State of Play

Sorry.

Attention, ladies and gentlemen.

We are being held in this position due to unforeseen circumstances.

Well, there is a body on the line at Green Park.

Greer, I've only got half the notes. I'm not blaming anybody else.

- On your desk. Know where you should be? - I do, but I'll be a while.

Today's a three-line whip in the House.

I know. George phoned me. Thank you. Great.

Given our generous salaries, if we're in debt we have some prospect of getting out of it.

- Hear, hear! - Too many people are not in our position.

He's still in there!

No! Him - his breathing. He's still in there!

Back the unit up. Back the bloody unit up!

- Stop! - Correction. One body, one survivor.

We have a survivor.

The Honourable Gentleman is right.

There are some absolutely disgraceful cases, which is why the community finance and...

Sonia's dead.

Let's go over to the office.

- Is he all right? - Yes, he's fine. He's all right.

Stephen, let's go over to the office.

How?

She went under a train.

- When? - This morning.

I don't have any other details.

Stephen, I just heard about your researcher.

- You tell Andrew before you tell me? - The hacks are requesting comment.

- Nothing to say. - Chloe's drafting a response.

Well, Chloe can say what she wants.

As Sonia's boss, they'd expect a statement from you.

Stephen, I think Andrew's right.

- Can we have half an hour? - We've got a briefing. We can do something.

I'm very sorry about Sonia.

- Morning, everybody. - Good morning.

Before we go any further, Mr Collins is going to read a statement.

Stephen?

Sonia Baker was a bright, well-liked researcher for the Energy Committee.

Everyone on the team is shocked by her death.

I want to pass on our condolences to her family.

- Have the police said it was an accident? - We're liaising with the Met.

Was there any indication of depression?

- Nobody here is qualified to answer that. - She worked to you. Did she seem disturbed?

Give us a break, Helen. I'm not a shrink.

She seemed bright, buoyant. Her work was...

We're in the dark till the police investigation.

Stephen, we both use the Jubilee Line in the mornings.

So?

- I was on the same train you were. - If you say so.

Which was held back for a body on the line. How does that make you feel?

For God's sakes, don't be gruesome. We're awaiting the inquest to know what to think.

As a mark of respect...

Um, I think that just about wraps it up, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming.

- Hello. - Anne? Andrew. Is Stephen in Manchester?

- He's down there, isn't he? - He seems to have gone off-line.

Erm... I'll find him. I'm sorry to bother you.

Wait, why would he go off-line, Andrew?

You need to speak to Stephen about tomorrow's papers. OK?

The "Daily Telegraph". Good news for house buyers, allegedly. House prices set to fall.

It wasn't Paddy for me, was it?

You're through to Stephen Collins. Please leave a message after the tone.

- What's the matter? - The "Mirror" leads on a different story.

The death of political researcher Sonia Baker and the pictorial distress of her boss,

Manchester MP Stephen Collins.

Dad.

The "Express" has the very same story as their lead. "Devastated?" it says.

And the same picture there of Mr Collins.

That's all from "Newsnight" tonight.

Don't answer it.

- Liz. - Cal. Where's your tan?

Wettest Canaries for five years. The young lady I took was only in it for the plane fare.

Run 'em past me first. I can spot a duffer.

- Send flowers to Stephen Collins. - Being?

- Do you read the papers? - Every other day. You're paid to.

He's an MP. Portcullis House. No message. Just put, "Sorry. Cal."

See what the CBl's position is on this, and clear it with Donald if you need to.

- Sorry. - Right. If we are all gathered.

The Stephen Collins photo confession.

- There's a lot more interest than I expected. - He's chairing the Energy Select Committee.

Everybody's betting on him to make cabinet.

The opposition is stirring to block a main player. It's worth the coverage.

He had a member of staff who topped herself. Where's the story?

- Well, look at the picture. - I've seen the picture.

Why is that not a story to you, Cal?

She's dead. He cried. Nearly cried. So?

Well, either he's faking it or he's knobbing her.

Either way it's worth having. D'you know him?

I was his campaign manager when he ran for Parliament.

Did we shrink the format of the paper while I was away, or something?

- What have we got on the drugs thing? - Dead kid's name is Kelvin Stagg, 15.

Professional killing. Police think it's a build-up of drugs territory. Three recent shootings.

- Connected? - I'm checking.

The survivor's a motorcycle courier.

He's under police guard at St Margaret's. They won't confirm whether he's a suspect or not.

A hospital porter reckons he took a bullet to the heart that was blocked by a mobile phone.

Vodafone shares will go through the roof.

Can the journalist without portfolio get excited about drug cartels on posh streets of our city?

Yes, I can knock something up. Like you would know the difference

Ohh... Don't try this at home, kids.

Foreign. Middle East stuff coming though?

Direct plea from the MoD for us not to use that information till they've confirmed it.

- Stephen Collins' office. - Greer? It's Anne Collins.

His mobile's still off.

I think he's in with George Fergus, Anne.

When you think he's somewhere convenient, tell him he needs to talk to his children.

OK.

She knows you're here.

It's from Cal McCaffrey. And he's left two messages.

Yeah, I bet he has.

The last one said, "Not work. Just ring if you need to."

The papers are chasing this. Won't let go if we stay quiet.

The less we say now, the more determined they'll be.

I was having a thing with Sonia Baker.

I don't know how to deal with this.

Nobody's trying to run your life, Stephen. But we need a strategy.

Which kind of involves me talking to Anne. Is that OK?

You'd better wait until I have.

I've got to vanish.

Hiya. She's with the area manager, Stephen.

Listen, why don't I take your phone number? Oh, sorry, no. Force of habit.

- I'll interrupt her for you if you... - No, don't do that. I'll call later.

- Just tell her I called. - OK, then. Bye.

Sorry about that. 18.99, please.

- Not now. - It's Stephen.

- Stephen? - I think that means Stephen Collins.

Stick him through.

- Cal? - Hey. Didn't I used to know you?

Are you OK?

I feel like I'm doing speed bumps at 70.

- You? - Nearly finished decorating the house.

- Just got the kitchen left now. - Ten years is not bad, eh?

It was sex, Cal.

Just sex. I often expected her to turn round and say, "Saphead, I only did it for a bet."

But that never happened. She was a great girl...

She must have been bored to look at me.

I don't think she would have sustained her interest.

"A source close to Stephen Collins said..."

- What? - Do you want me to print that?

- It's true. - You think I'm paying for this to get a story?

- It's not a story. - Yeah, and I'm not paying, mate.

- I just wanted to make sure you were all right. - Only time you ask is when you know I'm not.

Hey, hey. Up until last year, you were sending me comedy e-mails three times a week.

Yeah, OK, sorry. I was trying to work you.

Cal, you know better than anybody I've never screwed around before.

Had you rowed the day Sonia died?

No.

- Agreed to split? - No.

- So, why did she top herself? - She didn't. She must have fallen.

You know what it's like in the tube at rush hour. Bloody rat trap.

The night before that, we were together and everything was normal.

Listen to this.

Stephen, it's me. You left a bundle of papers at my place this morning.

If you need them, I can bring them in. Let me know what you want me to do. Bye, gorgeous.

What's her family saying?

- I don't know them. - But?

The spin doctors don't want me to do anything.

Listen, every journalist in London is trying to talk to her family.

If you haven't even tried, they'll crucify you.

She had a good relationship with her mother, but Sonia and me couldn't have been closer.

She told me about you.

Well, not you by name.

And - no offence - if she had I wouldn't have known you from Adam.

She just said she was seeing a man whose private life was "tricky".

Was Sonia being taken for a ride?

No, Mr Baker. She absolutely wasn't.

Claire and I are convinced it must have been an accident. Was that your understanding?

Yes. She had no reason to kill herself.

She said you made her laugh.

Thank you for coming.

Thank you for seeing me.

Listen, I'm sorry. Can I go out the back way?

Suit yourself. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

I told them you were coming.

In all honesty, Mr Collins, you're not entitled to privacy. Not under these circumstances.

Mr Collins!

The silly bugger went to see her parents.

They recorded his conversation. Not even selling it. They're giving copies away.

- Where's Stephen now? - Christ knows. Gone AWOL.

- I'll find him. - George, are we sure he's worth all this?

Oh, we're absolutely sure.

I nipped home for a kip.

Before or after you met Stephen Collins?

So I met Stephen Collins. What have we got?

- What's he saying? - He just talked personal shit, really.

Did she top herself?

He's adamant that she didn't. And I believe him.

Where are we up to?

Police reckon Kelvin Stagg was an offender.

His headmaster reckons Kelvin's never been to court in his life. Career truant at worst.

I'm meeting Bernie to get Kelvin's mobile number.

He promised to get into the phone log for me.

Can we find out whether Sonia Baker was seeing a shrink?

But he's adamant she didn't top herself.

It's hardly the kind of stuff she's going to tell him during sex, is it?

It's blokes like me that get nutters like that.

Mm.

- Dad! - Louis.

- Where's your mum? - She wouldn't come.

- You've not come on your own? - I heard which train you got.

She doesn't even know you're here? Great

- Good to see you. - Sorry.