Jody The Dumping Ground: I'm...

Attention! The My Life In Care videos are about to receive

their world premiere in the TV room.

Don't miss these personal takes on what life is really like

in Ashdene Ridge.

And next up, it's Jody!

What?

Oh, yeah.

I'm Jody Jackson and this is my I'm video.

And where better to start...

than with chocolate biscuits?

I love them.

Can't get enough of them.

Can we get some chocolate biscuits?

Sorry?

There's only ever plain, never chocolate.

We'll get you chocolate biscuits.

If you vote for me, I'll make sure they only buy

double chocolate chip from now on.

Cool!

There's something about...

the smooth chocolate and the combination of the crumbly digestive

that just can't be beaten.

And when you've known

what life without biscuits is like,

then the power of the chocolate biscuit

is hard to resist.

Think how many chocolate biscuits

you can get with this.

Uh-uh.

First you have to vote for Tee.

No.

Imagine all the tasty biscuits

covered in thick, gooey chocolate.

All right.

'Of course, if you have to make do,

'then cake isn't too terrible.'

There you go.

'Although you can't always trust cake.

-'You can never be sure what's in it.'

-Jody, are you OK?

Jody! What's wrong? Jody!

-It's in the medical cabinet...

-Mike! Mike!

Jody, can you hear me?

She's stopped breathing!

Stay back, stay back!

Melanie and Tracy will sort it out.

-I've got it!

-Has she stopped breathing?

I'll call an ambulance.

An ambulance? It must be serious. Is Jody going to die?

-No.

-So, what's wrong with her?

Shut up!

..nine, ten.

Jody?

Come on, Jody.

-Come on, Jody.

-Jody?

There we go.

-Good girl.

-Oh, yes.

Slowly, come up.

'That's why I'd always take the biscuit option

'every time.'

With chocolate biscuits, you always know where you stand.

It's an emergency injection of anti-allergy medicine.

Maybe it was the E numbers in the sweets.

Was there nuts or anything in the cake?

-No.

-Jody was just fantastically lucky

that Melanie recognised what was happening.

'But with me, it's not just about that

'cos I like to feed my head too.

-'Yeah, a good book can do for your brain...'

-Ready?

'..what a biscuit does for your stomach.'

Jody, I thought you wanted to come to the hairdressers?

'For a little while you can escape the real world

'and lose yourself in one the writer has invented.'

She's been like that since she found it in the junk room.

And it's the third time she's read it.

'Of course, it helps if you've got a good imagination.'

Guards, off with their heads!

That's a bit harsh, isn't it?

The Queen doesn't like to be defied.

I don't care! You're cruel!

-JODY ON TV:

-'I love reading!'

Yeah, I love a good book.

Very tasty.

It's my hunger for knowledge.

I'm going to get you, Floss!

'Books are special things.'

That's the first time I've ever seen her finish a book.

'That's why I can't stand to see stupid people mistreat them.

'For me, that's a real crime.'

Hang on a minute.

Did she just call me stupid?

Yeah, and criminal, I think.

My dream.

I almost don't dare say it out loud in case it jinxes it.

My dream is that one day

everything will be OK between me and my mum.

But we're not even talking at the minute

because I told the police about my brother.

But someone had to.

I've done it, Mum.

I hope you don't mean what I think you mean.

You've given a witness statement?

-After I told you not to?

-It's Jody's choice.

You...

You talked her into this, didn't you?

No-one talked me into anything, Mum.

It's time someone did something about Kingsley.

Well, it didn't have to be one of us!

I didn't bring you up to be no snitch.

Mum, where are you going?

Somewhere Kingsley won't find me! Thanks for that.

-Please, Mum!

-Get off me!

I hate it that me and Mum don't talk.

But that doesn't stop me dreaming that one day

we'll be a proper family again,

like I thought we were going to be...

once.

This is my new room!

-Wow, it's gorgeous!

-Kingsley bought everything.

Your big brother, Kingsley? The one you...?

He's being nice now.

You have a new phone?

Latest model.

I should have realised that wouldn't last.

I'm sick of your lying, Jods!

Bruv...

you're scaring her.

You need to start acting like a part of this family.

OK, Kingsley, but don't lock me in.

-You'll come out when you learn some respect.

-No! Kinglsey!

Kingsley!

'At least I always know that my other brother,

'Luke, is on my side.'

Mum hates me now, doesn't she?

She's scared, Jods.

She'll come round in time.

She doesn't know yet,

but hopefully we've given her her life back.

'No sign of Mum coming round yet though.

'So, for now the only way I talk to her is by writing letters

'that definitely aren't for sending.'

# Cos where we are going is anyone's guess. #

'Yeah, the best place for them

'is that corny music box that reminds me of her.'

So for now, it's listening to that tune that keeps the dream alive.

Now, there's no contest.

My worst nightmare is feeling trapped.

Let me out! Help me!

-And I can play with anything I want?

-Mm-hm.

And you can take as much downstairs as you can carry

and then come back up for more.

Enjoy!

When I first got here, Elektra couldn't have known

how much being trapped scares me,

but is that an excuse for doing what she did?

Job done.

Especially to a new girl.

'Feeling panicky, can't breathe...' Hello?

Help!

'..heart thumping...' I'm stuck in the toy cupboard!

'..head exploding.'

Help!

'It's horrible!'

But being trapped doesn't necessarily mean

being banged up in a cupboard.

There are much scarier things than that.

'Just imagine, you're having a regular sort of day,

'or what passes for a regular day in this place.'

You're deliberately trying to wind me up.

Carmen, you need to be a bit more sensitive.

Jody, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to turn your music down.

Why are you such a cowbag?

'And the next thing you know you've been nabbed

'by the long arm of the Floss.'

Do you really think I'm that bored?!

Floss, what are you doing?

You're under arrest for disturbing the peas.

OK, it's really funny. Now, can you just unlock us?

Come on, hand over the key.

-I can't find the key!

-Floss!

-I'm not kidding.

-There's a hole in my pocket.

-You've lost the key?

'What a totally stupid thing to do!'

Yep, she's called you stupid again.

Imagine if we'd never found the key!

I need to go to the toilet.

Mailee, we need wire cutters!

Right, now, I know in life there will always be winners

and there will always be losers.

'And I know that no-one can be the winner all the time.'

HE CLEARS THROAT

I think you'll find there are one or two who can pull that off.

But it doesn't stop me hating it when I lose at stuff.

Yeah, we've noticed.

I'm not such a bad loser.

Jody, when was the last time

someone wanted to play a game with you?

They're too scared that you're going to

chuck it across the room if you don't win.

'It can be as part of a team.'

Here, how'd you like it, eh?

-'Like the Touch The TV challenge.'

-Boys!

-Yes! We won! Woo!

-I did it! I won!

THEY CHANT "TV CHALLENGE"

Idiot! 'Or by myself.

'Either way, I just hate not coming first!'

And I mean at anything!

-Mm, look at that.

-Looks good.

-Hey, easy.

-Hey!

'And surprise, surprise,

'certain people go out of their way

'to wind me up because of it.'

You're not funny! Stop it!

Get off!

I'm going home!

Well, I can't help having skills, can I?

What, skills for winding people up?

Of course, when you hate losing so much,

then winning is just brilliant.

Begin.

MUSIC: Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas

CHEERING

'There was no way I was going to lose the Kung Fu Challenge,

'especially to Ryan.'

CHEERING

'I knew he'd play dirty...'

A letter came today...

..from your mum.

Bet you can't wait to see what she said.

My mum didn't write back.

My big brother Luke made sure she didn't even get the letter.

'..but two can play at that game.'

What kind of brother are you?

You don't even reply to your sister's letters!

CHEERING

I did it! Yes!

CHEERING

There you go, well done! Come on, let's have a quick...

One, two, three, say, "Knickers!"

-ALL:

-Knickers!

Now, there's one contest that I would always win

at The Dumping Ground.

Not that there would be much competition, to be honest.

But I have to be the best listener here.

Because while everybody else has plenty to say

for themselves, I'm not sure there's anybody else

that's that bothered to be listening.

How come you're so sure you thought your mum

would be better off without you?

I was giving her grief.

What sort of grief?

Staying out all night.

They reckon she didn't set me proper boundaries.

'I don't know how it's happened,

'but it just seems like people see me

'as the sort of person they can talk to.

'And hopefully I'm not too terrible

'at understanding people's problems

'and giving advice.'

Don't pretend like you care.

You do everything on your own.

'Although, it's not always what people want to hear.'

I just kept remembering being with my dad.

What, your dad that dumped you at the footie and ran off?

Yeah, he was a laugh.

Yeah, I admit he was useless.

The only time he did stuff was when he was trying to make it up to me.

But do you know what?

He's still my family.

-But we can be your family now!

-Nah.

You've got your friends.

I ain't got anyone.

Cos you act like a moody big-head

who's better than the rest of us.

Sometimes even the care workers need a little bit of Jody magic.

Have you seen what Popo's teaching us?

Best grandmother ever, I reckon.

I think you're hoping Popo and I will make up.

It's complicated.

She wants things to be better.

You should try.

She doesn't accept my partner being a girl.

That means that she doesn't accept me.

My family.

She thinks what we have is wrong.

You understand?

Don't you love her?

-Well, yeah, but it's difficult.

-Then why won't you try?

'And it's amazing how if you listen to people,

'really listen,

'how they'll really open up to you.'

I remember when we were younger we got moved.

I was about ten, so he will have been nine.

This place, it was really grim, messy.

The guy in charge didn't know anything about us

and we were pretty upset because the place we'd been before

was all right.

I was trying not to show it because...

I didn't want Tee to be scared.

You OK?

Are you sure you don't want to stop?

It's fine, please.

So...yeah.

We needed someone, you know?

To tell us it was all going to be all right.

Our social worker turned up...

He stayed ten minutes and then he was gone.

Just left us there.

How did you feel about that?

Like no-one cared.

'It's good to listen.'

Sometimes people feel better when they've talked things through.

Anyway, that's me done.

Time for a biscuit...

..or two...

..or how about a biscuit sandwich?

Thanks for watching and for listening.

-THEY CHEER

-Well done!

Oh, yeah, Jody, you're a great listener.

Great listener, you!

THEY LAUGH