A Bright Idea Scrappers

MUSIC: "La Traviata" by Verdi

'I'm Terry Walker, and this is my scrap yard.'

-Morning, boss.

-All right, Coxy.

-D'ya want to brew?

-Cup of tea, please.

Happy days.

'There's profit in every ounce of a scrapped car.'

50 quid, pal.

'I buy 'em. Strip 'em.

'Squash 'em. And then flog the lot.'

-What a good day.

-HE LAUGHS

'I started the yard over 20 years ago.

'A few years after, I met Lyndsay, the wife.'

Don't go mad spending money!

-Can I spend it on you, then(?)

-Oh, yeah, no problem.

He just makes money, like... It's just this knack he's got.

'I do it by employing lads that no-one else will.'

Individually, they're good lads. They're all right.

But together, they're just like a load of hyenas.

LAUGHTER

It's like a circus sometimes.

SHOUTING AND LAUGHTER

You've got to keep laughing, cos if you don't, you'll cry.

Move these tyres! Move 'em!

'I won't have the mickey took out of me.'

Do that, they're history.

There's more cars to come up. Get 'em sorted.

If they show willing and they've got...

and I can see something in 'em, I won't give up on them easily.

Can't get a job nowhere else. Nowhere else'll have me.

It's the Metro family, and it's the family I've created from scratch.

MUSIC: "Mandolin Concerto in C Major" by Vivaldi

At their luxury home in Bolton,

scrap king Terry Walker and his wife Lyndsay

are taking a welcome break from yard life.

I'm just making our Lyndsay a glass of wine.

Just got a text message off her, you know, saying...

"Barman. Wine. I'm ready."

I'm just cracking her a bottle of Rioja, you know.

Good evening, gorgeous.

What d'ya want?

I got you a drink.

Yeah, no, but you're calling me gorgeous.

-Cheers.

-You're welcome.

This, now, is absolutely normal.

Lyndsay knows what I want. I know what she wants.

I just come and chill in my little hovel,

and Lyndsay chills in her little snug.

This is my sanctuary to get away from Terry and the yard

and everything just for a couple of hours a night, if I'm lucky.

When we sit together, all he does is talk about work.

-Sit down.

-'She knew I were boring when we first got married.'

-HE LAUGHS

-You know, so there's no excuse.

All I know is about cars.

Terry and Lyndsay have had their ups and downs, but, as they approach

their 21st anniversary of working together, all is calm.

No, he's not in the doghouse at the moment.

He's been really good.

I don't want to say we've not had an argument for three weeks, cos...

..we might've...

We haven't. We've been quite good, actually.

But running a multimillion pound business is never plain sailing...

-That's Lyndsay, she wants a drink.

-..especially with Terry at the helm.

MUSIC: "Pomp and Circumstance March 1" by Elgar

This is Metro Salvage, the biggest scrap metal yard in the North West.

-I will do you the full handle...

-Yeah.

..but you're not you're not on about the catch? You don't need the catch?

I don't know what's happened, but it's been locked,

and the wife's grabbed hold of it and given a mighty great wrench.

-The wife?

-And it's gone bang. Me wife.

-Bloody hell, she must be strong!

-So it's broke.

She's that wide and that tall.

-Is she? I wouldn't like to meet her on a dark night.

-Neither would I.

I sleep with her, that's enough! LAUGHTER

Today, business is slow and, with weekly overheads topping 25 grand,

Terry is under pressure to bring the customers flooding in.

-That's right. That's it, both ways. Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

IT expert Layton has suggested boosting their online profile.

He says we can't put no more posts of engines

and gearboxes on Facebook, because it's not funny.

He's saying, like, Facebook is for, like, funny things, quirky things.

So, Terry's challenged the lads to create a video internet sensation.

Make a tower of cars, right?

And see if we can pull one out. What's that game called again?

-BOTH: Jenga.

-Do that. A bit of a Jenga thing.

And Boyle is keen to be the star of the show.

For every car he pulls out, you going to give him a tenner?

-What for?

-Cos he's stacked the cars up.

-Why should this be costing me?

-Cos it's a game.

-Then why don't you give me a tenner?

-Yeah, exactly!

Cos it's not my company. It's his.

-It's not mine, neither.

-Whose is it, then?

-Ours.

Fair enough.

-Well, not yours, whatever happens.

-LAUGHTER

-You ready, Boyle?

-Yeah, I'm ready. Are you ready?

-Yeah, I'm ready.

-Go on.

-One! Two! Three! Go!

ENGINE REVS

Go on! Keep going. Come back!

TYRES SCREECH

It's still there. The tower's still there.

LAUGHTER

CHEERING

LAUGHTER CONTINUES

This video is really just to, like, generate more business.

You know, keep us on the map.

Car Jenga has given Terry another idea for promoting the yard.

Since we've been here, we've bailed the neck end of two million cars.

As long as he can get Lyndsay on board.

At the end of the day, it's a bit quiet at the moment.

So I was just thinking of doing a few bits of things

to try and generate a bit more trade and whatnot.

-It's 21 years this year.

-21 year? This year?

-Yeah.

So you could, like, have a big 21st birthday party.

So, what do you think? Have a do? Right, have karaoke and that?

-Yeah.

-So we could call it car-aoke, couldn't we?

SHE LAUGHS

So have your open day on a weekend.

-Like a Sunday?

-Yeah, like a Sunday, I'd say, for that.

-Right, Sunday.

The decision is made.

'We're having an open day to create public awareness.'

You know, it's just to remind people that we're still here

and we're approachable and, you know,

we've got plenty of cheap car parts on the shelf for 'em.

MUSIC: "Waltz from Jazz Suite No 2" by Shostakovich

We need to get this sorted, Michelle,

cos we need to start, you know, pumping up some business here.

In the on-site cafe,

Debs and Michelle also need to bring in new customers.

Like I say, if you just get one or two from these,

it's one or two extra. It's a bonus, in't it?

Might get a pay rise, Michelle?

Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it!

-They've invested in a new menu.

-We're just over here.

-OK, yeah.

-And now they need to spread the word to Metro's neighbours.

-Hiya.

-You all right?

-Hiya.

-Hiya.

-I don't know if you know Metro Salvage.

-Yeah, they did scrapping for us a few years ago.

-Right.

-That's it.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Well, we've actually got a cafe inside there.

-Right.

-It's a beautiful cafe.

-Just opened?

-Erm, actually, I've been opened about four or five years.

-What?

-Four of five years?

-So you didn't know about it?

-No. No. No.

-They didn't even know we were there.

-How bad's that?

-He said, "Are you up and running?"

-We've been running five years!

-Yeah!

-Hiya.

-Hiya. Who we speaking to?

-Who we speaking to?

-We do all home-cooked food.

-All home-cooked food.

Yeah, it could be a little bit more attractive, though.

-That's me.

-Oh, is that you? LAUGHTER

HE GIGGLES NERVOUSLY: Sorry.

Hey, what are you doing?

-BOTH: Hiya

-We're giving out our menus.

-Right?

-We're just over here.

-All right. Oh, yeah.

-Yeah.

You could shout what you wanted...

-LAUGHTER

-..couldn't you?

-Oh, maybe not.

-Maybe not.

-Bacon butties when they're embalming?

-No.

-No.

Come on. Let's get back.

Terry's ambitious promotional drive has also stepped up a gear.

Three bottles of helium at £150 a bottle to blow up the blimp.

I've never had a blimp before. This is the first one.

It'll be good on the open day, you know.

It's just something different

and I've never stopped trying different things.

I just hope that nobody takes a pot shot at it.

And with the blimp setting him back a further four grand,

it's starting to be a costly venture.

GAS HISSES

It's good, isn't it? It's nice. Good.

-Hold on to that. I was hoping it would be...

-Whoa!

-LAUGHTER

-Go on, let go of it.

Oh! Oh, he's off. He's off.

-I've got it.

-You're off in every sense of the word!

With just a week and a half till the open day,

Lyndsay's concerned Terry might have overreached himself.

To me, to you, to me, to you!

-'I've never known Terry to organise anything...'

-Mum's the word!

-..in my life. Never.

-MOBILE PHONES BEEP

He's very good at organising sheds

and cars out, but nothing else. That's it.

-OK, now then...

-You've got full control!

'I'm a scrap man, I'm not an event organiser.

'I'm decent enough at organising the staff,'

but organising open days? I don't know.

LAUGHTER

-Aargh!

-Watch out for rope burns!

'We're all trying to help out best we can, but still trying to help'

our customers with parts they need. So it's stressful at the minute.

-All right, that's it.

-Go on, you pull on it.

Oh, she's coming, she's coming.

'I haven't a clue what the arrangements are for the open day.'

we don't know what we're doing

and I don't even know what staff's turning up.

It can say hello to a police helicopter when it comes around.

MUSIC: "Peter and the Wolf" by Prokofiev

With a scrap metal empire to run

and a major promotional event just a week away,

Terry needs all the staff behind him.

-Are you actually doing some work today or what?

-Yeah.

What I've decided to do is give out free umbrellas and free wellies.

-Oh, yeah?

-Yeah, so where can we get some wellies from?

-Are you actually being serious?

-Yeah, why?

-Who wants free wellies?

-Kids.

-No, they don't.

-Of course they do.

-Do they heck?

-Why not?

-No, they'd be much happier with a free ice cream.

But today, there's one notable absentee...

Boyle. He's made it onto the internet, but not for Car Jenga.

-How you doing, mate? All right?

-Yeah, I've come to chat about Boyle.

Office manager Ian has found out he's been arrested,

as the incident was posted on the police website.

There's something on GMP Police here about Boyle.

"On Sunday, a male was arrested

"whilst riding an off-road bike in a dangerous manner.

"He was initially issued with a warning, but made off

"and was arrested, after committing several further offences,

"by officers also riding off-road bikes."

-So he's been stopped once?

-So he's been stopped once.

He's gone, jumped back on the bike and done one. So they've chased him.

So he's gone on a chase and eventually they've caught him.

My understanding is someplace near his house.

-I'm very disappointed in him, me, I tell you.

-Yep, yep.

He's done himself no favours at all. TERRY SIGHS

Boyle has worked at the yard since he was 14,

often testing Terry's patience.

I haven't given you permission to buy anything.

Everything's got to be through a proper procedure, yeah?

You crack on and do the job right.

But he came good last week when he passed his crane test.

Boyle, you managed to get all 15 of them right.

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

-THEY LAUGH

With Boyle now facing multiple charges for driving offences,

it's a blow for Terry.

-All right, Boyle?

-All right?

-Can I come in, pal?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Do you want a drink or nowt?

-Er, yeah.

You've got some hard times ahead of you now,

-you know that, don't you?

-Hard times?

-Yeah, yeah.

Very hard times. I don't get it, though, me, why you keep doing it.

-I don't understand why you just...

-I've not been done for ages, have I?

Well, you've not been caught like, I know,

but I don't get it, why you just jump on some bike and...

A couple more lads were out on bikes as well.

I met them down there.

So you're going to have a couple of court cases, in't you?

I think they'll just make an example of you.

-What do you mean by that?

-By sending you to prison.

-They might just do that.

-Mmm.

You know, just silly, absolutely stupid.

I don't know, after all that time, you know,

all that work you've put in to get through your test and,

you know what I mean, things are plodding on now,

you actually found a place at the yard, you know...

where...where you're making some benefit.

-Mmm.

-Now there's a chance we might lose you for six months.

I don't know.

You might even be inside for Christmas.

It's very disappointing where we're at right now today.

Er, all the work we've put into him,

working with him for the last 2½ years,

and especially the last six to seven weeks, it's like a backward step.

It's going to put him right back to where

he were sort of a couple of years ago, that's my fear.

Well, Terry's obviously, like, wound up about it, in't he?

You know what I mean? He's done all that for me and then I've done that.

I know it's wrong and I shouldn't have done it,

but I'm sorry for doing it, aren't I? So, I don't know.

SIRENS WAIL IN THE DISTANCE

MUSIC: "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff

The meeting with Boyle is playing on his mind

and, in the yard, Terry is feeling the strain.

You know exactly what you've got to do! Get it done!

With the open day looming, and a long list of things left to do,

he's taking his frustrations out on anyone in his path.

-You're trying to write these while you're driving, aren't you?

-No.

You are, I can tell by your writing.

-Get your top on!

-I'm not a bloody mind-reader.

Why will you not wear a Metro top?

Two minutes, then you can decide what you're doing with it!

Tag it up and stack it!

We're all getting the flak for it. Everyone's getting it in the ear.

Terry's day goes from bad to worse. Away from the cameras,

he vents his anger on the occupants of the cafe

and it boils over to a full-blown row with Lyndsay.

SHOUTING

-You get your stuff and

-BLEEP!

I'm done, that's me done! Seriously!

-He's treating staff like

-BLEEP!

-That's it. End of. That's the story.

-No people skills, whatsoever.

It's all up in the air. I mean...

Terry and Lyndsay are at it, Gemma's upset, everybody's upset.

'It's just got volatile. I'm going to end up being a lonely old man.'

That's what I was told. I've got to get my bags packed and get out now.

'I've never really seen them have a go at each other.'

They usually keep... If anything's going on,

they usually keep it at home.

So it was a surprise to me, that, that it'd gone on at the cafe.

I heard about it when I come down and I seen, you know,

Terry quite stressed walking down yard, Lyndsay in cafe quite upset.

So I'll bring my boxing gloves in tomorrow for them.

For daughter Gemma, the argument is more than just office gossip.

My dad lost it. I were crying, Mum were crying, Natalie were crying.

It was just a bad day.

I know they have a lot of stress, but I think I just think in my head

"They'll get through it, they'll get through it."

If they didn't, then that would bring me to a standstill.

'I've not had a good day today, to be honest.'

Lyndsay's really got the hump with me, big time.

I don't know what'll happen with the open day, mate,

I really don't, until I speak to them

and, at the moment, we're not talking.

I just don't know what to do. I don't even feel like going home.

It's crazy.

The following morning, things haven't improved.

She's not speaking to me.

She's not slept in the same bedroom as me,

so, um... I don't know where we're up to. As far as I'm concerned...

That's another thing she said was, "Get your bags packed and get out."

But at the end of the day, I've still got to make...

I always still make Lyndsay's breakfast,

even though she didn't make me tea.

It's just one of them things.

The employees within the yard,

they saw Lyndsay giving me a good shouting at yesterday.

So, to me now, it's like they'll be thinking that I'm weak,

so I'm just going to go in and sort of like see how the land lies.

-WOMEN CHATTER

-So, have you paid for that?

-Yes.

-All right, our Debs?

-Hiya, Terry, you all right?

-You and Lyndsay all right?

-Yeah.

Yeah? Good.

-Bin-bagged.

-What?

-Bin-bagged.

-You're bin-bagged?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, but it's only...

-Yeah.

-It's only while it's up in the air at the moment.

-It's quiet, you know.

-It's quiet, Debs, quiet, you know?

-Is it quiet?

-Yeah. Silent movie.

Silent? Silent treatment

Hiya, Jon, are you all right? VOICE ON PHONE

All right, you're breaking up.

I am really, to be honest, pissed off with him

and I've had enough right at this moment.

I can't keep tolerating all the stress from work

and stress here as well.

It's too much. I'm getting no rest.

-What about Lyndsay, cos she's really upset, in't she?

-Yeah, yeah.

I mean, don't get me wrong, your relationship's like granite.

-It's rock hard, solid, you know?

-Well, I'm glad you think that,

-cos it doesn't feel that way to me right now.

-Does it not?

-Everybody goes through blips.

-Yeah, it's a blip.

-They do.

LYNDSAY: 'It's hard, innit? There's...'

It's very complicated. It's not like,

we own this one house and you have that half

or, you know, we'll sell it. I'll have half of that.

It's not like that. It's too complicated.

But...maybe it's something we have to talk about, I don't know.

-What, splitting up?

-I don't know.

Maybe.

MUSIC: "More Than A Heart Can Bear" by Udo Vismann

On top of everything else, Terry is also trying to support Boyle.

-Hi.

-Hi there, morning. Alex Patterson, Solicitor.

-Hi. Terry Walker.

-Nice to meet you.

-Now, as I understand it, there are five charges against you...

-Yeah.

..um, dangerous driving, failure to stop at an accident,

driving an unregistered off-road Honda,

driving without a policy of insurance, and no rear brake.

-Is that correct?

-Yeah.

-OK, so tell me a bit about yourself.

-Well, I work at Metro Salvage...

-What's that?

-..with Terry.

-A scrap yard.

-OK, what do you do there?

-Break cars, you know, strip them down, and stuff, innit?

-Yep.

All in all, he's a good person. it's just that, with... Is it AHD?

-ADHD?

-Yeah.

-OK, you've got ADHD?

-Yeah.

-He has that, so...

-OK.

And do you think, with the right influence, that, you know,

you can be positive and moving forward with your career and stuff?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I always think positive,

-but I just have them, you know, silly days...

-Mmm.

-..and end up in trouble.

-Yeah.

Worst-case scenario, in the Crown Court,

you're looking at six months custody or a fine.

I hope that, on the day, he gets a bit of divine intervention

and he has a bit of luck from the big man upstairs

and he looks down and says that some of these charges are not valid.

Couple of them, you know. Everybody deserves a chance.

Boyle won't know his fate

until the case goes to court in a month's time.

MUSIC: "Carnival of the Animals - The Elephant" by Saint-Saens

-See you later.

-See you later!

-See you later, Josh.

After their publicity campaign,

Debs and Michelle are awaiting an influx of new customers.

It's now 25 to one...

-SHE CHUCKLES

-..and I'll think that,

out of all the menus that we took round yesterday, we've had one,

and that's Josh, who comes to us every day.

I've not seen... I've not had any strangers in.

There has been one or two. I'm sure there were one in before.

-He only had a cup of coffee.

-Oh, right.

-But, yeah, it's...

-I don't know if I charged him for it.

-Did he pay you?

-No.

Do you know, no wonder I don't earn no money! She forgets to charge 'em!

THEY LAUGH

MUSIC: "Carmen: Act 1 Les Toreadors" by Bizet

With the open day fast approaching,

Lyndsay is still giving Terry the cold shoulder.

So he's concentrating on a last-minute publicity push

for the event.

Hi, everyone! It's Terry here at Metro Salvage.

We're trying to raise loads of money for the kids of Bolton.

It's going to be big, and it's going to be on Sunday the 20th of October.

Visit Tower FM online for more info.

Smashing.

-And that's a wrap.

-Super, smashing, great.

There's two things that are very important to me now.

That's having a bit of success on the open day,

but the main thing is, the main priority,

is to make up with Lindsay and get back on track.

You know, I'm still working away, but in me mind, I'm thinking...

you know, I'm fell out with t'wife

and I don't like being fell out with her but, you know,

everybody falls out from time to time.

It's just we fall out a little bit more than others.

But we always make up in the end, but...

you often think to yourself, one day we might not.

MUSIC: "String Quintet in E Major" by Boccherini

MUSIC: "Gloria in D Major" by Vivaldi

It's the morning of the open day.

So we'll open up. What we'll do first is, erm,

them two cars, we'll put them here.

Well, here we go. Spuds are on, hot dogs are on.

What more can I say? We're organised. Till later!

Till we run out of everything, cos I've not bought enough.

I've spent a lot of money, a few hundred.

A few hundred. So I'm hoping I get a few hundred back.

If I don't, I'm up the swanny without a paddle. But there you go,

we just need the masses to come now.

The multitude.

Straight up.

Keep going.

Keep... Right, stop. 'Yeah, it's all coming together.'

One, two, up!

I'm apprehensive, to be honest, cos it's 21 years,

we've not done nothing like this before.

So yeah, I'm apprehensive, but I did sleep last night.

Still not talking to Lindsay.

You know.

Lyndsay's not sure if she's going to turn up,

but the yard's 21st birthday means a lot to her.

I would've personally not done anything else to help him

after that day. He didn't deserve our help, really.

But it's everybody else, it's been advertised, radio and everywhere.

So people are looking forward to it,

so we've had to carry on, grin and bear it.

The gates are open and the yard is slowly filling up,

with what Terry hopes are future customers.

He's spent ten grand in total, so there's a lot riding on its success.

Sun's coming out!

MUSIC: "Blue Danube Waltz" by Strauss

And the lads have risen to the occasion.

LAUGHTER

I've not come as anybody, just got out of bed.

This is how I dress every week! HE LAUGHS

Grr!

Well, I'm Cleopatra and this is me mate, the Hulk.

It's just me mate.

-Aren't you?

-Yep.

The open day gets into full swing

and over 250 people have turned up to enjoy it.

Although there's still someone missing.

But finally, she makes an appearance.

Dressed like Cruella de Vil. That's what she's like at home.

Yes! Hands up! And a wow!

It's going really well, the rain's held off.

So that's always good, so there are plenty of people turned up.

So it's been really good.

Who's next? BUZZ OF CONVERSATION

-Is there enough chips there?

-Yeah, I'll have one or two.

This'd be fantastic every day, do you know what I mean?

I'd be able to get my new car in no time.

After 21 years running the yard,

Terry mounts the grab and crushes the two millionth car.

GLASS SMASHES, PEOPLE CHEER

Round of applause, mate. Round of applause.

But crushing a car is the easy job.

Sit down.

Well?

-How do you think it's gone?

-It's been good.

It's been a good turnout, hasn't it?

On the whole, though, would you do it again?

I don't know about that.

All that hassle that happened,

can we finally put that to back of us now?

Not much choice, have I, really?

Well, I'm sick of e-mailing you from front room to middle room now.

All right, then, you've got one last chance and that's it.

-What do you mean, one last chance?

-One last chance for your behaviour.

And that's it. End of.

-You going to be nice to me from now on?

-Yeah.

That's all right, then.

-I'm due a power hug, then, aren't I?

-No, I'll give you a little cuddle

-and a power hug later.

-SHE LAUGHS

We're friends now.

-Cheers.

-Cheers, big ears.

'It's a funny thing, with me and Lyndsay, cos, when you're married

'for so long, you start taking people for granted,'

and sometimes I forget about that with the job.

So, to make up with Lyndsay has put the icing on the cake for me today.

She's given me another chance to start from ground zero!

-HE LAUGHS

-Work up!

PEOPLE CHATTER

-Absolutely brilliant day.

-Come on.

-Brilliant.

-Come on, Mother!

-I've enjoyed every minute.

MUSIC: "La Traviata" by Verdi

Well, this is the life, isn't it? This is the life.

The yard's not good when Terry's not around. There's no direction.

-I've got no option. Coat on. You need to go home, right?

-Yeah.

You'll get paid up to now.

Keep on top of them, or else they won't make no money

then we'll have no business left.

I can't take excuses. We're losing money.

I feel like I want to be there, to step it up.