0:00:13 > 0:00:14Morning! Kidnapped, right?
0:00:16 > 0:00:18And, er, I'm the narrator.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Ah, yes, OK.
0:00:21 > 0:00:22OK.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Kidnapped is an adventure novel set in 18th century Scotland,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29told by our hero, David Balfour.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Ah, yes, I am indeed the hero or protagonist.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Although there are two main characters.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41We meet David at 17. With his mother, and now father, gone,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44he seeks out his mysterious and wealthy uncle -
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Ebenezer Balfour of the House of Shaws.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Ebenezer appears mean and untrustworthy
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and all but sends him to his death by leading him
0:00:53 > 0:00:56to a dangerously dilapidated tower next to the house.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00The next day a cabin boy, Ransome, arrives at Ebenezer's house
0:01:00 > 0:01:04with a message from Captain Hoseason.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Ebenezer decides to go to Queensferry to meet with Hoseason,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11and David, wanting to see ships and the sea for the first time,
0:01:11 > 0:01:12joins him.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Ha-hargh! Cap'n Hoseason at your service.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- PARROT SQUAWKS - You were Ransome a minute ago.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Actors' strike, I'm filling in. Ha-hargh!
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm Cap'n Hoseason of the Covenant -
0:01:24 > 0:01:28a ship that deals with Mr Ebenezer's business.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32But you're not a pirate, you're a Captain.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- Tone it down a bit. - Aye, aye, Cap'n!
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Once at Queensferry, David is kidnapped by Hoseason
0:01:38 > 0:01:40who's been paid off by Ebenezer.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43With Hoseason in charge, the ship is a brutal place.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Ransome is murdered and David becomes the cabin boy.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Soon the Covenant is dashed against another boat in the storm
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and the crew picks up its only survivor - a strange Highlander,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57dressed as a French soldier calling himself Alan Breck Stewart.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Hoseason and his crew plan to rob and murder the stranger,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03but with David's help he fights off his attackers
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and an unbreakable bond is formed
0:02:05 > 0:02:08between the two very different characters.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10The middle section of the book...
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Featuring loads of great observational stuff
0:02:12 > 0:02:15about the social political climate of the time in Scotland...
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But mainly about my growth as a character...
0:02:18 > 0:02:23The middle section follows David's plot to return to the Lowlands
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and is set against the backdrop of real historical events, including
0:02:26 > 0:02:30the murder, by Highlanders, of the King's agent, Colin Campbell.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Ah, yes, the old Red Squirrel.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Red Fox! I hate that guy!
0:02:36 > 0:02:40When David arrives in Appin, he meets a group of men that includes
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Campbell, who at that very moment
0:02:42 > 0:02:44is shot and killed by an unknown assassin.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49David flees and runs into Alan. The two are now murder suspects
0:02:49 > 0:02:51and face a gruelling flight through the wilderness.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Along the way they hide out with the Highland leader, Cluny MacPherson.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58While the exhausted David rests...
0:02:58 > 0:03:01I'm off for some shuteye, my good man.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Whatever you do, don't gamble away all our money while I'm asleep.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09..Alan and Cluny play cards and Alan gambles away all their money.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15A huge row follows until Alan realises David is incredibly sick.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Once David recovers, he returns to Queensferry
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and the final part of our story -
0:03:20 > 0:03:24David's plot to uncover the truth and avenge his kidnapping.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26David's lawyer, Rankeillor...
0:03:26 > 0:03:27That's me!
0:03:27 > 0:03:30You're a lawyer, not a judge.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It was the only legal prop they had.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37..Rankeillor reveals that David is the true heir
0:03:37 > 0:03:38to the House of Shaws estate.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42At the house, Alan gets Ebenezer to admit his plan.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Were you, Mr Ebenezer, plotting to sell
0:03:45 > 0:03:48David into slavery in the Carolinas?
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Aye!
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I heard that. The game is up.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55The story ends with David about to claim his fortune...
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Goodbye, my old friend. I'm all right, Jack!
0:03:59 > 0:04:03I mean, Alan. See ya!
0:04:03 > 0:04:06..promising Alan he will send him the money he needs to get to France
0:04:06 > 0:04:08to be with his clan leader.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11I'm sure that will happen.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20Kidnapped is told from the viewpoint of David.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23A 17-year-old who is left alone when his father dies
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and sets off on a coming-of-age adventure.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Along the way he matures through facing a series of immense
0:04:29 > 0:04:33challenges, from leaving his Lowland home to his determination at the end
0:04:33 > 0:04:37to claim what is rightfully his in a dignified and compassionate way.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Yet David is also a contradictory character, and despite the fact
0:04:41 > 0:04:44he is the narrator, we're encouraged to recognise his faults.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46When he realises he could have escaped from Erraid
0:04:46 > 0:04:50simply by walking across at low tide, he admits his own stupidity.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52I am such a townie.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Whilst he can also be stubborn and immature.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56I'm not immature.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00From the moment they meet, David identifies Alan as a tough,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02experienced character.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05An agile and skilled Highland soldier,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08fiercely loyal to his clan and family name.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10He is ruthless and cunning...
0:05:10 > 0:05:13So why is this book no' called Alan's Tale, eh?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16..whilst also being vain and quick to take offence.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Alan's Highland perspective means he frequently sees things
0:05:20 > 0:05:22differently from David.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27But Alan owes his life to David and will never forget that debt.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31There are also a number of minor characters in Kidnapped.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35David's Uncle Ebenezer is a selfish, cunning figure.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Ha-ha-ha... Aye! You'll no' get my money.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Wind your neck in, pal. He said "minor" characters.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Ebenezer is old, rude and greedy.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52There's a wee bit that I promised you before you were born
0:05:52 > 0:05:56and it has grown to be a matter of just precisely...
0:05:56 > 0:05:57£30.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Scots.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Oh, oh, oh, I see, it's the old tight Scotsman stereotype, is it?
0:06:05 > 0:06:09But Ebenezer is dangerous too, willing to send David to
0:06:09 > 0:06:12an uncertain fate just to protect his ill-gotten gains.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Grrrrrrrr.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20The naval captain, Hoseason, is another contradictory character.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Ha-hargh! No, I'm not.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Yes, you are and you're not a pirate.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26(Silly.)
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Hoseason claims to be a man of religion and honour,
0:06:30 > 0:06:35but ruthlessly prioritises his livelihood more than any human life.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36And?
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Henderland is a preacher who helps David across Mull.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49He's a Lowlander living in the Highlands
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and illustrates the religious, linguistic and cultural divisions
0:06:52 > 0:06:55that existed in this time of change in Scotland.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Oh, is that so?
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Highland clan leader Cluny...
0:07:06 > 0:07:08..is a sad figure.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11He's right, I'm sad.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15He's lost almost everything, and the game of cards he plays with Alan...
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Come on, Alan, Top Trumps, Clan Leaders - let's play!
0:07:19 > 0:07:23..represents his only chance of both proving himself
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and engaging in a gentlemanly pastime.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And finally the lawyer, Rankeillor, plays the part of the ultimate canny
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Lowlander, keen on the letter of the law.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37He is willing to help David
0:07:37 > 0:07:40but insists he's told as little as possible about Alan
0:07:40 > 0:07:44because of his alleged involvement in the murder of Colin Campbell.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Mum's the word. Here's my card.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53They're minor characters, remember, so don't forget -
0:07:53 > 0:07:55my story...
0:07:56 > 0:07:58..and Alan's!
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Whilst Kidnapped is in many ways a straightforward adventure story,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14there are many themes running through it.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15Themes are for dreams.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Themes such as maturity...
0:08:17 > 0:08:19PFF-RRRT!
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Classic!
0:08:22 > 0:08:23Yeah.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The novel also explores the idea of duality,
0:08:28 > 0:08:29where something has two parts.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Alan and David, for example, have hugely contrasting backgrounds.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36These contrasts draw attention to the two different
0:08:36 > 0:08:38sides of Scotland during this turbulent time in history.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It's 1752. An attempted rebellion by Bonnie Prince Charlie
0:08:42 > 0:08:45to overthrow King George II has been crushed.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47The Highland clan system has been dismantled
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and the Lowlands were experiencing the beginnings of industry
0:08:50 > 0:08:52and civilisation as we know it today.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Hoots and poppycock! What's so good about civilisation?
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Match Of The Day, carpets, Lady Gaga!
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Many of the book's characters also have two sides,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05like Alan who is loyal and generous...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Fancy a crisp, David?
0:09:09 > 0:09:11..but utterly ruthless when he needs to be.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14No more crisps for you...ever!
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Nature is a constant challenge to David and Alan,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21which tells us a lot about them.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25David is humble when he thinks he has been stranded on Erraid
0:09:25 > 0:09:28only to discover he could simply walk across when it's low tide.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Embarrassing!
0:09:29 > 0:09:33His flight with Alan across Rannoch Moor, exposed to the elements,
0:09:33 > 0:09:34almost breaks him.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Exhausting!
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Meeting these challenges helps David to mature
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and reveals Alan to be an ingenious and tough character.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Loyalty and friendship is another key theme.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49By saving Alan's life, David wins his loyalty,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51but there's a constant tension between them.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54A key source of strain between the two characters
0:09:54 > 0:09:57comes from their different views about honour and respect.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59The many different interpretations of honour
0:09:59 > 0:10:03and respect are in display in one particular scene where Alan
0:10:03 > 0:10:06loses David's money in a game of cards with clan leader Cluny.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Well, I'm embarrassed cos I have to ask for my money back.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11And I'm embarrassed
0:10:11 > 0:10:14because I would never take another gentleman's money.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16And I'm embarrassed because you two are so lame!
0:10:16 > 0:10:21We're all mates, it's just a bit of money. Get over it!
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Absolutely fascinating.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25It's just an adventure book.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35CLEARS HIS THROAT
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Sailmaker is set in Govan, Glasgow, in the 1960s,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42with the majority of action taking place in a tenement flat
0:10:42 > 0:10:45shared by Davie and his young son, Alec.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48The play starts with Alec recalling the abrupt way
0:10:48 > 0:10:51in which his father had told him that his mother had died.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Got a bit of bad news for you, son.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Yer mammy's dead.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58I'll make a cup of tea.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02The story then follows father and son over a decade
0:11:02 > 0:11:05as they both respond to their loss in different ways.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Davie used to be a sailmaker.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I'm so proud that you're a sailmaker, Dad.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13But with the once-mighty shipbuilding industry in decline,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17he's forced to work unhappily as a debt collector.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21OK. I'm so proud that you USED to be a sailmaker, Dad.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And Davie is determined that Alec gain a better education,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28so he can escape a similar fate.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Don't ever be a sailmaker, son.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Get good grades and you can do something...
0:11:34 > 0:11:35..fancy.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Alec and his cousin, Ian, are very close
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and enjoy playing imaginative games together.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Let's play grown-ups, Ian,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and imagine what it would be like if we were really tall.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47But they drift apart
0:11:47 > 0:11:49when Alec becomes involved with his local church.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Church is rubbish.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Ian, meanwhile, is content to be working-class like his dad, Billy -
0:11:56 > 0:11:57that's Davie's brother.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01You just need a trade, son, that's all you need.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04OK, no probs, will do.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07And when Alec secures a scholarship to a private school,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09he mocks him for wanting to better himself.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11School's rubbish.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Throughout the play, an old wooden toy yacht
0:12:14 > 0:12:16is at the centre of the action.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Alec finds it abandoned in a cupboard
0:12:18 > 0:12:20and asks his dad to make a sail for it.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22You used to be a sailmaker, Dad,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25so this would be a massively symbolic opportunity for you
0:12:25 > 0:12:28to face up to the pains of the past and move on in life.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33But despite his promises and passion for the craft, it never happens.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I'd love to help you, son,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39but I'm too busy sinking deeper and deeper into a long-term depression.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42His Uncle Billy, however, is quick to do his bit,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45even repainting the boat for Alec.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Thanks, Uncle Billy.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Now, I've got a beautifully painted symbolic toy yacht.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Just need those sails now, Dad.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The play ends on a bleak and depressing note,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01with Alec looking forward to going to university
0:13:01 > 0:13:03- and getting his own place.- Well, that's me out of here, then, Dad.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I took your advice and got an education.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09So, I'm off, leaving you alone and without hope.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12With the bills unpaid and the house so cold,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16they have to burn their possessions including, finally, the toy yacht.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20It'll keep us warm and give a meaningful moment for both of us.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Sailmaker's central character is Alec.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39We meet him as a young boy who has recently lost his mother.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Unlike his father, Davie, he grieves openly, and as a result is
0:13:43 > 0:13:47able to move on whilst his father remains stuck in a rut.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52- I suppose that's true, right enough. - It is, yeah!- Thanks!
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Alec is smart and imaginative, as we see in the games that he plays with
0:13:57 > 0:14:00the old broken toy yacht he found hidden away in the family home.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Super yacht, sailing on the ocean. Whoooa!
0:14:05 > 0:14:08He seems to be after some sort of escapism,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and by the second act had become heavily involved in the Church.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I love God, me. I think I'll learn all the catechisms.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Church isnae for people like us, son.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20All you need to know is Catholics are bad, right?
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Alec soon realises that he has no real faith.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29What he likes about the church is memorising bits of the Bible.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31That boy needs a trade.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35His efforts to rise above the social class through education,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38drilled into him by his father, Davie, cause him
0:14:38 > 0:14:42to drift away from Ian and later his lethargic and depressed dad, too.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Alec's cousin, Ian, is an uncomplicated character,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49but also represents attitudes common at the time, that wanting
0:14:49 > 0:14:52a better life also meant betraying your class,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54but he does have ambitions to join the Army.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Imagine getting paid to play Call Of Duty!
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It wasn't even around then!
0:15:00 > 0:15:04His dad convinces him that all you need is a trade
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and also passes on his bigotry about Catholics.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09All you need is a trade, son,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12although I woudnae bother working for any Catholics.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Despite Billy's rather narrow outlook,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18he often compares favourably to his brother.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21He keeps his promise to Alec and paints his toy yacht,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24he battles back from redundancy by learning a new trade and even
0:15:24 > 0:15:28relocates to Aberdeen with Ian so neither of them slide into poverty.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Listen, son, if you lose your trade, you get a new trade or you
0:15:31 > 0:15:33move somewhere to find a trade.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38Basically trade, trade, trade, trade, trade.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Trade?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Meanwhile, Davie himself is in decline
0:15:42 > 0:15:45from the moment Alec's mum dies.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48We learn the young Davie was very different - he read the classics.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51Classic.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57And he was a skilled sailmaker, but as a struggling, widowed father,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59he lacks the confidence to bounce back
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and make his son proud once more.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06He's a good man but his eventual lack of self-respect is so total,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10he borrows his son's bursary money to pay the bills
0:16:10 > 0:16:12but uses it to drink and gamble.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Oops.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18As Alec starts to fulfil his potential,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20he nears the escape his dad encouraged him to make
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and the relationship weakens.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26By the end, a hardened Alec is preparing to move out of home
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and move to university, leaving his dad facing an uncertain future.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32What will become of you, Dad?
0:16:32 > 0:16:37I'll be fine, son, I'll just...
0:16:53 > 0:16:56There are several underlying themes in Sailmaker,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59namely those of family and social class.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03You should listen to these, son, education is important.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08OK, Dad, perhaps you can mend the sails on this toy yacht
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- while I'm at it.- Aye, I could do, it's just I've got to, em...
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Alec and Davie's family situation changes at the beginning
0:17:17 > 0:17:19of the play with the death of Alec's mother.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Whilst Davie had been a skilled sailmaker,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25he had found himself doing undesirable jobs.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26I'm a debt collector.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30So he impresses on Alec the need to escape his working-class roots
0:17:30 > 0:17:33whilst doing little to better his own life.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Across the play, the dreams that Davie encourages Alec to pursue
0:17:36 > 0:17:40gradually push father and son further and further apart.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43In contrast, Davie's brother, Billy,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and his son Ian's relationship, remains stable throughout...
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Happy the way we are.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51..symbolising their contentment with being working-class.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Which is what my dad said, just with fancy words.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Billy and Ian share the same slightly narrow-minded,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00unambitious outlook on life
0:18:00 > 0:18:03but also the same pragmatic approach to its challenges.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05In the end they simply stick together
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and go to where the work is, Aberdeen,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11without any apparent drama or complaint.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Aberdeen's very nice, I'll have you know.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16A secondary theme in the play is grief.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18A young Alec grieves heavily
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and is thus able to come to terms with his mother's death.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23HE WAILS
0:18:23 > 0:18:27OK, onwards and upwards for me, I think. You coming, Dad?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29No, I'll probably just, em...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Davie, though, avoids the pain of grief. He's an intelligent man
0:18:35 > 0:18:38but allows himself to descend into apathy and depression.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40And when Alec teases him about a woman...
0:18:40 > 0:18:44It's always the same. Every time you meet a woman, she's a really,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49really nice person. Why don't you just admit that you fancy her?
0:18:49 > 0:18:50..he slaps him.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Despite all Alec's education,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56he fails to recognise his father's loneliness.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Our final theme in the play is religion.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03To Ian and Billy, religion is about sectarianism and bigotry -
0:19:03 > 0:19:07widespread in Glasgow and the West of Scotland at the time.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Protestants are great. Catholics arenae great.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14And the play shows us how easily such attitudes are passed on
0:19:14 > 0:19:15through the generations.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Catholics are nae great.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Davie raises Alec in a more tolerant environment
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and Alec shows an interest in spirituality from the outset
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and a desire for God to send him a sign.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30He rejects organised religion, though, leaving the Church
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and even then, at the end, being prepared to throw a hymn book
0:19:33 > 0:19:36on the fire just so he and his father can keep warm.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Shall I just chuck this on, then, Dad?
0:19:38 > 0:19:42I don't think I should get involved. I better just, em...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48The end.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Meet the Bold Girls.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Bold Girls follows a day in the lives of four ordinary women
0:19:58 > 0:20:01living in Belfast in the early 1990s.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Oh, look how ordinary we are!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Here's an ironing board.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08The play begins in Marie's house,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11where she's gossiping with Cassie and Cassie's mother, Nora.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Meanwhile, tensions between the Catholic community
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and the British soldiers policing it come to a head.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20A peculiar mood is created by the presence of a mystery girl
0:20:20 > 0:20:22who is watching Marie's house.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Whooooo!
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Suddenly, with sirens blaring, there's a loud banging on the door.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31DOOR BANGS
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Deirdre, the mystery girl..
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Wooooo!
0:20:36 > 0:20:39..enters the house in a white dress soaked through.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41She is sullen and strange
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and disappears into the bathroom uninvited to have a shower.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Woooh!
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It soon becomes apparent
0:20:49 > 0:20:52that there's tension between Nora and Cassie.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55God forgive me for bringing a child into this world
0:20:55 > 0:20:59with a heart of flint and a tongue to match.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Meanwhile Marie recalls her late husband, Michael, fondly.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05A picture of him dominates the set
0:21:05 > 0:21:09and she observes strangely that Deirdre looks a bit like him.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16When no-one's looking, Cassie hides some money behind the picture.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21By the end of the scene, Deirdre secretly removes it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Wooooo!
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Scene two takes us to the Bold Girls' night out.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Nora thinks that Cassie is dressed...inappropriately...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34..while Cassie confides in Marie
0:21:34 > 0:21:37that she is dreading her husband, Joe, being released from prison.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Deirdre, who works in the club as a waitress...
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Hiya! Woooooo!
0:21:43 > 0:21:47..reveals she once saw Cassie with a man in a blue car.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Cassie explodes with rage...
0:21:52 > 0:21:56..and has to be dragged away before she hits Deirdre.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00In a short scene three, the action moves outside the club, where Cassie
0:22:00 > 0:22:05tells Marie she has saved up £200 and is going to run away.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08We then see Deirdre alone with a piece of peach fabric that
0:22:08 > 0:22:12house-proud Nora has her heart set on decorating the house with,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15destroying it with a knife.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18The final scene takes place at Marie's house
0:22:18 > 0:22:19at the end of the night.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Cassie shockingly reveals that she slept with Marie's husband, Michael.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Get out!
0:22:25 > 0:22:30Deirdre reveals that she is Michael's illegitimate daughter.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32What more do you want?
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- Him.- Take him. What good do you think he'll be to you?
0:22:35 > 0:22:37He was my daddy.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38What?!
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Marie smashes the photo of the husband she once idealized,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46yet as the play closes, it seems she is ready to forgive Deirdre
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and somehow move on.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- Tea?- Wooooooo!
0:22:56 > 0:22:59All of the main characters in Bold Girls
0:22:59 > 0:23:01are bold in their own individual way.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03I'm the tough one.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05I'm the brave one.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07And I'm the gobby one.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Whilst the men in their lives have a huge impact, they are all absent.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15The Bold Girls must - and do - survive without them.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16Marie is courageous.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21She kids herself that her husband was faithful, a heroic family man,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22but she does so for her children.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26However, when she learns the truth that her husband betrayed her
0:23:26 > 0:23:28- with her best friend... - Get out of my house!
0:23:30 > 0:23:33She actually throws crisps at me!
0:23:33 > 0:23:35..she somehow finds a way of accepting it
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and moving on and doing what she feels is right as a mother.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43She's the only character that faces the truth and undergoes a change.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Her story is symbolised by the picture of Michael.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49It dominates the set but at the end lies smashed and demolished.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Cassie is brash and self-destructive.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The way she dresses and her aggression
0:23:54 > 0:23:57makes her provocative in every way.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Cassie implies she's desperate to escape,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03but the money she slowly steals from her mother - a meagre £200 -
0:24:03 > 0:24:07implies she's a dreamer and that this will never happen.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09Now you're trying!
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Nora represents the stoic older generation of women
0:24:16 > 0:24:20that feared their husbands, favoured their sons
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and didn't believe in chasing dreams of a better life.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25She's not afraid to stand up to British soldiers,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29but only when it threatens her escape. Domestic perfection.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Oh, would you look at what those great big boots are doing
0:24:33 > 0:24:34to my nasturtiums?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Her journey is symbolised by the role of peach fabric
0:24:37 > 0:24:39that she invests so much energy in.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43It disappears and we see her shallow dream easily destroyed.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46But Nora will simply carry on and try again.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49What will I do without it?
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Ah, well, just have to get some more.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Finally the mysterious Deirdre is the catalyst
0:24:55 > 0:24:57that brings everything to a head.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Woooo! I'm a caterpillar.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Catalyst! You make stuff happen!
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Deirdre has been denied a life of her own,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10so she steals from others and actively seeks the truth.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Her journey is symbolised by the knife
0:25:12 > 0:25:14she uses to destroy Nora's dream.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18We all need the truth but the truth can be damaging and destructive.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21My knife of truth.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Oh, some lovely peach fabric.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Perhaps the most striking theme running through Bold Girls
0:25:36 > 0:25:38is that of truth and self-delusion.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Marie, Cassie and Nora have all, in different ways,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43failed to face up to the truth.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Their lives are about survival, and the truth could make things harder.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Marie maintains an idolised view of her late husband, Michael,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55so that she and her kids can keep going.
0:25:55 > 0:26:01My lovely Michael. The family man, so true and honest.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02What a great guy.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06But the signs are there from the start,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09both that he was unfaithful and that she knows it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11# La-la-la-la! #
0:26:11 > 0:26:12Oh, bother!
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Her journey reveals that the truth hurts, but only by confronting
0:26:17 > 0:26:21it and accepting it can you become empowered and move on.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22STIFLED SOB
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Hmm, never mind!
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Cassie uses brashness to suggest she is a force of harsh truth.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Her sarcastic comments to Marie...
0:26:33 > 0:26:39Oh, Marie, you're so cool. Your hair looks amazing.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- The REAL lines? - They're all the same, Marie.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Not Michael.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Wasn't he just the perfect saint of a man?
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Cassie is frustrated by Marie's blind faith in Michael,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52but she herself is skilled in delusion,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55blaming Nora and her nagging for the domestic violence
0:26:55 > 0:26:58she suffered at the hands of her husband, Cassie's dad.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01She even blames it on eggs.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04He didn't like eggs, I gave him eggs.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I drove him to it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11Eggs are not an excuse for domestic violence.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14In the final act we discover the truth
0:27:14 > 0:27:18that Cassie can never escape from. She slept with Marie's husband.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Like the £200 she saved up, it's another futile act of escapism
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and self-delusion that will get her nowhere.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Nora, meanwhile, hides in a domestic perfectionism.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Ah! Cushions.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Widowed from a violent husband...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- Ah, doesn't matter! - ..her sons in prison...
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- It's no big deal.- ..at loggerheads with her daughter...
0:27:37 > 0:27:41- Whatever.- ..and with chaos outside her front door...
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Oh, you just got to love those Troubles(!)
0:27:43 > 0:27:45..this is clearly a delusion.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47For her, though, there's no point in dreaming.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52The truth - that her life is not that great - is best left ignored.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Ahhhh, cushions!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Bold Girls also explores the status of women
0:27:56 > 0:27:58and their relationship with men.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02The absent men symbolise negative qualities - infidelity...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04That's YOUR husband.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- Drunkenness...- That's MY husband.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- Violence...- That's YOUR husband.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- Your Daddy. - It's your fault, you gave him eggs.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Whilst the women, in contrast, are bold.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18They've got on with their lives and raised children,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20despite tough circumstance and flawed relationships.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Marie is the only character to grow.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26She concludes that men and women, for all their faults,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28need one another.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Our final theme in Bold Girls is that of conflict,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33the conflict between truth and reality,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35the conflict between men and women,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37the conflict between women and women
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and the political conflict that provides the play's backdrop.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Once again conflict brings truth -
0:28:41 > 0:28:44unavoidable and, of course, destructive -
0:28:44 > 0:28:47but the only way to move forward.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48No, it isn't!
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Yes, it is.
0:28:50 > 0:28:51Oh!
0:28:51 > 0:28:53I see what you've done there.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55What a lovely way to end it!
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd