Episode 5 Stuck on Sheep Mountain

Two ordinary families are on a journey of a lifetime.

They're travelling back in time -

over 120 years to 1890.

For one month they've been living like Victorian hill farmers.

But their time here is coming to an end.

It's their last few days on Sheep Mountain.

I've had the best experience of my life.

But before they go, the kids face a gruelling exam...

..there's entertainment, 1890s style...

..and after making this place home, it's time to say goodbye.

There's like nowhere like this on earth.

Two families.

One mountain. One month.

Will they survive,

stuck on Sheep Mountain?

Snowdonia, North Wales, and this Victorian hill farm frozen in time

has been home to our two families for the last three weeks.

Tommy and Leah Braddock have been living with no electricity,

no indoor loo and no loo roll,

only newspaper.

I don't really like using the newspaper.

It's not really that soft.

There's no shower and only a tin bath.

The way I've been keeping myself clean

is by washing as many times as I can,

which has only ever been once

in the whole three weeks that we've been here.

Their neighbours, Jac and Ela Jones and their family, live a field away.

We've had three baths since we've been here

so I think, yeah, I think we're a bit more hygienic.

It's been nice,

but you're missing stuff from the 21st century.

I'm missing chocolate a lot.

Over three weeks in, and it's taking its toll.

Touch me again, I'll kill you.

They've argued about the lack of food

and spent the rent money to stop their stomachs rumbling.

Money's short?

Very short at the minute.

But now the rent's due...

We're doomed.

..and if they can't pay, they'll be in big trouble.

The families have almost survived their time on Sheep Mountain.

Goodness knows how.

Ruth the cow is more like a bucking bronco...

Like trying to milk a rodeo cow.

..and Carydwen is a whole udder problem.

There'll be milk shake if she doesn't slow down!

The pigs are starting to pong...

Whenever I go past the pig going to the Jones's house, I hold my breath.

..the food also stinks...

-Is it edible?

-I'm not having it.

The porridge is a bit...

..has a rather refined taste this morning.

After every mouthful, you have to do a bit of a...

..just to make it go down a bit easier.

Over at Leah and Tommy's,

thanks to their four chickens it's fresh eggs for breakfast.

It's good brain food and today they'll need it -

there's an exam at school.

But no-one's told Leah.

-There's a test?

-Yes.

-Oh.

Oh, dear. This doesn't bode well.

I don't even know what test it's about.

What test is it about?

It's the main test, with the minister.

13-year-old Tommy is a trainee teacher,

or pupil teacher as they were called back then,

which means he should have been helping her revise.

If they don't pass, then I don't get paid,

and Sir gets in trouble with the school board.

Tommy's money's desperately needed.

They need to pay the rent tomorrow and they don't have the money.

No pressure, Tommy.

Ta-ra, everyone.

The men are also feeling the pressure.

They've been going to work for the last month.

Today is judgment day.

At last, they'll find out what they've earned.

The children are on their way to school for the last time.

It's the day of the annual school inspection and exam.

For Victorian school children, it was the scariest day of the year.

If they performed badly, they'd be forced to repeat the year.

Teachers could be sacked, and if results were terrible,

the school could be closed down for good.

I want you to take out your pens

and blotting paper and writing books ready.

Stand up, children.

U-oh, the inspector's here.

Morning, sir.

The inspectors were employed by the government to assess the school.

Thank you very much.

It was the Ofsted inspection of its day...

Good morning, children.

..only way more scary.

You may sit down.

They'll be examined in reading, writing and arithmetic -

that's maths to you and me - according to their age.

The inspector is expecting pupil teacher Tommy to do very well.

Well, now, the first test this morning

is going to be your reading skills.

Leah, are you going to read the first passage?

"The first great man who paid a visit to Britain

"was the Roman general, Julius Kayza..."

It's Caesar! Roman general Julius Caesar!

This could be one painful exam.

Back at the farm, the pigs are also being examined by the butcher.

The mums are so worried they won't be able to pay the rent,

they've decided to sell one of the pigs.

It'll put some pennies in the piggy bank.

Three pounds.

-Three pounds.

-Five shillings, then.

I'll go for three pounds.

But can they strike a deal?

OK, then, three pounds.

Three pounds. Sold.

It's a fair price. It won't quite cover both families' rent,

but it's a good start.

There's only one problem.

This little piggy doesn't want to go to market.

Come on, boy.

Oh, no, my washing.

I'm going to die if he knocks that over.

At the school, they're coming to the end of the maths exam.

Everyone's found it tricky.

I don't like maths

but I'm getting on OK.

Last but not least

it's the writing exam and those dreaded scratchy ink pens.

I'm going to read a passage

and you will have to write it in your copy books from memory.

There are ten marks for this piece of work.

"Wales was annexed to the realm by him..."

They're supposed to be writing down exactly what the inspector reads,

but Tommy's not writing anything.

You gathered your thoughts together now, Tommy?

Yes, sir.

I think it's about time you started writing.

"Son of Henry III..."

What's he writing?

I got a bit confused

so I just wrote everything that came into my head, really.

Please don't try this at school.

If he's not careful, he won't get paid.

The big brothers and dads are hard at work for the very last time

at the slate quarry.

They desperately hope they've made enough to cover the rent.

In the 19th century,

North Wales was the king of roof tile production.

Yep - if anyone could make slates, it was the quarrymen of North Wales.

So how have Jamie and Ben measured up?

Badly.

Me and Ben have been turned

into this gruesome twosome

that apparently all we do is make trouble and get into trouble

and we don't work hard and we're lazy.

I don't see where that's come from.

No, we can't see where it's come from, either.

THEY CHEER

Get out.

Get back to work this instance!

And all that time messing around will lead to fines.

Quarrymen only got paid for the number of slates they made,

and they all had to be perfect.

So have they earned enough to pay their rent?

That's unlikely.

Here's all the money.

Ben and Jamie's fines have cost them dearly.

Their month's work

won't even cover half the rent.

Bit disappointed, lads, with all the fines you've had.

You've really got to buck up your ideas, lads, OK?

I think I do feel guilty

about all the fines.

At the time it was quite funny,

but now it's been docked off our wages,

I don't see it as a funny thing.

In the 19th century,

you had to grow up quickly. Work came first,

play second.

At the school,

the children have received their exam results.

Everyone's passed.

But Tommy got the lowest mark...

..and the teacher wants a word.

But you know what let you down, don't you, Tommy?

Um, yes, Sir.

-The dictation.

-Yes, Sir.

-Yes.

-Will you come here, please.

-Yes, Sir.

Now, then, I was under the impression

that you were taking your role of pupil teacher seriously.

Yes, Sir.

Rather than actually writing down

what Mr Morris said,

you stopped listening altogether and went on to write something

about feeding chickens and geese which had nothing whatsoever,

nothing whatsoever

to do with the work in hand.

Thanks to his "poultry" efforts,

Tommy's only been given two thirds of his pay.

It's a good job the mums have sold a pig - should save his bacon!

Back on the farm, Ela and Jac

can't wait to tell Mum and Dad their exam results.

Hello.

Come and tell us what happened.

Ela looks happy. I can tell by her face.

How did you get on?

Ela got 76%, Jac got 74.

I got top marks.

You got top marks again? Clever girl!

She got 76.

I got 79. Jac got...

No, you got 76!

-79.

-76.

-79.

Looks like Ela needs to resit her maths.

No, I got 79.

What did you get, Jac?

I got 79, Jac got...

-70% out of 100?

-Yeah.

-How did your exams go?

-He failed!

Leah!

No, we all succeeded!

Oh, well done! What was the scores?

Erm... I can't remember.

-How much did you get paid, Tom?

-Two shillings.

Well done, Tommy. You can always trust Mum to cheer you up.

The families have had little entertainment in their time here,

but tonight, they're heading out for a treat.

But they can't go anywhere without seeing to the animals first.

At least there's one less pig to worry about now.

The children have spent weeks mucking in with the mucking out.

If you're a girl, it's not nice. If you're a boy, it's nice.

In 1890, this was more likely to be a job for the boys,

but Ela has become a dab hand.

Feeding the animals has become second nature,

but milking still has its problems.

Hold on tight!

Once all the animals have been seen to,

time to get into their posh togs.

Tonight is a special occasion.

We're happy now because tonight we are going to the...

Oh...

The... The Magic Lantern...Show!

What's the Magic Lantern Show?

It's like shadows and you cut out pieces of cardboard,

like...a horse.

THEY SING THE WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE

It was a bit more than just cardboard and shadows.

Magic Lantern shows were all the rage in the late 19th century.

Victorians would have looked forward to this for weeks.

Tonight, you are going to see, for your delectation and delight,

Professor Herds' travelling pictorium of visual delights!

Movies as we know them hadn't been invented,

but travelling showmen brought their picture shows to village halls,

churches and schools.

Ah-ha!

Yes!

LAUGHTER

This is a French slide, this. I'll do this in French for you.

It's called The Dentist, by the way.

Ahhh..! Oh!

The Magic Lantern worked by projecting painted

glass slides onto a wall.

If you had several slides, the world was your oyster.

You could make your own Hogwarts Express...

..put on a firework display...

..and even create your own swashbuckling adventures.

Down to the Mediterranean!

HE SNORES

So how did it compare to a Hollywood blockbuster?

I would prefer...

And the winner is...

..cinemas - just because you get popcorn in the cinema.

It was a bit weird with the man talking in the background.

I think my mum and dad liked his commentary,

but I thought he was a bit weird.

Blow the candle out for me, please?

One, two, three!

THEY BLOW

Thank you. Good night!

Thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

It's the family's last full day on Sheep Mountain.

Tomorrow, they'll be going home.

Morning.

But they can't relax yet...

because the rent's due.

They've been dreading this day for weeks

and they must leave the house exactly as they found it -

spotless.

Even though we've tidied up really, really loads today,

really given it a good clean,

we don't think it's going to make any difference to the landlord.

Landlords would issue fines for the tiniest reason.

Leah and Tommy's big brothers have already been up an hour,

blackening the stove with polish.

Mum needs everyone to help.

A field away, Ela's family is hard at work.

Ela's sweeping the floors.

Big brother Ben is trying to wipe away the damp marks.

They're so worried, even Gran's come over to help.

Anything else?

But there's one person missing.

Jac Llewellyn. Come on, come on!

I've given you every chance now.

I don't want to get Dad here and he's not going to be happy

if I've got to go and get him to get you up.

JAC WHINES

Deep breaths.

Three deep breaths. One, two, three.

Mum's stressed.

If she huffs and puffs any more, she'll blow the house down!

At last he's up. Now he won't get dressed.

I don't know who he thinks he is, really.

He gets his slaves to do everything for him, his little maid.

I've got to physically put every piece of clothing on you,

even though that you're nine, nearly ten years old.

At Leah and Tommy's, the mass clean is well under way.

The rent collector will expect every shelf and floor to be dust-free.

The bedding must be tidy and all their clothes neatly put away.

Because I'm the lady, I have to tidy up all upstairs.

I have to take all the clothes out of the chest, fold them all,

and then put them all back in.

Luckily, Tommy's here to help - with his dinosaur impressions.

HE MAKES DINOSAUR NOISES

Yep, very good, Tommy,

but in 1890, they didn't know T-Rexes had ever existed.

And it's not going to help your family

avoid a fine from the rent collector.

Jac's being downright obstructive.

He doesn't seem to realise

that the landlord will find any excuse to fine them.

Excuse me!

While everyone else rubs and scrubs, Jac's got his fingers in the syrup.

Oh, Jac!

Mum's patience has run out.

It hasn't been a team effort in the Jones household today.

It's been Mum, Dad, Ben and Ela.

I don't know what's wrong with him,

but he's hardly lifted a finger to help here.

I've had enough.

The families have been dreading his visit for a month.

But now he's on his way.

Victorian rent collectors were famous for being unfair,

so Jac's dad will play him at his own game.

He's told Jac to fake an illness

in the hope that the landlord will feel sorry for them

and not fine them.

Somebody's outside.

Hello, I've come for the quarterly rent.

Oh, hello. Yes.

Ready for the inspection?

Yes, certainly.

It's risky.

If the rent collector catches on, he'll throw them out of the house.

He hasn't noticed Jac's ill in bed.

Dad will have to point it out, but he must choose his moment carefully.

Bit of a draught coming through the door there.

No cure for the damp?

Now!

No, it's not got any better, and our son's not at all well because of it.

We think he's got consumption.

He's been coughing and spluttering and he's really ill.

Consumption is the old-fashioned name for tuberculosis or TB,

a nasty lung-wasting disease that made people cough up blood.

He's here, is he?

Yes, I'm afraid he's running a fever, not at all well.

-Fever?

-Yes.

Pulling a fast one on the landlord was a risky business,

but this time it worked.

There's no fine to pay, just the rent.

-OK?

-Yes, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Good day to you, sir.

Thank you very much.

Jac, you can get up now.

Good acting.

Can Leah and Tommy's family avoid a fine?

Good afternoon.

They haven't got anyone pretending to be ill,

so their cleaning better be up to scratch.

How are you?

Fine, thank you.

Just come to get the rent and to make an inspection of the property.

They've just finished cooking.

Surely he won't fine them for a few dirty dishes.

These need cleaning here, don't they?

We've just been baking toffee for the charity concert tonight.

All right, OK.

We've only just finished.

Have a look at the bedrooms here.

Jim, get up.

Boots on the floor, eh?

And on the bed. I don't think they should be on the bed.

I'm not happy with the boots on the bed and the floor,

so there will be a fine for that of two shillings,

which will be added to the rent.

Leah and Tommy's mum and dad must pay a fine.

It's the same amount as Tommy's pupil teacher wage.

Thank you.

-Goodbye.

-Goodbye.

-I say we kill him.

-That two shillings might go in his pocket.

Tommy's family are gutted.

They've done well to survive Sheep Mountain,

and they wanted to leave without any more black marks.

This lot won't be down for long.

There's a big charity concert to look forward to tonight.

Their time in 1890 is fast running out,

and they're determined to enjoy every last moment.

With a back garden this big, you can welly-wang to your heart's content.

Not that this lot have wellies.

Their animals have become part of the family.

# Rock-a-bye chicken on the tree top... #

I'd like a chicken for a pet, but I doubt my mum would let me.

Without laptops and TV, they've let their imagination run riot.

Call an ambulance!

The children have written a song and a play for tonight's concert,

but they can only perform one of them.

Which one's it going to be?

The play is going pretty well.

But we really need to rehearse.

Probably going to rehearse it all day now.

Well, actually, we might not.

Hmm, maybe the song will be a better idea.

It's the family's last night in 1890,

and they're heading to a charity concert at the village hall.

The slate quarries of North Wales were dangerous places.

Many men died blasting the rock from the cliffs or from lung disease

caused by inhaling the fine slate dust.

There were no government benefits back then,

and it was down to the community to help the families left behind.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure

to see to many of you present here this evening.

The children are standing by for their turn,

but first up, it's the quarry brass band.

These bands featured cornet, trumpets, basses and drums.

Together, they created a mighty sound.

BAND BEGINS PLAYING

Did warn you!

Bands like this became the heart of many Welsh communities.

They played at all the local gatherings,

and gave quarry towns their strong identities.

APPLAUSE

I'm going to invite now a group of the children to come forward,

and I think they're going to give us a song about a...

Goodness me, about a chicken.

After much rehearsal, they've decided not to do the play.

So I'll make sure that everybody's paying attention for you.

Deep breath, here goes.

# Cock-a-doodle-doo!

# We like the chickens

# We like the sheep and lambs

# We like the food

# Marmalade and jam

# We like the farm bells

# When the sunset comes

# Singing Snowdonia, Snowdonia, Snowdonia, Snowdonia

# We like the flowers

# We like the daffodils

# We like the mountains

# We like the rolling hills

# We like the fireside

# When the lights are low

# Singing a-doo-wop, a-doo-wop

# A-doo-wop, a-doo-wop, a-doo

# Cock-a-doodle-doo! #

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

The evening has been a great success,

and their time on Sheep Mountain has ended on a high note.

Tommy and Leah and Ela, they did good.

The singing was a bit embarrassing,

but I didn't mind it cos everyone said we were good.

Better still, the concert has raised plenty of money

for the poorest families of the community.

Job done.

It's the last morning.

A month's passed, and what a month it's been.

They're packing up their 1890s life

and taking with them a wealth of memories.

You know the next time this is open, Tom?

Next time this trunk is open, that's where we'll be.

Home sweet home.

For Leah, home sweet home means one thing.

I think we're going to have a great party, and when we get out

we're just going to stuff our faces up with chocolate.

There's a few jobs to do before that.

For the last time, they need to empty the dreaded pee pot.

Don't drop it!

Are you going to miss Billy?

Yeah.

And say goodbye to their feathered friends, one by one.

I have had the most best experience of my life in the 1890 life.

Even though we look a bit sleepy.

But it's a good sleepy.

Over the last month, these families have seen it all.

They've survived the weather and the home-made food...

It's not nice.

I'm glad to be giving you the certificate...

..conquered the three Rs at Victorian school...

Congratulations.

APPLAUSE

..and learned how to farm.

Sort of.

They've had their arguments...

Touch me again and I'll kill you.

..but they've always made up.

I think I'll take away a sense of appreciation

to my family and my friends.

They've become closer as families,

and realised just how much they love each other.

I think I am going to miss this place,

because I'm kind of used to here now.

I want to go home and I don't want to go home.

There's nowhere like this on earth.

From now on, everyone's going to get along,

and there'll never be a raised voice again.

There's pee in the pee pot!

-It's a pee pot!

-No, it's disgusting to leave it here.

Oh, Jac!

-Jac, it's yours.

-No.

We can't leave our pee pots.

We can't leave our pee pots, come on!

Yeah, you do it, then.

And there's not just one,

there's two, and they reek.

Pee pots emptied.

Urgh.

Yuk, yuk, yuk.

At last, after a month stuck on Sheep Mountain,

the 21st century beckons, and it's time to head home.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Bye, house.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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