Original subtitles

This programme contains some strong language

SIGHS

Not long until you get the sack. Huh?

I said not long until we get to set. Oh.

Oh. How are you feeling for your first day, my friend?

Yeah, I'm a bit nervous, but I'm prepped.

Nuh! Nuh. Enjoy it, man. I've been driving 20 years.

Never have I seen a black man directing before.

You're the boss, man. Mm, mm, mm.

You're doing this for the culture? Yeah.

So don't mess up.

If you fail, you fail us all.

# Bring down my mood, don't bother Don't bother

# I'm high up

# I got problems Mm-hm-hm

# I got gratitude

# I'm winning... #

Kwabena. Hey. How are you? Good. Yeah.

I'm just going to get some breakfast... Yeah. No time,

I'm afraid. Shit's already hit the fan. OK.

Lisa the AD's got monkeypox,

so Alexandros is her last-minute replacement.

He's going to need you to approve these sides ASAP.

Roxie's car's late, so you won't have any time in rehearsal.

OK, cool. And don't fuck this today.

Whoa. I'm sorry. What? I said you've got this today.

Kwabena!

My man. How are you? How are you doing? I saw your shot list.

Can't wait to see the results.

Now, listen. First days can always be a bit intense. OK.

So, you know, anything you want, you come to me, all right?

I'm your... I'm your sword and shield, OK?

Thank you... Now, I will have to step away for a few hours.

I've got a meeting with the divorce lawyer.

The ex is making a power play for the Tesla.

I mean, she doesn't even have a charging station,

but don't worry, all right? I've got your back.

OK. OK, let's do it! Thank you. Great.

Oh!

Hi, Amy. I'm Angela, the managing director here.

It's nice to meet you. You too. You too. So sorry for the mess. Mm-mm.

As you can see, we're still in the process of moving in.

No worries. I was admiring your Burning An Illusion poster.

I have the exact same one in my bedroom. Oh, really? Mm-hm.

We're actually developing a TV spin-off at the moment.

Are you being serious? Mm-hm.

OK. Even if I don't get this job, please make that happen.

That would be iconic. And if you did get it...

..how would you approach the adaptation?

Um...I guess I would dig into Cynthia's backstory more.

Sometimes she comes across as this helpless victim.

I've always been curious as to why she does the things that she does

and makes those decisions, even when they're bad ones.

I completely agree.

So, why did you apply for the job?

So we're just going to take you to Rudolph's trailer now. Yep.

You all right? Hiya. Hey, all right?

I'm Kwabena, by the way. I'm directing.

And just around here.

Here? Thank you, thank you. No worries.

CALMING CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

Come!

Hi, Rudolph. I'm Kwabena, the director. Kwabena!

Pleasure. It is an honour to be working with you. Truly.

Me and my mum used to watch you every week on EastEnders.

To be honest, I think she had a crush on you.

Remind me at wrap and I'll sign something for her.

She would love that, honestly!

So, I hear it's your first TV job.

Yeah, it is, it is. But I think we can make something special.

And I am ready. No, I believe you. It's just so good to see

a young brother like you in this position. Thank you.

Don't forget, this is YOUR set.

So you hold your ground today.

Trust your instincts. Thank you, Rudolph.

I will. And, look, I want this to be your best screen performance yet.

So before we start today, I was wondering,

do you have any questions for me? Um, yeah.

I did have some thoughts about Roxie.

Last I heard, Adjoa Ashanti was playing Lady Bantam.

Yeah, I really pushed for her,

but we just couldn't make it work, sadly. Is she busy?

She's such a great talent. She is, she is, but I do think

Roxie can bring something... magical to the project. Yeah?

Yeah, the producers love her...

KNOCK ON DOOR

Come!

Hey. Hiya! Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt.

No, no, no. Perfect timing. Please, join us.

Hi. I'm Kwabena, the director. Pleasure to meet you.

Pleasure to meet you. Rudolph, this is Roxie, our Lady Bantam.

Pleasure to meet you, my dear.

Kwabena was just waxing lyrical about your latest work.

Really? You watched Love Island? Yeah.

Your agent said you were working on other projects, right?

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, mainly presenting stuff.

This is my first acting job,

so I've been reading Stanislavski to prepare myself.

Um, "Love art in yourself,

"not yourself in art."

So clever.

Wow! You must have some agent.

Took me 15 years to get my first lead role.

Oh, I can introduce you to her, if you like.

She got me a VIP Ice Spice tickets. You should come.

Mm.

HE LAUGHS

What's an ice spice?

Er...

Oh, Mrs Mitchell. Oh, hi, Miss Carol.

Are you OK? I'm glad I've caught you. Mm-hm.

I've just been informed that there was an incident

between Mayowa and another little boy yesterday.

An incident? Have you got a moment to pop into my office?

Yeah. Right. Through here.

Kwabena, we need to speed it up, buttercup. Time is ticking.

OK, cool. Uh, can we get the SA's in, please?

Lewis! Hey, man. How's it... How's it going? Good, good.

Look, I'm directing TV now. Amazing. You should be proud. Thank you.

Kwabena, we need to get things moving. Sorry.

Uh, look, it's great to see you, man. We'll catch up later, yeah?

Yeah. Absolutely, brother. Take care. You know the director? No.

Seems nice, though.

Rudolph, welcome to set. We're going to get a single on Roxie first

and then we'll come around and get your single afterwards.

Right, and we are nearly ready to go.

And I'd love to go straight for a take, if that's OK?

Yeah, that's fine. Before we do, who are all these people?

Oh.

Yeah, they're supposed to be our ancestors. Yeah.

And this?

Is this my ancestor, too?

Um, we'll get rid of that. Actually, we'll burn it.

Uh, could we get rid of this one, please? Thank you.

Um, yeah. So first positions, OK? Thank you.

Ready to go now? Yeah. We're good, we're good, we're good.

Right. Yeah, yeah, let's go. OK, we're going for a take.

BELL RINGS

Quiet! Roll sound.

Roll camera.

And... BOTH: Action!

Normally, the first AD says, "Action."

OK, um, in this instance, could I say it?

Sure. Cool.

Roll sound, camera.

And...action!

CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

We must be strong,

for nobody can ever know the pain you carry.

WOODENLY: But, Lord Yardaton,

my heart is broken into 1,000 pieces.

Uh, cut. Um... Happy to move on? Wait. Wait a second.

You should go and have a word. OK. Give me a moment.

Roxie, it was great. Oh, really? Oh, thank you.

We are going to go again. OK.

Yeah, but this time, you know what? Just...

Yeah, just... Just relax.

I know. Yeah. Sorry. I was just...

I was feeling a bit nervous,

and, um, like, I'm used to looking into the camera, so...

Oh, yeah. Don't worry, don't worry. Obviously, that's why I'm here.

But on this take, yeah, just forget about your lines, right?

And just really listen to what Rudolph is saying.

You're doing great, my dear. Oh! Wow!

Yeah? Great. Thank you.

Right, we're going to go again. OK.

Reset, please. Quickly. Is she OK? Yeah, she's just a bit nervous.

Yeah, understandable.

But it's crucial this performance is good. We can't fall behind.

And...action!

We must be strong,

for no-one can ever know the pain you're carrying.

But, Lord Yardaton,

my heart is breaking into 1,000 pieces.

Uh, can we just try one more time, please?

ROMANTICALLY: But, Lord Yardaton...

SHOUTING: But, Lord Yarda...!

But, Lord Yardaton...

Remember that you're... You know, you're in love.

Argh!

Then, should we kiss?

Yeah. We're not going to kiss. But, Lord Yardaton...

..my heart is broken...

TEARFULLY: ..into 1,000 pieces.

SIGHS

ROXIE: My heart... Kwabena, we have to move on.

We're falling behind.

My heart is broken into 1,000 pieces!

Ah, cut, cut. Line.

Cut right there. Thank you. Thank you so much.

There's enough. We can... We'll move on from this and go on to Rudolph's.

No, no, no, we have no time. We have to move on to the next scene.

Why? I'm under strict instruction that we cannot go over today.

Where's Simon? Still getting divorced.

Alexandros is right. We just...

We've best to make the day. And you have them in the two shot.

It's your call, but I would move on.

All right, we're moving on to the next scene.

Wait, wait, wait! Kwabs, Kwabs, Kwabs.

Will you not be getting my single?

Uh, I don't think we need it, you know?

There was a really nice balance between you two in the two shot.

I was saving my performance for the single.

Your performance was great, honestly.

Uh, OK. Um, look,

in the next scene, I promise I'll do your single first. Is that OK?

Uh, very well. Thank you.

Actors. They're so dramatic.

EXHALES DEEPLY

Where is he? He's with his key worker.

No, the yute that hit him, his dad. I'm going to bang him up.

I'm telling you now, baby,

whoever hit OUR child is going to feel it.

I don't even care if it's that kid with the eye patch.

No, babe, we got to get this at the source.

If these white kids think they can hit our baby,

that means they're learning that shit from their parents.

That's right.

What? It's her kid! Look at him and his little Hitler haircut.

Oh! Oh, yeah. It's on site now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. None of that posh shit, yeah?

We're going to handle tings like we would on ends. Do you get it?

Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr and Mrs Mitchell.

Thank you. Please take a seat.

So, as you're aware, there was an incident

with Mayowa and Isaac. Mm-hm. Yeah. So what I want to know is

why you didn't say anything yesterday when I picked him up

and why was no-one supervising my son?

I can assure you, we're doing everything that we promised to do.

Well, clearly, it's not enough, is it?

Right. I've spoken with Isaac's parents,

and they're very upset, as well... She's upset?!

Baby, you see how they teach them white tears from young? Ah!

Well, you can tell her that if Aryan Isaac hits my son again,

Mayowa will be hitting back. Hitting back? Yes.

No. Sorry, there's been a misunderstanding. Mayowa is...

He's the one who hit Isaac.

BOTH: Oh!

Yeah.

Ahem.

Ahem. So, Carol,

how do we move forward from this?

You got time to be doing that? Oh, um, no, sorry. I was just prepping.

Yeah. I need to step off for a couple of hours.

I'll be back as soon as I can, but keep an eye on Roxie.

It's imperative we keep to the schedule. OK.

I've told him to start with Roxie first. Wait. No, no, no.

We have to start with Rudolph first.

Remember, we didn't get his shot last time.

OK, I really think that we should start with Roxie.

She needs more time. A lot more time.

You need to make a decision quickly. Fine.

At least let me tell Rudolph. OK, OK.

WHIMPERING

Roxie, are you OK? Sorry. I'll be fine.

I really didn't want to bring this to work, but, um,

I'm going through a break-up at the moment. No, no, no. Don't apologise.

Look, I'm going through something similar.

I mean, we broke up some time ago

but, you know, it's still hard sometimes.

Break-ups are so shit, aren't they?

Yeah. You mind me asking what happened?

Had a threesome with my best mate on live TV.

Oh.

Kwabena, will we be getting back to shooting any time soon?

Give me a moment.

Ahem. Um, I'm so sorry to do this, Rudolph,

but we're going to start with Roxie's single. What...?!

Look, we'll get your single, I promise.

But it's just that I know you'll hit the mark straight away.

Right? Look, I just want to spend some time to get Roxie up to speed.

Then you can save your performance for that pivotal speech.

Kwabena, time is money. Tick tock. What about TikTok?

Please.

Sure, if that's what you think is best. Thank you, Rudolph.

Roxie, look.

Everything we just spoke about, I want you to use it. Right?

Think Stanislavski. Lean into your reality.

Like, just imagine you're telling your ex

everything you felt through these words.

Yeah? Right. Great. Thank you.

All right, we're going for a take, everyone.

Camera rolling.

Sound.

And...action.

You say love cannot die.

And maybe you're right.

I pray your heart stays as strong as your sword.

And your soul is untouched by the things it will endure.

But most of all...

..I pray you come back to me.

And cut!

That was perfect, Roxie!

Oh, my God. You were amazing. Are you all right?

Oh, oh, OK. Yeah, we can hug. We can hug.

All right. Just relax, OK? Take a moment.

OK. OK? Thank you. You did great. Does that do it? You did so great.

All right, can we get playback, please?

Good...

Cue the playback.

You say love cannot die.

And maybe you're right.

It is the only explanation as to why I'm here.

But why must you plague my mind, Lady V? Your thoughts are your own.

If they're occupied with me, then maybe you're not being truthful.

Tell me, Lord Kwabena, what is your truth?

If I listen to my heart, it speaks your name.

Then why must we be parted?

Have some self-respect, Lady V. Is he not a man of waste?

This broketh black was not only beneath you.

He was also a liar, posing as a hotshot patron of the arts.

But I am a patron of the arts! Do not permit him

to slither back into your life like some sordid serpent.

Agreed, milady. One doth think he is a...pussyclaat.

Mm, indeed. I should have guessed -

your haughty maidens intent on vexing a gentleman

for his noble pursuit of his dreams. Noble?

THEY LAUGH

You are more of a fool than I thought.

As thick as a yamhead from the islands.

Bomboclaat. This is between myself and Lady Vanessa.

Very well.

One cannot tolerate this eediat much longer anyhow.

And let us find a more desirable match for Lady V,

one more well-endowed in his wealth.

And his breeches.

Leave us. You will forever be spinsters here. Hmm!

My lady. My lord.

I just have one more question for you.

Are you happy now?

Well, are you happy now?

Kwabena!

Are you happy? Yeah, yeah. OK. Hokey cokey!

OK. Moving on to Rudolph's single, please.

Yeah. We need to turn around as fast as possible...

One minute. One minute. Right.

Why are there stitches in my plantain, please?

Sutures, not stitches. There's a difference.

Sutures are for cadavers. English, please.

I'm practising how to sew up dead bodies.

Why? Because I'm going back to uni.

Are you being serious? Yeah. What?

You were right. I've always wanted to be a doctor.

And I shouldn't let those poshos make me doubt that. So fuck them...

Right. ..and their rowing.

Cos you're a... Baddie. Because you're a... Baddie.

With your whole chest. I'm a baddie! Fix up! Look sharp! Fix this.

Oh. Thank you. I thought we were going to have a moment.

Yeah, you won't need that. OK. Oh, there you go. Love you.

PHONE BUZZES

Hey. Hey. I'm sorry I missed your call, but we're on lunch now.

Are you OK? Um, I was just calling you before to let you know

that I had an interview this morning for that job that you sent me.

Oh, yeah? Yeah.

It took me a while to, you know, process your dickheadness.

But you were right. Ah, you know what?

I think the service here is quite bad. Could you say that again?

Don't milk it, OK?

You're still a pagan.

PHONE BUZZES

One sec. Uh, I've just got an email from Angela.

OK. "Dear Amy, lovely meeting you today.

"I was incredibly impressed by you and...

"..would love to offer you the role of development exec here

"at How Far Pictures!" Jeez! Amy!

Shit. What? Well, that salary and my mum's carer...

..Kwabs, it's not enough.

SIGHS

Being honest...

..I'm a tad relieved, babe.

You are? Yes. Look, babe,

I'm not trying to be toxic or nothing,

but I'm kind of glad that Mayowa was the one hitting

instead of being the one getting hit.

Oh, my God, baby. I'm so glad that you said that.

No, listen. The idea of our baby boy being bullied hurts me!

Yes! Listen, they can put that one down as reparations, innit?

Our likkle man is a lion. Mm! Unlike that stupid boy Isaac,

crying every time the mother drops him off.

Acting like some likkle bitch. Likkle bitch!

HORN HONKS

Bee-yotch! Oh. Oh.

Oh, my God. It is her. Baby? It is her. Baby, OK.

Drive, drive. It's Aryan Isaac's mama. Drive.

UPBEAT R&B MUSIC PLAYS

DOOR OPENS, KNOCKING

Bruvner. You're back. Yeah. Sorry about that.

Word of advice. Never get married. It's not worth the divorce.

Um, so can I have a quick word? Yeah, please. Have a seat.

Right. I'm afraid someone has majorly dropped the ball on this,

but Roxie's got to leave now. She's leaving? Look, I'm so sorry.

Her agent did email, apparently, but it just got lost in translation.

But where is she going? Um, premier. A premier?!

Just, please, tell me you got her coverage.

You got her close-ups, right?

Yeah, we did, technically. Thank God.

That's one less thing to worry about. Wait. No, no, no.

Can you not ask her to stay? Look, this is a big scene.

And she had Rudolph to perform it on her take. Trust me, I know.

Now, someone's head is really going to roll for this.

No, no. And I'll tell you why.

Because you've been dropped in the shit and that makes me angry.

She's leaving for a premiere? I am so sorry, Randolph.

So with whom am I supposed to perform this scene?

Well, we've arranged for a stand-in. Unless you have another preference.

J-J... I'm sorry. Could you...?

Frankly, I would rather not be relegated

to performing with a marionette at all!

Look, Rudolph, I understand why you're upset.

You'd be doing me a massive favour. Kwabs.

We are running out of time. We have to turn over now.

Roll the cameras.

Thank you. We're going for the final shot of the day. Urgh!

You get one shot and then I have to pull the plug.

Can we please get the stand-in?

OK.

Camera rolling.

Sound. Seven, take one.

And...action.

Love cannot be killed or pushed aside.

It is eternal.

In the heavens, in the stars.

The pain you feel is precisely because of the love you have,

the love we have. So hold on to it. Cherish it.

For grief can only exist where love once lived.

And...cut. That's a wrap, everyone.

APPLAUSE

That's a wrap, everyone. Thank you. Well done. Thank you.

Wonderful.

OK, can we pack up a bit quickly, please? Thank you.

Oh, man. That was great. Thank you, guys. Thank you.

PHONE BUZZES

Let's pack up, please.

Rudolph. Oh, amazing performance.

Thank you so much for doing that for me.

Just know it's not going to happen again.

Oh, no, I understand, I understand.

I know I've made some compromises today,

but that's filming, right? It's not, Kwabena.

You said you wanted this to be my best performance,

but I've heard it before.

I've spent my entire career being given smaller roles

and fewer opportunity than my white counterparts.

And yet still, no matter what I achieve,

I'm never afforded the opportunity to do my best work

because all the resources have been used to allow THEM to thrive.

Rudolph, I... I didn't realise.

That's the problem, Kwabena. You've drunk the Kool-Aid.

You should wake up.

Here's the signed headshot for your mum.

# To keep God at my side but

# They would love to see me stressing out

# Bank balance inna di red ya na

# Dem man love fi see me less ya na

# Knife bored inna di my chest ya na

# They would love fi see me dead ya na

# Gunshot inna mi head ya na

# But you dun know, Jah had another plan

# Mi seh God always makes sure mi blessed ya na

# You know, God always makes sure mi blessed you know

# God always makes sure mi blessed you know

# You know, God always makes sure mi blessed you know... #