Two Sides to Every Story The Dumping Ground

Bird?

Bird?

Bird!

FLOORBOARDS CREAK

LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC PLAYS

CHILDREN'S LAUGHTER Bird!

RECORD SCRATCHES

Bird, it's me, Jay.

HE SIGHS

Morning, you two. I hope you're enjoying the new breakfast menu.

It'd be great if you could help your brother with this.

I always do.

-Hey, where's the crisps?

-And the choccy bics?!

-Muesli? Where's the proper food?

-This IS proper food.

Look, it's a healthy eating plan we came up with to support Bird.

But we don't have diabetes.

Look, Mike and I think everyone might benefit

from some healthy eating.

Incredible. We all have to suffer, and they didn't even eat anything.

ALL SIGH AND TUT

Mike, the challenge made for a memorable day.

AWKWARDLY: Yes, Fiona.

We take the wellbeing of our young people very...seriously,

but that doesn't mean that we can't have fun, too.

-Cut!

-Who wrote this rubbish?

-I did, actually.

-Sorry.

And the Graybridge team thought it was really great.

Look, guys, can you try and be more natural?

Especially you, Mike.

How can I be natural with half a tonne of baking powder

all over my face?

Your forehead was shining in my lens!

OK, people, take 14!

Mike, the challenge made for a memorable day.

Yes, Fiona.

Yeah, it all makes sense, I guess. Plus, I'll take my tablets and...

Well, it's a bit more than that. You know, it's exercising.

Erm, less sugar, fat and salt in your food.

Everyone hates us cos you changed the breakfast.

Oh, course they don't.

Hey, they were only moaning because they don't like anything new.

You leave that lot to me, OK?

-HE MUNCHES

-Bleurgh!

Right, so, let's go through these details again one more time.

-Yeah.

-Your head's too shiny.

-HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

HE CHUCKLES

They should totally be together - Mike and Fiona.

-They've got chemistry.

-Yeah, so does a nuclear bomb.

-That doesn't mean that's good.

-They're perfect together.

If people copy each other's body positions,

it means they fancy each other.

Aw! They even scratch their ears in sync!

Trust me, she's the one.

We don't even know anything about her.

She could already be married.

Fine. We'll check up on her.

This Fiona's a real high-flyer. There's tonnes of stuff about her.

Well, yeah, if you read Socialise -

the quarterly journal of social working.

This is pure gold.

We already know her work is her everything,

which is code for she never got over Mike.

Oh, but that's a big leap,

and we still don't have any facts about her private life -

-the juicy stuff.

-Don't worry, we'll soon get that out of her.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Erm, cut. Well, with a bit of luck,

I might be able to get a version ready for the end of the day.

Well, that was fun.

In what parallel universe was that fun?

And goodness knows how it's going to look.

I could do with a cup of coffee. I could do with a vat of coffee!

By the way, that trip to London's

going to be great for the Graybridge kids.

Thanks for letting us win.

Not a lot of people would've done that.

Erm, could we have a word, please, Mrs Johnson?

It's for our blog about women in leadership roles.

Oh, by the way, it's Ms Johnson.

OK, erm, what do you want to ask me?

I guess we just want a little glimpse into your world.

Oh, OK.

Hmm.

And it was that last promotion that brought me here to Talbot Ward,

where I oversee all the children's homes in the area.

That is some career. FIONA CHUCKLES

Strong women like yourself are such an inspiration.

-Oh.

-But it sounds like it comes at a price.

I mean, you'd have to make sacrifices,

I imagine, in your personal life.

I suppose so. Possibly.

Having a supportive husband...

-I'm on my own.

-Perfect!

-Sorry?

-I mean...perfect for our blog.

Thank you so much.

Oh, well, not at all.

Glad it was, erm, helpful.

It's frightening how good you are at this stuff.

Now, we just need to make this happen.

And how exactly are you going to do that?

It won't be hard. They just need a little nudge.

Enjoy hanging with your new bezzie mate?

I can't just ignore her. She's only trying to help.

Yeah. Isn't that what they all say? Why do you keep falling for it?

It's the same rubbish.

Why can't we just settle somewhere for once?

Because we're better on our own.

These people aren't our friends, and they never will be.

I'll need you to get a few things of Mike's.

OK. Shouldn't be too hard.

-What are you going to do?

-Get him to just say a few words.

-Ooh, Mike.

-Yes?

-What's the princess called in Shrek again?

Fiona.

Oh, and is the apostrophe in the right place here?

"I'm looking for a new blouse and I'd love something in pink."

Seems OK to me. May-Li's the grammar whiz, not me.

Jay. Hey, glad I found you.

Bird and I have been talking, and he is totally on board with,

you know, what we're trying to do with the lifestyle changes.

-I'm very happy for you both.

-But I want you on side, too.

Why? Sounds like you've got everything just how you want it.

Well, no.

This'd be a lot easier for Bird if you were there to help him.

-Hey, come on.

-Just leave it! I'm sick of this.

She's not going to interfere in our lives any more.

SHE SIGHS

So, exactly what were Candi-Rose and Chloe grilling you about in there?

Well, it was a bit weird.

They're very good at getting stuff out of you.

-What stuff?

-Work-life balance.

This is Candi-Rose and Chloe we're talking about, isn't it?

Actually, I think they were just trying to find out

-if I was married or not.

-Oh. HE CHUCKLES

Which I'm not, by the way.

OK, well, I think I should go and tell May-Li

that we finished filming.

Jay? Wait, what's...? What's up?

She hit my arm really hard.

-Aw, who did?

-May-Li.

What?

-Bird saw the whole thing.

-Is this true?

Right, Jay, you do realise you're making

-a very serious allegation here?

-And this was just now?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I need to hear from May-Li first.

No, Mike, I'm sorry, we have to take this accusation very seriously.

Of course, and that's what I am doing,

but I need to find May-Li.

That's ridiculous!

I've never hit a child and I never would.

Of course not. I know.

But you still need to come to the office

so we can go through it all.

Sorry? Someone actually believes him?

Are my blue socks dry yet?

Oh! Oh, no. Look, I haven't had time.

Look, try helping for a change. Sort this lot out, will you?

You both know I didn't do anything.

Look, I want an apology,

and for Jake to admit that he's lying.

Why are you doing this?!

Look, I'm sorry, May-Li, but you know we have to presume that

any allegation made by a resident is true.

Were there any other witnesses involved apart from Jay and Bird?

What? No! Of course there weren't,

cos I've been running this place on my own

while you two were off making your stupid little film.

OK, can we all just calm down, please?

I know this is hard,

but the best way to deal with this is by the book.

-Best for who?!

-Everyone.

I'm sorry, May-Li, but you're going to have to stand down immediately

and stay at home until a full investigation takes place.

No way! I need May-Li here.

I'm sorry, Mike. That's impossible.

I can arrange cover, but May-Li needs to leave now.

Come on.

I know you never laid a hand on him,

but for now, we have to do as Fiona says, all right?

Just lay low for a while, take your time packing,

and I will sort this.

No. This is going on my record.

My card'll be marked.

I might as well just resign now.

I'm telling you - May-Li's hit one of the brothers,

and she's been suspended.

-Yeah, nice try.

-Go in the staff room if you don't believe me.

-They've sent her to pack her bags.

-Nah.

May-Li wouldn't touch anyone. She hates violence.

-Everybody's got a breaking point.

-Not May-Li.

-I wonder which brother she hit.

-She didn't hit anyone.

I bet it was the small one.

Floss, this isn't a joke!

-Yeah, she could get sacked.

-Sorry.

And with regret, May-Li, you're fired.

Yeah, and you're not helping, either.

If she's leaving, then that means that they believe them.

We need to do something.

-May-Li is telling the truth.

-Can you really be 100% sure?

In my experience, there is no smoke without fire.

You don't know her like I do.

Mike, I'm sorry, but you know why we do things this way.

It's to make sure everyone gets a fair hearing.

It was May-Li who convinced me to give them a chance.

It's pretty ironic, isn't it?

Look, while she's getting her stuff together,

I just want to see what I can find out, off the record.

Mike, I can't let you do that.

There are procedures we need to follow.

We could both end up losing our jobs.

So could she!

Look, I really need a favour here.

We've been in this game for 30 years, Fiona.

She's one of the good guys.

And I promise not to ask Jay and Bird. Please?

SHE SIGHS

I suppose it could take me a while

to find and print off the appropriate forms.

Thank you so much.

Now they're going to hate us even more.

Big deal. They always do in the end.

Yeah, but why does it keep happening?

Is it them that's the problem, or us?

I mean, this is a new low, even for you.

-Thanks for your support.

-I just lied for you, in case you didn't notice.

DOOR SLAMS

-Are you sure that nobody else saw anything?

-Yes.

Hey, hey, hey. If you want to help, don't interfere, OK?

CHATTER

You're only going to make it worse!

Sasha, cool it, now!

-Have you completely lost your minds?

-Why are you protecting him?

-You know what he's done.

-This is not how we do it.

Are you OK? Go in your room, please, lads.

They're all crazy.

Right, you lot, you let ME fight in May-Li's corner. Got it?

-Sash, what now?

-I'm going to see May-Li.

Just leave it. Come on.

I'm not giving up.

It's just, you know, how it's got to be.

-We all believe you. Please don't go.

-We need you here.

Tell the others thanks for the support, yeah?

It really means a lot.

Make sure you behave yourselves for Mike, OK?

No! We won't let them sack you.

Right, apart from Bird, no-one saw what really happened.

We need to talk to them.

Come for another go?

We want to hear from you what you said about May-Li, and why.

You heard the boss man - just leave it to the grown-ups.

AND you shouldn't be in our room.

You're right. Then let's go somewhere else.

Your friend isn't as innocent as she makes out.

So, tell us.

We were in the garden, me and Bird, and she got really angry

cos Bird didn't want to have any part in her stupid diet.

And that's it?

I might have said something to wind her up.

It wasn't hard.

Then, what, she suddenly hits you?

She totally lost it. Hit me on the arm, right?

Yeah.

Course he's going to back his brother up.

Or he could be telling the truth.

I got nothing, and the senior union rep's on holidays.

Probably get some spotty junior.

Look, Mike, I know you two are close,

but I've done all I can.

I really need to speak to Jay now

-to get an official statement from him.

-OK.

I'll go and get him for you.

SHE SIGHS

Hey, what's going on in there? Is Jay there?

DOOR HANDLE RATTLES Come on.

What nonsense is this, huh?

It's fine. We're done.

Jay, come with me, please.

What a waste of time.

Maybe one of us could say that we saw what happened -

that May-Li never touched him.

They'd know we were lying.

Me and you need to go for a walk.

How can anyone be so clueless?

Do you really want to spend the rest of your life

following Jay from home to home?

You don't know anything. Jay always looks out for me.

Oh, really? Cos it seems to me that it's all about him.

Just remember that, if he gets found out as a liar,

you're going down, as well.

Is that what you want?

He's my brother.

I know that you've been in tonnes of homes,

and that people have messed you around.

We've all had that. But Mike and May-Li are different.

Trust me.

He's a really special person.

You know, if you ever want somewhere that

can be a proper home for you and your brother, then...

..this place...

This place is it.

ALL CHEER

Bird?

Hmm.

-You can't do this!

-Mike, stop her.

-I wish I could.

-Hold on!

Jay's lying.

May-Li never touched him.

Nah, she grabbed me.

Grabbed you? You said she hit you.

Grabbed, then hit. Got it?

You can't, bro. May-Li's on our side.

Just admit it - she did nothing.

Wimp out if you like. It's still her word against mine.

Jay, you're always saying that we're a team, that you've got my back.

Well, now's the time to prove it. Just tell the truth.

OK.

I made it up. Big deal. She had it coming, anyway.

I guess this is the part when someone says,

"Aw, let's forgive poor Jay. We've all made mistakes."

-We need to talk.

-Yeah. Everybody, go and get something to eat.

No complaints about the menu, thank you very much.

Go on. Off you go. Go in the dining room.

Today has been a complete and utter nightmare.

I know. Sorry. I wish I could've done more to help you.

I mean, nobody wins in these situations.

We all know that.

The question is, where do we go from here?

Two weeks in Spain? SHE CHUCKLES

That'd be nice, wouldn't it?

Things will settle down. They always do.

Our lot might be a bit worked up, but they don't bear grudges.

-OK, well, most of them don't.

-Sure.

We've still got a big call to make about Jay and Bird.

Is this really the best place for them?

-What's going to happen?

-I don't know.

That's up to May-Li and Mike to decide.

Come on in, lads.

Have you reached a decision yet?

Yes, we have.

If they go now, then that's their last chance gone.

No question.

Look, what they did really hurt me.

However, talking it over...

..we've decided this is still the best place for them to be.

Look, it's not going to be easy.

Feelings have been stirred up...

..but we can start again tomorrow, yeah?

Go on. Go get some tea.

-I'll just go and get my stuff from the car.

-Great.

Let's hope we don't live to regret it, eh?

Well, personally, I think you let them off too easily,

but I can see you're still an old softie at heart.

I don't know about softie.

I certainly feel older than I did this morning.

-What?

-But that makes no sense!

-How?!

So, basically, they totally got away with it?

At least May-Li didn't lose her job.

Yeah, but why didn't those two get kicked out?

Come on, guys. Mike wants you to watch my new film.

I didn't think you'd do it.

How could you do that to me? Turning me into a liar?

It was supposed to be us against the world.

Maybe I'm sick of that.

Why are you even here? Go and hang with your new mates.

They're not my mates.

But even if they were, would that be so bad?

You are unbelievable.

ALL CHAT

All right, quiet down, please!

Sasha has worked very hard on this. HE CHUCKLES

Erm, may I?

Thank you.

MUSIC PLAYS

-What's this?

-ON TV: My name is Mike. My name is Mike.

I'm looking for, I'm looking for, I'm looking for love.

-This isn't my film.

-Fiona. I love Fiona.

ALL GIGGLE I never stopped.

Nev-nev-never stopped.

Delighted, delighted. Together, together!

Everybody! You're the one for me.

Right, that's it. Stop it. Stop it now. Stop it! Stop it!

HE CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY

Look, this has got nothing to do with me. I'm so sorry.

This lot - they always go too far.

-The love gods will do the rest.

-Obviously, it wasn't me!

-Well, who else was it?

-Why would I make that?

You were the one making the film.

Earth to Candi-Rose - did you not just see Mike's face?

-Sorry, again, about that silly film.

-No, don't be sorry. It's fine.

You clearly have some very creative kids.

That's one word for it.

Look, Mike, I know today's been pretty tough, but...

-..you do a really good job in there.

-Thanks.

See you, then.

Hey, hey! Any chance we could meet for a cup of coffee?

Call me.

Zing! Our work here is done.

No-one's ever going to come between us, Jay.

-No-one.

-Yeah, but they did, didn't they?

-No.

They stuck by us. That's different.

What are you doing?

-See you around, or not.

-Don't, please.

Look, if you go, then I'll come with you,

but I'm sick of running.

New starts, hand-out clothes.

-I want to stay here.

-They're weird in this place.

Yeah, but so are we, a bit,

so we might actually fit in for once.

It's going to be fine, bro. I've just...got this feeling.

KNOCK ON DOOR

I thought you guys might be hungry.

-You don't have to hide away up in here, you know.

-Who's hiding?

Thanks.