Original subtitles

From the long hot night to the ocean breeze, to the damp and to the rain of

London City.

We come from the sun to live in the cold, I'm in the rum, I want my coconut

tree.

Let's keep the music deep, wind up your waist and feel the air.

kids. I paid you to watch me van not wreck it.

Oh, come on, Cheryl. Just bung them in.

Look, Lee, I don't just bung things in. Your mother never taught you to look

after your clothes.

Cheryl, you're only sorting out jumble for me car boot sale. Me van's on a

double yellow.

Oh, look, I'll give you a hand.

No, no, no, no. Go hinder me system.

Okay. What's your system?

Well, this bag's rubbish.

This bag's jumble. This bag sinks the keep.

Rubbish. Jumble, things to keep. Right, got it.

This pile's rubbish, this pile's jumble, and this pile is things to keep.

Rubbish, jumble, things to keep. Got it. And?

What we do is we put the rubbish in the rubbish bag, the jumble in the

jumble bag, and the things to keep... In the things to keep bag. Yeah, yeah,

yeah.

He learns fast, doesn't he? Give the boy a Blue Peter badge.

Right.

Rubbish.

Jumble.

Fins to keep.

Rubbish. Bosh.

Jumble. Bang.

Fins to keep. Ba -dum -dum -dum -dum -dum. Rubbish. Bosh.

Jumble. My red little tummy.

This is my jumble. Give it back.

Mum, tell me. You can't give me back my tummy.

Look, Lee.

All right, all right.

But it'll cost you 50p. I ain't paying 50p for it.

Yeah, you're probably right.

Call it 25.

Call it anything you like. That's mine.

Now that... Robbie.

Smash hit yearbook, 1983.

Who'd want to buy this?

Yeah, shame guy.

Oh, look, there's a letter in here. Rightly, you said you wanted some milk.

Here you are. I was just about making out. The writing's really bad.

Dear Jim, can you fix it for me to be in the

group Musical Youth?

As I think they're well lard. No, no, hard.

I am nine years old and all the other kids in my class say that I've got a

better voice than the lead singer.

Yours, Sean Pastor Dutchie Ambrose.

It was a joke, man. Yeah, you're telling me we're larder.

Mum, you can't throw these away. These are my formative years, man.

Oh, look, I've had enough.

You two started out between yourselves, but started out by this evening. I don't

know why.

What's that?

Smashing, Jess.

Oh, no, don't tell me. The kids.

You got it.

Mum, babe.

You're right, Tony.

My hair.

Yes, Jess, Mum.

I sent him running after him. You did what?

You underestimate this show. He's got the body of a man half his age.

I think you could do the other one back.

That showed him. There won't be background here in a hurry.

Desmond. I mean, you suppose you're going to stand up and stick up for them

again? Desmond, not now. You're hysterical.

You hear me laughing?

Come on, Pops. I mean, everyone's kicked the ball for a window at some time or

other. I haven't, have you?

Uh, hypothetically speaking.

I mean, aren't you just going to stand there and take their side after what

they've done? It's all right. There's no need to worry. I'm okay.

I'm not talking about you, Tony. I'm talking about the shop window.

Let's just get this mess cleared up.

Gloria, Sean, get a broom and sweep up that glass.

And be careful.

Tony, get somebody to fix the window.

Desmond, sit down. Okay. All right.

Let's hear it.

All right.

I'm going to try explaining this to you one more time.

Now, if the council closed down the playground because they say they can't

afford to make it safe, where else do you think the children will have to

The streets. The dangerous streets. And that's why I'm on the action group

committee. The only danger to the streets is the kids.

open the window like everyone else.

What would have happened if we'd done this when we were kids?

Boy, my father would have licked me.

Your mother, she would have mashed up your backside.

And you know what Shirley wants to do? Mash up your backside?

Give them a new program.

But she's right, Desmond.

You don't read the local paper.

It's not the kid's fault.

It's the cut.

Don't tell me on this committee as well.

Are you really a... Uncle Popeye. No, it's really Uncle Freddy Krueger. Yes, I

am.

We're meeting the council this week.

You two should be joining in, Desmond. You ought to be lending your support to

the action group.

Popeye, I have lent you far too much as it is without lending you my support as

well.

Obviously, your committee isn't working very well. Otherwise, the kids would be

still kicking down my shop window.

Well, for a committee to be effective, it must have objectives which are

communicated by an articulate advocate who commands the respect of both

What's that supposed to mean?

It means we need someone to state our case in plain English.

That counts Matthew out.

That counts all of you out. What you need is someone whose name is known to

community. Someone whose name is associated with respect.

Well, who's respected, Randall?

Well... There is someone whose name is big in Benenden Road, for instance.

Oh, I get it. And it also happens to be the name of a shop.

Yes. And what's it called?

Mr. Patel. No!

Arnie the baker.

No!

Kentucky fried chicken.

No! No!

Desmond. Yes.

You're respected in the community.

Yes. So you're going to make the speech to the council.

No!

You have to shout. If it gets them clearing up their jumble, it's fine by

You see, the place look like a pigsty.

Where is your two little piglets?

Reunited, and it feels so good.

Reunited, because we understood.

There's one perfect thing, and sugar, this one is it.

We're so excited because we're reunited. Hey, hey.

So that's how the shop window was broken.

Michael, what is this rubbish?

That is, reunited by peaches and herbs, got to number four, April 1979.

Not that one, the one that's on now.

Oh, you kids nowadays, if there's no rapping halfway through a record, you're

lost. All right, then, we'll all listen to it.

Mother, why you had to call me over here for jumble, I'll never know.

I mean, there's nothing I'd possibly want to keep.

I'm sorry, Michael, I thought you had more than just this shoebox.

Oh, great. I come all this way for an empty shoebox.

Okay, mastermind, name that tune. Michael Ambrose, take three.

Michael Ambrose proudly presents... Look, I think we've heard enough.

A Michael Ambrose production.

Michael Ambrose is... The Lone Ranger.

Michael Ambrose. Oh, you think my cousin does?

Only one thing to say to you, boy.

Well said!

At least I used my imagination.

You kids nowadays have so many toys, you don't use your minds.

I had little, but I was happy with my lot. I had to entertain myself.

Well, I'll say one thing, son.

Don't give up the day job.

And who was this Dobbin?

Oh, Dobbin was a little toy horse on wheels we bought for Michael. Oh, a toy

horse on wheels. It was a Christmas present.

That horse, I had to laugh when I gave it to Lee for his car boot sale this

morning. What?

You gave away Dobbin? That's typically me.

Always flogging a dead horse.

Mother, I thought you of all people would have understood how important

was to me. He was my only true friend.

But Michael, a moment ago you said you didn't want to have anything kept. Yes,

but I didn't mean for you to give away my childhood. Did I miss something? We

are talking about a toy horse. Oh, you kids think this is very amusing, don't

you? But Michael, I didn't think you would have wanted to keep it.

It was virtually falling apart. It was not.

It was in perfectly good order.

It was mangy.

Michael, I don't understand. That's been the problem for the last 30 years.

No -one's wanted to understand.

All that over something called Dobbin, I ask you.

What are we going to do?

We'll give him back his damn horse.

If it's too late, Lee would have sold it by now.

Did we really give him such a rotten childhood?

Desmond, I've got some good news that will please everybody.

You're going to a nursing home?

If you don't shut up, you're the one that's going to need nursing.

Oh, fight it on with it. It's official.

You're the people's choice to speak to the council to save the playground.

You're still on about that again? I told you, may not do it.

Josh, Desmond, Pokpai, how you find this out?

By conducting a poll.

Pokpai, you couldn't conduct a bus.

What question did you ask?

I did it properly.

I asked them, you think Desmond should speak to the council to save the

playground, don't you?

They all said yes.

Oh, it's in a good cause, Desmond. It's for the children.

Children? I've had it up to here with children.

First they break my shop window, then Michael accuses you of being a bad

Me?

Oh, whatever.

There's no whatever about it, Desmond.

You know what your trouble is? You're too busy worrying about what you want

rather than thinking about what other people need.

Like speaking up for the playground, for instance.

It is speech!

Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!

Speech What makes me hear about you not making the speech for the children's

playground?

That's what I told earlier.

We, the community, make you what you are today.

And all you do is take, take, take.

What you should be doing is putting something back out on the streets.

Right. I'll start with you.

You make me hard stuff. Promises, promises.

Forget it, babe.

It's not everything.

We'll have to get someone else.

Don't let your blood pressure rise.

My blood pressure?

No way.

Good Lord, now I hear screeching in the ears.

You see?

I bet one of them kids kick a ball through somebody's car window.

nights with all this noise.

Let me take care of the poor little fella.

Oh, blood, blood.

You're hopeless.

The poor child will bleed to death if he has to wait for you.

Oh, dear, dear. That's not too bad, is it? Don't cry now.

So, um, what's your name then?

Michael.

Oh, Lord.

Oh, come on, Dad. He must have written Just a minute, just a minute. There's a

lot to remember.

Come on, Desmond. We've been waiting for half an hour.

Just read us what you got.

All right.

The children need a playground because, one... Yeah?

That's as far as I've gone.

That's where you get this one from, Shirley.

Desmond, you haven't taken in anything we've been saying.

Oh, come on, Mr Ambrose, it's easy. It's just common sense.

You expect him to find that easy?

Well, good for you lot. You've had ages to think about it. You've been to the

meetings, you've studied it in full and you've made up your minds.

That's why we've given you the benefit of what we've thought out so far.

All you have to do is write down what we've been telling you and then put that

in your own words as it comes to the meeting.

Well, that's the bit I've been having trouble with.

OK,

let's recap.

I made the first point.

which was that every child should have a safe place to play and explore, under

proper supervision and away from the dangers of the streets.

So you put that in your own words.

Children should be kept off the streets because they're dangerous.

back to that one.

Now, I made the second point, which was that children need to let off steam,

play rowdy games, without the grown -ups telling them off all the time. Why?

Why what?

Well, why should they be rowdy and play around?

I mean, why can't they be seen and not heard like we were when we were their

age? I do think you were like that.

Desmond, when you were a child growing up in Guyana, you can take yourself off

into the field, play down by the stream, climb trees, throw stones.

You had all that pace.

You could get out from under your mother's feet.

Poor woman.

You could be gone for hours and she knew she didn't have to worry.

She only has to worry when you come back.

Look, Dad, this is London. It was bad enough when me and Louise was little.

even worse now.

Yeah, most people round here haven't even got their own backyard.

They live in flats, a lot of them in high -rise.

Where can a mother send her kids where they will be safe and they won't be a

nuisance? Ah, yes, well, it all starts to make more sense now.

So? In your own words?

Don't rush me, don't rush me.

Is that all right? I have to get back to good Cockbutt, his red mullet.

He'll cook it himself.

You ever know a man to do anything for himself?

Oh, shut up.

Stop gossiping.

Right, I've got it.

London is not like Guyana.

So to protect innocent shopkeepers' windows, if children want to behave

they should be kept under strict supervision in caged areas.

In a report sent to Policy and Resources on the Five Subcommittee on December

7th, 1989, the Bellingdon Road Action Group highlighted the woefully

resources of the... Dad, this is like one of Mr. Spencer's history lessons.

thank you, Tom.

I don't think so. We had a compliment day. It's not what you say, Desmond.

how you say it. Yes, Pops. Liven it up, man.

It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.

The council is meeting a respected businessman, Mr.

D. Ambrose, not M .C. Desmond.

Now, Desmond, the most famous orator in ancient Greece was called Demosthenes.

He'd have to be a good orator just to pronounce his name.

And he used to practice with marbles in his mouth. I'm not putting marbles in my

mouth. I've got it!

Well, I hope they ain't catching.

Gobstoppers? No, it's not me. I've seen the kids do it.

Anyway, for you, here's the next best thing to marbles.

You don't need a Gobstopper, Des. You need a Gobstarter.

Gobstoppers, you are elected by the community to serve the community.

He's set up Marlon Brando. Yeah, the Gobfather.

All right, Desmond.

Forget Demosthenes and his marbles. Oh, I don't know. These marbles don't taste

too bad.

And think of the great speakers of our time.

Martin Luther King, Osagifu Kwame Nkrumah, Frank Brunel. I mean, Harry.

I never know the great speakers. He's got to get on with it. You've only got

five minutes to put your point across.

All right, all right.

As councillors, you are elected by the community.

No, no, no, no, no, gentlemen.

The art is in the past.

you must emphasize each phrase separately.

All right, all right.

As councillors, you are elected by the community

to serve the community.

You've got to move your hands about.

Yes, and like this, the Acorn Grove playground needs investment,

and we... opening.

I'm not a helicopter. Yes,

please.

Lee, have you found Michael's toy horse?

No, but I found a person who bought it off me.

And? No can do, Cheryl. They wouldn't sell it unless I paid double the price.

What? That's right.

One pound.

So, why didn't you buy it? Michael thinks it's priceless.

So do I. I wouldn't give anything for it.

And don't come out without it.

All right, I've got it. Okay, Desmond, show us. And when you reach an important

point, punch the air.

And when you get to the meeting, punch the counselor.

Never in the annals of history has so much been owed by so many to so

few.

We shall fight them on the sandpipes, on the swings, and

on the sea swords.

We shall never surrender.

The children need...

You had a bad dream.

I was making this... I've... I've lost my voice, surely?

Of course.

I'm sure.

I'm not surprised you've been practicing that speech all day and night.

This speech is today.

What are we going to do?

We'll have to cancel it.

No such thing. Give me those notes.

Madam Chair, what we are talking about here today are human beings and their

lives. Yes.

Like you, I am a mother and these are our children.

If we don't take action, instead of comforting a hurt...

And I appreciate you coming straight here to let me know personally, even if

council did only award you half the money.

But did you have to bring Rent -A -Fan Club with you?

Oi, we're not Rent -A -Fan Club.

We're the Aircon Grove Action Group. Yeah. We supported it when it needed us.

It's for the children.

That's right. Well, you were a kid once.

Yeah, I wouldn't count on that.

You know what it's like.

Don't you think sales kids have a right to play safely?

Look, I understand all that, and I dare say you're right, but why are you

telling me this?

But we need a... private donation to make up the rest of the money. Give us

rest of the money, no man!

Congratulations, Forkpie, you're a true diplomat. This is a fact, not a charity.

Michael, you have the perfect credentials to be a sponsor.

Yes, Michael, you're well known and respected in the community.

And you are our little financial wizard.

Tell me something I don't already know.

I find it ironic that you can devote so much time to those kids, who are

strangers after all.

And you didn't even care how your own flesh and blood felt. Don't be silly,

Michael. Of course we cared.

And still do.

Father, I've noticed you've been rather quiet.

Cat got your tongue?

Cat got him, vice.

He laughed it.

He's a little horse.

And talking of a little horse, Michael, if we could get Dobbin back for you,

would you give us the rest of the money?

Three, four.

Go ahead make his day