Original subtitles

MATURE JENNIFER: Miracles, like angels, are not rare.

Neither do they always fall into our lives

as if cast down from heaven to surprise us.

Some, like Christmas, simply offer up their magic.

But some come in response to prayer,

or effort, or extended longing.

CHILDREN LAUGH

GROANING

And time and time again, we learn that miracles

are something that we labour for and make.

BABY CRIES

Oh!

See what you did?

Oh...

SHE SOBS

Maxine, do you want to come and look at Mummy's new baby?

MOTHER LAUGHS

I told her Father Christmas would be bringing her a present.

I reckon she'd rather have a bike.

Now, careful. I don't want this scratched

within an hour of taking ownership.

I drove nigh on 50,000 miles in Old Faithful.

By the end, it showed.

There!

It's perfect.

It has the most glancing relationship

with the perpendicular.

Maybe it grew at that angle!

In the wild. What do you reckon, Fred?

MUFFLED: I reckon some of this soot's been up this chimney

since the Queen Mum was a kiddie.

Mr Aylward. What a magnificent specimen!

Thank you. Oh, you're most welcome, Sister.

Is it quite straight?

There are four defaulters on the first two pages.

This is not how a Christmas club is supposed to work, Fred.

They are supposed to pay in every week

and then they get all the goodies at the end.

I don't know what's gone wrong with the Smiths,

but the other three were all caught up in the train crash.

Well, why didn't you say?

They can have all the works.

Nothing's felt right since that accident.

It's not that people have lost money

or even family. It's like...

...we've all lost a bit of heart.

Or who we are.

So Sister Hilda isn't coming back at all?

You heard Mother Mildred.

She is of the view that we can do very well without her.

She hasn't even iced the Christmas cake.

Or marzipanned it, come to that.

I know.

I'll do it.

I've got my cookery O- Level.

Thank you.

We'll manage.

# Hallelujah

# Thou shalt reign and thou alone. #

Amen. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. Praise God.

Brothers and sisters, may we all keep the meaning

of the season within our hearts

as we watch and wait for the arrival

of the child Jesus Christ.

Pastor, before you lead us any further,

let us welcome Nurse Robinson home from her day of work

and ask how the labouring mother fared.

She was strong, she was courageous

and she delivered the most beautiful little boy.

Amen. Praise the Lord.

A boy, in this, the holiest of seasons.

Welcome home, Nurse Franklin.

Oh! It's so good to be back.

And for everything to be just as it was.

We have much to be grateful for.

But whatever kept you, lass?

We've been watching the clock for an hour or more.

Er...

...we ran out of petrol just outside of Heathrow.

It falls to the wanderer

to place a wreath upon our threshold.

Ta-da!

DOOR CLANGS SHUT

Two cardigans, grey, two dresses, beige,

prison- issue hose, shoes and undergarments

all present and correct.

They let me out early for good behaviour.

Opposite of what got you in here.

I've served my time now.

Well, three month of it, anyway.

It says here you're going back to live with your fiance.

Yeah. He's coming to meet me.

Right!

Off you pop.

DOOR SLAMS

SHE GASPS

Nancy, have you never heard Coco Chanel's adage

"elegance is refusal"?

What's that supposed to mean?

Refusal to indulge in every passing trend.

Refusal to over-accessorize.

Refusal to buy more clothes than you have room for!

Now, if that's not the kettle calling the pot black,

then I don't know what is.

I had a complex roster of fashion requirements

in Portofino and had to transition between seasons.

My clothes aren't just clothes.

They're assets.

And mine aren't just clothes.

They're bargains.

Can you not just hang some stuff on one of the picture rails?

SHE GIGGLES

I'm going to ask Sister julienne to provide us with

a second wardrobe and an additional chest of drawers.

KNOCK AT DOOR Three points of order.

All rounds, maternity and district,

are curtailed this morning.

A working luncheon of sandwiches is planned,

and I have finally obtained the keys to the Florence Dean Hall,

where we will meet at 12.30 precisely to set up for clinic.

QUIET CONVERSATION

# Why are we waiting? #

Good afternoon, ladies.

Hand your urine in to the counter on your left.

I need your opinion of this mincemeat

when you have a moment. I threw caution to the wind

and put a dash of Drambuie in it.

Mum?

"Mrs Turner" when in clinic, please, Timothy.

Which one is Gravely, Joyce, 3rd of the 3rd '38?

She must be near dead of diabetes.

What did she bring the urine in?

A rose hip syrup bottle.

Oh, Mrs Turner! I was hoping I'd see you.

We're so pleased to have you back with us.

I'll see to Mrs Mullucks myself. Of course.

It's not felt real, having a fourth at the age of 40, but...

... now I'm back with the sisters, I know it is.

Everything seems to be in perfect order.

Oh, it is.

Every arm, leg, finger and toe.

The hospital gave me an X- ray.

When did they give you an X- ray?

Er, last week.

They said I needed extra reassurance.

Not one mother of a thalidomide child

has ever gone on to have another affected baby.

That drug will never hurt anyone again.

St Cuthbert's said... I couldn't know for sure!

HE SIGHS

All the toys are in a bit of a mess today.

It's the first time we've been in this hall.

I like the doll's house.

I don't actually know where that is,

but we've got dolls and quite a few teddies we can play with.

SHE SIGHS

I'm hot.

Let's get that coat off you.

Rhoda, I really think the maternity home

would be the best place for you

to have this baby, simply because of your age.

But if I have the baby in my own bed,

then I won't have to worry about Susan.

Anyway, my eldest two are teenagers now.

They don't wear you out the same as the little ones.

It's all systems go for the Sunday School Nativity in our house.

Two angels and a camel.

The camel has nearly broken me.

When I asked Mrs Avis about it,

she said the parts hadn't been assigned yet.

Why would she say that?

The children have been practising since November.

On Sundays?

Susan's there every Sunday.

Angela and May said she just watches.

Oh, Rhoda. I thought you knew.

DOG BARKS

Can I help you?

My fiance lives here.

Not any more he doesn't. We've been here two weeks.

His name's Andreas Jorgensen.

Mm. There's a letter came, and another one he left.

Er, you may as well take them.

I don't want debt collectors coming around. Er, wait.

BABY CRIES

DOG BARKS

Here. I'm sorry, I'll have to go.

The baby's mithering the dog.

BARKING

I saw Dr Turner's eldest in clinic today.

He's a medical student there.

Do you think they might let me help, Mum?

It'll all add up when I apply for nursing school.

You two, wait here.

Mrs Avis!

Oh, afternoon, Mrs Mullucks. I'm afraid I can't stop.

I've got to get this material dropped off urgently.

We've had two false starts with the Three Wise Men.

I waited and waited to find out

what Susan was going to be doing in the Nativity.

Susan joins in very nicely with the other children

when we're doing our Scripture.

But it's not safe having her on the stage.

Not safe for who?

Well, she might fall over or get knocked down.

We're thinking about her safety.

You're thinking about what other people might think, Mrs Avis.

What it might look like to have her there on that stage,

in that play, in the photographs

like everybody else.

Susan isn't like everybody else, Mrs Mullucks.

You've no idea how much she wants to be.

Oh.

Mrs Mullucks forgot her milk tokens,

and Susan's entitled to free orange juice.

She's also entitled to an apology.

From whom?

From the scientists that created thalidomide,

from the drug companies that sold it.

Those pills took her limbs, Miss Higgins.

I believe some infants didn't survive at all.

When I had polio...

...the doctors were so powerful.

I thought all medicine was good.

But what happened to Susan in the womb is obscene.

Now I'm going to be a doctor.

I feel ashamed.

As a colleague,

I don't disagree with a word you've said.

But as someone older and wiser...

... I beg you never to say that to your father.

Poplar needs a treat, Violet.

Something that will bring everyone together.

Well, there is the small matter of Christmas on the horizon.

We need something else.

Something that will help raise money

for the people affected by the train crash.

What do you suggest?

We book Florrie Hall...

...and organise a talent show.

A talent show? Yes!

With singing, dancing, magicians.

And maybe someone will have a budgie act!

Knife-throwing... Yeah!

Knife-throwing?

The police would shut us down before curtain up.

I can see it now.

Lights, music.

AS HUGHIE GREEN: Ladies and gentlemen, Poplartunity Knocks!

SHE SHIVERS

FRED: And then what we do is,

we turn the stage into a giant television set,

put a frame around it, and knobs,

so that you can turn the sound up and down.

The actual sound?

The actual sound of people performing?

I dunno. I just... Excuse me?

Yes, dear? How can I help?

I'd like to write down some particulars from the window,

but I haven't got a pad or a pen-

Thanks, flower.

You'd better get back to your job.

Your coat's not warm.

Last time I had this on, it were a summer's day.

But let's just say,

for once I think you're onto something...

Spotlights. Spotlights.

A microphone. A microphone.

Live band.

BELL DINGS A live...

Hello?

You all right, Reggie?

I was looking for someone who was cold.

Oh!

SHE GASPS

This really was the most remarkably nippy work

by Sister julienne.

A new wardrobe and a new chest of drawers in a single afternoon.

That's all your fancy man's doing.

You mean Matthew?

Yeah, he makes sure the Order always has a cash fund

for emergency purchases.

He never said.

But then I suppose there's a lot of things he never says...

...or doesn't show.

Like what?

His sensitivities,

his sense of fun.

Yeah, I'd say he's quite good at concealing that.

I suppose it shouldn't matter if I know it's there,

but I ... I just...

I wish he'd let the world see.

It's his only flaw.

Come on.

THEY GRUNT

SNIFFING

Are you crying?

No, love. Chopping onions for the tea.

Evening, all.

Where's my beautiful?

Hey?

Hey?

Mwah!

And my gorgeous.

And my surprise of a... Give over, Bernie.

SHE SNIFFS

You been down the Hand and Shears?

There's nothing doing down the warehouse

and we're all getting laid off tomorrow, so...

There's not been a ship in that dock all this week.

Look, Susan, why don't you go into the lounge and play, yeah?

I'll come in in a minute.

See how fast you can go.

Go on.

So, the Hand and Shears.

Did you see your mate?

Immaculate. Never used.

One... luxury doll's house, ours for a favourable price.

Picking it up in a couple of days.

Best thing in the world, making that one smile. Bernie...

...you've had another letter about the thalidomide compensation,

pushing for the families to settle.

Well, you know my view. We should settle right now.

Susan needs all the help she can get.

And she'll need that help her whole life.

What they're offering is nothing in the scheme of things.

It's thousands. The other parents, the ones who know about money,

say we should stick together, hold out for more,

however long it takes.

The parents who know about money, they've got money, haven't they?

What they don't know is what it's like for families like ours.

Us falling out about it ain't going to help matters.

Nancy!

Is this something to do with Matthew and his charity fund?

No, I bought it for Colette for Christmas.

He says it's to go upstairs.

I thought me and her could sit on the bed

and watch it together when she comes to visit.

It'll be good practice for when we get a place of our own.

Shall I take it up, then? Absolutely not!

There's no space left in that room.

My chamber, meanwhile, is a great deal more commodious.

And also, it is on the ground floor.

This is only £2.10.

You said £1 a week for the room,

and that you'd only let me have it for a fortnight.

I've added a premium on account of you being female.

Women put more pressure on the facilities.

When you due?

Not till Easter.

You'll have to be gone before you have it.

I'm not having no babies on my premises.

Nurses, social workers, authorities,

all up and down my stairs asking questions.

You're self-contained. You've got your own electric meter.

The bath's down the hall,

but you'll have to go use the outside lav.

We've got Miss Nadine's Dancing School doing a tap routine

and the Stevedores Glee Club singing In A Monastery Garden.

Move over Beatlemania.

I think it's very touching that

so many poplar organisations want to be involved.

My church choir will do something, I'm sure.

I'll telephone Mrs Wallace.

And it's high time that my keep-fit ladies

got back into their leotards and fishnets.

Oh! I've got a backlog in fishnets.

The Cubs are already rehearsing for the Gang Show,

and we've a decent Great War medley coming up to

a rolling boil.

As long as Miss Higgins doesn't get her recorder out, we'll be laughing.

GIGGLING

I told Sister Frances I'd do it, save her a job.

But when I went in the shed, the rats had got there first,

and what they haven't chewed, they've wee'd on.

Or worse.

Yeah. I think there is in fact some sort of...

...dropping stuck to Joseph.

Well, flick it off with your finger!

Urgh.

Nancy... Nancy.

May I ask a favour of you? It's to do with Trixie.

WHISPERING: I need to know her ring size.

What?

You need to know her ring size?

Well, I can't propose in the correct romantic fashion

if I don't have the appropriate piece of jewellery to hand.

No pun intended.

I don't want to find I can't get it on her.

And if...she says yes...

She will say yes.

Well, probably.

Yeah. Well, look, I mean,

could you rifle through her jewellery box,

try to find out if she's a size I or a K

or an M, or however they calculate these things,

and without her guessing or finding out?

Well, you have my word.

And in the meantime, I have something I want to ask you.

FLOWERPOT MEN BABBLE

Hello!

'And there they both were...'

You watch your programme.

I'll go and see your mum and dad.

All right.

SHE GIGGLES

I'll get her reading books out in a minute.

She's too old for Watch With Mother, really,

but she had such a screaming fit over her artificial legs.

Shouldn't Susan be at school today?

It's an hour on the bus, and it's freezing, so...

And besides, when she gets there,

it's all just playing with Plasticine.

She's a bright kid, Dr Turner.

The other children, most of 'em ain't got working brains.

It's not ideal.

It's criminal.

The other day, when Rhoda rang the Education Office, they said

that Susan has no legal entitlement

to any education because she's handicapped.

I am going to speak to them and get that put in writing.

But what good's that going to do?

It gives us something to fight!

And you've been fighting for Susan

since the day she was born, Dr Turner.

You walked the floors with her all night,

and I'll never forget that.

Every baby deserves and gets

the very best care we can give them.

HE SIGHS

Including the one you're having now, Rhoda.

I really need you to take these iron tablets.

Your blood tests show that you're mildly anaemic.

No.

No. And we're agreed on this.

Nothing that comes out of a chemist's shop

is going inside her body while she's expecting.

Rhoda...

...you don't have to punish yourself like this.

Yes, I do.

I think it's absolutely lovely that you want to help out

with the talent show, Reggie.

You made everyone teas on the night of the crash,

and working backstage is just carrying on like that.

I don't want to be backstage.

I want to be on stage.

Did you reckon Nurse Crane would let you join in

with the Cubs? I'm not a Cub.

I want to play my guitar.

Well, you haven't been learning for very long, Reggie.

Anyway, you've left it at home at the Village

for Christmas.

They could post it.

If you don't know your National Insurance number, I'm afraid

I can't be of any assistance.

Where would it be written down?

On a wage slip. From your previous employer,

if you're no longer working.

I've never had a wage slip.

I've always worked for cash. And I'm not of no fixed abode.

I do have an address.

I thought if you have an address, you can get help with housing.

If you have an address, you don't need help with housing, surely.

Well, I need help to get things for the baby.

I heard about something called maternity money?

If you are referring to government maternity grant...

...it is possible to make an application.

KNOCK ON DOOR

One red cardigan, one set of hair bobbles,

both retrieved from the parlour table.

What are you doing in Trixie's jewellery box?

I'm trying to work out her ring size.

I think I'm going to have to smuggle one to a jeweller's.

Why do you want to know her ring size?

Don't you dare tell a soul...

...or I'll get boiled alive.

Before I hand over a significant amount

of welfare- related paperwork,

might I enquire

as to whether you are, in fact, a British citizen?

My father was an American. An American GI,

but my mother was English. I was born in Bradford.

Well, you will be required to provide evidence of that.

Oh! Good afternoon, Nurse Crane.

How very timely.

Dr Turner has just gone in to Mrs Mohammed.

Forceps were required.

I should make a start with the ulcer clinic

while he's otherwise engaged.

Meanwhile, on a more frivolous note,

I shall require your assistance

with my performance at the talent show.

Your performance at the talent show?

Well, I will be playing my recorder,

but I have devised an entertainment

about the history of the woodwind instrument.

With a twist.

And the twist... is you.

With all the Poplartunity Knocks committee members

present and correct,

including Lucille, stage manager,

Cyril, set designer,

and Timothy Turner, musical director,

there are no apologies to receive.

So agenda item one...

Can we start with item five?

I'm item five.

Most of the acts that I've got applied need all the musical help

they can get. How do you know?

Cos I've heard most of them sing down the pub.

Fred, are you saying that nobody in the talent show

has got any talent?

If we want this to be like Opportunity Knocks,

we're going to need to run it like Opportunity Knocks

and have auditions.

I've put a five-piece band together

and some of the acts will need to rehearse with them.

Er, excuse me? Did we agree we're going on to item five?

Because item two is scenery, and if I'm going to turn that stage

into a television, I need to get to planning.

Do we have an exact date for this event yet?

Well, I have made enquiries

and the hall is booked for December 30th.

Oh, I know exactly how I'm going to do it.

The frame of the stage is going to be made of plywood,

so I can round the corners off

and make it look the exact shape of a screen!

THEY LAUGH

I have to figure out how I'm going to do the, um...

...Clapometer.

Cyril, it's snowing!

Will you just look at that?

Every winter, every time it snows,

it's going to remind me of our wedding.

And it's going to remind me to buy you some flowers.

Yeah. Here we go.

Oh, is that cold?

You've got snow on you.

I'm going to show you a snowflake through a magnifying glass.

Cos you never see two the same.

Did you know that?

Every single one is different.

What's a magnifying glass?

It's a little magic window on a stick

that you look through.

It shows you how beautiful things are.

You doing business?

Yeah. A quid.

CHILDREN SQUEAL

LOW CONVERSATION

Mummy!

You call that a snowball?

Come on, girls. Three against one and we might just beat her.

SQUEALING

Nurse Crane, I need Sister Frances to help me look over

the Christmas altar cloth. Have you seen her?

No.

Neither have I seen the identical twins she must have

if she's to fulfil all the positions on this roster.

She was down for twice the usual number of house calls.

I suppose we are fortunate that she is so available.

Unlike her secular colleagues, she never takes time off.

At least, unlike her secular colleagues,

she isn't likely to go running off and getting married.

Who's getting married now?

TV: '...Deirdre Curtis.

'Deirdre lives in Billingshurst in Sussex'

and it's a snowman table decoration, and there it is.

The base of it,

or the sort of main part of it, is a jar,

and cotton wool is covering it all the way round. Then the...

Come on, Susan. Left leg.

Right leg. Swivel from your tummy,

like the physiotherapist showed you, OK?

Mm- hm. That's it, that's it!

I'm too high up.

You've got to practise with these new legs,

and, no, you're not. They're just making you the same

as the other children. DOOR OPENS

Mum ! Hello, love.

Did you get good marks? Top in woodwork again.

Ooh! Can I go out and play?

How old are you?

Go on. Tea will be at five.

Can I go? No.

I want you to try again.

Watching!

All I need is a costume now.

Well, I was thinking,

what about a nice dinner jacket and a bow tie?

Old men wear bow ties.

Hello there.

Hello again.

Is that yours?

I'm in Poplartunity Knocks.

Reggie, why don't you take this upstairs

and then I can serve this young lady?

Just a couple more minutes, Susan,

then you can take them off.

LAUGHTER

Oh!

My advice would be to start with the basics.

So a shawl, some vests, some nighties

and a dozen terry nappies.

I can knit.

Maybe I should buy some wool and needles.

Of course. And I will throw in

a complimentary pattern.

Careful. You know how wobbly you are.

All right, one step. There we go.

Just step here. There we go.

All right? I want to play.

Please?

Stay there, Susan.

Perry, help me!

SQUEALS Susan!

Perry!

Perry...

What the hell's going on?

It wasn't his fault.

Any news?

I feel like I'm in the French Resistance.

All I need is a beret and a belted mac.

She's a K and a half.

And now we have other work to do.

OFF- KEY TRUMPET

BANGING

It's a novelty. Colourful costume.

She's got charisma?

She's out of tune, Fred.

OFF-KEY TRUMPET CONTINUES

BANGING

BALLOON POPS

Next.

MELANCHOLY TUNE

I'm looking for spangles.

Showmanship.

This is like Dracula's night off.

Next.

THRASHING GUITAR MUSIC

She's got a very good...

...sense of rhythm.

We'll never get this past Lucille and Violet

in a million years.

BANGING

Cyril! Cyril!

This lady's an artiste.

Try and show a bit of sensitivity.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC

The biggest challenge is going to be the sleeves.

Snowmen don't have sleeves. They don't even have arms.

Don't they just have twigs sticking out of their sides?

I'd have thought the biggest problem was going to be the carrot nose.

Can I go to bed now?

Don't wake the others.

Rhoda.

She's had stitches on her head, Dr Turner.

I know.

The night sister told me when she telephoned.

Visiting hours are long over.

I turned my back on her for one minute!

Rhoda, all children have accidents.

And all expectant mothers need to steer clear of stress.

Now, this isn't good for your baby.

You need to let me drive you home,

and everything else can be worked out in the morning.

SHE GROANS

Sh...

You don't want to be born yet.

You're just restless.

Come back to bed with me,

we'll keep each other warm.

I can still smell the beer on you from here.

If you have the time and the money to go down the Hand and Shears,

where's this doll's house?

My friend didn't know I was going to be there.

You're always ruddy there!

I made Susan a little push with a hook

so she can move the furniture about.

I want to try it out, see if it works.

Oh, that's very thoughtful of you, I'm sure.

It's the thing he came top for in woodwork, Mum.

How I was I supposed to know that? No, because you never asked him,

just like you never ask anybody anything...

... unless it's to do with Susan!

Apologise to your mum right now!

Why? You never do.

FOOTSTEPS

DOOR SLAMS

Rhoda, Baby's ticking over very nicely indeed.

But we're really quiet in the maternity home just now,

so Dr Turner wants you to come in

for a night or two of bed rest.

Wh-What about Susan?

Susan is being beautifully looked after.

A break will help you to cope much better when the baby comes.

And it is coming, innit?

Just like Christmas.

Yes.

We're going to help Santa Claus

give out presents to sick children.

Do you not think you ought to wear some nice bright colours?

Lucille, I've been poring over photos of Princess Alexandra.

She gives presents to sick children all the time,

and she always looks elegant, poised and restrained.

Why do you want to look like Princess Alexandra?

I shall be distributing gifts

with a notable local businessman and philanthropist.

I need to look polished and dignified.

'And does it not seem hard to you

'when all the sky is clear and blue

'And I should like so much to play..

'..To have to go to bed by day?'

That's sad.

Do you want to read a comic instead?

Yeah. We love Susan, don't we, Katie?

Such a little sweetheart with her blue eyes, isn't she?

Oh, thank you.

Shame about her arms and legs, though, eh?

Enter.

You asked me to pop in if I was passing by.

Is it about the dry rot?

Er, no.

It's about Nurse Franklin.

I feel it necessary to issue a word of warning.

Warning?

No-one could fail to see the depth of feeling between you,

Mr Aylward, and no-one can fail to be delighted by it.

Might I ...

...ask if you intend to propose marriage?

Erm...

Yes.

Yes, of course you can ask.

And my...my answer, as far as that goes,

is also in the affirmative.

Oh!

Of course, you know Nurse Franklin was once previously engaged.

Yes, some time ago, to a clergyman?

God had other plans.

I think quite rightly.

But there is something you should be aware of.

Really?

She was extremely disappointed in the ring.

It was a family heirloom on her fiance's side,

but it came as quite a shock.

Gosh.

My mother always said to me,

" Never let a man surprise you with jewellery."

The advice wasn't pertinent in my case.

HE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY

But do confer with Nurse Franklin before

making any rash purchases.

Of course. Of course.

Merry Christmas, young lady.

There you are.

Happy Christmas, oh- ho- ho!

A merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas.

Father Christmas, let's see who we have here.

Oh, that is Susan Mullucks from Jubilee Place.

Acting like a little tearaway!

HE CHUCKLES

Merry Christmas!

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

What are you doing running around in your smalls?

I run a respectable establishment.

I'm not well.

I need a hot-water bottle for my stomach.

That sprog's not coming, is it? No!

I told you I'm not due yet.

You said Easter!

I may not be a churchgoing woman,

but I know the difference between Easter and flaming Christmas!

I want you gone now!

Here's a refund on your second week's rent.

But I'm having a baby! Not in here, you're not.

That front door is barred to anyone representing the authorities.

I've got nothing to do with the authorities!

You will do if you don't shift.

This house has been condemned.

If the welfare find out you've got a kid, they'll take it off you.

Now go and get yourself an ambulance!

Wait!

Help me!

Do you want me to say that you wrote this?

Oh, no.

Oh, no. That would be rather self-aggrandising.

I've asked Mr Buckle to put it in the programme.

SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

"Now let us take you by the hand

"into the far and distant land,

"of history, when knights of old

"approached their lady,

"feeling bold.

"First they bowed and then implored her,

"'Listen to my sweet recorder'".

SHE PLAYS SCARBOROUGH FAIR

Please, open the door.

Go away! Please!

Go on! Please! Hop it!

"Hark to the bass so sweet and low.

"Think of it played in frost and snow..."

Millicent, is this meant to be you playing or me reading?

Reciting. What? Reciting.

Well, you're going to have to learn it off by heart.

SHE GASPS AND WHIMPERS

I'm just of the view

that before we move on to the stanza beginning...

..."Now we enter the age of Baroque..."

...we need to stop and think about this

from the point of view of a paying audience.

Of course.

And I think you need to project your voice a little more.

Stage presence is everything.

Help me!

Phyllis, did you hear that?

Yes.

Help me! Oh!

SHE SOBS

Hello?

Help me!

Over there! Help me!

Oh, you poor lass.

Poor lass!

Listen, my friend and I are going to help you.

We're going to start by taking you somewhere warm and safe.

She must have been assaulted. I'll send for the police.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

You have absolutely nothing whatsoever to apologise for.

I do! I'm having a baby!

SHE SOBS

There's loads of stuff in here.

All the bedding, all the nappies.

It's like Mum knew there was going to be another baby all along.

If one more person asks me

if we think this one's going to be all right,

I'll swing for 'em, I swear.

I'm sick of fending them off

and I'm sick of people telling me that they were

offered them pills and that they didn't take 'em.

Do you think that's true?

Well, if it is, perry, what does it say about your mum and me, eh?

And Susan, what's she going to say when she's old enough to understand?

Dad, go and fetch the doll's house. And come straight home.

SHE STRAINS

All is well, Cindy.

You are warm and you are safe.

Sister Julienne was preparing to go into compline,

but she asked to be kept informed.

Where will you send me now?

I don't think we'll be sending you anywhere.

I'm still confident an ambulance

would reach us very swiftly.

Not swiftly enough.

I can't do it. I can't. I don't know what to do!

I know this is your first baby, but it isn't mine.

Can you think of something you once did

for the very first time

and you had no idea how to start?

I don't know.

I think...

I think I can remember learning to knit when I were little.

Who taught you?

My mum.

I can remember her voice

talking me through the stitches.

In, over, through, off.

And that's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to talk you through it.

Do you remember Mummy?

Mm?

Poor love.

And poor you.

But it doesn't matter.

Because she'll love you always.

SHE STRAINS

The head is out.

Breathe.

Push down for the shoulders.

SHE GROANS

And we have a baby!

BABY CRIES

A clean towel, if you would be so kind, Millicent.

And Mother may like a sip of water in a moment.

A little girl, Cindy.

We have a very courageous mother here, Sister.

And a beautiful baby.

God love you all.

If you had crowns, you'd look like the Three Wise Men.

THEY CHUCKLE

DRUNKENLY: # On the first day of Christmas

# My true love sent to me...

# A doll's house...under a tree. #

CHEERFUL SHOUTING

Lads! Oi, lads!

Lads, lads, here y'are!

Oi.

Eh, come on.

HE LAUGHS

I just came down for a biscuit.

I'd say, "What in the name of Jesus are you doing?",

but that doesn't look like a very religious act.

I've got to do the marzipan tonight,

otherwise it won't dry out in time for me to do the icing.

There'll be yellow stains seeping through the snow scene.

Sister, how do you do it?

Do what? Keep on going.

Keep on being a nurse and a midwife and a nun.

And not just one nun, but two,

because you're filling in for Sister Hilda, and you're

picking up the slack for Sister Julienne and the other one.

Well, I could shrug and say that God gives me the job

and the strength to do it.

But...

... I made a rule for myself when I was still a postulant.

Find the beauty.

And that's what I'm doing now.

You're decorating a cake in the middle of the night.

Yes.

And it'll probably be on the sideboard for a week

being blamed for everybody's heartburn.

But people will come together around it. That's its beauty.

And where there is beauty, there is God.

Yeah. I believe you believe that.

It's funny to think you weren't a nun once.

That you had a different name.

Me and Colette play a game where we try and guess what it is.

I'll tell you, if you get it right.

How long can I stay here for? Ten days is quite usual.

Neither you nor Baby are going anywhere just yet.

Hello!

Nursery for you.

Then you can get some sleep.

BABY CRIES Come on.

Here we go.

Hey... Nurse?

I hardly got a wink of sleep.

I often have slow labours,

but I'm starting to think there's something kicking off.

Right you are, Rhoda.

Mrs Mullucks is in labour.

I need to call Nonnatus House

and then get word to her husband.

I, meanwhile, have been to Cindy's lodging house

and retrieved her belongings.

Is that all the poor lass owns?

These, the clothes in which she came to us,

and her name. The latter seems to be the only thing

she hasn't lost along the way.

Her entire life appears to be an abject failure

of the thing that matters most.

Love?

No.

Administration.

THUDDING

Dad's up.

Dad?

Where did you put Susan's doll's house?

HE SIGHS

We need to find your birth certificate,

your National Health number,

and your National Insurance number,

and from these, the rest will follow,

including an application for Supplementary Allowance.

I can't do forms.

They all end up full of blanks.

They begin full of blanks.

Correctly completed,

they become both record and representation of our lives.

What if I don't want my life recorded?

My dear, it already is.

It's simply a matter of knowing where to look.

You said there was a string of coloured lights. Dad!

Do you think you might have left it

somewhere round here? I don't remember, Perry!

I put it on a dustbin.

Where, Dad?

There.

CLATTERING

Is that supposed to make it better?

Almost the first thing I can remember is

when they took my mum away to the mental hospital.

Policewoman stayed the night with me.

She gave me a pen to play with.

It were one of those Biros

with the button that you can click up and down.

I'd never seen anything like that before.

And she opened up a paper bag

for me to draw on,

or write.

And I wrote...

...Cindy Louise Dalvert.

Cindy being your given name, not an abbreviation?

Yeah.

Then I wrote Balaclava Buildings,

Greenleaf Street,

Manningham, Bradford,

Yorkshire, England,

Great Britain, The Earth,

The Universe.

I had to keep on asking the policewoman

how to spell the words, but...

...as long as I kept my head down and only thought

about my address, the world stopped spinning.

Next morning, when it were light,

she drove me to the council home.

She let me keep the pen.

Sometimes one has to express kindness

in the only way one can.

SHE SIGHS

I lived in so many addresses after that.

Don't take this the wrong way, but...

...when's Mrs Turner coming?

She'll be here any minute now.

We've got plenty of... Mr Mullucks!

You can't just go barging into the delivery room.

I just want to see my wife.

Bernie! Get out!

Black, with two sugars.

CROCKERY RATTLES

I don't suppose you've got anything medicinal?

To put in it? A...

...nip, something like that?

No, but I can... I can find some paracetamol

if your head's aching.

It aches.

Every day.

Does drinking alcohol help with that?

Every day.

Mr Mullucks, we don't know each other particularly well,

but I think just at this moment,

I know what you're feeling.

And what you're thinking.

You're thinking that you're utterly alone.

And you're not.

I promise you that.

I can show you that.

I can take you somewhere

where you'll never feel alone in this again.

But you have to ask.

What's this?

Alcohol-free champagne?

I'm so glad you're here.

Mr Mullucks needs to go straight home.

I don't want this.

This is normal labour, Rhoda.

You've coped before and you'll cope again.

I mean, I don't want this baby!

Rhoda, sweetheart.

You don't mean that.

You can't mean that! You mean can't as in it's impossible, or...

...can't like that's not allowed?

It's neither of those things.

If that is how you feel, I respect that.

And the thing that might help most is

if you try to tell me why.

I feel like...

... I'm betraying Susan.

She asks for nothing, but she needs so much.

And now there'll be another child, another mouth,

another body clinging to me.

And I don't know how I'm going to manage!

You will manage, Rhoda, because good mothers do.

And you are the best, most generous,

most resilient and most resourceful mother

I have ever seen.

Look, it's hard, Mrs Turner,

and it's going to get hard for Susan.

She's going to get her nose pushed out of joint,

that's for certain.

It happens to children all the time.

They learn to share

and they learn to budge up and make room.

And one way and another,

we learn that the most miraculous organ

in a mother's body is her heart.

Because it never stops growing.

You promise?

I promise.

EMOTIONALLY: This is what drink does.

It batters down everything that matters.

The children were trying to mend it with Air fix glue,

but it's completely destroyed.

If it can't be repaired,

can it be replaced? How?

The shops are already shut, and tomorrow it's Christmas Eve.

You're not getting the forceps.

I don't want the forceps!

I'm just looking for things to do.

I'm feeling like a bit of a spare part.

SHE GROANS

That's the head, Rhoda! Go with it! Push!

SHE SQUEALS Come on, you can do it!

SHE WAILS

BABY CRIES

It looks like you have another son, Rhoda.

Born at two minutes past midnight

on Christmas Eve morning.

Oh, it's a boy!

Oh, then I've done it girl, boy, girl, boy.

It all fits together, doesn't it?

He's beautiful.

Aww!

Oh, gosh.

Oh, and he's mine.

Oh, he's mine!

Oh! Oh, oh...

Oh, it's one of them afterpains.

I think it might be the placenta coming.

Dr Turner?

Will you take him, walk around with him in your arms?

You're good at that.

BABY CRIES

I hope you don't think this is a liberty, Dr Turner,

but... I'd like to call him Patrick.

Oh, hello! Hello!

Where'd this come from?

I could say that it fell off the back of a lorry, but...

... I'd be fibbing.

Merry Christmas.

CHILDREN LAUGH AND SQUEAL

CHILD SQUEALS Oh!

DOORBELL RINGS

Merry Christmas!

Come in out of the snow.

Is it...Gillian?

No.

Is it Amanda?

No.

Is it maybe Maureen? Or Doreen?

No!

THEY GIGGLE

I'm afraid there's been a call-out

for a woman in labour. Not a name I recognise.

Here.

Is this where your auntie lives, Yusuf?

WOMAN CALLS OUT

You must be Gulshan.

Don't be afraid.

Please don't be afraid. I'm here to help.

Is this your first baby?

Or perhaps your second?

Is this one or two?

So bad!

SHE WAILS

Gulshan...

Gulshan? Please don't worry.

OK?

We are going to make this...beautiful.

Go on, Susan, love. Hold the baby.

That's it. You're a big sister now.

Oh...

We're all changing, Bernie.

You've got to change, too.

SISTER FRANCES: Shabbash.

I said there'd be no time to get you to the hospital.

Hey. Hey, come here.

Can you feel that?

That's Baby's head.

OK. OK.

Baby's coming now. Baby's coming.

Just breathe. Just breathe. It's OK.

GASPING BREATH Just breathe for me.

Just breathe, and here we go.

BABY CRIES

He's perfect.

INTRO MUSIC ON TV

And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

'we present for your entertainment

Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp.

Gulshan?

I'm just going to pull very gently on the cord

to see if the afterbirth has come away.

BABY CRIES

LAUGHTER

PHONE RINGS

Lucille?

The delivery was straightforward,

but the placenta hasn't separated.

Did you give her Syntometrine?

Yes! Yes, but then the cord just snapped right off.

I tried doing the Crede's manoeuvre on my own,

but we need to try again, the two of us.

I'll get there as soon as I can.

Argh!

SHE GROANS IN PAIN

Oh, Lord, in thee have I trusted.

Please never let me be confounded.

SHE SIGHS

Penny for them.

Have you ever had that feeling

that somehow, in spite of everything in the world

that's...fractured or imperfect

or out of joint...

...you're exactly where you belong?

Yeah.

He's in the hallway now.

I was trying not to look, but I could see the ring box

in his trouser pocket all through tea!

Oh, no! No!

You can't go down there.

Sorry.

I used to look at the map of the East End

on my father's office wall.

It had all the pins stuck in it

which meant that we owned this tenement

and th-that warehouse, and it...

It was just the geography of money.

I never guessed I'd look at it...

...and think that those streets,

those buildings...

...that is where my life is.

And is it?

Trixie, I'm not a man that's never known love.

But here...

... I see what love is.

In all its hardship and its glory.

I see it too.

I ...

I want to go on seeing it together, and...

...through your eyes.

Trixie...

Oh, Mr Aylward ! I'm so sorry, but Jonty's just been very, very sick.

It's mostly selection box,

but it's all over Sister Monica Joan.

TRIXIE CHUCKLES

We're going to do the Crede's manoeuvre.

I'll work internally, and you take the abdomen.

That way, you only need to use your good hand.

I'm sorry, precious.

My hand might be a little bit cold.

SHE TRANSLATES FOR HER

All is well.

Ready?

Mmm.

Prepare to apply pressure.

It's all right.

MOTHER CRIES OUT

Am I pushing hard enough? Have you managed to get hold of it?

Yes.

The placenta has separated. I can feel it beyond the cervix.

It's coming.

A second injection of Syntometrine,

then I'll check to ensure it's complete.

Gulshan can't stay here. It's filthy,

and she doesn't have adequate support

and she needs to go to hospital.

I've already sent for an ambulance

and there'll be room in it for two.

I think you've broken your shoulder.

I'd like to speak to Nurse Franklin, please.

Of course. Come in.

Did I have an operation?

You sustained a nasty double fracture -

the top end of the humerus and the clavicle.

The bones had to be reset under general anaesthetic.

The Order is in the wars, isn't it?

First you with your ribs.

And as soon as you're better, it's my turn.

Oh, you wonder what God wants from it.

I think God wants the Order

to take better care of its sisters.

Not work them like mules,

not assume that where there's the will,

there's limitless strength.

I'm all right!

There's plenty I can do one- handed.

We'll be arranging for help from an agency

until Mother Mildred sends someone

to replace Sister Hilda.

You are to go to Chichester until your arm heals.

You need rest,

and the privilege and discipline of prayer.

You mean...

...just be a nun?

Yes, for a while.

It is your right, and you have earned it.

That's moss stitch, unless I'm mistaken.

You've done well, lass.

And so has Miss Higgins.

Approved for Supplementary Allowance,

assigned a social worker,

and offered a long -term place at a hostel

for mothers and babies on the Essex coast.

I pursued a connection I have at a private charity.

You've done all that for me?

HE SIGHS

My name is Bernie.

I'm an alcoholic.

Well done.

I could say that I'm here because I'm ashamed.

Because I'm an idiot.

But the friend...

...who brought me here said I could talk about anything,

and I want to talk about love.

Because no-one ever does where I'm from.

Except if it's your wedding day or...

...someone around you is dying.

But no-one tells you that love can...

... be a knife.

That it can twist inside of you

and you can't tell no-one that you're bleeding.

My little girl is so beautiful to me that...

... I can't describe it.

Thalidomide took her arms, took her legs.

And I want the world for her.

And she'll never get it.

She'll never have a job.

She'll never have a husband.

That's what they say.

And I don't know whether I drink to drown them out

or to stop myself from screaming. I think...

... I must...

... hide in it.

In the glass or in the bottle.

But does that mean I'm hiding from her?

I don't want to be a coward.

I just want to love without it hurting.

I want to love like my little girl does.

I want to love...

... like it's easy.

Like I don't know any better.

And I can never be...

... innocent again.

But I can change.

I can stop.

If I can stop...

I can stop...

...then I can love.

CHEERFUL CHATTER

BAND PLAYS

Oh...

That's good. That looks good!

Do not let yourself be distracted by the wolf whistles

in the audience. It's extremely important

you follow the beat of the music

at all times, and the other way.

Hello.

Hello, Susan!

Perfect timing.

VOCAL WARM- UPS

I still think you should have worn your lounge suit..

Hughie Green always wears a lounge suit.

That's why I'm wearing mine.

AS HUGHIE GREEN: I mean that most sincerely, folks.

Fred, I am not getting up on that stage

in front of half of Poplar

looking like I'm preaching or I'm civil engineering.

Wear it. No! I want to feel like

I'm in show business.

A tuxedo is show business. FRED LAUGHS

Violet says Reggie's forgotten his bow tie!

I'm not wearing it. Reggie?

I think you're feeling a little bit like how me and Fred are feeling.

A little nervous,

and a little bit wondering why we said we'd do this.

Overtures and beginners, please.

BAND PLAYS

Hey- hey- hey!

Ho- ho!

Ladies and gentlemen,

Lords and lasses!

Welcome, one and all,

to this evening gala performance

in aid of the Train Crash Relief Fund.

You've bought tickets to see Nurse Nancy

and Matthew Sinatra!

Poplartunity knocks!

# I know I stand in line

# Until you think you have the time

# To spend an evening with me

# And if we go someplace to dance

# I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me

# And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place

# And have a drink or two

# And then I go and spoil it all

# By saying something stupid like I love you

# The time is right Your perfume fills my head

# The stars get red And oh, the night's so blue

# And then I go and spoil it all

# By saying something stupid like I love you

# I love you

# I love you

# I love you. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Bravo! Bravo!

Oh!

But just remember, folks, the Clapometer's just for fun.

It's your votes that really count.

MICROPHONE WHISTLES

SHE PLAYS A SIMPLE TUNE

HITS WRONG NOTE

SLOWLY PLAYS "THE HOLLY AND THE IVY"

SCATTERED APPLAUSE

I think the Clapometer must be broken!

You've broken the Clapometer!

Come on, Colette, give it a helping hand!

How about we give the two lovely ladies a cheer instead?

Yeah! Hip- hip... BOTH: ..hooray!

Five minutes till curtain up!

That's five minutes till curtain up.

Hello.

Reggie, isn't it?

I'm Cindy, and this is Melissa.

Nice baby.

Looking forward to you playing your guitar.

I'm not.

Why not?

Too many people, and I'm not going to do it.

It can be a bit overwhelming, can't it?

Bit much, when there's lots of strange faces.

Yes.

Sometimes all it takes

is knowing that there's just that one person.

That one person rooting for you.

I'll root for you.

You can look out and see my face, and I'll be smiling.

But you'll be too far away.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Up next, we have a wonderful young man

who needs no introduction to many of you.

He is East End born and bred,

and it is my pleasure and my honour to call him a friend.

This evening he is going to play his guitar for us,

so please give him the warmest welcome.

Tonight, Poplartunity knocks for Reggie Jackson!

PLAYS AWAY IN A MANGER

AUDIENCE HUMS ALONG GENTLY

CHEERING

And, in a change to our advertised programme,

Angela, May and Teddy Turner

will be joined on stage for their rendition of Frosty The Snowman

by their friend, Susan Mullucks!

# Frosty the Snowman

# Was a jolly happy soul

# With a corn-cob pipe and a button nose

# And two eyes made out of coal

# Frosty the Snowman

# Is a fairy tale, they say

# He was made of snow but the children know

# How he came to life one day

# There must have been some magic

# In that old silk hat they found

# For when they placed it on his head

# He began to dance around

# Oh, Frosty the Snowman

# Was alive as he could be

# And the children say he can laugh and play

# just the same as you and me

# Frosty the Snowman

# Had to hurry on his way

# But he waved goodbye Saying don't you cry

# I'll be back again some day. #

CHEERING

You have it.

For being my friend.

Now, you take as much rest as you need.

Nursets orders.

You come back now.

Colette.

Do you want to know a secret?

Are you going to tell me your name?

It's Rosemary.

SHE GIGGLES

Bye.

HORN TOOTS

I love the river at New Year.

The first time I ever heard the bells ring

and the ships sound their foghorns,

I thought I'd never heard anything so alive.

For years, when I was in the grip of drink, it was...

It was as though the racket was inside me.

Trixie...

I love you.

I love you for who you are.

I love you for all the places that you've been

and come back from.

I love you for all the things that you've shown me...

...and all the places we've yet to go.

So will you just come with me, Trixie?

Will you come with me?

As my wife?

TRIXIE GASPS

Oh!

Well, I mean, I can get you a sapphire

if you'd rather, or an emerald, or a ruby.

I don't really care about... I don't care about the diamond

or... I don't know what to say!

All I care about is you.

All I've ever cared about is you!

Oh! Wait! Trixie! Wait! Wait!

Trixie, be careful.

Careful?

Careful?! You just threw a diamond the size of Big Ben

into the Thames!

Well, I suppose you could say it's the ultimate London experience.

I know I've said it several times already, but...

... I really do love you, Trixie.

I love you so much that I'm doing this

in a brand - new pair of suede shoes.

Oh, gosh.

Oh!

Will you marry me, Trixie?

Yes.

Yes!

# ...and never bought to mind

# Should auld acquaintance be forgot... #

MATURE JENNY: Love your miracles

as if they are your children.

Whether you make them or whether you find them,

cherish them, name them, hold them close.

There will always be others,

there were miracles before,

but each is as complete as any that preceded it,

as perfect as any that will ever come again.

And each is as fragile as a single flake of snow.