The Politician's Wife (1995): Season 1, Episode 1 - Stand by Him - full transcript

We met at Cambridge.

He made this breathtaking speech
at the Debating Society

on penal reform.

It was terrific stuff,
but I went up to him afterwards

and I picked him up
on a few facts

that I thought
he'd rather fudged.

He took it on the chin and, uh,
we just went on from there.

What attracted you to him?

His intellect.

And his commitment.

His moral base.



Rather a compelling combination.

Uh, what is it you do
as a politician's wife?

Well, I help with
the constituency correspondence,

which is a pretty full-time job
in itself.

I attend constituency functions.

Since my husband
became a Minister,

he has so little time,
you see,

and Parliamentary politics
can be pretty hectic.

Brutal even.

So I try to keep him in touch

with what's happening
in the street,

you know,
with the point of it all.

With his own humanity,
if you like.

Well, thank you, Mrs. Matlock.



A real in-depth look there
into the life

of a Minister of the realm's
better half.

Subtitling made possible by
Acorn Media

He has to get in
to see the Chief Whip today.

Can't you slide him in
between appointments?

WOMAN:
Look, I'm, I'm afraid

we have nothing further to add
to what's already been said.

No, no.
No, no, there's no point.

Yes, I'm afraid the Minister is
not available for comment.

No, we can't wait that long.
The story breaks tomorrow.

Can't you put me through
to his mobile?

MAN: No, no, he's not a player.
We need a heavyweight,

someone who can steer
this thing from the off.

MAN: Yeah, do a round robin of
any back-benchers you can reach.

Yeah, someone on the Exec
of 1992 could be useful.

A chum at Fortress Wapping
alerted us a week ago.

We tried for an injunction,
but it slipped through the net.

Hold on.

The Chief Whip's free right now.

Get Mark to call
my father-in-law

and Roger Gravely the solicitor.

Say it's a red alert, to get
over to my home double quick.

MAN: I'm afraid the Minister's
engagement diary is full --

Mm? No, the PM's still en route
from Geneva,

which gives us two hours
to get our ducks in a row.

Ooh!

Jo, darling, go straight up

and wash that chlorine
out of your hair.

Oh, but what about "Neighbours"?

The baby's been kidnapped.

I don't care if it's
been barbecued.

Just do it.

Oh, Mum.

Uh, your husband's office
phoned, Mrs. Matlock.

The press are pestering him
about something.

They said to put all
the answer things on,

your father's on his way,

and Mr. Matlock will be home
later to deal with them himself.

Oh, is he coming home?

Around 10:00,
or so they thought.

Oh, good.
Paul, darling, homework.

Well, you'd better defrost
that game pie, Mrs. Lucas.

And see how we're doing
on the Haagen-Dazs front.

Well!

Daddy's coming home mid-week,
eh?

What a little bonus.

PAUL: Who are those people?

All right?

You're ready.

MAN: Any comments on
tomorrow's story, Mr. Matlock?

[Reporters shouting questions]

MAN: The story is,
you were seen together

as recently as last month.

Can you confirm these
allegations, Mr. Matlock?

MAN 2: What does your wife
have to say

about the story, Minister?

MAN 1: Does this mean
you'll be stepping down

as Minister of the Family?

Can you confirm these
allegations, sir?

Is there any truth in them, sir?

We can manage from here,
old love.

You carry on.

Okay.

Just one word with Mrs. Matlock,
then I'm history --

Will you please wait
in the drive with the others?

Mrs. Matlock.
Mrs. Matlock!

Any comment on tomorrow's story
in the --

MAN: Oh, I think I can manage
the Association...

And the, uh, Times
is still a loose cannon?

Good man, thanks.

Okay, recap.

Two fronts need shoring up.

Priority one: the local
Conservative Association.

Which could go either way.

Then there's the back-benchers.

The 1922 is the key one there.

The Chief Whip will do
the trench work on that.

If history is any precedent,

they'll each take their cue
from the other.

Jesus. If Margaret
still had the reins,

we'd have this thing airtight
by now.

I'll reschedule that dinner
you cancelled.

Oh, no, use your head, man.

See how the dice roll first.

To beat the Establishment,

you need its prime movers
at your side,

not some maverick side show.

|...dug this up.

The Mail on Sunday
ran a special

on Tory wives last autumn.

DUNCAN: Thank God
one knows better

than to believe everything
one reads in the papers.

[Men talking, indistinct]

Daddy, do you have a minute?

Mm.

Duncan's in trouble, isn't he?

Yes.

We're counting on you to be
a team player in this, Flora.

What is it?

I only know the barest
of details, my dear.

I want to know, Daddy.

I'll let him tell you himself.

Be strong, Flora.

Hi.
Thanks for coming over.

Is Roger here?

In the study.
Patterson, too.

Flora.

Mark.

Take Mark on through, will you?

I'll follow you in a minute.

Turn the bat machines off.

The PM's due to call.

Damn prying eyes.

Have they been
bothering you much?

What's happening, Duncan?

[Rain falling]

It rained last time
we were here, remember?

We took shelter at Joanna's
birthday party.

And the tedious little man we
rented the bouncy castle from

came in after us.

We couldn't get shut of him.

I've been an utter bloody fool,
Flora.

She's a researcher.

Or so I thought.

It was a one-off.

Honestly,
you have to believe that.

I was strung out.

It was at the party conference.

But I was with you
at the party conference.

DUNCAN: You left early.

To check out the --
tutor for Paul.

Remember?

She was at the reception
on the last day.

There'd been that aggro
over my speech.

Then that ovation.

[Sighs]

I was on a roll.

When I got back to London she...
called me.

I'm not making excuses.

There is no excuse.

I know that.

It was your face I saw,
my darling.

All the time.

Only yours, I swear it.

[Sighs]
Oh, God, Flora.

Hate the sin, yes, of course.

But not the sinner.

Please, God, don't hate me!

Floral

Shall I go up?

Give her a minute.

Mm.

You've been a fucking marvel
over this, Clive.

You really have.

Well, you're my son, Duncan,
in all but name.

What the hell's in a name?

I'm knackered already.

It's only the beginning.

How's Patterson holding up?

CLIVE: He's rattled.

He reckons there's a few
in the Association

who could make waves.

You know Heseltine's
cardinal rule.

Always avoid confrontation

unless you can choose
the moment.

If the press even get
a whiff of my bill,

it's goodbye Ministry
of the Family, and the rest.

Well, Sir Donald will deal
with the press, won't he?

That's why the PM
got him in on the case.

Yes, but it's a covert
operation, isn't it?

What we need is
for Downing Street

to make a public statement
of support.

-And if Flora doesn't stick --
-She will.

But if she doesn't --

to quote our friends
over the pond,

I'm toast.

[Sighs]

[Knock on door]

No!

When your mother died
in that car,

do you know what got me through?

I thought of it as a test.

I realized it had been waiting
for me all along,

obscured by trivialities
and the years,

and that my whole life had been

a preparation
for that one moment.

One moment when I decided
not to go under but to survive.

When did he tell you?

We hoped to protect you, Flora.

When?

[Exhales]

You could have gone
with a banker, my dear,

or a dentist -- but you didn't.

You chose the fast track.

You chose Duncan.

There's always a price tag.

She flattered him.

You know how these things are.

How weak we men can be.

[Breathes shakily]

You're the rock on which
his whole life rests, Flora.

Political, personal,
all the kit and caboodle.

I know you're suffering,
but so is he.

And he's going to suffer
much more

before this is over,
believe you me.

He needs you now,
more than ever.

Go downstairs, Daddy, please.

What say we call a chum?

Linda, perhaps.
Ask her to come over.

FLORA: No.

But surely there's someone --

You're wrong, Daddy.

I didn't choose Duncan.

He chose me!

I could see them all
wonder why.

Whenever they saw us together,
I could see it in their eyes.

I don't want them here.

Any of them.

[Sighs]

Sir Donald.
Thank God.

Waiting for the cavalry
to arrive.

Where is he?

The PM.

I can't tell you how wretched |
feel about this, Prime Minister.

Uh, Sir Donald's just arrived.

Oh, yes, I will.

Naturally, if there's
the slightest chance

this jeopardizes --

my resignation will be
on your desk by the morning.

She's rock solid.

Absolutely behind me,
one hundred percent.

Yes, I'll tell her that.

Thank you.

[Chuckles]
I appreciate that.

We both do.

He doesn't see it
as a resigning issue.

Thank God.

With the caveat "at the moment."

He says it's up to me
to ride the beast.

In other words,
he'll hold course if we do.

We're still in the ring then?

SIR DONALD: The trick here,
gentlemen,

is not to minimize
the impact of this,

but to subvert it
to our own advantage.

Presentation is all.

That speech you're due to give

at the Family Policy Forum,
Duncan,

we need to focus on it.

Now, this is a schedule
for the next 24 hours,

starting with a photo call
at 9:00 tomorrow morning

for you, Flora,
and the children.

You, too, Clive.

We'll hold Duncan's folks
as back-up.

Then you have to face the firing
squad at the local association.

That's where you come in,
Patterson.

I've already got out
a call to arms.

It'll be close.

But I'm betting if Flora is
solid, then they will be, too.

How is Flora?

Still rather reeling,
I'm afraid.

SIR DONALD: Good God, man,

what on earth are you doing
down here?

PAUL: I'll need new batteries
for my Walkman.

JOANNA: My trainers
are still at school.

Well, what shall I do?

FLORA: You'll need your shoes.
Your blue ones.

And your anorak.

Come on, darling.

JOANNA: We're going on holiday.

Did Mummy tell you?

FLORA: I'm taking the children
away for a few days.

I need to think.

Don't do this, Flora.

Hear me out, please.

She head-hunted me.

She and her boyfriend
set a trap.

I was mug enough
to walk into it.

Did you walk, Duncan, or run?

I've seen you look at women.

In the street, at parties.

I always told myself, "As long
as he looks, he won't touch."

And I haven't, not before this.
Not once.

Everything we've worked for,

everything we've achieved,
we've done together.

Look around you.

At the house -- it's our home!
Our children.

Right from the first,
we were a team.

Remember, remember that bloody

selection interview
we sat through?

All those endless questions.

You had the answers, Flora.

I relied on you for that.

I always have.

They looked at you --
at your decency, your honesty.

I gained respect for that.

For having the wit to choose
a woman like you for my wife.

Now, okay, I lost my bearings
for a while.

Oh, in God's name stop that!

What's her name?

Well, I'll know soon enough,
I imagine.

Jennifer Caird.

[Whispers]
Jennifer Caird.

How old is she?

[Sighs]
Oh, Flora --

That young?

What is she --
blonde or brunette or --

And where did you do it?

Her flat?
Our flat?

The back of a car?
Where?

Her flat.
At least she said it was.

How many times?

It's over, Flora.

It barely even began.

When did you do it?

I mean, in the lunch hour

or waiting for the Division
bell? When?

Oh, don't do this, Flora.

Does she cry when she comes,
like me?

Why are you doing this?

It meant nothing.

Yes, I see that now.

[Telephone rings]

Hello?

Speaking.

[Sighs]

How kind of you to call.

Yes, she's around somewhere,
I think.

Just hold on a minute, will you?

The Party Chairman's wife.

She likes to be called Kitty.

[Clears throat]

Hello?

Yes, yes.

[Sniffles]
Of course I remember.

Oh, well, um -- adjusting,
I suppose.

Trying to --

You're very kind, thank you.

Um, well, uh --

yes, next time I'm in town,
I'd like that.

You're very kind.
[Sniffles] Thank you.

Goodbye.

What did she say?

They're all counting on me
to do the right thing.

There's only two people
who count in all this, Flora,

and that's our two children.

Actually, I've been doing
some counting myself.

Counting the number of times
I've signed your letters.

Thirty a day
for nearly ten years.

I make that
around 72,000.

PPS Duncan Matlock" --
signed in his absence.

Do you want me to beg?

I'll do it.

I'm begging you, Flora.

Please don't go.

Please don't do this.

Don't destroy everything now.

I beg you.

[Sighs]

I'll, I'll do
whatever's necessary.

Daddy?

I can't believe he could be
such a bloody fool, Flora.

I can't.

It's not just a glitch,
however you look at it.

It's a blemish.

Five years, I thought,
ten at the outside,

he'd be the leader.

I thought I'd be a part of that.

Well, surely people are
more liberal now and tolerant?

Who knows -- maybe there'll be

another royal toe-sucking
episode which will eclipse us.

Oh, it's just the ramblings

of a silly old fool with
delusions of adequacy.

Better get some rest
if we're to be fit for the fray.

You're making a very fine fist
of this, Flora.

God knows where you get
the strength.

JENNIFER: Where are you?

DUNCAN: In the study.

She's upstairs with the kids.

JENNIFER: Oh, God,
be careful, Duncan.

DUNCAN: It's okay.

I'm on the case.

[Sighs]

Jesus, Jenny,
last night was --

JENNIFER: Was what?

DUNCAN: It was like standing
on the edge

of a fucking precipice.

JENNIFER: Literally.

DUNCAN: Did I hurt you?

JENNIFER: No. No.

I was afraid it was
the other way round, darling.

DUNCAN: If I close my eyes,
I can still taste you.

JENNIFER: Yes.

DUNCAN: Oh, yes.

JENNIFER: Then close them.

DUNCAN: Oh, no, Jenny.

JENNIFER: Yes.

DUNCAN: Dear God, not now.

JENNIFER: Yes, now.

Hold it for me, Duncan.

Put your hands there
and hold it.

Can you feel me?

Feel my mouth around you?

Feel my tongue on you?

DUNCAN: Oh, sweet Jesus.

JENNIFER: And now
I'm turning around.

I'm turning around on all fours
like you wanted.

DUNCAN: [Sighs]

JENNIFER: Waiting for you.

Arched.
Waiting for you.

DUNCAN: Oh, Christ.
Jesus Christ.

JENNIFER: Now you're there.

Pushing to get inside me.

DUNCAN: Oh, God help me.

JENNIFER: But I'm tight,
I'm so tight

you have to force your way in.

Push your way in.

DUNCAN: [Moans]

JENNIFER: Oh, yes.

Now you're there,

you're inside.

DUNCAN: Oh, Jenny --

[Crying]

One shagger or two, Mark?

Two.
Why not?

Shit!

They've all got it.

Check out the dates.

That's still our best angle.

What's the tally?

Not as bad as we thought,
I'd say.

Oh, our hard work
seems to have paid off.

Are the dates an issue?

ROGER: Well, we need
blatant inaccuracies

to trigger
the Press Complaints Commission.

A brief fling we can sell
as a crime passionnel.

Ten months,
they'll be over us like a rash.

ROGER: Mm.

"Ministry of Sleaze"
will only be the half of it.

Wait a minute.

The tapes and the pictures
only relate to the last month.

-What's the Star got?
-DUNCAN: Same.

-SIR DONALD: Ditto The Mail.
-CLIVE: Sun, too.

MARK: I count only three direct
quotes from the phone bug.

Four.
Sun's got one, too.

Unless the bastards are holding
the rest back

to keep the story alive.

SIR DONALD: No, not if we've
covered all the bases.

Upstairs now, come on.

He's at that age, I'm afraid.

Weren't we all?
Weren't we all?

If a month is all they've got,

surely that's all
he has to admit to?

ROGER: Better yet,
a couple of nights.

Put the rest down
to Chinese Whispers.

SIR DONALD:
I could kick his bloody arse

from here to Timbuktu for this.

I'm not alone in that,
believe me.

It's going to be a bumpy
few days, old thing.

Are you up to it?

You may read a lot more things,

hear a lot more things
which will distress you, Flora.

You'd be inhuman if they didn't.

But Duncan's account
of what happened is the truth.

Hang on to that.
Never doubt it.

It was all over
before it ever began.

Everything else is tabloid bull
and rumour mongering.

If that weren't the case, |
wouldn't soil my hands with it.

I'd let him stew.

We all would.

Bloody bad timing, Flora.

We're being ravaged by
publicity-hungry dissidents

who think nothing of defying
the Leader, the Whips,

every loyalist ethic the party
ever stood for.

They're probably buckling on
their armour even as we speak.

They might just take their cue
from you.

From your dignity
and your forgiveness.

What, um --

[Clears throat]

What exactly
do you want me to do?

After the photo call,
I want you and Duncan

to go to the Association meeting
together.

Beard the dragon in his cave,
as it were.

When you're asked for comment,
don't duck it, don't hide.

Look them straight in the eye.

"What determines
a Minister's reputation

is how he conducts himself
in his work."

You know the kind of thing.

Then go to London with him
for more of the same.

What else?

Touch him.

Hold his arm whenever you can.

Don't wait for him
to take the initiative.

Let them see there's no hint
of constraint between you.

They'll all be watching
for that, believe me.

Is that what you plan
on wearing?

Something less funereal,
perhaps.

A splash of colour.

A bit of joie de vivre.

FLORA:
[Sighs]

I have a condition.

SIR DONALD: Name it.

This photo call --

no questions from the press
in front of the children.

A stipulated photo call only.

That's understood.

And no hounding them.

Not at school or here
or anywhere.

And my friends.

[Chuckles]
I'll try.

But you know we're dealing with
a species

who have all the sensitivity
of a curbstone.

[Chuckles]

Speaking of which,

the press statement
I had drafted --

I would value your input.

What's this --

about us having
marital problems?

Ah, now, let me tell you
my thinking on that.

No, I am not culpable in this.

No.

SIR DONALD: There,
there's bound to be

some malicious tittle-tattle.

Sometimes it's best
to take the initiative.

Make a pre-emptive strike,
so to speak.

We made love, right there,

in front of the fire
just last weekend.

Or was that
a pre-emptive strike, too?

SIR DONALD: He's always hungered
for the front line.

He thinks that's where
the power is.

That it will make him
invincible.

It won't.

Real power is invisible --
thus inviolate.

You hold his future
in the palm of your hand, Flora.

That's power, believe me.

Real power.

Only a fool
would throw that away.

Their meetings took place
at a penthouse flat in Pimlico

Their meetings took place
at a penthouse flat in Pimlico

belonging to Miss Caird's

former boyfriend,
Alistair Drummond,

who claims he installed
the security camera

and telephone bug
for business reasons.

He is the Minister
for the Family, right?

He's always going on
about family values.

Well, how much does he
value his own?

Sheer hypocrisy.

I thought the public
should know that.

REPORTER: So you weren't paid
for the story?

Did she work
for your escort agency?

Mr. Drummond!

House of Commons research
passes are subject

to strict security rules
and issued

only on the recommendation
of individual MPs.

Mr. Naylor, were you aware

Miss Caird worked
for an escort agency?

No, I was not.

She came highly recommended,
with a degree,

research experience,
and all the usual references.

Plus a pretty face
and a cute little arse.

ANSWERING MACHINE:
This is Flora Matlock.

Sorry I can't talk now,

but leave your name and number,
and I'll call you back.

[Beeps]

Veronica Weston, Mrs. Matlock.

Conservative Christian Wives
Association.

Our thoughts and prayers
are with you

at this difficult time,
my dear.

Many of us
have been through it,

but through forgiveness
and God's help

we have endured, as you will.

God bless you.

Jennifer Caird recently worked
for Drummond's Escort Agency,

run by her former boyfriend,
Alistair Drummond.

Its clients are said to include
prominent Members of Parliament

as well as several leading
sporting and pop personalities.

Miss Caird has prepared
a statement

which I will now read.

"What happened between
Mr. Duncan Matlock and myself

is private and between us alone.

I only knew our phone
conversations

were being recorded by
Mr. Drummond after the event,

and I utterly condemn
his actions.

It is hot my intention to hurt
Mrs. Matlock or his family,

but if we hadn't cared deeply
for each other,

we would not have entered
the relationship

in the first place."

That is all Miss Caird is
prepared to say at the moment.

Thank you very much.

Miss Caird will be appearing
on "Hello and Good Morning"

on this channel at 11:00.

[Telephone rings]

ANSWERING MACHINE:
This is Flora Matlock.

Sorry I can't talk now,

but leave your name and number,
and I'll call you back.

[Beeps]

Flora, it's Linda.

Sarah's with me.

We just wanted to say

how bloody awful
all this is for you.

What on earth
was he thinking of?

Sarah says she looks
an absolute bimbo.

And that terrible suit.

Joanna, go by your father,
darling.

Paul -- come here.

[Shutters clicking]

Over here, Mrs. Matlock.

How about the kids in front?

WOMAN: Another this way.

WOMAN: I'm here at

the Carlingham Conservative
Association Headquarters.

Mr. Matlock is just arriving
for a crucial meeting

with members
of the Executive Committee.

MAN: Mr. Matlock, sir?

WOMAN: Duncan Matlock
hasn't yet made

a full statement on the affair.

It's believed that will come
when he makes his speech

at a long-standing
dinner engagement

at the Family Policy Forum.

Mrs. Rosalind Clegg
has just arrived,

Vice Chairman
of the Association.

Recent events show
that local party activists

carry more
than a little influence

in these controversies.

Will Mrs. Clegg follow
in their footsteps?

Mrs. Clegg --

Mrs. Clegg, will you be asking

for Duncan Matlock's resignation
at the meeting?

I'll say only this.

There are those of us
in the Association

who believe that the private
conduct of a Minister

has an absolute bearing
on his public position.

I'm afraid that's all I can say
at this time. Thank you.

REPORTER: How did it go?

Did he ask you to resign?

REPORTER 2: Sir,
how did the meeting go?

It was a constructive meeting

where diverse views
were aired and considered.

The Executive is still sitting

and will make a statement
in due course.

REPORTER 3: Did Mrs. Clegg voice
an opinion?

REPORTER 1: And did you speak

in support of your husband,
Mrs. Matlock?

I am confident
that the Association,

and the public in general,
will judge my husband

by how he does his job

and not by some
momentary indiscretion

in his private life.
Thank you.

REPORTER 4: Does that mean

you still love your wife,
Mr. Matlock?

Sorry about the melee, everyone.

Thanks for turning out.

We do appreciate your support.

Good morning.

Thank you.

Shall we get at it, ladies?

WOMAN: Could we have number one,
please?

Number one, please.

I'll need the usual prompting,
my darling.

DUNCAN: Hello.
How are we on chairs?

Hello there.

What's your name?

-WOMAN: Perry.
-DUNCAN: Perry.

Regular John Barnes
in the making.

So, what's the latest
on the funding problem?

We re-applied to the Council,
like you suggested.

And got precisely nowhere.

Did you mention
the special needs aspect?

WOMAN: The lease is up
at the end of the month.

Thirty children
will get turfed out,

which means
that thirty working women

are going to have to quit
their jobs to look after them.

Most of which are sole
breadwinners -- single parents.

DUNCAN: So how about
some fundraising of your own?

Kiddies' play?
Custard pies?

Candy floss, that sort of thing.

Make 'em smile while they reach
for their chequebooks.

We're talking over £21,000.

Farting around with candy floss

will hardly make even a dent
in it.

I'll get on to the Council
myself,

see if it can't get raised
at Committee level.

These kids and their families
depend on us.

I'll deal with it personally.

Thank you so much for finding
the time to come and see me.

Oh -- we picked these for you.

The kids made their own garden
in the nursery.

God, the lengths people will
go to get what they want, eh?

[Chuckling]

Okay, keep 'em coming, ladies.

It's all clear.

Okay, thank you.

MAN: There she is!

Mrs. Matlock!
Mrs. Matlock!

Just a moment of your time!

Are you definitely going to

stand by your husband,
Mrs. Matlock?

WOMAN:
Was that an easy decision?

MAN: Well, when did he tell you
about the affair?

MAN 2: Is it true he offered

to resign over the affair,
Mrs. Matlock?

[All shouting questions]

Drive on.

Yeah, well, keep me posted,
will you?

Yeah, well, keep me posted,
will you?

No, the local party's
still in session.

Mm?

Oh, some bloody loose-lips
from the 22 Committee

went on the PM show.

Personal admiration,
but a lot of people

will be very disappointed,”
that sort of thing.

Look, this thing
is going to snowball.

I can feel it in my water.

Well, he starts speaking at
8:30, directly after dinner.

Tell them we want
full media coverage.

Of course they'll bite.

They're wetting themselves
in case he cancels.

Para three.

Pressure of work.

Sounds a bit limp-fisted.

Yes, cut it.

Replace it with,

An error of judgment which |
bitterly regret" --

Or "No one regrets
more bitterly than I do."

Better, yes.

FLORA: Paul --

Oh, darling.

That was your birthday present!

He didn't choose it,
you did.

[Kiss]

Oh --

How could he?

You're so beautiful.

Do you forgive him?

Well -- I'm trying to.

Does that mean I have to?

Might help if you did.

Forgive those who trespass
against us."

And lead us not
into temptation."

Um, Joanna's in bed.

Do you mind...reading to her
for me?

No, of course not.

Mrs. Matlock --

we're all rooting for you.

WOMAN:
"Hello and Good Morning" have

an exclusive interview today

with Jennifer Caird, centre
of today's press revelations

about her affair
with Duncan Matlock,

Minister for the Family.

Pretty torrid stuff to read

over the breakfast table,
eh, Jennifer?

JENNIFER:
They print whatever comes

into their heads, don't they?

MAN: Are you saying

the substance of the story
isn't true?

JENNIFER: Print anything
out of context

and it loses its veracity,
don't you think?

Well, the reference,
for example,

to Mr. Matlock's sexual
preferences --

that he likes a woman
to dominate him in bed --

I mean, this was a direct quote
from you,

was it not, to a close friend?

Successful men often like to be
disempowered in the sexual act.

There's nothing new in that.

Particularly if their wives
are passive

or sexually unadventurous.

MAN: Yet you claim
your relationship

was based on more
than just sex?

JENNIFER:
Sex is a demonstration

of love, isn't it?

The more passionate the love,

it follows,
the more intense the sex.

That's how it is for a woman,
anyway.

WOMAN: And for Duncan Matlock?

JENNIFER:
You'll have to ask him that.

But as an escort girl,

you were presumably paid
for your services.

Well paid.

JENNIFER:
That's entirely different.

And it's in the past.

I haven't worked for Drummond's
for nearly a year.

And Duncan Matlock
never paid me.

He entered into
our relationship

voluntarily and willingly,
just as I did.

[Sighs]
And it wasn't just

a quick fling
like the papers say.

We loved each other.

We were talking about spending
the rest of our lives together.

You mean he planned

on divorcing his wife
in order to marry you?

JENNIFER:
I mean exactly that.

He always said it was only
half a marriage anyway --

and that he and his wife were

more like brother and sister
than man and wife.

WOMAN.'
Isn't that a --

[TV turns off]

Patterson just checked in.

They've adjourned for the night.

He says that bloody Clegg woman

is stuffed with more hormones
than a Christmas turkey.

She's like a dog with a bone.

Darling?

You're still hurting, I know.

I'll make it up to you.

You wait.

I've never wanted you...more
than at this moment.

Hey! Hey!

Hey!
Mind my face!

Mind my face!

FLORA: You bugger!

Oh, God, go away!

[Groaning]

It'll be all right, my darling,

we're still a team.

I'll never leave you.

MAN: On behalf of all those
at the Family Policy Forum,

I'd like to extend a welcome
to our speaker tonight --

the Right Honourable
Duncan Matlock,

Minister of the Family.

[Applause]

What is a family?

Is it simply a collection
of individuals bound together

by the common tie of blood
or legal agreement?

Recently I lost my way.

I made an error of judgment
which I bitterly regret,

and will do so
until my dying breath.

Without the love, understanding,
and loyalty of my family --

particularly my wife --
I would be lost indeed.

It was their courage,
their forgiveness,

their compassion
which made me realize

the terrible price
I might have paid.

I learned other things, too --

about myself,
about the woman I married,

about the strength of the union
we share.

I learned that sometimes in life

you have to make a shameful...
and stupid mistake

in order to face
your own human frailty

and so rediscover your humanity.

I learned from my wife, too,

that now is not the time
for cowardice or defeat!

I have seen
the dark side of the moon.

But she made me see that I must
come out the other side,

not cowed but fighting,

because I have learned that,
above all else,

I prize my family beyond all.

The prize is worth any endeavour
and every effort

to ensure its survival.

I don't just mean my own family,
to whom I owe so much,

but every family
in every street

in every town in this
still-great country of ours!

I make a pledge to you now --

I make it with all the vigour

of someone who has lost,
who found himself.

Someone who was blinded
by conceit

but has come to see clearly
once again.

I intend to fight to ensure

that the family gets priority
in government policy.

I intend to fight to ensure
that it takes up

its rightful position

in the heartland
of our legislative process,

because if the salvation
of one individual rests upon it,

so it does for a nation!

If those of you
listening to me tonight

can extend
the same compassion --

the same forgiveness --

as my own family,

I promise...

you will not find me wanting
again.

[Applause]

I will.

The 1922 are behind me --
we've just got a call.

So if the local party stand
solid, we're home and dry.

There's a spot on "Newsnight."

I just have to change and whip
straight round there.

Can you make your own way
to the flat?

Of course.

Guard these with your life.

We might just be turning this
thing around, my darling.

Okay.

PATTERSON:
The local Association,

after long and due
consideration

in this testing and trying
matter

have come to a consensus.

We have taken on
all the implications,

both at a local and national
party level.

We feel we should take our lead
from Mrs. Matlock

in this matter --
from her steadfastness

and her forgiveness.

It is the majority view
of the Committee, therefore,

that Duncan Matlock has
the calibre to remain serving

as our Member of Parliament.

We are sure that he will
once again prove himself worthy

of the confidence

his wife and ourselves
have placed in him.

[Doorbell rings]

REPORTER: Can you
possibly comment

on the rumours circulating
at the moment --

[Mutes TV]

I'd say I was passing,
but it's a lie.

That looks tempting.

He's won, hasn't he?

FLORA: With a little help
from his friends.

MARK: Sir Donald says
men like Duncan

are exempt from
the normal codes of conduct --

because they make history.

They're born to it.

Duncan went to a grammar school.

But he married well.

I'm, uh --

I'm going out
on a limb here, Flora.

I hope to God
you don't make me regret it.

Pull the right strings,

it's amazing who'll crawl
out of the woodwork

to dance to the party tune.

That tape was from you.

The journo who got hold
of the story

owed Sir Donald a favour.

I felt you were owed the truth.

The dates are on the back.

It lasted
the best part of a year.

Sir Donald knows about this?

They all know --
including your father.

If the press hadn't rumbled him,
he'd still be seeing her.

He's infatuated with her.

He spotted her
at the Party Conference.

He stalked her.
He used me as the go-between.

Remember that half-term when he
couldn't join you and the kids

on that ski trip
because of his workload?

They were in Antigua
the whole week.

When your daughter
had the burst appendix,

he couldn't get to the hospital
because of a three-line whip?

Right here in this flat,
all night.

Your birthday last month

when he said he couldn't
possibly come home --

All right!
Enough!

Why are you doing this?

Telling me all this?

There's some graffiti
on a wall near my flat.

"The urge to destroy
is creative."

Go how.

Please.

Call it an error of judgment
on my part.

JENNIFER: [Sighs]

But I'm here at your flat
waiting for you.

DUNCAN: What can I do?

JENNIFER: Can't you tell her

you're at that Reform Club
thing?

DUNCAN: it's her birthday.

She can get frightfully prickly
about that stuff.

JENNIFER: Well,
a late sitting, then?

She'll never know
the difference.

Two minutes, Duncan.

You could be here --

DUNCAN: Did you find it?

My present?

JENNIFER: Present?

DUNCAN: I left it on
the side table, gift-wrapped.

JENNIFER: Oh --
[Chuckles]

You mean the black lace job
with the slit in the crotch.

DUNCAN: Okay, Jennifer.

JENNIFER: Well,
it just so happens

I'm wearing it, darling.

DUNCAN: So where are you?

JENNIFER: I'm on your bed.

DUNCAN:
Can you smell me on it?

From last night?

JENNIFER: Yes.

Yes, I can smell you.

DUNCAN:
What kind of smell?

JENNIFER:
Dark...

FLORA: God!

JENNIFER: Acrid.

Sweet, like honey.

Yes, sweet like honey.

DUNCAN: Turn over
and spread yourself, my baby.

I'm on my way.

JENNIFER: Really?

DUNCAN: I'll phone her
and make some excuse.

JENNIFER: Jesus.

I'm so wet, Duncan.

How the hell do you
do that to me?

DUNCAN: Because hell
is where we're heading.

[Line ringing]

This is Jennifer Caird's
answerphone.

Sorry I can't take your call
at the moment --

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