Maxine Peake - Five Minutes Peace CBeebies Bedtime Stories

CBeebies Bedtime Story.

Oh, at last. Five minutes' peace.

Oh, hello.

I'm Maxine.

I was just settling down

for five minutes' peace in the CBeebies house.

Mrs Large, in tonight's bedtime story,

is desperate for five minutes' peace,

but she isn't having much luck.

The story's called Five Minutes' Peace

and it's by Jill Murphy.

The children were having breakfast.

This was not a pleasant sight.

Mrs Large took a tray from the cupboard.

She set it with a teapot,

a milk jug,

her favourite cup and saucer,

a plate of marmalade toast

and a leftover cake from yesterday.

She stuffed the morning paper in her pocket

and sneaked off towards the door.

"Where are you going with that tray, Mum?" asked Laura.

"To the bathroom," said Mrs Large.

"Why?" asked the other two children.

"Because I want five minutes' peace from you lot,"

said Mrs Large, "that's why."

"Can we come?" asked Lester,

as they trailed up the stairs behind her.

"No," said Mrs Large, "you can't."

"What shall we do, then?" asked Laura.

"You can play," said Mrs Large,

"downstairs by yourselves and keep an eye on the baby."

"I'm not a baby," muttered the little one.

Mrs Large ran a deep, hot bath.

She emptied half a bottle of bath foam into the water,

plonked a bath hat on and got in.

She poured herself a cup of tea and lay back with her eyes closed.

SHE SIGHS

It was heaven.

"Can I play you my tune?" asked Lester.

Mrs Large opened one eye.

"Must you?" she asked.

"I've been practising," said Lester.

"You told me to. Can I, please?

"Just for one minute?"

"Go on, then," sighed Mrs Large.

So Lester played.

He played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star three-and-a-half times.

In came Laura.

"Can I read you a page from my reading book?" she asked.

"No, Laura," said Mrs Large.

"Go on, all of you, off downstairs."

"You let Lester play his tune," said Laura. "I heard you.

"You like him better than me. It's not fair."

"Oh, don't be silly, Laura," said Mrs Large.

"Go on, then. Just one page."

So Laura read.

She read four-and-a-half pages of Little Red Riding Hood.

In came the little one with a trunk full of toys.

"For you," he beamed,

flinging them all into the bathwater.

"Thank you, dear," said Mrs Large, weakly.

"Can I see the cartoons in the paper?" asked Laura.

"Can I have the cake?" asked Lester.

"Can I get in with you?" asked the little one.

Mrs Large groaned.

In the end, they all got in.

WATER SPLASHES

The little one was in such a hurry

that he forgot to take off his pyjamas.

Mrs Large got out.

She dried herself, put on a dressing gown

and headed for the door.

"Where are you going now, Mum?" asked Laura.

"To the kitchen," said Mrs Large.

"Why?" asked Lester.

"Because I want five minutes' peace from you lot!" said Mrs Large.

"That's why!" And off she went downstairs...

..where she had three minutes and 45 seconds of peace,

before they all came to join her.

And that story was called Five Minutes' Peace.

Poor Mrs Large.

At least she had a little peace and quiet in the end.

Well, it's time for us to be very peaceful now, because it's bedtime.

So let's all go, "Ssh,"

and settle down for a good night's sleep.

Night-night.

And I'll see you soon for another bedtime story.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd