This Town

This programme contains discriminatory content,

strong language, some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting

and some violent scenes from the start.

You walk away from every day, Nothing much to make you stay.

Then, bloody hell, you hear a bell, Ring across the wishing well.

PEOPLE SHOUT

SIRENS WAIL

This beautiful thing, Flowers and rings.

Funny what the wishing brings.

I love you, baby.

I can't quite say it but if I had a harp, I'd bloody play it.

MELEE OF SHOUTS

Before I saw you, I didn't know it

But now I discover...

BURGLAR ALARM RINGS

..I'm not a bad poet.

And this is the dawn of the age of love.

BURGLAR ALARM, PEOPLE SHOUT

EXPLOSION

You...!

I'm just trying to get home.

Walking home from college.

Trying to get home?

It's a fucking long way back to the jungle, son.

Aghhh!

# Ska, ska, ska

# Ska, ska, ska

# Not any people can cha-cha-cha

# Not everyone can do the twist... #

Shit!

DOG SNARLS

Aghhh!

DOG BARKS

..over number 27. POLICE WHISTLE BLASTS

Shit! They followed him. Run!

# Ska, ska, ska

# Jamaican ska... #

INDISTINCT SHOUTS

DOG BARKS

# Now everybody can do the Ska

# The new dance that goes like this

# Now bow your head

# Swing your arms

# Now do a dip... #

Dante?

Jeannie?

What are you doing here?

You're a good kid.

I'm just trying to get home.

Right, give me a hand.

Hup!

JEANNIE PANTS

I tried to get the bus,

but, for some reason, the buses to Chelmsley Wood are not running.

Dante, the buses aren't running on account of them being on fire.

Why would you burn your bus home?

EXPLOSIONS

Come with me.

Come on.

# But everybody can do the ska... #

POLICE WHISTLE, DOG BARKS

Right. In here.

# Jamaican ska

# Ska, ska, ska

# Jamaican ska... #

Fucking petrol all over me!

What the fuck, Dante!

Fuck!

Ow!

JEANNIE SIGHS

Never.

You're still weird, then.

Are you OK?

Mm. Not really.

Well, don't worry.

We'll be safe here. We'll just sit it out until it gets light.

I'm not OK because I just had my heart broken.

And who broke your heart?

I asked this girl at college

to come with me for a cup of tea, and she said no.

Tea?

I don't drink alcohol.

Well...

..might've been the tea she was saying no to.

You think?

I remember when you climbed up on the roof of the school... Yeah?

..with the black flag of anarchy.

Is that what it was?

We all thought you were going to jump off.

Hmm.

You all thought I was going to jump.

Well, when I walked to the edge,

where the decisions are made...

..for a bit, so did I.

But then I thought, "What would my nan say?"

I'll have a cup of tea with you, Dante, you weird fucker.

POLICE SIRENS AND LOUD-HAILER

INDISTINCT LOUD-HAILER ORDERS

Sounds like we're losing.

What would we win, if we won?

So, Dante, it's obvious you are still the same.

How's your gorgeous, rock-hard brother?

Move on!

Is This Love by Bob Marley and the Wailers

PEOPLE SHOUT AND JEER

Kill!

Aghhh!

Agh! Ughh! Aghh!

GUNFIRE

You black bastard!

Leave us alone!

Fuck off!

I don't mean black as in the colour of your skin, comrade.

I mean black like Black and Tan.

Half my fucking family are Irish!

IRISH REEL PLAYS

How you doing?

After due deliberation,

and after an exceptionally good display by all contenders...

..I can declare

..the winner in The Gate Hangs Well

Irish Ceilidh under-20s boy's dance competition is...

..Bardon Quinn!

Hup!

Maith an fear!

Well done, son!

Could you not have waited, Dad?

You didn't have to come in and play the big Provo.

I would've won anyway.

INDISTINCT

Well done, son. Well done!

Well done.

BLACKBIRD SINGS

What?

Bird song.

Not arranged or organised.

Just happens.

Do you want to lift back to the estate?

A lift in what?

You can give me a hand.

A hand with what?

BIRDSONG

Listen.

No, no, no. It's OK.

It's just a bird...

..singing.

What are you doing?

Fuck!

RADIO CHATTER

Sarge!

Sarge, we just had Comms telling us to pull out.

Our grandmother used to wake us up.

She used to say...

..it's not arranged...

..or organised...

..but it's the best music in the world.

We should get back to the barracks, Sergeant.

Do you sing, soldier?

No, Sergeant.

This whole war.

This whole thing.

It's about music.

Did you know that?

Sarge, we should get out of here before the day shift wakes up.

Cos to the east, they've got their songs...

..but then to the west, they've got their songs, too.

Yeah, and where we are right now, Sarge,

we're stuck bang in the middle of them.

GUNSHOT

Fuck!

Why don't you just sing together?

Come on!

GUNSHOT

# ..try, try and try, try and try

# You'll succeed at last

# Mm-mm-hmm-mm... #

What are you doing, staring?

Well, if you're awake, you can come and give me a hand.

I've got college.

I've got a mock exam.

We'll be done and back before college.

Get down here!

# You can get it if you really want... #

I was listening to the birds.

Then I heard him call you.

You've got school.

College, Nan.

He said I'd be back in time.

Just do the red diesel thing.

That's OK.

Doing the stolen diesel is OK.

But if he asks you to do anything else...

I don't even know what the red diesel thing is, Nan.

Well, that's what he's calling you to help with.

It's illegal, but that's OK.

It's not inhuman.

Nan, I promise I won't do anything inhuman.

Ohh!

They can't make you do anything.

Did you see the trophy I won?