Upstairs Downstairs (2010–2012): Season 1, Episode 1 - The Fledgling - full transcript
Six years after the Bellamy family closed 165 Eaton Place, diplomat Sir Hallam Holland and his wife Agnes buy the deserted house. They seek staff from an agency run by Rose Buck, once the Bellamys' maid, who provides them with her friend Mrs. Thackeray as cook, Pritchard, a butler whose previous experience was on ocean liners, and chauffeur Harry Spargo. Perky Barnardo's orphan Ivy is the new maid and shy Northerner Johnny the footman because they are inexperienced and therefore cheap. Hallam's mother Lady Maud, recently widowed, returns from India with her pet monkey Solomon and a secretary, Mr. Amanjit, to whom she is dictating her memoirs. She and Agnes clash over household management, leading to Rose being asked to step in as housekeeper. Maud is, however, adept at taming Persie, Agnes's spoilt young sister but her invitation to Wallis Simpson for the house-warming turns sour when the American woman, a known Nazi sympathiser, brings Von Ribbentrop with her. Thus nobody is particularly annoyed with Johnny when the boy spills a drink on the German. However, attitudes change when the footman is arrested for brawling and it turns out that he is on probation for fighting.
'This is London.
'Prime Minister Mr Chamberlain
is due to return from
'an urgent meeting with
Chancellor Hitler
'at the latter's Alpine retreat
in Berchtesgaden in Germany.
'It is hoped that agreement can be
reached regarding
'Herr Hitler's attempt to reclaim
Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.'
No sign of Mr Chamberlain's
plane, sir?
No. Not yet.
Open the door, Spargo,
it's the Duke of Kent.
'Meanwhile, German troops
are positioned along
'the Czech border and international
relations remain tense.'
One does rather hope the sun
will come out in a timely manner.
The word we've had is that the
talks were inconclusive.
I'm quite sure this is just
the first move of the chess-piece.
Chamberlain should dig his heels in.
Hitler can't be contained
unless we stand our ground.
The British people
are averse to war,
especially over a territory of
which they've scarcely heard!
But if conflict is postponed,
and it can only be postponed,
when it comes it will be all-out,
ideological war.
It won't be allowed to happen,
it can't be allowed to happen.
And I can't sanction
peace at any price.
The world will have to pay
the bill in blood.
'The population of Great Britain
await instructions
'to prepare for conflict.
'The military is ready to mobilise
'and civilian bodies posed to act
as soon as information is received.
'The Air Raid precautions Group
has stepped up preparations
'to protect the public
in the event of an attack'
Sir. Your Royal Highness.
The Prime Minister's plane.
Nurse!
Nurse!
Lady Agnes!
I need a taxi, please.
To take me to Eaton Place.
I'm going home.
Air raid! Air raid!
Air raid!
You are advised to take cover!
Air raid!
Mr P? Mr Pritchard!
I am engaged in a civic task,
Johnny.
Wardens are advised to
test their rattles daily.
You're wanted!
A taxi?
I never heard of anything so unwise.
It will be putrid with germs,
and it's not three weeks
since her ladyship's Caesarean.
We need a nice, bright fire
for Lady Agnes,
please. I advise
deployment of the bellows.
Nanny Lyons again!
The new nursery maid
should have been here at noon.
Eunice, are your hands clean?
No, Mr Pritchard.
I'm picking over spinach.
Don't you go giving
her contradictory instructions!
Dr Mottershead's demanding
Mousse A La Florentine,
and meatless entrees don't
make themselves.
Why's there somebody new
just for the nursery?
We're all run ragged,
since Miss Buck went sick!
I want this in her ladyship's bed,
eighteen inches from the bottom,
placed slightly to the left.
What's that?
Mitsouko. She went off Shalimar.
And so Lady Holland,
you are restored to Eaton Place.
Were you ever lovers?
I beg your pardon, Dr Mottershead?
You, and my half-sister.
Were you ever lovers?
I was always rather curious.
Lady Holland's marriage to
Sir Greville was sacramental
and without stain.
I suppose that's it now. You have
performed your final service.
Unless you would care for me to
attend to your travel arrangements.
I imagine you might like tickets
for a train.
No, thank you.
I find myself quite comfortable.
Do you like her, Hector?
This is your baby sister. Veronica.
Oh dear.
Do you suppose he's jealous?
Oh, we're not at home to Mr Jealous
in my nursery, your ladyship.
Agnes! My dear.
You look absolutely frightful,
why have the clinic discharged you?
I discharged myself.
I couldn't just lie there,
with things the way they are.
Has there been any
word from Sir Hallam?
None. Oh, I think she's improving.
Her expression
was in rictus last week,
as though she knew her
arrival were ill-timed.
Are you anaemic?
I had a blood transfusion yesterday.
It could have come from anywhere.
You need a plant based diet,
with plenty of vitamins.
I've drawn up a list for the cook.
I don't believe there's
any juice in carrots.
If Dr Mottershead's supposed
to be an archaeologist,
why's she peddling all this
new-fangled trash?
Lady Agnes doesn't need vitamins,
she needs liver!
I shall alert the butcher. Pig's
for preference, calf's at a pinch?
Daily, until further notice.
She should have stayed at home
and had it in the bathroom.
You'd think that obstetrician
had set to with an axe.
Very well. Miss Beryl Ballard.
Three dresses, navy serge, three
caps and matching aprons, starched.
Plus three pairs of hose,
black lisle.
Oh, I don't wear lisle,
in the general way.
Miss Buck said
I could wear my own stockings.
Sadly, Miss Buck
is in hospital at present.
I am running the household in her
stead, her absence will be lengthy.
Shoes please.
Black leather. Hand-finished, from
the Lotus shop on Regent Street.
They will suffice.
I really am sorry I was late.
I came straight
from the coroner's office.
Save your apologies for Nanny Lyons.
You have half an hour to change,
and that lipstick must come off.
Eunice, our kitchen maid,
will show you to your room.
Mr Chamberlain believes
he can reach an understanding with
Herr Hitler, but you must not be
reassured by the radio reports.
Germany has not compromised
in any way.
There are still tanks
on the borders of Czechoslovakia.
Yes?
I'm Beryl, the new nursery maid.
Nanny Lyons sends her apologies,
but she sent me down.
Sent me down, sir.
Sir.
I know Pritchard volunteered for Air
Raid Precautions as long ago as May.
I now expect Spargo and John
to follow his example.
Yes, sir!
From tonight,
this house prepares for war.
What was the pill? Norwegian seaweed.
Blanche recommended it.
She came to say goodbye to Mother.
When is she going to leave?
She's your aunt.
We must be kind to her.
I can't believe Mother isn't here.
She always spoke such
sense in times of crisis.
So you finally admit it?
It is a crisis?
Darling. You nearly died.
The baby nearly died.
I didn't, and I don't
want you to have a moment's worry.
Hallam, they're digging
trenches in Green Park!
We have two tiny children, and
London may be bombed into oblivion!
Halifax agrees with Chamberlain,
they'll do whatever it takes
to stop Hitler from attacking us.
But that's good, isn't it?
Not in the long term.
And I intend to persuade them
of that point of view.
Hallam. You aren't going against
policy? I can only give advice.
I can hear your mother's voice now,
as clearly as if she'd just
walked into this room.
What does she say? She says...
"..Careers are forged
and broken during times of crisis.
"Support the men in power, don't
make their problems any worse."
Mrs Thackeray says the trenches
are going to be used as latrines.
When the bombers come,
it's going to be
so frightening we'll
all get the runs.
I won't get the runs.
I know Mr P says they're
just for hiding from the gas, but...
Will you be quiet about the gas!
You're crying.
I'm just not used to sharing a bed!
I didn't even share with Mum,
when we had no money.
I've ordered you porridge
with blackstrap molasses
for your breakfast.
And please don't be alarmed,
but Pamela has arrived.
But she's supposed to be in her
asylum! Matron telephoned.
The building has been
requisitioned by the government.
Pamela, darling! Why are you
wearing your mother's housecoat?
I like her smell.
I begged Hallam to invite
her to the funeral!
She hasn't been able to
express her emotions.
Attention please!
Would all members of the public
please collect their gas masks
from their designated centre!
All members of the public, please,
to their designated centre!
Attention please!
Would all members of the public
please collect their gas
masks from their designated centre!
These sultanas weigh a ton,
Mrs Thack.
Will we be here all afternoon?
I shall take issue if we are.
If there's one thing a war plays
havoc with it's dried goods,
and we still haven't managed
to track down any sago,
not to mention tapioca.
I must say I'm glad
I put my Sunday hat on.
There are some quite superior
people in this queue.
Upon entering the hall,
please give your name, age,
and full correct address to
the registration officer!
No show without Punch.
Mr Pritchard! Mr Pritchard!
Yes, Madam?
Nanny Lyons wouldn't bring
the children,
and Lady Agnes has to rest.
She sent me with the measurements
of everyone's heads!
That is highly irregular.
Come with me.
'Gas masks will be issued to
you by your local authority.
'They are free of charge,
'the masks are your personal
responsibility and you must
'carry them with you at all times.
'The filters are lined
with blue asbestos
'and effective against mustard gas,
but not carbon monoxide
or coal gas.'
Somebody's having a joke with us.
Oh, Eunice. If only they were!
'When the gas rattles sound, put on
your mask no matter where you are.
'If you are out of doors,
put on gloves,
'or put your hands in your pockets.'
There's been a memo from
Downing Street, Foreign Secretary.
Herr Hitler has invited
Mr Chamberlain to another summit,
at a spa near Bonn.
Very well. Are these
pleading for peace, or war?
I don't know, sir.
They're mostly marked "Personal".
It's always personal, when the man
on the street puts pen to paper.
Lord Halifax.
I am at least as concerned with what
Herr Hitler puts on paper.
And with what Mr Chamberlain
might sign!
He needs the best negotiators
to accompany him,
to ensure that there is no
ambiguity, even in the syntax...
Holland. I know you
align yourself with those
most opposed to a
compromise with Hitler.
I know you speak to Eden,
and to Churchill too.
You're closer to power than
both of them at present,
and that will cease to be the case
if you carry on like this!
My views are my own, sir.
Go. And I don't mean to Germany.
So you have scored two on the dice,
and that means you may
move your counter two times.
Snake.
Oh...
Dr Mottershead.
I believe Miss Pamela is perspiring.
I don't want to play this game.
I want to play with Solomon.
Miss Pamela has done very well,
Pritchard,
and has earned a nice cold drink.
One special soda water, on its way.
With a maraschino cherry,
as Miss Pamela prefers.
The girl is in deep grief,
of course.
The practice of mourning has
always intrigued me,
ever since I transcribed
the Papyrus of Nu.
She's transferring her
feelings from Maud to the monkey.
It is a doomed endeavour - they were
two quite different personalities.
He's clapping me.
See? I doubt Maud ever clapped
her in her life.
If she did, I never saw her.
Still, I suppose every mother
does the best she can.
And I'm still not satisfied with
these gas masks.
Hector has one of his own.
But why is there
nothing for newborns, Pritchard?
It is recommended that we roll
the baby in a blanket.
If a rolled up blanket will suffice,
then what are these proboscid
monstrosities for?
And I'll have a carrot juice,
if I may.
I will communicate with the kitchen.
Pritchard! That wretched animal is
going to have to live downstairs!
These came. From Persie.
"Beloved sis. Make sure you spoil
her. Smacking kisses, Persie."
It's rather ingenious,
sending flowers from Berlin.
You wait. You'll get the bill
from Constance Spry tomorrow.
I won't. It came this morning.
We've hardly heard from her
in almost two years.
I know she behaved abominably,
but if war breaks out her
situation will be dreadful!
Please, can't you try to track her
down, and persuade her to come home?
Persie does what most appeals
to her at any given time.
I doubt I could persuade her
to do anything.
I thought that was your stock
in trade, persuading people.
I don't think that comment
was called for.
I didn't say it to be unkind.
I said it because I care.
Foreign Office please, Spargo.
Pritchard! What on earth is this?
A gas proof pram, your ladyship.
A newly patented device, designed
by a gentleman living in Maidstone.
He is described as "a bachelor,
but interested in babies."
I really don't like the look
of it at all.
If I may demonstrate.
Baby is placed in the body of the
pram, on the mattress supplied.
The lid is brought down on Baby,
who sees familiar faces
in the window, and is reassured.
And where did you acquire this,
Pritchard?
The ARP depot. I was able to exert
a little influence.
Well, I suppose if it's thoroughly
scrubbed with Milton's fluid,
and then aired...
Your ladyship!
I'm so sorry, John.
I feel a perfect fool.
Well. You have been put through
the mincer a bit.
I were premature.
Were you?
Too small even for the cot.
Me mam had to put me
to sleep in a hat box
and slept with it in the crook
of her arm to keep me warm.
It's on top of the wardrobe now.
Just her Sunday hat in it
these days.
Veronica has trouble with her lungs.
She stopped breathing
three times in the first week,
as though the effort was beyond her.
She'll get the hang of it.
As long as she isn't gassed.
My grandad used to say to me there's
no such thing as a dumb creature.
We had a Jack Russell that
could bark out numbers.
But I have never met a
thicker animal than this.
Solomon's purely a pet.
He's just meant to look appealing
and not exert himself.
I'm leaving this to dry.
I'm not surprised Lady Agnes had
the jitters. Call it a pram?
Could suffocate a baby.
Good lad.
Good Lad, see, it's nice isn't it.
Stay there, stay there Solomon.
Johnny! What the hell have you done?
I were worried about the baby
Jesus wept, Johnny!
What are you playing at?
It were only for five minutes!
I were just testing
the gas pram out!
You what? On the monkey.
To see if it worked.
Are your brains just painted on?
They do it down the pit
with the linnets!
His heart has arrested.
Johnny, get the brandy.
Not the master's brandy!
The cooking brandy!
Mrs Thack put it all in that
ponding a la Clarence!
You'll break his ribs, Mr Pritchard!
I'll break Johnny's neck if we can't
get this wretched animal to breathe.
I was trying to help.
I am of the view that life
is now extinct.
You'll get the sack for this.
You left the keys to
the Humber on a hook!
You'll be in just as much
bother as him!
Couldn't we stretch it out in the
garden nip its neck with pliers,
make out he'd been attacked by rats?
His lips are bright pink it's
a sign of gassing. How do you know?
I just do. Eunice.
Put this in the laundry crate.
There will be no word of this
to anyone...
beyond the boundary of this room.
I can't be found out, Mr Pritchard!
If I am, I'll lose my place.
Mr Amanjit has gone to temple.
Mrs Thackeray has gone to see
Miss Buck at the London Chest,
then Robin Hood,
second house at the Locarno.
We must hope their absence
will assist us.
You had to twist the master's arm
to take me back on after Borstal!
If it wasn't for you,
I'd still be on the streets
Don't ask!
You'll be in as much bother as him.
Dear little Miss Veronica
looks as though she will
thrive on a diet of good
conversation, porcelain and pearls.
It would therefore delight me
to be her Godpapa.
Thanks, old friend.
I'm sure you'll be quite marvellous.
Will you excuse me,
whilst I take them back to Nanny?
Of course.
Come on young man.
Night, night, be good for Nanny.
Fatherhood suits him.
At the moment it's the only thing
that brings him any solace.
He's convinced that Chamberlain is
wrong, but feels powerless to
influence a change.
It's as though he's being stifled.
Kept at arm's length,
because his views don't fit.
Does he suspect that?
I suspect it.
He may ruin his career.
Your mother-in-law would be
proud of you.
No, she wouldn't.
She thought me stupid,
she'd be fuming that
I even dared to take a view.
I'm not fuming. I worry for him too.
'Volunteers for the trench
digging party,
'please report to the officer
at mustering point three.
'Volunteers for
the Barrage Balloon team,
'please report to
mustering point five.'
I hate the smell of mud.
I hate it now,
I hate it when it dries on me.
It's the smell of my Dad,
on leave from the front.
Bringing my mum French
chocolates in a box.
Giving me sixpence and his fleas.
My old man never went to war.
He stayed down the pit.
Lucky him.
What will we do
if the family finds out?
It's a monkey, Johnny! A monkey,
and we're digging bloody trenches!
I don't want to lose my job!
There will be full employment
for the likes of you and me.
Don't you worry.
I always favour the Locarno.
I knew a woman who got fleas in her
beaver coat at the Scala.
But the Scala always shows
the Pathe newsreels.
They are superior in every way.
Both of you home together.
And a little earlier than expected!
We chanced upon each
other on the bus.
And how was Miss Buck?
She is as thin as a paper doll!
That shadow on her lung was TB.
We feared as much.
She's being moved to
a sanatorium near Esher.
I couldn't settle in the cinema.
Errol Flynn was being very
boisterous.
I don't mean any disrespect,
Mr Pritchard,
I know you've shaken his martinis
in your time...
but with all the trouble in the world
I couldn't sit there watching men
pretend to fight.
In stockinet leggings.
Tea, Mr Amanjit?
Please. Allow me.
Good morning, Sergeant.
If I might speak to
the master of the house, sir.
Someone telephoned the station, sir.
And gave this address,
saying there had been a murder.
It was me.
Would you, or would you not,
agree to the fact that the
gums are the colour of cherryade?
I'm not familiar with cherryade.
Well if you've pulled as many heads
out of ovens as I have,
you would know what
you are looking at.
Carbon monoxide, ie gas.
This, sir, appears to constitute
an offence against
the 1911 Act for
the Protection of Animals.
The offender must be found
and prosecuted.
This creature was cherished,
and I insist on justice!
Was it your monkey, sir?
No. It belonged to my late mother.
Oh. Do YOU insist on justice?
Sergeant.
I am to blame for this
unfortunate occurrence.
What do you mean, Pritchard?
In my capacity as an
Air Raid Warden,
I undertook to test a piece
of prototype equipment,
to be specific, a gas-proof pram.
The animal's demise was
the result of that experiment.
I see.
He was my mother's friend!
Well in view of the current crisis,
we'd be inclined to overlook
a case against an animal.
You think it doesn't matter
that things die?
Of course it matters, Pamela!
Follow me please, sir.
Of course.
Well, sir.
I don't think you're going
to find us
much exercised by all
this monkey business.
However, during
our customary check ups,
we stumbled on a separate
misdemeanour.
I see.
This isn't your first time in a cell
is it, Warwick Edgar Pritchard?
No, Sergeant. It is not.
So why, when you were filling
in your
Air Raid Precautions
Volunteer application,
did you not admit your past?
There were no questions
pertaining to my past.
You were asked
if you had any previous convictions.
I have no previous convictions!
You spent five
months in Richmond Jail, in 1917.
I went before a tribunal,
not a court.
My actions did not constitute
a criminal offence.
Would you like to spell out what
they were?
You are clearly apprised
of what they were.
Not quite so proud of yourself now.
I wasn't proud of myself then.
I simply acted according
to my principles.
Say it.
It was more than twenty years ago.
Say it!
I was a Conscientious Objector!
You refused to fight.
You refused to bear arms
in defence of your country.
You went to prison in the last war,
and didn't admit to it
when you had to
fill in your forms for this one.
We aren't at war yet.
Don't split hairs.
I'm in the habit of being precise.
My profession requires it.
So does mine. I have precisely
no toes on my left foot.
I lost them to gangrene, after six
months up to my ankles in mud
and rat piss in the trenches.
Have you ever smelt gangrene?
Yes. I was in the Ambulance Service.
Before or after you were in prison?
Now you're splitting hairs.
I think you need a little time
to simmer down.
'The Prime Minister has concluded
his second set of talks
'with Chancellor Hitler.
'The summit took place at
Bad Godesburg in Germany.
'Mr Chamberlain maintains that war
can be averted,
'but Hitler has not altered
his demands
'and the international situation
has deteriorated.'
Guten Tag. Ich moechte bitte
mit Persephone Towyn sprechen.
'Es tut mir leid. Ich bin neu hier.'
'May I help you?'
My name is Holland.
I'm trying to track down my
sister-in-law, Persephone Towyn.
I understood she was
resident at this address.
'Persie?
I'm sorry. She's moved on.'
I was hoping we might have
sandbags at the front by now.
They were meant to come today,
sir.
What the deuce is going on?
Dr Mottershead is going through
Lady Holland's papers,
her journals, and her letters!
Aunt Blanche, this is just plain
intrusive. Maud was my sister.
Half-sister. We shared the same
father, and his genes were dominant.
Now, Pamela is helping me
to sort things out.
She's going to take one or two
things as mementoes,
then the rest can be burned,
or filed and packed away.
Dr Mottershead intends to
commandeer this desk.
I have not sanctioned her actions.
I would hope not.
I insist you defer to Mr Amanjit,
he is an established
member of this household.
I am clearing space
for pens and notebooks.
The British Museum will have to be
evacuated, and I've been asked to
help curate the transfer.
It's splendid stuff, the Elgin
Marbles will be put in Aldwych Tube.
I don't care! If you're not going
back to Cambridge,
you should rent yourself some rooms.
I like it here. I don't.
And you needn't even
think of moving those.
My position is difficult.
The authority was always
Lady Holland's.
And now she is gone,
I do not know to whom I answer.
You don't answer to my Aunt,
I can tell you that now.
Sit down, Mr Amanjit.
This was my pistol
when I was in the Navy.
It's the only gun I've ever owned,
and you're the only person
I can trust with it.
Is it a Colt, sir?
Mine was a Webley 45.
What was your regiment?
59th Scinde Horse,
Jullunder Brigade. Sir.
So you would have been at Ypres?
I was wounded at Ypres.
That gun needs stripping down
and cleaning.
In the event of an invasion,
if I'm not here, it is yours,
and you may use it as required.
I will perform any service
you desire, sir.
If a man has duties,
he has a certain path.
I'm going to speak to
the police about Pritchard,
and tell them I'm not pressing
any charges.
I want you to go
and collect him in the car.
He is essential to
the running of this house.
What about the monkey?
We have other things to cry about.
'As a precaution orders were issued
this afternoon
'calling up men of the Anti Aircraft
units of the Territorial Army...'
I'm sorry.
I need to tip the nappies out.
'..Also as a precaution officers
and men of the Royal Air Force
'and units of the
Auxiliary Air Force.'
I'm getting used to it already.
..'Defensive units of
the Auxiliary...'
Ouch. Yeah, can't get
my gloves on for driving,
my knuckles are so swollen.
All hands to the pump, eh?
Some paperwork for you to
sign before you go, sir.
Shame it wasn't a chicken
you gassed.
You could be setting the scene
with a few white feathers.
The Great War was a just war,
every effort to avoid it through
diplomacy had failed,
so every man had a duty
to bear arms!
That is your belief,
as a Sikh, Mr Amanjit.
Stop rattling on about religion!
It's the hypocrisy that
makes my stomach churn!
Marching up and down like
a clockwork Mussolini!
I have been doing what
I thought was right!
I did what I thought was
right in 1917.
I'll never forget
the morning my Leonard left.
He said, "I don't want to go."
"I don't want to go."
And I didn't say that
I thought that war was wrong.
I didn't say,
"stay home, stay safe."
I hid in the hall,
and the last thing
I heard was the latch on the gate.
And his boots on the pavement.
Marching off.
I sometimes think that
I was a widow from that moment.
People didn't do what
they thought was right,
they did what was right.
Hitler and Chamberlain to meet
in Munich! Chamberlain to Munich!
Ah, thank you very much sir.
Thank you.
This is our final chance.
And I have had more than
one sleepless night
since I spoke angrily to you.
I too, sir.
And I find that my opinion
has been altered.
Hitler is dictating terms,
and it is all too easy to
see where it will end.
You are to go to Germany.
It has been decided.
And I end as I began.
This is our final chance.
Come upstairs, Hallam.
Come upstairs,
and kiss our children.
They're the future,
you'll be doing it for them.
I called as soon as I heard.
It's frightfully
good of you to come.
I wanted to. Good for my nerves.
You have no nerves.
Is this Bessie Smith?
Billie Holiday, do keep up.
Really, Hallam.
One youthful night on the tiles
with an exotic songstress,
and you're marked for life.
Cheers.
One wishes opinion weren't so riven.
They're calling you
the Glamour Boys, did you know that?
You and Eden. Cranborne.
Ronald Tree.
The men who'd prefer to
thumb their noses at the Nazis.
We don't want war.
But we don't believe in appeasement.
You believe in England, don't you?
Always.
Hallam.
My brother, the King,
wrote a letter to Herr Hitler.
The King said "I do not write as
one Head of State to another,
"but rather as one
ex-serviceman to another.
"I am sure I need not remind
you of the last Great War,
"and am convinced that
you too would be
"appalled at the possibility of such
a calamity recurring."
And I wondered...
..if you might take it
to the Fuehrer?
No, sir. The boost to Hitler's
ego would be monstrous.
Do you even refuse to read it?
I must. Take it. I beg you.
No! Sir.
I really do believe that it
would be the better thing
for your country,
and for your career.
I'm not thinking about my career.
I can assure you that your wife
thinks about it all the time.
Sir.
Your valise is packed and ready,
sir,
and your clothes
for the morning are set out.
Tailcoat and striped trousers.
And her ladyship suggested
your late father's cufflinks.
Thank you, Pritchard.
I'm sorry about all that business
with the police.
Your private life, and your
opinions, are your own affair.
But it must have been
distressing for you.
I find that when one follows
one's conscience, sir,
the pain is generally
felt by other people.
Can Mr Chamberlain by persuaded
to change course?
What are your views on Herr Hitler?
Sorry about this, Spargo.
Don't apologise, sir.
Aren't you afraid that standing up
to Hitler will result in war?
I wonder, Mr Amanjit,
whether you might pass the salt?
That were uncalled for.
I'd have thrown
the pepper at him, too.
It's like giving meat
and two veg to Judas.
Oh, I think you should
all stop this.
Getting your shirt tails in a twist
over something that happened
over twenty years ago!
"Something?" Something? Some of us
fought a war on your behalf!
A war to end all wars!
Well it didn't end all wars, did it?
So you've nothing to be smug about.
No.
This is all my fault.
Go back out to the servants' hall.
You're taking sides,
and that never solves a quarrel.
Excuse me, Mr Amanjit!
Mr Amanjit.
This is a domestic garden,
and there are adjacent residences.
I do not consider your actions
to be safe.
And you would know
all about safety wouldn't you.
Mr Amanjit! Give that gun to me.
Your husband charged me with this.
Well he isn't here now,
and you're provoking a disturbance.
Do as Lady Agnes tells you.
Give her the gun.
Forgive me, if I was overzealous.
It's warm.
That's not uncommon.
I've twice had occasion to fire
one in the past.
The spectacle has concluded.
And since we are in England,
I suggest you make some tea.
I was brought up by Quaker
parents, your ladyship.
Their belief was that there is
"that of God in everyone."
It became mine too.
Well, I think that's rather nice.
Aren't you going to ask him
to sit down?
No, because it would make us
both feel very awkward.
Carry on, Pritchard.
It made violence seem abhorrent.
When war was declared,
I joined the Friends Ambulance Unit.
It seemed the proper
way of seeing out the war...
I could play my part, and did not
need to declare my conscience.
Others had more courage,
and they were sentenced.
The conditions at
Richmond jail were vile,
and I felt moved to declare
myself at one with those imprisoned.
I meant only to draw attention
to their plight,
but found myself incarcerated
alongside them.
Why, Pritchard?
Why did you speak out,
when there was no need?
I am occasionally
driven by my passions.
I wouldn't ask him
to elaborate if I were you.
Everyone's entitled to some secrets.
You took the blame for John, too.
There was no need for that.
He is impetuous, and so am I.
Most men have more in common
than they think.
And this is the wording
suggested for Clause Two?
Yes, Prime Minister.
It concerns the terms
for the withdrawal of troops
from Sudetenland,
by October the 10th.
Might I have a moment
please, Prime Minister?
Herren. Wir moechten uns beraten.
Prime Minister,
I strongly advise you to reconsider.
Your amendment ties His Majesty's
Government into a pact
that gives Germany the upper hand.
We cannot add the caveat...
"without destroying their
military installations."
This is the wording which
Hitler has requested.
We need a declaration
which Hitler will accept.
Holland.
This amendment has to stand.
We all fit into this household
in a different way.
We come and go
through different doors,
we eat our meals at separate tables,
but we all give 165 Eaton Place
as our address.
And that means
we're on the same side.
From now on, I expect your behaviour
to reflect that.
Or how else will we survive a war?
Stop looking so shifty.
I did ask permission.
I'm doing Johnny's next.
You can take them out now.
Almost clean again.
Oooh, it's the peroxide
that does it.
I used to do nails
at a hairdresser's in Walthamstow.
I did hair too, not particularly
well. That's going to change.
Oh, yes?
I'm saving up to be apprenticed
to a Mayfair salon.
Monsieur Gaston, Court Coiffeur.
How much does that cost?
Forty guineas.
That's why I'm here.
Living in, all found. So I can save.
It's an investment.
Even if there's going to be a war?
People want what's beautiful.
They want it more when the world
turns black. I know, I've seen it.
My mother used to cut
pictures of jewellery
out of magazines before she died.
Pictures of houses that
she'd never live in.
Did she know she was dying?
I think she had it all planned.
The verdict wasn't suicide,
it was misadventure.
Her head wasn't fully in the oven
when I found her.
There is every possibility that she
might have tripped.
Gas, eh?
It gets everywhere these days.
Whisky und soda, bitte.
Doppelt, mit Eis.
Shocking to think old Maud has gone.
Still, she taught me to smoke.
I'll think of her every day.
Kellner!
Das ist ein Gin Martini.
Ich bat um Wodka.
Vodka? Oh, I'm quite
the sophisticate these days.
Joachim told me you were here.
Joachim?
Von Ribbentrop. And please don't
pull that big brother face.
Joachim and I aren't lovers.
Any more. Good.
I'm teasing!
You can't tell.
You always could, before.
He made sure I was looked after,
when I first arrived.
I needed it. Needed him, really.
Besides, aren't
we all rowing in the same boat now?
Same team, great international
friends? I don't know.
You can't save the whole world,
Hallam.
Agnes wants you to come home.
And you can't save me.
Because I'm not in danger.
Persie. If Britain signs the deal
I've seen being drafted,
in twelve months time
the world will be on fire.
If you leave soon, I can arrange
a diplomatic flight for you.
Do you think I've nothing
to stay here for?
That I haven't built a life
I may not want to leave?
It was May, the first time
Friedrich brought me here.
I thought the smell
was of the lilacs in the garden.
I found out it was
the smell of money.
I gather I'm meant to ask
who Friedrich is?
He's in the Army now,
although he wasn't always.
He's a Standarthenfuehrer.
It means Colonel.
He has family money.
You have family, Persie.
I can't work out whether that's
a threat, or reassurance.
Have you never wanted to
cut all ties?
Sever every bond,
and just surrender all your burdens?
If I did, I never dared.
Listen.
The Very Thought Of You. Friedrich
buys me records from America.
♪ The longing here for you
♪ You'll never know how slow
♪ The moments go
♪ Till I'm near to you
♪ I see your face in
every flower
♪ Your eyes in stars above... ♪
You can leave with me tomorrow.
I can take you home.
No.
But I might come and wave you off.
♪ It's just the thought of you
♪ The very thought of you
♪ My love. ♪
It smells the same as plimsolls,
but I'm getting used to it.
Will you give over trying to make
small talk, Eunice!
You sound like a flatulent mallard.
I said it smells
the same as plimsolls,
but I'm getting used to it.
Mr Pritchard.
Mr Amanjit.
Sort Eunice's straps out.
The way she's got them addled,
Hitler's halfway home.
'We, the German Fuehrer and the
British Prime Minister
'are agreed that the question
of Anglo-German relations
'is of the first importance.
'We regard this agreement,
signed last night,
'and the Anglo-German agreement,
'as symbolic of the desire of our
two peoples to never to go to war
'with one another again!
'There has come back from Germany
peace - with honour.
'I believe it is
peace for our time!'
'We thank you from
the bottom of our hearts.
'And I now recommend you go home
and sleep quietly in your beds.'
Is it all over then?
This is history, Eunice.
It's never over.
His Excellency,
and Mrs Kennedy,
will be bringing two
additional guests...
their son Jack, and,
a Mr Caspar Landry.
I told Agnes how you were.
Did you tell her that we kissed?
And what's your heart's desire,
Mr Landry?
I'd rather like to dance with you.
You do not address any guest of
the family upstairs as "dear!"
Let alone the son
of the American Ambassador!
I don't want to be here any more!
Hallam. I want her home.
These are cries for help.
Sir, we could
take in tens of thousands.
Britain should take the lead.
'Prime Minister Mr Chamberlain
is due to return from
'an urgent meeting with
Chancellor Hitler
'at the latter's Alpine retreat
in Berchtesgaden in Germany.
'It is hoped that agreement can be
reached regarding
'Herr Hitler's attempt to reclaim
Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.'
No sign of Mr Chamberlain's
plane, sir?
No. Not yet.
Open the door, Spargo,
it's the Duke of Kent.
'Meanwhile, German troops
are positioned along
'the Czech border and international
relations remain tense.'
One does rather hope the sun
will come out in a timely manner.
The word we've had is that the
talks were inconclusive.
I'm quite sure this is just
the first move of the chess-piece.
Chamberlain should dig his heels in.
Hitler can't be contained
unless we stand our ground.
The British people
are averse to war,
especially over a territory of
which they've scarcely heard!
But if conflict is postponed,
and it can only be postponed,
when it comes it will be all-out,
ideological war.
It won't be allowed to happen,
it can't be allowed to happen.
And I can't sanction
peace at any price.
The world will have to pay
the bill in blood.
'The population of Great Britain
await instructions
'to prepare for conflict.
'The military is ready to mobilise
'and civilian bodies posed to act
as soon as information is received.
'The Air Raid precautions Group
has stepped up preparations
'to protect the public
in the event of an attack'
Sir. Your Royal Highness.
The Prime Minister's plane.
Nurse!
Nurse!
Lady Agnes!
I need a taxi, please.
To take me to Eaton Place.
I'm going home.
Air raid! Air raid!
Air raid!
You are advised to take cover!
Air raid!
Mr P? Mr Pritchard!
I am engaged in a civic task,
Johnny.
Wardens are advised to
test their rattles daily.
You're wanted!
A taxi?
I never heard of anything so unwise.
It will be putrid with germs,
and it's not three weeks
since her ladyship's Caesarean.
We need a nice, bright fire
for Lady Agnes,
please. I advise
deployment of the bellows.
Nanny Lyons again!
The new nursery maid
should have been here at noon.
Eunice, are your hands clean?
No, Mr Pritchard.
I'm picking over spinach.
Don't you go giving
her contradictory instructions!
Dr Mottershead's demanding
Mousse A La Florentine,
and meatless entrees don't
make themselves.
Why's there somebody new
just for the nursery?
We're all run ragged,
since Miss Buck went sick!
I want this in her ladyship's bed,
eighteen inches from the bottom,
placed slightly to the left.
What's that?
Mitsouko. She went off Shalimar.
And so Lady Holland,
you are restored to Eaton Place.
Were you ever lovers?
I beg your pardon, Dr Mottershead?
You, and my half-sister.
Were you ever lovers?
I was always rather curious.
Lady Holland's marriage to
Sir Greville was sacramental
and without stain.
I suppose that's it now. You have
performed your final service.
Unless you would care for me to
attend to your travel arrangements.
I imagine you might like tickets
for a train.
No, thank you.
I find myself quite comfortable.
Do you like her, Hector?
This is your baby sister. Veronica.
Oh dear.
Do you suppose he's jealous?
Oh, we're not at home to Mr Jealous
in my nursery, your ladyship.
Agnes! My dear.
You look absolutely frightful,
why have the clinic discharged you?
I discharged myself.
I couldn't just lie there,
with things the way they are.
Has there been any
word from Sir Hallam?
None. Oh, I think she's improving.
Her expression
was in rictus last week,
as though she knew her
arrival were ill-timed.
Are you anaemic?
I had a blood transfusion yesterday.
It could have come from anywhere.
You need a plant based diet,
with plenty of vitamins.
I've drawn up a list for the cook.
I don't believe there's
any juice in carrots.
If Dr Mottershead's supposed
to be an archaeologist,
why's she peddling all this
new-fangled trash?
Lady Agnes doesn't need vitamins,
she needs liver!
I shall alert the butcher. Pig's
for preference, calf's at a pinch?
Daily, until further notice.
She should have stayed at home
and had it in the bathroom.
You'd think that obstetrician
had set to with an axe.
Very well. Miss Beryl Ballard.
Three dresses, navy serge, three
caps and matching aprons, starched.
Plus three pairs of hose,
black lisle.
Oh, I don't wear lisle,
in the general way.
Miss Buck said
I could wear my own stockings.
Sadly, Miss Buck
is in hospital at present.
I am running the household in her
stead, her absence will be lengthy.
Shoes please.
Black leather. Hand-finished, from
the Lotus shop on Regent Street.
They will suffice.
I really am sorry I was late.
I came straight
from the coroner's office.
Save your apologies for Nanny Lyons.
You have half an hour to change,
and that lipstick must come off.
Eunice, our kitchen maid,
will show you to your room.
Mr Chamberlain believes
he can reach an understanding with
Herr Hitler, but you must not be
reassured by the radio reports.
Germany has not compromised
in any way.
There are still tanks
on the borders of Czechoslovakia.
Yes?
I'm Beryl, the new nursery maid.
Nanny Lyons sends her apologies,
but she sent me down.
Sent me down, sir.
Sir.
I know Pritchard volunteered for Air
Raid Precautions as long ago as May.
I now expect Spargo and John
to follow his example.
Yes, sir!
From tonight,
this house prepares for war.
What was the pill? Norwegian seaweed.
Blanche recommended it.
She came to say goodbye to Mother.
When is she going to leave?
She's your aunt.
We must be kind to her.
I can't believe Mother isn't here.
She always spoke such
sense in times of crisis.
So you finally admit it?
It is a crisis?
Darling. You nearly died.
The baby nearly died.
I didn't, and I don't
want you to have a moment's worry.
Hallam, they're digging
trenches in Green Park!
We have two tiny children, and
London may be bombed into oblivion!
Halifax agrees with Chamberlain,
they'll do whatever it takes
to stop Hitler from attacking us.
But that's good, isn't it?
Not in the long term.
And I intend to persuade them
of that point of view.
Hallam. You aren't going against
policy? I can only give advice.
I can hear your mother's voice now,
as clearly as if she'd just
walked into this room.
What does she say? She says...
"..Careers are forged
and broken during times of crisis.
"Support the men in power, don't
make their problems any worse."
Mrs Thackeray says the trenches
are going to be used as latrines.
When the bombers come,
it's going to be
so frightening we'll
all get the runs.
I won't get the runs.
I know Mr P says they're
just for hiding from the gas, but...
Will you be quiet about the gas!
You're crying.
I'm just not used to sharing a bed!
I didn't even share with Mum,
when we had no money.
I've ordered you porridge
with blackstrap molasses
for your breakfast.
And please don't be alarmed,
but Pamela has arrived.
But she's supposed to be in her
asylum! Matron telephoned.
The building has been
requisitioned by the government.
Pamela, darling! Why are you
wearing your mother's housecoat?
I like her smell.
I begged Hallam to invite
her to the funeral!
She hasn't been able to
express her emotions.
Attention please!
Would all members of the public
please collect their gas masks
from their designated centre!
All members of the public, please,
to their designated centre!
Attention please!
Would all members of the public
please collect their gas
masks from their designated centre!
These sultanas weigh a ton,
Mrs Thack.
Will we be here all afternoon?
I shall take issue if we are.
If there's one thing a war plays
havoc with it's dried goods,
and we still haven't managed
to track down any sago,
not to mention tapioca.
I must say I'm glad
I put my Sunday hat on.
There are some quite superior
people in this queue.
Upon entering the hall,
please give your name, age,
and full correct address to
the registration officer!
No show without Punch.
Mr Pritchard! Mr Pritchard!
Yes, Madam?
Nanny Lyons wouldn't bring
the children,
and Lady Agnes has to rest.
She sent me with the measurements
of everyone's heads!
That is highly irregular.
Come with me.
'Gas masks will be issued to
you by your local authority.
'They are free of charge,
'the masks are your personal
responsibility and you must
'carry them with you at all times.
'The filters are lined
with blue asbestos
'and effective against mustard gas,
but not carbon monoxide
or coal gas.'
Somebody's having a joke with us.
Oh, Eunice. If only they were!
'When the gas rattles sound, put on
your mask no matter where you are.
'If you are out of doors,
put on gloves,
'or put your hands in your pockets.'
There's been a memo from
Downing Street, Foreign Secretary.
Herr Hitler has invited
Mr Chamberlain to another summit,
at a spa near Bonn.
Very well. Are these
pleading for peace, or war?
I don't know, sir.
They're mostly marked "Personal".
It's always personal, when the man
on the street puts pen to paper.
Lord Halifax.
I am at least as concerned with what
Herr Hitler puts on paper.
And with what Mr Chamberlain
might sign!
He needs the best negotiators
to accompany him,
to ensure that there is no
ambiguity, even in the syntax...
Holland. I know you
align yourself with those
most opposed to a
compromise with Hitler.
I know you speak to Eden,
and to Churchill too.
You're closer to power than
both of them at present,
and that will cease to be the case
if you carry on like this!
My views are my own, sir.
Go. And I don't mean to Germany.
So you have scored two on the dice,
and that means you may
move your counter two times.
Snake.
Oh...
Dr Mottershead.
I believe Miss Pamela is perspiring.
I don't want to play this game.
I want to play with Solomon.
Miss Pamela has done very well,
Pritchard,
and has earned a nice cold drink.
One special soda water, on its way.
With a maraschino cherry,
as Miss Pamela prefers.
The girl is in deep grief,
of course.
The practice of mourning has
always intrigued me,
ever since I transcribed
the Papyrus of Nu.
She's transferring her
feelings from Maud to the monkey.
It is a doomed endeavour - they were
two quite different personalities.
He's clapping me.
See? I doubt Maud ever clapped
her in her life.
If she did, I never saw her.
Still, I suppose every mother
does the best she can.
And I'm still not satisfied with
these gas masks.
Hector has one of his own.
But why is there
nothing for newborns, Pritchard?
It is recommended that we roll
the baby in a blanket.
If a rolled up blanket will suffice,
then what are these proboscid
monstrosities for?
And I'll have a carrot juice,
if I may.
I will communicate with the kitchen.
Pritchard! That wretched animal is
going to have to live downstairs!
These came. From Persie.
"Beloved sis. Make sure you spoil
her. Smacking kisses, Persie."
It's rather ingenious,
sending flowers from Berlin.
You wait. You'll get the bill
from Constance Spry tomorrow.
I won't. It came this morning.
We've hardly heard from her
in almost two years.
I know she behaved abominably,
but if war breaks out her
situation will be dreadful!
Please, can't you try to track her
down, and persuade her to come home?
Persie does what most appeals
to her at any given time.
I doubt I could persuade her
to do anything.
I thought that was your stock
in trade, persuading people.
I don't think that comment
was called for.
I didn't say it to be unkind.
I said it because I care.
Foreign Office please, Spargo.
Pritchard! What on earth is this?
A gas proof pram, your ladyship.
A newly patented device, designed
by a gentleman living in Maidstone.
He is described as "a bachelor,
but interested in babies."
I really don't like the look
of it at all.
If I may demonstrate.
Baby is placed in the body of the
pram, on the mattress supplied.
The lid is brought down on Baby,
who sees familiar faces
in the window, and is reassured.
And where did you acquire this,
Pritchard?
The ARP depot. I was able to exert
a little influence.
Well, I suppose if it's thoroughly
scrubbed with Milton's fluid,
and then aired...
Your ladyship!
I'm so sorry, John.
I feel a perfect fool.
Well. You have been put through
the mincer a bit.
I were premature.
Were you?
Too small even for the cot.
Me mam had to put me
to sleep in a hat box
and slept with it in the crook
of her arm to keep me warm.
It's on top of the wardrobe now.
Just her Sunday hat in it
these days.
Veronica has trouble with her lungs.
She stopped breathing
three times in the first week,
as though the effort was beyond her.
She'll get the hang of it.
As long as she isn't gassed.
My grandad used to say to me there's
no such thing as a dumb creature.
We had a Jack Russell that
could bark out numbers.
But I have never met a
thicker animal than this.
Solomon's purely a pet.
He's just meant to look appealing
and not exert himself.
I'm leaving this to dry.
I'm not surprised Lady Agnes had
the jitters. Call it a pram?
Could suffocate a baby.
Good lad.
Good Lad, see, it's nice isn't it.
Stay there, stay there Solomon.
Johnny! What the hell have you done?
I were worried about the baby
Jesus wept, Johnny!
What are you playing at?
It were only for five minutes!
I were just testing
the gas pram out!
You what? On the monkey.
To see if it worked.
Are your brains just painted on?
They do it down the pit
with the linnets!
His heart has arrested.
Johnny, get the brandy.
Not the master's brandy!
The cooking brandy!
Mrs Thack put it all in that
ponding a la Clarence!
You'll break his ribs, Mr Pritchard!
I'll break Johnny's neck if we can't
get this wretched animal to breathe.
I was trying to help.
I am of the view that life
is now extinct.
You'll get the sack for this.
You left the keys to
the Humber on a hook!
You'll be in just as much
bother as him!
Couldn't we stretch it out in the
garden nip its neck with pliers,
make out he'd been attacked by rats?
His lips are bright pink it's
a sign of gassing. How do you know?
I just do. Eunice.
Put this in the laundry crate.
There will be no word of this
to anyone...
beyond the boundary of this room.
I can't be found out, Mr Pritchard!
If I am, I'll lose my place.
Mr Amanjit has gone to temple.
Mrs Thackeray has gone to see
Miss Buck at the London Chest,
then Robin Hood,
second house at the Locarno.
We must hope their absence
will assist us.
You had to twist the master's arm
to take me back on after Borstal!
If it wasn't for you,
I'd still be on the streets
Don't ask!
You'll be in as much bother as him.
Dear little Miss Veronica
looks as though she will
thrive on a diet of good
conversation, porcelain and pearls.
It would therefore delight me
to be her Godpapa.
Thanks, old friend.
I'm sure you'll be quite marvellous.
Will you excuse me,
whilst I take them back to Nanny?
Of course.
Come on young man.
Night, night, be good for Nanny.
Fatherhood suits him.
At the moment it's the only thing
that brings him any solace.
He's convinced that Chamberlain is
wrong, but feels powerless to
influence a change.
It's as though he's being stifled.
Kept at arm's length,
because his views don't fit.
Does he suspect that?
I suspect it.
He may ruin his career.
Your mother-in-law would be
proud of you.
No, she wouldn't.
She thought me stupid,
she'd be fuming that
I even dared to take a view.
I'm not fuming. I worry for him too.
'Volunteers for the trench
digging party,
'please report to the officer
at mustering point three.
'Volunteers for
the Barrage Balloon team,
'please report to
mustering point five.'
I hate the smell of mud.
I hate it now,
I hate it when it dries on me.
It's the smell of my Dad,
on leave from the front.
Bringing my mum French
chocolates in a box.
Giving me sixpence and his fleas.
My old man never went to war.
He stayed down the pit.
Lucky him.
What will we do
if the family finds out?
It's a monkey, Johnny! A monkey,
and we're digging bloody trenches!
I don't want to lose my job!
There will be full employment
for the likes of you and me.
Don't you worry.
I always favour the Locarno.
I knew a woman who got fleas in her
beaver coat at the Scala.
But the Scala always shows
the Pathe newsreels.
They are superior in every way.
Both of you home together.
And a little earlier than expected!
We chanced upon each
other on the bus.
And how was Miss Buck?
She is as thin as a paper doll!
That shadow on her lung was TB.
We feared as much.
She's being moved to
a sanatorium near Esher.
I couldn't settle in the cinema.
Errol Flynn was being very
boisterous.
I don't mean any disrespect,
Mr Pritchard,
I know you've shaken his martinis
in your time...
but with all the trouble in the world
I couldn't sit there watching men
pretend to fight.
In stockinet leggings.
Tea, Mr Amanjit?
Please. Allow me.
Good morning, Sergeant.
If I might speak to
the master of the house, sir.
Someone telephoned the station, sir.
And gave this address,
saying there had been a murder.
It was me.
Would you, or would you not,
agree to the fact that the
gums are the colour of cherryade?
I'm not familiar with cherryade.
Well if you've pulled as many heads
out of ovens as I have,
you would know what
you are looking at.
Carbon monoxide, ie gas.
This, sir, appears to constitute
an offence against
the 1911 Act for
the Protection of Animals.
The offender must be found
and prosecuted.
This creature was cherished,
and I insist on justice!
Was it your monkey, sir?
No. It belonged to my late mother.
Oh. Do YOU insist on justice?
Sergeant.
I am to blame for this
unfortunate occurrence.
What do you mean, Pritchard?
In my capacity as an
Air Raid Warden,
I undertook to test a piece
of prototype equipment,
to be specific, a gas-proof pram.
The animal's demise was
the result of that experiment.
I see.
He was my mother's friend!
Well in view of the current crisis,
we'd be inclined to overlook
a case against an animal.
You think it doesn't matter
that things die?
Of course it matters, Pamela!
Follow me please, sir.
Of course.
Well, sir.
I don't think you're going
to find us
much exercised by all
this monkey business.
However, during
our customary check ups,
we stumbled on a separate
misdemeanour.
I see.
This isn't your first time in a cell
is it, Warwick Edgar Pritchard?
No, Sergeant. It is not.
So why, when you were filling
in your
Air Raid Precautions
Volunteer application,
did you not admit your past?
There were no questions
pertaining to my past.
You were asked
if you had any previous convictions.
I have no previous convictions!
You spent five
months in Richmond Jail, in 1917.
I went before a tribunal,
not a court.
My actions did not constitute
a criminal offence.
Would you like to spell out what
they were?
You are clearly apprised
of what they were.
Not quite so proud of yourself now.
I wasn't proud of myself then.
I simply acted according
to my principles.
Say it.
It was more than twenty years ago.
Say it!
I was a Conscientious Objector!
You refused to fight.
You refused to bear arms
in defence of your country.
You went to prison in the last war,
and didn't admit to it
when you had to
fill in your forms for this one.
We aren't at war yet.
Don't split hairs.
I'm in the habit of being precise.
My profession requires it.
So does mine. I have precisely
no toes on my left foot.
I lost them to gangrene, after six
months up to my ankles in mud
and rat piss in the trenches.
Have you ever smelt gangrene?
Yes. I was in the Ambulance Service.
Before or after you were in prison?
Now you're splitting hairs.
I think you need a little time
to simmer down.
'The Prime Minister has concluded
his second set of talks
'with Chancellor Hitler.
'The summit took place at
Bad Godesburg in Germany.
'Mr Chamberlain maintains that war
can be averted,
'but Hitler has not altered
his demands
'and the international situation
has deteriorated.'
Guten Tag. Ich moechte bitte
mit Persephone Towyn sprechen.
'Es tut mir leid. Ich bin neu hier.'
'May I help you?'
My name is Holland.
I'm trying to track down my
sister-in-law, Persephone Towyn.
I understood she was
resident at this address.
'Persie?
I'm sorry. She's moved on.'
I was hoping we might have
sandbags at the front by now.
They were meant to come today,
sir.
What the deuce is going on?
Dr Mottershead is going through
Lady Holland's papers,
her journals, and her letters!
Aunt Blanche, this is just plain
intrusive. Maud was my sister.
Half-sister. We shared the same
father, and his genes were dominant.
Now, Pamela is helping me
to sort things out.
She's going to take one or two
things as mementoes,
then the rest can be burned,
or filed and packed away.
Dr Mottershead intends to
commandeer this desk.
I have not sanctioned her actions.
I would hope not.
I insist you defer to Mr Amanjit,
he is an established
member of this household.
I am clearing space
for pens and notebooks.
The British Museum will have to be
evacuated, and I've been asked to
help curate the transfer.
It's splendid stuff, the Elgin
Marbles will be put in Aldwych Tube.
I don't care! If you're not going
back to Cambridge,
you should rent yourself some rooms.
I like it here. I don't.
And you needn't even
think of moving those.
My position is difficult.
The authority was always
Lady Holland's.
And now she is gone,
I do not know to whom I answer.
You don't answer to my Aunt,
I can tell you that now.
Sit down, Mr Amanjit.
This was my pistol
when I was in the Navy.
It's the only gun I've ever owned,
and you're the only person
I can trust with it.
Is it a Colt, sir?
Mine was a Webley 45.
What was your regiment?
59th Scinde Horse,
Jullunder Brigade. Sir.
So you would have been at Ypres?
I was wounded at Ypres.
That gun needs stripping down
and cleaning.
In the event of an invasion,
if I'm not here, it is yours,
and you may use it as required.
I will perform any service
you desire, sir.
If a man has duties,
he has a certain path.
I'm going to speak to
the police about Pritchard,
and tell them I'm not pressing
any charges.
I want you to go
and collect him in the car.
He is essential to
the running of this house.
What about the monkey?
We have other things to cry about.
'As a precaution orders were issued
this afternoon
'calling up men of the Anti Aircraft
units of the Territorial Army...'
I'm sorry.
I need to tip the nappies out.
'..Also as a precaution officers
and men of the Royal Air Force
'and units of the
Auxiliary Air Force.'
I'm getting used to it already.
..'Defensive units of
the Auxiliary...'
Ouch. Yeah, can't get
my gloves on for driving,
my knuckles are so swollen.
All hands to the pump, eh?
Some paperwork for you to
sign before you go, sir.
Shame it wasn't a chicken
you gassed.
You could be setting the scene
with a few white feathers.
The Great War was a just war,
every effort to avoid it through
diplomacy had failed,
so every man had a duty
to bear arms!
That is your belief,
as a Sikh, Mr Amanjit.
Stop rattling on about religion!
It's the hypocrisy that
makes my stomach churn!
Marching up and down like
a clockwork Mussolini!
I have been doing what
I thought was right!
I did what I thought was
right in 1917.
I'll never forget
the morning my Leonard left.
He said, "I don't want to go."
"I don't want to go."
And I didn't say that
I thought that war was wrong.
I didn't say,
"stay home, stay safe."
I hid in the hall,
and the last thing
I heard was the latch on the gate.
And his boots on the pavement.
Marching off.
I sometimes think that
I was a widow from that moment.
People didn't do what
they thought was right,
they did what was right.
Hitler and Chamberlain to meet
in Munich! Chamberlain to Munich!
Ah, thank you very much sir.
Thank you.
This is our final chance.
And I have had more than
one sleepless night
since I spoke angrily to you.
I too, sir.
And I find that my opinion
has been altered.
Hitler is dictating terms,
and it is all too easy to
see where it will end.
You are to go to Germany.
It has been decided.
And I end as I began.
This is our final chance.
Come upstairs, Hallam.
Come upstairs,
and kiss our children.
They're the future,
you'll be doing it for them.
I called as soon as I heard.
It's frightfully
good of you to come.
I wanted to. Good for my nerves.
You have no nerves.
Is this Bessie Smith?
Billie Holiday, do keep up.
Really, Hallam.
One youthful night on the tiles
with an exotic songstress,
and you're marked for life.
Cheers.
One wishes opinion weren't so riven.
They're calling you
the Glamour Boys, did you know that?
You and Eden. Cranborne.
Ronald Tree.
The men who'd prefer to
thumb their noses at the Nazis.
We don't want war.
But we don't believe in appeasement.
You believe in England, don't you?
Always.
Hallam.
My brother, the King,
wrote a letter to Herr Hitler.
The King said "I do not write as
one Head of State to another,
"but rather as one
ex-serviceman to another.
"I am sure I need not remind
you of the last Great War,
"and am convinced that
you too would be
"appalled at the possibility of such
a calamity recurring."
And I wondered...
..if you might take it
to the Fuehrer?
No, sir. The boost to Hitler's
ego would be monstrous.
Do you even refuse to read it?
I must. Take it. I beg you.
No! Sir.
I really do believe that it
would be the better thing
for your country,
and for your career.
I'm not thinking about my career.
I can assure you that your wife
thinks about it all the time.
Sir.
Your valise is packed and ready,
sir,
and your clothes
for the morning are set out.
Tailcoat and striped trousers.
And her ladyship suggested
your late father's cufflinks.
Thank you, Pritchard.
I'm sorry about all that business
with the police.
Your private life, and your
opinions, are your own affair.
But it must have been
distressing for you.
I find that when one follows
one's conscience, sir,
the pain is generally
felt by other people.
Can Mr Chamberlain by persuaded
to change course?
What are your views on Herr Hitler?
Sorry about this, Spargo.
Don't apologise, sir.
Aren't you afraid that standing up
to Hitler will result in war?
I wonder, Mr Amanjit,
whether you might pass the salt?
That were uncalled for.
I'd have thrown
the pepper at him, too.
It's like giving meat
and two veg to Judas.
Oh, I think you should
all stop this.
Getting your shirt tails in a twist
over something that happened
over twenty years ago!
"Something?" Something? Some of us
fought a war on your behalf!
A war to end all wars!
Well it didn't end all wars, did it?
So you've nothing to be smug about.
No.
This is all my fault.
Go back out to the servants' hall.
You're taking sides,
and that never solves a quarrel.
Excuse me, Mr Amanjit!
Mr Amanjit.
This is a domestic garden,
and there are adjacent residences.
I do not consider your actions
to be safe.
And you would know
all about safety wouldn't you.
Mr Amanjit! Give that gun to me.
Your husband charged me with this.
Well he isn't here now,
and you're provoking a disturbance.
Do as Lady Agnes tells you.
Give her the gun.
Forgive me, if I was overzealous.
It's warm.
That's not uncommon.
I've twice had occasion to fire
one in the past.
The spectacle has concluded.
And since we are in England,
I suggest you make some tea.
I was brought up by Quaker
parents, your ladyship.
Their belief was that there is
"that of God in everyone."
It became mine too.
Well, I think that's rather nice.
Aren't you going to ask him
to sit down?
No, because it would make us
both feel very awkward.
Carry on, Pritchard.
It made violence seem abhorrent.
When war was declared,
I joined the Friends Ambulance Unit.
It seemed the proper
way of seeing out the war...
I could play my part, and did not
need to declare my conscience.
Others had more courage,
and they were sentenced.
The conditions at
Richmond jail were vile,
and I felt moved to declare
myself at one with those imprisoned.
I meant only to draw attention
to their plight,
but found myself incarcerated
alongside them.
Why, Pritchard?
Why did you speak out,
when there was no need?
I am occasionally
driven by my passions.
I wouldn't ask him
to elaborate if I were you.
Everyone's entitled to some secrets.
You took the blame for John, too.
There was no need for that.
He is impetuous, and so am I.
Most men have more in common
than they think.
And this is the wording
suggested for Clause Two?
Yes, Prime Minister.
It concerns the terms
for the withdrawal of troops
from Sudetenland,
by October the 10th.
Might I have a moment
please, Prime Minister?
Herren. Wir moechten uns beraten.
Prime Minister,
I strongly advise you to reconsider.
Your amendment ties His Majesty's
Government into a pact
that gives Germany the upper hand.
We cannot add the caveat...
"without destroying their
military installations."
This is the wording which
Hitler has requested.
We need a declaration
which Hitler will accept.
Holland.
This amendment has to stand.
We all fit into this household
in a different way.
We come and go
through different doors,
we eat our meals at separate tables,
but we all give 165 Eaton Place
as our address.
And that means
we're on the same side.
From now on, I expect your behaviour
to reflect that.
Or how else will we survive a war?
Stop looking so shifty.
I did ask permission.
I'm doing Johnny's next.
You can take them out now.
Almost clean again.
Oooh, it's the peroxide
that does it.
I used to do nails
at a hairdresser's in Walthamstow.
I did hair too, not particularly
well. That's going to change.
Oh, yes?
I'm saving up to be apprenticed
to a Mayfair salon.
Monsieur Gaston, Court Coiffeur.
How much does that cost?
Forty guineas.
That's why I'm here.
Living in, all found. So I can save.
It's an investment.
Even if there's going to be a war?
People want what's beautiful.
They want it more when the world
turns black. I know, I've seen it.
My mother used to cut
pictures of jewellery
out of magazines before she died.
Pictures of houses that
she'd never live in.
Did she know she was dying?
I think she had it all planned.
The verdict wasn't suicide,
it was misadventure.
Her head wasn't fully in the oven
when I found her.
There is every possibility that she
might have tripped.
Gas, eh?
It gets everywhere these days.
Whisky und soda, bitte.
Doppelt, mit Eis.
Shocking to think old Maud has gone.
Still, she taught me to smoke.
I'll think of her every day.
Kellner!
Das ist ein Gin Martini.
Ich bat um Wodka.
Vodka? Oh, I'm quite
the sophisticate these days.
Joachim told me you were here.
Joachim?
Von Ribbentrop. And please don't
pull that big brother face.
Joachim and I aren't lovers.
Any more. Good.
I'm teasing!
You can't tell.
You always could, before.
He made sure I was looked after,
when I first arrived.
I needed it. Needed him, really.
Besides, aren't
we all rowing in the same boat now?
Same team, great international
friends? I don't know.
You can't save the whole world,
Hallam.
Agnes wants you to come home.
And you can't save me.
Because I'm not in danger.
Persie. If Britain signs the deal
I've seen being drafted,
in twelve months time
the world will be on fire.
If you leave soon, I can arrange
a diplomatic flight for you.
Do you think I've nothing
to stay here for?
That I haven't built a life
I may not want to leave?
It was May, the first time
Friedrich brought me here.
I thought the smell
was of the lilacs in the garden.
I found out it was
the smell of money.
I gather I'm meant to ask
who Friedrich is?
He's in the Army now,
although he wasn't always.
He's a Standarthenfuehrer.
It means Colonel.
He has family money.
You have family, Persie.
I can't work out whether that's
a threat, or reassurance.
Have you never wanted to
cut all ties?
Sever every bond,
and just surrender all your burdens?
If I did, I never dared.
Listen.
The Very Thought Of You. Friedrich
buys me records from America.
♪ The longing here for you
♪ You'll never know how slow
♪ The moments go
♪ Till I'm near to you
♪ I see your face in
every flower
♪ Your eyes in stars above... ♪
You can leave with me tomorrow.
I can take you home.
No.
But I might come and wave you off.
♪ It's just the thought of you
♪ The very thought of you
♪ My love. ♪
It smells the same as plimsolls,
but I'm getting used to it.
Will you give over trying to make
small talk, Eunice!
You sound like a flatulent mallard.
I said it smells
the same as plimsolls,
but I'm getting used to it.
Mr Pritchard.
Mr Amanjit.
Sort Eunice's straps out.
The way she's got them addled,
Hitler's halfway home.
'We, the German Fuehrer and the
British Prime Minister
'are agreed that the question
of Anglo-German relations
'is of the first importance.
'We regard this agreement,
signed last night,
'and the Anglo-German agreement,
'as symbolic of the desire of our
two peoples to never to go to war
'with one another again!
'There has come back from Germany
peace - with honour.
'I believe it is
peace for our time!'
'We thank you from
the bottom of our hearts.
'And I now recommend you go home
and sleep quietly in your beds.'
Is it all over then?
This is history, Eunice.
It's never over.
His Excellency,
and Mrs Kennedy,
will be bringing two
additional guests...
their son Jack, and,
a Mr Caspar Landry.
I told Agnes how you were.
Did you tell her that we kissed?
And what's your heart's desire,
Mr Landry?
I'd rather like to dance with you.
You do not address any guest of
the family upstairs as "dear!"
Let alone the son
of the American Ambassador!
I don't want to be here any more!
Hallam. I want her home.
These are cries for help.
Sir, we could
take in tens of thousands.
Britain should take the lead.