Original subtitles

Ah.

Ooh.

Have I got time for a shower?

All the time in the world, guv.

- I've been asked to see

the ACC this afternoon, to discuss you.

Me?! What, now?

I haven't done anything.

- Well, you must've done something, John.

They're making you up to Inspector.

Eh?

Give over.

Whoo!

Hmm.

This is exactly

how you found her, is it? You haven't moved anything?

No, sir.

Thanks.

How did you find her? - We stopped to look

at the Hillman parked at a funny angle.

Somebody's given her a whack.

- Unless she took a tumble.

Car keys.

Let's take a look.

- Yeah.

The locals could've done this, you know.

I was fast asleep.

She's topped herself.

What are we supposed to do about it?

- Big bruise on the side of her face, John.

Keys.

She's a GP.

Dr. Valerie Cullen.

And the address of her surgery.

Is there a note?

- Nah, there's nothing.

Let's leave it for Forensics.

Dr. Cullen isn't here. I can put you

on Dr. Plant's list. - I don't want Plant. I want her.

Well, you cannot have her

'cause we don't know where she is.

Excuse me.

- Well, I'll come back when youse find out.

Yes.

- We'd like to talk to somebody about Dr. Cullen, please.

Ay, give me strength.

Her surgery's canceled. We don't know where she is.

- We do.

What a terrible waste.

- You don't seem that surprised, Dr. Plant.

Valerie suffered terribly from depression.

Awful mood swings.

We just couldn't find a way to control it medically,

so she lived with it... I thought, successfully.

But...

uh...

I know she did find it oppressive,

thinking about what the future held.

I'm sorry?

About 18 months ago, we found that she had

an extremely nasty condition called motor neurone disease.

Oh, is that where you go all jerky, like a spastic?

No, you're probably confusing it with multiple sclerosis.

Right.

Was she married, Dr. Plant?

Yes. Andrew Cullen.

Also a doctor.

Here?

No.

No, Andrew works for the Factory Safety Board.

I'll get you his address.

Thank you.

I should perhaps tell you that he and Valerie

have been living separately for over a year now.

Nobody here knows that, except me.

Did she mention suicide?

No.

I mean, did she ever mention suicide, to you,

Dr. Plant?

- Yes, once.

After she was diagnosed?

- No, it was after that, when her marriage broke down.

Why did it break down?

I think you should ask her husband that question.

You all right, guv?

- Yeah.

Yeah, I'm just thinking about Valerie Cullen.

- Ah, well, you can understand why she did it.

Husband might be relieved. Who knows?

I hate this part of the job, me.

- Oh, yeah, me, too.

They're saying Dr. Cullen's not here.

Ring in and make an appointment.

It's the police, Vera.

She's lookin' in his diary.

Have there been any calls for Dr. Cullen today?

One from his wife's surgery about two hours ago.

Did he take that call?

- Aye, when I told him it wasn't his wife.

Always had to tell her he was out.

What's he like?

If he was made out of chocolate, he'd eat heself.

Right.

Found him for youse. Here's a surprise.

Somebody telephones you to say

that your suicidal wife didn't turn up for work,

so you take yourself out for lunch.

Bet that ruined his spaghetti.

Dr. Cullen.

- What's happened?

I'm afraid it's your wife.

Very sorry to have to tell you she's been found dead.

Yes, that's Valerie.

There's no toxicology report, as yet.

But there are traces of barbiturate

in the syringe that we found next to her.

Plus, she's got this large bruise on the side of her face

and two loose teeth on the same side.

Do you know anything about that?

- No. I haven't spoken to her for weeks.

Did she leave a note?

No, not on her. You were separated?

She left me over a year ago.

Where was she living?

- I-I never went.

Didn't ask you that.

She was renting a little two up, two down,

place called Easterhope.

- What made her do it, do you think?

Sergeant, I have been expecting this

since the first day I met Valerie.

She just couldn't cope with life.

Why did she leave ya?

The marriage was a failure. We'd let it drag on.

- Dr. Cullen, do you mind

if I ask who your lunch companion was?

Her name is Anna Zweig

and she's a work colleague, nothing more, nothing less.

- Zweig.

Local lass, is she?

Swiss.

Can I please get out of here?

Would you just write down your wife's address, please?

Guv, are you seriously looking at something apart from suicide?

- Well, two loose teeth in her mouth.

How do we know that somebody didn't thump her unconscious

and then inject her afterwards?

Lot of doctors in this story, John.

- Yeah, but, look, she had a failed marriage, right?

She had this toffee-nosed git for a husband,

she was depressed, and she had this motor-racin' disease thing.

Being told that you're ill

doesn't necessarily mean you want to kill yourself.

And she couldn't cope with life, to start with.

He says. - Yeah, all right, he said.

But who knows what was going on inside her head?

Well, I'd like to know.

All right.

All right, I'll look into it.

You asked for me, sir? - Rachel.

I'm buying John a drink this evening

to celebrate his promotion to Inspector.

Oh, congratulations, Sarge.

Thank you very much.

Inspector. Not before time.

So, join us.

Oh, well, I think I'm... - Oh, no. She wouldn't want to.

Of course she would.

So, Rachel,

this means I'll be needing a new sergeant.

- She's not a sergeant.

Ever hear of sergeants' exams, John?

You're taking your exam?

Next month. Mr. Gently suggested it.

We don't need a uniformed sergeant in here.

- No, but we will be needing

a detective sergeant to replace you, won't we?

So, Rachel, how do you feel

about joining us in CID?

Guv, what is the point in training them up, right?

They just go off and have bairns.

What's...?

That's why we don't have any female detectives.

Well, then, maybe it's time that we did, eh?

Anyway, think about it, Rachel.

- No. Y-Y-Yes.

It's a yes.

Sorry, I-I-I'm saying yes.

Excellent. Well, it's a double celebration, then.

7:30, Town Arms.

Great.

Meanwhile, here's Valerie Cullen's keys;

here's her address.

See if you can find out why she killed herself.

Guv, you asked me to do that.

Perfect. Well, you can do it together, then, can't you?

Easterhope?

My friend used to live there when we were growing up.

Really? You had friends?

- Well, one less now, yeah?

'Cause she died when we were 15.

Right. We're off.

Come on.

Thank you.

- Assistant Chief Constable's office again, sir.

Bananas are being gone.

"Where's Gently? Why are they

still sittin' here, waitin'?" - "They"?

They.

Insp Nunn acknowledges his mistakes in his handling

of rape complaints. - They weren't mistakes.

He deliberately ignored evidence.

Bear with me.

And he'll be leaving the constabulary forthwith.

What, sacked on full pension? He should be prosecuted.

- No, I've got a transfer.

I'm joinin' the Met, Vice Squad.

So an officer with a proven record of violence to women

goes to join the Vice Squad.

Which brings me to the problem of your sergeant.

What problem's that, sir?

- Any way you look at it, George,

there was a vendetta against Insp Nunn

conducted from your office.

But why would you look at it that way, sir?

Well, are you saying it was just a coincidence

that these charges were brought against Walter

at a time when your sergeant

was trying to steal his wife?

- Completely separate issues.

Concerted action to discredit a fellow officer, George.

I can't allow Bacchus's promotion to go forward

under these circumstances.

- John has been held back far too long already.

He makes too many mistakes. Look at his file.

I won't accept it.

A bloke shags me wife and you make him an Inspector?

Where would the justice be in that, sir?

- Don't you talk to me about justice.

You're a borderline criminal yourself.

George.

I mean it, sir. This is a resignation issue for me.

Bacchus's promotion goes forward.

Now, let's draw a line under this.

Dennigs has shut down. I didn't know that.

It's quiet, isn't it?

- Esther's dad used to work there.

Who? - Me friend.

Oh, yeah. What'd she die of, again?

- Cancer.

Gently. Tell Inspector Bacchus

if his shadow ever falls across me again,

I'll break his back.

- I'm not your messenger boy.

There's one from Gemma.

She says goodbye.

She's comin' with me to London.

I've forgiven her.

What we looking for?

Suicide note would be favorite.

Then I might be able to get George to accept the obvious.

Wait. Rachel, wait, wait.

Now, this isn't her mess, is it?

Place has been turned over.

Well, shall we look for forced entry?

Yeah.

Where's the dog?

Ohh!

Have you got a bag? - Yeah.

Control to 724. Are you receiving?

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah. Excuse me.

John Bacchus's private line.

John Bacchus speaking personally.

Forensics will be there in about 10 minutes.

Stay in the area, let them in,

then come back to HQ.

- Right.

It is mine.

- It belongs to the constabulary, actually.

It's in my car.

- Were you an only child, by any chance?

Where you goin'?

Oi!

Boo.

What you doin' in here?

- Esther's dad used to come

and do the maintenance here on a weekend.

He used to let us come and play.

- Bet it was a bit like Disneyland, this,

wasn't it, when you were a little lass?

Sort of.

- Do you miss her?

Yeah.

- Come on.

No sign of forced entry.

Someone's got a key.

Or maybe she did it herself, actually,

searchin' for something in a hurry before she left.

Any other prints in her car?

No, just hers.

- There you go.

Lovely.

Cheers. - Cheers.

Congratulations, Insp Bacchus.

- Thank you very much.

Insp Bacchus. - Thank you.

Cheers.

Go on, then.

What did Davenport say about us?

I thought he hated me.

Nothing much. Sang your praises.

Like what?

Tell ya later.

- Do you want me

to come back in a bit, or...?

No. No, nothing.

Look, we're not here to talk about work.

This is a celebration. Cheers.

- Cheers.

Cheers.

Ahem.

We should search her office, though,

at the surgery.

And question her husband, who youse both think is dodgy, yeah?

- He's one of those blokes, in't he?

Can't walk past a mirror without havin' a little look.

Bit like you.

So, why are you so sure that she killed herself?

- Well, think about it, Rachel, will ya?

She's got this motor neurone disease, right?

This time next year, she'll be sat in a wheelchair

with breakfast dribbling down her chin.

What would you do? I know what I'd do.

Guv, can I just say something?

- Get used to it, John.

What?

- Workin' with Rachel.

Right, fine.

- John.

Shut the door.

Just so you know,

Walter Nunn got off scot-free.

No reprimand, no charge, no nothing.

He's transferrin' to London.

Dirty Squad.

Yeah.

It's the job you've always wanted, I know,

but he got it and you didn't and it's just something else

that you're going to have to get used to.

And there's something else.

Just in case

you were getting your hopes up,

the marriage is patched up

and she's going to London with him.

- Goodnight.

Goodnight, John.

Do you want to take a seat?

Hello again, Mr. Gently.

Morning.

We'd like access to Dr. Cullen's

surgery, please.

- First on the left at the end. It's open.

Thank you.

- Dr. Cullen's already in there.

Eh,

you looking for summat?

- Well, um,

anything that might shed a light

on this awful business.

- Such as?

This is our job, actually. Come on.

You find anything?

- No.

Do you want me to search him, guv?

- Are you calling me a liar, Sergeant?

Yeah, I am. Yeah, I think you're also lyin'

about the Swiss maid that you were havin' lunch with.

"Just a colleague."

Seemed pretty close to me.

- "Close"? What does that mean?

Well, it means that she won't need to yodel

when she needs ya.

Dr. Cullen,

we think someone paid a visit to your wife's house,

searching for something.

Any idea who that might've been? - Valerie's house?

Yeah.

Yeah, the one that you said you'd never been to.

- How would I know? - Mr. Gently,

Dr. Plant needs to speak urgently.

Thank you.

She writes from Easterhope.

Ahem.

Dated two nights ago at 9:00 pm.

"Dear Michael,

You will know by now

that I took the coward's way out, after all."

Others will ask, I know, "Why not a bottle of pills

and not this ghastly syringe?

But you, more than anyone, know

how my illness has already affected...

"My ability to swallow.

So I've made my choice,

even though I hate and fear needles.

Some doctor I made, eh?"

She was actually a wonderful, um...

She was. She...

She had an extraordinary

rapport with patients; everybody loved her.

Take your time,

Dr. Plant.

"You know, too, that there were two loves in my life."

Medicine was one.

Being a doctor was the greatest privilege.

Serving the poor was the thing that rescued me from a life

I might otherwise have spent

in the selfish pursuit of my own appetites.

The second great love...

"Was Andrew, of course.

When we met,

it was love at first sight for me.

A genuine coup de foudre.

He was the light in my world

and, though we had our differences,

he remains, deep down, a good man, Michael.

Please believe that.

For my sake,

be a friend to him

in the days, months,

and years ahead.

With gratitude for having known you

and in admiration of you,

I take my leave.

Your friend and colleague,

Valerie Cullen."

In fact, that letter really belongs to me.

No.

When I'm sure of the reasons for your wife's suicide,

then I'll return this letter to Dr. Plant.

It's addressed to him.

Until then, it's evidence in an unexplained death

and belongs to the coroner. Thank you.

Dr. Cullen, I'm going to have to trouble you

to come in and let us take your fingerprints.

Aye, he really wanted to burn this letter, didn't he?

What did she see in a bloke like him?

- Sometimes people fall

for the wrong person, don't they?

Right, well, we've got a suicide note.

Are we done?

- Why?

Why did she end her life?

- I don't know how many more reasons you need, guv.

I honestly don't. Heidi the goat girl.

Yeah, maybe.

Did you see that look in Plant's eyes?

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

If looks could kill,

Cullen would be dog meat, wouldn't he?

Yeah, no, Plant hates him.

So do I, actually, and I've only just met him.

I think he has that effect on people.

There's more to this.

Her letter

was clearly asking Plant

to forgive Cullen for something.

I've got some tasty stuff

on Dr. Andrew Cullen, if youse want it.

Such as?

Such as, sir, he's barely a doctor at all.

I mean, you wouldn't trust this bloke

to take your pulse without breakin' your wrist.

Anyway, he was born

to dirt-poor parents in Blackpool,

unlike his wife Valerie, who, sorry, was an "Honorable."

- A what?

Well, it means that she's... Was...

The daughter of a baronet.

You know, a silver spoon

to eat your cornflakes with, and all of that.

Private schools,

but she turns her back on it all to train as a GP

and come and work in the industrial North.

Anyway, they met

at medical school, but where...

Where's all this coming from? - Well, mainly, that gobby woman

who answers the phone at the Safety Board.

Anyway, he's worked

in the same practice as his wife three times

and the same thing happens every time:

he gets sacked and then she leaves with him out of loyalty.

So, eventually, he can't get a job anywhere as a GP,

so he ends up as a factory doctor,

which is where you end up when you're useless, apparently.

Right. Well, see, I don't know where any of this gets us.

- "Deep down."

She said "Deep down," he's a good man."

Which implies that he's done something bad.

Yeah. - And don't say

"Heidi the goat girl." I'm sick of hearing it.

What's in Easterhope? Why Easterhope?

What is in Easterhope for Valerie Cullen?

Well, it was nowhere near her practice,

so her patients didn't live there.

Show me Easterhope.

Actually, Rachel knows the place much better than I do.

I've got a mountain of paperwork I need to do.

Right.

Let's go.

- Mr. Gently, can I just say something?

Get used to it. - What?

Working with John. - Control to Inspector car.

Gently.

Andrew Cullen's prints, sir.

Apparently, they're all over the place in his wife's house.

Thank you.

The whole place depended on the factory that closed.

Do you know them?

- Yeah, it's, uh...

It's me best friend's mum and dad.

- Oh.

I haven't seen them for years.

- Do you want to say hello? Yeah.

Yeah.

I've come to say goodbye, John.

Hello, Mrs. Carlin.

- Rachel?

Hey-ey-ey!

Hey, man.

Rachel!

- Hiya. Ohh.

If you'd have given us half an hour,

I would've done the twist with ya.

But I'm jiggered after me game of tennis, you know.

Why've you gone in the police?

Could you not get a proper job?

Eh, Rachel, he never changes.

This is Chief Insp George.

He's her boss, so no showing her up.

Mr. George.

Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carlin.

What I've got, George,

is emphysemia.

Me lungs are shot.

- Norman, man,

it's not called emphysemia; it's called emphysema!

Won't matter how they spell it

when they put us in the box, Bridgie.

We shouldn't tire him out.

- Rachel, this has done more for him

than a million doctors.

He gets no company, pet.

Valerie's been good, though.

- Who's that? - Oh, Valerie.

He likes his Valerie.

She's not his proper doctor; she just calls round.

- Ah, I like her, me.

She's got a lovely smile.

She brings that little dog

she's got sometimes, doesn't she, Bridgie?

- Greedy little thing for biscuits.

Ah, George, she says that, but,

she spoils him rotten every time.

That dog gets more to eat than I do.

Suffering hell.

That was not the plan.

- Yeah, it was.

You got your lacy knickers on, Gem.

Detectives.

- You see, next time, you should wear

your grandma's applecatchers, then I'll know it's goodbye.

There isn't going to be a next time, John.

I can't do this anymore. - Gem.

Walter's asked me for promises and I've made them.

- Well, you've made promises before, Gem.

On the altar?

Thanks.

Anyway, you know, he's changed.

He's a different man.

Never works nights anymore.

- Yeah?

Says it's time for him to stay home

and spend time with me and the kids.

- Any plans?

Plans?

No. Same.

Same life.

Except I can't, John.

I can't.

I can't live in the dark.

I want to live in the light.

- Live with me in the light.

Why did Valerie call round, Norman?

Did she examine you?

- Examine us? Nah.

Take any blood samples? - Why, nah.

Million questions, mind.

"What've the doctors

told you about your chest?

When did the coughin' start? "I says to her," Valerie,

it's not the cough that carries you off,

it's the coffin they carry you off in."

She laughed her head off, didn't she, Bridgie?

- Youse would think they were courtin', the way he comes on.

"Oh, Dr. Tambling's comin' this afternoon.

Give me hair a brush."

It's her maiden name, Tambling.

- Aye, she's married?!

Live and break me heart!

- Well, I could've told ya that, Norman.

She had a wedding ring on, man.

Did she... Has she never spoken to ya

about her husband, Norman?

- Never mentioned him once.

You know why?

She didn't want to scare us off.

Married women.

Man, George, they're the worst!

Gem, you wouldn't just go, would ya?

You wouldn't disappear without saying nowt?

- Go where?

I dunno. Say if Walter got a job somewhere.

He's got a job. - Yeah, I know, but say if he got

another job, somewhere else.

- Move away, you mean?

Yeah.

- No.

Why you askin' that?

Ah, no reason, just...

Gem, don't go, please.

I've got to, John.

This was a mistake and it's my fault.

I'm goin' that way; you're goin' that way.

Don't look back.

What other questions did she ask, Norman?

"How long have you lived here?

How long did you work in Owen's?"

Owen Linings.

It changed its name to Dennigs when it got took over.

Aye, I meant Dennigs. Sorry.

Valerie can answer all of this better than us

'cause she wrote everything down.

She only lives 200 yards away.

Bridgie, Norman.

I hate to tell you this, but,

Valerie killed herself

two nights ago.

Valerie did? Why?

Why do you think she was askin' all of those questions?

- More to the point, what did she do with the answers?

She wrote everything down, Bridget said,

so, who might not want those answers made public?

Who benefits by her death?

- Who?

Valerie Cullen. - Oh.

Him, I suppose.

- There's a lot of it, the Tambling inheritance.

Who?

Sir Edward Tambling, her father.

Made a lot of money, making shoes.

Gave a lot of it to the Conservative Party, naturally.

Knighted in 1958,

died in 1959.

Left half a million quid to each of his three daughters.

Well, that's motive for murder, guv.

We've got a suicide note.

I know, and I can't explain that.

Something gettin' you down?

- You know what's gettin' me down.

John, stay out of it.

- No, I can't stay out of it.

Let them sort their marriage.

He hasn't even told her that he's going to London.

Do you know that? He hasn't even told her.

She's blind to him.

She thinks, right?

That the reason that he's home every night

is because he wants to be with the kids, all of a sudden.

- It's none of your business.

I'm goin' home.

No, come on. Don't be like that.

Here, have another one.

All right?

Yeah.

It's all right. I can manage. I've got it.

I don't need help!

Right.

How much do Safety Board officers pull in, these days?

- I don't think this came out of his wages. Do you?

Rattle his cage for me, John, will you?

- Aye, all right.

Hiya!

Eh! You ever heard of the law of trespass?

Pfft. What?

Well, have you?

Trespass? Yeah.

Yeah, it's an offense, isn't it?

Involving unjustifiable

interference.

Is that what you mean?

Miss Zweig, we didn't meet properly last time.

I'm Det Sgt Bacchus,

soon to be Inspector.

This is my governor, Det Chief Insp Gently.

Yes, I remember. Inspector.

Well, Andrew, I can see you're busy, so I'll...

No, please, Miss Zweig, stay.

I can't offer you any tea, I'm afraid. I have no help today.

Doesn't matter. We won't be here very long.

Help? Did they not teach you to boil a kettle

in Blackpool, eh?

Did you meet the other Dr. Cullen, Miss Zweig?

No.

Ah. I'd show you a picture, but there doesn't seem to be any.

- There's one in the drawing room, if you need it.

No, I'm all right, thanks.

And, actually, Sergeant, I don't need a photograph

to remind me of Valerie.

There's a big one of you in Easterhope.

- I don't remem...

I thought you said

you'd never been there.

- So, how come your prints are all over the place?

Yes, I made a mistake when I said that. I forgot.

I-I've been there once.

When?

Three nights ago. She rang me.

She sounded very depressed, so I drove over there

to try and calm her down.

- Did she seem suicidal?

Well, was suicide mentioned?

I can't remember.

- Oh. I see.

So, then you just forgot about that visit altogether?

Do you know

of a factory in Easterhope

called Dennigs?

- Yes, I do.

Did you ever visit there as part of your duties

for the Factory Safety Board? - Several times.

Why?

- Part of my job is

to check on the health of the workforce.

On behalf of the owners?

No, no, for the Safety Board.

I'm totally independent of the owners.

- Oh.

But it's closed now, anyway. It closed some time ago.

When was that?

Four or five years ago.

- It closed

on December 20, 1965, three and a half years ago.

You're very well-informed, Miss Zweig.

Inspector, you are a very intelligent man,

unlike your sergeant, who only thinks he is,

and I think you already asked yourself,

"She is Swiss;

Dennigs is Swiss.

Oh, my golly, is there a connection?"

Is there?

I'm on the board of Dennigs' parent company, Silvexpo.

We're a Geneva-based multinational

that deals in synthetic fibers.

I see.

And you consider yourself to be completely independent

of the owners of Dennigs Linings?

- Totally.

And you're a chemist, Miss Zweig.

Oh, yes, but I haven't been in a laboratory for years.

I'm head of business affairs, these days.

I now dream of extended lunches,

instead of extruded plastics.

Is that how you met? - It's how we met again.

We first met at Badminton Horse Trials.

We have a shared passion.

- And how long

have you been having an affair with Dr. Cullen, Anna?

Ah, you see?

Clever.

"And when did you stop beating your wife?"

- Hmm. So, then, Dr. Cullen,

why did your wife go to live in Easterhope, of all places?

I've really no idea.

Just a strange coincidence, was it?

All right, well, just one more question

and then I'll leave you to your, uh,

shared passion.

What were these linings in Easterhope made of?

Asbestos.

White asbestos.

- Hmm.

'Til now, the asbestos industry has been regulated

by a statute of 1931

which forbade asbestos dust from escapin' into the air,

so the workers had to have proper overalls and masks

and the place had to be properly ventil...

Bloody hellfire.

You all right?

Yeah, sorry. Carry on.

- Right. So, well, the act stated

that the place had to be kept clear of...

Ow! Massive spelk.

Look at that.

It's like a bloody telegraph pole.

Well, have you not got any tweezers?

Yeah, they're in me handbag, for when I do me eyebrows.

- Right, shall I just come back later, when...?

No, just ignore him.

Ahem.

So, these new regulations

that are coming in next year will change the rules

for places like Dennigs, yes?

- Well, no. No, that's the point.

The new regulations are for factories

that actually use asbestos.

The 1931 regulations

are for factories that actually made asbestos.

Bloody hellfire. I can't get it.

- Oh, for God's sake, man.

Where is it, hmm?

Ready?

1, 2, 3.

- Hey, look at that. Hey, she got it.

So, Owen Linings,

later Dennigs, always did manufacture the stuff,

rather than just use it,

so they've always been covered by the regulations.

They just chose to ignore them.

So the law was clear.

There should have been strict controls

over the amount of asbestos in the air, and there wasn't.

Yes.

And men like Norman are dying.

So, what's the Factory Safety Board been doin'?

Well, exactly. Let's find out.

Guv, I think Rachel should be along.

- Yeah, yeah. Good idea.

Go on, then. Won't kill ya.

Thanks.

Hello. - Hello.

We'd like to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Carlin, please.

Mr. Carlin's very poorly, I'm afraid,

and Mrs. Carlin's gone out.

She has a night out once a week.

It is important.

She always writes it down, where she's goin'.

She does this every week, does she?

Aye. And, every few months,

she goes away altogether for a proper rest.

The company sends a car for her.

Company?

Silvexpo, they're called. They pay for me, as well.

Anyway, you'll find her there today.

She loves her housey, does Bridgie.

Thanks a lot. - Thank you.

Bye.

Seven and four, 74.

Two fat ladies, 88. - House!

Aw! - House called.

Ohhh.

- It's a new card and a new game.

Eyes down

for your first number and it is...

on its own, number 6.

Four and seven,

47.

Five and three,

53.

I thought for a minute you'd come to tell us he was dead.

A bit of us will be glad.

You must think I've got a heart of stone.

No, Bridgie.

- I had three year of it when Esther got her cancer.

Now, I've had two and a half year with Norman.

What kind of cancer

did your daughter have, Bridget?

- It was called, um...

It's a long word.

I have to say it in bits, like a bairn.

Meso... thelioma.

It's a death you wouldn't put

on your worst enemy.

- Bridget,

how come Silvexpo gave you days out and holidays?

Well, they come offerin' money,

but I couldn't take the money; it felt wrong.

They said "We want to help youse."

What'd she call it? It was in Latin.

Ex gratia payment?

Yeah.

And she saw there was nothing they could do for Norman,

but she could see I was tired out,

so she suggested holidays, now and then.

Who's the "she"?

Foreign lass.

Anna Zweig.

Aye.

- Did she ask you

to sign something, first?

Saying that you would never claim against them

for Norman's emphysema.

No. No, not that.

'Cause the Factory Board doctor had already come

and had a look at Norman and says the emphysema's

got nothing to do with the dust.

And then he comes back

with a letter for me to read,

saying Norman had smoked tabs for 30 year...

Which was the truth...

And that's what's knackered his lungs.

You accepted that?

He's a doctor. He's supposed to know.

He's like more high up than your own doctor.

Very well-spoken, lovely looking man.

Dr. Cullen?

Aye, that's him.

- Was it him that offered the money,

the ex gratia payment?

No, no, that come after, from the Swiss lass.

She offered money, if we signed about Esther.

Esther?

What'd you have to sign about Esther for?

- Well, it was to say she never worked in Dennigs

and I kept me house clean and cleaned me windows

and always washed Norman's overalls, and all that malarkey.

'Course, I never knew then what Valerie told us later:

you can only get Esther's cancer off asbestos.

No other way.

- Esther died

when she was 15.

She couldn't possibly have worked for Dennigs.

No, no, no, she played there.

She played in the factory?

- Hmm. A lot of bairns did.

She lived all her life

over the road from it.

It was in the air. Wasn't it, Rachel?

They used to just dump piles of the stuff all over the place.

Me and Esther, we used to

play this game called Snow White.

Whenever we came across a pile of the stuff,

we used to rub it into each other's faces,

in order

to make us white.

She was, though,

the fairest of them all.

The lads were mad for her; she was so bonny.

But she got the cancer and you didn't, Rachel.

I'm sorry, pet.

It's all right, Bridgie.

Did Valerie say how she knew this

about asbestos, Bridget? - She never said.

But she was positive, she said.

When did she first tell you this?

- Just a couple of weeks ago.

She wanted to have a meeting for the whole town.

She called it and then she canceled it again.

When was this?

Two days before she died.

She said Dr. Cullen would be there.

She probably shouldn't be on this now, guv.

- I'm not going to take her off it, not unless she asks.

Do you think she will?

- Ha, not a chance.

What made Valerie Cullen so sure

of the link between asbestos and mesothelioma?

- Worked it out from the questions

she was askin' in Easterhope?

- Maybe. She wasn't taking any tissue samples, so.

Do you think that's why she called the meeting,

to let people know what she'd found out?

- Why would she want Cullen there?

All he'd say is, you know, you shouldn't smoke tabs.

She calls a meeting.

Cullen says that he went to see her because she was distressed.

She cancels the meeting, again.

36 hours later, she's dead.

See, I don't believe him, when he says

that he went there to calm her down.

What was he looking for in her surgery?

And why was her house searched?

Do you need me any more today, guv?

No. But thank you.

You did very well today,

Rachel.

Thank you.

I'll...

I'll see you tomorrow, then.

If you'd like me help on this case, I'd...

Well, I'd like to give it.

Thank you.

Well, I think I might push off home, meself.

- She hasn't gone home, John.

She's headed straight for the library.

Why?

- 'Cause it's what I would've done, if I was her.

I would want to find out everything there was to know

about mesothelioma.

Wouldn't you?

See ya tomorrow.

About time.

Uh! Ohh. - Come on!

Hey! Whoa, whoa!

Shit!

The moon's still a virgin.

Do you want to see it, mister?

Yeah.

Eagle, Houston.

On the stable monitor, over.

- Roger. Eagle is uncoupled.

Roger. Looking good for you.

The Eagle is in flight.

Copy that.

All is good. Altitude: 1500.

We're going well. Go.

- Roger, one zero zero four. Copy that.

34°.

34°, six five zero.

Descending at 22.

600 feet.

22 down, 34°.

500 feet, down at 18.

Malcolm,

where's your manners?

There's a guest.

Hello.

59 feet, descending.

Go.

Descending.

30 feet, descending.

On surface.

- Move to the left.

Good.

Shift to rest.

We have you copied as landed, Eagle.

Late night, John?

- Guv, you've got me up and workin'

at 6:00 in the morning. I'm allowed to yawn.

Onto that and over there?

Hey, not bad.

- Whatever it is,

it isn't here.

Or it was, and they found it.

I met a family here last night, John.

Another kid

with mesothelioma.

Do you know?

Silvexpo offered them 500 quid

to waive all rights to complain.

They're getting away with murder here, John.

- Guv, why don't we bring them in and shout at them for a bit?

She's as hard as nails, but he's not.

He's not that clever, either. - Doesn't have to be.

We'll have him in for questioning,

he'll bring a lawyer, and...

- Well, then, we'll just have to be cleverer than them.

Trust me, guv.

I'm an Inspector.

- Not yet, you're not.

Silvexpo has no responsibility for Dennigs.

Look, no parent company has any responsibility

for the actions of the firms it takes over.

- Ha!

I'm sorry you don't like that, but that is the law.

Andrew, please wait for the lawyers. Where are they?

- And, in any event,

Dennigs itself was not responsible for these illnesses.

I mean, you can't be responsible legally

for that which you are unaware of.

Again, that is the law, as I keep telling you.

- When did you start dishin' out free legal advice,

instead of syringing people's ears?

- You sound like somebody who works for Silvexpo,

rather than somebody who's paid

to look after the health of their workers.

What would your wife think about that? I wonder.

Please say no more, Andrew. Where are our lawyers?

We asked for our lawyers to be here. Where are they?

- Somebody told them

that we were in Newcastle,

so I think they're on the train now.

- Yes, an administrative error.

They'll be here any minute.

- You brought us here under false pretenses.

You said it was to investigate the death of Valerie,

but all you talk about is Silvexpo.

There is no connection.

Why are we here all these hours?

- Valerie Cullen had something

that you needed.

Now, I think that she believed that Silvexpo and Dennigs

knew a lot more about the deadly effects of asbestos.

She called a meeting.

You were expected to attend, Dr. Cullen.

She told people that you had more to say about that.

What was it?

My wife's state of mind was confused.

I had nothing new to say.

I know nothing about any meeting.

- Then why did she kill herself

the following night?

Why? What passed between you

when you went to her house?

I told you: I simply went to calm her down.

- And was she calm when you left?

Perfectly.

Did she have a bruise on her face?

Not that I recall.

I think you're both liars.

And that, Miss Zweig, is why you've been here

"all these hours."

Oi. Oi!

John, it's all right.

- I represent Silvexpo and its employees.

Miss Zweig and Dr. Cullen

are leaving with us now,

or you'll be facing a charge of false imprisonment.

Surely, Dr. Cullen

isn't an employee

of Silvexpo.

No.

I represent Dr. Cullen

as a private individual - Yeah, course you do.

In this matter! He comes with us, too.

I don't know

how you do things north of Watford,

but you're about to be reminded that the writ of English law

runs all the way to Hadrian's Wall and beyond.

Oh. - Miss Zweig.

Doctor.

He was posh, wasn't he?

Yeah, posher than the queen.

Posh enough to lose us our jobs, John.

- Ah, well,

I wasn't cut out to be Inspector.

I've come up against corporate crime before, John, in London.

It's like taking on the government:

you'll probably lose. In fact, you do lose.

These are the worst bastards

you'll ever come across, in your life.

So what does that mean?

- Well for me,

it means it's worth the risk. I can go today

on two-thirds of my salary. But for you, it means...

No.

No.

I want to find out who is responsible

for giving Esther Carlin

a cancer that gave her a vile death.

And I want to find out

why Valerie Cullen killed herself.

If we can't ask those questions,

then what's the bloody point in being a policeman?

It's a pleasure to serve with you, John.

Guv. - What?

You're not going anywhere, are ya, guv?

Tomorrow,

or any other day.

- Me?

I'm not going anywhere.

I wouldn't bank on that,

after today's antics.

This woman, Valerie Cullen.

Are you satisfied it was suicide?

- No, I'm not.

I think it's possible that she was murdered,

to cover up the fact that an entire community

was poisoned by fat-cat businessmen

who think that their workers and their workers' children

are disposable items to be entered into the column

marked "Dead Loss," and I'm not havin' it.

Can you prove any of that? - No.

Case closed.

- I will need to speak

to Andrew Cullen again.

He's hiding something that he can't live with.

You'll never get him in a room again,

without ten lawyers round him.

And can I just make one more point, George?

Those lawyers are cleverer than me,

they're miles cleverer than him,

and they might even be

cleverer than you.

Case closed.

Coroner's ready to release the woman's body.

They want her buried and, frankly, so do I.

Out of the depths, I have cried to thee, O Lord.

Lord, hear my voice:

let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.

If thou, O Lord, would mark iniquities,

Lord, who shall stand it? - Ah.

Well, at least he turned up.

Just.

- Up all night packing, I expect.

What's that?

Yeah, cop this: he's been made

senior medical officer for Silvexpo.

He's moving to Switzerland.

Struth.

- For with the Lord there is mercy,

and with Him plentiful redemption.

And He shall redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

Is that it?

Does the truth get buried down there with her?

We've missed something here, John.

I'm going to start again.

Let's start with Valerie's office.

Love.

Love, love!

Don't you think this is a bit pointless?

- Well, I agree with ya,

but nobody's told me to stop cleanin' her room.

- Come back later.

Go on. You're all right.

It's not as pointless as this, mind.

- If you wanted to hide something

from your husband, where would you put it?

Haven't got a husband.

- Well, think like a woman, then.

Guv, I haven't had time to have a cup of tea this morning,

let alone have a sex-change operation.

Under his nose. John! - What?

Under his nose.

February 1962,

signed by G Inler,

Chief Medical Officer, Northern Region,

Factory Safety Board.

Subject: "Asbestos and Mesothelioma".

1962, they knew it was killing people,

you just had to breathe in the air.

Kids like Esther.

Valerie confronted Cullen with it

and he told his friend Anna.

Nice.

I thought they were all supposed to have safety checks.

The funeral's jiggered him.

- We won't stay long, Bridget, I promise.

Norman.

Norman, you've got company.

How, George, what fettle?

- Oh, Canny fettle, Norman; no bother.

Listen to him.

We'll get you talkin' Pitmatic before were finished.

Are ya all right, bonny lad?

Aye, yeah, fit as a lop, there, Mr. Carlin.

- Norman, we wanted to talk to you

about the Factory Safety Board.

Oh, those sods?

- What happened when there was an inspection?

I mean, there were surprise visits, weren't they?

The only surprise was they bothered to come at all.

No, they were never a surprise.

The machines

were turned off two hours before they come.

We cleaned the place.

The inspector comes in,

has a look, puts his meter in the middle

of the floor,

to measure the dust in the air.

Then, he's took off to Durham for a slapup dinner,

while I put

a big polythene bag over his meter.

You did?

- George,

it was me job

and we didn't know

what was in the air.

All we knew was bloody Health and Safety,

bloody nuisances.

If his meter said

to shut the line down, they shut the line down

and we get no bonus that week

because we won't hit our target.

The bonus

is half your pay packet.

Phew.

- Then what?

Ten minutes before he gets back,

we have another sweepup

and I take the bag off his meter.

In he comes,

drunk as a monkey,

"Oh! Everything's hunky-dory here.

It's a pass!

See youse next time."

And off he goes home

with his little kickback in his pocket.

And we

get on with it,

breathing in the air.

You think they knew

it caused Esther's cancer, George?

Yeah, they knew, three or four years

before it was closed down.

They were told and they ignored it.

That's the time Esther died.

But, George,

Esther's the only one I know of

that got that cancer.

Was it not just bad luck?

No, it wasn't bad luck, Bridget,

and she wasn't the only one, either.

It can take 50 years for it to reveal itself.

And I know of at least one other,

and there will be more,

as the years go by.

And that is what Silvexpo

is so keen to keep a lid on.

- George, tell us,

what's the working man worth to these people?

They only need us

when there's a war on.

You know that, George.

It's the same old racket, everywhere you look.

That's what the lass, Valerie, found out in the end.

Ah, she was a lovely lass,

but she was naive

and that's what's put her

in the ground today, naïveté.

You cannot beat

these people, man, George.

I can try, Norman.

George, don't let them put you in the ground.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Inler?

Mr. Inler, I'm DCI Gently.

This is DS Bacchus.

It's about a letter that you wrote

to the owners of Dennigs Linings

seven years ago.

- I've nothing to say.

Well, we've got the letter, Mr. Inler,

so there's no use denying it.

Ernie, would you get the drinks in, please?

Thank you.

- I'm not denying it, though, am I?

It's just not my problem anymore.

I told Valerie that.

She passed this to you, did she?

- Listen, it is your problem,

if you're a bloke lyin' on your back,

coughin' your guts up every night.

- And it's your problem, if you've already

lost a daughter to mesothelioma.

You let these people down, Mr. Inler.

Gentlemen, writing that letter cost me my career,

a career in protectin' the safety of others.

A career I loved, of which I was proud.

Now, I would just like to hang on to my pension,

if it's all the same to you.

Your letter refers to "copious data"

supporting your allegations.

What happened to that data, after you were sacked?

I left it with the Board, of course.

What'd they do with it?

Passed it over to the Swiss, I imagine,

because nothing has ever been made public.

Did you keep a copy?

Did you keep a copy?

Until my severance and pension arrangements were agreed, yes.

Do I look like a complete fool?

- Then what?

And then I signed a confidentiality agreement

with Silvexpo

and then,

I burned the files in my garden.

Valerie Cullen came to you, asking for help, didn't she?

Yes. I gave her a copy of my letter to Silvexpo.

- Then, no doubt, you were visited

by Silvexpo's lawyers.

- Yes.

They threaten you?

- Oh, yes.

But I can stick up for myself.

Valerie Cullen couldn't, I'm afraid.

She killed herself.

I warned her.

I told her the persecution would never stop.

Persecution? - You didn't know?

They were trying to have her struck off,

unfit to practice medicine,

and she had nobody in her corner.

Oh.

- Would you like one?

No.

Come on.

If you're going to join CID.

Cheers. - Cheers.

Oh, I better not.

I'll get the whirling pits.

Eh?

You know, when you feel like you're fallin' backwards

through the floor and the ceiling spins round.

Yeah, I may be about to experience

the career equivalent, actually.

I've got Andrew Cullen and half a dozen fancy lawyers,

most of them Swiss, coming to town tomorrow,

at my own insistence and against all sensible advice,

and I haven't got anything new to say to any of them.

Why are you doing it?

Because...

Why am I a policeman, Rachel?

Can you win?

Probably not.

Unless I can get Andrew Cullen to crack,

they'll wipe the floor with me.

I haven't got the proof I need.

I mean, this, to my mind, is evidence of malpractice,

but it doesn't actually prove anything.

Geoffrey Inler

says he burned the proof seven years ago.

Do you believe him?

No, I don't.

It's his pension protection plan, but,

if he handed it over to us,

Silvexpo would sue him to death in a Swiss court.

What did you decide, Rachel?

You don't miss much, sir.

There is a way

of finding out if you've got it:

a lung biopsy?

But there's no cure for it, anyway,

so what's the point in knowin'?

Are you afraid?

Petrified.

I'm not sure whether I can live with the uncertainty,

something inside me that, one day,

might just kill me.

You'll find a way, believe me.

You all right?

- You sure about this?

Yeah, positive.

- Now, then, Dr. Cullen,

your wife injected herself

with a lethal dose of barbiturates

on the evening of July the 18th.

Now, I'm trying to find out what part in her suicide

might've been played by yourself

and by Silvexpo Holdings.

Sir, we need to firmly establish that...

Excuse me! Excuse me.

Now, the Asst Chief Constable

is here to represent the constabulary.

He's not a judge; this is not a trial.

It's an interview and I'm conducting it.

Your wife called a public meeting in Easterhope

to discuss the source of various illnesses.

Some of the people who said they intended to go

were told that you

were expected to attend, in your capacity

as medical officer for the Factory Safety Board.

- No, I've already told you: I know nothing about that.

Why would your wife lie to them?

She told them

that you had something new to say about Silvexpo.

I'm sorry.

Am I not supposed to say

the word "Silvexpo"?

Silvexpo are extremely litigious,

when it comes to protecting its reputation.

Neither your job

nor your rank offers you any special protection at all

from the laws of libel.

- Have you ever heard the name

Geoffrey Inler?

No.

No?

Then you won't have seen

the letter that he wrote to the board of Silvexpo.

In this letter,

dated the 11th of February 1962,

Geoffrey Inler, in his capacity

as the chief regional medical officer

for the Factory Safety Board, outlines his argument

for a causal link between asbestos and mesothelioma.

May we have a minute to study this?

Please.

It seems Mr. Inler lost his job

because of these unfounded allegations.

He never produced any data to back up his claims.

Do I look like a saint to you, Constable?

- No.

I was expecting to hate you, but,

you look like a decent human being.

Decent human beings get trampled on in this world.

- If they're lucky.

Some of them die horrible deaths.

In her final letter to Dr. Plant,

your wife begged him to think well of you

because you were

"deep down, a good man".

What'd she mean?

No idea.

Well, why write that to Dr. Plant?

No idea.

I mean, why would she write that at all to Dr. Plant?

Why not a letter to you?

Well, I suppose, she had nothing to say to me.

Well, she had plenty to say about you, though,

didn't she, hmm?

I mean, for instance,

how you were the light of her world.

She wanted Dr. Plant to forgive you.

What had you done?

This is me friend Esther Carlin,

and her friend, on their First Holy Communion.

She can't be here to speak for herself

'cause she died when she was 15.

Of mesothelioma.

I'm here to speak for her.

See, you've got a new job, Doctor:

highly salaried chief medical officer

for a company whose name I'm not allowed to mention

because they're highly litigious.

Is that what your wife wanted you to be forgiven for?

Because you sided with your new employer

against the people whose health you were paid to protect.

And, when you're in Switzerland,

with your new job and your new wife,

breathing in the Alpine air,

you can forget all about the people of Easterhope,

riddled with disease,

and the dead woman

who just wanted to turn you back into a decent human being.

The woman

that you denounced

as being unfit to practice medicine.

Have you any idea how bloody tedious it is

to be married to a saint?

Andrew! - Ohh.

Can you guess where Esther lived?

Can you guess who her friend is?

That's me.

We breathed the air together.

Did you hate your wife,

Dr. Cullen?

For being a better doctor than you,

for being a better human being.

For being rich.

Or was it just that she still believed

in the things that you used to believe in, like, um,

healing the sick, helping the poor.

Yeah.

Will you help me?

Did you ever tell her that you hated her?

- Yes.

Just before the night

of the proposed meeting, perhaps?

The night you went to, um,

"calm her down."

The meeting that you had no intention of going to.

You had to go, didn't you?

And it wasn't to help your distressed wife.

You went because she told you about the Inler letter.

You told Miss Zweig

and Miss Zweig told you to go and get it at all costs!

That's absolutely...!

If you don't like it, you don't have to be here.

Where is it?! Where is it?!

Aah!

Oh!

Ah!

Oh! Oh!

Andrew.

You're...

you're better than those people.

You don't have to do

what they want you to do.

You don't need their jobs

in Switzerland.

- Why, because I've got your money?

I don't want your money,

I don't want

to waste my life the way that you've wasted yours!

And I don't want you!

I know that, Andrew.

I accepted that a while ago.

I just...

I just want you to remember who you used to be.

There's always hope.

Hope, you stupid woman?

You'll be dead in two years.

What have you got to live for?

Nothing.

What are you doing, waiting for your wheelchair to arrive?

She was wrong about me,

Insp Gently,

from start to finish.

I'm not a good man;

never was.

Not deep down, nor anywhere else.

But not being a good man isn't a crime,

as far as I'm aware, so have you finished with me?

Was there anything more?

Yes. One moment.

This is Malcolm, from Easterhope.

We watched the moon landing together,

didn't we, Malcolm?

Malcolm has mesothelioma,

which, as you well know, you can only get

from inhaling asbestos,

which is what he did, every day of his life,

until Dennigs Linings closed down.

I can't prove this,

of course, but,

I just wanted you to see what you've done.

Well,

may we go, Inspector?

- Yes.

My name is Geoffrey Inler.

I have some information for you.