Ian buckley

For reading AWL:
Angela - Nadia Ostacchini
Carl - Peter Pawan
Helen - Annie Overton
Jason - Clive Ward

PLOT SYNOPSIS:
Angela, a young tv documentarist for a ‘human interest’ slot, begins to get involved in the lives she’s documenting. Is she there simply to observe or should she make things happen - for the better of course? And exactly who’s to blame for the explosive consequences of her actions - her or the company?

CAST:
CARL..........husband - disturbed - suffers from selective memory syndrome
HELEN.........wife - can’t live with him because of instability of relationship
ANGELA.......documentary producer - talented and driven

JASON ......... series editor, Angela's boss

EXTRACT:
Angela has engineered and filmed a meeting between Carl and his estranged wife, Helen in a secret location. Unknown to Angela Carl then follows her to Helen's house and bursts in on her. Now the situation threatens to boil over and this time for real.

PLACE: living room in a flat on a social housing estate


ANGELA: Prove you’ve changed Carl. Prove you can control your temper. Now’s the time. Get that temper under control.

CARL SMILES AND RELAXES. THE CUT IS NOT SERIOUS

CARL: Okay. I will. I’ll prove it. Changed. Look, I’m smiling. Even though you’ve just knifed me.

HELEN: I never knifed you.

CARL: I knifed myself did I?

HELEN: An accident’s no one’s fault. Like when you crashed the car and broke Ollie’s legs.

CARL: Driving a car and using a knife aren’t the same.

HELEN: I didn’t use a knife, I held a knife.

CARL RELAXES. HE MOVES AWAY FROM HELEN. HE STILL HOLDS THE KNIFE

CARL: I’m bleeding.

ANGELA: (TO CARL) Hold your arm up. Stop the flow. (CARL HOLDS HIS ARM UP)

ANGELA LOOKS AT WOUND

HELEN STANDS UP PAINFULLY

ANGELA: Got a bandage we can wrap round?

HELEN: (NOT LISTENING) Um?

ANGELA: A cloth? To stop the bleeding.

HELEN: I haven’t got a cloth.

ANGELA: …Anything that we can tie here (INDICATES CARLS UPPER ARM)

HELEN EXITS INTO KITCHEN

SHE RE-ENTERS WITH A WIPING UP CLOTH

ANGELA TAKES IT, WRAPS IT ROUND CARL’S BICEP. AS SHE DOES…

CARL: (TO HELEN) I’ve never used a weapon on you.

HELEN: What are your hands if they’re not weapons?

CARL: If I’m violent, what are you? Waving your knife? Threatening me.

HELEN: I did it to scare you.

CARL: You didn’t scare me. You stabbed me!

HELEN: Get out of my house and you won’t have to worry!

HELEN EXITS BACK INTO KITCHEN

CARL INSPECTS HIS NEW BANDAGE

CARL: Stopped?

ANGELA: It will.

CARL: What I get for trying to be nice.

HELEN COMES BACK WITH A MUG IN EACH HAND. IN THE MUGS - BOILING WATER

HELEN: This time I mean it! Are you going?

CARL: When I’ve seen my kids.

HELEN: If you don’t leave now, I’ll throw this over you. D’you know what it is?

CARL: Cuppa soup?

HELEN: It’s boiling water. Now…piss off.

CARL: I gave you my answer.

HELEN: I’m warning you!

CARL: I’m not leaving here till I’ve seen my kids. Now sit down and shut up.

CARL SUDDENLY STANDS AND LUNGES AT HELEN

HE TRIES TO KNOCK MUGS OUT OF HER HANDS

AS HELEN AVOIDS THE LUNGE, SHE THROWS THE MUGS OF WATER OVER CARL’S FACE

HE SCREAMS. HE SLAMS HIS HANDS OVER HIS EYES, DROPPING KNIFE

HE GOES BLINDLY FOR HELEN

ANGELA TRIES TO KEEP THEM APART

CARL THROWS HELEN OUT OF WAY. HE GETS TO HELEN. HE STARTS TO BEAT HER BLINDLY, IN AGONY FROM HIS BURNS

ANGELA TRIES TO PULL HIM OFF

AS ANGELA IS PULLING CARL OFF HELEN, HELEN’S HAND COMES ACROSS KNIFE ON FLOOR

HELEN: I’ve got the knife. Get off me! Get off!

CARL IGNORES HER. HELEN HOLDS KNIFE UPWARDS, POINT TOWARDS CARL.

HELEN: Carl get fucking off, get off get off! Please get off!

CARL SQUIRMS AGAINST HER IN A RAGE OF ANGER AND PAIN. HE PUSHES ON HER CHEST

SUDDENLY HE CRIES AND GOES LIMP

HELEN: Carl? Carl? Why’ve you…?

CARL SLUMPS OFF HER AND LIES ON FLOOR, MOANING

ANGELA SEES BLOOD ON CARPET

ANGELA: ...Carl, are you alright? Why aren’t you saying anything Carl? Carl, say something.

HELEN: Carl?

CARL MOANS IN AGONY. ANGELA RUNS TO PHONE

HELEN PUSHES CARL RIGHT OFF HER

HELEN: I told you I would. I warned you. For the times you did it to me. Pushed me around.
Shouted at me. Told me to do this and do that.

HELEN LIES EXHAUSTED ON FLOOR

SHE LOOKS AT CARL

HELEN: Carl? Carl are you…? Oh my god. Shit! Oh…

THE KNIFE STICKS OUT OF HIS CHEST

ANGELA DIALS 999 ON HER MOBILE. SHE SCRAMBLES PAPER OUT OF HER BAG

ANGELA: Ambulance! (SHE WAITS, READING FROM PIECE OF PAPER) 61 Newton House, Ruthven Road. A man’s been stabbed. In the chest. Badly yes. Can you hurry. Please hurry!

ANGELA RETURNS TO CARL WHO IS BLEEDING FROM CHEST

HELEN LIES ON FLOOR, HALF IN A TRANCE

ANGELA: (TO HELEN) The ambulance is on its way. We’ve got to stop Carl bleeding.

HELEN STAGGERS INTO KITCHEN

SHE RE-ENTERS WITH A KITCHEN TOWEL

SHE PRESSES TOWEL OVER CARL’S WOUND

HELEN: Why didn’t you go? I asked you to. You just had to go away and stop bothering me. Now look. Now fucking look…

ANGELA: More cloths Helen! Get some more cloths!

HELEN: Christ almighty Angela, I’m doing my best. Stop screaming for Christ sake! If it hadn’t been for you… If it just hadn’t been for you. You… You stupid silly cow! You stupid incompetent interfering silly bitch!

LIGHTS FADE

END OF SCENE

END OF EXTRACT