Episode 1

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0:00:02 > 0:00:04- Are we ready for the Northern calypso?- We're ready, Kevin.

0:00:04 > 0:00:07# Hey, Mrs Micklethwaite will tha feed ma whippet?

0:00:07 > 0:00:11# Daylight comes and I'm still down pit

0:00:11 > 0:00:14# I go down pub and I drink ten pints

0:00:14 > 0:00:16# I think I'm getting plastered

0:00:16 > 0:00:21# And I go home an' I beat my wife Cos I'm a big, fat Northern... #

0:00:21 > 0:00:25- LAUGHTER - Well done, Kevin.

0:00:26 > 0:00:28David Cameron, you might take our jobs

0:00:28 > 0:00:30but you won't take our sense of humour.

0:00:30 > 0:00:32Too true, Sheldon.

0:00:34 > 0:00:38Half a mile beneath North Yorkshire's countryside,

0:00:38 > 0:00:41a rare breed of men are at work...

0:00:41 > 0:00:44- Five strips, Rob. No accidents. - Right.

0:00:44 > 0:00:46..but not for much longer.

0:00:50 > 0:00:54The last deep coal mine in Britain is about to close...

0:00:56 > 0:00:58..burying the once proud industry

0:00:58 > 0:01:01and terminating the job of every worker.

0:01:01 > 0:01:04They'll be bored stacking shelves, these lads.

0:01:04 > 0:01:07They need some hard graft. It's good for t' soul.

0:01:10 > 0:01:15As the men work their final shifts, we discover their hidden world.

0:01:15 > 0:01:17Get on. We've got jobs.

0:01:17 > 0:01:19An unexpected band of brothers.

0:01:19 > 0:01:21Come on! Get out of the way!

0:01:21 > 0:01:24Who does that look like? Who does it look like?

0:01:24 > 0:01:26LAUGHTER

0:01:27 > 0:01:31And the final opportunity to be alongside the men

0:01:31 > 0:01:35who spend their days in the dark to keep our lights on.

0:01:35 > 0:01:37They put all the hard work in, put the effort in,

0:01:37 > 0:01:38and it would be a real travesty

0:01:38 > 0:01:40if they didn't get paid at the end of it.

0:01:40 > 0:01:41We seem to have taken eye off ball

0:01:41 > 0:01:43and now it's dropping and dropping back.

0:01:43 > 0:01:46- What's going on?- It's the end.

0:01:46 > 0:01:50What did you think would happen? A gold watch, engraved?

0:01:50 > 0:01:54This is the story of the last miners.

0:01:54 > 0:01:56'Can you feel the pressure a bit?

0:01:56 > 0:01:59- 'Cos it sounds like there's things going wrong.'- That's mining.

0:01:59 > 0:02:06This programme contains some strong language

0:02:10 > 0:02:12MUSIC: Tainted Love By Gloria Jones

0:02:22 > 0:02:26I grew up, obviously, in the '70s, '80s.

0:02:27 > 0:02:31I grew up listening to Northern soul from a young age,

0:02:31 > 0:02:34when we used to go to the youth club.

0:02:34 > 0:02:37They were good times, they were carefree times.

0:02:37 > 0:02:40There were no Xboxes, there were no mobile phones,

0:02:40 > 0:02:43but there was also lots of work about at the time.

0:02:45 > 0:02:46There were jobs.

0:02:50 > 0:02:53Sheldon's taken this same journey to Kellingley Colliery

0:02:53 > 0:02:57in North Yorkshire for nearly a decade.

0:02:57 > 0:03:01If I go somewhere and somebody says, "Hi. What are you doing, Sheldon?

0:03:01 > 0:03:02"What are you up to? Where are you working?"

0:03:02 > 0:03:04"Well, I work at Kellingley Colliery."

0:03:04 > 0:03:06"Eh?! They're all shut!"

0:03:06 > 0:03:10"No, they will be shortly, but they're not all shut at the moment."

0:03:13 > 0:03:15There you go. Twin towers at Big K.

0:03:20 > 0:03:22As a young man in the '70s,

0:03:22 > 0:03:24he joined the ranks of thousands of miners

0:03:24 > 0:03:26working in the British coal industry.

0:03:28 > 0:03:33Now, there are only 450 deep coal miners left,

0:03:33 > 0:03:36and Sheldon is worried about his future.

0:03:36 > 0:03:39It'll hit me, I think, on the Monday morning when I get up

0:03:39 > 0:03:42and I've no routine to go through.

0:03:42 > 0:03:43I'll get up and walk Monty,

0:03:43 > 0:03:46come home and think, "What am I going to do now?"

0:03:57 > 0:04:00Good morning, boss.

0:04:00 > 0:04:02No need to call me boss.

0:04:02 > 0:04:03You're a bit late this morning, Sheldon.

0:04:03 > 0:04:06You're normally here about 9:30 to make me a cup of coffee.

0:04:06 > 0:04:07Unfortunately, I am a bit late

0:04:07 > 0:04:10because I've had company at home this morning, Russ.

0:04:10 > 0:04:12What time did you swipe on?

0:04:12 > 0:04:14I swiped on about five to ten, actually.

0:04:14 > 0:04:19For the last eight years, shift manager Jonesy and Sheldon

0:04:19 > 0:04:21have started their day like this.

0:04:21 > 0:04:23Do you want to go through all the transport, Sheldon?

0:04:23 > 0:04:25Yes, please.

0:04:25 > 0:04:29Your safety contact is Pro-Active Safety.

0:04:29 > 0:04:32Throughout their mining careers, they've endured strikes,

0:04:32 > 0:04:35pit closures and a shrinking workforce.

0:04:35 > 0:04:41Now, like everyone at Kellingley, Jonesy is facing unemployment.

0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Sheldon, where tha going now? - To Jane from Careers Plus.

0:04:44 > 0:04:46- When I went, somebody were there. - Yeah.

0:04:46 > 0:04:48And obviously I don't get as much time as you to...

0:04:48 > 0:04:50- No, that's right. - ..mess about down there.

0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Come a bit earlier, then. - Come a bit earlier?!

0:04:53 > 0:04:54You're joking me!

0:04:54 > 0:04:56Listen, I've got to contact

0:04:56 > 0:04:58the National Careers Service directly myself,

0:04:58 > 0:05:00not go to my own job centre.

0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Will you get me a contact number? - I will sort that out.

0:05:02 > 0:05:04- Thank you, Sheldon.- Cos I love you.

0:05:04 > 0:05:06LAUGHTER

0:05:06 > 0:05:08No, it's really stressful at the moment.

0:05:08 > 0:05:10There's not enough hours in t' day for us.

0:05:10 > 0:05:14We're doing 12-hour shifts. It's all catch-up, but...

0:05:14 > 0:05:16it passes time, keeps us out of mischief.

0:05:16 > 0:05:19- Doesn't it, Rusty? - Yeah. Keeps us out of mischief.

0:05:19 > 0:05:22- Keep coming here.- Keep coming here. - 12 hours a day.

0:05:30 > 0:05:34When Kellingley Colliery began production in 1965,

0:05:34 > 0:05:36it was the largest coal mine in Europe -

0:05:36 > 0:05:39earning the nickname the Big K.

0:05:43 > 0:05:46But now Britain has turned its back on deep coal mining,

0:05:46 > 0:05:49and Kellingley is the last pit standing.

0:05:53 > 0:05:56In just five weeks, it will be forced to close

0:05:56 > 0:06:00and its remaining 450 workers will lose their jobs.

0:06:06 > 0:06:08THEY WHISTLE

0:06:15 > 0:06:18The mine operates every day of the year,

0:06:18 > 0:06:22with four shifts working around the clock.

0:06:22 > 0:06:24- Morning!- Morning.

0:06:24 > 0:06:27The night shift finish, and Jonesy's men head underground.

0:06:27 > 0:06:30This is it now. This is where it gets exciting.

0:06:34 > 0:06:36Have a nice day, Kev.

0:06:36 > 0:06:41Jonesy's right-hand man is Kev. Together they run a tight ship.

0:06:41 > 0:06:43I've been here nearly ten years.

0:06:43 > 0:06:46- 'Is it a good job?'- It's fantastic.

0:06:46 > 0:06:48It's absolutely fantastic.

0:06:48 > 0:06:50I was actually going to make a career of mining,

0:06:50 > 0:06:52but seeing as this is shutting,

0:06:52 > 0:06:56I think I'll have a bit of a change now, I've decided.

0:06:56 > 0:06:59- INDISTINCT CHATTER - Come on, Johnny.

0:06:59 > 0:07:01- Come on, then.- All aboard. Come on!

0:07:01 > 0:07:03Packed into cages,

0:07:03 > 0:07:06Jonesy and his shift plunge over half a mile

0:07:06 > 0:07:08beneath the surface of the Earth...

0:07:18 > 0:07:21..a drop the height of the world's tallest building.

0:07:29 > 0:07:33On your way down, you'll see a darkness

0:07:33 > 0:07:37down here which you don't see anywhere else.

0:07:37 > 0:07:40If you're ever down a mine and you're on your own in a gate

0:07:40 > 0:07:42and your light goes out, it is black.

0:07:46 > 0:07:50Miners are a breed apart.

0:07:50 > 0:07:55They're not scared of cold, hot, dirty, damp conditions.

0:07:55 > 0:07:57It's what they've done all their lives.

0:07:57 > 0:08:00THEY LAUGH

0:08:03 > 0:08:06CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

0:08:11 > 0:08:12From the bottom of the shaft,

0:08:12 > 0:08:16they catch a train to go a further four miles into the mine.

0:08:17 > 0:08:20WHISTLE BLOWS, HORN BLOWS

0:08:37 > 0:08:39It's taken them over an hour,

0:08:39 > 0:08:42but finally Jonesy, Kev and Sheldon

0:08:42 > 0:08:44arrive at the heart of the mine...

0:08:47 > 0:08:49..the coalface.

0:08:56 > 0:08:58For generations,

0:08:58 > 0:09:01men with pickaxes chipped away at the face

0:09:01 > 0:09:03that formed millions of years ago.

0:09:07 > 0:09:12Now, a machine called the shearer tears the coal from its seams.

0:09:22 > 0:09:24When British mining was at its peak,

0:09:24 > 0:09:28over a million men worked in hostile conditions like these...

0:09:30 > 0:09:34..and they produced over half of the world's coal supply.

0:09:37 > 0:09:41Jonesy's men work under a hail of splintering coal shards

0:09:41 > 0:09:44and temperatures that can reach 33 degrees.

0:09:44 > 0:09:46It becomes a way of life.

0:09:46 > 0:09:51It's an alien environment to what most people know.

0:09:51 > 0:09:53The humidity,

0:09:53 > 0:09:57the heavy industrial machinery we work with.

0:10:00 > 0:10:03They'll be bored stacking shelves, these lads.

0:10:03 > 0:10:06They need some hard graft. It's good for t' soul.

0:10:10 > 0:10:13The hostile conditions at the coalface are not the worst.

0:10:15 > 0:10:17At the bottom of the lift shaft,

0:10:17 > 0:10:20Jack is facing a more extreme environment.

0:10:20 > 0:10:22HE COUGHS AND GAGS

0:10:22 > 0:10:24I can't be here.

0:10:26 > 0:10:28This is the only toilet!

0:10:28 > 0:10:30'So, how many men work here?'

0:10:30 > 0:10:32About 400 men.

0:10:32 > 0:10:34It's not ideal, really,

0:10:34 > 0:10:37but if you need to go, you need to go, I'm afraid.

0:10:37 > 0:10:38If you're on t' face,

0:10:38 > 0:10:41you're talking you're six miles away from this toilet.

0:10:41 > 0:10:45Six miles - not far away enough from that thing.

0:10:45 > 0:10:46Oh, no.

0:10:52 > 0:10:54At the coalface, there's a problem.

0:10:56 > 0:10:59Just hours into the shift, without warning,

0:10:59 > 0:11:03the shearer suddenly powers down and comes to a complete stop.

0:11:07 > 0:11:09Ask him what's wrong with the chain, Andy.

0:11:09 > 0:11:10Nick, what's wrong with the chain?

0:11:19 > 0:11:21- Right, OK. Thank you. - 'We'll have a look now.'

0:11:24 > 0:11:26They've got a plate come loose, outby,

0:11:26 > 0:11:28so they're running a new plate out to it

0:11:28 > 0:11:30and they'll fit that with no delay.

0:11:30 > 0:11:32It's too expensive to stand.

0:11:33 > 0:11:35£400 a minute if we stood.

0:11:41 > 0:11:43Whoa, Kevin!

0:11:47 > 0:11:49'It's very quiet when it's not moving, isn't it?'

0:11:49 > 0:11:51It's terribly quiet, yeah. A deathly quiet.

0:11:55 > 0:11:57The mine is losing money.

0:11:58 > 0:12:03This breakdown is a costly delay, as Kellingley is already in debt.

0:12:07 > 0:12:11When its owners, UK Coal, went into administration in 2013,

0:12:11 > 0:12:15they asked the Government for help to stay open.

0:12:15 > 0:12:19That help came in the form of a £4 million loan...

0:12:21 > 0:12:25..but it was only enough to prolong the pit's life for two more years.

0:12:27 > 0:12:29Now the mine will close.

0:12:32 > 0:12:36The men have to produce enough coal to pay back the loan

0:12:36 > 0:12:38or part of their redundancy money will be at risk.

0:12:39 > 0:12:43Some of these lads, they could've actually finished in July.

0:12:43 > 0:12:48They've given us their commitment to continue working up to December.

0:12:48 > 0:12:51For all their hard work, they put the effort in,

0:12:51 > 0:12:53as everyone at the mine has,

0:12:53 > 0:12:54and it would be a real travesty

0:12:54 > 0:12:56if they didn't get paid at the end of it.

0:12:58 > 0:13:01It is my role to make sure that we hit the plan,

0:13:01 > 0:13:02that's basically my job.

0:13:02 > 0:13:06And I do feel under pressure, just as anybody else does,

0:13:06 > 0:13:10but that goes down to the guys who work in the stockyard,

0:13:10 > 0:13:13it goes down to the guys who operate the shearer.

0:13:13 > 0:13:15Everybody at the pit is feeling the pressure

0:13:15 > 0:13:18because we know we've got a deadline to hit by the 18th.

0:13:18 > 0:13:21It's a tight schedule.

0:13:21 > 0:13:25We can't afford many mistakes or many glitches to go wrong.

0:13:25 > 0:13:27But if we don't hit the plan,

0:13:27 > 0:13:30then potentially there's a lot of people going to lose a lot of money.

0:13:30 > 0:13:34Some of these guys here have worked up to 40 years in a coal mine,

0:13:34 > 0:13:38and I want them to really get as much money as they can,

0:13:38 > 0:13:42whether it's from a redundancy, whether it's a pension plan.

0:13:42 > 0:13:43So, it means a lot to me

0:13:43 > 0:13:46that the workmen get what they deserve, yes.

0:13:49 > 0:13:53Back at the coalface, and the shearer is static.

0:13:53 > 0:13:56- And again, mate. - BEEPING

0:13:56 > 0:13:59ENGINE STARTS

0:14:00 > 0:14:03Something has jammed the mechanical crusher,

0:14:03 > 0:14:05but Kev is on hand to put things right.

0:14:05 > 0:14:08- It's broken down. We picked it out.- Yeah.- No damage.

0:14:08 > 0:14:11- Rest stood off.- Rest stood off. We've counted for it.

0:14:11 > 0:14:13The broken flight has just come down.

0:14:13 > 0:14:15Fortunately, it spat it out.

0:14:15 > 0:14:17We've recovered the broken flight, checked it.

0:14:17 > 0:14:20We're ready to start coaling again now.

0:14:20 > 0:14:22'How much money do you think that's lost you?'

0:14:22 > 0:14:25Five minutes. Only a couple of grand.

0:14:25 > 0:14:27We'll get that back.

0:14:27 > 0:14:30We'll just ramp the machine up a bit faster now and get it back.

0:14:30 > 0:14:31Leave it with us.

0:14:31 > 0:14:34'How much stress do reckon it's added to Pete's day?'

0:14:34 > 0:14:37Pete? Pete won't even know about it. He don't need to know about it.

0:14:37 > 0:14:38I've sorted it.

0:14:55 > 0:14:56We're coaling.

0:15:02 > 0:15:04With the shearer cutting coal,

0:15:04 > 0:15:08Jonesy, Kev and Sheldon have earned themselves a break.

0:15:08 > 0:15:10I thought you told your wife

0:15:10 > 0:15:12you'd stopped chewing chewing tobacco.

0:15:12 > 0:15:14Yeah, I don't tell Wendy I chew. She don't think...

0:15:14 > 0:15:19Remember, I don't chew. I don't smoke. I don't swear.

0:15:19 > 0:15:21I don't talk about other women and I all I eat is salad.

0:15:21 > 0:15:24- How much is there, Russ? How much did that cost you?- A fiver's worth.

0:15:24 > 0:15:25About a fiver's worth.

0:15:25 > 0:15:31We can survive down the mine without food, without water

0:15:31 > 0:15:32as long as we've got chewing tobacco.

0:15:32 > 0:15:35It actually takes away the taste of dust.

0:15:35 > 0:15:36Russ is going to chew it now.

0:15:36 > 0:15:39You chew it and you spit the juice out.

0:15:39 > 0:15:42Americans, they tend to chew sweet tobacco,

0:15:42 > 0:15:45which is a bit effeminate for us.

0:15:45 > 0:15:48'Can only think of cowboys that have done this.'

0:15:48 > 0:15:51Well, there's no bigger bunch of cowboys than us lot.

0:15:51 > 0:15:53You've never worked with men's men.

0:15:53 > 0:15:55You've never worked with men who bathe together like us.

0:15:55 > 0:15:58- You see me more naked than June does.- Yeah.

0:16:00 > 0:16:03I see June more naked than you see June, an' all, let me tell you.

0:16:15 > 0:16:18It's the end of another shift down the mine.

0:16:18 > 0:16:22After eight hours in darkness, the men resurface,

0:16:22 > 0:16:24but they have one more job to do.

0:16:27 > 0:16:30- 'Jack, what's the rush?' - That's it. Shower time, innit.

0:16:32 > 0:16:37It's hard, it's tiring, it's frustrating...

0:16:37 > 0:16:39- 'What have you got there, Jack?' - Tea tree oil.

0:16:39 > 0:16:43..but when you've had a shift and you've had a load of problems

0:16:43 > 0:16:45chucked at you and you've resolved them,

0:16:45 > 0:16:48I think there's a sense of pride that we've succeeded for that shift.

0:16:51 > 0:16:53Let's go.

0:17:05 > 0:17:08- 'What do you use for shower gel?' - Washing-up liquid.

0:17:08 > 0:17:10Best de-greaser ever.

0:17:10 > 0:17:14And my face wash for my skin, do you know what I mean?

0:17:14 > 0:17:17To not get here and to not hurt your colleagues

0:17:17 > 0:17:20and all to come out at the end of your shift and bath together

0:17:20 > 0:17:21and to have cut some coal,

0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's still something to be proud of, I think.

0:17:24 > 0:17:27Come on. Get out of the way!

0:17:27 > 0:17:30ALL CHEER AND LAUGH

0:17:33 > 0:17:36- It's always, always the same. - It's every day.

0:17:36 > 0:17:38Can't even have a shower in peace.

0:17:42 > 0:17:44- 'You're going to miss it, aren't you?'- Yeah. Yeah.

0:17:44 > 0:17:46Shan't miss getting up at three o'clock

0:17:46 > 0:17:48to go to work on days.

0:17:48 > 0:17:49Shan't miss driving home

0:17:49 > 0:17:51at three o'clock in the morning off of nights,

0:17:51 > 0:17:55but our world, we'll miss, and the comradeship we'll miss.

0:18:11 > 0:18:13Cleaning.

0:18:13 > 0:18:14Cleaning.

0:18:14 > 0:18:18Any stain you've got, any mark you've got, I can get it off.

0:18:18 > 0:18:21- 'Are you a bit obsessed, Kev?' - Eh?- Are you obsessed with cleaning?

0:18:21 > 0:18:23I think so, yeah.

0:18:23 > 0:18:25I've got several hoovers.

0:18:25 > 0:18:31I've got me Dyson, I've got me Gtech AirRam.

0:18:31 > 0:18:35I've got me Dyson Animal and I've got a steamer.

0:18:35 > 0:18:37And I've got two more in t' garage.

0:18:37 > 0:18:41I think it's something psychological,

0:18:41 > 0:18:42because he gets dirty at work.

0:18:42 > 0:18:47It's nice to get dirty at work but it's nice to be clean, as well!

0:18:47 > 0:18:49It's me other world.

0:18:49 > 0:18:52Me mining world is a dirty, grimy, hot, dusty one.

0:18:52 > 0:18:55I like this to be a clean one.

0:18:55 > 0:18:58Oh, look. It's got brewer's droop.

0:19:03 > 0:19:05'Wendy, what was the pecking order again?'

0:19:05 > 0:19:09Pit, Ben - or he calls him Willard.

0:19:09 > 0:19:11Yes, I know. I know.

0:19:11 > 0:19:14Me and then t' kids.

0:19:14 > 0:19:16'Is that right? Pit first?'

0:19:16 > 0:19:18No. No.

0:19:19 > 0:19:21It's going to be really, really sad

0:19:21 > 0:19:25and a big gap in us lives when we're finished,

0:19:25 > 0:19:29but the problem is, I would've gone on forever.

0:19:29 > 0:19:32I think I'd have gone till I dropped.

0:19:32 > 0:19:33You've got to look at positives

0:19:33 > 0:19:37and that's one of the positives, I suppose.

0:19:37 > 0:19:39I might even start jogging.

0:19:39 > 0:19:42It's not just a place of work for him, is it?

0:19:42 > 0:19:43All the mates are there.

0:19:43 > 0:19:45Yeah, it's going to be like

0:19:45 > 0:19:48running into a brick wall, I think, but...

0:19:48 > 0:19:51we'll just see what comes of it.

0:19:53 > 0:19:54Have we got a fairy for t' top?

0:19:54 > 0:19:57I'm not having a fairy on the tree.

0:19:57 > 0:20:00I've got a few fairies at work I could have brought home for you.

0:20:00 > 0:20:01You're going to have a big shock

0:20:01 > 0:20:03coming to you when you get another job

0:20:03 > 0:20:05because you're not going to be able to talk like that

0:20:05 > 0:20:07in t' next workplace.

0:20:07 > 0:20:11- Like what?- Like you do now. - I didn't swear.- I kn...

0:20:11 > 0:20:14You don't have to. It's just the way of the world these days.

0:20:14 > 0:20:16- Maybe I'm a dinosaur. - THEY LAUGH

0:20:24 > 0:20:28I don't think I'll ever enjoy a job as much as the one I've got now.

0:20:28 > 0:20:30We've been through hard times, good times together.

0:20:30 > 0:20:32And just enjoying your work, really,

0:20:32 > 0:20:34but enjoying it with the men you've got around you

0:20:34 > 0:20:37in a completely different world 800 metres underground,

0:20:37 > 0:20:39I just think it's... I just think it's amazing.

0:20:41 > 0:20:43Just two miles from the pit,

0:20:43 > 0:20:47Jack lives with his mum in the house he grew up in.

0:20:47 > 0:20:49Oh, yeah. It's brill.

0:20:49 > 0:20:52Best deal I'll ever get given, I think.

0:20:52 > 0:20:55Getting looked after here for now.

0:20:55 > 0:20:57- There you go.- Thanks, Jack.

0:20:59 > 0:21:02I always imagined Jack to be in a collar and tie

0:21:02 > 0:21:04working in an office or in a bank,

0:21:04 > 0:21:06and to see him now...

0:21:06 > 0:21:09The robust, good-looking young man I am.

0:21:09 > 0:21:12- SHE LAUGHS - Oh, God.

0:21:12 > 0:21:15'There's talk of Jack moving up North to maybe look for some work.

0:21:15 > 0:21:17'What do you think of that?'

0:21:17 > 0:21:21I'm not looking forward to it, but he's got to give it a try,

0:21:21 > 0:21:23see if he can get work up there.

0:21:23 > 0:21:25There's a lot of heavy industry.

0:21:25 > 0:21:28It's up there, you know, up North with everything.

0:21:28 > 0:21:31But there seems to be a lot more job opportunities, as well.

0:21:31 > 0:21:33It's just, like, finding work for me, really, that's it,

0:21:33 > 0:21:35because there's not a lot around here.

0:21:35 > 0:21:38You're the first one, really, to move away, aren't you?

0:21:38 > 0:21:42Yeah. Yeah, aye. I haven't really thought about that.

0:21:42 > 0:21:44Mm.

0:21:44 > 0:21:46Got to let go of me baby sometime, haven't I?

0:21:46 > 0:21:49All right, you've said enough, now. Oh, my God.

0:21:49 > 0:21:52- 'Are you getting a bit embarrassed, Jack?'- A little bit, aye.

0:22:12 > 0:22:13The history that we've got,

0:22:13 > 0:22:15you'll not find in any other industry.

0:22:15 > 0:22:21You've got people that have come and joined the industry

0:22:21 > 0:22:24at a very young age, often from school.

0:22:24 > 0:22:28When these guys started, they came, they went underground,

0:22:28 > 0:22:31and all they know is mining.

0:22:33 > 0:22:37Phil has worked in the mining industry for 25 years.

0:22:37 > 0:22:41During his time, he's witnessed many men lose their jobs.

0:22:41 > 0:22:43Now, his responsibility

0:22:43 > 0:22:48is to make Kellingley's last miners' redundancy official.

0:22:48 > 0:22:51Not a time when you'd really want to be an HR manager, I guess.

0:22:51 > 0:22:55I've got 439 letters to produce.

0:22:55 > 0:22:59Every single one of these letters is somebody losing their job.

0:22:59 > 0:23:04They will be made redundant around about the 18th December.

0:23:08 > 0:23:10Including myself.

0:23:15 > 0:23:22I'm a great believer in, you know, there's a new opportunity.

0:23:22 > 0:23:24There's a new door opening

0:23:24 > 0:23:26and you've just got to grasp that challenge.

0:23:30 > 0:23:36I think the people that we've got will find it very difficult.

0:23:36 > 0:23:42These guys have got 30, 40 years within the same industry,

0:23:42 > 0:23:44and all they know is mining.

0:23:44 > 0:23:49They're going to miss the team that they're working with.

0:23:49 > 0:23:52I think it will be really hard for them.

0:23:52 > 0:23:56'Would you mail out one of the redundancy letters to me?'

0:23:56 > 0:23:59I'll... I'll give you mine.

0:24:00 > 0:24:02"Mr PJ Needham,

0:24:02 > 0:24:04"the plan remains on course to complete coaling at Kellingley

0:24:04 > 0:24:07"on or around the 18th of December.

0:24:07 > 0:24:10"I can confirm that you are now at risk of redundancy.

0:24:10 > 0:24:13"Subject to final confirmation nearer the time,

0:24:13 > 0:24:16"you may be dismissed by redundancy.

0:24:16 > 0:24:19"This notification is subject to the successful completion of..."

0:24:26 > 0:24:29Somebody that worked here about five years ago,

0:24:29 > 0:24:31he adopted two cats that somehow came into the shop,

0:24:31 > 0:24:36and they had two kids, so we've had to feed them now.

0:24:36 > 0:24:38'What's going to happen to them once this place closes?'

0:24:38 > 0:24:42I have no idea, but they're not a protected species.

0:24:42 > 0:24:44Yet.

0:24:48 > 0:24:53Andy is the youngest man at the pit, and he comes from a mining family.

0:24:53 > 0:24:58His father worked underground for over 30 years.

0:24:58 > 0:25:01Now their mining tradition ends with him,

0:25:01 > 0:25:05and, like all his workmates, he needs to start again.

0:25:05 > 0:25:0730 years where they've just done mining,

0:25:07 > 0:25:10and mining is not really a transferable skill

0:25:10 > 0:25:13compared to being an electrician or a fitter.

0:25:14 > 0:25:18I hope they do get jobs, if they want jobs, of course.

0:25:18 > 0:25:21I think a lot of them could live off the pensions

0:25:21 > 0:25:22they're going to be getting.

0:25:22 > 0:25:26I've got to get a job, unfortunately.

0:25:26 > 0:25:30I'd rather retire, but I'm not a millionaire, so...

0:25:30 > 0:25:34- Yet.- I've got to work for a living, yeah.

0:25:34 > 0:25:35And there's not only himself to worry about.

0:25:35 > 0:25:36Yeah.

0:25:38 > 0:25:42His fiancee and two young children depend on him.

0:25:42 > 0:25:46His wage pays for all of it at the moment.

0:25:46 > 0:25:50I don't want to end up on the street or owt like that

0:25:50 > 0:25:51cos we can't afford to pay the mortgage,

0:25:51 > 0:25:54cos I ain't got a job, cos I'm looking after these two,

0:25:54 > 0:25:56so there'll be no income once...

0:25:56 > 0:25:59if he doesn't get a job again for a few months.

0:25:59 > 0:26:02It's not exactly the best time to lose a job, at Christmas, is it?

0:26:04 > 0:26:07Ah, don't touch the tree.

0:26:07 > 0:26:10Don't touch it. Don't touch it, don't touch it, don't touch it.

0:26:10 > 0:26:12Your mum will kill you.

0:26:12 > 0:26:15Although he's applied for several new jobs,

0:26:15 > 0:26:17Andy's been struggling to find work.

0:26:17 > 0:26:21- I'm feeling confident. - Are you?- Are you feeling confident?

0:26:21 > 0:26:23No.

0:26:23 > 0:26:26Today, he has an interview at a glassworks factory

0:26:26 > 0:26:29and he's keen to make the right impression.

0:26:29 > 0:26:33Nearly. Got the blazer to go on to look the part.

0:26:33 > 0:26:35'So, you don't do the tie up on you, no?'

0:26:35 > 0:26:38No, just...up it goes.

0:26:38 > 0:26:41'What do you think they're looking for today?'

0:26:43 > 0:26:47An electrician. I don't know if they'll find one.

0:26:49 > 0:26:51I don't want to be overconfident,

0:26:51 > 0:26:52because if I put myself down

0:26:52 > 0:26:54I'm not going to overestimate what's going to happen.

0:26:54 > 0:26:55But if you're not confident,

0:26:55 > 0:26:57you're not going to come across confident, are you?

0:26:57 > 0:26:59I will do when I'm there.

0:26:59 > 0:27:03Well, start feeling confident now, then, before you leave.

0:27:03 > 0:27:06What are you doing? You bringing all your toys in now?

0:27:06 > 0:27:07I think it's really sad for him

0:27:07 > 0:27:10to be made redundant at such a young age

0:27:10 > 0:27:12from something that he really enjoys.

0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Love you.- Love you.

0:27:14 > 0:27:17- Bye, little man.- Good luck. - See you later.

0:27:17 > 0:27:19Good luck.

0:27:19 > 0:27:22- I'm going to need it.- No, you won't.

0:27:22 > 0:27:25I think he'll be fine. I really do.

0:27:25 > 0:27:29He's so clever that they'd be silly not to want him,

0:27:29 > 0:27:33but it's how he comes across today, isn't it?

0:27:33 > 0:27:34Do you love him?

0:27:54 > 0:27:59It's 5am, and the mine has been cutting through the night.

0:27:59 > 0:28:02Jonesy and his men have just started the morning shift,

0:28:02 > 0:28:06but already, Sheldon has got a problem.

0:28:06 > 0:28:09- 20...22 minutes. - PHONE RINGS

0:28:09 > 0:28:11We take it in turns to buy sleeves of coffee.

0:28:11 > 0:28:14It seems to be my turn all the time.

0:28:14 > 0:28:16'Is that right, Sheldon?'

0:28:16 > 0:28:18I bought six sleeves last week. They're all gone.

0:28:18 > 0:28:20Who's this, here?

0:28:22 > 0:28:25Who does that look like? Who does it look like?

0:28:27 > 0:28:31HE HUMS WALLACE AND GROMIT THEME

0:28:31 > 0:28:34That's the first time I've ever seen that, Sheldon. It's quite good.

0:28:34 > 0:28:36All you need is a green tank top on, Sheldon.

0:28:36 > 0:28:39It's nice to see you've got a sense of humour, Jonesy.

0:28:39 > 0:28:41That's why we call him funeral face.

0:28:41 > 0:28:42He calls me all sorts.

0:28:42 > 0:28:46Eagle cheek, funeral face. I've been called worse.

0:28:49 > 0:28:50Hello, Wendolene!

0:28:57 > 0:29:00Kellingley is under a lot of pressure to pay off its debts.

0:29:00 > 0:29:04Pete is determined to keep the closure plan on track.

0:29:06 > 0:29:10I rung the pit this morning at 4:00 when I got up.

0:29:10 > 0:29:12I got here then about 5:15 this morning.

0:29:13 > 0:29:14'Do you get a day off?'

0:29:16 > 0:29:18I get weekends off, yes.

0:29:19 > 0:29:20'But it's Saturday today.'

0:29:23 > 0:29:25I want to make sure that I've got all the information.

0:29:25 > 0:29:29If there's bad news I'd rather have the bad news than someone tell me

0:29:29 > 0:29:31that everything is all right when it isn't.

0:29:31 > 0:29:34- Hello?- I expected a trouble-free weekend.

0:29:34 > 0:29:37- Yeah, things have changed. - Yeah, they have. They've got worse.

0:29:39 > 0:29:41There's been a major mechanical fault,

0:29:41 > 0:29:43causing a halt to production at the coal face.

0:29:45 > 0:29:47- Hello.- I thought I seen them start-up.

0:29:47 > 0:29:49They've manually opened the top door.

0:29:49 > 0:29:52This is the same problem we had a couple of weeks ago.

0:29:52 > 0:29:54We've had a lot of problems underground

0:29:54 > 0:29:55which we would not normally have.

0:29:55 > 0:29:57We've had a bad week this week,

0:29:57 > 0:29:59but it is the first bad week we've had for nine weeks.

0:29:59 > 0:30:02Have they cut it yet?

0:30:02 > 0:30:03I hope so, Kev.

0:30:03 > 0:30:06- Fuckin' hell. - Can't cut, we ain't cut.

0:30:06 > 0:30:11If we don't succeed, I'm part of the problem, not succeeding.

0:30:11 > 0:30:13I really want everybody to get as much money as they can,

0:30:13 > 0:30:15because it's only right that they do that,

0:30:15 > 0:30:18because of the effort what they've put in.

0:30:22 > 0:30:26Not all problems can be solved from his office.

0:30:26 > 0:30:30Sometimes Pete has to get his hands dirty and join his men underground.

0:30:32 > 0:30:34- Number one.- Peter.

0:30:34 > 0:30:37- Are you well?- Aye, not bad.

0:30:37 > 0:30:38All present and correct?

0:30:38 > 0:30:40All present, but there's not many correct here.

0:30:51 > 0:30:52Get home. They've got jobs done.

0:30:52 > 0:30:54WHISTLE BLOWS

0:30:54 > 0:30:56HORN BLOWS

0:30:56 > 0:30:59Mr Clayton, keep your hands to yourself.

0:31:09 > 0:31:12The conveyor belt that carries the coal is broken...

0:31:13 > 0:31:16..and the shearer has once again ground to a halt.

0:31:19 > 0:31:21Is that just a case of putting power back on, then?

0:31:21 > 0:31:23- No, there's no power off. - There's no power off?

0:31:23 > 0:31:26No, the power was on, but we are getting through.

0:31:26 > 0:31:30I say, give us some juice and let's get fucking running.

0:31:30 > 0:31:31Leave it with us.

0:31:31 > 0:31:35That's a technical mining term, that.

0:31:35 > 0:31:40Hidden within hundreds of metres of cabling is an electrical fault...

0:31:40 > 0:31:42But it's still showing an open circuit, is it, on signals?

0:31:42 > 0:31:44Yes, mate, yeah.

0:31:44 > 0:31:45OK.

0:31:45 > 0:31:47..but finding it could take hours.

0:31:47 > 0:31:48OK.

0:31:51 > 0:31:54We've got people walking in now looking for this fault

0:31:54 > 0:31:57and it could be anywhere along the length of the conveyor.

0:31:58 > 0:32:01It's not that I'm worried. I'm frustrated.

0:32:01 > 0:32:05We'll have lost something like 6,000 tonnes.

0:32:05 > 0:32:09It'll be between £350-400,000 we've lost in revenue

0:32:09 > 0:32:12with this delay we've got at the minute.

0:32:13 > 0:32:15Hell of a lot of money.

0:32:16 > 0:32:20It's every time we fanny about with electrics, innit?

0:32:20 > 0:32:22We ought to be digging now, Kev, didn't we?

0:32:22 > 0:32:25- Hello.- You got the lock on there?

0:32:25 > 0:32:28We're trying to get the belt running to get some weight off.

0:32:28 > 0:32:31Get the right tension and see what it's looking like,

0:32:31 > 0:32:33so we can check at all round.

0:32:33 > 0:32:36That's what happens here. If there's a problem everybody sort of gels

0:32:36 > 0:32:39together just to make sure that we can hit our targets.

0:32:39 > 0:32:42That really is the commitment of these people.

0:32:42 > 0:32:44Absolutely fantastic.

0:32:44 > 0:32:46Hello, Tripper Two. Hello, Tripper Two.

0:32:46 > 0:32:50Are we in a position to try the belt so we can put some tension into it?

0:32:50 > 0:32:51It's been nearly an hour.

0:32:51 > 0:32:53They've found the fault,

0:32:53 > 0:32:56and can finally restore power to the conveyor.

0:32:56 > 0:32:57Hello, Control, put a start on it.

0:33:02 > 0:33:04It stopped, don't slip, though.

0:33:09 > 0:33:11It's burning through the belt, Rob.

0:33:15 > 0:33:16Listen, Neill.

0:33:17 > 0:33:19Just put a start until we get some slack

0:33:19 > 0:33:22and we're going to have to keep stopping and starting it.

0:33:22 > 0:33:24We'll end up burning through it.

0:33:30 > 0:33:34I were frustrated earlier, I'm really frustrated now.

0:33:35 > 0:33:37But I have got great lads on the job now.

0:33:37 > 0:33:39We'll sort it.

0:33:46 > 0:33:48- Keep going. - Keep going.

0:33:56 > 0:33:58How's that?

0:34:07 > 0:34:09Cutting again now. We're making money.

0:34:09 > 0:34:11The smile's back on us face.

0:34:11 > 0:34:12That was on me.

0:34:13 > 0:34:15Time up for these two lads.

0:34:15 > 0:34:17Russ can have Monday off

0:34:17 > 0:34:18because he's come back to work and jinxed us,

0:34:18 > 0:34:20so he can have Monday off

0:34:20 > 0:34:23because he's a bad influence on us at t' minute.

0:34:23 > 0:34:25We don't work on a Monday.

0:34:25 > 0:34:26He's that generous.

0:34:27 > 0:34:29That is a normal shift off.

0:34:29 > 0:34:31I'll tell them they can have Monday off,

0:34:31 > 0:34:33but they've got Monday off anyway, so it's just a bit of banter.

0:34:33 > 0:34:35Tell you what, it would be a shock

0:34:35 > 0:34:37if he said, "I want yous to come," though!

0:34:38 > 0:34:39Well done, chaps.

0:34:40 > 0:34:44With the belts back in motion, coal can reach the surface.

0:34:44 > 0:34:48While for the miners, it's a short cut to the coalface.

0:34:48 > 0:34:51Back up and running. We've been able to open the conveyor for man riding,

0:34:51 > 0:34:54and these lads will be riding the conveyor to go to the coalface.

0:34:54 > 0:34:56MUSIC: Miner's Song by Woody Guthrie

0:35:01 > 0:35:03It is good fun. Yeah.

0:35:03 > 0:35:05You would pay to do something like that at Blackpool.

0:35:05 > 0:35:06# ..hard to find

0:35:06 > 0:35:08# Precious metal is hard to find

0:35:08 > 0:35:10# Down in the hole and down in the mine

0:35:10 > 0:35:12# I dig my life away-o... #

0:35:12 > 0:35:13I want the same as what these lads want.

0:35:13 > 0:35:15It's just get it up and running.

0:35:15 > 0:35:17So we're all the same when we're down here.

0:35:17 > 0:35:20- 'Do you love it?' - I do love it, I do love it.

0:35:20 > 0:35:21Every time you say that,

0:35:21 > 0:35:24that's why I get a smile on me face because I do love it, yeah.

0:35:24 > 0:35:28# A good shaped diamond's hard to find... #

0:35:28 > 0:35:29Hey. Come on!

0:35:29 > 0:35:32Come on, big boy. Come on!

0:35:32 > 0:35:35Fucking come on - you're doing it fucking half Nelson.

0:35:35 > 0:35:37- Come on, Kev.- Come on, big boy.

0:35:37 > 0:35:39Yargh!

0:35:39 > 0:35:41THEY LAUGH

0:35:45 > 0:35:48The mechanical problems underground are now solved.

0:35:49 > 0:35:53On the surface, there is a more serious issue for Pete to deal with.

0:35:53 > 0:35:57It's 4:50 now. Around about quarter to four,

0:35:57 > 0:36:00I got a phone call to say that someone had fell down in the baths.

0:36:00 > 0:36:02One of the guys called Ray.

0:36:02 > 0:36:07Probably 63, 64 years old, really conscientious guy.

0:36:07 > 0:36:11When I got up there, he were laid on the baths floor.

0:36:11 > 0:36:14Looks as though it was a suspected heart attack.

0:36:16 > 0:36:19After 47 years at Kellingley Colliery,

0:36:19 > 0:36:22Ray is one of its longest serving miners.

0:36:23 > 0:36:27They got the respective equipment on him and they were carrying out CPR

0:36:27 > 0:36:32at the time. So obviously these guys have known Ray for a long time.

0:36:32 > 0:36:34The only thing they wanted were to make sure

0:36:34 > 0:36:37that he pulls through this, give him the best chance,

0:36:37 > 0:36:39and then dispatch him to hospital.

0:36:44 > 0:36:47When he got into the air ambulance, he was breathing.

0:36:47 > 0:36:52We could see that obviously something major has happened,

0:36:52 > 0:36:54but all being well, get him to LGI

0:36:54 > 0:36:58and hopefully we'll get him pulled round now.

0:37:01 > 0:37:02It's not something what's nice.

0:37:04 > 0:37:06But he's like one of the family.

0:37:08 > 0:37:12Jack was among the first men to find Ray unconscious on the floor.

0:37:12 > 0:37:15I just got here after, you know, he went down.

0:37:15 > 0:37:18Two men were working on him, and just looking at him

0:37:18 > 0:37:20you could just see the life had gone from his eyes.

0:37:20 > 0:37:23It were just so surreal after speaking to him 10 minutes before,

0:37:23 > 0:37:25and he were fine, and then...

0:37:25 > 0:37:29and we got the defib on him and it just suggested, you know,

0:37:29 > 0:37:33to give him a shock. It weren't nice.

0:37:34 > 0:37:35Everybody has done our training with Ray.

0:37:35 > 0:37:38Everybody has known him long as we been here

0:37:38 > 0:37:40because he's been one of the longest men to work here

0:37:40 > 0:37:43over the years - and he's just a genuinely nice bloke.

0:37:43 > 0:37:44Really nice bloke.

0:37:44 > 0:37:46Would do owt for anybody, really.

0:37:51 > 0:37:54The mine rescue team managed to resuscitate Ray.

0:37:55 > 0:37:58After being flown to hospital he remains in a critical state.

0:38:00 > 0:38:02Everybody is absolutely devastated by it,

0:38:02 > 0:38:06because Ray is an absolutely lovely, smashing bloke.

0:38:06 > 0:38:08Works every single day,

0:38:08 > 0:38:11and every single day he is at work he does two hours overtime.

0:38:13 > 0:38:17He is of an age where he could retire and take his state pension

0:38:17 > 0:38:19but it's a way of life for Ray.

0:38:19 > 0:38:22He's institutionalised, like some of us.

0:38:23 > 0:38:25What's happened to Ray...

0:38:26 > 0:38:29..in my opinion, is stress.

0:38:29 > 0:38:32And it's the stress that will affect a lot of people that work here.

0:38:32 > 0:38:36Because it's the way of life. It's a reason to get out of bed.

0:38:36 > 0:38:38It's a purpose to get up in the morning.

0:38:38 > 0:38:41And that purpose is being taken away from people.

0:38:43 > 0:38:46And obviously, it's stressing a lot of people out.

0:38:46 > 0:38:48A lot more than what they're prepared to tell.

0:38:48 > 0:38:51They won't tell you they're stressed.

0:38:51 > 0:38:54They won't share their financial difficulties with you.

0:38:55 > 0:38:57They're big, tough, hard, miners.

0:39:20 > 0:39:21Despite recent events,

0:39:21 > 0:39:25management must stay focused on reaching the target.

0:39:25 > 0:39:29The setbacks have caught the eye of Sean, the colliery manager...

0:39:31 > 0:39:34..and this morning, he has called a meeting with senior staff

0:39:34 > 0:39:36to get some answers.

0:39:36 > 0:39:38Good morning, team.

0:39:38 > 0:39:40ALL: Morning.

0:39:40 > 0:39:42Take us through t' figures, then, Steve.

0:39:43 > 0:39:46As you're aware, 320 conveyor joint, that broke last night.

0:39:46 > 0:39:48Yep.

0:39:48 > 0:39:49We're looking at about...

0:39:51 > 0:39:55..11am before the joints are fully back together this morning.

0:39:55 > 0:39:57Do we know why it's broke?

0:39:57 > 0:39:59We had an instruction on Saturday morning

0:39:59 > 0:40:02for the tail end to be cleaned out, and it's not been done.

0:40:04 > 0:40:06It's an own goal, that.

0:40:08 > 0:40:10We need to take it up with those involved, then, don't we?

0:40:10 > 0:40:12Because we got ourselves well in front,

0:40:12 > 0:40:14and we seem to have taken eye off ball,

0:40:14 > 0:40:16and it's dropping and dropping back.

0:40:16 > 0:40:18We've got to finish this target on time.

0:40:18 > 0:40:22As of this morning, 134 metres retreat left.

0:40:26 > 0:40:27It's within touching distance.

0:40:29 > 0:40:31'So you're all feeling quite confident

0:40:31 > 0:40:33'that you'll make that deadline for the 18th?'

0:40:33 > 0:40:34Yes. Yes.

0:40:36 > 0:40:38'Does everyone feel the same way?.

0:40:38 > 0:40:39MURMURS OF ASSENT

0:40:39 > 0:40:43There were a quietness around the room then, weren't there?! Yeah!

0:40:43 > 0:40:46We'll tell you on t' 18th!

0:40:46 > 0:40:47No, we'll hit it.

0:40:49 > 0:40:51'Even if it means no sleep?'

0:40:51 > 0:40:52I don't sleep anyway.

0:40:52 > 0:40:54No, we will hit it.

0:40:54 > 0:40:55We've had a few setbacks,

0:40:55 > 0:40:57but we'll catch that back and we'll get going again.

0:40:57 > 0:40:59Everybody is working so hard to it, that date.

0:41:12 > 0:41:14Kellingley Colliery will close.

0:41:14 > 0:41:18It is Britain's last working pit,

0:41:18 > 0:41:22and now the last 450 men are set to work their final shift.

0:41:22 > 0:41:25These are the men who have kept the coal industry going

0:41:25 > 0:41:26till the very end.

0:41:27 > 0:41:31Younger men who started as apprentices just a few years ago...

0:41:32 > 0:41:37..but also many older men who worked in the coal industry for decades.

0:41:38 > 0:41:42And frankly, I think that these miners have been betrayed.

0:41:42 > 0:41:43It's the miners at Kellingley

0:41:43 > 0:41:45who have saved the government

0:41:45 > 0:41:48from having to pick up the cost of closure.

0:41:48 > 0:41:52It's the miners at Kellingley who have kept UK Coal going long enough

0:41:52 > 0:41:55in order to pay off its bills and pay the taxes it owed.

0:41:55 > 0:41:57And what have they got in return?

0:41:57 > 0:42:01They've got the worst deal of any of the hundreds of thousands of miners

0:42:01 > 0:42:04who've left the industry over many decades.

0:42:04 > 0:42:07When Margaret Thatcher closed the pits in the 1980s

0:42:07 > 0:42:09on a massive scale, even she made sure

0:42:09 > 0:42:12that the miners got full redundancy pay and pensions.

0:42:14 > 0:42:16They have worked so hard,

0:42:16 > 0:42:19they feel in return that all they're getting right now

0:42:19 > 0:42:20is a kick in the teeth.

0:42:26 > 0:42:29There's tough times ahead for the workers at Kellingley -

0:42:29 > 0:42:32and, for Andy, securing a job outside the mine

0:42:32 > 0:42:33is not going to plan.

0:42:35 > 0:42:36They didn't like me on that job.

0:42:36 > 0:42:39They didn't want me. I must have not been good enough.

0:42:39 > 0:42:41Their loss. Never mind.

0:42:43 > 0:42:45I couldn't have give any more indication to them

0:42:45 > 0:42:48that I wanted the job, so it must be something that I've done or said.

0:42:48 > 0:42:49Must not be good enough!

0:42:51 > 0:42:53I'm guessing it was my age and experience,

0:42:53 > 0:42:55but I hope it something else.

0:42:55 > 0:42:57So I know I'm not going to get turned away from other jobs

0:42:57 > 0:43:01- because of my age and my experience. - 'What did Lucy say?'

0:43:02 > 0:43:04She was upset.

0:43:04 > 0:43:06She'd have preferred me to got the job

0:43:06 > 0:43:08so the worries were out the window, but...

0:43:08 > 0:43:11Sort of pinned her hopes on my hopes, so, never mind.

0:43:11 > 0:43:12She was upset.

0:43:17 > 0:43:21For Andy, life beyond the pit is not just about a new job.

0:43:22 > 0:43:26It's about walking away from his past and the memory of his father.

0:43:32 > 0:43:35- NEWSREADER:- Not one ounce of coal left the pits today,

0:43:35 > 0:43:37and not one miner was allowed in,

0:43:37 > 0:43:41while inspectors try to find out what caused a roof to fall,

0:43:41 > 0:43:43killing Gerry Gibson.

0:43:44 > 0:43:47On 27 September 2011,

0:43:47 > 0:43:49the father of two had been working underground

0:43:49 > 0:43:51in this coal mine in North Yorkshire

0:43:51 > 0:43:56when a roof collapsed, trapping him under 15 tonnes of rock.

0:44:00 > 0:44:02That for me? Thank you.

0:44:07 > 0:44:09I was working underground.

0:44:09 > 0:44:12I was doing my underground training at the time, in the pit bottom.

0:44:12 > 0:44:16Going around with the electrician there, on the same shift as my dad.

0:44:16 > 0:44:17They sort of did that,

0:44:17 > 0:44:21so, car sharing sort of thing they did it for.

0:44:21 > 0:44:22'Were you and him close?'

0:44:22 > 0:44:25Yes. Very close.

0:44:31 > 0:44:34I always sort of said, when I were younger, I would be a miner.

0:44:34 > 0:44:37My dad always said, "There'll be no mines left by the time you grow up,"

0:44:37 > 0:44:39and when I got a chance of an apprenticeship at the pit,

0:44:39 > 0:44:43my dad was the first one to tell me to take it.

0:44:43 > 0:44:44'Did you actually work together?'

0:44:44 > 0:44:46No, I never got the chance.

0:44:47 > 0:44:51It was just... Got to go down in the cage with him, you know,

0:44:51 > 0:44:53but, no, I never got the chance, unfortunately.

0:44:56 > 0:44:58It's obviously something that

0:44:58 > 0:45:00happens all the time, but it's just...

0:45:04 > 0:45:06- Do I have to answer? - 'No, you don't, mate.'- No.

0:45:06 > 0:45:08- 'Is it hard for you to talk about?' - Yeah.

0:45:10 > 0:45:12Yeah.

0:45:15 > 0:45:18I don't think he's accepted that he's really gone.

0:45:18 > 0:45:20It wasn't like he had something wrong with him.

0:45:20 > 0:45:23It wasn't an illness, so you had time to prepare for him leaving.

0:45:23 > 0:45:27He was suddenly taken and it was before his time, so it's sad.

0:45:29 > 0:45:32I thought he wouldn't have gone back, but he did.

0:45:32 > 0:45:34And in my head I think maybe he went back

0:45:34 > 0:45:36because that's where his dad was,

0:45:36 > 0:45:39and maybe that's where he feels closest to him.

0:45:39 > 0:45:43But the fact that it's closing down, he's losing part of his dad, really.

0:45:43 > 0:45:46The only part he has left is where he worked.

0:45:46 > 0:45:48That's where his dad is.

0:45:48 > 0:45:52That's the last thing connecting him with his dad, is the mine.

0:45:55 > 0:45:59I want him to move on, but I think he'll do it in his own time.

0:45:59 > 0:46:01It takes some people years, doesn't it?

0:46:01 > 0:46:03So he could be one of them people.

0:46:03 > 0:46:06But he don't talk about him, so I'm not going to press him on it.

0:46:08 > 0:46:10Unwilling to leave it behind,

0:46:10 > 0:46:14the NUM are moving the miners' memorial to a nearby museum.

0:46:15 > 0:46:19Sad day for t' lads, sad day for t' industry, sad day for Kellingley.

0:46:21 > 0:46:24When you've lost such a rock in your life, you know,

0:46:24 > 0:46:27as his father probably was.

0:46:27 > 0:46:28You know, I mean...

0:46:29 > 0:46:34..it's, you know, you can't describe it.

0:46:41 > 0:46:42Thank you.

0:46:44 > 0:46:49I think what Gerry would have said to Andy is, "Look, son.

0:46:49 > 0:46:52"You're young." Right? "You've got a trade at your back.

0:46:52 > 0:46:55"You're an electrician, make yoursen known.

0:46:55 > 0:46:57"Go out there and see if you can find as quality a job

0:46:57 > 0:47:00"as what you had at the Big K."

0:47:02 > 0:47:05I'm not saying that's going to give him any solace,

0:47:05 > 0:47:07but, you know, he might move on from that.

0:47:30 > 0:47:35Before the government decided to end its reliance on coal by 2025,

0:47:35 > 0:47:39Kellingley had made plans to continue mining coal for decades.

0:47:40 > 0:47:45The water that is above the seam forms stalagmites and stalactites.

0:47:45 > 0:47:46'So, how old are these?'

0:47:48 > 0:47:49I would say about 18 months old.

0:47:52 > 0:47:54One of Sheldon's jobs underground

0:47:54 > 0:47:56is to safety check the parts of the mine

0:47:56 > 0:47:58that were abandoned two years ago.

0:47:58 > 0:48:03The Eggboroughs were the future of Kellingley Colliery.

0:48:03 > 0:48:05That was the next seam that we were going into.

0:48:05 > 0:48:09Unfortunately, we stopped them on the day they announced the closure.

0:48:09 > 0:48:11The seams are all just sat there

0:48:11 > 0:48:15as if somebody has just turned off the electricity and that's it.

0:48:17 > 0:48:19We need to find diverse,

0:48:19 > 0:48:24secure sources of energy and cut the impact of carbon on our planet.

0:48:24 > 0:48:28We're powering our country through an out-of-date, inefficient grid

0:48:28 > 0:48:30and ageing, polluting power stations.

0:48:34 > 0:48:39For a man who seemingly is never away from Europe,

0:48:39 > 0:48:44why is it that he has never took the opportunity when he's been there

0:48:44 > 0:48:47to put in a claim for state aid

0:48:47 > 0:48:50to save British miners' jobs?

0:48:50 > 0:48:54He's the man who, during the election campaign,

0:48:54 > 0:48:57masqueraded as the workers' champion

0:48:57 > 0:49:01and he hasn't got the guts to help those miners.

0:49:04 > 0:49:07Very good to see the Labour Party in full voice

0:49:07 > 0:49:09cheering on Jurassic Park.

0:49:15 > 0:49:17That's the machine on the day it was stopped.

0:49:18 > 0:49:20That was the future of Kellingley Colliery.

0:49:20 > 0:49:24That is how we left it 18 months ago.

0:49:24 > 0:49:26And as you can see, there's the coal.

0:49:26 > 0:49:28That was what it was all about.

0:49:28 > 0:49:29Black diamonds.

0:49:33 > 0:49:35That's what used to keep the lights on.

0:49:36 > 0:49:40That's what used to keep everybody's electricity going.

0:49:42 > 0:49:43That's what it was all about.

0:49:48 > 0:49:49That's the last piece off the face.

0:49:50 > 0:49:53The last piece to ever come off of this seam.

0:49:57 > 0:49:58There's no future for coal.

0:49:58 > 0:50:03We all understand about carbon emissions and global warming.

0:50:03 > 0:50:07We all accept that we've got to clean us act up.

0:50:07 > 0:50:09But why is it only us that has to clean us act up?

0:50:09 > 0:50:11Why doesn't China have to clean their act up?

0:50:11 > 0:50:14Why is Germany investing heavily in coal-fired power stations?

0:50:17 > 0:50:19There was a marketplace for ten years -

0:50:19 > 0:50:21there was a good, good argument

0:50:21 > 0:50:26for keeping Kellingley Colliery open for ten more years.

0:50:29 > 0:50:33'Is the thought of a new future that isn't mining, scary?'

0:50:34 > 0:50:36Of course it's scary, Wes.

0:50:36 > 0:50:38Most people won't say to each other

0:50:38 > 0:50:41that they're scared of what the future holds.

0:50:41 > 0:50:45We put on bravado and we try to be positive

0:50:45 > 0:50:48or manly and macho,

0:50:48 > 0:50:51but deep down, of course, people are scared and concerned.

0:50:51 > 0:50:54Especially people that have got young children at home,

0:50:54 > 0:50:56have got mortgages to pay.

0:50:57 > 0:50:58'Are you scared?'

0:51:01 > 0:51:03I'm very, very apprehensive of what the future holds for me.

0:51:22 > 0:51:25- We're happy.- We're all right.

0:51:25 > 0:51:27'Has it been a tricky morning for you?'

0:51:27 > 0:51:29It's a tricky morning every morning.

0:51:29 > 0:51:33We're not strictly going to plan, but we'll catch it back...

0:51:33 > 0:51:35THEY LAUGH

0:51:35 > 0:51:37..with some hard work and commitment.

0:51:37 > 0:51:40We've got one plan, get to the end of t' gate until we're done.

0:51:40 > 0:51:43We've got to want it and then we're going to make it happen.

0:51:43 > 0:51:46- That's it, Kev.- That's it, and we're going to do it safely.

0:51:46 > 0:51:49And we shan't give in until we've done it.

0:51:49 > 0:51:52We know that t' pit's shutting, it's supposed to be December 18th,

0:51:52 > 0:51:55but we want to hit the plan what the company has set us,

0:51:55 > 0:51:58and get all the coal off what they've asked us to get off.

0:51:58 > 0:52:03We don't want to go out and have done 30 odd years, Kev about 37,

0:52:03 > 0:52:07Pete same as me, 33, 34 years, and go out on a downer.

0:52:07 > 0:52:09We want to go out winning, don't we?

0:52:09 > 0:52:11We want to get all the coal off what we can.

0:52:12 > 0:52:14So when we walk away from here,

0:52:14 > 0:52:17we'll walk away with heads held high.

0:52:17 > 0:52:19Because we know we've done it.

0:52:19 > 0:52:22And there's a lot wouldn't have been able to do it.

0:52:22 > 0:52:24We never give in and we don't do the F-word - fail.

0:52:24 > 0:52:27- We don't fail.- We don't do that. We don't do that.

0:52:32 > 0:52:35Clear the bar, everybody. We're taking lockdown off.

0:52:44 > 0:52:45You got some engine problems?

0:52:46 > 0:52:49Andy's mining career has been cut short.

0:52:49 > 0:52:52He will be the last in his family to work at the pit.

0:52:54 > 0:52:55But there is new hope,

0:52:55 > 0:52:58as today he has received an unexpected phone call.

0:52:59 > 0:53:01The National Grid rang me up.

0:53:01 > 0:53:03They said, "It's the guy who interviewed you."

0:53:03 > 0:53:04I was like, "That's strange.

0:53:04 > 0:53:06"Why would the guy that interviewed ring me?"

0:53:06 > 0:53:07And he says, "I'd like to offer..."

0:53:07 > 0:53:09And I was like, "Wow, hold on there!"

0:53:09 > 0:53:11And they've offered me a job.

0:53:11 > 0:53:13Which I'm slightly overwhelmed about.

0:53:13 > 0:53:15Cos that was the number one job I wanted

0:53:15 > 0:53:17out of all the ones I've applied for, so...

0:53:17 > 0:53:20You know, you can't beat the National Grid.

0:53:20 > 0:53:22I jumped around the house when he told me!

0:53:22 > 0:53:24Can't wait to see the bloke, to be honest.

0:53:24 > 0:53:26Just to thank him and shake his hand.

0:53:26 > 0:53:27I might even cuddle him!

0:53:27 > 0:53:29I just want to see the guy that interviewed me

0:53:29 > 0:53:33and basically thought, "You're the man for me."

0:53:33 > 0:53:35Wee man. How you doing?

0:53:35 > 0:53:37'How are you feeling about it all?'

0:53:37 > 0:53:38Really good.

0:53:38 > 0:53:40Like, really overwhelmed, but happy.

0:53:40 > 0:53:44I think it was getting to a scary point.

0:53:44 > 0:53:47There's bills that need to be coming out at the end of the month,

0:53:47 > 0:53:49it's getting a bit...serious.

0:53:49 > 0:53:51Like, "Oh, my God, what's going to happen?"

0:53:51 > 0:53:55And now, whether it's three months down the line, it's a job.

0:53:55 > 0:53:57It's something to look forward to.

0:53:57 > 0:54:00Yeah, it's like a job for life, you know?

0:54:00 > 0:54:03A lot of lads 40 years, were told, down the pit.

0:54:03 > 0:54:04Job for life.

0:54:06 > 0:54:08You can't fit in any of those holes,

0:54:08 > 0:54:11it's impossible to get stuck unless you put it under there.

0:54:11 > 0:54:12Unless you put it in there.

0:54:12 > 0:54:16I haven't had a phone call like that since I got my job at the pit,

0:54:16 > 0:54:17so...just quite happy!

0:54:31 > 0:54:34For the majority of Kellingley's workforce,

0:54:34 > 0:54:35the future looks less certain,

0:54:35 > 0:54:39and the pressure of the mine's debt still hangs over them.

0:54:41 > 0:54:44- Raymond!- All right!- Welcome back.

0:54:44 > 0:54:46- Raymond, how we going? - Nice to see you, our lad.

0:54:46 > 0:54:48Nice to see you! Well, you're back to full fitness!

0:54:48 > 0:54:51But the men's' morale is lifted.

0:54:51 > 0:54:55Ray, who suffered a heart attack, has returned from the hospital.

0:54:55 > 0:54:57I thought I was fit as fuck, me.

0:54:57 > 0:54:59Never thought I would go down like that.

0:54:59 > 0:55:01We got the message, "Oh, it's not looking good."

0:55:01 > 0:55:04We all thought that was it.

0:55:04 > 0:55:07Nearly gone and had a funeral for you all.

0:55:07 > 0:55:09I think shifts and all that is not good for you.

0:55:09 > 0:55:12I think it'll do us better not working.

0:55:12 > 0:55:16Money don't mean nowt and good wages if you're not right.

0:55:16 > 0:55:18When it happened I were on holiday in Gran Canaria.

0:55:18 > 0:55:19I got a text message off Wrighty,

0:55:19 > 0:55:21I had to stop drinking for half an hour.

0:55:21 > 0:55:22THEY CHUCKLE

0:55:25 > 0:55:32- All right, mate.- All right, Russ. - All right.- Nice to see you, Ray.

0:55:32 > 0:55:33Thanks for t' card, Kev.

0:55:34 > 0:55:36I'm glad you're all right, Ray.

0:55:36 > 0:55:40- I fucking am.- All right, Ray. - Ey up, Ray!

0:55:41 > 0:55:43- Come here, Jack.- I love you too.

0:55:43 > 0:55:45You all right?

0:55:45 > 0:55:48- You all right?- Yeah.- Yeah?

0:55:48 > 0:55:51- All right, Pete.- Now, then, Ray. - All right, mate?

0:55:51 > 0:55:54Am I glad to see thee!

0:55:54 > 0:55:56Bloody hell.

0:55:56 > 0:55:59- Scared everybody to death, didn't you?- You did.

0:55:59 > 0:56:00- I feel all right.- Does tha?- Yeah.

0:56:00 > 0:56:02Take it easy, now.

0:56:02 > 0:56:03Hang by a bit.

0:56:05 > 0:56:08There's no doubt about it, these here the best miners in the world.

0:56:08 > 0:56:09They worked in a hazardous industry.

0:56:09 > 0:56:11In the past, they'll have worked

0:56:11 > 0:56:14with people and lost their colleagues underground,

0:56:14 > 0:56:16which is a terrible thing to happen.

0:56:16 > 0:56:18All Right.

0:56:28 > 0:56:32It would be wrong if we come to a week before the end

0:56:32 > 0:56:34and the plan failed

0:56:34 > 0:56:36because of the shortfall of a small number of tonnes,

0:56:36 > 0:56:38and then people lost their money.

0:56:40 > 0:56:44When the mine shuts I really want everybody to go out safe,

0:56:44 > 0:56:47go out on time, and to get as much money as they can.

0:57:06 > 0:57:07Says it all, doesn't it?

0:57:07 > 0:57:10That could be a pile of workers on t' scrapheap.

0:57:10 > 0:57:13Right, lads, get changed. He's changed his mind.

0:57:13 > 0:57:14We're cutting.

0:57:14 > 0:57:16WHISTLE BLOWS

0:57:16 > 0:57:17Last whistle.

0:57:18 > 0:57:21Wait till we're told that we're not required,

0:57:21 > 0:57:23and then we'll all shake hands and go home.

0:57:23 > 0:57:25What is going on?

0:57:25 > 0:57:26What's going on?

0:57:27 > 0:57:28It's the end.

0:57:28 > 0:57:31I can't. Just give me a minute.

0:57:39 > 0:57:42Britain will regret the day that they've closed their coalmines.