LUCY turns to JOHN and whispers as the actors continue with the scene.
LUCY I never said that.
JOHN It doesn’t matter.
LUCY It matters to me.
JOHN
We can talk about it later. MOTHER
It’s what you were thinking. LUCY
I would never have said it though. SALLY
Sorry. Do you mind?
LUCY sits back, clearly furious at the actor’s portrayal of her. The scene continues.
JOHN 2
Hey come here. I’m not going anywhere.
EXT. BBC BROADCASTING HOUSE – ROOF TERRACE DAY
JOHN finds LUCY lighting up a cigarette on the roof terrace.
JOHN It’s just a play.
LUCY
It’s not just a play. She’s been talking about this for weeks. She’s told all her friends too.
JOHN
I thought they might find it interesting.
LUCY Re-writing history?
JOHN Don’t be like that.
LUCY
Why can’t you just write about something else. Make it up. Or don’t you have the imagination? Actually, forget that - clearly you do. This whole thing’s a work of fiction - none of it happened - not in the way you remember it anyway. They’ll listen to it when it’s broadcast and this is how they’ll remember things. Never mind how it was – what actually happened.
JOHN Of course they won’t.
LUCY
You think he’s bad – well she’s no better – not really. She gets by – day to day - but you end up talking round in circles half the time. You agree something and a week later you’re back to square one. She’ll have forgotten.
JOHN She’s seventy-seven.
LUCY
Seventy-eight. You don’t even know how old she is.
JOHN
You’re right, that house is too big for them.
LUCY
Then why make me out to be the villain?
JOHN I’m not.
LUCY
That’s what it sounded like in there. ‘The world according to John.’ You sit there and you make all this stuff up. It’s like we’re not real – just characters. People will think I’m a right cow.
JOHN You’re over reacting.
LUCY
You come out of it jolly well. The sympathetic son. Is that how you see yourself?
JOHN
I did spend six months with them. LUCY
You had nowhere else to go. JOHN
That’s not true. LUCY
God. You’ve even managed to convince yourself now. Doesn’t take long, does it?
BECKY appears from inside.
JOHN
Okay – I’ll be down in a minute. (To LUCY) Why don’t you come back in?
LUCY
And listen to that bullshit? No thanks – I’d rather catch
pneumonia.
LUCY takes another drag of her cigarette.
EXT. GARDEN DAY - FLASHBACK
Flames lick around rubbish from the garage. The gut strings of the tennis racket catch alight and snap in the heat. Smoke curls as it billows into the sky.
INT. CONSULTING ROOM DAY - FLASHBACK
FATHER lies on a DOCTOR’S couch looking up at a fluorescent strip light.
DOCTOR Do you know where you are?
FATHER No.
DOCTOR Do you know who I am?
FATHER No.
DOCTOR
Do you know what day it is today? FATHER
No.
DOCTOR
Do you know what year is it? FATHER
DOCTOR
Do you know who the name of the prime minister?
FATHER No.
DOCTOR
Can you tell me your wife’s name? FATHER
Jean.
DOCTOR And how long have you been married?
FATHER I don’t know.
DOCTOR Do you feel happy?
FATHER Sometimes.
DOCTOR
Do you feel that your life is empty?
FATHER I don’t know.
DOCTOR
Do you feel that something bad is going to happen?
FATHER Should I?
DOCTOR
Okay now we’re going to do a series of simple exercises. Firstly I’d like you to have a look at these words.
The DOCTOR shows FATHER a card with the words: BANANA, APPLE, GRAPES and ORANGE, printed on it. FATHER reads them before the DOCTOR covers the card again.
DOCTOR
Now can you tell me what was written on the card.
FATHER Banana, apple, orange… DOCTOR One more.
FATHER I can’t remember.
DOCTOR Okay. Here are some more.
The DOCTOR shows FATHER a second card on which is printed the words: PARSLEY, OREGANO, ROSEMARY and THYME. FATHER looks at the card before the DOCTOR takes it away again.
FATHER
Parsley…coriander and thyme. DOCTOR
Okay. Thank you. And now I’d like you to draw a clock for me. Just a simple clock face with the hours of the day.
The DOCTOR hands FATHER a pad of paper and a pencil. FATHER confidently draws a large circle that fills the page. He then pauses. He looks down at the empty clock face unable to remember the numbers.
INT. SITTING ROOM NIGHT - FLASHBACK
FATHER sits in an armchair by the window staring at his reflection in the window. JOHN enters and draws the curtains. He looks at FATHER and smiles.
FATHER
You know what the Eskimos used to do?
JOHN What?
FATHER
Soon as your teeth had dropped out they’d push you out of the igloo - leave you to die in the cold.
JOHN
Lucky you’re not an Eskimo then. You’ve got your jumper on back to front.
FATHER Have I?
JOHN How about some music?
FATHER If you like.
JOHN
What do you want to listen to? FATHER
What is there?
JOHN Let’s see.
JOHN opens the wooden record cabinet and begins flicking through LPs.
JOHN (CONT.)
James Last. Do you remember him?
FATHER shakes his head.
JOHN (CONT.)
‘Hooked on Classics. You used to play that all the time.
FATHER Did I?
JOHN
And this. I haven’t heard this in ages.
FATHER What is it?
JOHN You tell me.
He puts on ‘Miserere mei, Deus’ by Gregorio Allegri. FATHER begins to listen. JOHN watches him.
FATHER I don’t know.
JOHN
Yes you do. Everyone knows this.
As FATHER continues to listen to the music the camera tracks slowly in towards him, until his face eventually fills the screen. Tears well up in his eyes. The camera moves in closer still. Silently, he begins to cry.
INT. CUTTING ROOM
The music continues. Flickering images of waves washing over ridges in the sand are seen on the tiny screen, this time in positive. As the film rattles through the Compeditor we hear the DOCTOR’S voice as he questions FATHER.
DOCTOR (O/S)
Now I’m going to give you a letter of the alphabet and I want you to generate as many words as you can think of beginning with that
letter. Okay?
FATHER (O/S) Yes.
DOCTOR (O/S) And the letter is P.
FATHER (O/S) Pain. Promise. Person. Pull. Police. Pale. Picture. Priest. Pray…
The picture cuts. FATHER digs a hole in the sand. Smiling children in swimming trunks crowd the camera. Amongst them is the boy with the windmill. FATHER picks him up and holds him upside down. The boy wriggles, laughing, as he’s lowered into the hole. The grainy footage becomes blurred as the film jumps the gate.
INT. SITTING ROOM NIGHT - FLASHBACK
JOHN sits alone watching a series of abstract shapes flickering on the screen.
EXT. GARDEN NIGHT - FLASHBACK
A breeze blows grey ash across the glowing embers of the bonfire as it gradually dies.
INT. BEDROOM DAY - FLASHBACK
The words ‘PHONE CALL’ are scribbled on a yellow post-it note, beneath the word ‘VAL’. JOHN then sticks it beside one that reads ‘HOSPITAL’. Sunlight casts shadows across dozens of post-it notes covering the bedroom wall - a patchwork of characters and interwoven storylines.
The light begins to fade and we hear a telephone ring somewhere in the house. As the camera continues to pan across the post-it notes we hear JOHN hurry downstairs and pick up the receiver.
JOHN (O/S) Hello…Speaking…
INT. STUDIO DAY
JOHN 2 approaches a NURSE who stands at the microphone. JOHN 2
Excuse me I’m looking for Valerie Hughes. She was admitted late last night.
NURSE
Byron ward. End of the corridor. On your right.
JOHN 2 walks on the spot. SALLY’s voice is heard over the speaker as the green light flashes repeatedly.
SALLY
Sorry. I’m going to have to stop you. I can’t hear your footsteps, Robin. Let’s go again from the top. And a bit more urgency.
JOHN 2
But at this point he’s no idea what’s happened.
SALLY
No. Just that Val’s been taken into hospital. He’s obviously worried though.
INT. CONTROL ROOM DAY
JOHN puts a pencil line through the scene before writing ‘T1 – NG.’
SIMON
Okay – standby by for a green.
The green light flashes. JOHN 2 approaches the microphone – this time he appears to be more anxious.
JOHN 2
Excuse me - I’m looking for
Valerie Hughes. She was admitted last night.
NURSE Just a minute.
CAZ taps a computer keyboard beside the actors.
NURSE (CONT.) Byron ward. End of the corridor. On your right.
JOHN 2 Thank you.
SALLY listens over the speakers as JOHN 2 walks on the spot, breathing heavily.
SALLY (TO SIMON)
Can we have a bit more corridor atmos? I think it needs to feel busier.
SIMON Sure.
As SIMON pushes the faders up on the desk the noise in the corridor becomes louder – an orderly with a trolley – passing nurses. JOHN 2 stops walking.
SALLY Is there a door?
MARTHA Sorry. My fault.
SIMON
We can drop one in in the edit. JOHN 2
Val? What’s happened? VAL 2 I’m sorry.
JOHN 2
I just got a message that you’d been admitted with stomach pains.
VAL 2