All language subtitles for The.Night.Caller.S01E01.x265.1080p-Slartibartfast

And welcome, folks, to NightTalk,
with me, Lawrence Brightway.

The late night radio show for those of
you who live in the twilight hours.

In the Hinterland, when the rest
of our beautiful city sleeps.

So, if you've just clocked
off, you cant sleep,

I don't know, you just wanna
get something off your chest,

this, my friends,
is your safe space.

Get involved, get
dialling... on NightTalk.

They're coming out on the streets,
vomiting, pissing, fighting.

Young people, Lawrence,
they're out of control, wild.

And town of a weekend is
like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Ask me, Lawrence, were all
going to hell in a handcart.

They're all sex mad out there,
like what you'd see in a porno!

All right, mate, steady on, lets
not get carried away, yeah?

So half of them are off their
head on cocaine, Lawrence.

They don't even try
and hide it anymore.

They're just selling
it in our faces.

I wouldn't dream of going
near town anymore, Lawrence.

Id be scared I
wouldn't come home.

Sometimes, theres as
many as 20 of them.

Swearing, drinking, urinating
right outside the front door.

It goes on until all hours.

Doreen, it sounds like you're
a prisoner in your own home.

I tried calling the police, the
council, the housing association.

They just fob me off. Its
a dereliction of duty.

Our citys ruined. Nobody seems
to give a shit anymore.

I tell you now, I feel powerless
to do anything about it.

I feel helpless, Lawrence.

Lawrence, you're the only person who
seems to listen to people like us.

Well, you know me, Doreen.
I turn no-one away.

I always find the time to help
people that need it most.

Thank you so much for
your call, my love.

And you look after
yourself, OK?

Right, folks, keep
those calls coming in.

Crosby, please, mate.

OK.

Jesus, mate.

The sights you see.
PASSENGER CHUCKLES.

Dunno if they're in their dresses tryna get
out, or out their dresses tryna get in.

So, busy night? So-so.

Shit.

Tony Conroy?

CHUCKLES So this is what you're
doing now - driving a cab?

Yeah.

It wasn't right, you know?
The way they treated you.

The way they just
bombed you out.

Yeah.

Yeah, I don't blame you.

Wouldn't wanna talk
about it either.

CHILDREN PLAYING

SOMBRE MUSIC

LAWRENCE: Sometimes, it can feel like were
just going through the motions, right?

Eat. Sleep. Work. Repeat.

A constant grind, like were merely
existing, rather than living.

And that's for those of us
lucky enough to have jobs.

Now, I know how many of you are struggling
with one thing or another out there.

Money. Mental health.
Relationships.

I know how hard it
can be to cope.

How hard it can be
just to keep on going.

It kind of intrigued me,
you know. Got me thinking

how, in this day and age, someone can lose
their job because their face doesn't fit.

KICKS VENDING MACHINE

CHILDREN PLAYING OUTSIDE But it makes
you think, though, doesn't it, folks?

It makes you think, you don't know
what you've got until its gone.

You dirty bastard. Are
you looking at my tits?

SHOUTING AND BANGING IN
BACK OF TAXI No, Im not.

I mean, you can find
yourself on the edge.

You can find yourself
on the margins.

All alone.

But I am here for you.

I understand. I get it, because
you know what, I have been there.

Now your instinct may be to tune out,
close the curtains, hide away.

But that just makes
things worse.

That's why, my friends, we
all need to stick together.

SHOUTING AND BANGING IN BACK OF TAXI
We need to listen to each other...

and protect the vulnerable.

And those who have no-one
to look out for them.

I've been in this
business quite some time,

so I've been called many
things over the years.

A sad sack.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Come on. Come on. Come on!

A boring tosser.

A complete waste of space.

It just makes
your blood boil.

Shit!

Good night, mate,
and good riddance!

WOMEN TALKING ANGRILY OUTSIDE

Its what we used to refer
to as a stiff upper lip,

being stoic, you
know, soldier on.

Whatever you do, for Christ
sake don't show any emotion.

See, that's the
problem, isnt it?

You know, we've all been
told to bottle it up.

To put a brave face on it.
To keep calm and carry on.

But sometimes, you just
have to express yourself.

You have to let it out.

Because you know what happens
when we keep it all in?

Festering and bubbling away.

There comes a point where
it will all just explode!

SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC

Take a deep breath, dial back,
and lets talk about it.

If you're out there,
call me, you know.

Im always here for you, and
Im always ready to listen.

BREATHES HEAVILY

Get through, theres some
kind of bloody robot

at the other end of
the line, am I right?

Because essentially, they are not interested
in us... DIAL TONE ..the little people.

They don't wanna engage, or
they don't wanna hear our woes.

They just do not
want to know.

LADY ON PHONE: Hi. Whos calling,
and where you calling from?

Im Tony, er, a cab driver,
and Im in Bootle.

OK. Right, were putting
you through now.

Make sure your radios
turned down, please.

Yeah, OK.

LAWRENCE: Hello,
and welcome back.

And, er, tonight, we've
got a first-time caller.

We have Tony. And he's
calling in from Bootle.

You're live on air, Tony.
Welcome to the show.

BREATHING HEAVILY

Its OK, Tony, you're
amongst friends.

I, erm...

I was, erm...

Its OK, mate, you're doing
well. You're doing fine.

Take your time. I
was a teacher.

OK, because, er,
some of the callers

that have been calling earlier on
have been saying that teachers

are actually part
of the problem.

Yeah, I was.

You know, we were all
paralysed with fear.

Sorry?

Being told how to teach,
and what to teach.

Right, so what you're saying
is, its the system at fault?

Yeah.

And when you say that you were
paralysed with fear, Tony.

Fear of what?

Ooh, you... you know,
saying the wrong thing.

Being off message.

Wow. That cant be healthy for
the teachers. Or the kids.

Well, when you're not sure of
yourself, your standards drop,

and, erm, you know, you let yourself down,
you let... you let other people down.

The kids, you know, the
kids, they pick up on that.

What, and they start taking
the, like, the you know what?

You know, because I remember
when I was at school,

if you messed around, you were out
on your ear, mate. Quite literally.

Yeah, but I was the one
who was out on his ear.

27 years loyal service, so they could just
throw me on the scrapheap. So they...

OK, mate, just take a minute.

Its obviously been a very
difficult time for you, mate.

And Im guessing its
still quite raw? Yeah.

Probably hasn't been
easy to talk about.

You know what, Tony,
Im gonna call it in.

I think... maybe we should
just leave it there.

But that... You know, that
was... that was the thing.

The fact... That... That's what
frustrated me most. The fact that...

that you couldn't
talk to them.

Them? Yeah, the
leadership team.

Talk about a misnomer. Huh!
They were so up themselves,

they couldn't be
bothered to listen.

Well, that mustve
been tough, Tony.

A teacher for 27 years, I mean,
the one thing you're used to

and the one thing, presumably, you'd
expect is that... people would listen.

Yeah, well, you'd think
so, wouldn't you?

But when your
face doesn't fit.

You lost your job because
your face didn't fit?

I think there mustve been something
more to it than that, Tony?

Uh, Im really sorry, mate.

Were gonna have to leave it there
and go straight to the news.

But I really hope
you call in again.

And listen, you rest assured, I
hear you. I really do, mate.

Its been really nice
talking to you, my friend.

Yeah. Yeah, and...
and you, mate. Yeah.

Take care, Tony. I
appreciate you.

And you know where we are.

Yeah.

Usual? Er, yeah, please.

Slow night? Homework.

Im doing a foundation course.

Im a bit of a science nerd.

Though Im not sure Ill ever get my
head round the Properties of Matter.

Er, cup of tea when you're
ready, please, love.

Yeah. Thanks.

Hows it going?

Its OK. Yeah?

You know, I've, er, I've
seen you round and about.

How long have you
been in the job?

Oh, a few months.

Five years for me.

It feels like 20
years, though.

I... I used to think that
Helmand was a shitshow.

Yeah. Two tours of
Afghanistan, so...

ROB WHISTLES

What about you?

I was a teacher.

So, we've both been on the
front line, kinda thing.

Two teas.

Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye.

Hey, dyou know, her face lightens up
every time you walk in this place.

Yeah.

Ill get the teas.

£2.80, please.

Thanks.

You know its funny, but, er,
you know night workers,

they remind me of the, er,
the fellas in the army.

There are those who have troubles, and
then there are those who are trouble.

Which are you?

Oh, yeah.

MAN ON RADIO: My knowledge
is my education.

So what I think he meant was that
teachers aren't imaginative enough

in the way they teach kids.

You understand what
Im saying, yeah?

LAWRENCE: Or maybe, you know, they're
not allowed to be imaginative?

Its all this negativity, and
its easy to forget the impact

that a great teacher
can actually have.

Yeah, I hear what you're
saying, Lawrence.

You know, we had a new
caller just last night.

Tony. He was a teacher for 27 years,
and he was telling us how teachers

are being told exactly
how and what to teach.

So, you know, I... maybe its the system
that's at fault, not the teachers?

There you go.

CARD MACHINE BEEPS OK.
That's it. Yeah. Great.

Look, erm... a good way to
start thinking about matter

is to think of all the different materials
and substances that it can be made into.

LAUGHING: What?

I taught science.
You never said.

SHE CHUCKLES OK, so... how about I pick
your brains sometime over a coffee?

Or a beer, maybe?

Im buying.

OK. Great.

You got your mobile? Ill
give you my number.

Thank you.

That's it.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Aye.

LAWRENCE: And, Roger, lets not
forget one thing that, er,

is also a Christmas
day staple.

ROGER AND LAWRENCE:
True Grit!

That's absolutely
right, my friend!

You know, honestly, I cant tell you, the
amount of times I've sat fatly on my couch

with a cheeky little something
in my hand, mate, honestly.

ROGER: Been there, Lawrence.

See, with cowboy films and why they
were so popular back in the day,

you knew who the good guys were
and who the bad guys were.

You knew who to pull for.

Yeah. When did life become
so complicated, my friend?

Dont get me started or were
gonna be here all night.

So, to wrap things up,
heres a thought, folks.

Maybe we should all believe
in ourselves a little more.

Be a bit more John Wayne, a
bit more Clint Eastwood,

and maybe, just maybe life would
be a little less complicated.

Westerns.

Hi, Rosa. Its Tony.

Just ringing about
the coffee.

OK. OK, OK, OK.

DIAL TONE Hi, you've
reached Rosas phone.

Please leave a message
after the beep.

Hello, its, erm... Its...
Its Tony from the cafe.

Im just ringing about
that, erm, that coffee.

So, erm... If, er, if you
pick this up, then, er...

Yeah. OK. Bye. Bye. Bye.

PHONE VIBRATES

Hello?

Im calling because you've
been randomly selected

to take part in our... Take
my name off your list!

And don't f... And
don't call back!

CHUCKLES

SIGHS

LAWRENCE: And, er, we
have a new caller.

We've got Tony. He's in
Liverpool City Centre.

So what's on your mind, Tony?

Erm... We, er, we
spoke last night.

Yes! Of course we did, Tony.

You're the teacher of
27 years, am I right?

Hey, you remember!

Yeah, of course, I
remember. Yeah.

Because, you know, you said something,
Tony, that's really stuck with me.

It was you saying that, uh,
that your face didn't fit.

It kind of intrigued me,
you know, got me thinking.

Er, well, you know, Im touching
56, top of the pay scale.

OK?

Not quite sure I
follow, mate.

Well, erm, they can get some kid straight
out of teacher training college,

pay them half the money.

So, its about the money?

Well, moneys just a stick
they beat you with.

But they keep beating you,
and they keep beating you.

Until you don't know
who you are anymore.

You know, you... you lose
your self-respect...

your self-worth.

And everything that goes... And
everything that goes with it, you know?

Im very sorry to
hear that, Tony.

So this wasn't
really about money.

It was about your age, right?

Yeah, well, that's
part of it.

Nowadays, you know, you have to be,
erm... You've got to be a what?

Well, you have to be a
certain type of person.

And what type of
person is that?

Erm... Well, how about someone
whos the complete opposite of me?

OK, fine, sure.

REVELLERS CLAMOURING No!

Lawrence, mate, Ill have
to go. Er, I got a fare.

LAWRENCE LAUGHS Folks, that's what
I absolutely love about this show.

Its completely bonkers.

You know, you never know
what's coming next.

What about Ravi?
Wheres Ravi? Rav? Rav?

CLAMOURING Hello, Ravi.

I really don't wanna know what's going
on in the back of the taxi, Tony.

Tony, Tony, listen, mate,
you have a good one.

Yeah. Been lovely
talking to you.

Yeah, all right,
mate, and you.

What's the old
saying, Lawrence?

Erm, lucky at cards,
unlucky in love?

Right, well, that sums me up.

Oh, mate, it sounds like you've
had a right old time of it.

Yeah. She even took the cat.

Oh, bloody hell.

You know what, hang
in there, big fella.

Plenty more fish in the sea.

The right one will come along
soon, I guarantee you.

Thanks, mate. I hope so.

Oh, you know, by the way, Jack,
do you play a lot of cards, mate?

Not really, no.

OMINOUS MUSIC

Ow!

SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC

LAWRENCE IN TONYS HEAD: Because you know
what happens when you keep it all in.

There comes a point
when you just explode!

There you go.

OK?

Piece of shit.

Who is he?

Ste. My ex.

Oh, right. I know.

Im sorry I didn't call you.

Oh, no, that's OK.

I had to turn my phone off
cos he was being a dickhead.

Whered you meet him?

When I first came to Liverpool,
I was working behind a bar.

I had no friends.
I was lonely.

He was nice to me to begin with,
and then he became this fucking...

I told him it was over, but
he won't leave me alone.

Have you called the police?

SCOFFS There was a fight
outside here the other night.

A fella had a knife.

I called the police - it took
them over an hour to come.

Why would they be interested
in me? The police cant help.

ltd be different if I
was back home in Wales.

What, cos of the
local police?

Why would I go to the police when
I've got two brothers to protect me?

DOOR OPENS

Thanks.

They're painting frigging
rainbows on panda cars

instead of taking
criminals off the street.

LAWRENCE: So rainbows don't appeal to your
sense of aesthetic then, Ian, I take it?

Only if theres a pot of gold
at the end of them, Lawrence.

LAUGHS Thanks, mate. Er, now listen, folks,
you know, keep those calls coming in.

Oh, and welcome back, Tony.

Lawrence, we all know there
are good guys and bad guys.

Yeah, but its not as simple
as that anymore, is it, Tony?

That's my point.
It should be.

I bet the average bobby
on the beat, right,

just wants to get on with his
job and lock up the bad guys?

Well, that's my point
exactly, mate.

There are no bobbies
on the beat.

Yeah, that's because the
people who make the rules

and all the other stuff
they ram down our throats,

they've forgotten that the police aren't there
to serve them, they're here to serve us.

The taxpayers. Exactly.

Did you know who I worked for
when I was teaching? The kids.

If they thought I was doing a good
job, that was good enough for me.

And, by the way, I was
doing a bloody good job.

Listen, my friend. Listen, Tony,
I don't doubt it, at all.

You know what?

You've absolutely
nailed it yet again.

Because from the moment I
started this job, my job,

I've been saying exactly
the same thing.

Its you lot out there that I
work for - the listeners.

Not the station. Not the controller
or some accountant somewhere

that might be paying my cheques every
month, but its you lot who pay my wages.

Yeah. And well be the ones wholl
judge if you're doing a good job.

And that's exactly how
it should be, mate.

And well let you know when its time for
you to go by switching off the radio.

CHUCKLES Steady on, Tony.

Listen, lets not get
carried away here.

Speaking of jobs, Tony, I mean,
you've gotta have some stories.

So go on. Go on, don't be
shy, give us your best one.

God, mate, I...
Pfft. I don't know.

Mate, teaching in a
Liverpool secondary school,

it must have been a riot. I
mean that quite literally.

Erm...

Well, I was... I suppose there
was a time that the, er,

the Year 11s locked me in a store
cupboard for an hour-and-a-half.

There we go! Cheeky
little scallywags.

It was their leaving do present to me
before they went off and did their GCSEs.

How many years ago was this?

It was about, er, I don't
know, about three years?

So that would make them
about, what, 19, 20 now?

So, come on, Tone,
give us the name.

Who was the ringleader? Just
in case they're listening.

Gotta hear their
side of the story.

Give them the right to reply.

Tony?

Tony?

Ah, I think we
lost him, folks.

Interesting chat,
though, Tony.

If you get a chance, mate, call
me back, you know where we are.

Honestly, guys, you simply must
must, must tune in tomorrow night.

Now, folks, Im going to
play you a special tribute.

SNIFFLES

PANTING

SOMBRE MUSIC

BLEEPS

TAPS CARD

For fuck sake!

And welcome back.

Were still with World War
II vet, Albert Collins.

So tell me, you must have
lost so many friends, Albert?

Young men gave their lives.

The way I saw it, Lawrence,
I was doing my duty.

Not just for my country, but also for
my pals who I was fighting alongside.

When you look back, mate...

how does it make you feel?

Proud to have known them.

And proud to have
called them my friends.

KNOCK ON WINDOW, DOOR OPENS
Sorry, give us a sec.

CLEARS THROAT MAN:
Just jumped in a cab.

OK, mate, where...?

West Derby Road.

Im just talking
to the cabbie.

Yeah, mate, Im heading
up her direction now.

Nah. She has.

She has proper done me in.

Fucking talking back to
me like shes someone.

With a shitty
little cafe job.

Nah, shes gonna pay, mate.

And I am gonna enjoy every
little fucking minute.

Anyway, no-ones gonna
miss her, are they?

No-one who cares.

CHUCKLES

Yeah.

See you later.

Stop here.

STE LAUGHS MENACINGLY

Shithouse.

SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC

LAWRENCE IN TONYS HEAD: We all
need to stick together on this

and protect the vulnerable.

DIAL TONE Hi, you've
reached Rosas phone.

Please leave a message
after the beep.

Hi, Rosa, its me.

Look, I-I-I just let Ste
in the back of the cab.

I don't know if he was on something,
but, erm, just stay clear, OK?

DIAL TONE

Shit! Hi, you've
reached Rosas phone.

Please leave a message
after the beep.

Hi, its me again.

Look, Im just heading over to the
cafe, so just sit tight, yeah?

Oh, and, erm, best
not go outside.

Ill be there in ten.

THUD THUMPING Fuck!

Fuck!

Fuck em!

Oh, shit.

GRUNTS

Oh, no, no.

DIAL TONE Hi, you've
reached Rosas phone.

Please leave a message
after the beep.

Ro... Rosa. Yeah,
its me, erm...

Er, look, give me a call when
you get this message, OK?

Well, Lawrence, if we didn't stand up for
each other on the battlefield, people died.

Our friends died.

My friends died.

LAWRENCE: I mean, you often hear people
talk about, er, matter of life and death,

but this truly was a
case of exactly that.

You either do something, or
someone really will die.

Hey. Whys the cafe closed?

I don't know, er... One of the lads said Rosa
didn't turn up for work, so... Oh, shit.

Er, she might be in trouble.

What sort of trouble?

Her ex. This fella called
Ste. He's bad news, mate.

Do you know where she
lives? Im... Im not sure.

Somewhere up past erm,
erm, Hope Street.

What about the bloke who owns
the place? Will he know?

I don't know. Its, er, its
the middle of the night,

and Im fucking shattered,
OK? So, good luck.

Is that it? You
were in the forces!

And? I thought that... Whoa,
whoa, hang on. You thought what?

That... That you'd know how to deal with
someone like this... this Ste fella.

I don't... I... I
barely know you.

Please, mate. Just tell
me what to do, ey?

Hey, listen.

You know when I close
my eyes in the dark...

I see things that I
don't wanna see, right?

And I don't wanna ever
see them ever again.

That's why I work nights.

But you know those two types of people
that I told you about the other night?

This other fella.
He's trouble.

And I-I-I don't know... Whatever trouble
you've got, I have no idea, but...

do you really want
to add to them?

Do you?

You need to turn around, get
in that cab, sit in the rank,

and keep your head
down. Do you hear me?

Do you hear me?

Hm?

LAWRENCE: Were still
being absolutely swamped

with texts about the incredible World War
II vet, the indomitable Mr Albert Collins.

Great interview, and the work
Albert still does for charity

and his local
community is amazing.

We've got one here, it is, er... It says,
er, Moira from Crosby, Albert! What a man!

An inspiration and proud to be
able to call him one of our own.

Hear, hear, Moira. Nice one.

Er, Tommy from Kirkby, If there
were more fellas like Albert,

the world wouldn't be in
the mess it is in today.

I second that, mate,
I second that.

Now this one, this one, really,
er, this one struck a chord.

And a lot of you are saying
exactly the same thing.

If a man in his 90s can still
help those in need, then maybe,

just maybe a few more of us should
get off our big fat backsides

and follow by his example.

And that's the crux
of it, isnt it?

What we desperately need is
more people like Albert.

More people to stand
up for those in need.

People willing to fight
for what is right.

If you see someone
struggling, reach out.

If you see someone in danger, don't
stand idly by, do something.

So what gives him the right to tell
people how to live their lives?

Oh, here we go. I don't
think he was telling anyone

actually how to live their
lives, mate, you know?

Its not what it
sounded like to me.

There is such a thing
as giving people

the benefit of your experience,
if you know what I mean?

What, cos he fought in
some poxy war years ago?

What do you mean
some poxy war, mate?

Shut up, lad. Have
you heard yourself?

He fought against Hitler and
Nazi Germany for Christs sake!

He fought for your
freedom, son!

He fought for your freedom, my
freedom, all of our freedoms!

So jumped-up little twerps like
you could go on radio shows

and speak their mind without fear
of persecution or prosecution.

Oh, why don't you piss off?
Seriously, piss off!

Anyway, what is it exactly
you do, you non-entity,

apart from sitting around on your fat
arse all day doing absolutely nothing?

And you've got the bloody cheek
to go ahead and judge people.

You've got no respect for anybody or
anything, and I for one am sick...

You're pressin my buttons.

LAWRENCE IN TONYS HEAD: Dont
stand idly by, do something.

Do something! Do something!

PANICKED BREATHING

GURGLES

PANICKED BREATHING No, no.

Oh, please, God, no.

PANICKED BREATHING

Tony Conroy? Im DS
Marshall. Can we come in?

I warned you, didn't I,
to stay out of it?

I know what sort of man he is,
but he doesn't deserve this.

Do you know the victim?
Only what I've heard.

The only way to deal with
rats is to exterminate them!

And you're saying that
makes him fair game?

Too bloody right
it does, yeah!

Needs some body work done.

Yeah, it was a dog. Must
have been a big dog.

So what's gonna happen
now? What do you care?

There is a genuine bond
between me and my audience.

That I could be that
person they could talk to

that would listen. I could
be that friend in need.

I was just thinking about the
person who did this to him.

What do you mean? Well,
they need to be found

before they do the same
thing to someone else.