The Bletchley Circle

Yes, sir. I'll give it to her now.

It could take a year to crack this from scratch.

Anything at all? Still nothing.

It's not our end. The only explanation is the Germans have changed their machines.

If they've changed their machines, we may as well give up and go home.

God knows, we could use the sleep.

It's been two days. In hut four, I've got girls twiddling their thumbs waiting for decrypts.

They're getting very twitchy about the house.

Let's go back to a data set from last week. Run that, see what we get.

At least then we can eliminate - Wait!

I think I've got it.

What? They haven't changed the machines.

They changed the codes.

Does anybody else count the letters in the message header?

Why would anyone do that?

It's three characters longer than is used to be.

I think they've changed their encoding system.

Moved three indicator characters out of the code and into the message header.

To what purpose? It's easier for the operators.

They've been using the system for two years and think it's unbreakable.

They're getting sloppy.

Those three characters are throwing everything off.

We just need to...

That should do it.

It can't be that simple. Why not?

You can build the most complicated machine but it will still be run by people.

People have shortcuts. Try it.

Coming clear now. Yes.

Are you sure you shouldn't be working in hut four?

Oh... I prefer machines really.

If you ever change your mind...

Nicely done, Miss Merren.

Will you come up to the house with me?

Carry on, everyone, please.

How on earth did you spot that?

Do you always count the letters?

Only when the other options don't work.

I'm impressed.

I'm always impressed.

Hang on.

Oh...

I don't really need you at the house.

I've had some news.

They're posting me to another department.

Where? I don't know.

Came through suddenly. I have to leave tonight.

I'm sorry.

At least we've had this time together.

It's all right.

I understand.

Well, goodbye, then, I suppose.

Goodbye.

Police, please.

I'm afraid something awful has happened.

Morning, Miss McBride.

Is she expecting you? Oh... Yes.

Follow me, please.

Finished? For the moment, yes.

There's someone else to see you.

Hello, Alice.

I hope it's all right that I came.

You never answered any of my letters.

Sit down.

Let me know when you're finished.

No more than half an hour.

How are you?

Are you all right?

Are you...

Are you comfortable? You shouldn't be here.

Why did you come? Because I heard you were in trouble.

Well, I suppose I am.

And I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help.

No, thank you.

Alice - You really should go.

Will you tell me what happened?

Did he...

Did he do something to you?

Did he hurt you?

Whatever happened, I just want to help.

There's really nothing you can do.

Visitors out! Visitors out!

I'll get you!

Excuse me.

You're defending Alice Merren.

That's right. Are you family?

A former colleague.

Colleague? From where?

Miss Merren seems to not want to talk about things either.

Which leaves me with very little material on which to base a defence.

What happens if she offers no defence?

It will be a very short trial. 15 minutes should do it, I expect.

And then what?

She'll be hanged.

It's a capital case.

The evidence is very clear.

If she wants to live, she has to say something to mitigate the circumstances.

Anything at all.

If you're really her friend, tell her that.

Someone to see you out front.

It's not my lunch break yet.

Are you finished with those? Another ten minutes.

When you're done, you can pop out.

Anyone asks, you went on an errand for me.

All right.

I can't. I'm sorry. If they caught me taking files out of work, I'd lose my job.

You don't have to take them out, do you?

You could look at them. Recite them back to me and copy them down later.

Why do you want to know? Alice Merren.

I suppose you never met her. She was in the machine hut.

At Bletchley?

I went to see her. It was a very strange conversation.

Maybe I'm missing something obvious.

But I get the feeling that she's hiding something.

Something important.

If you're in so much trouble that you're going to be hanged,

what on earth would be so important that you would still keep it a secret?

Please, Lucy.

All right.

Just like that? Just like that.

Thank you.

I'd better get back.

Scotland Yard?

Good for you.

Good morning, ladies.

It happens all the time. The worst thing is thinking of them as clients and not the enemy.

I get a lot of compliments.

'Your translation is excellent, Fraulein.

It will really help us secure this contract.'

I want to say it also helped us beat you, pal.

I'm sure half of them were Nazis.

But the pay is good and needs must.

We live in a different world.

German as friends, Russians as enemies.

I suppose we'll just have to make our peace with it.

I suppose.

So, social call?

Partly.

Oh, yes.

I did wonder.

We have 300 girls boarding and 90 day girls.

Yes, very good. How old are these girls?

14.

Do they do anything beyond basic arithmetic? Calculus? Logic?

Some of our girls do study maths to Ordinary level.

We have a specialist tutor.

We find that arts and languages are a better fit for most of our girls.

Some of these have been marked incorrectly.

Hello, Jean.

I've been waiting here for ages.

Since when did you start locking your front door?

Since last year. Coming in?

I'm only asking you to take a look.

To satisfy my curiosity, if you will.

Jean, it's lovely to see you.

It wouldn't be like last time, Susan.

It's just reading some newspapers and looking at some files.

And if I'm right and there's something amiss here,

I'll send it to Alice's defence counsel and he can handle it.

If I'm wrong, we'll walk away and let justice take its course.

Nobody's coming to any harm.

I still dream about it, you know.

Dreams where the house comes down.

We're trapped in the rubble in the dark. I can't move.

Well, um...

I'll leave these here, just in case.

Goodbye, Susan.

Sam, Mummy said no ball in the house!

Just like old times. More or less.

Thank you for humouring me.

Lucy.

Alice Merren came to Richards' house on Thursday the 12th.

She shot him in the chest twice.

Her fingerprints were found on the gun and on the telephone she used to call the police.

There were signs of a struggle. Lovers' quarrel?

That's what the prosecution are going to say.

Richards was married. Thursday evenings were his wife's bridge game.

A neighbour said she'd seen a woman in a green coat and a headscarf visiting a couple of times.

Thank God for nosy neighbours!

They found a green coat at Alice's house.

They were lovers at Bletchley.

How do you know?

Things seen.

Jean, everything you're saying, and everything Lucy's got,

if this was a vector plot, they'd all be flat lines pointing in the same direction.

This is the sort of case the police can solve perfectly well, and it looks like they're doing just that.

Alice hasn't denied any of this. But she hasn't confessed.

Contents of Richards' pockets.

One pocket handkerchief, one set of keys, one leather wallet containing two pounds, four shillings.

One florist receipt for two shillings and sixpence, dated 12th of February.

One identity card for Newgate Laboratories, and a book of second-class stamps.

If you cross-correlate those items with police inventories for Alice's flat and Richards' house...

Why?

I...just think something doesn't fit.

He bought flowers. Men do that sometimes.

He got a receipt.

According to the inventory, there were no flowers listed at his house.

There wouldn't be. You don't get a receipt if you're carrying a bunch away.

Only if you're having a bunch delivered.

Would have been a big bunch for two shillings.

That would have proved the romantic connection. The police would not have missed that.