Episode 2 The Last Miners

This programme contains some strong language

-Are we ready for the Calypso?

-We're ready, Kevin.

# Eh, Mrs Micklethwaite Will tha feed mi whippet?

# Daylight comes and I'm still down pit

# I go down pub and I drink ten pints

# I think I'm getting plastered

# And I go home and I beat my wife

# Cos I'm a big, fat Northern bastard. #

-Hurrah!

-Well done, Kevin.

David Cameron, you might take our jobs,

but you won't take our sense of humour.

Too true.

Half a mile beneath North Yorkshire's countryside,

a rare breed of men are at work.

-Five strips, Rob, no accidents.

-Aye.

But not for much longer.

The last deep coal mine in Britain is about to close...

..burying a once proud industry and terminating the job of every worker.

They'll be bored stacking shelves, these lads.

They need some hard graft, it's good for the soul.

In the final five weeks, they've pushed themselves to the limit...

Get on, tha's got a job to do.

It's not that I'm worried, I'm frustrated.

..overcome breakdowns and kept cutting coal.

These, here, are the best miners in the world.

I really want everybody to get as much money as they can.

But now the men will go their separate ways...

See you later, Sheldon.

..and start their lives all over again.

It's a bit surreal, really,

after so long working underground.

There were 600 people when I applied

and five people got the job.

It feels like there's no hope. It's draining now.

Maybe I didn't spend enough time with the kids

when they were growing up.

A bit more time for family.

This is the story of the last miners.

There's only so many times you can wash the windows, cut the grass,

hoover the carpet.

I've hoovered twice today, before 12 o'clock.

On my sandwich, I've got ox tongue today.

Who eats ox tongue?

Everybody eats ox tongue.

I'll save you a piece to taste.

Working down the pit, because it's a hot environment,

if you take cheese, it melts.

I've got a thing for Monster Munches at the moment, I don't know why.

I think I bought 'em...

June bought them for the grandkids and then I got a taste for them.

-So, how many times have you done this, do you think?

-Oh, God.

Thousands and thousands and thousands.

I won't be doing it much longer, will I?

Sheldon has had the same routine for 38 years of his mining career...

..but this way of life is coming to an end.

Over the years, it's paid for three houses, two weddings...

Should we say I've had a lovely life?

It's about... Well, no, that's not right, you shouldn't say that.

It's not about to come to an end, it's just that...

..the career in mining's about to come to an end.

Britain is turning its back on the deep coal mining industry...

..and Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire is the last pit standing.

Its 450 workforce are facing unemployment...

..and an uncertain future beyond the pit.

In just one week, Sheldon will no longer be a miner.

The only place I've ever worked is in the mining industry.

It's all I'm used to doing.

You seem in good shape for it.

I'm overweight.

But today, he's got a job to do...

and a long commute.

Descending over 800 metres beneath the surface...

..the miners board a train

that travels a further four miles into the dark.

This is such a weird way to come to work, isn't it, this?

It might be weird for you, Wes, but it's what we've been used to.

I've worked in pits for 33 year

and travelling on paddys is just a way of life, isn't it?

It's summat that we're used to, we don't know any different.

Jonesy and his men have shared this journey together for years.

# It's a working man I am

# And I've been down underground

# And I swear to God if I never see the sun

# In the dark recess of the mine

# Where you age before your time

# And the coal dust lays heavy on your lungs

# It's a working man I am

# And I've been down... #

The miners at Kellingley Colliery have battled for the last 18 months

to work the pit out of debt

and secure their full redundancy pay.

Well done, everybody!

For Kev, the miners' dedication has never been in doubt.

You've got to want it...

haven't you?

You've got to want it

and we want it.

After a series of breakdowns,

mounting pressure on the workforce and time running out,

finally, the men of Kellingley are on track to complete the closure plan.

It's incredible. Incredible that the guys are working so hard

to finish this plan.

Last week was the best week's performance for over two years

and that just shows the true spirit and how committed.

They don't want to go out thinking that they've not achieved.

Come on, you little beauty!

HE LAUGHS

That's right, isn't it, Jacko?

-It is, aye.

-That were fucking rowy.

For Kev, completing the plan is a bittersweet moment.

He now faces the reality of what life will be like outside the pit.

We're all a bit anxious about finishing.

It'll be harder for our generation,

us what's 50 plus, won't it?

I want to work. I've still got a lot to offer

to society and prospective employers,

but we're already experiencing ageism with some of the companies.

People with lots of qualifications applying for jobs

not even getting through to interview stages,

it's all about age.

Middle of January, no job, bags are packed,

me and Wellard's out on the street.

Sheldon will be swinging from the rafters.

Come on, Shel, I'm only kidding.

I'm under no pressure at all to do anything at home.

June's never said I've got to get a job,

or I should do this or I should do that.

-It is my life, I live it the way...

-No, she's not said it,

but, next Friday, there'll probably be a solicitor's letter come,

stating that you'll get a job.

Most of us are scared, scared of what's out there.

My skills and transferring them out there in the big wide world

and how I'm going to be taken, how I'm going to be perceived.

Because it is a whole different world, working in a coal mine.

So it's scary.

It's not just the older miners

who are concerned about future employment.

Jack is just 23 and lives at home with his mum.

-Jack, what's for dinner?

-Just chilli.

-Chilli today.

-I'm impressed, Jack, it's nice seeing you cook.

I always do. I love it.

I think he got fed up of my bland cooking.

Jack knows, to find a job, he has to leave home.

But with his mother recently diagnosed with cancer,

it's a tough decision to leave his family.

With the pit closing and me falling ill, it's just unfortunate, really,

but, he's got to move on, hasn't he?

So, make the most of an awful situation.

I go back in January

for another endoscopy to see how the tumours have grown

and if they've grown to the size where they have to come out,

my stomach's going to be removed.

It's a rare cancer.

Fingers crossed...

once the stomach's out, you know, they don't appear anywhere else,

but you never know. You never know.

With your mum saying she's not well,

does it make it even harder for you to think about leaving

-when your mum's not well?

-Yes. Oh, I can't...

Just give me a minute.

It has been hard, has that.

Um, I know, um...

he doesn't like talking about me being ill.

Everything's just come at the wrong time.

He'll be fine.

He will.

-Are you back?

-All right, yeah. Yeah, I'm all right.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah.

Sorry, mate. I know it's...

Yeah.

It is, it's hard to talk about.

-So, Jack, if the pit wasn't closing, would you move?

-No.

No, no, I would've worked there for ever, for me.

We've prayed and prayed that, you know,

they're going to come and save it, but it's not going to happen now.

Tomorrow, Kellingley Colliery will close.

But today, it's business as usual.

-All right, Sheldon?

-Boss.

Before they go down the mine,

Jonesy's calling management to find out

if his men will work underground on the last day.

It will be their final shift together.

Are we cutting tomorrow on us last shift?

Turn up to work as normal tomorrow, lads, that's it.

It'd be nice to know at this stage, will we be cutting,

and all he keeps saying is, "Turn up for work as normal."

-They've been

-BLEEP

-for the last 30-odd years,

they're not going to start being right with us on the last week.

When you think about it,

probably it is you start thinking about the pit shutting

and all your workmates who you're not going to see again and...

But you try to put that to the back of your mind, don't you,

for the time being and just get on with what we've got to do?

I'm going to Benidorm.

The main thing that we've got to do, over these next two days,

is make sure we don't hurt nobody and that's of the main thing.

I think, probably tomorrow,

we'll come and there'll just be a great big party for us,

-a free bar and everything.

-Yeah.

And a great brown envelope.

Even though Sheldon says he's going to delete all us and all that

off his social media and his mobile and that,

he'll be texting us and saying, "Are we meeting up for a drink and that?"

I'm sure I'll be saying, "Funeral Face who?

"Jonesy who? Never heard of him!"

One of the oldest miners at Kellingley is Ray.

He recently suffered a heart attack at the pit

and has been off work since.

Today, the men have gathered to give Ray a proper send-off.

We're gathered here today, it's his second to last shift, penultimate shift,

and I've asked Ray to come, cos all the lads between us,

you know, everybody loves him at this pit.

It showed last week when you came out of pit and made a fuss of him,

didn't you, when he had his heart trouble, like.

Are you getting emotional, Dave?

A lot of years, Ray. He's been a great bloke, hasn't he?

Put a lot of effort into this pit.

And this is what we've had made for him. What it is...

LAUGHTER AND CHEERING

APPLAUSE

INDISTINCT CHATTER

This moment marks the end of his 47-year mining career...

..and he will miss out on the last shift tomorrow.

Come on, then, all aboard!

LAUGHTER

The closure of Kellingley Colliery

has caught the attention of the national press.

It's a change of industrial landscape and the end of UK coal.

They're here to witness the end of deep coal mining in the UK.

You're going to be like weird celebrities today.

We'll soon be forgotten.

They've shut loads of pits up to now and nobody's been bothered.

Nobody...hardly anybody about who wants to keep it open.

-Nobody were bothered, were they?

-No.

Away from the press,

assistant manager Pete clocks on for the last time.

It's the end of his 32-year career.

I feel sad that this day's come,

but I feel happy that we've hit the plan.

So, when you look at emotions,

how do you put happiness and sadness together?

It's very difficult.

By the end of today, I will be sad that we've come to an end.

I'll be sad that I don't see a lot of these people again,

other than socialising.

It's been decided the day shift will be the last miners

to cut coal at Kellingley.

Are we ready, lads? Come on.

It's a big thing for them, being the last shift to cut the face,

but it's also going to be the last cut for Kellingley,

but it's also going to be the last cut

for the last deep mine in the UK.

This historic moment is something Jonesy, Kev and Sheldon will miss.

They aren't due to clock on until this evening.

DISTANT SINGING

# I saw the flickering shadows

# Of love on her blind... #

Has he come back?!

LAUGHTER

# She was my woman

# My, my, my, Delilah!

# Why, why, why Delilah?

# I could see the girl was no good for me... #

CHEERING

# I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window

# I saw the flickering shadow of love on her blind

# She was my woman... #

It's an end of an era and it's the beginning of an error.

I don't understand exactly how this happens,

why it is not possible just to keep the mine alive.

# Why, why, why, Delilah? #

It is a shame that we couldn't have the same level of interest

when we were trying to keep the mines open

as the same level of interest now the mines are closing.

Fucking media circus run by clowns over fucking road!

-Can we get a quick chat outside, is that all right?

-Yeah, fine, yeah.

-It's a bit nippy, are you all right?

-I'll be all right, yeah.

-All right, you're northern.

-Yeah.

I don't mind the publicity because they're fantastic lads,

but I think the publicity is for the wrong reason.

We should have been fighting to keep the pits open,

rather than celebrating the pits shutting.

-# So before they come to break down the door...

-#

Pit men are not shy. Whenever there's a camera available,

they do try their best to get on it, so they're certainly not shy. Hello.

INAUDIBLE

MAN SHOUTS

Let's start again.

# I just couldn't take any more! #

-Right, is that it, mate?

-Yes, all the best.

-All the best, mate.

-All the best.

-Yeah, look after yourself...

Jack's taking the opportunity to say goodbye to his workmates.

The men who have trained him from his first day are his last stop.

When I first got here, Jack was just coming out his time

as an apprentice, you know, so he was a good lad.

I mean, he's only a young whippersnapper at the minute.

He's only a greenhorn, so he's nearly a clean piece of paper,

for an employer to work with him.

And he's like a sponge, is Jack.

Sometimes he needs wringing out though

cos he does take some shit on board an' all!

As soon he gets up there, Geordies will look after him.

I've looked after him for the past, all these years,

so I may as well continue doing it.

Don't aim too low.

-No, no.

-Don't underestimate what you do know.

Sell your positive traits, mate.

Your commitment, experience,

in a very arduous industry.

200,000 when me and him joined and we're now the last of the last.

It's the best job I've ever had, it's ace.

Right, so that's it, never mind.

-Crazy, innit?

-Hm.

The day shift have been cutting at the coal face for four hours.

The end is here, the end is here.

And for their manager, Bonner, it's sinking in

that this will be the last chance to work alongside his men.

You're never experience it in any other industry, never, never ever.

They've got a bond what can't be broken, honestly.

It's unbelievable.

As the shearer powers down...

..centuries of deep coal mining come to an end.

Last piece of coal.

That one there, see that one there?

What happens to all this stuff underground?

We're just leaving it, it's getting left.

We've just turned the power off,

they'll seal the shafts up and that'll be it.

Millions of pounds of equipment just left.

-Well done, lads.

-Cheers, old love.

It's easier to describe it as a family.

You're all one, you help each other, they'll give you anything,

they'll do anything for each other.

They have their little tiffs and fall-outs,

but it's a family, it is really a family.

Everything you experience at home,

you'll experience with these men here.

Numb, numb is the only words I've got.

Er, desperately sad...

..to have something so important taken away from you.

It's, er...it's been an emotional shift, that's all I can say.

All the best, lads.

BLOWS WHISTLE

-Last whistle.

-That's it, let's go.

Done and dusted.

MEN CHEER

LAUGHTER

Today we witnessed the last miners to come out of the last shift

at this, the last deep coal mining pit in the country.

It's also a sobering thought that we will never see these miners again.

This is it, this is the end of the industry.

-Lads, now, how do you feel?

-Sad.

-Devastated.

We'll give you the full story at 6.30 on Look North tonight.

Can we have a bit more from everybody this time?

-Yeah, we'll do it again.

-Exactly the same but really...

How do you all feel collectively? Sum it up in one word.

-Devastated.

-Gutted.

-Do you want to go for devastated?

-Yeah.

-All say the same thing, yeah?

Right, OK? And this is the miners who've done the last shift.

How are you feeling, lads?

-Devastated.

-We'll have the full story in Look North at 6.30 tonight.

Perfect, right.

Brilliant. Just stay there.

It's not just the men underground who will lose their jobs today.

In the boardroom, colliery manager Shaun has already begun

saying his goodbyes.

First of all, I'd like to say thanks,

you know, for supporting me.

And, as a team, we've all worked together.

We've all believed in each other.

We've had us fall-outs,

you know, but like miners do,

we have a fall-out and then we get back on horse.

But unfortunately, guys, you know, we've come to the end of the road.

And, um, I'd like to thank everybody,

we can all have a sandwich together.

Right, tuck in, lads. Let's get wrappings off.

So we're all in the same boat really,

whether you're management or mineworker,

it's still the end of deep mining

and still the end of all our careers.

I thought today the underground... but it's for the lads themselves,

so I'll leave them to it.

I'm not very good at the soft skills, as they say!

HE CHUCKLES

The commotion of the day is over

and the last piece of coal has been cut.

But, as instructed by management,

Sheldon and his workmates arrive for their shift.

You all right, boys? Ey-up there, Sheldon.

All right, boys?

-What's the story, lads?

-We've come in, swiped on and swiped off,

so we get us last day's pay.

-We'll just wait.

-Wait till we're told that we're not required,

and then we'll all shake hands and go home.

That's it.

We were cutting, we were last shift cutting, we want to go down.

That's how you're treated.

-It's sad enough as it is.

-Aye, bad enough as it is.

Says it all, doesn't it? That could be a pile of workers on scrapheap.

All right?

-Jonesy, what is going on?

-"What's going on?"

It's the end, we're here.

They're going through the procedure

of closing everything down, afternoon shift.

As soon as the deputy manager who's in control

gets confirmed that everything's been done what he wants doing,

he's going to let everybody go home.

It doesn't really feel like a proper end

to about a 40-year career doing this job.

What did you think would happen? A gold watch engraved?

Somebody waiting in the concourse from management to shake your hand?

It's done, isn't it?

We can't keep saying, "We'll go down tomorrow, we'll go down tomorrow."

There's got to be a final point, hasn't there, at some time?

It would have been nice of them to be able to tell us last night,

"This is your last coaling shift"

And it would have meant a lot more to us, I think, cos we'd have

all been there in our own environment to say ta-ra.

It would have been a lot better,

even if were we had to do it tonight,

it would have been a lot better for us, just to get through shift,

not get hurt, all go meet up at train,

shake hands and it would have been a lot better that way.

It would've been right, wouldn't it?

But this, we're going to be in and out, in and out, and...

It's just, like, put a bit of a damp squib on it.

You know all the times I've said it?

Now I can finally do it.

There's a bag - empty your fucking locker!

There you go.

I thought I'd have had that years ago.

Andy, empty your fucking locker!

Anyone else?

Empty your fucking locker!

-Are these out of her cupboard?

-Yeah.

-Aye, I knew it'd be out of cupboard, these.

-Personal.

Empty your fucking locker, cock!

-All the best.

-Do you want one, Chris?

One of Pete's final tasks before he clocks off

is to terminate the underground air supply.

The first set we know I stopped, but we just need to make sure

that the air doors are in the correct position

and then very shortly we'll be stopping

the last of the booster fans underground.

This is the end of Kellingley and it's the end of coal mining.

That's the thing what sort of...

is a bit choking.

We've just put coffin lid on

and every one of us in here is putting a nail it.

What we're doing now is the end.

It is.

I am 100% convinced, going forward,

Britain will regret the day they closed their coalmines.

But, God forbid, if we have three or four months of real harsh winter...

er, Britain would be struggling to power.

You just cannot replace quickly

the capacity of not only closing the coal mines,

but now closing all the coal-fired power stations.

Again, the country's not ready to take up this...

this gap in the energy market.

# At the age of 16 years

# With my father close to tears

# When he swore to God never to send his son

# To the dark recess of the mine

# Where you age before your time

# And the coal dust lies heavy on your lungs

# At the age of 55

# I thank God I'm still alive

# When the wheel above the hole no longer turns

# And they finally close the hole

# Where we clawed for years for coal.

# Never again will I go down underground. #

Thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

PHONE RINGS

It's Mr Wordsworth.

MEN CHEER

Hello.

Just tell 'em we're off down pit cutting, see what they say.

Right, lads, get changed.

He's changed his mind, we're cutting.

LAUGHTER

-MAN:

-Fuck off, Wordsworth!

Right, tell them they can go. OK, thank you.

Mates... Yeah, they can go.

They're happy with everything they've done for close down,

so he's letting them all go.

BRASS BAND PLAYS: Nimrod by Elgar

All right?

Right, Shel.

-See you, Bob.

-On your way.

See you. I'll come round and have a beer with you.

Thanks a lot for all your work, Alan.

All right, Dave, thanks a lot.

There you go, see you later.

-All right?

-See you again.

That's it, Wes.

-Are you all going?

-Yeah, in a minute.

See you later, Sheldon.

-See you tomorrow.

-Yeah.

See you in morning, yeah?

They're a fantastic bunch of lads what we've got on our shift,

-aren't they?

-Yeah, Oh, yeah.

Yes.

-We've been together a few years, haven't we?

-Mm.

Gone through thick and thin,

as well as good times and bad times.

While the Kellingley miners face an uncertain future outside the pit,

at this time of year, some things never change.

# Merry Christmas, baby... #

Is that recording? I can't see, me.

Merry Christmas!

# Merry Christmas, baby... #

-So what's this, then, Dad?

-Stuffing. Caramelised stuffing.

-Caramelised or burnt?!

-Caramelised Christmas stuffing.

Oh, you've pulled his head off!

"Kev, it's been a pleasure, a privilege and an honour

"to have had the opportunity to work with you and to become your friend.

"Never will I go underground again." Well done, Ross.

Oh!

Oh, that's a big meal for a little boy.

It's 2016 now.

Here we are. Onwards and upwards.

It's that warm, it's melted chocolate.

Look forward to the new opportunities

that's arising for me and...

let's get on with it.

# Tonight's going to be a good night

# Tonight's going to be a good night

# Tonight's going to be a good night... #

-RADIO:

-'The day Monday, the year 2016,

'the mood, ah, fantastic!

'Optimistic, full of vim and vigour.

'I hope you had a brilliant Christmas.

'A fabulous, sparkling, dazzling...'

-Smells nice.

-Diesel. Only The Brave.

I wonder how many people are getting up this morning, doing this.

It's a new year for Sheldon.

After years of security in the same job,

he's now one of Britain's 1.7 million unemployed.

I don't want a new start.

This isn't what I want.

I'm not being all enthusiastic

about ending my mining career because I'm not.

This is not what I wanted.

But it's what I've got, so it's what I've got to do,

it's what I've got to get on with.

I always thought I'd retire a miner, to be quite frank.

At the age of 54, he's going back to school.

The course that we're starting this morning

is a copper cable and fibre-optic jointing course.

As much as I don't want to let go of the past and...

It's something new. It's a new door opening.

It's a new career and, hopefully, a new start in life.

I've got a puncture, I think.

I'm going to have to pull over or I'm going to knacker the tyre.

You wouldn't believe it. Brand-new tyre, three or four weeks ago.

You watch how fast I can change this.

You wouldn't believe this, very first day.

It's not an omen, is this?

Is it?

What a thing to ask me!

Yeah, it's broke, mate.

I don't fucking believe this.

It's not a bad 'mobile this, is it?

Jack has lived with his family all his life...

..but now he has to leave home to find a new career.

Here, look, give that to Uncle Jack for his new house.

-Give it to Uncle Jack.

-Is that for me?

Ta. Give us a kiss.

Give kisses.

Mwah! A bit of snot there, cheers(!)

LAUGHTER

"This is my hand, my hand will do a thousand loving things for you

"and you will remember, when I am tall,

"that once my hand was just this small."

-Oh!

-Bless her.

All right, love?

Give me a kiss? Yes.

Give Uncle Jack a kiss.

-Give me a kiss.

-Say bye.

Say bye-bye.

Right, have a safe journey.

-Right, see you later on.

-See you later, love.

-Bye!

Wish me luck.

See you later.

We could have done without me being ill,

which has just added, bless him, to it, you know, to his worry.

-He's gone now.

-He's gone.

I just wish he were at home because I think I need him at home with it.

But, as a mum, you can't stop 'em.

You know, you've got to try and be brave and, you know,

not put how I feel on him.

We're seven minutes late.

The fact that I'm late on my very first day, I'm mortified.

Unbelievable.

Sheldon finally makes it to his fibre-optic course.

Happy New Year.

-Happy New Year. You wouldn't believe it.

-What's up with him?

You want to see state of...boof!

Back at class, back at class.

No, I thought of copying off you.

Right, guys, just sit down wherever you want.

Sheldon's not the only miner from Kellingley on the course.

He's training alongside some of his old workmates,

all of them trying to get into a new industry.

That's a fibre-optic fibre.

There's enough fibre within this to probably do Sheffield.

"Cordless power tools are recommended

"for use where the environment is...?"

-Noisy?

-No.

-Wet.

Wet, that's right, yeah.

15, please.

"A safety sign which warns of a hazard

"has a background coloured...?"

A, red.

-No.

-Oh.

-Yellow.

-Yellow.

Red, remember, is don't do something.

Right. And blue's mandatory, yeah.

Question three, please, Tony.

"The earth connection to the metal case..."

It's been a long day in the classroom

and now Sheldon has homework.

"If a 60-watt lamp is left switched on for five minutes,

"the energy used is...?"

Don't you know?

It's 18,000 joules, actually.

Sheldon, when you're told you've got to learn all these things,

does it make you have second thoughts

that you should be getting into a new industry?

No, not at all.

Just cos Kellingley Colliery is shut and gone and it's history,

all the people that worked there aren't.

I don't want to grow old

and I'm not ready to sit down and be old and...

not do anything.

It's very, very important for me to get back to work.

Get back into it.

Get back in...into a career.

It's a fresh start for Jonesy.

He has a new job and a new uniform.

This looks how it's going to be now.

You look very smart, mate.

Yeah. I brush up well, don't I?

Keep looking at time. Don't want to be late, do we, Wes?

-See you.

-Have a good day.

-I will.

Jonesy's new job is for a prestigious car dealership.

Having spent the last ten years in management,

he's having to start again.

-Morning.

-Mate.

-This is our...

-Hiya.

-Nice to meet you.

-She's our key account manager. OK?

-She's going to go through understanding the A Class and C Class with you.

-Yeah.

So I'm going to leave you in Charlotte's capable hands.

So, shall we take you over to the A Class

and we'll have a little look around it?

The main thing for me is show the main controls.

So, your gearbox, which, on an automatic, is on the steering wheel here.

And then your handbrake, funnily enough, is not down there.

It's down there. Can you see?

I mean, if there's anything you're not sure of,

it's not the end of the world if there's something you can't answer.

But I do want some of them manuals to take home to read.

Yeah, no, yeah, I can give you one on each model.

Once you've learned one, you jump into the next car...

It'll be nice driving them up and down, won't it?

It'll be different from riding about four or five mile

into bowels of Kellingley Colliery on a little paddy train,

like I've done with you, Wesley.

It's a bit surreal, really, after so long working underground and that,

in, like, a male-dominated environment...

..to be coming

to work at a place like Mercedes-Benz for JCT 600.

It's unbelievable.

Is this the new you, then?

This is the new me, Wesley.

Onwards and upwards.

Just them for me, please.

I'll have a bag of them, as well.

Jack has moved further north and is living with his girlfriend.

So far, he's been unable to find work.

There's not much up here, but it's same for the steel lads, as well,

you know, they're just in the same boat as I am.

It's just competing, I think.

I feel like you're competing for a job...

in my own mind. That's maybe why I'm not hearing owt back.

Not a thing on jobs in this paper today.

What kind of job do you want?

Something like before, you know,

just engineering, mechanical maintenance, you know.

What I've applied for...

..it comes up with a service engineer's job,

which I applied for this morning, mechanical.

I've done this plenty of times. You apply and hear nothing.

It's just demoralising for me. I enjoy working,

I enjoy giving summat, you know, give and get back.

I like to earn my own money, I like to be a bit independent.

It feels like there's no hope. It's draining now.

I thought, "Give it a month, I should be all right."

And I'm here, jelly frogs, chocolate orange and papers and me phone,

just trying to find a job.

I thought life was meant to get easier once the pit closed.

It's been more hectic than ever...

doing jobs what I've...put off and put off.

And put off and...

Now I'm getting an opportunity.

After 37 years of mining,

Kev is taking some time out to consider what he should do next.

I have applied for several jobs.

I will retrain.

But I do know, whatever I do, whatever I end up doing,

the hours and the way it takes over your life, it won't happen again.

It can't. You know, there is other things in life.

Too late for me now, but you don't spend enough time with your mum,

you don't spend enough time with your dad,

you don't spend enough time with your grandparents.

Maybe I didn't spend enough time with kids when they were growing up.

Hopefully, they both still love me and think...

I've tried my best for them,

I always provided for them, I still do.

When they ring up, I'll answer phone and they'll say,

"Is my mam there?"

They always naturally go to their mam,

probably because I'm a moany old scrote, like,

and she's daft to them. But they always ask for their mam.

Come on, then, good girl, good girl. Come on.

Jack still hasn't given up on his search for work away from home

and his mother is never far from his thoughts.

We speak every day, near enough, so, you know,

it's not like I'm not hearing from her, or we've lost contact.

But she's doing all right.

She had another endoscopy and a colonoscopy and it's come back promising, actually.

There's less tumours than what there originally were,

so that's promising, as such, now.

I suppose I just worry, like anybody normally would

when they've got a poorly mum, you know?

The world's laziest dog!

She's actually nodding off.

I've come from hundreds and hundreds of miners

to a creature who just doesn't want to walk at all,

or falls asleep stood up.

Hey, what's up, are you tired? Are you tired?

I still miss him.

I don't miss the mess

and I don't miss his washing, but, yeah, I miss him.

I suppose it's always hard,

your child leaving home for the first time, as a mum,

and when you've been so close,

but then you just get on with it.

Oh, come on.

Patience, that's what it is.

It's a new year, a new start, so keep plodding on.

You just take every day as it comes, so I'm all right.

Yeah, I'm fine.

Come on, then.

Come on, then.

I hope he does find a job up there because, like I say,

there's nothing around here for anybody now.

So, yeah, he's better off up there.

I think there's more chance.

Make sure it's even.

Do you want to reach and do it?

No, you're all right. I'll supervise.

Shut your face, then.

Kev has been spending more time with his family.

Today, he's hard at work renovating his son's home.

We've had him wallpapering, fixing walls, boxing in,

a bit of gardening, and now this.

I think now that he's got more time on his hands to do a job,

whereas before it would be just like on weekends or weeks off

that he'd be able to do things.

Like, when I've had my days off and my dad's been here,

I've been able to do jobs with him, so that's been good.

At 26, I've got a different dad

that's doing more and is out and about more

and he's enjoying his life, so...yeah.

Not that I've got my dad back, I've got a different dad now.

So all your time was swallowed up mining.

I'd have loved to have carried on, I'd have loved to,

but I'd have probably done it till I dropped.

Do you know we used to do the tape of life at work?

If you start at 70...

..I've got that left.

Grandad died at 71, were he?

Well, I'm glad you're being cheerful(!)

So I've got that left, if I live to 70.

That's what you've got left - 15 years.

I think maybe we'll stretch it a few more years.

We might be all right, yet...

..hopefully.

Hiya, Robert. I'm Russ Jones, Mercedes-Benz.

Jonesy's got used to his life above ground

and, in his new career, he's become an expert.

When you've got your foot on your brake, when you shove it in,

you'll feel it take your foot away.

Here you've got your heated seats.

Cool, innit?

That's it. I hope you enjoy your new car.

-I'm sure I will, thank you very much.

-All right.

Russ Jones from Mercedes-Benz.

It's not Russ Jones from Big K.

Oh, dear.

What a life.

Sheldon has successfully completed his fibre-optic training,

but it hasn't guaranteed him employment.

My bluetits are back.

Highlight of my life, two bloody bluetits in my box.

I need to chill out.

Today, he's waiting to hear if all his hard work will land him a job.

What do I think's going to happen?

You had a great interview, you had a fantastic...

Everything you've done, can't fault you, but unfortunately,

there's nothing available at this moment in time.

I've got friends, they just...

fall in cow shit and come out smelling of roses

and it just never, ever happens to me.

You know, I am, in a way, a kind of

a cup's half empty guy and I wish I wasn't.

Why am I stood staring at a phone?

Fuck the phone.

I want to bin it.

Look, mate, eh?

What?

It gets pretty tedious and boring when you're used to going to work.

It's how you fill your day. It's just... You become numb.

There's only so many times you can wash the windows, cut the grass,

hoover the carpet.

I've hoovered twice today, before 12 o'clock.

PHONE RINGS

Hello.

It is, yes.

Never!

Wow!

Fantastic!

Oh, right.

Yeah.

All right. Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure.

Cheers, bye.

Well?

I am...

a telecoms engineer, for Linbrooke, on the rail division.

I honestly thought I wouldn't get anything.

I didn't think I'd get...

I did not.

I don't know why, I just... I didn't think I would.

It's me.

I've got a job.

With them as a telecoms engineer on the railways.

Well done, mate.

HE SIGHS

You're no longer a miner, you're a telecoms engineer.

No, no, I'm not. No.

I'll always be a miner.

You'll never take the coal dust out of my lungs.

As long as I live, I'll always be a coalminer...

..that's now a telecoms engineer.

# To be your lover

# If you get cold, yeah

# I will be your cover

# Don't have to worry

# Because I'm here

# Don't need to suffer, baby

# Because I'm here

# Just hold on

# I'm coming

# Hold on

# I'm coming... #