They need workbenches
with sinks and Bunsen burners
so they can try things themselves,
not just sit and watch.
This sends the girls a
message that they're not valued.
And have you seen the lavatories?
They're appalling...
they're overrun with black beetle!
I mean I must have something
done about them before
autumn term starts.
Can I give you a bit of advice?
Don't try to change
everything at once.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Now, I've got something to tell you.
I've persuaded
Robert Carne to send his
daughter to school here, next term.
I have to warn you,
she's very highly strung.
He's brought her up
more or less single-handed...
she's had governesses and tutors
but none of them really stuck.
No mother? No.
She ought to be with girls
her own age... but I warn you,
I doubt it'll be
easy for her, or you!
She's Lord Sedgmire's granddaughter,
you know! Should I feel honoured?
No, no, I'm just saying
it could be tricky.
Now. Are you busy tonight?
Well, I was... Because if you
aren't, I wondered if you'd like to
sample a bit of local entertainment.
Madame Hubbard's Dancing School
are putting on a
gala evening in aid of charity.
A lot of your pupils
will be performing.
And some of the
governors will be there.
A chance for you to meet
us with our hair down.
Good evening, Miss Burton.
Hello. Ah thank you.
Did you not bring a cushion
with you?
Could be in for a long night.
Out again Alfred?
It's the Lord's work, Nellie,
the Lord's work.
♪ Hurrah! Hooray
♪ We welcome you today
♪ Oh, we are so glad to meet you
♪ How cheerfully we greet you
♪ We'll do our best to please you
♪ Soothe you, cheer you
♪ Love you, tease you... ♪
♪ Tease you, tease you, tease you
♪ Some of us are rather haughty
♪ Some of us, rather naughty!
♪ Naughty, naughty, naughty
♪ Never mind old Mrs Grundy
♪ We have jokes for all and sundry
♪ And we hope before you go
♪ You'll find you like our show... ♪
'In the place of dragons
will be reeds and rushes.'
And the parched ground
will become a pool.
♪ You'll like our show! ♪
In the place of dragons.
What has that to do with us,
I see you asking yourselves.
There are no dragons here,
not in South Riding!
Plenty of sheep, plenty of cattle.
But we see no dragons.
But oh, my friends,
there are dragons here.
Dragons of misery, of poverty.
Of filth, of squalor.
Do you know the rural slum
they call the Shacks?
Filthy hovels where they sleep
as many as six in a bed.
Oh, here be dragons indeed!
Young women driven into vice. Men...
into drunken beastliness.
We must work to make this a
better place.
A place the Lord can look
down upon and smile.
A place of beauty,
a place of peace, a place of love.
Better sanitation,
better schools, new dwellings.
And we can have all these this...
and with God's help.
We will!
Good night, all. Good night.
Mr Huggins. I thought you were
better than minister!
Oh, Mrs Oldroyd, you mustn't
say that! Thank you.
Good night, good night, thank you.
Good night, good night.
Most interesting, Mr Huggins. You
might like to know that Mr Astell
has been trying to interest me
in a scheme to replace the Shacks.
If you'd like to come back for a
bite I could tell you about it.
Oh... that's very kind of you.
But unfortunately,
I promised a poor soul a visit...
perhaps another evening?
Oh, well, there's no hurry.
Well, don't let me keep
you from God's work.
Thank you. Goodnight, Mr Snaith.
God bless you.
♪ I've had my eye on you, oh
♪ A long, long time
♪ Yes, I know you have
♪ I've sighed my sigh for you, oh
♪ A long, long time
♪ Oh, do behave yourself
♪ You know I'd die for you
♪ Oh, yes, I know
♪ So why do I do?
♪ But before I do
♪ I want to get, get
♪ Get, get
♪ More than my eye on you... ♪
Oh!
Oh!
Oh, that was terrible!
This must never happen again, Betsy!
Come on, Mr Huggins, you're
always like this just after.
It wasn't meant to happen!
Oh, Lord I'm a miserable sinner!
And I've led you into
sin with me, Bessy.
You really shouldn't take on like
that, Mr Huggins, I were at it
a long time before I met you!
You're a good girl, Bessy.
I'm not a very good girl.
No, at heart,
you're a very good girl.
That's for you.
Go and get yourself something nice.
And this must be the last time!
We must pray to the Lord
to help us withstand temptation.
All right, Mr Huggins.
Night then! Goodnight, Bessy.
And God... God bless you!
What's this?
Grand Patriotic Finale.
♪ Keep the home fire's burning
♪ while the hearts are yearning
♪ Though the lads are far away
♪ They dream of home
It would be obscene
if it weren't so ridiculous.
I suppose they're just kids, they've
no idea what they're singing about.
♪ Through the dark clouds shining
♪ Turn the dark clouds inside out
♪ Till the boys come home
♪ There's a silver lining
♪ Through the dark clouds shining
ALL BEGIN TO SING
# Turn the dark clouds inside out
♪ Till the boys come home
♪ Turn the dark clouds inside out
♪ Till the boys
♪ Come home. ♪
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
Tell me if I'm intruding.
No, no. It's fine, I'm fine.
It's ridiculous that I let it get
to me like that. I don't usually...
It's just being back here where...
Hearing those stupid songs again.
Did you lose somebody?
Yes. Yes, my fiance.
Roy.
Carbery was his name.
Sorry.
It's all right.
Have you got a fag by any chance?
No, no. Don't smoke.
Right. No. Oh, here.
Sorry.
He was the love of my life.
I mean there have been
men since, obviously but,
none of them meant anything...
or not much.
Sorry. I can't believe I'm telling
you all this, I hardly know you.
Don't worry.
I don't betray confidences.
I was very young.
I think now if I'd married Roy,
I'd never have had a career.
Could I have settled
for being a wife and mother,
even loving him so much?
I don't know.
What about you...
were you in the war?
Yes, yes, I was.
And as you can see, I survived,
more or less.
Didn't think I would...
I was gassed.
You could say I was
one of the lucky ones.
Millions weren't so lucky.
No. Millions weren't.
But all the more reason
for us to try
to make the world
a better place, don't you think?
Yes. Yes, I do.
'I know a bank where
the wild thyme blows,
'Where oxlips
and the nodding violet grows,
'Quite over-canopied
with luscious woodbine,
'With sweet musk roses
and with eglan...Eglantyne.'
Lydia!
Now just look at it, man.
My dear Astell,
I know they're an eyesore,
but was there any need
to rub my. nose in it?
How else do I get you
to take notice? Good afternoon.
Do you actually want an epidemic?
Because that's exactly what
you're going to get
unless we do something
about it this year.
I have been taking notice, the
whole place is clearly insanitary.
And clearance has always
been council policy.
Clearance is only half of it.
We need a proper purpose built
housing...
Whoa! Estates, houses for families.
Schools.
Maybe even a cottage hospital.
Well, I agree with you. Put it
before Council on Wednesday week.
You agree with me?
You never agree with me.
Lydia!
You misjudge me Mr Astell.
We are in a slump
and I believe the way out of it
is through investment
in public works.
I was merely waiting
for the timing to be right.
You mean you've found
a way to profit by it.
Mr Astell, I hope you don't think
I would ever do anything improper!
Lydia!
Lydia!
Lydia, are you in there? What?
What are you doing?
What do you think?
Have you got a book in there? No.
You've got five minutes.
And then I need you.
Afternoon. Afternoon.
What strange, squalid lives
these people lead.
I could have gone to
High School, you know.
It's me our Lydia
gets her brains from.
Mental arithmetic,
singing, recitations...
Lars Porsena of Closium,
by the nine Gods he swore,
That the great House of Tarquin
should suffer wrong no more!
Tea please. I had it all off
when I was nine years old.
By the nine Gods he swore it,
and named a trysting day,
and bade his messengers ride forth.
BOTH: East and west and south
and north, his messengers ride fast.
And tower and town and cottage
have heard the trumpet's blast!
There you are you see!
Takes after your Dad.
You see, children,
economic circumstances
prevented me from developing my
talents in a proper academic
institution, but our Lydia shall be
the bearer of the torch of learning!
Your Dad were ever a good talker,
I'll say that for him.
Lydia, will you take kids
out after for half an hour.
Your ma and I want
some time to ourselves.
Mam?
It's all right, love.
You go along like a good lass.
Come on, hurry up wi' these then.
There are two possible sites for
an estate to replace the Shacks.
The most obvious one is
Cold Harbour, however,
there's also Leame Ferry Wastes.
Is the Wastes suitable for
building on? No, no, not at all.
Entirely unsuitable.
Surprisingly it is.
We'd have to drain it but the land
would still be much cheaper
than Cold Harbour.
Much cheaper. The last parcel
of land I sold down there only
fetched thirty pounds an acre.
Well, if this option
doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
I don't believe this. We shouldn't be
building anything anywhere, not with
the economy in the state it's in.
The families in the Shacks
can't afford to wait, Mr Carne.
People could die while we're
waiting for things to look up.
He's right Robert.
It's an absolute disgrace down there.
Might I suggest that as this is a
scheme which benefits the people of
the South Riding,
we see what they make of it?
Whether they want it or
not they can't afford it.
But if you look around you,
you will see that the way
out of a depression is through
bold spending on public works.
Look at what President Roosevelt is
doing with the New Deal in America,
look at what Chancellor
Hitler's doing in Germany.
I don't think we need to
take lessons from the Germans.
I understand there's some
strong feelings about this,
but I think what's needed
is transparency.
I propose we inform our
constituents of our plans,
outline the respective pros and cons
of both sites, with a view to taking
a firm decision in the new year.
All those in favour?
Erm, was that wise?
Wouldn't it have been better
just to push on through? Perhaps.
But I don't like unpleasantness.
Anyway it's my belief that Mr
Carne will be voted off the
council at the next election.
Thank you Robert.
Everything will be much easier then.
♪ Great Father of glory
♪ Pure Father of light
♪ Thine angels adore thee
♪ All veiling their sight
♪ All laud we would render
♪ O help us to see
♪ 'Tis only the splendour
♪ Of light hideth thee. ♪
Good morning, girls.
ALL: Good morning, Miss Burton.
I'm delighted to see that
you've learnt my name already
and I hope I shall have
learnt all of yours
by the end of the Autumn term.
Now, I'd like to extend a special
welcome to the first years,
who are new to the school, like me,
I hope you'll have
a very happy time here,
achieve some wonderful things,
and make me proud of you.
I'd also like to welcome two
new girls to the Lower Fourth.
Lydia Holly, who won
a scholarship here three years ago,
but has only just
been able to take it up,
and Midge Carne,
who has been privately educated.
I know your teachers and the older
girls will do everything they can
to make you feel at home, but if
you ever want to share a problem
my door is always open.
Little shrimp, isn't she?
Big goggles.
And the other one -
look at her little baby socks.
She's from the Shacks,
my dad says they're
like animals there.
You see this? Smells of dead girls.
Think on.
Come on, I'll look after you.
Thank you,
I shan't require looking after.
LYDIA LAUGHS
Suit yourself.
Hicks! Over here!
Here's the stallion I were
telling you about. Real class here.
Go over anything you want him to.
And you could breed from him.
If he's that good I wonder
you're selling him, Carne. What will
you take for him? 150 guineas.
A bit steep.
He'll fetch 200 in the autumn sales.
Well, let's see how he goes today.
Come on.
That's better. Well done...
Who can tell me...
Please, Miss, I know! I know!
Spoilt for choice!
I want you to answer the questions
that are right on the board.
All right?
Is everyone clear?
LAUGHTER
Girls!
Girls!
Girls, sit down! Sit down!
Sit down!
Such a beautiful day.
I've decided to change
the afternoon timetable.
We're going to have a game
of hare and hounds on the cliffs.
However, if I hear
any more noise from this classroom,
you will be spending
the afternoon sitting in silence
learning the periodic table.
Do I make myself clear?
GIRLS: Yes, Miss Burton.
CLEARS HER THROAT
GIRLS: Yes, Miss Burton!
Good.
Thank you, Miss Sigglesthwaite.
Miss Burton, may I come and
talk to you? Of course, after class.
No! Now!
You said,
if we had a problem. Please.
Sit down. I can't bear it.
I can't bear being here, I hate it.
You've hardly given it
much of a chance yet.
I told you!
I can't bear it! I want to leave!
Is it the lessons?
Are you finding them too difficult?
No, of course not.
You haven't made any friends yet?
Friends!
I wouldn't want to be friends
with a lot of grocers' daughters.
If you got to know them,
you might find some agreeable.
They don't find me very agreeable,
they think I'm a stuck-up snob.
Weren't any of them friendly?
That other new girl, for instance,
she said she'd look after me,
how dare she?
I never said I wanted looked after,
certainly not by her!
She's a wild animal!
Do you know what she did?
She held up her fist in a girl's
face and said it smelt
of dead girls! Did she really?
She sounds like a very
good person to have on one's side.
I wouldn't be friends with her
if she was the last girl on Earth!
I don't want to be in this horrible
school... Control yourself.
I won't, I won't!
Midge, calm down. I'll tear it up...
Midge, control!
Don't touch me!
Don't touch me, I don't want it.
Here. I don't want it.
Here.
You've had a rotten day,
haven't you?
Listen...
starting a new school
can be horrible, I know that.
I should be very sorry
if you wanted to leave before
you'd given it a PROPER try.
It's my first term here and I'm
trying to make a good impression.
I'd like to feel
we're good enough even
for Lord Sedgmire's granddaughter.
All right. You'll stay?
I can see it would look
very bad for you
if my father were to remove me
from the school after just one day.
I wouldn't want to put you
in an embarrassing position.
That's very considerate of you,
Midge. That's quite all right.
Thank you for talking to me,
Miss Burton. I shan't take up
any more of your time.
Have you seen the hares,
Miss Burton?
If I had, I wouldn't tell you.
GIRLS: Aw!
But you can see the trail,
off you go!
GIRLS GIGGLE AND SQUEAL
HUNTERS CALL AND SHOUT
Wire! Wire! Hicks, pull up!
HORSE NEIGHS
HORSE WHINES
Oh!
I'll take it.
Oh!
What are all these children
doing here? Get rid of them!
Go now! Go on!
Easy boy.
He's broke his back.
Give me the gun.
When I find out who put
that wire up without marking it...
There you go, sir.
Easy boy.
GUN CLICKS
GUNSHOT, GIRLS SCREAM
Calm down,
it's all right, calm down!
These things...happen! Calm down!
Was the horse insured?
No, it wasn't. Pity.
These things happen, calm down.
Calm down! Who's in charge here?
I am. You. Get these girls out of
here! That's what I'm trying to do!
They could have been killed running
wild like that. This is private
property, you should seek permission.
Do you seek permission to chase your
foxes all over other people's land?
I don't think so. Oh, and it's you
that seems to have come to grief!
You're supposed to be educating,
not... They're absolutely fine!
You're not fit to be
in charge of children!
Midge! You come with me!
Come on!
(Bloody man!)
(Bloody woman.)
Come on!
'It wasn't Miss Burton's fault,
Daddy, not really!'
We'd had a super afternoon
till then. You're angry because
poor Sheba had to be shot.
I don't care for the woman.
You would if you got to know her.
I don't intend to.
No, Daddy, you mustn't take me away!
I really like it there
and Miss Burton's lovely. Elsie!
Midge is a bit over excited.
Would you make her some
hot milk or something.
Bit much was it? No, no,
it wasn't, it wasn't!
No, no, I'm sorry.
I'm going to have to ask
for your patience again.
I can pay them both
together next quarter.
I'm sorry. Thank you.
PHONE RECEIVER CLICKS
HE GROANS
HE SIGHS
Hello.
Lydia, isn't it? Lydia Holly?
What are you doing
out of your classroom?
Miss Masters said I was to come
and see you, Miss. For what reason?
Fighting she said, Miss.
But it weren't proper fighting.
This girl made a remark
about folk in the Shacks,
so I grabbed her by the collar,
but I didn't hit her,
I just showed her my fist.
And then she started
yellin' an cryin' and sayin'
I were clatterin' her.
So Miss Masters said
I was to come see you.
I haven't got time to deal
with this now, come with me.
I'm teaching the upper fifth poetry.
Come on!
You can sit in at the back.
I remember the first time
Out of a bush in the darkness
A nightingale's
piercing cries and gurgles
Startled the depths of my soul
I remember the scream of a rabbit
as I went through a wood at midnight
I remember the heifer in her heat
Blorting and blorting
through the hours
Persistent and irrepressible
I remember my first terror hearing
the howl of weird, amorous cats...
GIRLS LAUGH
He's talking about all
the things that thrilled him,
frightened him,
inspired him, moved him.
And he's not afraid of saying
how he really feels.
Now, you all have a go.
Just begin "I remember".
Please, Miss Burton. Yes, Vera.
You mean you want us
to write a poem ourselves?
We've never done that, Miss Burton.
Well, it's high time that you did.
You know, DH Lawrence was just
a miner's son from Nottingham,
he was just writing
about what he saw and felt,
why shouldn't a farmer's daughter
from Yorkshire do exactly the same?
Now, close your eyes.
See what comes to you.
And remember,
poetry doesn't have to rhyme.
You too, Lydia, can someone lend her
a pen and a piece of paper, please?
Mr Carne! Whoa.
Good boy. All right, Hicks?
I'm all right, Mr Carne. What is it?
Beast man's poorly again.
Doctor says his
calving days are over.
How's that little Jersey doing?
That's just it.
About ready to calf, I'd say.
Shall you hire another beast man,
Mr Carne? No, we can't afford it.
We can't even afford the vet
until I've paid his bills.
Just do it myself
till things look up.
Walk on.
You see, you can do it after all.
How you getting on, Lydia?
Miss, I haven't finished!
Oh, you're not the tidiest
writer in the world, are you?
Everyone says that.
CLEARS HER THROAT
This is really something, Lydia!
Is this you, not something
you've read and remembered?
No, Miss, like you said.
Right, would you like
to read it out to the class?
No, Miss, they'd laugh.
They would not laugh.
Come on.
Share it with us.
This one day
I'd got up before anyone
Went up on't roof with my book
And something made me look up
And there he was
Staring at me
A young Todd fox
Full grown, the cheek of him
He wasn't scared
His eyes said look at me
I'm all fox, me, I'm perfect
I'm the fancy-man fox
and I bet you wish you were me
I could see the dewdrops
on his whiskers
He was so bright
His eyes said look at me
I'm more alive than you
I do what I like
and no-one stops me
But I felt alive too
I could feel my heart bumping
and something tight in my throat
And I wanted to pull up
my skirts and dance for him
Or something daft like that
But what happened was we just
looked at each other like that
And then he turned
and trotted away
And I could see the dark marks in
the grass where he'd put his feet...
That's as far as I got, Miss,
I was going to put something about
how I felt when he'd gone.
Thank you, Lydia.
Shall we all give her a clap?
RETCHING
Mam?
What is it?
Nothing, Lyd,
go back out, go back outside.
What have you taken?
Oh, no, Mam.
I've fallen for another baby.
I tried taking something
to stop it, but it's no good.
The last thing you need's another
baby! Try telling your dad that.
Oh, Mam.
I'm sorry, Lyd.
Go back outside.
What? Bessy Warbuckle's got bairns.
Go and help...
No, no, it's all right.
Go and help her with 'em.
No! I'll stay here with you!
RETCHING
It's all right.
It's very good of you,
Councillor Huggins,
to give up your time like this.
Not at all, I like to think that
I take a keen interest in all
aspects of the girls' education.
Do come through.
As you see.
Oh, dear. Not very uplifting
to the soul, are they?
Please would you excuse us, girls?
Ladies.
So you'll push the council
for a complete refurbishment?
Well.... Actually, I'm after
more than a refurbishment.
What we need is a proper
modern set of communal showers,
any new school would install
them as a matter of course.
Showers for the girls?
I see.
I know ladies aren't
supposed to perspire,
but the fact is
that growing girls do,
especially after a game
of hockey or a cross-country run.
So the idea is that they...
They all go in the showers together?
Yes, of course, Councillor Huggins.
Well, yes, the more the merrier.
I mean, no need for shame or
embarrassment. I mean, the Lord God
made us all, did he not, Miss Burton?
A happy thought indeed.
Very expensive,
but a worthwhile investment.
We must move with the times.
The South Riding must not
be seen to be lagging behind.
Yes.
A complete refurbishment.
Including a first class set
of showers.
I'm sure the older girls
would appreciate it particularly.
HE CHUCKLES
DOORBELL RINGS
I'll get it.
Hello, Mr Huggins. Bessy!
You can't be coming round here.
Who's that?
Er, Reg. Reg Aythorne, Mr Huggins.
Oh, right.
What can I do for you, Reg?
You can put right the wrong
you done to our Bessy,
that's what you can do. What? I
don't know what you're talking about!
It's no good, Mr Huggins,
I've told him everything.
I'm going to have a baby,
Mr Huggins.
Oh, Lord.
What are we going to do? Oh, it's
all right Mr Huggins, don't worry.
Reg says he'll marry me.
Well, that's very good of you.
We'll expect help though,
Councillor - financial help.
Well, yeah, of course. I... ã500.
ã500!
I haven't got that kind of money!
Well, you'd better borrow it then,
if you don't want
your name all round town
as a fornicating old hypocrite
who had his fun and wouldn't
pay for it! This is blackmail!
How do I know this child's mine?
She'll swear it is, though.
500, Mr Huggins. That'd set us up
right in that little
tobacconist's in Station Road.
We've had our eye on it
a while now, haven't we, Bessy?
Oh, God. Oh, God.
The disgrace'll kill Nellie.
Doesn't have to be like that,
Mr Huggins. You find the money,
we'll all be happy.
We're just two young people
trying to start
a respectable life together.
You think about it, Mr Huggins.
Come on, Bessy.
Come on, you're all right.
COW MOOS
Good girl. Come on. All right.
Come on. Come on. All right.
COW MOOS
Come on. All right. Ey. Ey, ey, ey.
All right. Come on.
CLANGING
Ooh!
SHE SIGHS
ENGINE SPUTTERS
Oh!
COW MOOS
Hello!
Oh. Hello.
What the bloody hell
are you doing here?
My car ran out of petrol. Shhh.
You need some help. Here...
I'll give you a hand. You? Shhh!
I was brought up with animals.
Hello, lady!
It's no place for a woman.
It's no place for a man, I'd say.
The cow and I are both female.
Come on, you need some help.
Just tell me what to do.
Come on.
Right.
Grab hold of them. Right?
And pass it to me,
when I ask you. Right.
All right, girl. Do I pull now?
No, no, not yet.
She's that narrow.
All right, all right.
I can't get in. I can't get
my hand in, she's too narrow.
God! She's too narrow.
This would have to happen
when my beast man's ill.
Maybe I could get my hand in.
Well, it's smaller, isn't it?
What do I do, what do I do?
The head's stuck. You get
your hand in and you push it out.
Careful she doesn't kick you.
All right, calm down, calm down.
Steady.
Good girl. Can you feel it?
Make room for the head.
Yep. I've got it, go now.
Come on, girl!
Ah!
THUMP!
All right.
HE LAUGHS
She's fine.
They're both fine.
Thank you. What now?
Ah, well, you'd best
come back to the house.
THUNDER
DOOR SLAMS
Oh! Oh!
Take a seat by the fire.
Oh! Oh!
Here....drink this.
You must be frozen.
Frozen, soaked, half dead.
But it was worth it, though,
wasn't it?
Yes, it was.
Wait here.
THUNDER
SWITCHES FLICK
Oh.
You'd best stop the night.
You'll catch your death going home
in those wet clothes.
There's a bath running
and I've laid out things
for you to wear in the morning.
No, I don't want to be trouble,
it's... Right.
This is the bathroom
and you can sleep up here.
Good night. Good night.
Oh, Miss Burton, isn't this lovely!
Did you sleep well? Yes, thank you.
My clothes fit you perfectly,
isn't that funny?
Elsie's dried yours and will iron
them while we're having breakfast.
Do come this way.
Sit here where I've laid
a place for you. Oh, thank you.
Do you take tea or coffee?
Er, coffee, thank you.
I must say,
you're a very good hostess, Midge.
Thank you. Oh, erm, Daddy's not here
I'm afraid, he had to go out early.
Oh. It's all right,
Hicks will take us to school.
It's all arranged. And he'll pick
up some petrol for your car as well.
Daddy's worked everything out.
Very kind of him.
Morning.
Hello, Muriel.
If you've had
any sadness in your life,
you'll understand how it is. I do.
Help!
You're going to do
great things here, Sarah.
Come on! There's nobody home,
but me! Whisky?
Whatever are you doing here?
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