1 00:00:01,127 --> 00:00:03,561 …find some tissues in the drawer, there. 2 00:00:03,927 --> 00:00:09,638 Good evening and welcome to another packed half-hour of misery and abject desperation, 3 00:00:10,327 --> 00:00:13,205 a catalogue of cynicism and emptiness, 4 00:00:13,205 --> 00:00:16,279 and a whole ottoman full of vapid excuses. 5 00:00:16,279 --> 00:00:18,198 -My colleague would like to add something. -Ta. 6 00:00:18,198 --> 00:00:22,724 Yes. I'd just like to say a big hi to historians of the future, who may be looking at this show 7 00:00:22,724 --> 00:00:26,561 as part of a higher-education course in the year 2010 entitled, 8 00:00:26,561 --> 00:00:29,320 “Britain: Just What the Bloody Hell Went Wrong?” 9 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,604 That's probably enough wandering and talking to the camera for now. 10 00:00:32,604 --> 00:00:37,124 In the words of the Emperor Hadrian, “Let's expose some light-sensitive magnetic tape, 11 00:00:37,124 --> 00:00:38,401 “and let's do it now.” 12 00:00:38,401 --> 00:00:39,556 -My colleague. -My colleague. 13 00:00:39,556 --> 00:00:40,921 After me. 14 00:00:46,127 --> 00:00:49,517 Between desire and reality. 15 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:51,002 A bit. 16 00:00:51,407 --> 00:00:54,240 Between fact and breakfast, 17 00:00:55,007 --> 00:00:58,966 madness lies, lies, lies… 18 00:00:59,767 --> 00:01:00,916 A bit. 19 00:01:01,247 --> 00:01:04,364 I hate you, I hate you and yet… 20 00:01:05,047 --> 00:01:06,036 I hate you… 21 00:01:07,116 --> 00:01:10,677 As love, rage and aches of the ear. 22 00:01:16,847 --> 00:01:20,157 Pretension by Fry and Laurie. 23 00:01:28,927 --> 00:01:30,679 Thank you. Thank you very much. 24 00:01:32,647 --> 00:01:35,525 Stephen, here we are again. 25 00:01:35,525 --> 00:01:39,646 Hugh, to my knowledge, you've only three times in your life spoken a truer word than that. 26 00:01:39,646 --> 00:01:43,117 Stephen, of course I can remember the first two occasions, that goes without saying, 27 00:01:43,117 --> 00:01:44,560 but what was the third time? 28 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,558 Well, you said, 29 00:01:46,558 --> 00:01:51,277 that the BBC's motoring programme Top Gear had become “irritatingly facetious”. 30 00:01:51,847 --> 00:01:56,125 Ah, yes. Yes, I remember it well. Paris, a crisp November morning. 31 00:01:56,125 --> 00:01:59,199 You wore grey, the Germans wore bleached denim. 32 00:01:59,607 --> 00:02:02,679 You said, and correct me if I'm over-sexed, you said… 33 00:02:03,687 --> 00:02:06,759 You said, “Why can't they talk about cars on Top Gear, 34 00:02:06,759 --> 00:02:09,407 -“instead of farting around, trying to be funny?” -“Trying to be funny.” 35 00:02:09,407 --> 00:02:13,560 -Yes. -I mean, you said, “People don't road-test 36 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,525 “Nissan Micras on comedy programmes, 37 00:02:16,525 --> 00:02:19,838 -“so, why do they…” -The latest offering from Nissan comes 38 00:02:19,838 --> 00:02:23,397 in either three, or five-door hatchback form, 39 00:02:23,397 --> 00:02:27,639 with a choice of the 1-litre or 1.3-litre 16-valve twin cam engine. 40 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:32,005 Although the design is, overall, quite satisfactory, there are one or two irritating little niggles. 41 00:02:32,005 --> 00:02:35,875 For example, this boot lid is awkward and quite heavy to lift. 42 00:02:35,875 --> 00:02:38,037 Imagine trying to heave the lifeless body 43 00:02:38,037 --> 00:02:40,925 of Kenneth Baker into that on a wet Friday evening. 44 00:02:40,925 --> 00:02:42,838 Elsewhere, the car is quite pleasingly designed… 45 00:02:42,838 --> 00:02:46,078 Well, time now to introduce some people onto the show. 46 00:02:47,156 --> 00:02:50,478 First out of the guest box is a woman who's variously been described as 47 00:02:50,478 --> 00:02:55,561 a woman, a risk-taker, a deal-maker, a heart-breaker, 48 00:02:55,561 --> 00:02:58,957 a gravel-raker, a baker, a faker, 49 00:02:59,527 --> 00:03:04,521 three-quarters of an acre, and an iron fist in an iron glove, 50 00:03:04,521 --> 00:03:07,326 with iron bits sticking out from the knuckles. 51 00:03:07,326 --> 00:03:12,401 Ladies and gentlemen, please give some muted and barely polite applause for Caroline Quentin. 52 00:03:23,887 --> 00:03:27,880 Although the controls are quite well laid out, 53 00:03:28,727 --> 00:03:32,197 they are often quite difficult to read while driving at night, 54 00:03:32,487 --> 00:03:34,842 as is A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth. 55 00:03:37,047 --> 00:03:40,198 Caroline, it's tremendous to have you here. Have you come far? 56 00:03:40,198 --> 00:03:42,118 Well, no. I was just over there. 57 00:03:42,118 --> 00:03:45,836 Oh. Oh, well, that's not too bad then, 'cause you used to live in Cairo, didn't you? 58 00:03:45,836 --> 00:03:48,157 -No. -No. I see. 59 00:03:48,157 --> 00:03:49,839 It was a bit of a wild guess, actually. 60 00:03:49,839 --> 00:03:52,316 Mind you, it would've been creepy if I'd been right, wouldn't it? 61 00:03:52,316 --> 00:03:53,556 -Yes. -All right, okay. 62 00:03:53,556 --> 00:03:57,083 Well, why don't you take the weight off your feet and transfer it onto your buttocks, 63 00:03:57,083 --> 00:04:01,718 while I introduce a man who's variously been tipped 64 00:04:02,007 --> 00:04:04,840 for the post of Minister of the Interior in the Republic of Chile 65 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,883 until that unfortunate business of the out-of-date 66 00:04:06,883 --> 00:04:10,516 weekend-away saver daybreak ticket from Paddington to Reading. 67 00:04:10,516 --> 00:04:14,600 Ladies and gentlemen, would you please move your hands repeatedly towards each other, 68 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,999 until they make contact, releasing energy in the form of sound, for Patrick Barlow. 69 00:04:27,727 --> 00:04:31,800 Another slightly annoying problem is that the bonnet-release catch 70 00:04:32,647 --> 00:04:36,481 can get a little bit stiff if it's not regularly greased, 71 00:04:37,007 --> 00:04:39,646 as can A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth. 72 00:04:40,407 --> 00:04:41,681 It's right here… 73 00:04:41,681 --> 00:04:43,917 Patrick. A great pleasure to have you here. 74 00:04:43,917 --> 00:04:47,363 -Well, Stephen, it's terrific to be here. -Well, there's no need to lie. 75 00:04:47,363 --> 00:04:50,325 -No. No, I wasn't. I was just… -Well, there's no need to go around sneering, 76 00:04:50,325 --> 00:04:53,080 -and telling snide, creepy little lies! -Well, I… 77 00:04:53,487 --> 00:04:54,886 -I wasn't… -Oh, shut up! 78 00:04:54,886 --> 00:04:57,606 Just shut the arse up will you? 79 00:04:58,007 --> 00:04:59,440 You! Points out of 10. 80 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:01,836 Road-holding and economy, seven. 81 00:05:01,836 --> 00:05:05,516 Performance and styling, five. Overall likeability, nil. 82 00:05:06,487 --> 00:05:10,082 Well, time now for an amusing little item written by a colony of dragonflies 83 00:05:10,082 --> 00:05:11,566 from Devon in Exeter. 84 00:05:12,127 --> 00:05:14,800 You're a parent. You have children. 85 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,323 You want those children to become Premier League footballers. 86 00:05:18,527 --> 00:05:20,882 Well, this is the place for you. 87 00:05:21,167 --> 00:05:25,399 The Dave Wilson School in Ipswich, in the heart of London's East End. 88 00:05:25,399 --> 00:05:27,796 Now, shake out, shake out. 89 00:05:27,796 --> 00:05:31,243 The name of Dave Wilson will be familiar to anyone who knows it 90 00:05:31,243 --> 00:05:34,444 and to those who followed the fortunes of Reading Town reserves 91 00:05:34,444 --> 00:05:36,995 during the dark days of the 1970s. 92 00:05:36,995 --> 00:05:41,922 Oh, yeah. They were dark. They were… They were very, very dark days. 93 00:05:43,327 --> 00:05:45,921 I never actually thought they were dark, but now that you mention it, 94 00:05:45,921 --> 00:05:47,440 they were ever so dark. 95 00:05:48,847 --> 00:05:51,600 Dave played in a total of two games for the side 96 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,247 before a cartilage snapped in his head. 97 00:05:56,927 --> 00:05:58,042 Okay, next one… 98 00:05:58,042 --> 00:06:02,120 Following the accident, Dave tried his hand at many things: 99 00:06:02,487 --> 00:06:06,526 astrologer, night-club owner, interior designer, shadow home secretary. 100 00:06:06,526 --> 00:06:09,917 The jobs came and went, but nothing seemed to stick. 101 00:06:10,127 --> 00:06:15,565 Until Dave turned up one day to watch his nephew playing for the school side. 102 00:06:15,565 --> 00:06:18,679 Yeah, well, I saw a chance, you know, to get involved. 103 00:06:18,927 --> 00:06:21,316 Uh, you know, football's been good to me, I… 104 00:06:21,316 --> 00:06:23,602 I saw a chance to put something back into the game. 105 00:06:23,602 --> 00:06:25,678 Right, now. Listen! 106 00:06:26,487 --> 00:06:30,002 Okay, now. Football is a very simple game. What is it? 107 00:06:30,002 --> 00:06:31,884 -A very simple game! -Right. 108 00:06:31,884 --> 00:06:34,481 Now, what is the object of the game of football? 109 00:06:34,481 --> 00:06:38,446 -To run into the box and fall over! -Run into the box and fall over. 110 00:06:38,927 --> 00:06:42,476 Let's try that now. One at a time. Ricky, off you go. 111 00:06:45,607 --> 00:06:49,486 What I'm really trying to do here is to teach fundamental footballing skills 112 00:06:49,486 --> 00:06:50,886 at the earliest possible age. 113 00:06:50,886 --> 00:06:53,481 I've actually started teaching my eight-month-old son. 114 00:06:53,481 --> 00:06:56,684 And, I've got to say, he's a natural. Falls over like a diamond. 115 00:06:58,567 --> 00:07:02,480 Okay, listen. A lot of you, as you go, are not getting your head back. 116 00:07:02,927 --> 00:07:04,042 Okay? 117 00:07:04,042 --> 00:07:07,045 Nice and loose in the neck. As you get into the box, a lot of height. 118 00:07:07,045 --> 00:07:08,958 Goes like this, okay? 119 00:07:11,367 --> 00:07:13,961 You roll and roll. Okay? 120 00:07:14,367 --> 00:07:18,360 The same applies for the static fall. Right, that's when you run into the box, 121 00:07:18,647 --> 00:07:21,115 you've forgotten to fall over and you're just standing there, okay. 122 00:07:21,115 --> 00:07:23,596 Nice and loose in the neck, and… 123 00:07:26,327 --> 00:07:29,364 Okay, then. Limping. Two lengths of the pitch. Go. 124 00:07:32,476 --> 00:07:35,326 Mr Wilson, found this in the changing room. What is it? 125 00:07:35,326 --> 00:07:38,399 Never you mind what that is. Right, you lot. Come here! 126 00:07:42,207 --> 00:07:43,720 Makes you sick, doesn't it? 127 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,522 Right, listen. I'm gonna say this once, and once only, okay? 128 00:07:48,327 --> 00:07:51,717 Martin has found this in the changing room. Right? 129 00:07:51,717 --> 00:07:55,277 Now then, I don't want to see any of you mucking around with these things, okay? 130 00:07:55,277 --> 00:07:59,519 Any one of you sees one of these, I want you to tell me or Mr Collins immediately. All right? 131 00:07:59,519 --> 00:08:02,360 You want to make it to the top? It's training. 132 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,406 No one ever got on in football messing around with these things. Right, off you go. 133 00:08:06,927 --> 00:08:08,440 This makes me sad. 134 00:08:12,687 --> 00:08:16,157 Yeah. You see, people just don't realise how much training 135 00:08:16,157 --> 00:08:18,283 goes into being an estate agent. 136 00:08:18,283 --> 00:08:20,756 Uh… virtually none. 137 00:08:22,687 --> 00:08:25,997 I don't mind growing old. It does have some disadvantages, I suppose. 138 00:08:25,997 --> 00:08:30,126 I can't stoop to weed the garden so much as I used to be able to. 139 00:08:30,126 --> 00:08:33,005 And nor can I bend down to take it from my husband. 140 00:08:34,447 --> 00:08:37,166 No, I think that Virginia Bottomley is doing the best she can, you know. 141 00:08:37,166 --> 00:08:38,965 It's just a shame it's crap. 142 00:08:42,327 --> 00:08:43,726 Good morning. 143 00:08:44,127 --> 00:08:45,480 I beg your pardon? 144 00:08:46,887 --> 00:08:48,161 I said good morning. 145 00:08:49,887 --> 00:08:51,400 At last! 146 00:08:52,047 --> 00:08:54,925 -I'm sorry? -After all these years! 147 00:08:55,367 --> 00:08:57,437 -What? -Welcome, comrade. Welcome! 148 00:08:57,437 --> 00:08:59,563 Sit down, rest your weary elbows. 149 00:08:59,563 --> 00:09:02,798 You'll take a glass of vodka? Mr Dalliard! Mr Dalliard! 150 00:09:02,798 --> 00:09:06,163 Break out the false passports and the rabbit-skin hats. 151 00:09:06,163 --> 00:09:08,078 We are going to Moscow! 152 00:09:08,647 --> 00:09:09,921 Moscow? 153 00:09:09,921 --> 00:09:12,999 What news? Comrade Stalin in rude health, I trust. 154 00:09:12,999 --> 00:09:14,315 Wait, wait, wait. Wait a minute. 155 00:09:14,567 --> 00:09:17,957 -All I said was good morning. -Precisely. The code. 156 00:09:18,887 --> 00:09:21,640 -“The code”? -It is now 27 summers 157 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,958 since Comrade Melinsky stood slightly to the left of where you are now 158 00:09:24,958 --> 00:09:29,245 and told me that, one day, a man would come into the shop and give notice of his allegiance 159 00:09:29,245 --> 00:09:32,046 with the phrase “Good morning,” 160 00:09:32,046 --> 00:09:35,722 and that, on hearing those words, Mr Dalliard and I were to detonate our relatives 161 00:09:35,722 --> 00:09:37,001 and fly to Dover… 162 00:09:38,047 --> 00:09:39,036 “Fly to Dover”? 163 00:09:39,036 --> 00:09:41,880 …where a man named Smith would see us safely onto a goods train 164 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,685 delivering livestock to Minsk. 165 00:09:43,685 --> 00:09:45,883 No, no, no. Wait. Wait. Wait a minute. 166 00:09:45,883 --> 00:09:49,164 When I said, “Good morning,” all I meant was, you know, good morning. 167 00:09:49,164 --> 00:09:50,316 Oh! 168 00:09:50,316 --> 00:09:52,477 That's all I meant. 169 00:09:52,477 --> 00:09:56,441 Ah. Oh, well, in that case, please accept my green felt apologies. 170 00:09:56,927 --> 00:09:59,077 That's all right. I just came in here to buy a model. 171 00:09:59,077 --> 00:10:00,805 -A model. A model. -Yes. Yes. 172 00:10:00,805 --> 00:10:02,798 -A model? -Yes. 173 00:10:03,927 --> 00:10:06,885 -A model? -Yes, that's right. I want to buy a model. 174 00:10:06,885 --> 00:10:09,322 With or without plastic struts? 175 00:10:10,727 --> 00:10:13,799 Um, well, I don't know. I just thought maybe a model aeroplane. 176 00:10:13,799 --> 00:10:14,876 Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. 177 00:10:14,876 --> 00:10:18,596 Let me ask a different question in the same way. Who is this aeroplane for? 178 00:10:18,596 --> 00:10:20,405 It's for my son. It's his birthday. 179 00:10:20,405 --> 00:10:22,398 -Your son? Just your son? -Yes. Yes. 180 00:10:22,398 --> 00:10:24,717 -Mmm-hmm. And when is this birthday of his? -Wednesday. 181 00:10:24,717 --> 00:10:27,241 Yes. That's what I said. When is the day? 182 00:10:28,047 --> 00:10:29,560 No. Wednesday. 183 00:10:29,927 --> 00:10:32,236 Are you stupid or just plain deaf? 184 00:10:33,247 --> 00:10:37,240 -Wednesday. -Oh! You are genuinely stupid. I do apologise. 185 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:41,525 I'm sorry, I thought you were just being deaf. Mr Dalliard, command the earth to swallow me up. 186 00:10:41,525 --> 00:10:44,644 I do apologise, sir. Life must be hard enough 187 00:10:44,644 --> 00:10:46,957 for stupid people, without tactless old bastards 188 00:10:46,957 --> 00:10:50,244 like that lady over there rubbing it into your face with salt, widely. 189 00:10:50,244 --> 00:10:52,363 Mr Dalliard, I've gone peculiar now. 190 00:10:54,687 --> 00:10:57,121 So, in plain-flavoured English. 191 00:10:57,121 --> 00:10:59,926 When. Is. Your. 192 00:11:00,487 --> 00:11:02,523 Son's. Birthday. 193 00:11:03,607 --> 00:11:04,881 The day after Tuesday. 194 00:11:04,881 --> 00:11:08,118 The day after… My word, doctors are so specific these days, aren't they? 195 00:11:08,118 --> 00:11:11,199 Are you expecting this boy to be a boy or a girl? 196 00:11:12,767 --> 00:11:16,840 No, it's my son. He's nine. This is going to be his 10th birthday. 197 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,157 His 10th? Oh, sir, I feel you're spoiling him. 198 00:11:19,157 --> 00:11:20,566 I was only ever allowed one, 199 00:11:20,566 --> 00:11:22,126 on my birthday usually. 200 00:11:22,126 --> 00:11:24,482 Still, I guess that you know your own business best. 201 00:11:24,482 --> 00:11:29,004 Just don't come bleating to Mr Dalliard and me if this son of yours turns out to be one of those 202 00:11:29,004 --> 00:11:31,396 drug jockeys we're always reading about on television. 203 00:11:31,396 --> 00:11:32,761 Um, a glass of water? 204 00:11:32,761 --> 00:11:34,166 -No, thank you. -A cup of water? 205 00:11:34,166 --> 00:11:35,316 -No. -A plate of water, then? 206 00:11:35,316 --> 00:11:38,080 No, thank you. I just want a model aeroplane. 207 00:11:38,327 --> 00:11:40,477 -A model aeroplane of water? -No, no. 208 00:11:41,247 --> 00:11:43,522 Forget the… I don't want any water. Forget the water. 209 00:11:43,522 --> 00:11:44,960 I just want to buy a model aeroplane. 210 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,561 I thought, perhaps, the Messerschmitt 109E in the window. 211 00:11:47,561 --> 00:11:49,638 -The Messerschmitt 109E in the window? -That's right. 212 00:11:49,638 --> 00:11:51,046 Fizzy or still? 213 00:11:51,647 --> 00:11:53,285 -What? -Ah. 214 00:11:53,285 --> 00:11:55,722 That doesn't count. I had my hand on my head. 215 00:11:55,722 --> 00:11:58,082 Just ignore anything I say when my hand is on my head. 216 00:11:58,082 --> 00:11:59,316 Right. 217 00:11:59,316 --> 00:12:01,318 -So, the Messerschmitt 109E. -Yes. 218 00:12:01,318 --> 00:12:03,762 -And I suppose some glue. -Some glue? 219 00:12:03,762 --> 00:12:06,282 Then your son is already a drug jockey. 220 00:12:06,282 --> 00:12:09,006 Mr Dalliard and I warned you on bended legs. 221 00:12:09,006 --> 00:12:11,521 But would you listen? No. Now look at you. 222 00:12:11,521 --> 00:12:12,596 Hey, ho. 223 00:12:13,807 --> 00:12:14,876 What's this? 224 00:12:14,876 --> 00:12:18,755 A Messerschmitt 109E and a fix for that degenerate junkie son of yours. 225 00:12:18,755 --> 00:12:20,803 Well, it's already done. 226 00:12:20,803 --> 00:12:22,559 -So? -Well, the model's ready-assembled. 227 00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:25,923 Well, you can't expect us to do all the work ourselves, sir. 228 00:12:25,923 --> 00:12:28,999 The whole joy of modelling lies in carefully scraping off the paint, 229 00:12:28,999 --> 00:12:32,682 soaking off the transfers, taking the plane apart, piece by piece, 230 00:12:32,682 --> 00:12:36,601 putting each piece into a small polythene bag, which is then sealed and placed inside the box. 231 00:12:36,601 --> 00:12:38,564 An achievement, something to be proud of. 232 00:12:38,564 --> 00:12:41,605 Rare words, indeed, in these days of supersonic hedgehog brothers 233 00:12:41,605 --> 00:12:43,405 and ready-sliced golf shots. 234 00:12:44,287 --> 00:12:46,642 That's it. Just forget it, forget it. I'll try somewhere else. 235 00:12:46,642 --> 00:12:50,163 Mr Dalliard has a gun trained on you through the curtain, sir. At a single word from me, 236 00:12:50,163 --> 00:12:51,726 he will blow your head clean off 237 00:12:51,726 --> 00:12:55,482 with as much mercy as if you were a helpless seal pup called Arnold. 238 00:12:55,887 --> 00:12:57,081 What? 239 00:13:00,087 --> 00:13:03,602 I'm so sorry we couldn't help you, sir. We do try to accommodate our customers, 240 00:13:03,602 --> 00:13:06,599 but not being a hotel, we find it almost impossible. 241 00:13:08,047 --> 00:13:11,244 Right. Well, all I can say is this has not been a very good morning. 242 00:13:11,244 --> 00:13:13,966 “Good morning”? Mr Dalliard! Mr Dalliard! 243 00:13:13,966 --> 00:13:17,483 We've been activated after all these years! 244 00:13:20,487 --> 00:13:22,045 Strange man. 245 00:13:24,927 --> 00:13:26,883 Ladies and gentleman, some of you may be thinking, 246 00:13:26,883 --> 00:13:28,878 you know, “Hello, they've got these guests on the show, 247 00:13:28,878 --> 00:13:30,764 “but the guests don't seem to do very much.” 248 00:13:30,764 --> 00:13:35,398 You know, “The tall one and his slightly less tall, less-talented friend seem to have hogged it all.” 249 00:13:35,398 --> 00:13:37,443 Uh, well, that's not actually… 250 00:13:37,443 --> 00:13:39,802 That's not actually true, because how many people 251 00:13:39,802 --> 00:13:42,685 watching now and here in the studio tonight actually noticed 252 00:13:42,685 --> 00:13:45,600 that Patrick here was in that last sketch. Anybody? 253 00:13:46,247 --> 00:13:51,196 Anybody notice that? Well, that's interesting because actually Patrick, in that last sketch, 254 00:13:51,196 --> 00:13:53,721 played the part of my colleague, Stephen Fry. 255 00:13:55,447 --> 00:13:58,007 Now, you see, Patrick, looking at that, it is absolutely amazing. 256 00:13:58,007 --> 00:13:59,679 You know, it's hard to believe it's the same person. 257 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:01,485 Did you do a lot of work for the role? 258 00:14:01,485 --> 00:14:06,960 Oh, I did, yeah, I mean, I basically devoured all the source material I could find. 259 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:08,275 Right, right. 260 00:14:08,275 --> 00:14:11,564 I'm just thinking, in case we've got any viewers from planet Earth, 261 00:14:11,564 --> 00:14:14,002 it would be quite nice if you put that into a known language. 262 00:14:14,002 --> 00:14:15,645 “You devoured all the…” 263 00:14:16,127 --> 00:14:18,721 Well, basically, I read everything I could find… 264 00:14:18,721 --> 00:14:22,004 -You read a lot. Right. -…on Stephen and his school years, 265 00:14:22,004 --> 00:14:24,157 -his biography, his novel. -You read his novel? 266 00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:25,402 -Yeah. -Did you finish it? 267 00:14:25,402 --> 00:14:27,364 -I didn't, actually. -No, I didn't either. 268 00:14:28,167 --> 00:14:32,001 And then I started to concentrate on the walk. 269 00:14:32,001 --> 00:14:33,202 Mmm. 270 00:14:33,202 --> 00:14:35,960 Although, in actual fact, you were standing still all the way through that. 271 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:40,677 Uh, yes. Yes, I was. But you've got to be able to walk before you can stand. 272 00:14:43,167 --> 00:14:46,443 Right, fascinating. Well, Caroline, I don't want to leave you out. 273 00:14:46,443 --> 00:14:48,040 I suppose some people may be thinking now, 274 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:49,845 “Hello, I suppose Caroline played the part of Hugh Laurie.” 275 00:14:49,845 --> 00:14:51,076 But that's not actually true, is it? 276 00:14:51,076 --> 00:14:53,237 No, no. I played the wall behind your head. 277 00:14:53,237 --> 00:14:54,965 -Right, I think you can see that now. -Yeah. 278 00:14:54,965 --> 00:14:59,279 There you are. Caroline, did you have to spend a lot of time in makeup for that? Was that a… 279 00:14:59,279 --> 00:15:01,562 -No, no, about 20 minutes, that's all… -Is that all? 280 00:15:01,562 --> 00:15:04,366 Yeah, a couple of coats of primer and an eggshell top coat, and I was ready. 281 00:15:04,366 --> 00:15:07,439 -Yeah. No coving? -We did talk about it, 282 00:15:07,439 --> 00:15:09,757 but I didn't think my wall would have coving. 283 00:15:09,757 --> 00:15:10,996 Yeah, right. Well… 284 00:15:10,996 --> 00:15:15,160 Well, Caroline, not a very demanding role, I suppose, having to play the wall, 285 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,442 but here's something that people won't have noticed, 286 00:15:17,442 --> 00:15:21,884 and that is that, at this actual moment, Caroline is actually playing me. 287 00:15:22,927 --> 00:15:28,718 Yes, that's right. Underneath all this makeup, it's actually me, Hugh Laurie, sitting right here. 288 00:15:29,007 --> 00:15:30,679 Tricks of the trade there. Anyway. 289 00:15:30,679 --> 00:15:34,840 Now, on with the meaningless slaughter of migrating birds. 290 00:15:40,607 --> 00:15:43,041 ♫ Standing on a bus We packed shoulder to shoulder 291 00:15:43,041 --> 00:15:45,641 ♫ With strangers in my face I can feel it getting colder 292 00:15:45,641 --> 00:15:47,797 ♫ Bus doors open Nobody get out 293 00:15:47,797 --> 00:15:50,481 ♫ Look here, a little old woman Getting on, I start to shout 294 00:15:50,481 --> 00:15:52,637 ♫ Say, get up, stand up Up on your feet 295 00:15:52,637 --> 00:15:54,957 ♫ Make space for the lady Somebody give a seat 296 00:15:54,957 --> 00:15:57,436 ♫ She's just standing there aching Her whole body shaking 297 00:15:57,436 --> 00:15:59,836 ♫ She's starting to fall over This time she ain't faking it 298 00:15:59,836 --> 00:16:02,282 ♫ But what? Nobody move Don't hear a word I say 299 00:16:02,282 --> 00:16:04,722 ♫ So I take a deep breath This time I get my way 300 00:16:04,722 --> 00:16:07,480 ♫ Say, please, don't make me say it twice 301 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,523 ♫ 'Cause I'll get you as mad as hell Let's try to be nice 302 00:16:09,523 --> 00:16:10,756 ♫ Be nice 303 00:16:12,087 --> 00:16:13,679 ♫ Be nice 304 00:16:13,679 --> 00:16:16,998 ♫ 'Cause I'm a good-ass mother-liker 305 00:16:21,847 --> 00:16:23,997 ♫ Get home to my bitch She been waiting all alone 306 00:16:23,997 --> 00:16:26,601 ♫ I put water in a bowl And I give her a bone 307 00:16:26,601 --> 00:16:29,002 ♫ Neighbours come calling Holding out a cup 308 00:16:29,002 --> 00:16:31,555 ♫ So I get out the sugar And I fill it right up 309 00:16:31,555 --> 00:16:32,841 ♫ Be nice 310 00:16:33,807 --> 00:16:35,160 ♫ Be nice 311 00:16:35,527 --> 00:16:38,837 ♫ 'Cause I'm a good-ass mother-liker ♫ 312 00:16:48,087 --> 00:16:49,884 No, it was the damnedest thing. 313 00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:53,596 I was in this hardware store about three weeks ago, 314 00:16:53,596 --> 00:16:56,838 buying a 30-gallon drum of car wax for my daughter-in-law, 315 00:16:56,838 --> 00:16:58,446 when, suddenly, the door burst open 316 00:16:58,446 --> 00:17:01,963 and 30 coppers came lumbering in, arrested everyone. 317 00:17:02,327 --> 00:17:04,477 Turned out the place was a brothel. 318 00:17:05,207 --> 00:17:07,516 Well, they've closed all the brothels around us. 319 00:17:07,516 --> 00:17:09,916 All bloody bingo halls now. 320 00:17:10,647 --> 00:17:13,923 If you've got a jar of marmalade in a cupboard, right? 321 00:17:13,923 --> 00:17:17,317 And you take the marmalade out of the cupboard, right? 322 00:17:17,317 --> 00:17:19,159 You've still got the marmalade, yeah? 323 00:17:19,159 --> 00:17:21,556 It's not in the cupboard, but you've got the marmalade. 324 00:17:21,556 --> 00:17:23,683 You've got to put the marmalade somewhere else, haven't you? 325 00:17:23,683 --> 00:17:25,883 Of course you have, it stands to reason. 326 00:17:25,883 --> 00:17:28,959 There's the cupboard, no marmalade, but you've still got the marmalade. 327 00:17:28,959 --> 00:17:31,117 It's the same with sex and violence on television. 328 00:17:31,117 --> 00:17:35,120 Yeah, you can take sex and violence off television, but where you gonna put 'em? 329 00:17:35,487 --> 00:17:37,239 Hmm? Tell me that. 330 00:17:37,727 --> 00:17:41,322 Yes, I've had two letters read out on Points Of View now. 331 00:17:41,647 --> 00:17:44,844 Rather proud of that. They say that if you can get three read out, 332 00:17:44,844 --> 00:17:48,158 you're automatically sectioned under the Mental Health Act. 333 00:17:50,727 --> 00:17:54,800 Hello. If you're anything like me, then you probably wash your hair quite often. 334 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:59,278 And you probably use a shampoo. You're pretty tall, you're called Stephen, 335 00:17:59,278 --> 00:18:01,323 and you haven't got much time for gardening. 336 00:18:01,323 --> 00:18:04,205 Well, I may just have the answer for you, Stephen. 337 00:18:04,205 --> 00:18:08,838 It came to me yesterday… Oh, tell a pointless, transparent lie, the day before yesterday, 338 00:18:08,838 --> 00:18:11,999 when I was standing here, bent over the wash-hair basin. 339 00:18:12,327 --> 00:18:16,400 Here's a thing, I thought, that we do a couple of times a week, which utilises 340 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:21,003 the very same key nutrients and minerals that any gardener will tell you are essential 341 00:18:21,003 --> 00:18:22,645 for healthy plants and gums. 342 00:18:22,645 --> 00:18:26,242 So, Stephen, I've come up with this new five-minute addition 343 00:18:26,242 --> 00:18:28,716 to my hair grooming and facial scrub programme 344 00:18:28,716 --> 00:18:33,085 Now, if you're anything like me, you'll probably like to rinse after your second wash, 345 00:18:33,085 --> 00:18:38,036 and you'll have a friend called Hugh who plays with an Etch A Sketch in your airing cupboard. 346 00:18:38,036 --> 00:18:42,439 Hugh, come on out and help me explain my new breakthrough in hair. 347 00:18:42,439 --> 00:18:45,087 -Righto. -I was just telling the viewing several there 348 00:18:45,087 --> 00:18:47,681 that after the second wash, I like to have a thorough rinse. 349 00:18:47,681 --> 00:18:50,605 -No harm in that, if it's done sensibly. -My point exactly. 350 00:18:50,605 --> 00:18:54,362 Now, it's at this very stage when my new development comes in. 351 00:18:54,362 --> 00:18:56,483 Here, in my freshly-watered, 352 00:18:56,483 --> 00:18:59,479 protein-enriched hair are the ideal conditions, 353 00:18:59,687 --> 00:19:03,123 neutral-balanced pH-active liposomes and gentle cleansing agents, 354 00:19:03,123 --> 00:19:05,767 for a small, but attractive, town garden. 355 00:19:05,767 --> 00:19:08,082 Hugh, what have you decided to sow? 356 00:19:08,082 --> 00:19:12,001 Well, I've gone for a mix of dog roses, begonias and clematis. 357 00:19:12,001 --> 00:19:14,317 -No vegetables? -Well, I thought I might do one or two potatoes 358 00:19:14,317 --> 00:19:15,442 just behind the crown there. 359 00:19:15,442 --> 00:19:18,837 -Uh-huh. So a general utility garden? -Pretty much, yes. 360 00:19:18,837 --> 00:19:20,076 All right. 361 00:19:20,076 --> 00:19:25,082 Now it's time for me to put my Pifco Tressmatic onto its lowest setting 362 00:19:25,082 --> 00:19:27,237 and let nature do the work. 363 00:19:30,527 --> 00:19:33,963 Well, let's see how it's fared, shall we? 364 00:19:35,927 --> 00:19:38,043 Oh, I think that's come out rather well. 365 00:19:38,043 --> 00:19:39,958 Simple, cheap, effective. 366 00:19:40,447 --> 00:19:43,439 Well done, Hugh, my “head” gardener. 367 00:19:44,247 --> 00:19:45,646 That's amusing. 368 00:19:45,847 --> 00:19:48,361 Of course, your own hair-garden 369 00:19:48,361 --> 00:19:51,086 needn't be confined to this limited range of plants. 370 00:19:51,086 --> 00:19:52,885 The sky is very much the limit. 371 00:19:52,885 --> 00:19:55,959 Climbing wisterias, alpines, runner beans, you name it. 372 00:19:55,959 --> 00:19:57,639 And if you have dandruff problems, 373 00:19:57,639 --> 00:20:01,606 you might consider the virtues of a traditional Japanese snow garden. 374 00:20:01,606 --> 00:20:04,076 If you're like me, you'll be keen to experiment, 375 00:20:04,076 --> 00:20:07,523 and you'll enjoy wearing Lycra one-pieces, alone, in your bedroom. 376 00:20:09,247 --> 00:20:12,683 -Stephen, what are you doing? -Hugh, I'm south-facing. 377 00:20:13,807 --> 00:20:17,322 -Well, back to the airing cupboard with me. -See you next wash day. 378 00:20:17,322 --> 00:20:18,760 -Bye-bye. -Bye-bye. 379 00:20:32,127 --> 00:20:35,119 Between imagination and desire, 380 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:37,198 between reality and ambition, 381 00:20:37,198 --> 00:20:39,642 between what is known and what is feared, 382 00:20:39,642 --> 00:20:43,845 between purpose and despair, between sense and shite, 383 00:20:44,047 --> 00:20:47,119 between the visible world and the inner world 384 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:51,724 that straddles the curtain between what we know and what we think we suspect, 385 00:20:51,724 --> 00:20:53,485 hangs a dark veil 386 00:20:53,485 --> 00:20:56,161 that waves gently between the beckoning finger, 387 00:20:56,161 --> 00:20:58,602 drawing us into the world of what could be 388 00:20:58,602 --> 00:21:01,440 and what never couldn't be impossible to dread. 389 00:21:01,727 --> 00:21:03,365 Or do they? 390 00:21:03,647 --> 00:21:06,844 Perhaps it isn't. Maybe we were only dreaming. 391 00:21:07,047 --> 00:21:10,039 Perhaps the answers could be found in that other realm 392 00:21:10,039 --> 00:21:12,277 that lies between the foundry of the heart 393 00:21:12,277 --> 00:21:14,323 and the sweating laundry room of the imagination, 394 00:21:14,323 --> 00:21:17,558 where the only rhythms are the smiles of the forgotten winter 395 00:21:17,558 --> 00:21:22,926 and the incessant beating of the frightened human thigh that we call fear. 396 00:21:22,926 --> 00:21:24,645 Or is it? 397 00:21:24,645 --> 00:21:29,437 I'm Gelliant Gutfright, and tonight's tale must give us pause. 398 00:21:29,437 --> 00:21:32,559 It is called “Flowers for Wendy,” 399 00:21:32,559 --> 00:21:37,277 but might it rather have been called “You Have Been Warned”? 400 00:21:37,277 --> 00:21:39,198 No, it might not. 401 00:21:43,847 --> 00:21:46,600 Andrew Beckett is on his way home from work. 402 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:51,317 A nice young man is Andrew Beckett, a kind word for everyone, and everyone for a kind word, 403 00:21:51,317 --> 00:21:54,126 liked by all who come into contact with him. 404 00:21:54,126 --> 00:21:57,165 Another hard day's work, another quiet evening in, 405 00:21:57,165 --> 00:21:59,522 perhaps a little television, a crossword, 406 00:21:59,522 --> 00:22:04,556 maybe he'll finally get round to cataloguing those… Wait. 407 00:22:04,556 --> 00:22:09,402 What is he thinking of? Not just another evening. After all, it's Wendy's birthday. 408 00:22:09,402 --> 00:22:12,524 Dinner at Mario's, but first he should… 409 00:22:13,087 --> 00:22:16,079 Strange, he's never noticed that flower-seller before, 410 00:22:16,079 --> 00:22:19,637 yet he comes home this route everyday. Providential. 411 00:22:19,637 --> 00:22:21,718 Good evening, Mr Beckett. 412 00:22:22,167 --> 00:22:23,520 Well, that's extraordinary. 413 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:26,758 How could you possibly have known that it was evening? You aren't wearing a watch. 414 00:22:26,758 --> 00:22:28,883 I know most things, Mr Beckett. 415 00:22:28,883 --> 00:22:31,879 How about buying some flowers for your wife's birthday? 416 00:22:31,879 --> 00:22:35,437 But this is uncanny. That's exactly what I want. How could you possibly have known? 417 00:22:35,437 --> 00:22:39,964 How about some roses, Mr Beckett? All the ladies love a rose. 418 00:22:39,964 --> 00:22:42,242 -Well, now, what are these? -Ah. 419 00:22:42,242 --> 00:22:46,280 Don't want to bother with those, sir. They are special blooms. 420 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,598 -They're rather splendid. What are they called? -Ranunculus pugnans. 421 00:22:49,598 --> 00:22:50,842 Ranun… what? 422 00:22:50,842 --> 00:22:55,239 Commonly known as “Old Man's Wrinkles”, sir, or… 423 00:22:55,756 --> 00:22:57,562 …“the Fighting Buttercup”. 424 00:22:57,562 --> 00:22:59,365 I must say, the smell is very… 425 00:22:59,365 --> 00:23:03,235 -It didn't get that name by accident, Mr Beckett. -What name? 426 00:23:03,487 --> 00:23:04,966 Fighting Buttercup. 427 00:23:04,966 --> 00:23:11,486 They say that the bouquet of this bloom can bring out all the anger in a person. 428 00:23:11,486 --> 00:23:14,127 -Well, what nonsense. -That's what they say, sir. 429 00:23:14,127 --> 00:23:16,675 -Superstitious hooey. -No doubt about it, sir. 430 00:23:16,675 --> 00:23:18,598 -Arse clap. -As you say, sir. 431 00:23:18,598 --> 00:23:20,325 Rhino bollocks. 432 00:23:20,527 --> 00:23:23,246 -How much are they? -Five pounds, sir. But I must… 433 00:23:30,207 --> 00:23:31,845 Oh, get out of it. 434 00:23:32,767 --> 00:23:35,122 Poor Andrew, poor Wendy. 435 00:23:35,122 --> 00:23:38,597 A kind thought for a birthday and a simple bunch of flowers. 436 00:23:38,597 --> 00:23:43,124 But when your life is a perilous yo-yo eaten by destiny's right hand, 437 00:23:43,124 --> 00:23:45,084 when fate lights the cigarette, 438 00:23:45,084 --> 00:23:48,000 when chance plays the trumpet not very well, 439 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,238 and hazard deals the cards from the bottom of your aunt… 440 00:23:51,238 --> 00:23:52,521 Oh, come on! 441 00:23:52,521 --> 00:23:55,758 …then you must expect the unexpected. 442 00:23:59,047 --> 00:24:02,517 -Andrew, what… -Jesus, suffering arse, this bloody door! 443 00:24:02,517 --> 00:24:04,563 -I don't understand! -Don't understand? 444 00:24:04,563 --> 00:24:07,320 Don't understand what, you hopeless saucer of puss? 445 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,558 It's a frig-mothering door and it keeps getting vomiting stuck! 446 00:24:10,558 --> 00:24:12,842 That's all there is to understand! It's not differential calculus! 447 00:24:12,842 --> 00:24:13,996 Andrew! 448 00:24:13,996 --> 00:24:14,746 Ow! 449 00:24:16,287 --> 00:24:20,565 Now look what you've done, you pointless tart. You've broken the snotting banister. 450 00:24:20,565 --> 00:24:22,478 Andrew, what's wrong? 451 00:24:22,478 --> 00:24:26,116 I'm gonna get a drink. Happy birthday, you saggy old bitch. 452 00:24:26,487 --> 00:24:27,920 Oh, thank you. 453 00:24:28,407 --> 00:24:29,886 They're lovely 454 00:24:29,886 --> 00:24:31,605 and they smell… 455 00:24:32,961 --> 00:24:34,958 …gorgeous. 456 00:24:35,767 --> 00:24:39,965 Oh, come on, open, you scrotum-ing dribble of faeces! 457 00:24:40,287 --> 00:24:42,243 That's better. 458 00:24:45,567 --> 00:24:47,285 Ah, that's much better. 459 00:24:49,207 --> 00:24:51,323 After all, it's only a door. 460 00:24:51,727 --> 00:24:54,685 It's not the end of the world. Nothing to get annoyed about. 461 00:24:58,007 --> 00:24:59,406 -What the… -Sorry. 462 00:24:59,406 --> 00:25:01,205 -“Sorry”? -Yes. 463 00:25:01,487 --> 00:25:05,526 Sorry I didn't hit you with a sock full of gravel, you flabby, drivelling waste of clothes. 464 00:25:05,526 --> 00:25:07,245 -Wendy, darling. -“Wendy, darling”? 465 00:25:07,245 --> 00:25:10,364 I'll darling your arse with a rusty lawn sprinkler. 466 00:25:12,687 --> 00:25:15,042 -What… What's happened? -“Happened”? 467 00:25:15,042 --> 00:25:17,595 Nothing's happened that a Swiss Army penknife can't sort out. 468 00:25:17,595 --> 00:25:21,521 Now why don't you take these bottom-wipingly ugly flowers 469 00:25:21,521 --> 00:25:24,246 and stick them into your lungs! 470 00:25:25,407 --> 00:25:28,717 The flowers! Of course. Listen, Wendy. 471 00:25:29,127 --> 00:25:31,721 I think I know what's happened, what this is all about. 472 00:25:31,721 --> 00:25:32,796 You see… 473 00:25:32,796 --> 00:25:34,718 And so, Wendy Beckett 474 00:25:34,718 --> 00:25:37,799 sat at her husband's knees and listened to a story, 475 00:25:37,799 --> 00:25:43,166 a fantastic story, a tale that danced along the crumbling brim of credibility, 476 00:25:43,166 --> 00:25:45,044 yet never once lost its footing. 477 00:25:45,044 --> 00:25:48,005 A tale of walking home, and pavements, 478 00:25:48,005 --> 00:25:50,920 and forgettings of birthdays, and rememberings, 479 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:52,884 and wantings to buy flowerings, 480 00:25:52,884 --> 00:25:56,880 and discoverings of a flower stalling just at the right momentings. 481 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:02,758 And when he had finished, Andrew Beckett took his wife's face in his lovely, young hands… 482 00:26:03,207 --> 00:26:06,199 Now, Wendy, do you see? Do you understand what's happened? 483 00:26:06,199 --> 00:26:11,202 -Oh, Andrew, I feel such a fool. -Well, Wendy, I think we've both been a little mad. 484 00:26:11,202 --> 00:26:14,438 But what matters now is the future. It's us. 485 00:26:14,727 --> 00:26:16,922 -Oh, Andy. -Oh, Wendy. 486 00:26:19,767 --> 00:26:22,361 A happy ending, you may think, 487 00:26:22,361 --> 00:26:25,644 loose ends tied up, the books balanced. 488 00:26:25,644 --> 00:26:28,195 And yet… And yet. 489 00:26:28,195 --> 00:26:32,121 What of our friend, the blind flower-seller? 490 00:26:32,647 --> 00:26:35,286 Old Man's Wrinkle, madam, 491 00:26:35,286 --> 00:26:38,279 or the Fighting Buttercup. 492 00:26:38,279 --> 00:26:41,683 They say that the bouquet of this bloom 493 00:26:41,683 --> 00:26:44,725 brings out all the anger in a person. 494 00:26:44,725 --> 00:26:48,402 -Really? -And when they've done that for a bit, 495 00:26:48,767 --> 00:26:50,246 they explode. 496 00:26:51,887 --> 00:26:55,482 -How much? -To you, madam, nothing. 497 00:26:55,807 --> 00:26:57,877 Ooh, thank you very much. 498 00:27:10,207 --> 00:27:11,526 Good night, 499 00:27:11,526 --> 00:27:12,881 if you can. 500 00:27:24,847 --> 00:27:28,157 Well, we come now to that part of the show 501 00:27:28,157 --> 00:27:33,162 where I say, “Well, we come now to that part of the show”. 502 00:27:33,162 --> 00:27:35,477 Oh, get on with it. 503 00:27:46,927 --> 00:27:48,280 Have you chosen your cocktail, Caroline? 504 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,279 Yes, I'll have A Quick One With You, Stephen, please. 505 00:27:51,279 --> 00:27:54,444 A Quick One With You, Stephen, it will be. For you, Patrick? 506 00:27:54,444 --> 00:27:56,165 Could I just have a glass of water, Stephen? 507 00:27:57,236 --> 00:28:01,036 Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid the answer is, “No, you can't.” I do apologise. 508 00:28:01,036 --> 00:28:03,203 You can have A Quick One With You, Stephen. 509 00:28:03,203 --> 00:28:06,518 A Quick One With You, Stephen. Now you may be making this at home, 510 00:28:06,518 --> 00:28:09,917 in which case, what you'll need is a measure of gin, 511 00:28:10,527 --> 00:28:12,324 two measures of gin, 512 00:28:13,127 --> 00:28:14,560 one of gin, 513 00:28:15,327 --> 00:28:16,965 a measure of gin, 514 00:28:17,407 --> 00:28:21,685 an item of clothing worn by any member of the cast of Two Point Four Children. 515 00:28:22,007 --> 00:28:26,637 In this case, I'm using a pair of Gary Olsen's Fruit of the Loom Y-pants 516 00:28:27,927 --> 00:28:30,521 and a measure of gin. 517 00:28:31,967 --> 00:28:34,720 And now, into the cocktail shaker of my mouth, 518 00:28:35,367 --> 00:28:38,120 I throw these six magnificent words, 519 00:28:38,727 --> 00:28:42,640 you, please, Music, Mr, will, play. 520 00:28:43,167 --> 00:28:44,998 I give a brief shake 521 00:28:46,447 --> 00:28:48,961 and I pour out this golden phrase, 522 00:28:49,247 --> 00:28:51,966 “Please, Mr Music, will you play?” 523 00:29:43,167 --> 00:29:44,725 Soupy twist.