Episode 1 Life Stories

Go on. Go on!

Yes!

-Right behind you!

-MAN LAUGHS

That's it! Go on!

Ooh!

See you later!

Absolutely no chance!

Ooh! Aghh!

Beat me again!

Come on.

Let's head down.

You always seem to get me, the last few yards.

Dad! You let me win!

Would I do a thing like that?

That's it.

Get all the dirt and grit out.

A chain's the most important part of a bike, Toby. Keep it clean and well-oiled.

Take good care of your bike and it'll take care of you.

I was 16, in my first week as an apprentice gardener.

They gave me all the easy jobs to do.

I planted 200 bulbs, right.

It was 100 last time you told this story!

I was so proud of myself. I'm thinking, "These are going to be lovely, these plants."

Till they pointed out I'd planted every single one of them upside-down!

I thought you were having an early night?

Isn't she beautiful, Toby?

I bet those other nurses hate working with your mother.

See how he tries to distract me, Toby?

You have to stand next to her and she makes them look like aliens!

Yep, that's right.

MOTHER SIGHS

I don't like doing night shifts.

Soon be weekend, eh?

I'd best get ready.

Don't be up reading half the night.

All right?

-Good night, Toby.

-'Night, Dad.

Sleep well.

IDLE STRUMMING

LOUD THUD

Dad?

Dad!

-Dad!

-What?

What?

-What?

-Get up!

-SLURS:

-I'm all right. I'm all right. OK. I'm all right.

Phone work for me, Toby.

Tell them I'm ill. I can't come in.

You can't have another day off work. Come on. Get your trousers on.

DOOR OPENS

You get yourself ready, Toby, darling.

You're not supposed to look after your dad.

I wish you'd stop drinking like this, Davey.

I will.

I'm going to.

You see if I don't.

We worry about you.

Why can't you see how much we worry about you?

-Why do you wrap them up like that, Dad?

-Same reason you wrap up all snug

in the winter. Don't want you getting ill, do we?

We have to keep the plants warm.

That's why we have raised beds.

Keeps them dry and away from the frost.

So you just take care of the plants?

Yeah. Can't let them get cold.

They'd get disease and root rot.

-Root rot's not good?

-Root rot is ba-a-a-ad.

Can I help?

Yeah.

Here you are. You give that one a go.

GUITAR STRUMS

LOUD THUD

Oh!

It's all right.

Look at me, eh, Tobe!

I'm going to sue that ladder.

Sure it moved just when I got to the top.

Davey, were you drinking?

I don't drink at work.

What a thing to say!

Hey, do you want to be first to sign my plaster?

They're going to keep you in for a few days.

For some tests.

What tests?

You're ill, Davey.

You know what I'm talking about.

I'll fetch you some magazines

so you've got something to read tonight.

-Did they tell you at school that I'd had an accident?

-Yeah.

The headmaster brought me in his car.

It must have been pretty scary. Sorry about that, mate.

We'll be back on our bikes by the weekend.

Well, maybe a bit longer.

We'll take a ride out to the countryside.

Maybe take a picnic. Do you fancy that?

I've been wanting to take you up to Hunger Hill. The views up there are amazing.

I'm sure you can see America if you've got your glasses on!

Toby, I want you to do something for me.

Come and sit here.

At home,

you know where that tool store is in the yard?

There's a bottle in there and I want you to fetch it for me.

But don't let your mum see

because she'll only worry, and we don't want her to worry, do we?

Hey. It's all right, mate. I promise you.

It's just a little drink for your dad.

I'm going to get bored out of my head stuck in here.

You want me to be OK, don't you?

Look at me.

I just need a drink to keep me going.

You'll do that for your dad, won't you?

Please, Tobe.

It's just this once.

You fetch that bottle and don't let your mum see.

-Have you got that?

-Yeah.

Good lad.

Toby, your dad has an illness.

He has to get proper help.

Do you understand?

They want him to go... into a special place,

a treatment centre,

where they can help him to stop.

I know you worry about him.

Toby,

it's not your responsibility.

It's not your fault.

Do you see, Toby?

It's not your fault.

Oh, I promise you!

All right, mate? Your mum didn't see you, did she?

Good lad.

OK. You can give me that bottle now.

-I can't.

-What do you mean, you can't? You found it all right, didn't you?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-The doctor might be in in a minute, so give it to me now.

-I can't, Dad.

-Give it to me.

I poured it down the toilet.

Wh... Why did you do that?

I need it! You know that I need it.

Why have you poured it down the toilet?

I can't sleep!

You said you'd bring it to me. What am I going to do?

Why have you done that? Eh?

Why? Tell me!

-Please. Please, please!

-You look after the bikes.

You look after the plants.

Why won't you look after yourself?

Oh, I'm sorry, Tobe.

I'm so sorry! Come here.

I should never have asked you to do it.

I will look after myself.

Look at you, growing up before my eyes.

-When will Dad be home?

-Any day now.

He's doing well.

I spoke to him last night.

Can we have fishcakes for tea?

You'll turn into a fishcake, if you're not careful!

I think that chain's been spoilt, with all your affections!

Shall I show you how to do the brakes?

SALSA MUSIC BLARES OUT

Mum!

-TEACHER:

-One, two, three, four!

MUSIC: "C'est Magnifique" by Cole Porter

Ladies, carry on, please.

Come on, let's get your jacket off.

I'm sorry, OK? You've only missed a couple of minutes.

Off you go, then.

Just do what the others do.

You'll be fine.

I'll see you at seven.

I want to go home!

Never mind. No need to get yourself upset about it.

Anyway, listen. Nan's moving in to her new flat soon,

so I need you to help me pack up the house this weekend. OK?

OK?

-Big Nan or Little Nan?

-Little Nan.

DOORBELL

Oh, hello!

Oh, sweetheart!

Mum, you haven't done anything!

You'll have to go down into the cellar. I can't get down them steps any more.

Look what I've got for you.

Your favourite.

Thanks, Nan.

Oh, you're a good girl!

Bin?

I want that.

POP SONG BLASTS OUT

They do what you do.

See?

Look at the screen, Nan!

# The summer sun has started to shine

# The skies are blue... #

Well, look at that!

# No grey clouds to find

# All around is light

# Everywhere you go... #

-I'm sorry.

-I'll sort downstairs.

DOOR CREAKS

"Ballroom dance champion".

Wow!

SNORING

Nan!

Nan, do you know who this is?

Of course I do! It's me!

NAN CHUCKLES

I was the Under-12 Ballroom Dance Champion.

Well, me and Jimmy Rivers were.

-That's so cool.

-Yes, it was, really cool!

Why don't you take lessons?

No. She didn't like the dance class much, did you Mel?

We were going to see what other classes there were, weren't we?

Maybe something a bit less...

Perhaps something we could try at home.

I was that nervous when I started

I couldn't put one foot in front of the other.

My mother said she was throwing good money down the drain.

But I wanted to dance that much that I practised and practised and practised

until I was the best.

Then I wanted everyone to look at me!

Nan...

Will you teach me?

# When love comes in

# And takes you for a spin

# Ooh, la, la, la

# C'est magnifique

# When every night

# Your loved one holds you tight Ooh, la, la, la... #

Finished. Can we go now?

# C'est magnifique

# But when, one day... #

Point your toes.

# Ooh, la, la, la

# When it's so tragique

# But when, once more... #

Mel!

Do you want to go to your cousin's for tea?

# When love comes in

# And takes you for a spin

# Ooh, la, la, la

# C'est magnifique

# When every night

# Your loved one holds you tight... #

Two, three, four. Flick, two, three, four. Flick...

Can I show you?

# But when, one day,

# Your loved one drifts away

# Ooh, la, la, la

# Well, it's so tragique

# But when, once more,

# He whispers, "Je t'adore"

# C'est magnifique... #

Still got it!

Time to go, Mum.

-Let me help you.

-No.

Well, this is lovely.

It's tiny.

You're downsizing, that's all.

It's plenty big enough.

-You've got a lovely view of the park, Mum.

-Noise, that's what that is.

Come on, Nan. Let's practise those turns.

Not enough room to dance in here, pet.

MUSIC: "In The Mood" by Glenn Miller

Come on, Mum. Let's get you dressed.

Maybe a cup of tea, then.

You're a good dancer. You should give proper lessons another go.

I'm not sure.

They were mine.

Just need a bit of polish.

Thanks, Nan.

Don't ever give up.

What about you?

'Ready?'

And slide.

Slide.

Forwards.

Back.

We can go, if you like.

Slide.

And stretch.

And down.

And slide.

Slide.

Forwards.

Back.

And slide.

Slide.

(Thank you.)

Back.

Up.

And down.

Go on.

Show 'em what we're made of!

Wow! Nice shoes!

Thanks. My nan gave them to me.

OK, ladies, are we ready?

One, two, three, four.

# When love comes in

# And takes you for a spin

# Ooh, la, la, la

# C'est magnifique

# When every night

# Your loved one holds you tight

# Ooh, la, la, la,

# C'est magnifique... #

VOICES CHATTER IN BACKGROUND

-WOMAN:

-Matt, Sophie, Jess.

Come on. Let's go, everybody.

Come on! I've got to get to work!

Are you all ready?

SCHOOL BELL RINGS

Last one in's a loser!

-Megan, are you coming to mine after?

-No, she's coming to mine.

-I asked her first.

-No, I did.

-Tell them, Megan.

-I can't tonight. I've got piano.

I like your hair-clip, Megan. Where did you get it?

-Can't remember.

-I really want one.

-I really want one.

-Do you want to borrow my lip gloss?

-Got my own, thanks.

-Go on. Try mine.

-No, try mine.

-Who wants to do the quiz?

-I will!

-Me, please.

-I will.

Jess, you read the questions.

"How old do you act?"

"One. When you go to a sleepover, do you take a teddy bear,

"hair straighteners or a good book?"

-Hair straighteners, obviously.

-And chocolate.

-Definitely chocolate.

"When you're at a party, do you ask your mum to dance with you...

-"..dance the night away..."

-That's me!

-"..or wait for Justin Bieber to show up?"

-Ooh!

-Let me think.

-I think Justin Bieber is her date!

ALL: Oooh!

Megan and Justin sitting in a tree.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Jess, can you collect homework books, please?

I have the results from your test yesterday.

Ayesha, 12.

Jade, 13.

Sherrine, 11.

Megan, 14.

Next time, I'll help you. You'll be fine.

Jess, 20. Well done, Jess. That's full marks.

GIGGLING

-BELL RINGS

-OK, everyone. Line up, please.

I've got something special to announce.

So tomorrow, we're holding trials for the house athletics team.

Those who'd like to try out, hands up, please.

That's great. A good show of hands.

How about you, Jess?

Mum, we've got trials for the team tomorrow.

Seven sevens?

Megan?

-Seven sevens?

-(49.)

49.

Nine eights?

(72.)

72.

Eight sixes?

(48.)

48.

-Can Jess play?

-Didn't you tell her you've got piano?

-Well, yeah, but...

-Do you want to be spending so much time with her?

-What do you mean?

-I'd like to think you could find someone a bit more...

What?

Half an hour, and then homework.

You look dead nice.

Thanks.

Now I'm going to make you look even nicer.

Do I suit purple?

Yeah. Do I suit this colour?

Yes!

That tickles!

Come on, girls. Keep warm. Good luck, everyone!

The top four winners get chosen.

On your marks...

..get set...

WHISTLE

Well done, Megan.

So that's Megan, Jess, Sherrine and Jade for the relay.

Megan and Jess for the 60 metres.

You were brilliant, Megan.

-You're definitely going to win.

-We'll see.

-Why did you do that?

-What?

-Why did you slow down?

-I didn't.

Megan was faster than me. I couldn't keep up.

Yeah, right(!)

-ALL:

-Bye! See you tomorrow!

-Hi!

-Hi, Megan.

Is your mum coming to the race tomorrow?

-What do you think?

-Yeah.

She'll expect me to win. And so I really do need to come first.

I know. And you will.

Cos you're easily the best.

-I need new trainers. My old ones are minging.

-Really?

Yeah, I've had them for months. Are you getting new trainers?

No, I like my old ones. They're dead comfy.

-What colour do you think I should get?

-White with pink or white with purple.

And I need new socks. I definitely need new socks.

-Hi!

-Hi!

Oh, get you!

New trainers, Jess?

THEY ALL LAUGH

Are you excited?

NOISY CHATTERING

Jade, number one. Sherrine, number two.

And I'm going to give Megan number three.

-Thank you.

-There you go, Jess. Number four.

-OK. Bibs on, everyone.

-Megan!

Thank you very much. There you go.

Swap places!

-Swap places with Jess!

-Take your positions, please.

OK, number ones. Everyone line up, please. Off you go.

OK. Are you ready?

Other girls ready? Good.

OK. On your marks,

get set...

WHISTLE

SHOUTING AND CHEERING

Come on!

Go, go, go!

Well done, girls. Keep it going. Go, go, go.

-She's in the wrong place.

-Sorry?

-She's running third.

-What if she is?

-That's wrong. The fastest always runs last.

That's right. Number threes, ready?

Go on, Megan! You can do it!

Come on, Megan!

You can do it! Come on, Jess! Go, go, go!

Yes! You've won!

-I hope you're not thinking of doing something silly.

-No, Miss.

Like what, Miss?

Letting Megan win?

I wonder if you've thought how selfish that would be.

What do you mean, Miss?

Do you think you'd be doing Megan a favour?

She wants to do well, Miss.

And what about you, Jess? Don't you want to do well?

-I do, Miss, but...

-But?

What if Megan won't be my friend any more?

On your marks...

Good luck.

You can do this.

..get set...

Win it! Win it! Win it!

Come on, Jess. Be brave.

Come on, Megan.

SCHOOL BELL RINGS

-You won.

-I'm sorry.

I'm glad you won.

You deserved it.

WHIRRING

-All right, bro?

-Uh-huh.

Busy, yeah?

-What do you think?

-Yeah. I won't disturb you, then.

BUZZ OF FEEDBACK

PLAYS ROCK LOUDLY

Arjun!

Just carry on with your work. I'm not here.

You know you're not meant to play on school nights!

How many times, Arjun? Not on a school night.

-Take it you've done your homework?

-Do you, Mother? That's handy.

Kitchen. Now.

You'd better get up, Arj. Mum's going to freak.

Arj, it's quarter past eight!

Come on, Arj!

-What's the matter?

-I can't move my legs.

MONITOR BLEEPS

I just thought he was trying to get out of going to school.

Well, he won't be going for a while now.

INAUDIBLE

We've managed to stop the virus travelling up his spine,

but it's too early to say.

Will he walk again?

It's too early to say.

It's late, Kashi.

What's that?

An essay. Eye-witness account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

It's a competition. You can win a trip to Rome.

Hmm. Brush teeth and bed.

It's quiet without him, isn't it?

-Did Dr Donegan come?

-Yes.

So what did he say?

Stuck pins in my feet. I couldn't feel.

Early days, Arjun. It's early days.

-What's that you're doing?

-Oi!

"My name is Lucius Septimus.

"I am the seventh son of the area..." What is this?

-Doesn't matter.

-Wow! This is really interesting(!)

-Arjun!

-Arjun!

-Man! How are we brothers?

I wish we weren't.

You've got to keep his spirits up. That's what the doctor said.

The power of positive thinking.

Keep him motivated.

So I'll need your help, Kashi.

I've spoken to Mr McCabe and he's going to set homework every night for Arjun.

-So I'll need you to collect it.

-OK.

And I'll need you to help him with it.

-What?!

-It'll take his mind off things.

Plus it means he won't fall behind.

How are you getting on?

Great. Maths is my very, very favourite(!)

Well, if you need any help...

-I'll go and heat the chicken.

-I don't want chicken. I didn't ask for chicken.

-You're welcome, by the way.

-What for?

-The posters.

-Yeah, thanks(!) When I go home, these are going straight back on the wall.

Whatever.

Can you bring the Hendrix one tomorrow?

Maybe.

Don't take your coat off. We're heading out now.

What did you bring?

Some English, a bit of Physics and Chemistry.

Good. Oh, there's a letter for you.

Can I meet you up there? I just need to...

OK.

Yes!

What's happening?

Tell him, Arjun!

I moved my foot, man. I mean, it was just this much, but I moved it!

This is very good news.

Basically, they said he's ahead of schedule.

Yeah. Weeks!

Well, they don't want us to get our hopes up,

but this is a big, big, big step.

I know. No.

I couldn't be happier.

Listen, I just want to think about the good news.

I'll give you an update. OK. Bye! Bye!

-Mum...

-Mm?

Do you remember that...

Frith? Guess what?

Arjun moved his foot today.

I know!

Two hours ago.

We can't believe it. I know!

Hopefully soon he'll be home.

"Dear Akash Grewal,

"Congratulations. After reading many entries, all of which were of the highest standard,

"we are delighted to proclaim your essay first prize."

Oh, yes! "You have won the trip of a lifetime to Rome and the Colosseum.

"For this unforgettable trip, your contribution will only be £250."

SIGHS

"We look forward to hearing from you."

-Morning.

-Morning, Kashi. You're up early!

What's that guitar Arjun's always talking about?

Bender something.

Fender. Fender Strat.

Yeah. How much are they?

Well, open it, then!

Wow!

Oh, my God! Is this a Fender Strat?

Like Hendrix used to play.

Oh, man!

Good choice, Kash!

# Da-da-da-da Da-da-da-da-da-da

# Da-da-da-da Da-da-da-da-da-da... #

CONTINUES SINGING

Put that there. And the little finger there.

Now, strum.

3,257

-plus 8,737.

-OK.

Try using your thumb...

Yeah, like that.

-Yeah.

-Plus 8,135.

You're right.

Thank you, sir.

OK.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

-Bye.

-Who's that?

Your headmaster.

He wanted to phone Arj personally. Isn't that nice?

Imagine that - old McCabe phoning me and being nice!

-What was he saying?

-"Get well soon. Thinking of you." All that stuff.

Right.

That's still a little cold. Do you mind?

Are you guys ready?

Those posters will have to come down. You know that, don't you?

Kashi.

I'm kidding, man!

Help me unpack.

Sure.

Actually, could you unpack the Axe?

-This isn't the Strat.

-Nah, I got mine back.

Still a right good Axe, though.

I don't understand. So where's the Strat?

I got Mum to exchange it. Mum?

-Why?

-To get the money back. Tell him, Mum.

I spoke to Mr McCabe.

He told us about your news.

Silly boy! Why didn't you say anything?

Anyway, the money's been paid.

-What?!

-You're going to Rome!

LOUD SINGING AND GUITAR

-# Na-na-na-na-na-na...

-Arjun!

Arjun!

Arjun! Not on a school night!

# Na-na-na-na Na-na-na. #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd