1 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:41,080 I was so nearly born an American, I came that close. 2 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,960 In the 1950s, my father was offered a job at Princeton University 3 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:46,240 and he turned it down. 4 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:51,400 And so I was born not in NJ, but in NW3. 5 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,760 And I was born a Stephen, not a Steve. 6 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,040 But ever since I found this out at a later age, 7 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,760 I've been intensely curious to discover more 8 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,960 about the world of my other self - 9 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,800 this strange American, Steve. 10 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,400 MUSIC: "America" from West Side Story 11 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:49,360 Over the next months I and a trusty London cab, 12 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,200 albeit one hired in the US, 13 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,640 will be visiting each and every one 14 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,280 of the 50 of the United States Of America 15 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,360 to explore the continent that I came so close to calling home. 16 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,680 In this episode, I shall be travelling through the heart 17 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,720 of the region called New England, 18 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,880 before heading south to New York City and thence to New Jersey, 19 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:15,960 Delaware, Maryland and on to Washington DC and Pennsylvania. 20 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,880 The first stage of my journey is Maine, 21 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,960 and I'm at the very easternmost tip of the USA in the town of Eastport. 22 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,160 This is the lobster capital of the world 23 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,800 and I'm out on the water with the McPheil family, 24 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,840 who've been harvesting the bottom of the sea for three generations. 25 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,280 - So what do I do? - Make a pocket, make handfuls, 26 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,200 get it nice and tight, stitch it up. 27 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,240 - OK. - But you've got to make sure it stays closed, so the crabs don't pick the bait out. 28 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,000 - Nice and tight so they pick through here. - Oh, I see. 29 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:47,440 What would you say is the view most Americans have 30 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:49,160 of the State of Maine? 31 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,400 - Pine trees! - Pine trees? 32 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,040 - Moose, someone told me. - Moose. 33 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,000 The animal, not the pudding. 34 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,040 A lot of people think of lobsters but they don't realise how much work goes into it. 35 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:00,560 Maine lobster of course, yeah. 36 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,560 - Three out of four lobsters sold in America are Maine lobsters. - That's what they say. 37 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,400 What about the people? What is the characteristic of someone from Maine? 38 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,520 - What do you call yourselves? Mainians? Maniacs? - I've been called worse! 39 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,920 - What is the word? Is there an official word? - Hard workers, I guess. 40 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:19,280 Is that the view people have of Maine people? 41 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,760 I've worked away and when you mention you're from Maine, they'll hire you on the spot. 42 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:28,160 - No job application, nothing. - Really? - A good characteristic to have, I guess. - Superb. 43 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,240 These hardy New Englanders are mainly 44 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:31,920 of Scottish and Irish descent, 45 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,960 and have in spades that strong puritan work ethic 46 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,440 which has shaped so much of this country. 47 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,160 Oh, no. I've broken this one! 48 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:40,720 That's coming out of your pay. 49 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,320 - So how old do you reckon that sort of size is? - This lobster? - Yeah. 50 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,000 - I'd say it's probably 10, 12 years old. - Really? 51 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,680 How much would you sell that for? 52 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,920 - That's probably worth 20, 25 dollars. - 25 dollars? - Boat price. 53 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,280 - By the time it's got to the restaurant? - Probably 60, 70 dollars. 54 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,720 - Yeah, it's not a fair world is it? With the farmer, the fishermen... - We do all the work. 55 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,920 - Absolutely. - The hardest part. 56 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,800 - We do the hardest part. - I know. You said "hardest part" - 57 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:10,680 now that's a bit like Boston, isn't it? It sounds almost Australian. "Hardest?" It's really unusual. 58 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:16,160 Back in Eastport, and the morning's catch is unloaded at Bob Del Papa's Chowder House. 59 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:20,200 Angus McPheil, lobster patriarch, has been lobstering all his life 60 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,640 and knows a thing or two about these snappy insects of the deep. 61 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,640 When you say "put to sleep", what does that mean exactly? 62 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,240 - How can you...? - Oh, just, you know, we usually... 63 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,200 play with them, kind of, you know... 64 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:32,440 stand it out, 65 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,320 kinda put their claws down... 66 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:35,640 - Yeah... - Rub their back, 67 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,000 kind of puts them paralysed, like... 68 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,600 So, it's now in a trance? 69 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,400 Can I try that? Cos they're definitely awake, aren't they? 70 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,800 - Oh, yeah, they're alive. - I mean that's...whoa! 71 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,160 See look, he's flapping away, so hang on, let's... 72 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,320 we put him down like this, 73 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,080 claws in a position... Is that right? 74 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:55,840 Yep. Just kind of... 75 00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:58,520 HE SINGS A LULLABY 76 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:04,920 Look at that! 77 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:07,640 Here we go. 78 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,760 It's gone. I feel a bit cruel, but on the other hand... 79 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:15,800 Yay! 80 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:16,840 HE GASPS 81 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:19,440 They just...they're transformed, aren't they? 82 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,920 So different from the little brown speckly thing 83 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:23,840 you pull out the ocean. It's amazing. 84 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:26,840 - It's a lobster bib. You put it over your head... - HE LAUGHS 85 00:05:26,840 --> 00:05:31,040 - Oh, yeah and tie it around your back. Oh, yeah. - Oh, my. - Maine people don't do that. 86 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:32,080 HE LAUGHS 87 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,680 Oh, great. Thank you! So suddenly, I'm the only one with one. 88 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,240 Where did this taxi cab come from? Did you have trouble? 89 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:43,000 Well, the thing is, Bob, in London I actually drive a taxi around. 90 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:44,160 I'm not a taxi driver. 91 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,640 - I was going to say, is that your profession, taxi cab? - No. - Oh, OK. 92 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:49,960 No, many people think it should be, 93 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,280 but it's just a very useful way of getting around the city! 94 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,240 So I leave Eastport and head south, 95 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,000 then west towards New Hampshire, my second state. 96 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,720 New Hampshire is well-known for its role 97 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:18,800 in the US presidential primaries. 98 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,520 Over the gruelling months of these preliminary elections, 99 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,280 all the presidential hopefuls trek to every corner of this small state, 100 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:29,520 each trying to convince the suddenly important New Hampshirite, 101 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,600 that they have what it takes to be chosen to lead their party 102 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,440 in the race to be the most powerful person on Earth. 103 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:37,040 Ah, fabulous. 104 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:40,040 Or Leader Of The Free World, as Americans prefer to put it. 105 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,080 How many here are Redsocks fans? 106 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,120 CHEERING 107 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,120 How many are also Yankees fans? 108 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,120 BOOING 109 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,400 How many of these kind of things does he do a day? 110 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,200 Erm, it depends on the schedule but today we have like, two major events 111 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,400 - and then a house party, which is our next event. - A house party? 112 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,200 - Yes. So it's a little smaller, more informal. - Intimate? 113 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,360 - He meets more people and actually shakes their hands? - Yeah. 114 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,920 But normally we can have, like, even five in a day. 115 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,400 - Yeah, and you've no idea what kind of people will be or what the questions will be? - No, no. 116 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:16,160 He just takes them as they come in. 117 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:22,000 That school in Maine that recently is allowing birth control for a middle school, 118 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:23,640 it's unbelievable. 119 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,080 Well, there's no question in my view 120 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,920 that one of the ways that you help instil, if you will, family values, 121 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:35,440 is by having the White House be a place that demonstrates family values. 122 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,200 - Stephen Fry, I'm from the BBC. - Nice to see you again. 123 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:43,160 - Your lovely Deirdre has been very kind to us. - Which way? We've got a picture in here. 124 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,200 For me the moral line that I would not cross - 125 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,320 and we had this in Massachusetts, is what would we make legal? 126 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:53,000 Well, there you are. Politics on the stump. It's rather marvellous. 127 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,200 It's very American. 128 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,800 It's a mixture of Halloween and clapboard houses 129 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,800 and sort of hokey politics, but it's rather splendid. 130 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,960 I don't think we have anything like this in Britain and, er, I have to say one can only approve. 131 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,040 I don't think he knew the questions and yes, it's the house of a supporter, 132 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,920 but he seemed to answer very well. I'm more interested in the process, though. 133 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,360 Democrat or Republican, it wouldn't matter, it's the style... 134 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,440 and I find it very likeable, very amiable, very American in that sense. 135 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:25,080 It's casual and I think all Americans have a sense of great connection and pride 136 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:29,760 about their democratic beginnings, and their sense of being involved 137 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:31,720 in the democratic process. 138 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,600 And that's something we could learn in Britain. 139 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:41,400 100 miles north, 140 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:43,640 and the White Mountains of New Hampshire 141 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:45,760 that straddle the border with Canada. 142 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,120 The Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, 143 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,080 built in 1902, has an illustrious past. 144 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,720 I'd heard of Bretton Woods, but wasn't sure what it was - 145 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:55,960 well, it's this place. 146 00:08:55,960 --> 00:09:00,440 It was an international conference held here in 1944 that set up the World Bank, 147 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:04,120 the International Monetary Fund, tied world currencies to the dollar, 148 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,160 set up the gold standard at 35 an ounce... 149 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:10,600 Everything our prosperity depends on, really, started here. 150 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,200 Because for the first time in history, 151 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:17,320 instead of destroying the enemy, we set up conditions to rebuild. 152 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:19,760 And that's why Germany prospered in the '50s, 153 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,520 and that's why we all prospered too. 154 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,360 The Bretton Woods agreement and all that it stood for 155 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,800 is an enduring monument to American enlightened self-interest, 156 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:40,320 at a time when the US was at the peak of its power at the end of World War Two. 157 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,600 If only it were that simple, these days... 158 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,960 - Thank you. - Thank you. - Have a good trip. - Thank you very much. 159 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,600 My name is Mike, I'm going to be your brakeman today. 160 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:12,480 Back in the cab we have Joe and Pete, they're going to be our engineer and our fireman. 161 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:22,240 I'm on the world's first and still the greatest cog railway, 162 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,840 heading all the way to the top of the highest peak 163 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,000 in the north east of America, Mount Washington. 164 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,640 It's an exhilarating ride on a dizzying gradient. 165 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:34,400 When was this line built? 166 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:36,720 The line was built and established 1869. 167 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,000 - They actually started work on it 1866... - Wow. 168 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,400 and it took three years and 100 men to build the original tracks. 169 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:48,720 And, erm, the amount of fuel that you use for one of these journeys, how much coal? 170 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,040 - We use a ton of coal. - Really? 171 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,360 Much more efficient than previous trains 172 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,240 when the original trains were actually wood trains. 173 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,720 - And how much water does it take? - It takes about 1,000 gallons. 174 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,160 Just from the base to here we're going to burn about 300 gallons. 175 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:08,160 - Was it built for any purpose other than tourism? - Nope, solely for tourism. - Right. 176 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:12,400 - They used to have a hotel at the top. - A hotel at the top of the mountain? - Yep. 177 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,600 Mount Washington, or Agiocochook in the Native American language, 178 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,200 meaning "home of the great spirit", is the windiest place on the planet. 179 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:26,440 That's official. 231 miles per hour recorded on the 12th April, 1934. 180 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:28,640 But luckily, not today. 181 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,600 I'm on the summit of Mount Washington. 182 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,440 6,300 feet up and around me, all of New England lies. 183 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,600 There's New York State, Connecticut, there's Maine and Vermont, 184 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:44,840 and we are right in the middle of course, well, at the top half of New Hampshire. 185 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,240 Vermont, literally "green mountain", vert mont from the French 186 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:02,480 who initially colonised this land is very green, very wet and very milky. 187 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,320 Half a million cows worth, and from that milk 188 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,280 comes something that is as American as Apple Pie, 189 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,240 yet at the very cutting edge of culinary science. 190 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:16,120 30 years ago, two hippies called Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield 191 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,920 started making ice-cream here in Vermont. 192 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,560 Ben and Jerry's phenomenal success is built on continuously 193 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:26,400 experimenting with unusual new flavours and names. 194 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,560 So let's see what I can do. 195 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:30,320 We're going to start with our base. 196 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:34,720 - We've got vanilla ice-cream because we understand you are a fan? - I do love vanilla. 197 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,840 And it is a perfect base for any inclusions that you put in, 198 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:42,440 - any of the pieces or chunks. We've got a nice variety for you to choose from. - Toffee candy bars! 199 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,320 Between nuts, cookie pieces, er... 200 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:48,640 That's a very Ben and Jerry's thing, that you have real pieces, not just little bits. 201 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,560 - We like big hunks of chocolate. - Can I put these in? - Yeah. 202 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:56,120 - I'd say dump a good number of them and we'll have you stir that. - Oh, yeah. Walnuts, I think. 203 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:01,560 - Something a little more of your palate would be nice. - Walnuts, a little touch of sophistication. 204 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:04,240 That's what you're bringing to this! HE LAUGHS 205 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,640 Part of the Ben and Jerry's motif is we have to come up with a good name. 206 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,120 - A catchy name helps a flavour greatly. - Oh, right. 207 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:14,040 I was thinking possibly we could either go with Even Stephen... HE LAUGHS 208 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:18,600 and maybe do a little, like a blend of flavours down the side. 209 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,200 I'll tell you what though, it's quite cold! 210 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,360 Yeah. That's how we make it. 211 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:29,520 One last one, and then we can do some of the true test which is actually going to be eating the product. 212 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,520 - Wow. - Now squeeze together in there.. 213 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:39,040 - Oh, I think we've got a winner, don't you? - It's pretty good. 214 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,680 Right, fresh samples today, folks. This is going to be a real treat. 215 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:48,560 Ladies and gentlemen, I've mixed my own unique flavour which we're calling Even Stephen 216 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:53,840 and I'd like to know what you think, I think it's good, it's not too sweet and it delivers. 217 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:55,840 Anxious to know your opinion. 218 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:57,560 - Very good. - Mmm. - That's the walnuts! 219 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:00,640 Walnuts might be very crunchy. 220 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:05,080 The toffee's chewy, I wanted a chewiness and a crunchiness and a yielding mouth feel. 221 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:09,360 I'm making these words up as I go along, but they sound reasonably professional to me. 222 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:10,800 - Sounds good! - Oh, thank you. 223 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,960 It's that feeling of comfort you get. 224 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:17,120 An ice-cream delivers that in a hard and harsh and unpleasant world. 225 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,160 - We NEED ice-cream, that's my feeling. - THEY LAUGH 226 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:30,640 And so we say farewell, Vermont, state of Ben and land of Jerry 227 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:32,720 and we say hail, New York, 228 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:37,400 but not New York City, not the New York of Manhattan and Broadway. 229 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:44,040 This is New York State, a vast land dominated by the Adirondack chain of mountains with Niagara at the top, 230 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,840 they say it's the size of England. 231 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,840 The Adirondack Mountains were the first playground 232 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:05,400 of the super wealthy of that gilded age back at the beginning of the 20th century. 233 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,400 The Rockefellers and Vanderbilts built their so-called great camps 234 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,240 in the cool hills to escape the humid cities 235 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,880 where they'd made their millions. 236 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:19,720 But it was camping in a style and opulence never seen before or since. 237 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:40,000 This is Top Ridge, built originally by breakfast cereal heiress Marjorie Merriwether Post, 238 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,160 and now owned by a rich Texan family, 239 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:45,400 though it's Lawrence Leicester, the long serving caretaker, 240 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,960 who opens up the house for me. 241 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:51,640 - How many weeks of the year would the family be here? - About eight weeks. 242 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:53,520 - Eight weeks? - Eight weeks each year. 243 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:56,760 Oh, oh. Gosh. 244 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:00,320 Isn't that something? 245 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:06,760 Holy Moly! 246 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:10,720 Some sort of animal skin, isn't it? 247 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,760 That rather beats the headdress that I had when I was a little boy. 248 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,600 Crikey, that's a staircase. 249 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:26,240 What I love about this is that most rich Americans try to build houses that look European, 250 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,640 like chateaux or English castles but this is 100% American. 251 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,560 Everything about it is American. Skins and antlers, 252 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:38,560 everything's made of, sort of, it's a cabin, 253 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:43,720 but it's cabin as re-interpreted by someone with all the money in the world, really. 254 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:58,480 But it's not only the elite rich who come to the Adirondacks, plenty of blue collar workers come 255 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:03,080 to pursue their love of the great American outdoors, an outdoors that teems with game. 256 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,800 There's a hunting season for practically everything - bear, moose, squirrel, otter, 257 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,920 beaver, porcupine, great cat and small cat, weasel and wolverine. 258 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,160 You name it, they shoot it or trap it. 259 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:17,200 Right now, it's white-tailed deer season. 260 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,760 Here we've got some fresh deer nuggets, deer poo... 261 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:25,680 ..and what we do with that, occasionally, is we'll rub that on our clothing, 262 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:30,040 - get it all over us so we smell like the deer... - Oh. 263 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:35,760 ..occasionally we roll in the leaves, you want to get rid of your human scent as much as possible. 264 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,480 What does it actually smell like? Let me smell. 265 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:39,840 Deer poo? 266 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:43,520 - Yeah. That's, there's worse poo than that. - Oh, yeah. 267 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:45,120 But it's still poo, isn't it? 268 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,840 My clothes and that, I don't wash till the end of season. I change my underwear once or twice. 269 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,480 - You do? - A couple times. 270 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:56,040 - How does your wife respond to you smelling like that? - My ex-wife doesn't respond any more. - Ah. 271 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:59,240 - What's the plan, Bill? - Now we're gonna come up here, 272 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:04,240 we're gonna separate, and we're gonna get a couple of watchers over here to the right. 273 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,880 We're going to wait just a couple of minutes, let you guys get up in there. 274 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:13,720 So they're bedded right now and we're gonna jump them right out their nice warm bed. 275 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:17,280 You wouldn't mind if I said shall we shoot the deer 276 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:22,680 - in the sense of with a camera rather than with a gun. - We could do that. - We can let them go? Cos I am... 277 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:24,200 Catch and release. 278 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:26,080 - I do eat meat but... - Yeah. 279 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,600 I'm afraid I don't think I could bear the sight 280 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,920 - of a deer being killed. - We can do that. 281 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,640 They call this the green side of the Big Apple. 282 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,840 - Right. That's very good. - That's what they call us. 283 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:42,440 Not the rotten core. 284 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,880 Yeah, and... 285 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,520 - and people in New York City don't even know this is here. - No. 286 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:52,480 And the wind'll make a difference because if the wind was blowing 287 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,000 from behind us, they would smell us and avoid... 288 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,040 Deer are always gonna run into the wind. 289 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,200 Oh, is that right? 290 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,880 They'd rather smell what's ahead of 'em and know what's out there, 291 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,840 than look behind 'em to see what's following. 292 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:09,760 - There's something following 'em but they'll always go into the wind. - Yeah. 293 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:24,960 RUSTLING 294 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:29,280 RUSTLING 295 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:33,720 RUSTLING 296 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:43,880 Well, do I see it? 297 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:45,240 See what? 298 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,960 I just...just now. 299 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:52,480 Had the cross hairs on it. 300 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,200 If I'd been 50 yards lower, it would have had to come this way. 301 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:03,920 Did you see me up on the hill? 302 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:05,520 - At any point? - No. 303 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,520 I look and I go, "Look at that! There goes a tail." 304 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:10,920 Right by Mullarney's Rock. 305 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,520 Instead of driving straight down to New York City, 306 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,840 I'm heading back to the coast, 307 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:21,960 and into the State of Massachusetts, 308 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,560 the town most people associate with the War Of Independence. 309 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:28,720 Well, here's the city of Boston, 310 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:31,840 regarded by many Americans as the cradle of the revolution. 311 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,960 By revolution, they mean the independence wars 312 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,280 in which they fought us, the British, 313 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:41,280 for the right to govern themselves. And it all came to a head here, actually, 314 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,200 we're on the very bridge where the harbour was, 315 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,440 where a famous tea party took place. 316 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:50,640 What it actually was all about was money, as so many things are. 317 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:55,440 The Colonists, as they were known, the Americans, were fed up 318 00:20:55,440 --> 00:21:00,040 with paying taxes to a parliament that didn't actually represent them. 319 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:04,280 There were no American MPs and yet they had to pay taxes. 320 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,400 And so their cry was, "No taxation without representation." 321 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:12,320 And things came to a head when the British put an extra tax on tea 322 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,360 so when a ship arrived with this tea, 323 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:18,520 they dressed up as what were then called Red Indians - 324 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,400 native American tribesmen - and dumped the whole lot 325 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,880 into the harbour. Worth...now it would be hundreds of thousands, 326 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:31,560 if not millions of pounds. It was one of the sparks that lit the tinder of the whole revolution. 327 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,720 How fitting then that I'm dropping in on a tea party 328 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,440 at one of the country's most famous institutions, Harvard University. 329 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:43,720 My host is Harvard's pastor and professor of divinity, Peter Gomes, 330 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:45,920 a black gay Republican Baptist, 331 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,040 with a very British way with a cup of tea. 332 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,520 - Gomes! - You've made my day. 333 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:54,400 - You've made my year. - I'm so thrilled to actually see you in the flesh! 334 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,760 - You are nice. - I even read your books! 335 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:02,160 - Well, you are one of a glistening minority of discriminatory people. - That's all right... 336 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:07,760 16 years, I think I'm right in saying, after the pilgrims hit Plymouth Rock, 337 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,560 a Cambridge man founded a university here in this very place. 338 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,320 Good man, John Harvard. 339 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,760 Now, I have to make one modest correction. 340 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:20,200 He didn't "found" the place, but he did something far more important than founding it, 341 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,680 he supported it, he gave it, er... 342 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:27,720 all of his books, half of his money and the legislator gave it his name. 343 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,680 - Ah, so it already existed before. - It already existed. 344 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:36,720 Not very long and it probably would have died in its cradle were it not for benefactions from John Harvard. 345 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,800 America often strikes me as entirely a land of contradictions, 346 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,160 almost anything you can say is true about it, 347 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,760 the opposite is true as well. It's a land of the free 348 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:49,520 and of a classless society, and yet it's ritzier in New York 349 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,240 in certain places, and certainly in Newport, 350 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,400 than it is in Britain, there's more class consciousness... 351 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,440 Which is what makes it an interesting country, 352 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,040 and a country that has a fascinating present 353 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,640 largely because it had to make up its past, 354 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:09,080 it doesn't have this long unbroken romantic stretch 355 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,160 to some primeval moment. 356 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,080 So you, you make things happen, you know? 357 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:20,120 Another reason that you have these examples of conspicuous wealth 358 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:25,520 is we can afford it. We've still got it, for better or worse. 359 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:31,280 People still aspire to enormous wealth, money's not a bad thing. 360 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,680 Puritans were not afraid of money at all. 361 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:39,480 Yes. Gore Vidal says that the puritans didn't leave Britain 362 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:43,400 and go to America so as to be free from persecution, 363 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,960 they went so they could be free to persecute. 364 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:47,600 HE LAUGHS 365 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,960 Well, there is alas more truth to that than I would like to admit 366 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,680 as a former President of the Pilgrims Society, 367 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:59,640 but it is true that they did NOT come to the New World 368 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:06,160 to set up some utopian, "I'm OK, you're OK" society. That was not at all what it was, 369 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,200 they came to set up a just and righteous society, 370 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:13,240 and that usually means that somebody's unjust and unrighteous. 371 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:17,000 And there were religious people saying that the reason for 9/11 was because 372 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:22,640 there were gays and decadence in New York and that was the reason, but you're not having any of that? 373 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:27,560 One of the many things one can say about this country is that we dislike complexity, 374 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:33,000 so we will make simple solutions to everything that we possibly can. 375 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,960 Even when the complex answer is obviously the correct answer, 376 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,280 or intriguing answer, we want a simple yes or no, 377 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,720 or a flat-out this, or an absolutely certain that... 378 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:49,680 and the notion that God could have two thoughts simultaneously 379 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:53,520 and people adhere to him who don't look or talk like us 380 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,680 is just hard for many Americans to believe. 381 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,440 The persecution and intolerance that characterised 382 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,160 the early days of the conquest of the New World 383 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,240 were never more clearly seen than here in the town of Salem, 384 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,280 on the outskirts of Boston. 385 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:13,320 The witch trials of 1692 obsessed the colonies. 386 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:18,240 Of the 150 women accused, 19 were eventually hanged. 387 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:23,120 Today is Halloween and modern Salem is awash with witches once more, 388 00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:27,480 some more serious than others. 389 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:31,680 Laurie Cabot, the high priestess of Salem, is a stout defender 390 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,400 of their civil right to practise their religion. 391 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:38,120 Are you really a witch? Is Wiccan your religion? 392 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:40,880 - Is that the word for it? - Witchcraft is my religion. 393 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:45,760 Erm, Wicca has become a colloquialism meaning witchcraft, 394 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,240 you know, so people don't have to say the "W" word. 395 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,720 - Right. - But it's witchcraft, yes, 396 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,160 - and it is a legal religion in America, you know. - It's recognised? 397 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,520 It's recognised by the Constitution. 398 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,640 - Right. - And protected, supposedly. Hopefully. 399 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,040 Christianity wasn't kind to witchcraft, or supposed witchcraft. 400 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,400 - Here in Salem, the most famous... - Right, that was not witchcraft. 401 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:12,160 That was a Christian definition of the word "witch", 402 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:14,600 and then applied to people, you know, 403 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,360 that they wanted to get rid of, I think, 404 00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:21,360 or take their properties, but it was the wrong definition. 405 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:25,600 Christianity still has the wrong definition of what witches are. 406 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,120 ANNOUNCER: As we get ready for our circle... 407 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:32,360 Tonight is the opening of both worlds. 408 00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:37,120 - The world of our ancestors and our world. - And you don't call it Halloween, do you? 409 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:39,040 Oh, absolutely not. 410 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:40,880 - What do you call it? - Erm...Samhain. 411 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:45,880 - Samhain? - Samhain. Erm, it is a night, one of the most holy nights, 412 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:51,440 because we're starting our new year, Summer is over, winter is starting. 413 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,600 We're calling upon our ancestors' spirits to speak to us, 414 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,040 to come and lend us their wisdom. 415 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,840 - Right. So that's the connection with the dead rising, is it? - Exactly. 416 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:08,160 The frosted air blows and changes... 417 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:16,840 ..changes summer to winter and the wheel of the year turns once more... 418 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:21,200 Love you. 419 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:23,760 Yes! 420 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,000 Happy New Year! Happy New Year. 421 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,080 Well, as a matter of fact, it's no longer Halloween. 422 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:34,880 It's actually All Hallows Day or if you're a witch, 423 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:37,320 it's the beginning of a mad, merry new year. 424 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,120 Or if you're a Stephen, it's bedtime. 425 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,640 This is Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. 426 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,920 and a little further down the coast is my next state, Connecticut. 427 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,760 But somehow I seem to be helping crew the Weatherly, 428 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:56,960 a 12 metre class yacht which won the Americas Cup back in 1962. 429 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,880 This is sailing as it should be and my crew, unlike me, 430 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:04,880 have that fit confidence and blonde assurance that have inspired a million Ralph Lauren 431 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:06,520 and Tommy Hilfiger commercials. 432 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,040 Very American, very attractive. Slightly too perfect. 433 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,320 The crew are giving me a lift down the coast on my way to a different 434 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,520 but no less exciting type of boat. 435 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:42,480 Groton in Connecticut is home to the US Navy nuclear submarine force, 436 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:47,960 the undersea guarantors of the deadly authority of the world's only superpower. 437 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,400 Oh, Lord. Am I going down there? 438 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,720 Ooh, this is not me at my best. 439 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,280 And this, Stephen, is the control room. 440 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,160 This is where we dive and drive the boat from. 441 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:15,320 This guy steers the boat and the outboard station that works, excuse me... 442 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:20,080 Yes, the outboard station over here is in charge of the stern... 443 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:25,640 So you really literally steer it in these seats rather like a kind of gaming arcade. 444 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:27,200 Absolutely, absolutely. 445 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:28,800 And is that what I think it is? 446 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:30,720 - Is that a periscope? - It is. 447 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:32,360 Oh, I say, I couldn't, could I? 448 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:35,720 It's a long ambition of mine, the idea that I would one day... 449 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,040 Raising number one periscope! 450 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,000 Up scope. Aah! 451 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:47,240 - Oh, my God! - This is a little more old fashioned than the number two periscope. - Old fashioned is good. 452 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:49,800 Oh, my. Oh, my. 453 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,920 The zoom is fantastic. 454 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:54,640 Oh, a kitchen! 455 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:56,360 Oh, my word. 456 00:29:57,880 --> 00:29:59,800 HE LAUGHS 457 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,000 Oh, good, we're going to sit down and eat. 458 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,640 - So what do you call this, a mess? - A crew's mess, yes. - A crew's mess. 459 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,440 It's where the crew eats, the officers have a separate messing area. 460 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:13,760 - They have a ward room. - Yep. Oh, they do get looked after a bit more, do they get served? 461 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,680 - They do get served, yeah. - So you've got 100 and how many mariners? - 30. 462 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:22,440 - 130. So obviously you have to do it in staggered shifts. - Absolutely. 24 at a time. 463 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:23,960 - HE LAUGHS - Oh, I like that. 464 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:28,080 And do women fall on you like that if they've heard you've volunteered? 465 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,560 - Well, I'm married, Stephen... - You wouldn't want that to happen, sorry! 466 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,800 What's your average tour down...submerged? 467 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,560 Six, between six and eight months. 468 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:38,360 Six and eight months! 469 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:43,480 In this cramped environment with 130 other...men and women or just men? 470 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:48,280 Just men, just men. We're pretty much the only submarine force left that hasn't incorporated women. 471 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,840 That's quite surprising. That's interesting. 472 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:55,320 - Is that simply because there isn't room for extra facilities and so on? - Correct, yeah. 473 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:59,360 - We'd have to have a different head, or bathroom... - Yeah. - Loo, I guess you'd say. 474 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,280 No, I think in the British Navy, they say heads as well, but... 475 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,160 And different berthing areas. We just don't have the facilities right now. 476 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,680 So six months? Is that because after that people start going mad? 477 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:15,120 Er, actually, the only thing that limits how long we can be underway is the amount of food that we can carry, 478 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:17,160 so six months is usually how long, 479 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,360 but we can stay out indefinitely if we could carry the food. 480 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:23,920 Oh my goodness, are these the quarters? They look... 481 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,760 That's one of the three main berthing areas on the ship, 482 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:28,000 or the boat as we call it. 483 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,240 So, privacy is not a word that you're used to? 484 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:31,920 No. Not at all. STEPHEN LAUGHS 485 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:34,040 - This is a torpedo? - It is a torpedo. 486 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:39,080 It's a fully functioning torpedo, the only exception is because it's painted orange, 487 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:42,560 that means it's an exercise weapon, so it doesn't have explosive in it. 488 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:47,680 - Oh, OK. And this? - This is a, er...Tomahawk missile. 489 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:51,920 Whoa, Tomahawk! So that's a really serious piece of weaponry? 490 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:54,080 - It is. - That can travel how far? 491 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,920 Er, over 1,000 nautical miles and hit the area the size of a chalkboard. 492 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:06,120 This is Newport, Rhode Island. 493 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,720 This is the dead centre of town. 494 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,600 - HE LAUGHS - The dead centre of town! 495 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:26,160 These enormous houses, or cottages as the rich call them with rather knowing irony, I think, 496 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:30,960 they were just here for the fresh air that Newport offers as opposed to the stifling humidity 497 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:36,400 of New York in the summer months, so they were only lived in for a very short period of time. 498 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:41,400 Now, they're mostly owned by the Preservation Trust that tries to keep them 499 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:47,600 from falling down because the kind of multi-billionaires who live now don't want to live in this style. 500 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,040 Amazing. 501 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:53,000 Oatsie Charles is the doyen of Newport's old money. 502 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,240 She now lives in converted stables attached to one of these so-called cottages, 503 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:01,840 a house that was once home to the celebrated novelist of Newport's heyday, Edith Wharton. 504 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,400 - Can you tell me why they call them cottages and why they came here? - Snob appeal, I guess. 505 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:11,040 - They thought it was funny to build a huge mansion and call it a cottage? - I wasn't here then! 506 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,320 No, you weren't! But you know about the history? 507 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,520 - There's your drink... don't forget that. - HE LAUGHS 508 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,360 So there... 509 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,880 is a very beautiful girl. 510 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:23,440 Who would that be? 511 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:28,120 - That's Mammy Whiting. - And who's the lovely girl on the right? - That's me. 512 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:31,320 That's you. I can recognise those cheekbones and that jawline. 513 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:33,720 We dressed every night for dinner. 514 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,440 We went out practically every night. 515 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:39,080 The houses were still fully staffed. 516 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:41,520 - Hmm. - And formally staffed. 517 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,520 I mean, you know, footmans... 518 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:45,120 - In livery? - In livery. 519 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:47,080 - Yeah. - What's that word? - Livery. 520 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:49,000 - HE LAUGHS - It sounds weird! Uniform. 521 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,400 - Not weird. - You don't use "livery"? 522 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,680 And what kind of sizes of staff are we talking about in... 523 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,840 back in the day when it was really the place? 524 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,320 - I would think at a minimum ten or twelve. - Right. 525 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:07,160 One of the people who lived here was the great novelist Edith Wharton, who was the chronicler, really, 526 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:11,880 the nonpareil of, er, of the upper...what do they call the upper? 527 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,760 - Classes. - The upper classes. It was a number, she had... 528 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:16,760 - 400. - The upper 400. 529 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:18,760 - Why were they called that? - Just the 400. 530 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:20,880 Just the 400. Why were they called the 400? 531 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:25,960 Because that's what Mrs Astor's ballroom in New York could hold. 532 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:30,040 Oh, so if you were one of those... if you were important enough, 533 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,760 if you were 401, you were a social outcast, ruin... 534 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:35,920 As we say in Alabama, tough titty. 535 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:37,760 - Tough titty. - HE LAUGHS. 536 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:42,160 And I suppose the best known family, 537 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:46,280 certainly in dynastic terms in America, to a Briton at least, 538 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:48,320 must be the Kennedys. 539 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,880 - Oh, I went to the wedding. - Did you? 540 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:57,480 And it was too funny, because... Oh, my, it was really so awful. 541 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,480 HE LAUGHS 542 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:04,320 All Jackie's family, friends... 543 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:06,720 were on this side, 544 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,600 and we all looked just the way we did - 545 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:14,600 always in Newport, you were sort of slightly underdressed unless there was some big occasion. 546 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,240 - Right. - And this was just Jackie getting married. 547 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:20,240 THEY LAUGH 548 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:24,440 And on this side were the Kennedys. 549 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:25,960 All in frock coats and...? 550 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:28,560 I mean, they were dressed to the nines, 551 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:33,240 and the difference between the two sides was simply fascinating. 552 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:38,040 So really, the Kennedys tried a bit too hard to be into the old money... 553 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:39,880 They were just not part of... 554 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,080 No, because they were Boston Irish, and they were Catholic, 555 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,880 and above all he was a racketeer, wasn't he, Joe? 556 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:50,280 - Let's be honest, we can't deny that. - Attractive though. - Joe was attractive, was he? 557 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,960 For all that he was a Nazi sympathiser and a criminal? 558 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:56,000 - Really horrible, but never mind. - Horrible but attractive. 559 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,520 That's fair, people are! I'm the other thing - 560 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:00,880 incredibly nice but not very attractive. 561 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,120 A short ride and it's the Big Apple. 562 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:17,000 I have a date with a fellow cabbie, John Mancuna, 563 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,200 an Irish-American who lives in the predominantly Italian borough of Queens, 564 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:25,480 but like most cabbies, plies his actual trade mainly in Manhattan. 565 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,880 - Ooh, hello there. - Hey, Steve. 566 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,840 - Hi. - Welcome to New York. - You must be John? - Yes, that's it. 567 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:35,880 Well, as I told you when I called you up, 568 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:41,520 - it'd be great to come to a cab garage to have my cab looked at. - You know where the dipstick is in this? 569 00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:43,800 - Yeah. - You do? Good luck. See if he can find it. 570 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:45,880 Is this it here? 571 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,560 - Yes. - You see. You're right. - English side, that's it. - Because usually, 572 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:51,800 the steering wheel is on this side, you see. 573 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:56,360 - Yes. - What do you reckon? - You need some oil. - I do, don't I? - Yeah. - John, that's yours, is it? 574 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:58,480 - Yes, that's mine but.. - I love the flower. 575 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:00,480 Today we're gonna go in the black taxi. 576 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:02,920 Yeah, I'm going to take you in... 577 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:07,440 What's going on now in Manhattan is class cleansing. 578 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,160 All neighbourhoods, no matter what colour, 579 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:13,040 are being cleansed of poor people, like Harlem, 580 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:16,520 which was predominantly African American - now that's all changing. 581 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:19,440 The wealthier people are buying up the brownstones. 582 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,240 The Lower East Side are moving out all the immigrants 583 00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:24,160 and wealthier people are moving in. 584 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:29,160 So all of Manhattan is just being cleansed of a lower and middle class 585 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,000 that are moving out to Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. 586 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,400 So that's what's going on. 587 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:39,120 I notice with cab drivers that a huge number are from the Ukraine, 588 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:42,840 - from India, Bangladesh and, er...all kinds of countries. - Yeah. 589 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:46,720 - It's quite rare now to get one who seems to have been born in New York. - Yeah. 590 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:50,080 There's 60,000 drivers, 10% would be native born. 591 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:53,440 The yellow cab now is worth 600,000 dollars, and that's called 592 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,960 - the medallion that you would buy for the yellow cab. - Oh, my. 593 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:01,360 So it's a huge investment, whoever wants to buy one. 594 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:06,680 - Do you get used to seeing people and telling from their body posture...? - Yes. - Then you just drive on. 595 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:10,560 - By the way they dress. - Yeah. - A lot of these guys like to dress like gangsters, 596 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:17,040 have the hood over their head, the pants hanging around their ass, right? And the baseball cap sideways. 597 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:20,040 Well, I say if you're going to look and act like a gangster, 598 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:24,000 I'm going to pass you up like a gangster. After an 11-hour shift, you're at a light, 599 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:27,920 it's 3 am and you hear both doors open and guys jump in and go, "Yo, my man, 600 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,240 "we're heading up to the South Bronx." And like, the hair on the back of the head, yeah. 601 00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:34,040 HE LAUGHS Oh, not at this hour. 602 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:38,480 So you've run them off and then at first you're saying, "Oh, God, please don't rob me!" 603 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:43,040 Then as you get closer, you say, "All right, you don't even have to tip me, just pay me!" 604 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:49,400 Then as you see the neighbourhood you say, "Listen, just jump, please. I'll take the loss, I don't care." 605 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,560 And someone was asking me about, "What are the benefits? 606 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:57,360 "What's your retirement plan like?" I said my retirement plan is 4.30 in the morning, 607 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:01,560 a 9mm to the back of the head in the South Bronx, and I said that's when I've retired. 608 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:10,840 The Big Apple, of course, is not just the Isle of Manhattan. 609 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:16,520 I'm keen to explore the other boroughs, the people that make up the quintessential New York City. 610 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,960 So John is taking me to a rather special place 611 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,320 in the Italian neighbourhood of Queens, 612 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:24,600 to meet one such tribe, the Goodfellas, 613 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:29,680 the petty and not so petty types made famous in The Godfather and The Sopranos. 614 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:33,000 This is their social club. 615 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,000 - So this is it, eh? - This is it. 616 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,720 You might get in, I don't know if you're gonna get out. 617 00:39:38,720 --> 00:39:39,920 - HE LAUGHS - Hi there. 618 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,200 There's tea, coffee, cake, soda in the refrigerator. 619 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:44,880 - Fantastic. - Help yourself! 620 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:47,560 Well. Hello, gentlemen. 621 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:49,720 - Oh, hey. - Oh, hey. 622 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:52,360 I'm Stephen. And you are? 623 00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:54,000 Rick. 624 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,960 - Stephen, that's Larry. - Larry, hi. 625 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:58,080 - Joe. - And Joseph. - Joe. - David. 626 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,480 - David. - Mike D'Angelo. 627 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:02,080 Mike...there had to be a Mikey. 628 00:40:02,080 --> 00:40:03,840 Hey that's it, a Mikey. 629 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,120 Hey, a Mikey! Well, this is...what a place. 630 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:10,960 - I've always dreamt if being in one of these. Er, you seem to be pretty keen on your sports? - Yeah. 631 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:14,640 We've got racing, football, a whole wall of Yankee...New York Yankees. 632 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:17,200 - Every Yankee World Series team. - Baseball team. - Wow. 633 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,000 Tell me something I've always wanted to know. 634 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:25,160 There's a thing you get in movies right, in which people are described as running numbers. 635 00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:29,080 - What does that mean? - They have the racetrack... - Yeah... 636 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:32,440 ..and they have how much money is bet on a racetrack. 637 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:34,680 - What, the whole total? - The whole total. 638 00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:38,800 And it's got racetrack total and the last three numbers, 639 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:41,800 if you're lucky enough to play it, you'll win some money. 640 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:43,320 - Oh, so you predict... - Right. 641 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:46,160 ..how much in the course of the whole afternoon at the racetrack... 642 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:49,240 Let's say you wanted to play your birthday, and it was 410. 643 00:40:49,240 --> 00:40:51,680 - Yeah. - You put a dollar on 410. 644 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:53,760 Next day you look at the paper, 645 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:57,160 at the end of the racing "track total handle". 646 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:00,840 - So it could be anything from 000 to 999? - To 999. 647 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:04,880 So what are the ways to get an edge on anybody, to get an edge on a bookie or...? 648 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,040 Listen, it's real hard today to get an edge. 649 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:10,960 - We wouldn't be sitting in this club if they knew how to do that, all right? - Yeah. 650 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:13,960 - You know how you get an edge? - Yeah. - See this phone? - Yeah. 651 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,240 You're in here with the bookmaker. 652 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:19,080 - Yeah. - I'm at the racetrack. - Right. 653 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,800 The horse is going right over the finishing line. 654 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:23,320 - Yeah. - He's number eight. 655 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:25,480 I press number eight on here. 656 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,160 You've got your cell phone. 657 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:31,960 - Yeah. - Your cell phone will ring. The first number will be eight, that's the winner of the race. 658 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:36,280 Now you're talking to the bookmaker, say, "Excuse me, I've got to answer the phone." 659 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:40,680 - You see eight, make a little conversation, "Talk to you later, I'm busy." - Give me eight. 660 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:43,040 Give me number eight. And you've got the winner. 661 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:46,200 Who's going to tell me why there's a bullet hole on the door here? 662 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,800 The bullet hole was a Friday when we had a card game. 663 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,640 Somebody parked their car and they shot six bullets into there. 664 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:55,880 Can you see the one in the wall over there, 665 00:41:55,880 --> 00:42:00,520 - there's a hole, that ain't a mouse hole, that's a bullet hole. - Oh, my. - See it? - Yeah. 666 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:05,080 One went through and hit one of the players and it missed his head. It grazed his forehead. 667 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:11,320 - That went all the way through? Wow. - And when he said, when my friend got grazed in his head, 668 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:14,280 he called an ambulance and he says, "I'm shot in the head!" 669 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:18,280 so the ambulance driver says, the person over the phone says, "How do you know?" 670 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:21,240 He says, "There's a hole in my head and blood's coming out! 671 00:42:21,240 --> 00:42:23,640 "How do you think I know I got shot?" 672 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:25,440 - So what's your nickname? - Big Time. 673 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:27,000 Why are you called Big Time? 674 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:30,280 Because I've done some movies. I've been in about 300 movies. 675 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:33,120 - I'm always playing a gangster in the movies. - Yeah. 676 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:36,960 - I knew the part De Niro played in that movie, in Goodfellas? - Yeah? 677 00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:38,720 Yeah, I knew the guy he played. 678 00:42:38,720 --> 00:42:41,320 He played... Well, the guy's name was Jimmy The Gent. 679 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:46,480 - Yeah. - Well, listen, I knew the real Jimmy The Gent and I told De Niro, 680 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:50,480 - when he went to go visit him in jail, to ask him questions. - Yeah. 681 00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:53,960 De Niro says, "Listen, this movie ain't going to help my parole," 682 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:57,480 he told De Niro, "so take a walk!" STEPHEN LAUGHS 683 00:42:57,480 --> 00:43:00,840 - and I told him the exact phrase, I don't want to mention it... - Yeah. 684 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:02,760 But the exact phrase, how he told him, 685 00:43:02,760 --> 00:43:06,040 so De Niro turned around and says, "Mick, you really knew the guy?" 686 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:09,560 I says listen...and that's how I became friends with De Niro. 687 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,080 Wow. Goodbye, everybody. 688 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:12,840 Goodbye, now. Nice to see you. 689 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:15,840 Bye! Nice to see you all. 690 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:20,440 - God bless you. - And next time, we'll give you it all when you come in. 691 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:26,000 Before I head off to New Jersey, I have a quick fare to pick up 692 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,680 in the shape of a more recent immigrant to the City. 693 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:32,720 MUSIC: "Englishman In New York" by Sting 694 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:39,640 Taxi! 695 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:43,600 - I've always loved it here. - Yeah. - I mean, the British here 696 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:48,160 are pretty invisible, we don't look like a community. 697 00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:52,080 - No. - The only place you'll find us in numbers is one of the pubs downtown. 698 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:54,680 - If there's football on? - On a Saturday morning. - Yes. 699 00:43:54,680 --> 00:43:58,200 You are now an Englishman in New York of course. That's your... 700 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:02,400 One of my favourite songs I play here. It was also adopted by Jamaicans, 701 00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:04,760 there's a Jamaican In New York song, 702 00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:07,280 Croatian, you know, everyone. THEY LAUGH 703 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:11,680 Written their own version of it, which I don't mind. 704 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:16,000 Of course. So people just change the one word in it and do a cover version of it? 705 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:17,320 Oh, that's wonderful. 706 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:19,840 # A Bosnian-Herzegovinian in New York... # 707 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,160 It doesn't quite scan, Stephen. 708 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:26,200 - HE LAUGHS - This is why I'm not in your business! - Stick to the acting. 709 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:46,080 Down the coast from New York in the state of New Jersey, Atlantic City's Boardwalk was, 710 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:49,880 between the wars, the playground of America, the queen of resorts. 711 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:52,760 After flatlining in the 70's, it's re-invented itself 712 00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:55,480 as the gambling capital of the eastern seaboard. 713 00:44:55,480 --> 00:45:01,760 - Thank you very much. - You're welcome. - I'll be very smart, won't I? Splendid. 714 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:03,640 Let's, er, let's play cards. 715 00:45:12,240 --> 00:45:17,160 I am to be initiated into the charmed circle of washers and dealers on the blackjack table 716 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:22,720 by a representative of one of the latest waves of immigrants, Vietnamese croupier Kelly. 717 00:45:22,720 --> 00:45:25,640 You put them in there? Oh, I see. 718 00:45:26,720 --> 00:45:29,400 - And take out. - Now take the whole lot out? 719 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:31,880 I see, it's just a way of squaring them off. 720 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:34,880 - And now, they've got to go in here? - No, no, no, no! - Whoa! 721 00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,160 - Oh, more? Oh. - Now wash. 722 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:40,000 - And now we just? - Wash. - Wash. 723 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:42,920 Grab a few, square them off? 724 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,120 - Away to you. - Oh, to me, so they don't see the... 725 00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:48,840 - Facing you, yes. - Yeah. Facing me so they don't see the... 726 00:45:48,840 --> 00:45:52,280 And then, back in here? So now they go in the shoe? 727 00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:54,200 - No, shuffle. - Wait for the...? - Shuffle. 728 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:56,280 Shuffle again? But we just shuffled them! 729 00:45:56,280 --> 00:45:58,360 - No, that's a wash. - That's the wash? 730 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:00,160 - Yes. - Now we shuffle? - Now shuffle. 731 00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:01,680 Oh, my. So like... 732 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:03,200 - Uh-uh. - No. 733 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:09,920 Cut in half. 734 00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:12,320 - Make sure they're even. - Right, two halves... 735 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:14,720 - like so. - And now... 736 00:46:14,720 --> 00:46:16,880 - cut another one. - Into two packs? 737 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:18,160 Yeah. 738 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:24,080 Oh, my. You're very good. 739 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:25,920 So... 740 00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:29,160 No, you pick one of these and shuffle. 741 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:31,960 I pick...what, like that? And then like that? 742 00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:33,840 You have it there. 743 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,040 Of course. What a fool I am! 744 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:44,360 There we go. Do you want to double up? 745 00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:45,520 I imagine you would. 746 00:46:45,520 --> 00:46:47,880 - I don't care if he spends my money! - Good situation. 747 00:46:47,880 --> 00:46:50,200 Oh, you take it. Sorry, that's your card. 748 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:53,040 - Oh, yes! - Oh, yes, what? He has won. 749 00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:55,120 - Don't say "oh, yes". - Sorry. 750 00:46:55,120 --> 00:47:00,240 So do you reckon in your gambling, your gaming, any of you have made a profit? 751 00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:01,960 - Yes. - You do well? 752 00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:03,800 A lot, a fortune. 753 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:06,000 - A fortune? - I built a house on it. 754 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:08,000 - Really? On this game? - Absolutely. 755 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:12,960 I wouldn't be surprised if they put a small plaque up there to commemorate that. That's wonderful. 756 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:14,640 SHE LAUGHS That's so fabulous! 757 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:16,560 This is a great personality. 758 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:18,840 - A small plaque! - Right. 759 00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:20,760 One more? 760 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:25,320 What's the biggest amount you've seen someone win? 761 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:27,080 A couple of million. 762 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:28,680 A couple of million! 763 00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:31,560 - And lose the same? - Lose the same. 764 00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:33,120 - You know. - Amazing, isn't it? 765 00:47:33,120 --> 00:47:35,880 So, it's a good living to be a croupier? 766 00:47:35,880 --> 00:47:38,080 It's a desirable job, is it? 767 00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:40,520 Is there a lot of people who want to be a croupier? 768 00:47:40,520 --> 00:47:43,560 You have a lot of demand? A lot of people come to the school? 769 00:47:43,560 --> 00:47:48,760 - Yes. - And what about tips? What's the biggest tip you've been given? Might you get a 5,000 chip? 770 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:52,080 - Yeah. - You really won it as a tip? - Yeah. - Wow. 771 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:54,520 Gambling is on the increase in America 772 00:47:54,520 --> 00:48:00,480 as more and more states, realising how much revenue could be gained, license more and more legal casinos. 773 00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:06,160 And while I have nothing against gambling per se, the effects are truly devastating. 774 00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,680 Many have been ruined by their addiction, easily as toxic as any drug. 775 00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:12,000 In the end, the house always wins. 776 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:18,520 It's irrefutable arithmetic and as embodied in these trashy, tawdry palaces, 777 00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:20,920 I personally find the whole business vulgar, 778 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:24,000 tasteless and desperately sad, but maybe that's just me. 779 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:36,920 Now we're crossing the Delaware River which takes us from New Jersey to the State of Delaware 780 00:48:36,920 --> 00:48:40,160 and it was here, on Christmas Day 1776, 781 00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:44,560 that George Washington sneakily crossed with his Continental Army 782 00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:49,080 and delivered a massive defeat to the British allies, the Battle Of Trenton. 783 00:48:49,080 --> 00:48:52,600 He did it in midwinter. God knows what it must have been like. 784 00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:55,680 There's a very famous painting actually, which I have here, 785 00:48:55,680 --> 00:48:59,040 of that very scene, Washington crossing the Delaware. 786 00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:01,280 It's entered into American myth and legend 787 00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:04,000 as one of the turning points in their history. 788 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:05,800 God, it must have been cold. 789 00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:10,760 Delaware. What can we say about Delaware? 790 00:49:10,760 --> 00:49:14,600 Well, Delawareans will tell you proudly that theirs was the first state 791 00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:16,600 to be incorporated into the Union, 792 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:18,400 so it's important for that reason. 793 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,280 But there's a certain generation, my mother included, 794 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:25,520 who would first associate it with a Perry Como song. 795 00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:29,760 "What did Delaware boys, what did Della wear? 796 00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:33,080 "She wore a brand new jersey. 797 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:35,040 "Why did Cali phone ya? 798 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:38,200 "Why did Cali phone?" 799 00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:42,520 MUSIC: "Delaware" by Perry Como 800 00:49:48,200 --> 00:49:52,520 From Delaware, I've crossed into Maryland and over the Chesapeake Bay 801 00:49:52,520 --> 00:49:56,000 and yes, I know I'm short-changing these charming states 802 00:49:56,000 --> 00:50:00,920 but I have a rendezvous to keep in the nation's capital, Washington DC. 803 00:50:00,920 --> 00:50:04,120 Not strictly a state at all, but merely a district. 804 00:50:04,120 --> 00:50:08,640 It's an attractive mix of imposing architecture, nationalistic symbols, 805 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:13,320 broad boulevards, the 19th century grandeur of Lincoln's memorial, 806 00:50:13,320 --> 00:50:16,480 the White House and Capitol Hill. It feels more European, 807 00:50:16,480 --> 00:50:20,200 a product of the enlightenment, fit to stand alongside Berlin, 808 00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:22,240 St Petersburg, Paris. 809 00:50:22,240 --> 00:50:25,880 I'm meeting up with the newest purveyor of the enlightenment, 810 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:26,960 a modern day Diderot. 811 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:31,160 Jimmy Wales was the founder of the most compendious encyclopaedia ever, 812 00:50:31,160 --> 00:50:32,360 Wikipedia. 813 00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:34,120 How many people work for Wikipedia? 814 00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:36,280 - Er...ten people, worldwide. - Good Lord. 815 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:40,400 Just ten. We're the number eight website on the internet now, so... 816 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:44,600 and those ten are, other than the one guy who's like community liaison, 817 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:47,560 pretty much don't edit Wikipedia at all. 818 00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:50,040 They're tasked with keeping the servers running, 819 00:50:50,040 --> 00:50:53,360 answering the phones, dealing with the press, things like that. 820 00:50:53,360 --> 00:50:57,280 So not just the entries but the checking of other things, of alterations, 821 00:50:57,280 --> 00:51:00,440 the acceptance or denial of little extras, 822 00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:03,440 - all that is done by volunteers? - Volunteers, yeah. 823 00:51:03,440 --> 00:51:07,160 Just the main community members, the really active people. 824 00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:09,160 The administrators, all volunteers. 825 00:51:09,160 --> 00:51:12,240 And just working in their spare time, or... 826 00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:15,720 So, unlike Google, which is probably the best known 827 00:51:15,720 --> 00:51:18,520 and certainly, probably at the moment, 828 00:51:18,520 --> 00:51:21,240 er...700 a share or something. 829 00:51:21,240 --> 00:51:23,000 Well, we're actually a charity. 830 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:24,800 We're a non-profit organisation. 831 00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:26,320 You don't? So you haven't... 832 00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:30,680 - I'm not talking to one of the famous dotcom billionaires then? - Oh, gosh, no. - No? 833 00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:34,280 - No. - How extraordinary that you should create something 834 00:51:34,280 --> 00:51:37,440 that is so well known, is used by so many people, 835 00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:41,520 and still have not polluted it with adverts and things like that. 836 00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:46,240 Yeah, well, I mean, for me Wikipedia is something... 837 00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:48,800 I think it's something that can be really special 838 00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:51,560 and I think the core community is guided by that idea, 839 00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:54,200 so whatever criticisms are received, 840 00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:57,960 well, we take it very seriously because we want to be good. 841 00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:02,240 And I think when people look back on the early days of the internet - 842 00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:05,320 which this still is very much the early days of the internet - 843 00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:07,800 you know, 200 years from now, 500 years from now, 844 00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:10,280 they'll say, "That was something that was good." 845 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:14,200 There was spam and there was pop-up ads and nonsense on the internet 846 00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:17,840 but this is something we remember that was worth doing. 847 00:52:17,840 --> 00:52:23,800 To me that, as an American, it is a bit of pride in that respect that, 848 00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:27,920 especially in this era when America has a very bad reputation 849 00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:33,800 around the world in many ways and for many reasons, but what's interesting about American culture, 850 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:37,360 is that there is still some very strong old values that really are, 851 00:52:37,360 --> 00:52:39,520 to me, very good and inspirational. 852 00:52:39,520 --> 00:52:42,800 Freedom of speech, and the idea that ordinary people 853 00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:44,920 can come together and build something, 854 00:52:44,920 --> 00:52:50,280 and, you know, ideas about sort of, like, can-do spirit. 855 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:54,800 Ladies and gentlemen, The President Of The United States. 856 00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:58,880 FANFARE PLAYS 857 00:53:02,680 --> 00:53:04,760 Thank you for that warm welcome. 858 00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:06,600 AUDIENCE LAUGHS 859 00:53:06,600 --> 00:53:11,960 Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm George W Bush, President Of The United States. 860 00:53:11,960 --> 00:53:14,600 - But on a more serious note... - AUDIENCE LAUGHS 861 00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:17,600 DC is truly a company town. 862 00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:21,760 That the company happens to be the US Government, makes it all the more interesting. 863 00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:24,240 Venality, corruption, incompetence, 864 00:53:24,240 --> 00:53:26,280 lying, cheating, philandering, 865 00:53:26,280 --> 00:53:28,640 filibustering, gerrymandering. 866 00:53:28,640 --> 00:53:31,640 They're all words that come to mind here. 867 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:34,600 Luckily the Fourth Amendment guarantees free speech, 868 00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:37,960 luckily, that is, for satirical groups like Capitol Steps. 869 00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:40,680 Work with me, people. OK? Thank you. AUDIENCE LAUGHS 870 00:53:40,680 --> 00:53:44,200 Barrie Byrne, like most of the Capitol Steps troupe, 871 00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:49,560 started off in a Government job on the hill but then turned from gamekeeper to poacher. 872 00:53:49,560 --> 00:53:52,120 Is this the source of most of your material then? 873 00:53:52,120 --> 00:53:54,400 This is the source of much of our material. 874 00:53:54,400 --> 00:53:57,280 The rest of it comes from, of course, The White House. 875 00:53:57,280 --> 00:54:00,200 Now recently, I spoke to you from my library 876 00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:04,000 where I admitted that we made mistakes in the handling of the war in Iraq. 877 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:06,800 Many people were shocked - to see me in a library. 878 00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:08,800 AUDIENCE LAUGHS 879 00:54:08,800 --> 00:54:14,760 I noticed on the programme that, well, politicians seem to like you. 880 00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:20,080 They were also very critical of myself and the NSA for wiretapping American citizens. 881 00:54:20,080 --> 00:54:23,720 They feel like any publicity is good publicity. 882 00:54:23,720 --> 00:54:26,800 But you know I don't understand what all the fuss is about. 883 00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:31,640 I mean for years I have been criticised for not listening to the American people. 884 00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:33,280 It's comedy gold, 885 00:54:33,280 --> 00:54:34,600 it's comedy gold. 886 00:54:34,600 --> 00:54:36,640 # Three little Kurds who want formation 887 00:54:36,640 --> 00:54:38,560 # Of a Kurdish sovereign nation 888 00:54:38,560 --> 00:54:40,600 # Where we'll be free for ululation! # 889 00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:41,640 A-la-la-la-la! 890 00:54:41,640 --> 00:54:43,400 # Three little Kurds from school 891 00:54:43,400 --> 00:54:46,520 # Three little Kurds from school! # 892 00:54:55,160 --> 00:54:58,200 Politics is the main industry here. 893 00:54:58,200 --> 00:55:02,000 Politics and businesses around it 894 00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:04,800 seem to feed into that. 895 00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:06,600 Lobbyists, for example, 896 00:55:06,600 --> 00:55:11,040 there are many, a lot of associations are headquartered here. 897 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:14,360 It's amazing how it is a self-perpetuating business, 898 00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:17,640 that each administration will come with its own problems 899 00:55:17,640 --> 00:55:22,840 and we'll be sitting right there waiting to jump on them. 900 00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:25,760 APPLAUSE 901 00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:36,360 Many great men and women have filed in and out of this Willard hotel, 902 00:55:36,360 --> 00:55:40,360 but none greater, and certainly none more revered than Abraham Lincoln, 903 00:55:40,360 --> 00:55:44,200 who actually lived here at the Willard in the period between his election 904 00:55:44,200 --> 00:55:46,480 and his inauguration into the White House. 905 00:55:46,480 --> 00:55:49,080 And I suppose Lincoln is best known and remembered 906 00:55:49,080 --> 00:55:53,240 for a certain speech he made on a battlefield in Pennsylvania. 907 00:55:55,800 --> 00:56:00,280 Did you make this great address over the bodies of the slain, 908 00:56:00,280 --> 00:56:02,600 sort of a day after the battle? 909 00:56:02,600 --> 00:56:06,360 No, the graves were still places where people would be buried, 910 00:56:06,360 --> 00:56:07,920 there were caskets... 911 00:56:07,920 --> 00:56:09,880 80 miles to the west of the capital, 912 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:13,640 the serenity of Gettysburg today belies the savagery of the battle 913 00:56:13,640 --> 00:56:17,400 that was fought here over three days in July, 1863. 914 00:56:17,400 --> 00:56:19,680 The Union victory was the turning point 915 00:56:19,680 --> 00:56:22,400 in the Civil War against the Confederates of the South. 916 00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:26,920 On November the 19th that year, President Lincoln came to the battlefield 917 00:56:26,920 --> 00:56:29,440 to dedicate this cemetery to the nation, 918 00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:33,280 and deliver what has become the most famous speech in American history. 919 00:56:33,280 --> 00:56:36,000 Well, I was asked to make a few appropriate remarks. 920 00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:38,720 I was not to be the main speaker, Edward Everett... 921 00:56:38,720 --> 00:56:44,160 Jim Getty, a perfect Abe-alike, has been working the heritage trail for nearly half a century. 922 00:56:44,160 --> 00:56:45,440 Can you run them by me? 923 00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:48,240 Well, I wanted to go back to where we had started, 924 00:56:48,240 --> 00:56:49,960 87 years ago in Philadelphia. 925 00:56:49,960 --> 00:56:52,560 Er...four score and seven years ago, 926 00:56:52,560 --> 00:56:56,200 our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, 927 00:56:56,200 --> 00:57:02,920 conceived in liberty, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 928 00:57:02,920 --> 00:57:04,840 Now we are engaged in a... 929 00:57:04,840 --> 00:57:08,480 MOURNFUL MUSIC PLAYS 930 00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:16,120 ..that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. 931 00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:21,520 And the government of the people, by the people, for the people, 932 00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:24,400 shall not perish from the earth. 933 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:29,760 The 270 words of Lincoln's address, that lasted barely two minutes, 934 00:57:29,760 --> 00:57:33,600 have entered popular culture because they so concisely and eloquently 935 00:57:33,600 --> 00:57:35,200 summed up the high ideals 936 00:57:35,200 --> 00:57:39,800 of what the Union hoped the Republic would become after the war was won. 937 00:57:39,800 --> 00:57:44,240 Standing here, on the blood-soaked battlefield of Gettysburg, 938 00:57:44,240 --> 00:57:46,000 one can't help but be put in mind 939 00:57:46,000 --> 00:57:49,920 of the extraordinary earthquake-like fissure that opened up 940 00:57:49,920 --> 00:57:52,600 between the Yankee North 941 00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:56,120 and that romantic, mysterious, 942 00:57:56,120 --> 00:57:59,360 eccentric, bewitching part of America, 943 00:57:59,360 --> 00:58:02,440 that they still call the Deep South. 944 00:58:05,800 --> 00:58:10,840 On the next leg of my journey I shall be visiting coalmines and distilleries, 945 00:58:10,840 --> 00:58:12,560 body farms and cotton farms, 946 00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:14,360 snowbirds and parole boards, 947 00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:16,680 guitar-pickers and turkey-stuffers. 948 00:58:16,680 --> 00:58:18,560 Discovering how much or how little, 949 00:58:18,560 --> 00:58:22,200 since that bloody civil war, the Deep South has changed. 950 00:58:48,880 --> 00:58:51,920 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 951 00:58:51,920 --> 00:58:55,200 E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk