Past Imperfect Doctors

CLANK

FOOTSTEPS

-More bills.

-Jane.

I don't know how we're going to manage.

Lots of retired people are struggling.

We've always struggled.

We've managed.

Only cos I've always worked.

What's that one?

It's for you.

They want me.

What?

-I've got a job!

-Ah!

Would you like to see my projection?

It's a bit tatty.

Well, it's old. Old-ish.

I've had this since I was 13.

I do not agree with introducing, well, children, to astrology.

No, it's astronomy, not astrology.

I'm actually quite impressed by the astronomical size of

Dr Carter's projection.

And what occupied your little mind, when you were 13?

I do not think that is a subject we should broach.

-I was in the Scouts.

-Oh, I was in the scouts.

-Dib, dib, dib.

-Dob, dob, dob.

And what did you get out of that?

Fun and games.

Hiking and fieldcraft.

Endless hours playing with your little woggle.

On that note...

Nah, you can't go making fun of a man's woggle.

You have had this map for a long time?

Yes. It was in the attic.

But when Liam showed an interest, I got it out.

-I've even got another telescope.

-Really?

I was given a choice between four and six inches.

I chose six. Maybe a bit excessive.

Billions of stars in billions of solar

systems in billions of galaxies.

Creation in its enormity.

No scratching.

Sorry. Bit of a habit.

It's a lot of a habit.

Yeah.

I think we're going to have to have another look at your medication.

So, you're already on the steroid cream,

and you don't take anything oral apart from...

The happy pills.

I'm not ashamed. Well, I am a bit.

It's been a hard time, with the money and all the bills.

Tell me about it.

I feel like taking flowers from the park home

to justify my council tax.

Those belong to me, as well, you know.

But you're managing, though?

Yeah. Yeah.

Better, from today. I've got a job,

That new DIY place on the Greyfriars Road.

They wanted older folks with experience.

Good for you. When do you start?

Next week.

Well, I can't promise we'll have you all healed, by then, but...

I'd like you to make an appointment with the doctor just to see

what they say about more treatment.

Yes, and I'll be asking to put a stop to the anti-depressants.

We'll see what they advise, eh?

All right. Thank you.

Good luck, with the job.

Just ask me if you need to know your two-by-fours from your four-by-twos.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

What do you mean, "insignificant?"

When you think about how small we are, in the enormity of Creation.

Well, maybe it's better just to not think about it

and go with the cosmic flow.

Or be like Howard.

-Mr Bellamy?

-Yeah. "Mars, over there, Saturn, smarten up, Milky Way,

"shut up and do as you're told."

That's just like him

Nurse Marquez wants me to make an appointment with a doctor.

Yes. Of course, let me see.

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

Excuse me.

Hello. It is, yes.

Well, I don't understand. Well, the letter... You off... You said I had...

Now, Mr Lester, I can give you an appointment with...

DOOR CLOSES

Mr Lester?

KNOCK ON DOOR

So, how did the refresher course go on Friday?

Yeah. Brilliant.

It was all about identifying risk factors - walk in the park.

Excellent, so when the echo machine arrives,

you'll be like The Stig with a Maserati.

Yeah. There's a slight problem.

St Phil's cardiology department have had their budget slashed.

That's not a problem, that's like a gift horse with gilded dentures.

Not quite. Because their budget's cut, they need more business.

So they're planning to offer a reduced rate on echocardiograms.

-They're going to undercut us?

-Yeah.

Get as many patients in as possible

and the greatest share of the contract.

Looks like we're stuffed.

Not a chance. I'm not going to be beaten by bureaucrats.

I'm going to gather intelligence and prepare for an offensive.

KNOCK ON DOOR

I see you just saw Philip Lester.

Um, yeah. Psoriasis.

Quite sore actually. Really nice man.

Yeah.

He applied for a job, up at the youth club. Caretaker.

Well, he's got one at the DIY place now, so obviously a better offer.

His police check didn't work out.

Work out?

He's got a conviction. Sexual offence.

What kind?

Don't know, but we couldn't give him a job.

Well, I never would have thought that.

-Me neither. I guess you can't tell, eh?

-Mm-hm.

Thought I'd get some to celebrate.

Don't worry, they were half-price.

I didn't get this job.

But the letter...

They called me.

Did they give you a reason?

Er... It's a mistake. They confused me with someone else.

-It would have been a help.

-I'm sorry.

I don't think I can go on, like this.

What do you mean?

Struggling. Borrowing. Paying one loan off with another.

-It's always been the same.

-Jane.

Why can't you stand up for yourself?

Well, it's not a question of standing.

-Call them.

-What?

Just call them, tell them it's unfair,

they offered you the job first, they should give it to you.

-Well, they...

-Just call them!

-I can't.

-Why not?

I just...

What's stopping you?

Ah, Mrs Tembe, I've just had the most wonderful idea.

And what is that, Dr Carter?

Why don't we go to the Planetarium, this afternoon?

The Planetarium?

Yes, you're free, I'm supposed to be doing paperwork,

but Howard will chase me about that scheme of his

and we could both do with some quiet contemplation.

Yes, well, thank you, Dr Carter, but...

The cafe does a lovely Victoria sponge.

Really? Well, that sounds very...

Good! Let's go.

Er...Mandy. You... You got a moment?

I haven't, Philip, I'm afraid.

I've got to get back to the surgery. Sorry.

Go for it, I say. Cut them off at the knees.

My sentiments, exactly.

They're playing the big-boy card and I don't like it.

It sounds like the big boys have got cash-flow problems.

You can't cut money to the cardiology department

and expect them to maintain the same levels of service.

Kevin says they're going for patient numbers.

What, five minutes each?

That is hardly a recipe for an effective echo.

Yes. That's what we can say.

We think that their service is going to be slapdash.

Look, I would advise being more cautious than that.

Why?

-You have to be more circumspect. Play the long game.

-How?

Speak to the CCG, this afternoon, and paint them a glowing picture

of the personal care that can be provided by a smaller organisation,

but hit them with a proper pitch in the new financial year.

Well, I like your strategy. But I think

St Phil's are working on a shorter time-frame.

If we want a slice of the action, we need to move now.

All right, but I'd be careful. Negotiating with these panels is a notoriously tricky business.

SIRENS, CAR HORNS ECHOING

SCREECH

As a child, I thought I could count the stars.

Most children do. But to even count those that are visible

which make up about four percent.

-Four percent?

-Yeah.

The other 96 is made up of stuff that you can't even see

or detect.

The thinking now is that everything that exists is not in the universe.

How can you have more than what exists?

Because our universe is only one of countless

encapsulations of space and time.

Sorry, that makes me feel...

I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy.

Oh, no, no. It's not your fault.

At the moment I do not know where I stand in our universe.

Well, maybe we should be sitting, in the cafe.

As beautiful as the stars are, nothing beats a nice cup of tea.

What if he screws it up?

Howard's not going to screw it up.

He worked for a PCT, he knows where to place the emphasis.

You've got to play these people,

you got to massage their egos a little bit.

I suppose he's got plenty of experience with that.

Anyway, we've got to get it,

because a GP with special interests should share their talent.

And not just one that does pouts with bee venom.

One word - ker-ching.

I'm just afraid he's going to go in there

and he's going to lecture them like a bunch of squaddies.

Howard is an assured professional, with consummate people skills.

Unless of course he's behaving like Colonel Blimp on steroids.

I always thought that I would act my best.

Thank you.

Well, I think you do act your best.

Not with Thomas.

Not with Gordon.

"Do as you would be done by." It is a simple guide.

Relationships are not simple. And neither are circumstances.

We can all look back and do things differently.

"I should have spoken to my friends."

"I shouldn't have picked up that cricket bat and do what I did."

Do you see me differently because of my choices?

No. No, no, of course not.

I don't see you differently.

And those that do, that's their failing.

When I stood on the very edge of that pavement,

everything just seemed to fall away. All the stress,

all the worries. It would have been like falling asleep.

No. No, it would have felt like getting hit by a bus.

Have you ever tried anything like that, before?

No.

I know.

Sorry?

I know about the conviction.

How?

A friend, at the youth club...

He said you didn't get the caretaker's job, because...

That was totally unethical. He had no right to tell you that!

Wasn't it unethical of you to apply for a job at a place where

there's vulnerable young people?

What do you mean?

You're a convicted sex offender.

I wasn't convicted because of something with children.

I was convicted, because I was gay.

Nice hair.

Oh. Thanks. Look, Howard. I'm sorry about the echo service.

I hear that St Phil's are going to get the lion's share.

Where did you hear that?

Well, it's the word on the street.

Well, the word is wrong.

St Phil's are not going to get the lion's share.

How could we afford it?

By providing a better service.

But, economically, we...

Not you, as well!

-What?

-Even you don't believe in me.

-It's not a case of not believing in you, it's...

-I am going to do this.

I am going to the CCG this afternoon and I am going to wipe the floor with St Phil's. You see if I don't!

I was looking to meet someone. Cottaging.

The name's more fragrant than the premises.

He was really attractive. Black hair, dark blue eyes.

About my age.

He smiled. And I was so shy.

But his smile.

Must have been about two minutes for the others to come rushing in, in uniform.

They had me down on the floor, with all the...

And he looked down on me, the boy.

And I thought, "You really are. You're exactly like me."

Then he was gone.

PC 43. That's how they described him, in court.

-No name. Just PC 43.

-That's entrapment.

No. In 1959 it was "procedure".

What sentence did they give you?

I was discharged.

So, you got off?

No, conditional discharge. No, it went on the record.

And it's remained there ever since.

So, it wasn't... It wasn't wiped off?

What? At decriminalisation? No, no.

-Record was unchanged.

-I don't believe it.

Perhaps I should have stolen something. That would have expired.

But it was a sexual offence, you see.

And it's affected me, ever since. Work, jobs, life.

What about Jane?

She doesn't know.

You've not told her about your conviction?

I've never even told her I'm gay.

I'm sure you'll find another church.

It is like a relationship.

You cannot just find someone and say "Right, now we are together."

It is the same with a church. It is something personal.

Something that you feel.

People talk of a spiritual home. And it is true.

I have always had my church, a place where I go and feel like I am

being wrapped in safety. Somewhere familiar, welcoming.

But, now... Now I feel that I have nowhere.

Nowhere of my own.

That's how I felt when I gave up surgery. Alone.

Adrift.

I became a GP, the work was fulfilling,

I had some lovely colleagues.

But it takes time.

I mean, maybe it's me.

Howard moved from the military into civilian life, bish, bash, bosh.

Maybe Mr Bellamy did not have it as easy as you think.

Oh, I don't know. I think he took off his forage cap, combed his exuberant hair and....

There he was - the medical businessman.

Slick, fearless and professional.

Excuse me, a moment.

Come on. Pull yourself together.

I thought all the convictions would have been quashed.

Well, no, apparently it stood, even after legalisation, in 1967.

Hang on. "Protection of Freedoms Act, 2012".

What's that?

It means that Philip can get his conviction "disregarded".

What does that mean, "disregarded"?

Um...well, it's a legal term. It means he can get his conviction overturned.

So, who does he apply to?

The Home Secretary.

What, like a terrorist, or something?

Yeah. That's mad. But if Philip wants to clear his name.

He does. He's going to.

RETCHING

I thought you'd be pleased.

Oh, I am, I am. I'm glad you told me.

But?

Well, it's just a lot of fuss, isn't it?

Applying to the Home Secretary.

More fuss than the restrictions it's put on your life?

It wasn't fair, Philip.

The conviction wasn't fair, and it staying on your record wasn't fair.

Is this because you've hidden your sexuality from Jane?

Is that also a crime?

No. No. But do you not think it was unfair on her?

She's the only person I've ever loved. Really loved.

I never thought I could have such feelings for a woman.

All my crushes had been on men.

And then I met Jane.

There was something so warm, so joyous.

It was like coming home.

It's not really my place to ask, but...what about sexually?

That's always been... That's been fine.

Do you think you might be bisexual?

I don't know. I'm just me.

Do you still find men attractive?

Well, isn't everyone tempted?

Straight. Gay. Bisexual. At least on the level of looking at someone.

But you choose, you see.

You meet someone and they are "the one".

And so you meet them and you make a choice to be with them.

To stay with them. It's not just social conditioning.

It's not just sex. It's unity.

So I chose...

but I chose not to tell Jane.

Not to tell me what?

And this is indicative of the...

projected patient uptake, should the um...

Excuse me. Should the Mill Health Centre...be awarded a greater

part of the um... the approximated contract.

Let me explain. Er...

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Ah. Hm.

Now, this demonstrates the ratio doctor to patient time,

in...in capita... Dur... Duration plus... volume.

What Mr Bellamy is trying to say

is that The Mill can provide a more personal service.

Yes.

Now, um...

65 percent...

And you never even thought of telling me?

I thought you'd leave me.

Over a stupid conviction?

I mean...

I've always known you were gay.

And you still married me?

I wanted to marry you. I loved you.

I wanted to be with you.

I always thought you'd leave me.

That's something I've always thought about, that one day

you'd meet someone, a man, and I would find a note.

An apology.

A note? I wouldn't do that.

But would you have come to me and said if you had?

Yes.

Then you should have told me about this conviction.

Maybe I was meant to be on my own.

Well, in truth, I think I am frightened of being alone.

It is a great failing.

Loneliness is not a failing.

No, but fear is.

And if you are frightened of being alone,

it shows that you are not comfortable with the person you are.

And what if your friends are comfortable with who you are?

-Dr Carter...

-Your many friends, who hold you in the highest regard?

That is very kind.

"Time's winged chariot" propels us forward.

But forward is the direction we must travel.

Maybe, by moving forward, you will find someone else?

-Why don't we pop off?

-What?

We could go to the countryside in a few days.

Grab a late supper at a cosy inn and I'll show you the stars,

away from all those ghastly street sodium lamps.

That sounds very nice.

Friends and companions, Mrs Tembe.

Friends indeed, Dr Carter.

Thank you.

Sorry.

This isn't right. This isn't right.

What The Mill Health Centre can offer is care.

Yes, St Phil's will be able to undercut us on price,

but their waiting list will be huge.

We will be the light infantry, to their heavy dragoons.

We'll be flexible, available, a slot when you want it.

More than that, a slot when you need it.

By being light on our feet,

and free of the ties of hospital politics and bureaucracy,

we will not just be offering a service, we will be saving lives.

What do you think?

I wish I could make it up to you.

Then write that letter.

To the Home Secretary.

Tell him you want to correct a decades old anomaly.

And start living my life, as I should have lived it.

I'm glad I let that bus go past.

What bus?

I'll tell you later.

Right, I'll give you a lift.

Where?

To the DIY store. I need to pick up some stuff and I thought you could ask to see

the manager and tell him exactly why you should have that job.

Oh, I'm not sure.

And if you don't tell him, I will.

-You're right.

-I'm always right

-Yeah!

-Woo-hoo! Come on!

Nice.

-You tell me, it's your heart?

-Yeah.

Pull your socks up and stop frittering away

a golden opportunity.

-Does that sound reasonable to you?

-Yup.

What are you doing creeping up on people like that?

-What's your problem?

-Nothing, I was just playing a game.

-We're being invaded.

-You've lost me.

Fleas!

Cheers, dude, you are a true mate.

Dude? Mate?

The closest thing I've got to one right now.

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