All language subtitles for The Town the Gypsies Took Over Ch5 1080p EN SUB_ENG_Subtitles01

Deep in the Cumbrian
countryside lies the historic

market town of Appleby.

Home to just a few thousand
people, it's a quiet

and peaceful place to live.

But once a year, everything changes.

CHEERING

Get the river open!

Guys, guys, guys, enough.

We've got a job to do!

More than 40,000 people descend...

..to the world famous
Appleby Horse Fair...

There you go, have some
of that, son, there you go.

..the biggest Gypsy and
Traveller event in Britain.

Gypsying about.

Best life.

It's an affair steeped in history.

I'm 80 years of age,
and I've done this all my life.

For over 300 years,

people have flocked here to buy
and sell horses...

I'm on for a deal.

Are we on for a deal?

We're on for a deal, sir.

I want to give you 50 quid
back, out of 1,800 quid.

I'd like a million pound from them
but I'm not going to get them, am I?

High up!

Get up there, son!

..making Appleby Fair
a cornerstone of Gypsy culture.

I love horses a lot.

I love it.

It's my main, entire,
part of my life, my year.

My heritage, everything.

The police, council,
and Gypsy groups work together

to try and ensure this
extraordinary event runs smoothly.

Everybody's at me, everybody's
talking to me, everybody
wants to talk to me.

All the Gypsies, the
Travellers, the police.

But some feel the event
is out of control...

SIREN WAILS

Oh!

Get the ambulance!

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Just total mayhem.

People are full of drink,
it's getting a little bit rowdy.

Wa-hey!

..and they want to see it banned.

You do feel intimidated.

Wa-hey!

I think a lot of people
would like to see it cancelled.

Appleby fair!

But some visitors
don't feel welcome.

To be quite honest with you,
the locals are quite racist.

Just slow it down, please.

You get called things, like
we're all thieves and tinkers,

and we do this, we don't -
we all work hard for a living.

Look after our children,
just like anybody else.

With never before seen access
to this historic event...

So, we've got to try and facilitate
the locals being happy and the Gypsy

and Traveller people being happy.

I'm not a fool. I can see how far
the water's gone down, look at...

That is what has to happen.

The police are just
clamping down on everything.

It's a police state now.

..this is the full story
of Appleby Horse Fair...

It's our identity as a people,
as a nation.

..the most notorious Gypsy
celebration...

..in Britain.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

In the centre of Appleby,

in nearby town Kirkby Stephen...

..the local residents
are prepping for the fair.

And feelings are mixed.

It's just a small place and
we're just invaded by thousands.

Not just those that
come to the Fair Hill,

all the tourists that come as well.

There was a lot of
aggression last year.

On two occasions, somebody
has had a wee in the garden.

Getting himself ready
for the incoming visitors

is 80-year-old Navy veteran,
Mervyn.

If you look at this,
this reminds me of the ARP,

Air Raid Precautions,
in the last war.

You don't expect that
in an English country town.

I was horrified when I saw it.

Last year, it was chaos.

They were urinating
in the bus shelters.

They'd broken into stables
to use them as lavatories.

You had to duck when the young
boys were driving, they'd

wind their windows down and just
clear their throats and spit.

But as with any big event
drawing large crowds,

problems will occur.

What would your reply be
to the Gypsies who say that

they're being prejudiced against?

Absolute rubbish.

If we're short of police,
we ought to employ a few Gurkhas...

..because Gurkhas
would sort it out very quickly.

With some residents fearful
of things getting out of hand,

it's up to the police
to enforce the rule of law.

Last year, we faced some criticism
from the local communities around

how we policed Appleby Fair in 2018,

and we've learnt some
significant lessons from that.

This year, new police
tactics include more

officers on the streets
and tighter road restrictions

to manage the influx
of people and horses.

So, we've significantly
uplifted our numbers.

Unfortunately,
we never please everybody.

On one hand, if we don't have
enough officers here,

we haven't got sufficient
staff to deal with something
which may present itself.

On the other hand, if we have
far too many officers,

it can look overbearing.

The police are prepped,
the town is ready, and the Gypsies

and Travellers are coming.

Pump the wheels up high,
keep it moving!

HE LAUGHS

Whoa!

We've come about 60 mile,

from County Durham.

I've come from Linton,
Newcastle, and I've done 73 mile

in the last five days.

Bury, I've come from,
and it just took me over a week.

I camped here and I camped there,
so just steady away, really.

The Horse Fair is a unique
and historical gathering.

And for those who make the annual
pilgrimage, it's the most important

event in the Gypsy calendar.

Tell me what Appleby means to you.

It's like a focal meeting
point for families.

It's a gathering of old friends,
and talking about what went on

during the year
and who died and who didn't die.

Hopefully, we're not on the list!
No, we're not on the list.

We haven't taken out
any policies on one another.

With the fair due to open
in the morning,

Travellers and Gypsies from far
and wide set up camp for the night,

a few miles away from Appleby.

You think you'd have some eggs
in here, wouldn't you, or something?

And sausages.

And ham and all kinds.

And a bit of hedgehog.

Or hedgehog in it!

HE LAUGHS

Excited about the fair is
80-year-old Romany Gypsy, Jack.

I come from Wales, but I've come
to Lancaster and then I've travelled

all the way up steady
with the wagon and horses.

Two horses and me.

Three weeks I've been
coming up, taking my time,

and I could do with somebody
giving me some money.

HE LAUGHS

I love going to Appleby
for that week.

Everything, you just light up,
your heart lights up to it.

And we love coming here.

I've done this all my life,
from a kid.

All my friends love coming here,
and we meet one another here,

we have a deal, horses,
and maybe a bird, we sell a canary.

Anything that we earn money with.

And if we rob one another,
we rob one another of our horses,

you know what I mean?

Oh, you robbed me this time,
I'll get you next time!

But new measures have meant
closing off large sections

of the road into the fair
and some Travellers

are being forced to camp
by the side of the main road.

Hope you don't mind,
I'm just being myself, like.

Fucking hell.

You've got to fucking do it somehow.

Clean clothes, how you want,
fucking job done.

We were meant to camp at Warcop,
but the police coming

through the village sent us up
a mile and a half down road,

up here, so we just fucking
end up down here on main road.

Two wagons like this shouldn't be
here on road with horses on banking.

Kids and stuff. For horses and that
it's dangerous on here.

Proper dangerous.

Yeah, we shouldn't be here,
we should be up in Warcop.

Police again for you.

Oh, we've got this, we've got that.
Fucking wankers.

How do I feel?
I think it's rude.

Disrespectful. Course I do.

We're just people
living how we want to live.

We're not horrible people, we're
just people, like everybody else.

Whether you live in a house with
a nine to five job, don't matter.

HORSE WHINNIES

With just a few hours
until the fair opens,

it's not long before the police,
the locals and 40,000 visitors

will come together in the quiet
market town of Appleby.

No matter what they try
and do, I'll never...

They're not going to stop it,
are they?

The sleepy town of Appleby
in Cumbria is about to wake

from its slumber,

by hosting the biggest Gypsy
and Traveller event in Britain.

Thousands of Gypsies from all over
Europe are expected.

It's a big event for a small town.

I think there's a lot of people
will try to stop it. Definitely.

It's overrun by thousands
of people and it just takes

a lot of getting used to.

This year has seen more police
and new restrictions...

Our kind of like role is to try
and keep the locals and the Gypsy

and Traveller people all happy.

The police are just
clamping down on everything.

It's a police state now.

Why wouldn't they
allow freedom of life?

What's been doing and going
for years and years and years?

..which some are finding difficult.

Lads coming into villages,
they're telling them to move on.

It's disgusting.

There seems to be more police again
this year and it just gets...

The more police here,
the more intimidating it feels.

The man charged with trying to
keep everybody happy is Billy,

the Shera Rom, or Head Gypsy.

I'm constantly coordinating
everything with the police.

Everybody's at me, everybody's

talking to me, everybody
wants to talk to me.

All the Gypsies, the Travellers,
the police, and the visitors

to the area, the council.

I'm dealing with everybody
at the same time.

As the custodian of the fair,

it's not officially open until
Billy raises the Roma flag.

So, what we do is raise the Roma
flag, and that means the fair

is officially opened.

We've done this for
quite a few years now.

And the flag, that's the world flag.

While the blue represents
the heavens, the green represents

the fields and forests of Earth.

And the 16-spoke cartwheel
in the middle, the chakra,

represents our nomadic heritage,

to roam freely between
heaven and Earth.

Right, you've got that tape,
Tommy, and the knife?

Right then, get the tape around it,
Tommy, yeah?

I'll hold it here.

That'll do.

Well, it's the most important date
in the Gypsy and Traveller calendar.

There's nothing more important.

If you say to any of these children,

do you want to go to Disneyland
in Florida instead of Appleby?

Definitely not -
we want to go to Appleby.

There'd be no contest,
do you know what I mean?

Children would rather
come to Appleby.

It's more important to us
than Christmas.

It is literally our Mecca.

When we're here on this field,

this is where our ancestors
have been coming for centuries.

When we sit around the camp
fires on here, it gives

a sense of place,
a sense of belonging,

a sense of ancestry.

It is literally sacred to us.

When we're here,
it makes us feel closer to God.

Look at the scenery around us -
it's God's country.

With the flag flying high,

the Gypsies and Travellers
arrive in bulk.

Traditionally a trading fair,
the main purpose of Appleby,

since its origins over 300 years
ago, was to buy and sell horses.

Some have travelled hundreds
of miles, and the first thing

on the agenda is freshening up.

Horses have been washing
in the River Eden since the event

was granted a royal charter
by King James II in 1685.

And a clean and happy horse
has a stronger chance

of selling for a good price.

Well, I've come here to see if
I can sell some horses and I've come

to the river to wash them all out

to see if I can sell them,
to look pretty to sell them.

Give myself a Gypsy wash,
the horse a Gypsy wash.

What would you like for him?
Well, as much as possible.

I'd like a million pound for him
but I'm not going to get it, am I?

But taking animals
into the depths of the river...

HORSE WHINNIES

..is a job for
experienced riders only.

A few years ago, a man led
his horse too far into the water,

where it struggled and drowned.

This year, the police
and RSPCA are keeping

a close eye on water levels...

..and ensuring public safety
at all times.

Well, you know, we don't
want anyone having any accidents
in there, do we? So...

thank you.

But with forecasts of
heavy rain on the horizon,

the authorities may need
to shut down access

to the river entirely.

Been there when that river's too
deep, when the flow's too high.

They're not fools.

Can hear the horses coming.

Normally we have flowers
along here and things,

but with the fair on,
they'd all just be ripped up and...

And so we can't hang up our baskets

and plant the flowers
along here and things.

In the town centre, hotel owner
Nigel is ready for this year's fair.

PHONE RINGS

Good evening, Tufton Arms Hotel.

Appleby is a lovely, medieval,

sleepy, small town, big village.

Virtually everybody knows everybody.

They grew up together
at the grammar school,

and it's a lovely place to live.

Which actual nights did you want?

Oh, Christ, no,
it's the horse fair, obviously.

For the fair, the town does
change in character.

If you're just an ordinary
resident of Appleby,

it's probably fairly awful.

You can't go around,
you can't go to the shops,

you can't drive around,
there's people parking

in front of your house,
there's people parking a caravan

on your front lawn, literally.

It's unrecognisable from...
normal times.

Nigel has a select guest list
which includes Gypsies

and Travellers, but for everyone
else, he has a unique approach.

We sort of operate behind
a closed front door,

so we lock up the back of the yard
and lock the hotel up.

We don't have the windows open,
we put little wooden things

on the sashes so you can only open
them so far, so that you can't get

in from the outside.

The only way is in through the
front door and we do that ourselves

and run a hotel behind
a closed door, basically.

Anyone watching this
want to buy a cheap horse?

Cheap. In harness, heavy harness,
graze, flat cart, you name it,

and she can step back and front,
hock and knee.

Hock and knee.

Determined to enjoy Appleby Fair
to its fullest is 29-year-old

English Traveller, John.

Been here about the last two days
doing a bit of wheeling

and dealing and that.

A few horses, chickens,
dogs, few cars, anything

we can get out hands on.

Deal for anything. Deal for a boot
or an old shoe, mate.

Anything I can get a few wages
out of, that's what it's for.

I'll have a deal for
that camera, yeah.

He's hoping to sell his horse
at the market for a good price.

I'm just clipping his cart on.

That'll do, leave it there, Joe.
Pull her out a bit more.

I'm just gonna give this
pony a flash for you.

The Gypsy tradition of flashing
has been rampant for centuries.

It's the practice of running
horses at pace to show off

their speed and condition.

It's a live-action shop window

for people looking to buy
and sell their animals.

But speeding horses up and down
narrow country lanes

calls for experienced riders.

Despite barriers to protect
pedestrians, accidents can happen.

There can be risk
to the animals as well.

In 2015, two horses
crashed and died.

Very dangerous, this flash stuff.

If you don't watch what you're
doing, you can get flattened.

But, today, John only has
one thing on his mind.

Hup!

This is where all the dealing
commences down here.

Ahoy, boy!

Appleby Fair!

This is the life.

There's a man there,
get that on, mate, get that on.

Ay up!

Ay ay!

You meet a lot of old pals.

Like you say, people I've
never seen since last year.

It's good craic.

Are you interested in
buying this horse, mate?

I'm on for a deal,
we're on for a deal.

We're on for a deal, sir.

What we like - we like deals,
lads, we like the deals.

Just waiting for a customer,
waiting for someone to walk across,

mate, I would like someone
to walk over now and just start

bidding me for her.

Hello, how are you doing?
Are you all right?

Nice big horse.

This shop is open
24 hours a day, lads.

Are you in for her?

What sort of money is she?

2,200 quid.

Want a thousand for her?

No good. No good.

What's the best she can be?

Would you give two grand for it?

1,600.

Listen...
Tell him you'll take 18, John.

Is she broken?
She's brand new in harness.

Brand new.
She been a trolley on her?

Yes, four wheelers,

iron tyres, drays.
You name it, she's been in it.

Do you want a hundred quid
back out of two grand?

Why don't you take 1,800
quid and finish, John?

Would you give 1,800 quid for it?

17 and a half.

Listen, I'm gonna give you 50 quid
back out of 1,800 quid.

Down to you. Well, I'll pick her up
in the week. That'll do.

The man liked the goods
and the man purchased.

Gonna go home and get myself washed
up and put a fresh set of rockers on

and I'm off down that village
on the drink.

HE CLICKS
Get up, lass!

Are you just having a piss, there?

Mr William. Just having
a piss in the doorway.

Wa-hey!

As the trading
winds down for the day,

the action moves into town.

I really like this fair.

I've been coming here
hundreds of years.

Night-time in Appleby
can see large crowds gather

to continue the festivities.

LAUGHTER

Extra police officers have been
drafted in to keep the peace.

But to some visitors,
it's another form of clamping down

on their culture and traditions.

Over at his hotel,
owner Nigel is keeping an eye out.

I'm having to do the door
because the only way of keeping

the hotel running normally
is to control who comes

in and out of the building.

We don't really have anybody
in that's not staying.

Excuse me! Hello!

BELL RINGS

So...if I don't like the look
of what's out there,

I can keep people out.

Once someone's in, it's really
difficult to get rid of them.

If you've got three or four
really big lads,

what can you actually do,
at the end of the day?

You can have an argument
and go and get the police,

but it's just all unnecessary
and it spoils the atmosphere

and the hotel for everybody else.

BELL RINGS

But inevitably
you end up with people

who just insist on trying to get in,

so eventually you have to open
the door and talk to them.

Sorry?

That's obviously stressful.
BELL RINGS

Sorry?

I probably have done, yeah.

There's five of you?

Five. Five.

One, two, three, four, five.

Come on, then.

ALL TALK AT ONCE

BELL RINGS

Oi, oi!

Over the road, pub bouncer
Kaseem is experiencing

Appleby Horse Fair by night
for the very first time.

It's my first year here.
Right now, people are full of drink,

it's getting a little bit rowdy,

coming up to kicking-out time.
No lies! No lies!

No lies, do you hear me?

Tell the truth, man.

It's coming up to kicking out time.

It'll be a bit of fun,
put it that way.

So, we'll see what happens now.

Time will tell, won't it?

You can see yourself
what's happening.

It is challenging.

As we come towards last orders, it's
nothing like you've seen before.

Until you work here, you don't
realise what it can be like,

and we've just got to get
through it.

Fella, if you leave you can't come
back in, yeah? Do you know who I am?

I don't know who you are.

HE LAUGHS

Right now, it's very stressful.
Very stressful, because they don't
want to take no for an answer.

When you tell them
that it's last orders

and they can't come back in,
that's it, they're kicking off.

So, yeah, it's stressful,
because they're not listening.

No is not an answer here.

The quiet rural town of Appleby is
experiencing the biggest

Gypsy festival in Britain.

I know, old fella.

The horse fair has been a sacred
gathering for Gypsies

and Travellers for centuries.

It is important to our culture,
our traditions and our history.

And if it was to go,
it would be devastating.

And the best things about this fair
is about the beautiful horses. Yeah.

But a few locals can't
get into the spirit of the event.

They can be very
aggressive at times.

Don't you dare. Don't you dare.

It's an upheaval to the town
and not everybody is well behaved.

Just slow it down, please.

The police are keen to maintain
order.

At the moment all
I need to do is to walk around

and make sure everyone's
behaving themselves.

But some visitors don't feel
welcome.

To be quite honest with you
the locals are quite racist.

There is quite a lot of racism
down in that village.

You mention the word
Traveller or Gypsy

and they just think they're scum
because there's a few Gypsies

out there that will give
others a bad name.

But there's good and bad in every
community, you know what I mean?

The new regulations are a
hot topic for festival regular John.

You know what I mean? You get called
things and it's not good.

I'll be upset, really, you know.

They look down at us
like we're pieces of shit.

Like we're all thieves and tinkers
and we do this, but we're not.

This is our way of life.
We all work hard for a living.

Look after us
children just like anybody else.

We respect the people who
don't do this.

But they should respect us
back the same.

All right with folk who are all
right with us, you know what I mean?

Should all get on together,
shouldn't we, really?

And get on with it.
Are you a travelling boy?

You're in a trailer rolling? Yeah.

# Rolling, rolling, rolling

# Little Tommy rolling. #

Today, John is at Appleby market, on
the hunt for a special kind of deal.

Where are the girls' shops?
Little baby shops? Further up?

Got my little girl here.
Little Romany, she's called.

You're a bit done up, baby girl.

She came up last year but she was
in her mum's belly last year
so this is her first year.

She's the only girl in family
so all boys and a little girl.

I come and like to spoil her,
you know what I mean.

Get her sorted out. Get her some new
stuff and make her look nice.

What is the budget? There is
no budget. Never a budget.

You can't put a budget on your only
daughter, can you now? Romany!

Baby girl. Have a
shop around and see what's about.

This walk through here is more for
women round here, shopping and that.

Flash, that's your mates up there.

The market is where many
women from the Gypsy

and Traveller communities
spend their time and money.

It looks nice up.
Yeah, I really like it. Oh, wow!

See if I can go and pull a new boy.

The horse fair provides a unique
opportunity for many girls to

interact with
members of the opposite sex.

Where are you from? For Appleby we
get all dressed up and stuff and,
like, eyelashes done.

Nails. Spray tan,
everything, yeah. Yeah!

With me and him, we are on the pull.
We've got to find him a woman.

If you're young, like, you'll go to
like find a boyfriend or something.

And then, they just grab you
and try to like,

they try to like kiss you and stuff.
Or get your number, stuff like that.

It's not like malicious,
it's not horrible.

It's just part of the culture.
My dad would kill me! Yeah, me too!

What have you got on this stall,
luvvie?

Do you get a hat with that
one, luvvie,

with knickers and everything,
is it all built in?

Isn't this a big size? Going to get
her out now and see if it fits her.

Big that, isn't it?

You said you were going do me a good
price on that, didn't you, luvvie?

Yes, I did. A very good price now.
Very good price.

Cos she's a very nice woman, this
woman. She does us very good prices.

Go on, hit me with it. £60. £60?
And don't bid me. Can't bid at all?

Not at all, cos that is a good
price. Not even £58?

No, not even £59. Jesus.
Do you want that one? Yeah.

Do you want that, luvvie? Only
got 18, sweetheart. £60 there, love.

Thank you very much. Yeah,
they're a good make, them.

Well made, do you know what I mean?
You get a lot of shit.

A lot of rubbish stuff about.

But up here, you get some good,
you get some...

I'm sure you get some rubbish but
you get some good stuff as well, you
know?

Well made stuff.
John's found what he is looking for.

But at Appleby Horse Fair, more
deals are always around the corner.

Hey, look at baby. Jesus!
Not much of a baby any more.

What's going on?

A passer by has spotted John's gold
ring and is interested.

Send him on, boy. Hold that.

Copper.

See you.

I tell you about it. I made 70 quid
on it, so I am very happy with the
price he paid, yeah.

Paid for dress. I got a dress for
nowt. Get a dress for nowt, then.

Work it out that way.
It's happy days.

On flash lane,

Gypsy horse traders of the future
are learning the ropes.

SHOUTING

I love horses a lot.
And I have been driving them.

I drive them near enough every day.

When I was two,
I learnt to drive a horse

and I've just been doing it ever
since.

Drive it down yourself.

When I started riding horses,
I were four or three. I love horses.

Nowt else but horses.
Horses is my world.

When you was a kid if you got bucked
off horse, you didn't have a choice.

You got put back on. That's the way
of life, you know what I mean?

If you whinged about it, you got
a clip round the back of the lug.

He's experienced, mate.

It's the difference,
isn't it, you know what I mean?

When you're experienced, you know
what to expect, don't you?

Yeah, well, I am very proud. He's
a good lad. See you later, mate.

Flash lane, fly with horses up
and down. Sell them. Gypsying about.

Best life.

This year's fair has seen new
regulations imposed.

Which hasn't
gone down well with some.

This fair's been going on for years
and years and years

and they're trying to stop it.

They can't stop it because it's
heritage. That's how it is.

The police are ruining it, pal.
The police are ruining it.

They won't let you tether a horse
up or anything, man.

It's up to the police to keep
everyone safe,

despite any complaints.

Just slow it down, please.

On the front line is PC Ruth,

who's been patrolling the horse
fair for four years.

How do?

No. I'm a right shark.
I think I'll be able to manage.

With strict new rules to enforce,
she's got her work cut out.

Previous years, it's been quite
busy on here and fast.

So, to prevent them
from flashing on this section

and making it dangerous,

they've shut the road completely to
try and make it safer on here.

But now that means that there's
now congestion on here

and they can't obviously flash or
trot too quickly.

Some people weren't very
happy about it.

The practice of flashing, or running
horses at speed to impress

potential buyers, mainly takes place
on a designated country lane.

Along this stretch,

barriers protect the public from the
dangers of speeding animals.

But some like to flash into the town
centre where pedestrians

are unprotected, and any accident
could have serious consequences.

This year, police have
blocked off part of the main road.

As a result, flashing has been kept
away from the built up areas.

That's a tradition, to go from the
top end, right out the village.

And they've shut it off, and
they should never have done that.

The barrier's caused a
few... A bit of bad feeling.

There has been some people made it
quite clear that it's not... Sorry.

Oi!

Thank you.

But some are not
accepting the restrictions.

Slow it down a little bit.
Slow it down a bit.

Accidents on slippery
roads can be deadly.

And as the rain gets worse...the
riding gets more dangerous.

Mind your back.

Don't encourage him to go quicker
in this weather.

Listen, though, seriously.

Mind your back. I told him twice.

Over on flashing lane,
the rain is beating down.

But some are throwing
caution to the wind.

It's tumbling down with rain now,

but, you know, we're still here
and we'll carry on.

And driving their horses faster
and faster.

The speed's quite scary.

It is dangerous, yeah.
People do get hurt most years.

I'm afraid when people use horses
to the extreme, accidents do happen.

As the road gets wetter
and the speeds get higher,

an accident is inevitable.

Ooh!

Get the ambulance!
Get the ambulance!

The small town of Appleby in Cumbria

is in the middle of the biggest
Gypsy horse fair in Europe.

Gypsies and Travellers keen to
show off their horses for sale

have been running them
at high speeds...

..despite the heavy rain
and the warnings by police...

Slow it down a little bit.
Slow it down a bit.

..whose job it is to keep everybody
safe. Mind your back.

Just slow it down, please.

And then...disaster struck.

Ooh!

Get the ambulance!
Get an ambulance quickly.

All right. Paramedics.

Back to the side of the kerb.
Back to the side, please.
Move away.

The man has suffered a head
injury from the impact of the fall.

There is a risk up in this area
because the horses are moving

up and down here really quickly.

Often, when it rains, as well,
it can get a little bit slippy

and that just increases the risk
sometimes, as well.

The ambulance crew
is on the scene at once.

Maybe the horse just slipped.

Maybe it just spooked as it was
coming down.

No different to the Grand National.
Accidents happen.

The man was rushed to hospital
with a fractured skull

and was discharged after two weeks.

CHATTER

We have to just have a look at the
river.

But for PC Ruth,
things are about to get even harder.

If you look round there...
Oh, yeah, I see what you mean.

We're on nine now. Yeah,
so we're on nine. Yeah.

Heavy downpours have meant water
levels in the river rising to

dangerous heights.

So, there's a measuring stick.
It was three and now it's nine.

Yesterday, the stones were here.

People could walk right to the
centre before they were

going into the river.

There's a cone across there.
You could see the cone.

You can
only see the top of the cone now.

So, that goes to show how high
it's risen overnight.

But it has rained all night
last night.

So, it's a very fast flowing river
now, unfortunately,

and very dangerous.

Closing the river is a last resort.

Scores of Gypsies

and Travellers wash their horses
in the Eden during Appleby.

It's an integral part of their
ancient tradition and culture.

But with some visitors already
unhappy with the new

restrictions, closing the river
may not go down well.

At the police station,

there's a crunch meeting between the
emergency services and the council.

Obviously, the objective is to
ensure public safety.

We've got heavy rain
forecast from lunch time today.

The river levels will go above 0.5,
which is, I think,

the trigger level for talking
about closures.

And they must decide whether extreme
measures need to be taken.

Close the river.
We need to prepare for that.

The authorities have been left with
no choice but to close the river.

How are we doing? You all right?

If someone tried to take

a horse into the river, you know,

they may well commit an offence,
in relation to endangering that

horse or putting
it at some sort of risk.

Well, it's definitely going to do
the job.

We'll put it between the road
closure.

It's obviously...we can't let
anybody in this river at all,

and the horses,
it's far too dangerous for them.

Yeah, because the sign's this
side. The river's closed.

Now all they can do is
hope for a change in weather.

As the rain relentlessly
falls over Appleby...

..the town braces itself
for the busiest night of the fair.

Hey, hey! Appleby Fair!

And while the police continue to
enforce the new restrictions...

Tell you the best place to go
drinking is, mate,

anywhere but Appleby because you
can't get served anywhere.

..the atmosphere gets more lively.

INDISTINCT

Just put them in the middle.
So what I'll do is...

Braced for an eventful night is
restaurant owner Tariq.

There's more plates over there
if you need them.

That's not our original chairs
that we use for the normal week.

So we had to like, replace
the chairs with... Well, they're

not cheap chairs, but I don't
mind them just getting destroyed.

Are the napkins on the tables, yeah?
First year was scary.

People, all the locals, yeah,

they just completely put me
off from opening the restaurant.

Like saying, oh,
they're going to trash your place.

You know, don't open, don't bother.
They're going to rob everything.

And I was like, what shall I do?
Shall I open or not?

So we thought we'll see how it goes.

But there was so much problems,
you know, with getting the money

off them because a lot of them
don't want to pay or they run off.

The fair is very lucrative for Tariq
but it comes at a price.

One night there was a massive
problem with four guys.

"Oh, we're not going to pay our
bill," and everything.

I'm like, "You've ate here
so you have got to pay for it."

They were having none of it.

We had a girl that worked in
here,

she got that scared that she
didn't want to come back.

As the town gets merrier...

Easy!

..anti-fair advocate and former Navy
man Mervyn is keeping away.

Who's there? Go and get them.

This is about the time of the day
I normally go for a

constitutional drink and chat with
a couple of people at the local.

Obviously I enjoy doing that.
It's about time we went now.

But I'm not gonna go out in the
evening because it can get a bit

rowdy and it's not my scene to have
that much noise and hoo-ha going on.

I prefer a quiet
drink in a civilised company.

I'm afraid lots of them
behave in a very anti-social way.

I keep out of the way of trouble.

But if they did come for me
I'd give them a good...

Having been taught unarmed
combat in the Navy.

Cheers.

How are we going, boys?
Hello.

6.45, thank you very much.

Yeah, I'll be with you in one
minute. I've got two naan breads.
Is that enough, yeah?

In town, things are heating
up in Tariq's kitchen.

I put it in.

No, no, no, no...

I didn't say...

No, no, I told him
to give you the forks and I...

I apologise for the
misunderstanding.

No, I did, I said we've got forks.
I'm not the one that said we didn't.

Yeah, I can't do anything about it.
It gets a bit tough sometimes.

The worst one they come out with is,
"Oh, I've got a complaint."

I'm like, "What would that be?"

"Oh, I think I found a hair... I
found a hair in my food." I'm like,
"OK."

And the hair's like ginger colour or
it's white or it's light brown.

I'm like, "Look, what colour
is my hair?" He goes, "Black."

I go, "Well, it can't be my hair."

And the guys in the kitchen
don't even have hair

so it can't even be them.

As kicking out time beckons,
the atmosphere starts to turn.

Yeah, that's been paid for.
Have you stabbed that bill, yeah?

When the pubs close,
that's when the mayhem starts.

There is
nowhere else to drink, no nothing.

So what they want to do is
pile in here.

One of the guys that's inside,
or the family inside,

they will say, my brother is
outside.

So they will go and
let their brother in.

So once the brother's walking in,
behind them nine of them

will walk in.

You don't know them, they don't know
each other, whatever. That is it.

That is when all the rush starts.

That's when all the trouble starts
really. The deadline is 11 o' clock.

Everyone's meant to clear out.
But they don't listen.

Is it just your son left, yeah?

Yeah, we're closing now anyway.

Guys, guys, look. Hold on. Hold on.
Hold on. Hold on. It's my son.

No, hold on. Hold on, hold on,
hold on. It's my son. No. Hold on.

That's my son.
Guys, come on. It's closed, guys.

Out. Come on. Listen,
don't serve nobody else.

We can't serve nobody else.

The quiet town of Appleby
is in the thick of the biggest Gypsy

and Traveller gathering
in the British Isles.

New police regulations have been
unpopular with some.

They're treating us like dogs,
pal. Dogs. Dogs.

Heavy rain has caused the police to
shut down the river.

Obviously we can't let
anybody in this river at all

and the horses,
it's far too dangerous for them.

Which is proving a difficult
restriction to enforce.

Let us in the river, man!
Let the boys in.

On the front line is PC Ruth.

Go on, then, please, jump out.

Well, can you jump out quicker,
please?

No, you shouldn't be on this side
either, though, should you?

So either go down there or
through here.

It's not just about the height
of the river,

it's also about the flow
of the river.

The first part of the river, you can
obviously see that is shallow.

There is
a very big dip in the middle.

And the risk is the depth
of the river and the speed of the

river in the centre and people don't
understand that element.

It's hardly gone down. Oh, jeez. OK.

So at the moment it's going to
remain closed.

One person keen for the river to
open is horse trader John.

Getting in the river or what?
I want to go for a swim.

Everyone's waiting
for the river to open.

They want to be in to wash
the horses.

They want to make them look as good
as they can to sell them.

If there's no river open we're
not selling, are we?

I've got the rest of them
tethered up and I want to get them

in the river.

I want to see them... I want to
get them washed off, cleaned up,

try and get a customer for them,
don't we?

We want a customer so we can buy her
some more clothes. Come on.

Come on, let me. Let us in. Hey,
we won't go in the deep.

Honest we won't. We promise you.

They're not letting nobody do what
they want. It's their way or no way.

Pack up and go home.
That's what they want us to do.

Do you know what I mean? It's not
right but what can we do?

What can we say? We're the ones who
get told where to go and what to do.

At the campsite 80-year-old Jack has
had enough of the restrictions and
is leaving the fairearly.

What they're
doing down there in the town...

I've been coming up here for years.

All my lifetime.
But it's never been like this.

Now if they get

away with this,

next year they'll find some new

stuff again.

Something else to do, right,
new laws again.

But they can't keep getting
away with it.

They don't know about our religion
in the country.

They don't know nothing about it.

They've got to change it back
to where it was.

The Queen knows we do this every
year.

It belongs to the Gypsies.

It's a Gypsy fair.
It's been going for centuries.

It is a chartered fair.
Nobody can stop it.

Nobody in the world can stop it.

That's all I can say. And that's it.

Back at the river, PC Ruth is
working hard. Let us in, man.

No, we're not,
we're not trying to do that,

we're just trying to keep it safe.

You know that. It doesn't work that
way.

Come on, let us in! Oi, oi!

Get the river opened! Oi, oi!

You have to understand people are
getting a bit frustrated.

The water is very low. I've
been coming here for 50 years. OK.

I know exactly what they're
prepared to do in there.

They're experienced riders and I can
see the water has gone down there.

I'm not a fool. Horse shite.
Just let them in.

Cos you're going to have a
stampede in a minute.

Do you want to know what's happening
or do you want to just talk over me?

Well, I can see...
The RSPCA have put some dry suits on
so they can come into the water.

I'm not a fool, I can see how far
the water has gone down.

That is what has to happen. That's
what has to happen. You're nuts.

You're nuts.

Before the river can open, it needs
to be declared safe by the RSPCA.

RSPCA, going into the water! Ha-ha!

It's just gonna go
round. The river is closed.

Aye, it stays closed.

I will definitely be
asking for some more staff to come

and help and if it's too dangerous,
it's too dangerous, you know.

Cos unfortunately if something does
happen, people like to say

it's their own responsibility,
but it will always fall back on us.

I'm sweating my head off.
Please. Cross my fingers and toes.

Guys, guys, guys, enough! Enough.
They've got a job to do.

The fate of the fair rests on this
one decision. What are we thinking?

And with the crowd
anxious for the river to open,

if it goes the wrong way,
things will get hard for PC Ruth.

It's a yeah. Oh, my God, thank God.
Cos I thought I was going to die.

I just genuinely would want to kiss
you right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The all clear is given.

OK.
The river opens.

And centuries of tradition come
alive.

CHEERING

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Violet, this horse is called. This
is only her second day being rode.

So we're gonna try her in the river
and see how she goes.

Sit and hold on for the best.
It's all you can do.

It's a bit cold, like,
when you first get in,

but you've just got to take a deep
breath and enjoy the ride.

Yeah, it's very worth the wait.

As you can see everyone's ecstatic
because the river is open.

There's a few in the back there with
bars of soap getting a full

body wash.

It's best of both worlds.
Horses are getting washed
and we're getting washed so

what more could a man want? Ready
for a customer, as they say. Listen.

That is the tit I was telling
you about. Just get on and buy him.

I don't want to buy it.
Get on and buy!

Extremely relieved cos there was
quite a crowd gathering

so if we'd kept it closed
I maybe needed a hand.

And hopefully now the river has
reopened things will settle

down a little bit and everyone will
now, hopefully, have a happy day.

In the market town of Appleby,
one of the world's most historic

Gypsy celebrations is coming
to an end.

And 40,000 people are packing
up camp.

We're gonna go back to Manchester.
That's where we're from.

MAN LAUGHS

Rocking on through! All right,
thank you, gentlemen, see you later.

Good man.

The police have had the difficult
job of enforcing new regulations.

If I was to talk about the police,
I'd be arrested.

And for a few locals, the end
of the fair can't come soon enough.

I'm glad that the fair's over.
It puts a huge burden on the town.

And there was a lot more rubbish
thrown away, including

complete takeaways they didn't
fancy, just dumped on the floor.

It isn't just paper and cans
and bottles, it's mattresses

and things like that.

But we have a very good clean-up.

But a mammoth clean-up
operation is under way.

Overseeing things is Billy,
the Shera Rom, or Head Gypsy.

The fair's just finished, and we've
only just began the clean-up.

The top end of the fair is
not too bad.

I tell you what, mind,
you've done that in no time at all.

It's all bagged up, that's ready to
go in the container.

Most of it is already bagged,
people have bagged it and left it.

What we'll do is once we've got
the 99% of it up

and got it all bagged,
we'll get the bags in the container

before the foxes and the badgers
and the crows get at it.

Then, we sweep across with
a team of men and every last little

thing, right down to the
last matchstick, will be picked up.

Any little broken fences or gates,
we fix and repair them,

and when we leave here on Wednesday,

you wouldn't even think there's
been a fair here.

We leave it as we find it.
You're moving on quick, lads.

Done a very, very good job.
Tommy, see you in a bit.

See you later, Billy.

Billy's intent on leaving
the fair spotless,

and he's making sure everybody
plays by the rules.

You've left a load of bags,
the crows will be at them.

Over there.
Look at these bags left here.

You've left all the bags, lads.
The crows will rip them all out.

Everybody in the fair's
used the bin bags,

they've bagged it all up,
they just need it collected now

and if we don't collect it,
the wildlife will do their bit.

So, we'll get it cleaned up,
we'll get it in.

But even before Billy's had
a chance to clean up,

pictures of hoards of rubbish
have made the papers.

The media turn up,
they take a photograph of it

and say this is the rubbish
the Gypsies have left on Fair Hill.
They do it every year.

If you go on Facebook after
the fair, they all put the

pictures on of the rubbish before
you get a chance to pick it up.

But then you get the music
festivals like Glastonbury

and that there, and the rubbish that
they leave is absolutely ridiculous.

They left a load of tents last year.
One million percent.

As a proud member of the Gypsy
community,

Billy has been fighting negative
stereotypes all his life.

This impression that people
in the settled communities have

got in their mind,
this mythical stereotype, has been

invented by the media
and put into the public's head.

So, there is going to be rubbish,
but before the man gets

a chance to do it,
they're there with their cameras.

Yeah. "Stop them! Put them
all in a concentration camp.

"Hitler had the right idea."

For PC Ruth, it's finally the end
of a difficult and busy shift.

If I don't see you again... Thank
you and I'll see you next year.

We were a little bit unsure with
the weather how the weekend was

going to go.

However, today because it's been
sunny, it's definitely saved

the weekend, and everyone's had
a really good time.

I don't think we've had any arrests.
The atmosphere's really good.

And even though people are drinking
and consuming an awful

amount of alcohol,
they have been very well behaved.

As long as you enjoyed yourself.
Thank you very much.

No, I won't.

In town,
hotel owner Nigel has been braving

the fair from behind a locked door.

As the visitors finally disperse,

he stands down from his post
for another year.

I got to bed about half two,

quarter to three and was up for
breakfast.

So, yeah, long days.

I've done three, four days now on
those sort of hours, so obviously

I'm a bit jaded today, but the end's
in sight and we've done well

and had a good fair, and everyone's
enjoyed themselves inside the hotel.

So, sort of job done, really.

Now the coast is clear, Nigel can
safely focus on what's important.

Well, to be honest,
we never try to grow plants

till after the fair's over cos,
you know, it wouldn't make sense to.

Simple as that.

Looking forward to a couple of days
off and just having a sleep.

And spacing out.

Also breathing a sigh of relief
is local resident

and ex-Navy man, Mervyn.

Thanks for the drink.

We're getting back to normal now,
now the fair's over.

There's still a few Travellers here,
but they're well behaved.

Last year was
a disaster for the town,

but this year, the policing
presence has been brilliant.

Perhaps in future years
we don't need to have so much.

Well, we've finished with
the madness of this year and we're

now ready for the tranquillity
of another year of peace and quiet.

So, I'm off to finish my pint now

and finish my constitutional
morning drink.

As the Travellers leave in bulk,
it's a

good time to reflect
on the excitement of the fair.

I can't believe it's over. Once
a year isn't enough, isn't it not?

Definitely not.

And it goes too quick,
way too quick,

it should be on for a week,
two weeks.

We think it's absolutely amazing,
the Appleby Fair.

You never want to leave
when you come.

Doesn't matter what problems you
have before you come to Appleby,

as soon as you get here, it's like
uh, doesn't matter, just crack on!

I really love the atmosphere
and busyness of it all.

It puts Appleby on the map,
doesn't it?

I don't think anyone would
know Appleby,

even the name of the town, really,
if it wasn't for the fair.

We love it, simple as. Yeah.
We like what we like. Yeah.

Sod everybody else! Exactly!

For fair custodian Billy,
there's one final thing left to do.

We always get complainers
and it doesn't matter what you do,

they will always complain.

But as long as there's a planet
Earth, Appleby Fair will exist.

And for another year,

this remarkable town will
go back to normal.

But it will always enjoy its unique
status of being home to

one of the greatest Gypsy
celebrations in the world.

That's how you kick out, kid!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media