Marchlands s01e01 Episode Script

- Nisha, what are you doing? - We've got the scan.
- Not till eleven.
- There's still a lot to do.
- Oh, come on.
- Another half hour, please.
- Mark - We don't have to go back to sleep.
- Ooh! - Eddie.
- Mm? - Stop poking me.
- I can't help it.
You've got work to go to.
That can wait five minutes.
Five minutes? Well, you're always saying I should be more ambitious.
- Mum, Scott's annoying me! - I'm not doing anything.
- Amy, you have to knock.
- Urgh, that's gross.
Come on, don't encourage them.
Oh, never mind, lover boy.
Hold that thought till tonight.
You're listening to 105 FM, Radio York - Thank you.
- Eh, get your own! - Yeah, well, get a job.
- I'm 15.
So? Sweep some chimneys or something.
I've got Esther Rantzen's number here, you know.
Give her a call, see if she wants to adopt you.
Tired, Amy? Did you sleep all right? - Alice kept me up.
- Yeah.
Alice.
Good one.
- I talk to her when I'm in bed.
- Scott, leave her alone.
Amy, you need your sleep.
No talking in bed.
Helen, this imaginary friend, how long is it going to last? Until she grows out of it.
- What, so we? - Don't challenge her.
- Don't encourage her.
- Just ignore it and do nothing.
Yeah.
I can do that.
On digital and on-line This is BBC Radio 5 live.
Good morning, it's seven o'clock.
5 live Breakfast coming to you this morning after George Osborne's announcement of how he's cutting back on public spending to deal with the budget deficit.
Back in Whitehall, civil servants in London have agreed to The news headlines.
Prime Minister Harold Wilson has announced - Good morning, Ruth, love.
- Robert.
There's an egg left, if you want it.
No, thanks, Evelyn, I'm fine.
You could pour the tea, then.
Will the Accrington job be finished this week? - If there are no more breakdowns.
- I have to talk to him at the golf club.
I don't want him any more miserable than normal.
I thought I'd sort out the garden today.
You could give me a hand.
Oh.
Unless you've got something more important No.
Right.
Yeah, fine.
- Are you all right? - Yes.
Sorry, I'm just just getting used to how quiet it is.
- There's no traffic noise.
- I thought that was what you wanted.
- Part of your master plan.
- I'm just noticing the difference, that's all.
And, hey, it's our master plan.
So you're not pining for the bright lights yet? Still get my fix, I'm at work every day.
I should have known.
You can take the lawyer out of the city Mm.
Never lived in an old house before.
Not properly old, I mean.
- Not like this.
- It's what estate agents call character property.
Pushes the price up.
It does make you think.
- All the people who've lived here before.
- Yeah.
Lived here, loved here.
Left their mark on the place.
- Paul! - Dad's waiting in the car.
- I dreamt about her again.
- Ruth, please, I It was an accident.
You've got to let her go.
Thirsty? A full bladder pushes the uterus into a better position for the scan.
Thank God for the internet, eh? - Come on, people, we're gonna be late.
- Whose fault's that, Casanova? - Who's Casanova? - Plays left-back for Leeds United.
- I was there first.
- But I always have to go in the back! - Sit next to your imaginary friend.
- Scott! - Dad, tell him! - Come round here, Amy.
- What was that? - I think we just ran over Alice.
- What happened, Dad? Just didn't see her? - It's not funny.
It is, Amy.
It's funny cos you're funny.
Funny in the head.
- Stop it! - Scott - Alice is real.
- So how come we can't see her? Maybe she doesn't want you to.
So, she's real, you can see her but we can't? - Leave her alone.
- No, come on, Amy, how does that work? How come Alice defies all the laws of physics? Because she's dead.
OK, so you can see the baby's head just here.
Baby's face just in the front there.
Baby's spine at the back, little heart beating away there.
Baby's bottom, and baby's legs.
- It's amazing.
- It's like a scene from Alien.
Ow! Amazing, too, obviously.
- I can print you out a picture if you like.
- Oh.
- That's our baby.
- I know.
Weird, in't it? Not the baby, just You know.
You'd better get used to it.
Over here, Mummy, I'm over here.
Over here, Mummy, over here! Ruth! No! Look what you've done! Listen to me.
It's been six months now.
There's nothing else to be done, you've just got to get on.
I'm trying.
It's hard.
Everything reminds me.
Even in the village I catch the look in people's eyes.
Pity.
Or worse.
They blame me, I know they do.
They must think I was a bad mother.
You've still got responsibilities.
Your marriage.
It's your job to make sure it survives this.
No-one else can do that.
What about Paul? It's the woman.
It's always the woman who keeps things going.
He barely speaks to me.
Sometimes it's not about them, what they do, what they want.
Sometimes the only thing that matters is what you do.
Give in? Crumble? Throw it all away? Or hang onto it.
Defy them.
Paint on a brave face and look the world in the eye.
I don't know if I can do that.
We never do.
Not until you try.
Both arms straight up, bend on the down.
Up! Arms in front.
Now pull them back.
Again.
Bloody Alice.
Good riddance.
Can't have been much to do here as a teenager.
It was all right.
We knew how to make our own entertainment back in those days.
- God, I dread to think.
- Good morning, dear.
- Morning.
Isn't that Ruth Bowen, the one that lost her daughter? Such a shame.
Come along, Molly.
Sean in Sheffield, thanks for pulling over for us.
What would you like to say? Is it worth the money, the Olympics? Yes, absolutely.
Oh! Shit! OK.
Amy, bath's ready.
Get in there before it gets cold.
OK.
Amy! Amy, open this door now! Amy! Amy! - Look what you've done.
- It wasn't me.
Who else could it be? It was Alice! There's nothing there that won't wait till tomorrow.
I'd rather get it finished tonight.
What should I tell Ruth? Tell her not to wait up.
Hey, Nish, only me.
Going for a shower.
- All right.
Stick the kettle on when you're done.
- Will do.
- So you just ran at it? - I thought she was in here.
- With your shoulder? - Yeah.
- And just burst right through? - Eddie, forget about the bloody door.
- What about Amy? - She could have left the water running, and gone to her room and forgot all about it.
The door could have closed in a draught and expanded and jammed cos of the moisture.
What is this? Columbo? - That doesn't explain the lock.
- Eddie, I don't care about the lock.
What are we going to do about this Alice business? I thought we decided.
You said don't confront, don't encourage.
We can't act like nothing's happened, can we? No, but we don't want to overreact either, do we? Does she talk to you about her? - About Alice? - Yeah.
Has she said anything? No.
No.
I'm sorry, love, they messed up the paperwork on a big order and I had to ask Paul to stay on and sort it out.
He's the only one who understands these things.
He said he'd be home as soon as he could.
Right.
Thanks, Robert.
You know, you're a terrible liar.
What was I supposed to do? Tell her the truth? Nisha? - Nish? - In here.
Wow! Look at that.
This must have been a kid's bedroom.
- You strip all that? - It needed to be done.
- We're behind schedule.
- Don't you think you've done enough for today? I just want to finish this little bit.
It won't take long, I promise.
Famous last words.
What do you think you're doing? I thought I was on a promise.
Sorry.
I'm not in the mood, not since Amy tried to flood the place.
Aw, Helen.
I wish you'd have told me earlier.
Why? - What difference does it make? - I skipped pudding at dinnertime cos I thought you know.
So, in future, if I change my mind about sex I should give you proper notice so you can adjust your pudding intake? Obviously, when you say it like that it sounds bad.
But, yeah.
Yeah, you should.
- Aargh! Nisha? Nisha! Over here, Mummy, I'm over here.
Secret property of Alice Bowen.
Yes, I know, Derek, but it's a pain for me, too, literally.
A broken ankle and possible concussion, apparently.
No, no driving.
Well, I'll have to work from home for now.
If there wasn't such pressure on beds, I'd keep her in another night.
Everything's all right, though? The fracture's not displaced.
It should heal in a few weeks if she stays off it.
- She'll have a headache for a bit but it'll pass.
- The baby's OK? As far as we can tell.
If you notice anything unusual then come back in, obviously.
And she might want to take things easy for a while.
I doubt it.
- Thanks.
- OK.
Bye.
Amy, you know when the bathroom flooded? Uh-huh.
Well, does Alice often do things like that? I don't know.
See, it seems to me that any girl who does that must be very naughty.
Alice is a good girl.
Good girls don't do things like that, though, do they? No.
You see, I don't like you being friends with naughty girls.
So I don't think you should speak to Alice any more.
But then what will she do? Well, she might get bored and go away.
- She can't go away.
- Why not? She lives here.
She's always lived here.
I don't want you talking to her any more, do you understand? Yes.
You promise? - I promise.
- Good girl.
Mmm! Mum made me promise.
But I did this.
I'll get something for dinner.
You stay here and rest.
Oh! - You come in first, love.
- Thank you.
Hi.
- Do you have any paracetamol? - Of course.
One sec.
- Make sure you read the label.
- I know it by heart.
Oh, hold on.
- Here.
- Oh, thank you.
If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
Hm! I'm not registered here yet.
We've just moved in.
- But - I know.
It's on my 'to do' list.
Near the top.
So are you actually in the village? Just on the edge.
Marchlands.
- Marchlands? - Yeah.
Do you know it? I used to live there.
My family rented it when I was a kid.
Really? Oh! So, erm is it a good house to grow up in? Well, you know, that was way back in the '80s.
A long time ago.
You might know my partner.
He used to live here when he was a teenager.
Mark Ashburn? Mark.
Yeah, I remember him.
He was a couple of years older than me.
Left to go off to uni.
I didn't think we'd see him back here.
That's my fault.
We were looking to move out of the city and I wanted him show me his old stomping ground.
We saw the house was up for sale, so here we are.
Well, he'll know all about the house.
Yeah.
Tell him Scott Maynard said hi.
- I'll probably see him around.
- Yeah.
I'm sure.
- Thanks, then.
- Bye.
All right? Yeah.
I got some tomatoes, to do some pasta.
- That OK? - Yeah, fine.
Scott! It's on! - Good morning.
- Did you have a good holiday? Amy? Come here.
I've got something to show you.
- What's going on? - Wait and see.
What is it? What have you got? Aw, he's so sweet! She.
It's a little girl.
Is she mine? Can we keep her? - That's the idea.
- Yes! I'm going to show Scott.
Aw! - A cat? - Kitten.
You bought her a cat without speaking to me first? Yeah.
It just came to me.
She can talk to the cat.
So no more Alice.
For your information, I've already dealt with that.
- Really? - Yes.
Really.
So we didn't need a cat.
You dipstick.
She is cute though, isn't she? God! And good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Good evening! What a lovely crowd you are.
Don't take any notice of this, it's just I can't keep count with that on.
Robert, could you fetch that bag out to the kitchen for me? Yes, er Television! Death of conversation, if you ask me.
No, wait for me to say it! I don't feel very well.
Aw! Anyway, let's enjoy ourselves, let's Paul can we talk? You never speak to me any more.
You barely look at me.
I'm just trying to get on.
To get on with what? Not me.
- Not us.
- Things need to settle down.
- That's all.
- Settle down? What does that mean? Alice is gone.
She's not coming back.
I know that.
Don't you think I know that? - Then you have to let her go.
- I can't! She won't let me.
I have this dream about her every night.
It's like she's still here.
- Ruth, please.
- I keep thinking about what happened.
- I still don't understand.
- There's no mystery.
- Where's her coat? Or her silver cross? - In Blackwater Tarn! She drowned.
She wandered off, fell in and drowned.
- She wouldn't wander off.
- Why can't you just accept it? - Because she wouldn't do that! - But she did! She did and now she's gone.
She was a good girl! - You're making it worse.
- Our little girl.
- Can't you see that? - Our baby! Stop it! - So what's the occasion? - No occasion.
I promised the doctor I'd look after you, that's all.
It's the recipe from that place in Sicily.
Oh.
Yeah.
Ohhh! - That was fantastic, wasn't it? - Mm.
Wow.
- Very impressive.
- I'm a man of many talents.
I'll say.
I didn't know you could sign.
- You saw that? - Who's the woman? Olive Runcie.
She's deaf.
Lives further out.
Up the Forest Road.
My mum knew hers.
Used to do their garden for them.
It were good money.
- So she taught you to sign? - Well, the basics.
Hm.
I did warn you.
There's bound to be people who remember me.
Place this size, you must've known the whole village.
Not exactly.
What about the couple who lived here? I told you.
An old couple.
I never spoke to them.
Our house was up the other end.
I was hardly ever down this way.
- Except for when you were helping Olive? - Well, yeah.
- Look, all that is in the dim and distant.
- It's not that long ago.
Nothing to do with here and now.
Come on.
Eat up.
- Oh, come on.
- No! - I'll be fine.
- It's not just about you, though.
The Bump won't notice.
- You're supposed to be taking it easy.
- I'll be sitting down.
All right.
But no ladders.
No ladders.
Promise.
I've been thinking about turning the small bedroom into a sewing room.
Alice's room? - Well, it's not being used.
- Evelyn - It's not.
- It's Alice's room.
- It's empty.
- You can't.
- It's my house.
- It's their home, too.
They don't need it, not now.
- Not unless they're thinking about another baby.
- Evelyn, please.
You think we can just replace her? - No-one said that.
- It's what you meant.
Don't presume to know my mind.
I wouldn't want to.
You think you're the only one who suffers? - Alice was our granddaughter.
- I'm her mother! Don't you dare compare the two! You weren't so precious swanning off to your evening classes and leaving her with us! That's enough! Do not speak to my wife like that.
Alice's room will stay as it is until Ruth and I decide otherwise and you will keep out of matters which don't concern you.
Do you understand? - You stood up for me.
- She had no right to speak to you like that.
- Thank you.
- You're my wife.
It hasn't felt like it lately.
I know.
Don't work late tonight.
Come home.
Please.
- OK.
- Promise.
I promise.
Alice In The Woods.
Which must make you Alice.
Eddie! You nearly gave me a heart attack! You can talk! Bloody Ophelia! I thought you were dead! - What are you doing? - Health and safety issue.
- What? - Sexual frustration.
I'm so distracted my mind's not on the job.
I could end up causing an accident at work.
So, I have to do this.
It's not for me, it's for the lads.
Their lives are at stake! Do you remember when we used to do it in bus shelters? Disabled toilets.
Under the pier at Blackpool.
That wasn't me.
Oh, no.
You're right.
Sorry.
When did it all get so complicated? - 23rd August - 1972.
Scott's birthday.
Yeah.
Don't worry.
Another ten years, we'll have it all back.
I'll be 54.
I'm not shagging under a pier at 54.
That wasn't me! Ruth? I love you.
I miss you.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Ruth.
I don't think I can do this.
Why? What have I done wrong? - Tell me.
I don't know what to do.
- It's not your fault.
I've lost Alice and now I'm losing you.
I'm sorry.
I am.
I really am.
- Paul, tell me.
- I can't.
You can.
Look at me and tell me what's wrong.
I can't! I can't look at you.
Every time I do, you remind me of Alice.
- Amy! - Amy.
Amy! Amy! What's wrong? What's wrong? It was an accident! She didn't mean it! - What's happened? - Who didn't mean it? Alice.
Oh, my God! - Mark.
- Mm-hm.
If it's a girl what do you think about the name Alice?