All language subtitles for Stonehouse.S01E03.WEBRip.x264-ION10-eng

It is now five days since
the Labour MP John Stonehouse

disappeared off this beach
in Florida.

I just wondered
if you'd heard anything.

Nothing at all, I'm afraid.

We have reason to suppose
that this isn't your real name.

Who's Dumbs, Joe?

We can't have one of our
MPs faking his own death

and then reappearing
on the other side of the world.

He is our majority, Betty.
He has to be made to see sense.

Maybe it was me you, uh--

you really wanted
to get away from.

No, of course not.

How marvellous
to see you both.

I thought we were going to
be together. The two of us.

It's just a few details
to iron out.

John Stonehouse,

I have an order
for your extradition

to the United Kingdom
to face

15 charges of forgery,
theft and fraud.

So as you know, Mr. Stonehouse,
this programme is about people

who have gone missing
in mysterious circumstances.

Now, it's possible
that some of our viewers

might not know who you are.

Really?

You think so?

It is possible.

So it's very important to tell

your story as simply
and clearly as you can.

Simply, clearly.

Got it.

Thank you.

How does it feel to be finally
out on bail, Mr. Stonehouse?

Um, I have no complaints
about the way I've been treated.

No, my-- my accommodation
was quite satisfactory,

and the food
unexpectedly nutritious.

What I-- What I would
take issue with, though,

is the, um-- is the way in
which my applications for bail

have been repeatedly denied,
and the manner in which

I can only conclude
is politically motivated.

It was the-- It was the
humbug and hypocrisy

that I witnessed in politics
that caused my breakdown.

And now it's that hypocrisy
and humbug

that is trying to deny me
now a fair hearing.

Well, do you have a message

you'd like to send
to the public?

Wake up, England.

Thank you.

Hello, darling.

Oh!

- Welcome home.
- Welcome home, Dad.

Oh! Thank you.

Oh, Lord. Look at that!

Look at that.
That's wonderful.

Oh, wonderful to be back.

Um, yes, even-- even--
even though

it took an absurdly long time

to-- to-- to sort out the--
the-- the-- the--

the misunderstanding
surrounding my case,

it-- it-- I have to say,

I found the experience
extraordinarily interesting.

Talking to people, as one does,
and lending an ear.

It became obvious that--
that-- that a lot of them,

the vast majority,
I-I dare say,

don't deserve to be in prison.

They don't deserve it.

They're there through
no fault of their own

and through an unfortunate

series of-- of-- of--
of-- of-- of--

- Misunderstandings?
- Misunderstandings.

Exactly so.

And demonstrations
are currently being held

up and down the country.

In other news,
six weeks after

his sensational
return to the UK,

MP John Stonehouse
was released on bail

from Brixton Prison
this morning,

effectively holding the fate
of the government in his hands.

Just like old times.

Not quite.

I know the conditions
of your bail forbid you

from seeing Sheila Buckley, but...

let me make my position
perfectly clear.

You are not to see her again,
either now or in the future,

in or outside of work.

Is that understood?

Absolutely.

100%.

I think I'm just going to pop
out for a quick stroll,

if you don't mind,
just to clear my head.

I just don't know what
the best thing to do is.

I know people are saying
that he's making

a laughingstock of us--
all of us, but...

I just want to do
whatever possible

to keep the family together.

Try to act normally, no matter
how abnormal the situation is.

That's very reassuring.
Thank you.

No, it-- it means a lot.

Really.

All right, well, uh, better go.

Speak soon.

Bye.

- Good morning, darling!
- Oh!

The ayes to the right, 316.

Noes to the left, 316.

The ayes to the right, 316.

The noes to the left, 316.

Order. Order.

That's the second time
in a week

that Stonehouse has defied
the whips and missed the vote,

Prime Minister.

Prime Minister?

Tell me, Betty.

Do you ever wonder
what happens, afterwards?

Afterwards, Prime Minister?

You know, "Good night, Vienna"
and all that.

Do the lucky ones
or the virtuous ones

really go to a better place?

Do you mean the House of Lords,
Prime Minister?

Maybe I do, Betty. Maybe I do.

John Stonehouse,
Prime Minister.

If he misses another vote,

then the Tories could table
a motion of no confidence,

and if that happens,
we'll be well and truly--

I know exactly where we'd be, Betty.

Let me see
if I've got this straight.

In order to stay in power,

we need the support of someone
who's either off his rocker

or pretending to be off
his rocker,

or else sufficiently off his
rocker not to be able to tell

whether he's really off
his rocker or not.

There. Does that
about cover it?

Yes.

It's time to bring
the awkward sod back to heel.

Hello, darling.

You're late.

Well, you know
what it's like when you--

when you're, uh--
meet old chums

and start, uh,
chatting away and...

chewing the fat.

Time flies.

Just, uh...

Clear my head.

Yes, of course
you're scared, darling.

That's perfectly natural.

No, I don't expect you to wait
indefinitely. Absolutely not.

No, no, no.
It's just a matter of timing.

Darling? Hello? Are you there?

- Yes.
- Oh, it's all right.

I thought we'd been cut off.

I miss my Dumbs.

I miss my Dumbs, too.

Terribly.

Terribly. It's like an ache.

What sort of an ache?

Just a...

Just sort of all over,
sort of ache.

I miss the touch of you.

Feeling you beside me.

Your arms wrapped around me.

- Do you?
- Mm-hmm.

And I miss the things
you do to me.

Like what, mm...

What sort of things?

The way you make me
forget myself.

Do I?

You know you do.

Just be patient, my love.

Just for a little while longer.

But I promise you,
nothing can stand in our way.

Bye. Bye, darling. Bye. Bye.

Before I call upon the
right honourable gentleman

for Walsall North to make
a personal statement,

I want to make one thing clear.

In light of his particular
circumstances, he must stick

to the wording
of his prepared statement.

I will not tolerate
any deviations.

I'm
very grateful, Mr. Speaker,

for agreeing to my request.

The, um-- The events
surrounding my disappearance

caused a great deal
of press interest.

Um, enormous press interest
all 'round the world,

and I feel I owe it
to the House

to offer an explanation
for my-- my behaviour.

In the latter half
of last year,

I suffered a complete
mental breakdown.

This breakdown was analysed

by an eminent psychologist
in Australia

and described by her
as a form of emotional suicide.

It took the form of attempting

to destroy the personality
of John Stonehouse

because that personality
had become intolerable to him.

The nature and the scale
of Stonehouse's idealism

proved incompatible

with the day-to-day realities
of political life.

The right honourable gentleman
is departing

from his prepared statement.

Mr. Speaker, I made one
or two small textural changes

just for clarity,
nothing more.

The right honourable gentleman
must say

only what has been
passed by me.

Just being in the chamber
became physically painful

because it was a reminder
of my lost ideals.

Of my belief in the fundamental
goodness of human nature,

a belief that was sorely
and continually tested

by the behaviour
of my parliamentary colleagues.

During my time at Westminster,

I have come to see
the House of Commons

as riddled with deceit,

corruption and hypocrisy.

Once again,
the right honourable gentleman

is departing from
the agreed text.

Parliamentary Democracy,

our great gift to the world,
has been reduced

to nothing more
than a charade.

Every five years,
the people of this country

elect people to represent them.

They do so in the belief
that these representatives

are acting in their own
best interests.

In reality, they're doing
nothing of the sort.

In reality,
the vast majority of MPs,

and I have to
include myself in this,

are no better than robots.

I will not-- I will not
tolerate this anymore.

Docile, unthinking machines

voting on issues
they don't understand

after debates
which they do not listen to,

deluding themselves that they
have anyone's welfare at heart

except, perhaps, their own.

The right honourable gentleman
will be seated.

On the 15th of October last,
Sheila Buckley

wrote the following letter
to John Stonehouse.

"My darling Dumbs,
whichever way you turn,

I'll be there for you.

Rest assured that I will do
anything in my power to help."

On the 8th of November last,

John Stonehouse wrote
the following letter

to Sheila Buckley.

"My darling Dumbs,

the thought of being with you
is the only thing

that keeps me going
through this veil of hardship."

I find that there is a case
to answer against both of you.

As a result,
you will be committed

to the Central Criminal Court

to stand your trial on charges
of deception and theft.

Barbara?

Your things are
in the spare room.

The number you have dialled is
not in service at this time.

Hello.

Yes, this is he.

Prime Minister!

No, no, no.
No, I wasn't asleep.

No, far from it, in fact.

Tomorrow? Yes, of course.

Of course.

I heard your speech, John.

Bit drastic. There's no getting
away from that.

But there was some
good stuff in there.

Food for thought.

You and me,
we may have had our spats,

but beneath it all,
we're very alike.

Both men of high ideals--
too high, possibly.

Too trusting
for our own good.

Worn down by all
the backstabbing.

That's what I was trying
to get at.

And you did get at it, John.
Bang on the money.

All the duplicity, the treachery
of our so-called colleagues.

The sheer bloody nastiness
of them.

Exactly so. Exactly.

What a pair we are, eh?

That whole business in Miami--
again, a bit drastic.

Well, more than a bit drastic,
let's face it.

But, um, it couldn't
have been easy for you.

Took a lot of guts.

Well, I really didn't feel like
I had any choice.

I'm sure you didn't, John.
I'm sure you didn't.

Something broke.

Something broke inside.

The old John Stonehouse
had to die.

No, I can see that.

- Can you?
- Well, of course.

Which of us truly
knows who we really are?

Take me, for instance.
What do you see?

What am I, John?

Well, you-- you're the
Prime Minister, Prime Minister.

Oh, don't I know it.

No, I mean, apart
from all that.

I'll tell you what I am.

I'm the big, fat spider
in the corner of the room.

Sometimes I speak
when I'm asleep.

Sometimes I may tell you to go
to the Charing Cross Road

and kick a blind man.

Would you do that for me?

Well, if you really wanted me
to, Prime Minister.

I knew I could rely on you
when the chips were down.

So then...

no more silly buggers, eh?

No more silly buggers.

That's the spirit.

Well, I won't take up
any more of your valuable time.

I have enjoyed
our little chin wag.

Thank you.

You're quite right, of course.

Prime Minister?

What you said about politics,

about what it does to you.

The price you pay.

After a while,
something does get broken.

Following his defection to
the United States last month,

the former Czech spy master
Alexander Maric

has given his first
television interview.

Can you tell me
what your duties were

at the Czech Embassy?

I was in charge
of recruiting politicians,

Recruiting British politicians
to spy for the Czechs.

Huh.

And how did you do that?

Sex.

That was the most
effective way.

When our agents
would seduce the politician,

we would film him having sex
with a hidden camera.

Then we would tell him that
if he didn't cooperate,

then we would send the film
to his wife.

And how senior were
these politicians?

Very senior.

Are you saying that ministers
of the Crown were Czech spies?

Well, only one.

And are you able to identify
this senior politician?

Um...

I'm going out!

What are you doing?

You know we're not
supposed to see each other.

I know. I know.
I'm sorry, darling.

I just couldn't bear
not to see you.

Anyway, I-I thought you'd be
at the House of Commons.

Really? Why?

The Prime Minister's
resignation

has caused
widespread astonishment.

Suggestions that he
might be ill,

even that he might have
become disillusioned,

have been dismissed
as unfounded speculation.

What's not in doubt, though,
is that his resignation

has plunged the country
into fresh crisis.

Having lost its majority
in the House of Commons...

- But I just saw him.
- Who?

Wilson. Yesterday.
I went to see him yesterday.

What did he say?

He said that he understood.

That he felt
the same way as I do.

This is all down to me.

Mmm!

Well, omelette, of course,
but there's something...

something unusual in there.

Something I wouldn't
have expected.

- Give up?
- I give up.

Anchovies.

Anchovies?

I would never have guessed that.
How clever you are!

You're so clever.

Mmm!

You've got to go.

I know, I know.

I know. I just can't see
the point anymore.

People often ask me,

"What does the English
National Party stand for?"

My answer is simple.

We stand for everything
that makes England great--

its tolerance, its good manners,
its love of nature,

and of course, its rich and
diverse folk-dancing heritage.

At this time
of great uncertainty,

we believe that a return
to traditional virtues

represents our best hope
for the future.

So, my friends, don't delay.

Join with us today,

and let's make England
merry again.

"I will not continue.

I am not prepared to continue.

With the Prime Minister's
resignation,

I cannot in all conscience
continue to support a government

I disagree with on
so many issues.

A government whose
only concern...

whose sole concern

seems to be surviving
from week to week.

I have therefore decided to
resign the Labour whip

and join the..."

English National Party?

John, they're fascists.

No, no,
that's the National Front.

The English National Party
is quite different.

What do they believe in?

A devolved English Parliament.

Abolition of income tax.

Morris dancing.

And you know, I-I've--
I've also--

I've also been giving
a lot of thought to the future,

after all this
has been sorted out.

John.

And I have to say I'm quite
optimistic about things.

About things in general.
- John.

And of course, I don't deny
that there are problems,

practical problems.

Money, for one. And of course,
there's the children.

- John!
- I really do...

Let's not look too far
into the future, shall we?

Right.

You know what they say
about happiness.

You have to snatch at it
before it flies away.

I hadn't heard that,
as a matter of fact.

Snatch at it, you say?

Oh, there it goes.

Oh, gone 'round again.
I've got it.

Of course, you're right,
darling, as always.

I do know what happiness is.

It's being right here with you.

You won't do anything rash,
will you?

What do you mean?

In court.

You won't do anything rash?

Darling, you have my word.

All rise.

You may sit.

Your Honour, after careful consideration,

I have decided to dispense
with my legal team...

...my extremely efficient
and able legal team,

and conduct my own defence.

Given the complexities
of my case

and the frankly absurd nature

of some of the charges
against me,

I feel that I am the only one
who can give an accurate

and unbiased account
of what really happened.

Mr. Stonehouse,

I strongly advise you
to reconsider your decision.

In my experience,
defendants who insist

on conducting their own defence
invariably end up

doing themselves
a lot more harm than good.

Sit down, please.

Mr. Stonehouse, I warned you
at the start of this trial

that in choosing to conduct
your own defence,

you were making a
grave mistake.

No.

Mr. Stonehouse, I have heard
more than enough from you.

As a result of your
constant interruptions,

your meandering digressions,
and your insistence

on contesting every tiny detail
of the prosecution's case,

a trial that was scheduled
to last three weeks

has dragged on
for almost four months,

at the end of which
you have been found guilty

on 18 of the 21 counts
you faced.

Throughout your trial,

you have sought to lay the blame
for what you insisted on

calling your travails
at the hands

of almost anyone apart
from yourself.

However, I am quite satisfied
that the blame is yours

and yours alone.

While I do not claim to be
an expert in mental illness,

I rather doubt if anyone
committing emotional suicide

has cynically committed fraud,

obtained two false passports

and hatched
a sophisticated scheme

to start a new life
on the other side of the world.

There are those who will say
that your fall from grace

is punishment enough.

But given the severity
of your offences,

I believe I have no choice

but to pass the maximum
possible sentence.

I am therefore sentencing you
to seven years in prison.

Sheila Buckley,
while I have no doubt

that you aided Mr. Stonehouse
in his plan,

I am satisfied that you were
prompted more by your devotion

to him than
by any malicious intent.

I am therefore giving you
a two-year suspended sentence.

Hello.
John Stonehouse.

I don't suppose there's
a hanger?

Good night.

I tried to bring in some food,

but I'm afraid they
took it away.

For examination, they said.

Probably looking for
bolt cutters.

No, don't worry about
bringing me anything, darling.

Just you being here
is more than enough.

Just be able to touch you,
even over this horrid table.

Do you know, the most
extraordinary thing

is that since I've been here,

I feel-- and I know this is
going to sound ridiculous--

but for the first time
in my life, I feel free.

It's incredibly liberating
being treated

as just one of the crowd,
just as an ordinary human being.

You'll never be ordinary
for me.

Well, there's ordinary
and ordinary, of course.

What do you think prompted
your husband's behaviour?

Well, that's a very
difficult question to answer.

Uh...

I have been reading
about something

called the male menopause,
and, uh,

well, I wonder if that might
have something to do with it.

May I ask, what are your
feelings for your husband?

Sadness.

Pity.

And anger?

Yes. Anger.

"Intolerable"?

I'm sorry.

"The petitioner
in the divorce action,

Barbara Susan Stonehouse,
finds it intolerable

to live with the respondent,
John Thomson Stonehouse."

It's funny what we choose
to focus on, isn't it?

You see, the-- the key word
there, for me, is "adultery."

But then so much of a marriage
is what you choose

not to notice.

Did you really think
I didn't know, John?

About your secrets.
The things you tried to hide.

I saw what I wanted to see,
at least to begin with.

But do you know
the strangest thing?

Is I think you knew.

On-- On some level, I...

I think you knew
that I could see through

all your-- your little veils,
and you didn't like it.

You don't like it
one little bit.

And so you--
you kept squirrelling

more and more things away,
bigger and bigger secrets,

until finally, you came to
the biggest secret of the lot.

Well, I didn't see
that one coming.

No, you, uh...

you really got me there.

I do...

I do love you, you know.

You know, for once,
I actually believe you.

You thought you could
have it all, didn't you, John?

Everything your heart desired.

But in the end...

Hello?

Hello, everyone. I'm here.

Where is everybody?

Where have you all gone?

Quick! Someone come in!

Warden! Warden!

Warden!

We need a warden in here!

We need someone in here!

Heart.

You remember Sheila?
She's a...

friend of Dad's.

And here we go again.
It's the nightly bedtime story.

Nearly there, John.

Nearly there, Dave.

How are you feeling?

Happy.

Happy and...

thankful.

Soppy sod.

Goodbye, darling.
I'll see you this evening.

Good luck.

I don't want Daddy to go.

Don't you worry, darling boy.

I'll be back
as soon as you know it.

And I promise I will
never, ever, ever go away again.

♪ Maybe it is raining ♪

♪ Where our train will ride ♪

♪ All the little travellers ♪

♪ Are warm and snug inside ♪

♪ Rocking, rolling, riding ♪

♪ Out along the bay ♪

♪ All bound for Morning Town ♪

♪ Many miles away ♪

Bye.

Mr. Stonehouse?

Mr. Stonehouse?

Mr. Stonehouse?

Mr. Stonehouse?

Are you all right?