All language subtitles for 35.Up.1991.1080p.BluRay.H264.AAC-RARBG

- I'm going to work in Woolworths.

- When I grow up I want
to be an astronaut.

- When I get married I'd
like to have 2 children.

- My hearts desire is to see my Daddy.

- I don't want to answer that.

- This is no
ordinary outing at the zoo,

it's a very special occasion.

We've brought these
children together for the

very first time.

They're like any other children except

that they come from startlingly
different backgrounds.

- Stop it at once.

- We've brought
these children together

because we wanted a glimpse
of England in the year 2000.

The shop steward and the executive

of the year 2000 are now 7 years old.

- In 1964
WORLD IN ACTION made 7 Up.

We have been back to film
these children every 7 years.

They are now 35.

- Give me a child until he is 7

and I will give you the man.

- Is it important to fight, yes.

I want to be a jockey when I grow up,

yeah I want to be a jockey when I grow up.

- At 14 Tony
was already an apprentice

at Tommy Gosling's
racing stables in Epsom.

He left school at 15.

- This is a photo finish
of when I rode at Newbury.

I'm the one with the white cap.

I was beaten a length and a half a third

and had a photo finish.

So I took it out of the box
and kept it as a souvenir.

My greatest fulfilment in
life, when I rode at Kempton

in the same race as Lester Piggott.

I was a naive wet behind
the ears apprentice.

All my years from 7, all
my ambitions fulfilled

in one moment and I
eventually finished last.

Tailed off obviously but it

didn't make any difference to me.

Just to be part of it,
be with the man himself.

Couldn't buy it, that was the
proudest day of my whole life.

- Tony's now 34.

At weekends he takes
his girls to a stables

where the family keeps a couple of ponies.

What's it mean to you when
you see the girls on a horse?

- There are times you
look back and you look at them

and you see yourself in them all the time.

Wait come here.

- Got down first didn't I.

- Yeah.

When I was a kid right,

no one ever ever showed
me how to ride a horse.

I had to go out and do it myself.

Just walk him, hold them
legs nice and properly.

When I see them riding I sort of like

"Oh I taught them that"

and I see them doing this and
I show them in another way.

Then once they learn it I sort of like pat

them on their bum

sort of put them on
automatic pilot you know

and they're on their own.

But that's what life's all about isn't it?

Giving your kids all the opportunities

that give them the benefits
that you never had.

Don't be afraid, never
be afraid, they know.

Horses were my whole life,
flesh, blood, in my veins,

it was you know all the smell everything.

Princess Anne to her
horses and Lester Piggott

to his that's how I felt.

- And you let it go?

- I let it go.

- Sometimes on Saturday
morning I go to the pictures.

Sometimes with my friend
and sometimes with him.

- You don't.

- I do.

- She don't, I don't ever see you.

You go to a different pictures.

- Have you got a girlfriend?

- No.

- Would you
like to have a girlfriend?

- No.

You understand the Four F's, Find them,

Feed them and Forget them.

The other F I'll let you
use your own discrimination.

I mean, this one, I
tried to do the Three Fs

but I couldn't forget her.

- I used to work in a pub
just on a Friday night.

Barmaids, barmaiding
and from there one night

I went to a discotheque.

He was in the pub earlier on

and that afterwards we
went to a discotheque

and Tony was down there and I just,

from there I just that was it.

Couldn't get rid of him.

- We have our ups and downs,
no more than anyone else.

- I think you got to work at a marriage.

I think all marriages go through stages,

you can't stand each
other, you go through,

I think, oh God, I hate
him I wish he'd get out.

I do and I'm sure he does about me.

- I been in positions you
know and it's hard to say

in front of Debbie but
it's true, it's tempting,

you take the bait.

You know I go on holiday once
a year with the boys type

of thing to Spain, Magaluf
and we have a golf holiday.

All against Debbie's will but it's true,

I get in situations out there that you,

life is for the living.

And I come back, "Oh I know
what you've been doing out

"there, you've been
meeting all them birds",

and whatever and they
look at you as if to say

"I know, and I don't want to know".

That's how it is.

- Who's to say in another 10 years me

and him might have split up?

- Quite possible.

- You know, you don't know.

- If you were to break up

what do you think it would be over?

- Yeah, I think it's be the other party.

It wouldn't be for the
kids cause the kids they're

everything, without
anything prior to that.

Isn't it, I mean it'd break my heart.

Knowing that another
man could come in here

and bring my kids up.

There's only one ambition
really, I want a baby son

and if I see my baby son

then I'll see my ambition fulfilled.

No one knows that, only you now.

- Tony and
Debbie had a son, Nicky,

who is now 13.

They have 2 daughters, Jody and Perry

and the family lives in North London.

- Now listen, on Saturday
Tottenham have got the Arsenal.

- One, I was expecting on
28 UP wasn't I when you were

filmed that but I lost that baby.

I didn't feel that I could have any more.

I really didn't want any more.

But then anyway I did and I had Perry.

They are naughty, very naughty.

They're the naughtiest kids I know.

Nicky's like me, he's more
placid but Jody's like

how he was when he was 7.

I do discipline them,
you know, I smack them,

I put them in their rooms,
I take things off of them.

I do it, I discipline
them and he undoes it

so I'm fighting twice with
them, it makes it harder for me

because he's too soft with them.

- Why do you think
you're too soft with them?

- Cause I love them so much.

- Do you bring them up the way

that you were brought up?

- The upbringing I
had I saw more dinner times

than dinners without any questions

and I did have my brothers
clothes on my back for

you know hand me downs.

It's never done me no harm.

- I wouldn't have
got away with my parents

what my kids get away with me.

- Yeah but in saying that you do

give them everything possible.

All these designer clothes type of thing,

the Naff gear and Reebok
trainers now my Nicky

plays football and she'll say
"Oh Nicky wants some trainers

"have you got £70"?

and I'll say "What £70
for a pair of trainers,

"hold on there's a stall around there,

"same quality trainers
for £24 or something".

She'll go "£24, oh no" she'll say

"He can't go to school
wearing that rubbish".

She'll give them
everything, got an old bike,

wants a chain putting on and a

few nuts tightening or whatever.

"Oh can't have that bike, get a new one"

then in the next Christmas comes up.

- Only cause you don't put
the chain and bolts on.

- Oh, I'm not having that one.

- What will you do if you don't

make it as a jockey?

- I don't know, if I know I couldn't be one

I'd get out of the game.

- What do you
think you would do then?

- Learn taxis.

- At 21 Tony
was on the knowledge learning

to be a London Cabbie.

- If there's any
person who thinks I can't be

a Cabbie then they're wrong.

I'm going to get that badge and I'm going

to put it right in their face.

Just to tell them how wrong they can be

and how underestimated I am.

- At 28 he had his own cab.

- Surprising who you pick up you see.

I once met Kojak I picked
him up and Warren Mitchell,

Alf Garnett you know.

Debbie's working in
the day so Debbie'll be

on her way home by 4
o'clock, the kids'll be

coming home for tea.

Debbie'll stop the cab outside,

come in and cook the dinner.

Then I'll sit down with the
kids till about 7 whatever,

then I'll start the cab up
because we work the same cab

and I'll go to work till
about 1 until it goes again.

She's got a great mind.

She does the knowledge
which is less than 2 years.

For a woman with 3 kids, the pressures,

running a family that's remarkable.

- You get a lot of resentment
still from other cab drivers.

Some of them they just give you abuse,

some of them just sit there

shaking their heads when they see you.

I get told to go home and
do the dishes or go home

and do your husband's dinner.

I went to a Knowledge School
and there I met other girls

doing the Knowledge and
we became quite friendly,

we meet on a certain rank at Knightsbridge

and we go and have a cup of
tea we have a look around

Harrods, get a sandwich,
use Harrod's loos.

Have a little look around, spray
the perfumes and lipsticks.

- Does he do his
fair share of the housework?

- No, he doesn't do a thing.

He doesn't even bring a cup from one room

to the other I do everything.

- Sounds awful don't it?

- Terrible.

- I'm not chauvinistic,
don't get me wrong you know,

it's not a question of that.

I've a very luxurious life indoors right?

And I'm not proud to say
it or ashamed to say it

I'm just the way I am.

I mean I work as hard as I can outside

and when I close that door the feet go up

and I feel I deserve a rest.

- Would everybody
please sit round now

and get on with their work.

I don't want to see any backs to me.

Shouldn't be anybody turning around.

Tony do you hear as well?

Get on with your work in front.

Tony, don't turn round again.

- So what advantages
do you think you've had

over some of the other
people that we filmed?

- Academically they've
probably had more advantages

over me owing to the fact
they've had prep schools

at a very early age you know.

They've benefited by it which
you know it tells obviously

in this film but as far
as you know the stability

and the background you
know with their parents

they've missed out on that.

It was February the 9th
exactly 10 minutes past 9.

Mothers having her last, well
at the time we never knew,

her last breath, and she just died

with me holding her hand

and it was the worst moment of my life.

With respect to Debbie,
she was and still is

the best girl in the world.

I'm sorry but Eastenders
they're all close to their mums

and you know like everyone else wherever

you come from but my mom and I,

I've made it clear from when we done 21.

I just loved her, that's why.

That's what I think isn't it.

- I've never met anyone
like his mum in my life.

I doubt I ever will.

She was a lovely lady,
she was a friend to me

she wasn't a mother in law and we used

to go everywhere together me and his mum.

- I know the old man
from the time of his life

afterwards he died there and then

but he walked around
until September this year.

- When you buried him what

did you put in his coffin?

- I put 3 cards and I put
crown and anchor dice,

oh and a betting slip and a pen.

Because that was my dads whole life.

I'm at the graveside, I'm talking to her,

I've got all images running
through my mind saying like

"Tony go downstairs get
me five weights you know,

"and one and a penny" and
I used to go in the shop.

She used to throw the
cotton in a hair curler

over the landing and I
used to tie the cigarettes

on this bit of cotton and
she used to pull them up

and you'd see her in the end,

"Thanks Tone see you
after school be good".

And that's the way it was, and
all little things like that.

Mother having a drink in
the pub, singing, don't care

a monkeys she used to say,
don't care about nothing.

The poshies, "Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes".

They're nuts, just have to touch them.

Yeah well they can get
what they want can't they?

If you've got to work for it
and it's them, they can just

ask for money and they get it.

They can buy what they want.

I'm not a politician so let them worry

about whats coming for the next day.

All I understand is dogs,
prices, girls, knowledge,

roads, streets, squares
and mum and dad and love.

That's all I understand, that's
all I want to understand.

- How long are you
going to be a cab driver,

is this what you want to do
for the rest of your life?

- Well at the moment, I'm
very happy in driving a cab

but I always considered owning
our own pub so obviously

I think with two or three
years, once I get finally,

financially straightened
out I'm going to have a go

at being a publican.

We did eventually get a pub
about 18 months after wasn't it?

- Yeah.

- And we went in partnership
with my brother in law

and I saw the pub going in one direction,

he saw it going in another one and after

about eight months or a year wasn't it?

We decided to call it a day.

Next time it's hard work out there.

- You're not reaching me yet.

- At 28 Tony
was taking acting lessons.

- Be bigger, dominate me.

- Son, son it's a big world out there

and obviously I'm not.

I can't get into it Brian.

- All right, all right.

- Pardon the expression but
could you do my inside leg.

- He now works as an extra.

- I'll have a go at
anything, especially acting,

but talent, who am I to say?

I'm not going to say I
haven't but then again

who's to stay anyone has?

I promise you, it's just
the job, no more no less.

All that big ideas for
stardom probably happened

14 years ago, I mean, but
not now, don't mean nothing

believe it or not.

I don't want to change because if I change

it proves the other Tony
Walker was all fake.

I know, and I've always said
it, there's never ever a thing

in my life I've never set out to do

that I've never achieved.

I wanted to be a jockey thank God,

I rode in a race with
Lester Piggott and I did it.

I wanted to be in the
film game, I got in it.

Working with Stephen Spielberg for 2 weeks

on one of his films.

I made it happen on my terms

and no one can say "I helped him"

and I'm a lot stronger in that respect.

- But you didn't pull it off.

You didn't pull a jockey
off, you haven't made it

as an actor, you didn't pull off the pub.

- Well, it's better to
be a has been than a

never was wasn't it?

My ambitions have gone out the window now

cause I'm running a family,
I'm playing a role now.

That is my role in life
I feel, but in saying

that coming to the age of
34 I've done everything

what I wanted to do.

I've got no regrets other than
not making it as a jockey,

that is my only regret but we
all live on dreams sometimes

If they don't come off unlucky,
you go again some time.

- Tell me do you
have any boyfriends Suzi?

- Erm, yes.

- Tell me about them.

- Well he lives up in Scotland
and he's I think he's 13

and I'm rather lonely up
there because he usually goes

to school but we used to
play till about half past 6

when he comes home from
school, then we go in

and then he goes home to do his homework.

- Have you
got any boyfriends Suzi?

- What is your attitude
towards marriage for yourself?

- Well, I don't know, I
haven't given it a lot

of thought cause I'm very
very cynical about it.

But then you get a certain
amount of faith resorted in it

when I mean, I've got
friends and their parents

are happily married and
so it does put faith back

into you but me myself
I'm very cynical about it.

- When I last saw
you at 21 you were nervous

you were chain smoking you were uptight

and now you seem happy,
whats happened to you

over these last 7 years?

- I suppose Rupert, I'll
give you some credit.

- I'm now chain smoking.

- I think you can't just
walk through marriage

and think once you get
married it's all going

to be roses and everything
for ever you know you have,

well everybody has had their
rows but we've never yet

had a row that we haven't
managed to sort out

and I reckon really we've got a pretty,

pretty good marriage.

When I get married I'd
like to have 2 children.

I'm not very children minded at the moment

I don't know if I ever will be.

- What do you think about them?

- Well I don't like babies.

- What was the
biggest shocks to you

when you suddenly were
confronted with a small baby

that you had to be responsible for?

- Panic set in I think.

That I wasn't going to be able to cope.

- Is it everything you wanted?

- For the moment yes,
I mean I don't think I'll have

any more for the reason
that I will get pleasure

out of these two but I can't
see me going on and on and on.

- Mummy.

- Yes.

- Laura wants you.

- Very little has changed.

My life is probably very
much the same as it was then.

I've had another baby, we've moved house,

and that's about all.

Thomas is at a prep
school now he's a day boy

which he enjoys.

Oliver's at school

and Laura's just started this week.

- Is discipline important?

- Yes, it must be, I
wouldn't want to bring up

3 unruly rude children.

I'd hate people to look at
my children and think ugh,

they don't want to have
them for the day cause

they're so badly behaved and rude

but then you know some days
you can spend you whole day

just shouting at them because
they're behaving so badly.

- Would you like having a nanny

to look after them or do
you want to look after them?

- No I want a nanny to look after them.

We didn't have a third child because

we desperately wanted to have a daughter.

I mean you know, there's
no point doing that,

but it was lovely when she was a girl

because I feel the boys will
go off with Rupert fishing

and stuff and I shall be left on my own

so it'll be nice to have
a girl around the place.

Oliver's a very volatile child it's him

and I that have the problems.

Right from the minute

he was born he screamed day and night

and he's never got any better.

He's got learning difficulties,
dyslexia may come into it,

we don't know yet.

I think he would benefit
from being at a school

where he's where he can cope better.

- As a teenager,
Suzi spent her holidays

on her fathers estate in Scotland.

What sort of things do you do?

- Ride, swim, play tennis, ping pong.

I might play croquet, things like that.

- What about the
social life, whats that?

- What in Perthshire?

- Yes.

- Mm, quite fun.

I came to London when I
left school after Paris

and at the moment I could
never live in the country.

I'm happy down here I mean
the country's nice for 4 days

to go for long healthy walks but I mean

I could never live up there now.

- This is a wonderful atmosphere

to bring up children.

Do you think in some way it might be

too secluded and safe for them?

- It could be.

That's something that
slightly frightens me

that it is it's a very cosseted
life that they have here

and they've got to hit
the world at some point.

I just hope that I can
help them cope with it.

It is the most carefree time of your life.

I'm not saying it is for all children.

Well any child going through
their parents splitting up

aged 14 you're at a very
vulnerable age and it does cut

you up but you know, you get over it.

There's no point them
staying together for me

because it was worse I
mean the rows, it's worse.

If two people can't live together

there's no point making yourself.

I hope by Rupert and I giving
them a close family unit

that they'll keep their
heads and won't feel

that they're slightly lost like I did.

Where I wasted time was
in my middle late teens

and I think at that stage I didn't care.

I just let those years
go really, I drifted

and it's too late now to look back.

When I leave school
I'm down for Heathfield

and Southover Manor and
then maybe I may want

to go to a University but
I don't know which one yet.

I'd like to do maybe shorthand typing

or something like that.

I left school when I was 16, went to Paris

went to secretarial college and got a job.

- What made you decide

to leave school and go to Paris?

- I just wasn't interested in school

and just wanted to get away.

- I was a partner in
a quite a big law firm

and I resigned from that
set up my own company.

I tend to specialise in
refurbishing old buildings

and converting them into offices.

- Well if Rupert's
still got his property company

in this present economic
climate, I'd like to get

more involved with that.

It was a very difficult time when Rupert

was deciding to leave.

He's got a lot of responsibilities

with all of us and it's not easy

just starting off on your own.

- Do you ever
worry that the roof might

fall in and you'll be
out of this and whatever?

- Yes, it crosses my mind.

Last year, it's quite,

it's crossed my mind
quite hard that we might,

you know we could lose this
if things don't pick up.

- When she was 28
Suzy's father had just died.

- It's very hard to describe to somebody

how you just take the loss.

It is terribly hard, even
now I still can't believe

my fathers not here.

It's still sinking in I think.

The death of one of your
close family is probably

something you don't ever get over

and it's a different kind of
problem than anything else.

- Tell me about your mum.

- She was diagnosed before
Christmas as having lung cancer

but she's strong, she's tough

and hopefully she'll pull her way of it.

She's just had a horrendous
operation, she's still in

hospital now in a lot of pain.

You see someone in pain like

that it's especially someone that you love

and care for, it's it's very hard.

Somehow I think when
you're faced with it you

just find inner strength.

I think you think
beforehand something awful

you can't cope with it but
somehow when it's there

you just get on.

Someone somehow gives you
inner strength to cope with it.

- What do you think
about making this programme?

- I just think it's ridiculous,

I don't see any point in doing it.

The first year or two after 28 UP came out

you know I'd meet people,
or people in shops

would ask me whether I was the
girl that did the programme

and that's quite hard
because it's churning up

all happy memories, sad memories,

and it all comes flooding back, parts

that I'd rather forget and it's all

there for people to see.

Although most people are
quite nice about it you get

the odd one who's fairly
rude and I just think they're

lucky then they didn't have
to have it done to them.

I've had a very privileged
life compared to some people.

I've never really had to
struggle to make my way

but I don't think I've taken for granted

what I've had either.

This may sound very arrogant

but you can't if I let it
worry me I mean I'd worry

myself to death, I can't
change what I was born into.

- Well, going to Africa
and try and teach people

who are not civilised
to be more or less good.

No I don't want to be a missionary
because I just can't talk

about it to people.

I am interested in it myself

but I wouldn't be very good at it at all.

- So is this your
missionary dream come true?

- Well not exactly, I'm
a teacher now in London

and I've had the opportunity
to come here for a term

and it just so happens the
school I am in has great links

with this part of the world
and you know I've come here

to find out about the
background of many of the boys

that I teach back in London.

- At 35 Bruce
is working in Sylhet,

a town in the north east
corner of Bangladesh.

- Well I'm earning my
keep by teaching maths

and helping the teachers here,

helping them design courses of study.

I'm also teaching them English,
they've all got quite good

English but practising
and improving their English

and then I've also got the
chance to learn a bit of Bangla

which is very difficult and
I'm not doing very well at all.

- Bangladesh,
Bangladesh, Bangladesh.

- Bangladesh.

- Bangladesh.

- Bangladesh.

- Mango.

- Mango.

- Ahm.

- Ahm.

- Vasto, Vastos, vastat,
vastons, vastones, vastat.

- Yeah speak up.

- At 7 Bruce
was at a pre-preparatory

boarding school, at 14 St
Paul's school in London.

- They don't sort of
enforce being upper class

and things like that at St Paul's.

They suggest that you don't have long hair

and they do get it cut if.

They teach you to be
reasonably well mannered

but not to sniff on the poorer people.

- At 21 he was in his

last year at Oxford reading maths.

- You can show that this is irreducible

then you do a transformation
on this polynomial,

x equal to t plus two.

- Good, that's a nice way of
doing it, particularly using

Einstein down here.

His test is very powerful.

- I won't carry on with mathematics,

I don't think I'll be a teacher.

Chris Soarabe.

- Yes sir.

- At 28 he was teaching,

immigrant children in East London.

- And to here, 25.

Now it cost you 24, now
you're not going to.

- It's so different
from your own education

where you're teaching now, why?

- General education is
better for society I think.

Public schools are divisive,

that's with no statement
about my education.

My education was academically excellent

and I was very grateful for it.

I think there is a class society

and I think public schools
may help its continuance.

- At 35 in Sylhet

he is teaching the older students.

- I see education as
a key to it all I mean once

your population becomes
educated it can think for itself

a lot more and create wealth
and create opportunities.

Good, because you've
got to get an x squared.

Now when we come to the village we're

definitely going to go swimming.

- What do you like about Sylhet?

- Well I think mainly the
people and their hospitality.

A couple of weeks ago I
went on a visit to a family

with a teacher from this school.

They lived in a one room
flat but we were immediately

invited in and we sat
around having food with them

and that's what hospitality means.

If I was back in England and I turned up

say at a friends an hour before

lunch with three people
they'd never met they'd say

well lets go down the pub or something.

I didn't agree with the Conservatives

about what they were doing
with the black people,

you know, racial policy.

Everybody has the capacity
to be racist wherever

you are in the world.

I think it's a natural
human condition to be afraid

of something that's slightly
different to you I think

that that's the basis of it.

I mean I know academically it's defined

as prejudice plus power.

When you've got the power to do something

about it you can turn it
into something very damaging

to the person who's receiving it.

I think if you recognise that
as an emotional condition

maybe you can use your
intellect to check yourself.

- Has a country
like this got any future?

- I think it needs an awful lot of help.

The amount of general
poverty I think is growing.

You see so many children
working I mean it used to be

a rich area 200 years ago
and more people would call it

the Pearl of the Bay of Bengal.

People wondered at it
and it's not that now

and that's not unconnected
with the British rule here.

Basically we don't care
that many countries

are incredibly poor, we
simply don't care I mean we do

raise money for charity and
so on, which is excellent,

but it's simply not good
enough at the end of the day.

Well my girlfriend is in
Africa and I don't think

I'll have another chance
of seeing her again.

- Have you got any girlfriends?

- No, no not yet, I'm sure
it will come but not yet.

I mean I do think a lot of
people think too much about it.

- What happened
when you burnt your fingers?

- Erm, I'd rather not talk about it.

Well no, I don't really mean
that I mean I don't mean

that I don't want to talk about it just

that I'd need quite a long
time to think about it.

I think I'd very much
like to become involved

in a family life.

My own family for a start.

It's a need that I feel I ought to fulfil

and would like to fulfil
and would do it well.

Yes I haven't got married
or whatever and I suppose

that would've been something
which I hoped would happen,

you know I suppose lots of reasons really,

I don't suppose I've met the right person.

Well about 10 minutes.

I mean you just read out an article.

I'm still a bit shy and
awkward, still have a bit

of growing up to do sometimes,

I think I'm a little
bit immature sometimes.

I can have quite sort
of teenage like crushes

on people and I can see
myself falling into it

and know exactly whats
happening but sort of unable

to do anything about it.

I've had affairs, sometimes they've ended

quite naturally with
goodwill on both sides.

Maybe I just haven't met the right person.

- Well you're getting
on a bit aren't you worried?

- Well not particularly,
I'm always optimistic.

Who knows who I might
meet tomorrow but I think

that's the trouble with reserve.

You're not rejected but you
never know what might have been.

But I'm getting better
you know, year by year.

I think we all grow up.

- What are the qualities

in a woman that you look for?

- Well, somebody I get on with
I suppose not particularly

attractive or whatever,
I don't want this to turn

into a sort of a dating agency video.

My hearts desire is to see my
Daddy who is 6,000 miles away.

He died about three years ago.

He was 72 I mean we did

drift apart because he
was in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe

as it now is, he did come back to England

and retire and I did used to
go up to Yorkshire and see him.

Not as often as I should've
done, I mean I'm sure

he had a fond feeling
for me and I'd have liked

to have returned that in some way.

- Do you miss him?

- Well I'd like to have
been able to miss him,

I'd like to have got closer
to be able to miss him.

I regret that chance of not
getting closer at that time.

You always need people
to care for you because

if you disappoint yourself by acting badly

in a particular way you
tend most to hurt the people

who love you and where would we be without

having people to love you.

- At 28 Bruce was
living in a council flat

in East London, he's now
in primitive lodgings

in the middle of Sylhet.

- Is money important to you?

- Well not really, I
have enough to live on.

I don't know whether
teachers deserve more money.

My gripe's has never been
about money, it's always been

about horrid conditions of work.

I find it horrible that people
care so much about money.

There are many more finer
things in life than that.

You know, people who bought the shares

in the privatisation issues
just to make quick money.

I just thought well, what
are you about in life?

Is that it?

You know, I didn't want any part in that.

- This film
is about opportunity,

do you think you've made the
most of your opportunities?

- My opportunity was to do what I wanted

and what I found fulfilling.

And I had a great variety
because of my background, yes.

I've made the most of my opportunity

because I've found something to do

that I find rewarding and
that was my opportunity.

I see education as being
very important you know,

which is why I'm distressed by something

which I see in Bangladesh,
the young kids working

so hard they need to bring
the money in for their family.

I'd say education is a
right, the more they learn,

the more choices they have in life.

Life should be a rich experience.

- If we did all love
Geoffrey and we all wanted

to marry him I think I
know the one that he'd

like the best and that's her.

- Plenty of boyfriends but not one.

- Yeah, not one in particular.

Friends with plenty of boys you know.

- We had a teacher at school,
his favourite ploy was

all you girls want to do
is walk out, get married,

have babies and push
a pram down the street

with a fag hanging outside your mouth.

- Women are expanding into
so many different areas now

that it must be getting
easier, I mean I could still

be working now and have
a family if I wanted to.

The number of people in
my situation, single,

not single parents as such but divorced

single parents is unbelievable.

And the people of my mum's generation,

it's still rare, very rare.

- If my mum was to contemplate
leaving my dad was far,

I mean I don't even know
what she would've done.

Because she never dreamed of
working until the youngest one

went to school so I
couldn't I couldn't imagine

where she would've gone
or what she would've done.

- We haven't got that problem.

If a relationship is not working then

it's acceptable in society to bail out.

- Well I know he is hers and he loves her.

- I don't I love him.

- I don't think I'd get married too early,

I'd like to have a full
life first and meet people

before you commit yourself to a family.

- Sue was 24
when she married Billy,

they had two children,
William and Katherine.

- I think that to get married
young there must be things

that you miss, you must
miss that crucial stage

of being yourself, because
the minute you get married

you're no longer a single being,

you're a partnership and that
should be the idea behind it.

Go on then, you go first, turn it over

and put it back in the same place.

Just after we made the
last one I had Katherine

and then she was about a
year and the marriage started

to sort of dissolve around
us really and we decided

to go our separate ways.

I've never sat down

and thought what was it,
was it this was it that.

I just knew it wasn't
working and the discussion

really was the best way of
splitting up rather than

why are we splitting up?

It was really strange, I
think it seemed so obvious

to both of us that it was probably easier

to do than it should've been.

I have a regular one night
a week when I can go out.

It just happens to be that in
this particular circle most

of them are separated or divorced.

You have common problems
so sometimes it's easier

because you recognise each
others problems with babysitters.

You know it's not always possible

to drop everything and go out.

I think that women want
more out of life now,

that is basically why they won't put up

with a less than happy marriage.

- Are you ready
for a long term relationship?

- I don't think you're ever ready

for a long term relationship
either it happens to you

or it doesn't really.

I certainly wouldn't kick one

in the teeth if it crept
up on me, yeah, why not?

- Did you meet enough men

before you decided who to marry?

- I've been married a year
and a couple of months.

And you do think Christ what have I done?

- See I still got my kids.

- And I'm being honest about it.

And Russ thinks the same.

At times you think
Christ what have I done?

- Lynn married Russ at 19,

he works for the Post Office.

They have two daughters, Sarah and Emma.

- I'm very much geared to the
family unit, I mean us all.

We do things together all the time.

I mean there are times
when Russ and I obviously

we like to leave it all behind

and go out just the two of us.

Now as the girls are
getting older we've actually

started taking them with us.

I'll say, oh we haven't done very much

but when you look back we have.

It might only just be playing
games or going swimming

or going for a walk
we're doing it together.

- If you think that getting married

as far as we're concerned

is a case of going to work, coming home,

cook tea for hubby,
going to bed, getting up,

going to work you're totally mistaken.

- Jackie married
Mick when she was 19.

- I'm not sure I would recommend it.

I think if but again you're generalising,

I would say on average
19 is probably too young.

We decided ourselves, I mean
just between the two of us,

we knew it wasn't going
any further we both knew

I think at the end of the
day we would be happier

leading our own lives.

Whether that involved other
people, you know was to be seen.

But no, you've got to bear
in mind we had no children

to worry about so really the only people

that were getting hurt by us was us.

- If I could have 2 girls and 2 boys.

- And what about you Jackie?

- My mom, cause she got five girls she has

seven years bad luck,

that's why she's got five girls.

I'd like to be able to
have a happy family,

I mean I know it's not possible
to be happy all the time

but as much of the time that was possible.

Go through there, that's
the nursery, hah hah.

- Got any plans?

- Do me a favour?

- At 21 Jackie
had moved into a new house.

By the time she was 28 she had
decided not to have children.

- Basically I would say
because I'm far too selfish

and I enjoy doing what I want
when I want and how I want

and certainly at the moment I
can't see any way around that.

That's not to say that's
a forever decision.

This one on, here we go, oh yeah, yes.

I had a brief but very sweet relationship,

the result of which was Charlie.

Cor blimey, Charlie, you're
supposed to clean your teeth,

not eating the brush.

It's the best thing that
could've happened to me

and I would never have believed I could've

enjoyed a child as much as I enjoy him.

I actually sat down and sort of thought

about should I have him or not.

I thought about what I was
going to do if I did have him.

How I was going to keep him.

But it comes back to the
same old story, the family.

My fathers only comment to
me was it is your decision,

you tell me what you want to do

and then we'll take it from there.

And they've totally rallied around me.

Anybody that wanted to know
just got told I was pregnant

I wasn't with the father, end of story.

People that know me know the full story

and that's all that matters to me.

And Charlie will know when he gets older.

- When I got married
the primary reason was

because I wanted to have a child,

the two to me went together.

- Why did you have a child out

of a marriage that wasn't working?

- Because I wanted
to have more than one child

and it was a thing about
being an only child myself.

I was always jealous of other
children that had brothers

and sisters when I was
growing up and I didn't want

to have more than one child
with two different fathers.

I think that brother and
sister should have the

same mother and the same
father, that is my ideal.

I would hate to think it
was tough on the kids.

William used to say why isn't
daddy living here any more

and I would say to him,
well you know how you

and Katherine argue and
get on each others nerves,

well that's how daddy
and I are we just find

that we're happier if were
not living in the same house.

- I'm going to work in Woolworths.

- At 21 Lynn was
working in a mobile library

in Tower Hamlets in East London.

- I've not stamped yours, Sleeping Beauty.

Teaching children the beauty of books

and watching their faces as books unfold

to them is just fantastic.

To work with children
of that age you've got

to love them and I love children.

The last 10 years of
government have actually

in my opinion brought this country

much much further downhill.

We have lost an awful lot of
our National Health Service,

an awful lot of our education system.

I'm actually on the
governing body of two schools

and I want the best for those kids

that the system can provide.

And if the systems not good enough,

then we better the system.

What would you do if
you had lots of money,

about two pounds?

- I would buy myself a house a new house,

you know, one that's all nice and comfy.

- Do you get
depressed by money problems?

- No, why, why should you?

If you can manage on what you've got.

- It's easy to get
depressed over money.

- It's so easy to but why should you?

- When we've reached the
18th day of the month

and my mortgage is due on the 20th

and there's nowhere near
enough money in there

I get depressed about it obviously.

What money?

- It was hard first of
all when I gave up work

from having a fairly high
salary to nothing was hard but

you get used to whatever
your circumstances are,

you live in them, you get used to them

and you cope, everybody does.

- Sue now works
part-time for a Building Society.

- Everything's
changed for me cause I'm now

supporting myself a lot
more than I was a year ago.

- How did you feel

about living off Social Security?

- I hated it, really hated it.

Perhaps it's old fashioned values, I mean,

Mom and Dad have certainly
never been in that situation

but then my mom and dad have
never been single parents

either so you have to do what's

best for you and the children.

- Thanks very much.

- Bye.
- Bye.

- I took a year off when I had Charlie

and the state kept me for that year

but I went back to work and although

to be honest at the time I
pay everything out I'm not

that much better off but I feel better.

You take it from there,
can I get through this week

or can I get through this month?

Can I get Charlie the things he needs?

Somewhere along the line
you get the money you need

for whatever you need and as
it goes at the moment we're

working and were trying to keep
our families as best we can.

♪If I said that I love you. ♪

- Why is it that you three

haven't changed so much do you think?

- Perhaps we haven't grown up.

- We've all had a stable background

with stable relationships
all the way through.

- The same people are there
now that were there then.

- She initially went into hospital

for an exploratory operation,
they found out she had

cancer although at that stage
we didn't know how bad it was.

She was ill at the time,
they started chemotherapy

and radiation treatment
and she was just so bad.

Mom badly wanted to
come back to the family

and the family needed her here.

She then spent nine months of hell

I wouldn't have wished on anybody.

- She sat down on the settee
and she died, just like that.

And we were up in Norfolk
with my in-laws at the time.

And so all we got was
a phone call from Dad

to say that mom had died.

- And how did you deal with it?

- I'm still dealing with it now.

But then although she's
not with us in body

she's still with us in spirit.

She was a great friend
to me as well as a mom,

probably the best friend I'll ever have.

And as you see it still makes me

very emotional now, it's only 2 years.

To some it's probably
seems oh it's a long time

but it's not very long.

- The poor, if you don't help them

they probably die soon wouldn't they.

- Some people are just born into

rich families and they're lucky.

- I don't see why they should
have the luck when people

have worked all their lives
and haven't got half as much

as what they have.

It just don't seem fair.

We only had a limited choice
any way, truth be told.

We didn't have the choice of education

because they couldn't have
afforded it anyway so we

just went to the school we wanted to go to

and we made the best of
it when we were there.

That is something perhaps
when it comes to our children

that we would say why not go further?

- All I am interested in
and probably the same as

the other two is what is good for me,

what is good for my son and that's it.

I don't sit there envying maybe
what Suzi could do for her

children that I can't do for mine.

Yes, I'd love the money to
be able to put him all round

the world, I'd love to be able to do that

but I haven't got it.

And at the end of the day
I'm going to do what I can.

At this precise moment
in time is probably one

of the best times of my life.

Come here, come and put your top on.

I think probably because I've got Charlie,

he's totally transformed
my life a lot of the times

I obviously pull my hair out
but certainly for the better.

So yes, I'm a lot happier within myself.

People around me have noticed that.

So it's a good time for me.

Give us a cuddle.

I don't really want Charlie to be an only,

I'd love him to have brothers and sisters,

but not necessarily loads of them,

just one would do actually.

I think Charlie would like that as well.

I think Charlie would love it.

- A year ago Lynn
started having black outs,

she took medical advice.

- They stuck all these tubes up inside me

and discovered that I'd
got these veins here

that shouldn't be there.

- In your brain?

- Mm-hmm.

- And what can they do about it?

- Not a lot at the moment.

They're investigating other...

treatments but the surgeon

said that he doesn't want
to operate at the moment

because the risk it's
too near the optic nerve

and there's an 80% chance
of hitting the optic nerve.

- So is it frightening to know

that you have this condition?

- It was for about
a week but it got itself

into its own place within
my system where sort of

amongst my rungs of priorities

and I overcame the fear of it,

now it doesn't worry me at all.

- We've all got
little secret dreams.

I mean I loved drama at
school, I loved to sing,

along with millions of others,

so I would like to have
carried that further.

It was discussed at one
stage, you know going

to drama school and
pursuing it but I really

at the time didn't have the bottle.

Didn't want to give up work
and income as a young person.

I was quite enjoying myself.

Didn't want to risk all
that to follow the dream.

- So are these good times Sue?

- Not particularly no.

I've got two lovely children now

but it's just another
crossroads for me now.

I don't know which way I'm going to go,

whats going to happen.

I'm on my own basically,
I'm starting again.

- Are you changing?

- I'm just growing up.

I don't think you ever stop
growing up the circumstances

are changing so I'm just adapting.

- When I grow up I'd like to find out all

about the moon and all that.

- At 7 Nick
a farmers son was at a

one room village school
in the Yorkshire Dales.

- I said I was interested in
physics and chemistry well

I'm not going to do that here.

- At 14 he
was going to a Yorkshire

boarding school and at 21 was
reading physics at Oxford.

So what career are you going to pursue?

- It depends whether
I'll be good enough to do

what I really want to do.

I would like if I can to do research.

The gap in these
experiments is a temperature

comparable with that of the sun whereas

in a power reactor it
would be maybe 10 times

the temperature of the sun.

- At 28 he had moved to America

and was doing nuclear research

at the University of Wisconsin.

So how's it going Rich,

tell me about the current drive.

Ok so your all looking
at this thing expectantly

so maybe I'd better
say something about it.

The first one is basically
saying that the rate of change

of crystal momentum, it's
DDT at this quantity H bar K.

That is equal to Laurent's Force.

- He is now an associate

professor at the University.

Is Madison a friendly place?

- Yes very friendly.

It's a fairly small little
community and you get deer

and things running through
here so it's kinda nice.

You know you notice if
you walk into a shop here

or a store as they would call it,

people are much more polite to
you than they are in England.

And it's not in a it's not just a matter

of being obsequious, they just try

and be reasonably
friendly and smile at you.

- Do you have a girlfriend?

- I don't want to answer that,

I don't answer those kind of questions.

I thought that one would
come up because when I was,

when I was doing the
other one somebody said

what do you think about girls

and I said I don't answer
questions like that.

Is that the reason you're asking it?

Yeah I thought so.

The best answer would be to say

that I don't answer questions like that

but you know it's what
I said when I was seven

and it's still the most sensible

but I mean, what about them.

- Nick was only 17 when I first met him

and I knew he was a nice person.

I find him very attractive
and he used his intelligence

in his relationship with
me which is very important.

- She felt that she wasn't
portrayed at all like she is

and that she felt foolish
as a result of it all.

She was really taken by
surprise by how she came over

and she really wasn't sure
why she came over that way

but she was very unhappy
with everybody involved

and so didn't want to be
in that position again.

- Is she difficult?

- At times yes.

Whenever we have an argument
she does have a tendency

to explode I suppose to get,
no to get really miserable.

- We've only been married 4
years, anything could happen,

we could easily drift apart,

there are so many pressures
on people you just.

- People saw the last film

and thought this marriage
isn't going to work,

this marriage isn't going to last,

did you get that response?

- Well, it's actually such a mystery to me

what they thought they were talking about

that I really just don't
relate to it at all.

I have no, I just don't
why they said that,

I mean the sorts of things
you were seeing was us trying

to be very honest about it.

That may have been the place

in 28 where we probably
were working hardest

about really describing what
things were like instead of

I was just saying I
sometimes just am very dull

and neutral and show too much of myself.

Well in that I think we were
just trying to be really

upfront and say this is what
it's like and we're working

very hard at it and
hopefully it'll work out.

If that sounds to somebody
like it's in jeopardy

well that's their problem.

- The big issue
for us at the moment

is how were going to manage to
have kids and run 2 careers.

- In those early formative years

would you be happy

for your children to
be brought up by Jackie

and Jackie not to be able to
give them the full attention?

- Well it's not I mean that's putting it

in a rather strange way,
- That's him, he's bringing

them up too you know.
- I mean this is an area,

- It's not just me.

- I pay lip service to the
idea of equal shares on this

and it remains to be seen whether I would

actually live up to my intentions.

- There are several things
I think to be said here,

I don't want to be the
person to be left behind

while Nick flies in and
shares an adult life

with his children at college and working.

I want to be there too.

- Nick and Jackie
now have a 1 year old son Adam.

- On the subject of
Adam, I enjoy doing this

for the most part but I don't
want the sins of the father

to be visited on the son in
this case so we've sort of

decided that we want
to keep him out of this

to some extent, well to some extent

essentially all together.

When I grow up I'd like to find out all

about the moon and all that.

- Where did you
get all this brain power?

- All this brain power, I don't know.

This is one that we were quite proud of,

glow discharges between
a couple of metal plates

where there's an ionised gas in between.

I suppose I'm very
ambitious in terms of trying

to get my research to go forward.

I'm also trying to train students so that

they can actually acquire
some useful skills

and can go out and just be
really useful contributors

themselves and push back the frontiers of

what we're capable of doing.

They'd like to come out for a holiday

in the country when we'd like,

when I'd like to have
a holiday in the town.

I've been to Leeds a couple of times

and haven't been to Manchester.

I went to London with the other programme,

when you did the first programme,

but that's the only time I've been.

In my position I don't feel
that I'm letting England

down because I don't think
that England particularly

wanted me there doing what I was doing.

So how can I feel that
I'm betraying a country

when it doesn't want me to do
what it's trained me to do?

- Do you get lonely here?

- You just tend to get stuck
into your everyday routine

and you don't think about
it but when you call home

then you realise how far
away you are and now it seems

acute because both our families are

getting older even if you think in terms

of seeing them once every two years.

- That's not so many times.

- You're thinking only about 10 times

and that's awful when
you think in those terms

you realise you really are in exile.

- Do you miss England?

- An awful lot yeah.

My parents managed to get
over here a couple of times

in the last two years and
Andrew my middle brother

was here about two years ago so that's

pretty good going in way
that they got over here.

Christopher is the brother
who is deaf as you know

and his language skills are getting better

but be certainly didn't get a flying start

from the education system
that he went through

so you know he really is
still getting to the point

where you know, he can't hear essentially

at all so you can't
really have a conversation

with him on the phone.

He'll get on the phone and tell you

a bunch of stuff and you can understand

most of it so that's really nice.

- Is it painful for you?

- Well the thing that was
emotional to think back on

was the situation when he
was probably a year old

and it was really becoming
clear to everybody

that despite the fact that his doctor

has originally insisted no he wasn't deaf

that it became pretty clear that he was.

And you know at the time
I just desperately was

hoping it wouldn't be
true, that somehow some

sort of miracle would
happen and he would turn out

not to be, so but then I told
myself well if he weren't then

he wouldn't be the same
person and it would be wishing

that the person didn't exist so

that wasn't the appropriate
way to think about it.

- Do you think
you can build a life here?

- Well you know, one is trying to

but it is very difficult
being in a place where

you're a long way away
from all your background

and you don't have any
sort of support network.

It really does, I mean you
have to fend for yourself,

you keep thinking for yourself,

you're really being called on

to show pioneer spirit every
now and again it seems.

It don't have this urge that you

sometimes hear people
saying that I want my child

to have all the things that I didn't.

I don't look back and
think I was deprived.

There were things that
I had in a certain sense

as a child which were not material things

that I had but situations
I was in and experiences

that most children
wouldn't have growing up

on a farm and actually working on a farm

and being in a situation of being told,

clean out that calf
shed really has made me

very determined to get things done

and not give up half
way through something.

It develops a streak of
stubbornness that can be useful now.

The trouble with me is that
I tend to take the streak of

stubbornness too far I have
to try and mellow out a bit.

- Have you
travelled a long way since

that seven year old in
his big muddy boots?

- I suppose an awful long way yes.

I mean I'm sure there's
lot of the same personality

that was in there is still here.

Still easily embarrassed and confused.

I mean I think that you
can see the saying give

the boy until he is seven,
I'm quite prepared to accept

there's a lot in that.

If you could look at me at
seven and see through the

sort of superficial things
and the silly things

I was saying you could see
what made the child tick,

there was probably an awful lot in

there that's here now yes.

- I read the Financial Times.

- I read the Observer and the Times.

- What do you like about it?

- Well I like, I usually
look at the headlines

and then read about them, about it.

- What's the point of the programme?

- The point of the programme
is to reach a comparison.

I don't think it is.

We're not necessarily typical examples.

- And I think that's what people seeing

the programme might think, falsely.

- Yes, they tend to typecast us.

- So everything we say they'll think oh

that's a typical result of
the public school system.

- It's certainly true
that more people know

they have more options
or imagine they have.

I think in practical terms the difference

in numerical number of
options isn't that great.

- But the mere knowledge
creates an option in itself

so I think we do have more options

and it is undesirable but it's
very difficult to correct.

- I don't think it is
undesirable at all I think

whats undesirable is
people who have had options

don't take best advantage of them.

When I leave this school
I'm going to Collet Court

and then I will be going to
Westminster Boarding school

if I pass the exam.

And then we think I'm going
to Cambridge in Trinity Hall.

- John went
to Westminster School

and read Law at Christchurch Oxford.

- I do believe parents
have a right to educate

their children as they think fit.

And I think someone who works

on the assembly line in
some of these car factories

earning huge wage could
well afford to send

their children to private
schools if they wanted to.

- At 21 we asked him
what career he would pursue.

- Might be at the Bar.

- Doing what?

Perhaps Chancery practise?

I now have a career, I'm a barrister,

other than that life chugs
along in varying degrees.

- John entered
the Chancery division

of the High Court and
specialises in company law.

- How wonderful, have you told Alexandra.

- When I leave school I'm going to

The Dragons School I might and mummy's

and I might go to after I
might go to Charterhouse,

Marlborough and I can't
remember the other places

because mummy's got so many
but there's some of them.

- What about university Charles?

- I might go to Oxford.

- Charles went to Marlborough

but he didn't go to Oxford.

Instead he went to Durham University.

- I'm pleased I didn't
because it's very much

a sort of set from Marlborough.

Prep school, Marlborough,
Oxbridge conveyor belt.

Shoved out at the end.

- And what
did Charles want to do?

- Hard to say, probably
scribbling away in some basement

for some London newspaper or something.

- Charles did
scribble away for an

East London newspaper and
then moved onto the BBC

where he is now a producer.

He married last year.

He prefers not to be on television.

- I'm going to Charterhouse

and after that Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

- Andrew went to Charterhouse

and Cambridge where he read Law.

- I'd like to be a solicitor
and also fairly successful.

- At 28 Andrew was a solicitor

in a large London firm.

What qualities do you think
it needs to be successful?

- Well you have to have a
legal ability in my business

obviously and you have to
have a sort of bedside manner

as far as your clients are concerned.

It's no good being brilliant if you can't

communicate with your clients.

- At 35 he had become a partner

in the same company.

- Well I work in the corporate
department of a large firm

of solicitors in the city
that is dealing with things

like mergers and
acquisitions, joint ventures,

general corporate advice,

putting deals together for clients.

- What do you think

about girl friends at your age?

- I've got one but I
don't think much of her.

- I don't think I financially
come from the same background,

Andrew didn't go for a haughty deb,

he went for a good Yorkshire lass

but I mean obviously
he knew what he wanted.

- At 28 Andrew had married Jane.

- I suppose the most important
thing that's happened is

that we've had two children
one five years ago,

Alexandra and then a couple
of years later Timothy.

We've also moved out from
central London over to Wimbledon.

We decided we should
look somewhere there was

a bit of green space so we moved out here.

- What was the biggest surprise

about having children?

- That our ideas of
bringing them up may be not

necessarily coincide with each others.

- When I see the
children playing together now

I realise how much fun they have together

and it's probably what I
missed being an only child.

- When boys go around
with girls they don't

pay attention to what they're doing.

Yes my grandmother had an accident because

a boyfriend was kissing his
girlfriend in the street.

The most important thing is
that I've gotten married.

- He married
Claire, the daughter

of a former Ambassador to Bulgaria.

- Recently I think this
charity Friends of Bulgaria

is something that's very
important in my life.

I became involved in all this
to channel aid to Bulgaria.

It is a great pleasure
to welcome you all here

tonight on behalf of Friends of Bulgaria.

My mother in fact is from Bulgaria,

and that explains why for me Bulgaria

is an especially important place.

We decided for our inaugural
event it would be a good idea

to have a concert and as
I'm a barrister I'd hoped

I'd be able to get access
to one of the halls

of the Inns of Court because

they are very magnificent buildings.

- It is coincidental that
we met but its obvious

that the Balkan connection
was a strong mutual interest.

- I think it's not a bad
idea to pay for schools

because if we didn't schools
would be so nasty and crowded.

- So do I think so.

And the people in the schools wouldn't.

- And the poor people
would coming rushing in.

- And the man in charge of the
school would get very angry

because he wouldn't be able to

- And he'd get bankrupt.

- pay all the masters if
he didn't have any money.

- At 7 the boys
are singing Waltzing Matilda

in Latin at their exclusive
private school in London.

- An education is very important,

I mean you can never be sure
of leaving your children

any worldly goods but
at least you can be sure

that once you're given
them a good education

that's something that
no one can take away.

The important issue is
drawing the distinction

between allowing people to
spend the money they earn,

in other words low taxes,
and also putting enough money

into the infrastructure,
things like education,

health service, transport system.

And that's a very
difficult balance to draw

and I'm not sure that were doing

the right thing at the moment.

I think more should be being put into that

and I think people would be
prepared to pay higher taxes

to pay for that sort of thing.

- Yeah just a bit late there.

- All this talk about
opportunities, something I did

slightly object to in the programme,

we were all shown at the
age of seven outlining

the academic sort of
career that most of us did

in fact pursue but it didn't
show the sleepless nights,

the sort of pouring over our books.

All the sweat and toil

that got us to University.

It was presented as if it were part

of some indestructible birth right

that we went to all these places

and I thought that was unfair.

It didn't show having to do
beastly jobs in the holidays.

If I had a son I would like to send him

to Westminster where I went.

Where I suspect the public schools

or the major public schools
win over the state schools is

in the quality of the
staff that they attract.

I mean certainly at my school the teachers

were absolutely first
rate but on the other hand

we had very little in
the way of facilities

and computers and language laboratories

that are taken for granted
in many state schools.

And I think when people
talk about more resources

they often mean more money
being spent on these things

which in a sense are
inessentials, and less money

is being spent on what really matters

which is the quality of the teachers.

- The rich children always make fun

of poor children I think.

- The acquisition of
sacks and sacks of money

is not something that I
set much importance by.

I'm not money minded I
would say in that sense.

On the other hand it would be hypocritical

to pretend that a lot of
the things that I take

for granted and my lifestyle
is dependent on having

a fair amount of money but I can't say

that the acquisition of more money is one

of my main aims in life.

We now have a house in
the country which takes up

a lot of our time and
energies and I seem to spend

an awful lot of my time
gardening furiously,

trying to tame the wilderness
that we inherited there.

I'd have laughed if 10
years ago you'd have told me

that I'd spend most of my time
digging herbaceous borders

but that's what I seem
to do and I enjoy it.

One good thing about
having quite a large house

in the country now is that I've
taken up playing the piano.

I've always had a piano
in London but with work

I never had time to practise
and now we've got room

to house a piano in the
country and I find I am now

practising quite a lot and
beginning to get it back a bit.

- Certainly I can never
tell the difference

between you playing and the CD playing

when I'm out of the
room, you're very good.

- Well she's very diplomatic.

- Does money concern you a lot?

- I think as long as one
has enough to be comfortable

that's really what one should aim for.

We took the children skiing
for the first time last year,

at least Alexander, and
he really enjoyed it.

- Is the family
unit the most important thing

in your lives, more than
your own ambition or?

- I'm not sure that I
have any ambition as such now

I mean just to progress
with my work and so on.

- I think ambition probably changes once

you've got children, your
outlook on life is no longer

the same as it was before.

And you can still have
ambitions and the fact

you want to be successful in your work

but the end result is
that if you're successful

in your work then you can enjoy

your success with your children.

And hopefully with your wife as well.

- I think the more you have
out of the country the more

privileges you're born with
the greater your duty is.

I still feel as I did when
I was 21 that it's important

for people who have had advantages to try

and put as much back and to
help others less fortunate

than themselves if they can.

In England as we all know
there is a perpetual debate

about the National Health
Service being starved

of resources but people who go on

about the government butchering
the National Health Service

I think should come over to Bulgaria

to see what being kept
short of necessary supplies

and funds really does mean.

What were doing round
delivering drugs firstly

that we've managed to purchase with monies

so far raised by our appeal
and also at the same time,

trying to find out what it
is that they really need

so that we can be sure we're
getting the right things

through to the right destinations.

We've been told that in
some places its impossible

to do even operations,
albeit that they have

the operating theatres and
they have excellent doctors,

for want of simple anaesthetics.

In other places, for instance,

the children's home at,
they're even lacking

such simple things as soap and detergent.

These are things that
we can supply in England

very painlessly and yet here they really

make a lot of difference.

- The Bulgaria that I
have known coming back

with John has been a
much more varied country

and it has been very enriching to travel

around the country with John and to have

the extra dimension of
John having investigated

to a great degree his family tree down

through many generations
and many centuries.

- My great great grandfather who was the

first prime minister of
Bulgaria when the country

was liberated from the Turks in 1879.

Well I think everyone
needs to have a feeling

that they belong somewhere.

There's a plot of land

or somewhere they hail
from and their roots are.

Within the last month a new
agricultural law has been

passed returning land to
its former proprietors.

We think that some part at
any rate of this property

will become back to us and I for one

am very excited at that prospect.

It belonged to my
grandfather, his brother.

And they farmed it in the whole estate

and partnership with my great grandfather.

Looking at it with a professional eye,

I've dealt with worse than
this in North Hampton.

I don't think there's anything

that couldn't be sorted
out given six months or so.

And a couple house guests to stay.

- Do you think you
and Claire could live here?

- Ask me that in 7 years time.

I don't think much of their accents.

- Neither do I.

- What's been
the effect of being

in these films on you?

- I don't think really there
has been any effect really.

From time to time I meet
someone who I've never met

before who says I think
I've seen you somewhere

before haven't I and I say perhaps.

I try not to talk about it.

- You've got three minuses in a day.

I must say I mainly laugh
when I see myself at seven.

Obviously I said some shocking

but extremely funny things in retrospect.

It has to be said that I bitterly regret

that the headmaster of
the school where I was

when I was seven pushed
me forward for this series

because every seven years

a little pill of poison is injected.

- Well no.

- Well it's the truth, I dislike intensely

being on television, I
refused to do this programme

last time round and I'm
only doing it this time

because I see this as an opportunity

to draw the attention of
viewers in this country

to the awful problems
in Bulgaria in the hope

that they may wish to do something

to help the situation there.

- I don't like big boys hitting us

and the prefects sending
us out for nothing.

I know I prefer to be alone really.

I find it hard to express
emotion most of the time

although I'm getting on
top of that more now.

Just the simple things
to say to sort of Susan,

you know I love you something like that,

I mean I can tell you about it

but I really haven't been able to say it

freely to Sue you know.

- What was it
that you fell in love with,

what is it about him?

- His helplessness I suppose,

it was the motherly instinct in me

to pick him up and cuddle him.

He's also very good looking I think

but he doesn't agree with me.

In the summer he's got this
cute little bum in shorts.

I mean I can tell quite a few stories here

but the one that really
irritates me the most is

that when we have an argument
he says that's it, leave me.

And I say fine, all right I will one day.

But that's it you know after all

these years of marriage,
we've been married for

what 13 years now or something

and he still say you're leaving me.

Well one day I might
just pack my bags and go.

- At seven, Paul was at a

children's home in London.

Were you happy at the
children's home in England?

- We didn't mind that
really cause we didn't know

what was going on cause
we were a bit young.

My mother and father got,
well they separated originally

I think they eventually got divorced,

I went to the Boarding school for one year

and we emigrated to Australia.

My father got remarried.

- How do you get
on with your step mother?

- Pretty well but like I said
before I'm just not close,

I'm not really close to my father either.

- Do you have
any regrets about the fact

that you weren't closer to
him when you were younger?

- Yes I suppose, I
mean it's all wasted time

in a way I suppose.

He was always there, I could always talk

to him but it was different.

- A lot of people that
go out to Australia,

these English people,
they go out without family

you know and all of a
sudden Paul's come here

and he's got all this family
he sort of half knew existed.

- So Paul brought
Sue and his two children

Katy and Robert to visit the
family for the first time.

Do you think about England
much when you're in Australia?

- Only when the crickets on.

- I mean I'm in awe of everything I see

because I've always
wanted to come to London,

I always thought it would
be great thing to do.

And all of a sudden I'm here

and I'm having a great time
and Paul and the kids are just,

I'm just dragging them along
behind like come on we're off.

But no, it'd be really interesting

because I'd had lots of family.

And I know I love this sort
of stuff, bit of a showpony.

- When the crunch came
and we were coming over here

I didn't want to do it.

It's just something in me

that holds me back I just it's shyness

or something I'm not sure.

I'm not really good at
meeting new people I guess.

- Is there
any way you would want

to be a father any
differently from the way

your father was to you?

- I'd like there to be more contact

close actual physical contact close.

My dad and I are exactly the same like

that we you know if we hug it's unusual.

- When we had Katy when
she was born Paul said

to me oh I'm glad I've got a daughter.

He said when I'm an old man at least

she'll be able to come up

and give me a kiss and a cuddle.

- Would you
like to get married Paul?

- No.

- Tell me why not.

- I don't want like them
say you had a wife they,

they say you had to eat
what they cooked you

and say I don't like greens, well I don't,

and say she said you have
to eat what you give.

So, I don't like greens say she gives me

greens and that's it.

- Divorce was something new to me.

I figured what Paul's been through,

I mean Paul doesn't say it's very bad

but I wouldn't like that for my children.

- What keeps
this marriage together?

- Learning to keep your mouth
closed at times, I don't know.

- Tolerance I think, I mean we
don't stew we have arguments,

big arguments like anyone else

and we have spoken about this before.

We don't tend to stew over it

for any length of time, we
can be unbelievable together,

you know biting each others heads off

but we don't never go to the next day.

- This is the one thing
that the shows done to us is

that it makes you analyse
things a bit more you know

like maybe if the show hadn't have

been here we may have split up.

You think well we can see what
we were like a long time ago

and it brings it back
to you, you think well,

we had this then, often a
lot of people grow apart

and can't see what they had originally.

- I don't think the show could
actually hold you together.

- No, no but what it's showing you is

what you had in the past.

- In their twenties,
Paul and Sue sold up,

bought an old van and
travelled through Australia.

- I think it brought us closer together,

we got to know each other,

we relied on each other so much.

It gave us our own peace
of mind that we could

settle down and now have a family,

that we had done something,
we hadn't just been nobodies

and lived in suburbia all our lives.

We'd done something that we were proud of,

that we'd accomplished on our own.

Being together so much it was
hard but then we settled down,

and must have settled down really well

because I got pregnant so something

must've been going right.

- The family settled down

in a working class suburb of Melbourne.

Are you ambitious for your children Paul?

- I said something about wanting Robert

to be a brain surgeon but that was a joke.

I mean if like if he's
a brain surgeon good

and well but it'd be nice to let them go

one step up from us I think.

At the moment I'm pretty happy with Katy,

I'm not having a go at
Robert but I've got fears

for Robert cause he's
struggling a little bit.

He's only been at school for two years

and grade one and he's
had three teachers already

say they don't know how to motivate him.

What does University mean?

- When the last show
was on I said to Robert

do you think you'll go to university?

He goes well what's university?

It just floored me.

It just proves that high education

isn't a major point to us,
just getting him out of

first grade was a major importance to us

and so university seems a long way off

and so we just take each year as it comes.

- I was going to be a policeman

but I thought how hard
it would be to join in.

I just haven't made up my mind yet.

I was going to be a phys ed teacher

but one of the teachers told me you had

to get up into university.

- At 21 Paul as
working as a junior partner

for a firm of bricklayers in Melbourne.

By 28 he'd gone out on his
own as a sub-contractor

but it didn't work out.

Since then he'd had a variety
of jobs in the building trade.

- Well I'm more of a trades person

than a business person you know,

I've never had any business training

and if I've got natural ability
I probably haven't used it.

Where do the problems go?

I mean did I lose it because
of it or did I never have it?

I think the confidence was never there,

it might run I the family sort of thing.

- I think maybe it's the lack
of security maybe he felt

when he was a child, perhaps,

that's my theory, my theory alone.

I mean that's the old thing isn't it,

when one of your parents are taken away

from you you lack security.

- The monitors up in the
washroom sends the nurse

out well there's no talking
well I wasn't talking.

- Katy now has this saying,
oh you know me I'm hopeless

and it's just Paul you know,
oh you know me I can't do this.

And it's sort of like this
defeatist attitude type

of thing but oh I don't
know I just ignore it

and go along my merry way I suppose.

He has got better, I
think as you get older

maturer you know, confidence
does come to a point.

- I really went through
a stage it's so stupid

because I was only a
bricklayer like I failed.

Something happened with
that job and I started

to maybe I did start
to look at what we had

and think what do you want out of life?

What's so bad about what we got?

- Do the two
of you have a dream?

- I've always wanted
to move to the country.

I wouldn't mind a small property,

doesn't have to be big or flashy.

It's more relaxed style

of living, an attractive
sort of lifestyle.

- We've just been
together for so long we're

just sort of plod along together.

I enjoy his company and he
enjoys mine most of the time.

I know that he's going to
come home to me every night,

I'm going to have someone there.

He's very secure that way.

- She does put up with a lot.

I can't be that easy to live with.

I'm nice but I'm not easy to live with.

- Well we pretend we've got swords.

We make the noises of the swords fighting

and when somebody stabs us we go aargh.

If think if you're healthy
and have good friends

you can get on perfectly well.

Everybody would like to be rich.

I came to London and contacted
an agency for squatters

and they were able to give
me an address of somebody

who was able to help
people who were looking

for accommodation in the London area.

- But you've
kicked against the stability.

- I don't think I ever had any
stability to be quite honest.

I can't think of any time
in my life when I ever did.

I don't think I've been
kicking against anything

I think I've been kicking in
mid air the whole of my life.

I've been moving about a bit

between difference places
really, a bit unsettled

but I'm very shortly
moving to live in digs.

- At 28 Neil was
roaming around Britain.

We found him on the
west coast of Scotland.

- If the state didn't give us

any money it would probably

just mean crime and I'm
glad I don't have to steal

to keep myself alive.

If the money runs out
well then for a few days

there's nowhere to go to
that's all you can do,

I simply have to find the
warmest shed I can find.

- At 35 he's
living in a council flat

in the Shetland Islands.

- The nice thing about
here is that you can cut

yourself off when you want
because there are people

living around but they're
pretty quiet people.

It's an environment which
sustains me it's one

in which I can survive.

I still feel my real place is in the world

of the world where people are doing

what the majority of people do.

And the reason I don't feel safe is

because I think I'm getting more

and more used to this lifestyle

which eventually I shall have to give up.

- How do you
manage for money these days?

- Social Security still, I wish it wasn't

but I'm afraid it is.

I've no desire to be putting

the taxes up and drawing money
off people who've earned it

themselves but that's the way it is.

Well I'm going to take
people to the country

and sometimes take them to the sea-side

and I'll have a big loud
speaker in the motor coach

and tell them whereabouts
we are and what we're going

to do and what the name of the
road is and all about that.

- Neil was brought
up in a Liverpool suburb,

went to a local comprehensive school

and Aberdeen University.

He dropped out after a term

and at 21 was working on
a building site in London.

At 28 he was homeless.

How do people regard you here?

- Well I'm still
known as an eccentric

as I have been since
about the age of 16 or so.

- Do the days seem long for you?

- They can do.

- Do you have
any friends anywhere?

- I've some good friends still in England.

- Neil settled down

in the Shetland Islands
a couple of years ago.

- Hello Neil how are you?

- Is the
community important to you?

- Yes, it has to be, this is where I live.

It's been very good to me.

People have been especially
kind in many areas

and I'd like to be putting
something back into it

and we'd be putting something back

into the whole of Shetland,
not just into this area.

I'll take 2 pints of milk please.

- There we are Neil.

And how's the pantomime then?

- Not so bad.

- Oh that's good, no traumas?

- Not on my part but people could do

with learning their lines a bit better.

- But you're alright.

- Well I shouldn't speak too soon.

When I grow up I want to be an astronaut

but if I can't be an astronaut

I think I'll be a coach driver.

This probably linked up with the fact now

that I want to travel I mean my thoughts

haven't really changed that much

but I definitely wouldn't
like to be a coach driver now.

I suppose I would, yes, well
I would like to be somebody

in a position of importance,
I've always thought this

but I don't think I'm
the right sort of person

to carry the responsibility
for whatever it is.

I've always though well I'd
love to be possibly love

to be in politics or something like this

but I'd probably find that just as tedious

as all the other jobs I've done so.

What were the things I
always thought I could do.

I could give lectures on erudite subjects

that I'd read all about or
I could work in the theatre,

perhaps lighting or directing a show.

- And is all that lost to you?

- Does seem to be yes.

- The village pantomime
1990 Beauty and the Beast.

- Matthew Matthew

Your house sir is needing some repairs.

I think the attendance
at last years pantomime

on the Saturday night
was the biggest crowd

of West of Shetland folk
I'd ever seen in one place.

And you know and we think they enjoyed it.

We had good receptions in other
parts of Shetland as well.

We did tour one play.

I think were moving

into an age when there's
going to be more stress

on the community.

When bigger policies are fairly set,

are fairly predictable, and the emphasis

is gonna fall on local organisation.

- You directed it last year

and you're not this year why is that?

- Well the specific reason is that we had

a preliminary meeting and
I was, my name was not

put forward as the one they wanted so.

- Why would that be?

- Probably because I like
to do things in my own way

I'm perhaps quite an
authoritative director

I have my own idea of the performance

before we even start
and I don't like people

to deviate from that and during the course

of production of course people
come along with suggestions.

No I accept suggestions,
I don't just go along

without listening to people
but I know how I want the thing

and once I deviate once from that idea,

the whole thing actually falls apart.

It's not a work of art any more.

I'm not claiming that I
produce marvellous works of art

but I do know what I'm aiming for.

Alas poor master, still
sleeping, shall I awaken him.

I think everybody wants to be somebody

and when you can't actually be anything

in your ordinary life if
you feel there's a sphere

in which you can excel then it's great.

I mean I know how much pleasure
people who take photographs

get when their work is praised

and that's perhaps it's
much the same thing.

- We'll just taking take
a quick look at your plan

and see how it stands.

- What I have done is
taken lists of all the

community halls in Shetland
with their capacity.

- Neil is trying to organise

a professional touring theatre company.

- If a hall only seats
60 people it may not

be worth putting on a show there.

- I mean what was your
response at the fact

that only 4 folk turned up at the.

- Disappointment, it was disappointment.

I was disappointed but I
think it proves the point

that I've been trying to
make that you can't just

except people to turn up for
a group from outside Shetland

when they don't know
what the things about.

I've had an instinctive
feeling that I was a writer

since I was 16, I never really
wanted to be anything else.

I would actually pay to
have something published.

I think that's important I
think if I could find somebody

that would recognise,
there must be something

in what I've done.

I don't think it's all useless.

I probably am overvaluing it
but I know how much effort

went into some of it and
on that strength alone

I just can't believe it's useless.

With each successive play
I don't know who I'm trying

to speak to and what I'm
trying to say to them

and whether they're
listening I just keep going

because that's what I
feel I should be doing.

In the winter, if you live in the country,

well it's just all wet and
there wouldn't be anything

for miles around and you'd
get soaked if you tried

to go out and there's no
shelter anywhere except

in your own house.

But in the town you can go out

on wet wintry days cause you
can always find somewhere

to shelter because there's lots of places.

I don't think I've been
typical of the environment

in which I lived.

What my background has given me

is a sense of just being part
of a very impersonal society.

You finish the week you come home you plug

into the TV set for the weekend

and then you manage to get
back to work on Monday.

And it seems to me this
is just a slow path

to total brain washing and if I you have

a brain washed society
then you're heading towards

doom there's no question about that.

- Well it weren't too
bad last night anyway.

- It was better than it's
been for a while I think.

- There was enormous
reaction to you in the

previous film what do people
see in you do you think?

- It's seemed that I was representing some

kind of successful escapism or somebody

who'd managed to be totally himself,

hadn't given in to pressure of society

to conform and people
flooded me with letters

and people seemed to think

I could solve their personal problems.

And I was quite frightened
because I knew I couldn't

but what really bothered
me was people seemed

to see something in me that I
hadn't been aware of myself.

All I was aware of was that
I didn't have anywhere to go,

I had nothing to do I'd no money,

I felt let down by quite a lot of people.

I didn't think my life was a success

but suddenly everybody seemed to think so

but the most nagging
thing was that whatever,

even if a million people had written to me

it wouldn't have made any
difference to my own situation.

When I get married I don't
want to have any children

because they're always
doing naughty things

and making the whole house untidy.

I always told myself that I
would never have children.

- Why?

- Because, because, well
because children inherit

something from their parents.

And even if my wife

were the most high spirited and ordinary

and normal of people the
child would still stand

a very fair chance of
being not totally full

of happiness because of what he

or she would've inherited from me.

- Have you given up on women?

- Well, what how shall
we say, all but you know.

I mean there's always, everybody always,

every unmarried man and
every unmarried woman hopes

for somebody who will actually come along

to change their life.

But the practical reality

is the chances of my finding somebody

who would put up with me
in my integrity is are few.

- What would
you look for in a woman?

- Well I might look for various things

but what's probably more important is

what somebody would look for in me.

I can't offer reliability.

I mean most women looking for a husband

or a steady man wants somebody

who is reliable in some way or other.

I cannot offer that.

Because I don't know
what I'm going to be like

from one day to the other and
it would be foolish for me

pretending you know that I
could offer something like that.

I can offer sincerity,
I can offer compassion,

willingness to do my part
to put my wife's interests

as high as my own, no doubt these are,

I'm sure these are important.

But I cannot say look in

10 years time I'll still
be bringing in a wage in,

especially if I don't start
in that situation, you know.

- Do you
worry about your sanity?

- Other people sometimes worry about it.

- Like who?

- As I said, I sometimes
can be found behaving

in an erratic fashion,
sometimes get very frustrated,

very angry for no apparent reason.

For a reason which won't be apparent

to other people around me.

It's happened from time to time.

- Are you
getting better or worse

do you think your state?

- I don't think there's any
significant change in me,

I said I haven't been so depressed

since I've been in Shetland,

I suppose my basic personality
is not a lot different.

- Are you having
any medical treatment

for your mood changes?

- No I haven't for many
years because I wouldn't like

to be dependent upon man
made substances for a cure.

- Do you ever
think you're going mad?

- I don't think it I know it.

I, well we're not allowed
to use the word mad

but you know, I think
most people are mad here

but I think it's a mad world.

I think I remember walking
in London 12 years ago

and just walking through the city

and they were digging up the drains

and there were cranes
knocking down buildings

and there were cars trying to get down

impossible narrow alleys and
having to reverse out again

and policemen doing all kinds of things

and I thought this world
is just mad you know,

this world is just mad.

Yes I'd say I believed in God.

- Are you religious?

- Well I go to church with
my parents on Sundays.

I don't know even know whether
I do believe in God or not.

I thought an awful lot about it actually

and I still don't know
but I still led to believe

that it was absolutely certain if one was

to survive in the world
one had to believe in God.

- And how's
he been treating you?

- Well I said to somebody last week

that I preferred the Old Testament

to the New Testament because
in the Old Testament God

is very unpredictable
and that's I think how

I see him in my life.

Sometimes very benevolent,

sometimes seemingly needlessly unkind.

Well after I'd tried every
remedy one could possibly

think of for my personality disorders,

I thought well I'm going to trust God

because other people
have done so seemingly

with positive results.

I can't say the moment I
trusted God my life was fine

and I can't say all the time

that I think I've found
the answer but I can say

with some certainty that
once I started believing

that there is actually a God
who has something of a design

for the world, who is working
in a certain way in the world.

After that some things
became clearer to me,

I really can't say much more than that.

- Coloured people we
don't like them very much.

- No it sounds like
ghostly coloured people,

you think of a sort of purple person

with red eyes and yellow feet

and you can't really think of
what they really look like.

I find it hard to believe
that I was ever like that

but there's the evidence.

Probably when I was seven I
just lived in a wonderful world

where everything was all sensation

and them I could be happy like this,

I could be miserable the next one.

I don't have a yearning for
any past time in my life.

Perhaps in my subconscious
I could recall a time

when everything was a lot happier

my teens were terribly unhappy years.

- If we come back in 7 years

how would you like us to find you?

- In a job from which I
was getting satisfaction,

married, probably with
children, with a good salary.

Enough to as I said before to be able

to live fairly comfortably
and with friends

who I could contact when I wanted them.

- So do you
think you have failed?

- Can't really judge.

- Do you feel
you've failed yourself?

- Well my life isn't over.

- Can you think what you'd like

to be doing in the year 2000?

- I can think of all kinds of
things I'd like to be doing.

The real question is what
am I likely to be doing?

- What are
you likely to be doing?

- That's a horrible question.

I tend to think most likely the answer is

I will be wandering
homeless around the streets

of London but with a bit
of luck that won't happen.

I always feel that somehow
a good fairy has waved

a wand over me and saved
me from that because

that seemed very much what
the end would be for a while.

That's why I cling on here,
I know how tempting it is

to escape into fantasies, to believe

that I already am a successful writer.

To believe that I've got lots of friends,

to believe that if only I had
done such and such my life,

would've been different but I
mean the most difficult thing

is to accept the reality, to
be what we are in a situation.

That's terribly difficult.

- No not intentionally.

- I must you, I'm a
moustache fellow, a beard.

- At the end
of their very special day

in London after their trip
to the zoo and the party.

We took our children to
an adventure playground

where they could do just what they liked.

Those from the children's home
set about building a house.

There's Nicholas.

And Tony.

Andrew.

And Bruce

John.

Suzi.

Jackie and her friends.

Give me a child until he is seven

and I will give you the man.

This has been a glimpse
of Britain's future.