Original subtitles

That suicide note, "I'll be asleep by six," made it very clear -

that woman was Bell.

So I think the public has a right to know when the funeral is.

It shouldn't be kept from the local community.

You know that thing about, "You can tell how loved you were by how many

"people come to your funeral." It's not looking good, is it?

Hi. Hey.

Good of you to come.

Yeah, well, you know, I think it's right to be here,

even if she was, you know...

Hey, Julie.

Good to see you.

Well, a funeral's a bit more fun than being at home at the moment.

So I was assured that the location of this funeral would be kept from

the public, but it's clearly got out.

So if we can just get through it as quickly as possible, OK?

They tried to keep this secret, didn't they?

But I'm still here, livestreaming as TrueCrimeBuster,

on all platforms.

So if you wanna join me at St Benedict's Church,

we can give a rousing send off to, let's say it,

Alice Bell, who, in her own words, is well asleep by six.

Straight ahead.

CROWD SHOUT

Hi.

Rot in hell!

Who's that?

Thank you all for coming

and welcome to the Parish Church of St Benedict's.

We are here to remember the life of Charlotte...

...Haleford,

who was born in Ireland, in County Limerick,

grew up in Northern Ireland and went on to live near here

and worked in the Trinket Bar,

and was much liked by her co-workers there.

SHOUTING

CRASH

Oh, sorry.

Maybe I'll take it from here?

Yes, thank you.

Yeah, well, um...

We're here to mark the passing of a damaged and vulnerable woman.

Someone who we got to know a bit.

But maybe not enough.

Because we didn't try enough.

I didn't.

Shit.

I can't do this either.

Now that I'm up here, I realise I don't know much more about Charlotte

than he does.

I think we know what we need to know about her.

Do we?

Face it, Vanessa, we can't commemorate Charlotte Haleford

because she wasn't Charlotte Haleford.

Murderer!

CRASH

Please, would you mind hurrying? Thank you.

The point is, whoever she was, she was one of us.

None of us are angels, even if she kind of is one now.

Bye, Charlotte.

Hey, good job.

So I've been advised by

the authorities that we should cut short the service.

The departed will be transported to Bromford Crematorium

for committal.

Sorry, Father.

We're not gonna take the coffin. Really? We'll wait in the car.

Oh, no.

What's happening? Where have they gone?

They don't want to be seen carrying the coffin.

There are people filming outside and posting on the internet.

So what do we do now, then?

Jay, come on.

No. It's OK. We've got this.

Julie?

Ready?

One, two, three.

It's them. Her friends.

You can see it, can't you, on their faces?

The guilt, the shame.

Alice Bell's enablers. Here they are.

I think we can admit now... Dad, leave it.

...that it was a pathetic waste of time, wasn't it?

The whole, "Not Alice Bell," idea.

And you were so proud of it!

Empowering women, fighting back against the online mob.

And all you did was give cover to a criminal and a liar.

Fuck you. Oh, yeah. How classy. I'd expect nothing less from...

Hey! What...? What are you doing?!

You're all such fucking incels.

Get out of your basements and touch some grass.

Give me the phone. Give me the phone.

Fran, Fran, give me the phone, Fran.

God, so much shit you've put out in the world

with this, Graham.

I'm sorry that your life is so empty without it.

That you have to keep this circus going,

even now, when you and I know it's over.

What you doing? Are you insane? Get off, that's my phone!

OK, that's enough. You should be arresting her, you wankers!

That's criminal damage. That's enough. I know my rights.

You should be on my side. This is ridiculous.

Are you OK? Yeah. It's all right.

So what now? Is there a wake?

Yeah, there's a catered do at Soho Farmhouse with a string quartet.

Of course there isn't a fucking wake.

Maybe we should have one of our meetings.

You know, a final one.

To process all this? Yeah.

Process? Closure?

In a minute you'll be saying, "We all complete each other."

Yeah, I think it's a good idea.

Oh, do you? Yeah, I do.

Look, at least we can just have a cup of tea and talk

and maybe feel a little less shit.

What's to talk about? What's to process?

She betrayed us, she lied to us. She was Alice Bell.

No, she wasn't. She fucking wasn't. Pardon?

She was fine before she got involved with you lot.

Yeah, people started chatting shit about her being Alice,

but I was gonna protect her.

She'd have been OK with me.

Sorry who, are you?

Liam. I'm Liam.

Oh, Christ. Charlotte's stalker.

Stalker? Boyfriend. Boyfriend!

The fuck you are.

I was. I loved her. Forever.

Oh, right, of course, you're that stalker -

the one who properly loved his victim. Yeah, sure. Great.

I don't know how any of you sleep at night.

Murderers.

I can't believe this.

He's right. What, Jay?

He's fucking right.

You know, she trusted you - all of you.

And you killed her by throwing her out.

You are murderers.

God, I'm so sorry. He...

Loved her. I don't know if we should use that word.

We really should. That's how he feels.

You can dad-splain it all you want.

Right, I'm gonna go and talk to him.

I'll see you at the car.

Oh.

Darius. I knew you'd come back for me.

Do you need any help, or...?

No, I just wanted to sit for a bit.

OK.

What have you been...? It's nothing.

Why did you come, and on your own?

Mum's parked down the end of the lane.

She was never coming in.

But I wanted to.

I wanted to say goodbye.

To Charlotte?

To Alice.

I don't hate her, you know? I never hated her.

God.

Well, that's very generous.

Not really.

Hate, anger, it's all just more weight to carry around.

And I prefer to travel light.

Blimey, is your middle name, "Profound?"

It's Lionel, actually, but please don't tell anyone.

I won't say a word.

Come on.

There you go. Just come out of here. There we go.

Right, there's one step coming up. There you go.

Listen, you need to apologise to these women, OK?

Are you OK?

I need to go home, Dad.

Dad, can you hurry up, please?

Calm down, Violet.

I need to rehearse. My audition's on Friday.

Hey, Nick, the others'll be at the village hall,

so I'll be back in a bit. No problem.

And can you make sure your mum has fed Macy? Yes, yes, yes.

Mum. Yeah?

What did Darius say to you at the church before he left?

Was it about Julie?

You looked right at her after he said it.

Jay, I... Was it about Julie being her?

Because it fucking wasn't Charlotte.

You know, I spoke to Liam and he's known her for years.

Since they were kids.

So it couldn't have been her, right?

Jay, I'm not doing this, all right?

Are you protecting her? I know what you're like.

Jay, darling, we need to move on.

You need to move on.

Think about the rest of your life.

Your A-levels, finishing your documentary...

I'm so done with that.

Shit.

Mum, wait.

You're right. I get it.

I hear you. Yeah, rest of my life starts now.

Great.

Jay?

I think maybe you had something to say to everybody?

Sorry, everyone.

You know, for losing it at the funeral.

Yeah, sure.

No worries.

So what are we doing here?

I don't know. Bearing witness, maybe?

What does that even mean? To who? To what?

Charlotte.

Look, can we fuck the funereal tones?

Whatever's happened or hasn't happened, she...

Say her name, Julie. You can manage it.

All right, Charlotte.

Charlotte deceived us - from the very beginning.

Because she was Alice Bell?

Yeah, of course. You found the suicide note.

What else could it mean? "I'll be asleep by six."

It was the Sandman's catchphrase.

"You'll be." What?

That's what he used to say. "You'll be asleep by six."

Yeah, OK, thank you. Whatever.

So it was her taking on his catchphrase.

It's an admission of guilt by association.

Excuse me, just doubling down on Charlotte's guilt

doesn't feel much like closure to me.

Hey, look, I know it's tough,

but I think we need to look at ourselves, here.

And what we did to Charlotte.

Christ! No, but just saying that, "She was Alice Bell,"

is a way out, isn't it?

Yeah. That's right. It's a cop-out.

So long as she was her, we're not at fault.

Yeah, all right. But doesn't mean she wasn't her.

I still think we need to think about it.

What we might have done wrong.

Do you know what, Ros? I have thought about it.

Maybe more deeply than you, seeing as you were lying, too.

You're not even one of us. Julie...

No, she's right. That's fair.

What has this whole thing been about?

Shame. That's what all the trolls, all the tabloids love to do.

Shaming us.

Charlotte.

Well, OK, what's the best way to say, "Fuck you," to them?

Live your life without shame and lies.

The ones you're telling because you feel ashamed.

And that was the Right Reverend Vanessa Carr

with thought for the day.

Julie, can you stop being like this?

Yes, please. Vanessa's right.

I think it's time that were done with secrets. All secrets.

Fuck this. Stop filming.

Stop it!

Right, we're supposed to be bearing our souls, hmm?

How are we supposed to do that when the cameras are on, eh?

Julie! It's fine. Yeah, I get it.

Yeah, I get it. It's done.

Charlotte was Alice Bell. That's all that matters now.

Sod all the learning and the hugging it out, here.

I don't need it! I'm out.

Hold on a minute. You're very certain about this, Julie.

Why are you so sure? Why no doubt?

What are you saying now? What do you mean?

Just that, as I said in the church, certainty is the enemy here.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

OK, so because I am saying that Charlotte was Alice,

definitely, no fucking doubt, I'm her?

Wow, Sherlock Holmes will be turning in his grave, Vanessa.

Yeah, well, he is a fictional character.

Yeah, yeah, always with the smart-arse-ness.

What's that covering, hey, Ros?

Come on, Julie. Let's not.

My mum was killed by the Sandman, remember?

Oh, yeah. Was she, though?

I mean, you've never shown us any proof that you're her daughter.

You don't even look like her, really. All right! Stop!

Stop it. Just stop! What?

Look, we formed this group to fight off the mobs -

the ones accusing us of being this monster.

And then, we became our own mob.

And we're still doing it, even now.

Accusing each other, over and over again.

Truth is, I don't care if Charlotte was Alice Bell.

I don't care if Alice Bell is still alive somewhere out there.

Or if she's here now - one of us in this room.

Maybe she was never a monster.

Maybe she was just a young woman who fell in love with the wrong man,

and paid a terrible price for it.

Do you know what keeps on going around my head since

Charlotte did what she did?

That statement from Alice Bell

that was read out by her solicitor on TV. Do you remember?

"I, too, deserve a home. I, too, deserve some peace.

"I, too, deserve to live my life without fear."

And do you know what?

Maybe she did.

I suppose a lift's out of the question?

Or we could just walk in silence forever?

Did it mean anything to you? You and me.

Or was it all just about your undercover detective operation?

In the beginning, I could tell that you were interested in me.

Could you?

God, I didn't even know that about myself.

And I thought, "OK, I can use that. Get close to her.

"Find out if she's the one."

Process of elimination.

On which note...

Those fake credit cards - you never did explain those.

I won some money on the lottery.

Yeah.

Spent it like an idiot.

New house, new car, big tellies in every room, and, yeah,

new face - more than one.

Next thing I know, I'm in debt.

Setting up accounts all over the place using fake names,

borrowing just to keep the lifestyle going.

Point being, something wasn't right my life,

and I thought buying flash stuff would make it better.

And now I know it's something else.

You need to tell him. Ken.

What? What do I tell him?

That's up to you.

Oh, erm...

This process of elimination -

were you gonna get close to all of us?

Maybe, yeah.

But then I got stuck on you.

In what way?

As a lover or a suspect?

In all ways.

This is amazing.

Jay's documentary. Have you seen it?

Ah. Oh, wow.

So who's going to see this, exactly? Just my teachers.

Yeah, I might upload it online at some point.

Yeah, I don't know about that.

At the last meeting, we all kind of decided that that...

"That's all, folks."

Yeah, but, I mean, it's good work though, isn't it?

Yeah, Of course. Yeah, it's amazing. Well done, darling.

Right, I'm off. Yeah.

Dad, Dad. Hm? What?

Just a minute.

Look at this.

Thing is, Vanessa's right.

I think it's time that we're done with secrets. All secrets.

What am I looking at?

So this is where Julie told me to turn the camera off.

OK? And I didn't. I kept filming. Watch.

Charlotte was Alice Bell! That's all that matters now!

Sod the learning and the hugging it all out! I don't need it! I'm out!

Look at her. Why did she want me to not film?

Because she's so angry, so desperate for this to be done.

She just wants everyone to believe that it's Charlotte.

Jay I... I just don't know if that proves anything.

You know, look, I think Mum knows it's her.

I think she's protecting her.

What difference is it going to make, if Charlotte wasn't her?

It's not going to bring her back, is it? No.

It'll mean it was real, me and her.

Right, come on, you two. It's a school night, remember?

Right. Yes, of course.

Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay.

Listen, I get it.

I'll give it a watch. Eyes on Julie.

And don't tell your mum. She'll hate me for even entertaining this, OK?

Love you, goodnight. Love you, too. Thank you.

For fuck's sake. So, so because I am saying Charlotte was Alice,

definitely, no fucking doubt, that means I'm her?

My mum was murdered by the Sandman, remember?

Was she, though?

I have never seen any proof that you are her daughter.

You don't even look anything like her! Cos you're the one...

All right, stop it, stop it! What?

So how's Jay's masterpiece?

Er, yes. Very good.

Are you all right?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.

Yes, Dad.

Cos you've got to remember you're my dad,

therefore come and be the big supportive dad

for me at school, for my audition today.

Yeah, listen, I might need to go to London for work today.

Really?

My audition's at 5... Don't worry, don't worry.

I'll be back in time. I'll see you later. OK.

Great. I know what happens next.

I've seen Boomer romcoms and the dad never makes it when he says that.

Don't worry. I'll keep track of him, all right?

CELLO MUSIC PLAYS

Nick? Where are you? You haven't forgotten, have you?

It would really make a huge difference to her if you're here.

And...

Oh, oh, great.

♪ Sometimes I feel

♪ Like a motherless child

♪ Sometimes I feel like a motherless child

♪ Sometimes I feel like a motherless child

♪ A long, long way from home

♪ Sometimes I feel

♪ Like I'm almost done

♪ Sometimes I feel like I'm almost done

♪ Sometimes I feel like I'm almost done

♪ A long, long way from home

♪ Sometimes I feel

♪ Like a motherless child

HE SOBS

♪ Sometimes I feel like a motherless child

♪ Sometimes I feel like a motherless child

♪ A long, long way from home

♪ Yes, a long, long way from

♪ Home. ♪

APPLAUSE

Oh, you were so great! Thank you.

The examiners, they loved it. You've definitely got a place.

We know it. I'm so sorry I nearly missed it. But you didn't.

See you at home. OK, bye.

..these women. I am Alice Bell.

But I've served time in prison, and like these women

I too deserve a home. I too deserve some peace.

I too... AUDIO GLITCHES

I'm so sorry, we seem to have lost the connection there, erm...

...some peace, I too... AUDIO GLITCHES

I'm so sorry, we seem to have...

You got it wrong.

At the meeting at the Village Hall.

Or rather, you got it right.

You over-quoted.

Alice Bell's statement got cut off.

See, no-one knew what Alice Bell was going to say.

No-one knew that her plea was...

I too deserve a home.

I too deserve some peace.

I too deserve to live my life without fear.

The only person who could have known that that was how

Alice Bell finished her statement was the person who wrote it.

It's you, Fran.

You're Alice Bell.

Nick. Fuck. What?

See, he - Jay - thinks it's Julie. He-he really,

really, really wants it to be Julie.

You see, that's the real reason why he wanted

to film your last meeting.

He thought he could catch her doing or saying something incriminating.

Yeah. He doesn't know he caught YOU doing that.

It's clever, by the way. To issue a statement.

From Alice.

To be read out whilst you're on the TV.

It really makes it feel like she's somewhere, and someone, else.

Nick. Fuck. I...I can't believe you're saying this.

Neither can I. I wish I wasn't.

Well, then, don't. Fuck. You're wrong.

So prove me wrong.

Tell me. How did you know those words.?

Christ!

I-I... The whole statement is probably on the internet somewhere

and I read and I've forgotten it and then remembered it again.

I... Yeah, yeah. I thought of that.

But there's no record of it. It doesn't exist.

What...? You can't possibly know that.

Oh, yes, I can because I went to see Adaba Ukwani -

today. See, that's where I was.

Alice Bell's - or your - solicitor.

She told me the only time that that statement

has ever been out in public anywhere

was when she never finished reading it on the TV.

She showed me it, actually. Um, the full statement.

I took a picture of it. Er, do you want to see it?

Nick, maybe I was improvising, in the village hall.

Maybe I was just saying whatever sounded right.

Word for word?

You improvised what Alice Bell might have said

exactly as she did say it?

Ah!

Wow.

Sorry. I'm sorry...

You knew who Charlotte was.

You knew she was just a poor, damaged addict

who couldn't bear to be hated, especially by you.

Look, I have no idea why she put that

Sandman stuff in her suicide note,

but Charlotte wasn't Alice, was she?

I don't know, I don't know. I saw...

I saw her kissing Jay and it made me angry.

Did it? Or did it show you a possibility?

Charlotte, the obvious choice to be your Alice Bell.

That would put you in the clear, wouldn't it?

Are you really going to destroy us...

...all that we have, on the basis of...

Such a small mistake? Hm.

Except... I guess I met you just after Sarah died.

And I so needed you.

Everything you were.

I needed Fran.

So yeah, I never really worried about the fact that Fran,

she doesn't talk about her family,

she doesn't really have any friends from when she was young.

No, I buried it - deep, deep down inside.

The knowledge that somehow you weren't you.

PHONE RINGING TONE

Yes.

Yes.

Home address.

What are you doing? They won't be long.

I could've got them to come and get me at any time,

but when the mob were here, they would've taken me to a safehouse,

but I decided against it.

I need to pack.

No, no. Wait. Wait.

How much of a monster are you?

Did you murder Charlotte?

Don't be absurd. She took her own life.

And I'm sorry about that. More than you can ever know.

I think she left that note, if you really want to know, as a gift.

A what?

To me, to us - the not Alice Bell women.

And she knew that by writing that note,

people would think that she was Alice Bell.

It's beautiful.

To give us that gift of innocence, of...

...freedom.

And what about The Sandman? Did you have him...?

He fucking deserved it.

Did he?

Oh, you believe him now?

That I killed all those people on the operating table in the ICU?

I don't know what to fucking believe.

Violet was right.

It was a coercive relationship.

Textbook phrase, but it was true enough.

I believed everything he told me.

I did everything he told me.

So, yeah, I changed his name for someone else's in

the operating theatre log.

That's it.

That's all I ever did wrong.

Because I wanted to please him.

I was so frightened of him.

And you loved him?

I thought so.

Before I understood what that word meant.

Hm. Wait, wait.

I married you. I told my kids to call you Mum.

I had a child with you.

And who are you?

Wait. Wait, hold on a minute.

What, that's it? You're-you're just gonna leave?

Yeah. That's what they tell you.

When it's over, it's over. Just walk away.

What are you doing? Hey, Hey. No.

Don't you go near her, you...

BABY GURGLES Don't. Really.

Macy is not going with you to wherever

the fuck you're going.

You know that and I know that.

SHE BREATHES SHAKILY

SHE SOBS QUIETLY

That's OK, darling. It's OK.

It's OK. All right, your mum's here.

Oh, f... I can't.

I can't. I've rehearsed it so many times,

I thought I could,

that it would be easier for all of you if I just left, but I...

But what? SHE EXHALES FORCEFULLY

I don't want to leave you.

I love you. I love this family.

And everything I've done,

I was just trying to protect us.

I had no idea that getting involved with

the other women would go so, so wrong.

Oh, Charlotte.

Oh, poor Charlotte.

Don't let her sacrifice be in vain.

Oh, God. That's awful.

That's the most shitty piece of emotional blackmail I've ever heard.

I know.

I'm desperate.

What do you want me to say?

That you understand.

That you can see why I did all the terrible things I've done.

And that you and me, we can be together, after all.

Is that even allowed?

I mean, can you even go back on that call?

Yeah, of course. Yeah, I can.

I can call them and tell them it was a false alarm

and then you, me,

we just have to pretend this conversation never happened. NICK SCOFFS

I can't do that.

I mean, how can I do that?

I am your wife.

I am the same person I always have been.

Yes, I've lied.

And people have gotten hurt.

But I am not the monster that she is meant to be,

that everyone thinks that she is.

At the funeral, Jay was right.

Darius, he said something to me.

And yes, yeah, I looked at Julie because I thought she heard.

But I don't think she heard him whispering.

I forgive you.

He forgave me, Nick.

Darius, who's blind,

partly because of me, he forgave me.

Surely you can?

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