Original subtitles

HELICOPTER WHIRS

SHOUTING

SHOUTING

HELICOPTER WHIRS

EXPLOSION

SHOUTING

EXPLOSION

GUNFIRE

EXPLOSIONS

BIRDSONG

SCREAMING

GUNFIRE

EXPLOSION

27 speakers across the week. We get the gist.

In five years, a friendly bot called Felix

will be doing 50 PMs a week.

And still have time to mop the floor!

I'll be future-proofing the Lyell

so we can... BEEPING

..stick it to...Felix.

Hello, Felix.

Hello, I'm Felix.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

Thank you. You're welcome.

CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

AMERICAN ACCENT: Social media...

..is a divisive shitshow.

A toilet.

The basest form of social interaction

and a weeping sore on the ass of humanity.

LAUGHTER

Or should I say the arse of humanity?

Well, let me tell ya.

I wholeheartedly agree.

But the world is changing.

And Kaskade prides itself on being

the social media platform ahead of the curve.

We don't judge.

Or cancel.

We believe that people are responsible,

and should be treated as such,

that freedom of speech is a basic human right...

You've had the mic long enough!

AUDIENCE MURMURS

Big Tech kills!

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big...Tech...kills.

CHANTING: Big Tech kills.

BOTH: Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

What about your life? What about our privacy?

Big Tech kills!

Big...

SHRIEKS

Big Tech kills!

SHOUTING

Get off me!

SHOUTING

Hey.

Enough.

Sit down, please.

So you're visiting from Myanmar, Mr Lwin?

What's your business in the UK?

I'm attending a trade fair in Guildford.

Eco heating and air-conditioning systems.

TYPING

Says here you need a ticket.

Are you in possession of one, sir?

You should have mentioned you had a Home Office waiver.

Apologies, sir. We will get you on your way.

TYRES SCREECH

THUD GROANS

GROANING

INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CRACKLES

# Testator silens

# Costestes e spiritu

# Silencium

# Testator silens. #

PHONE RINGS

Gabriel speaking.

Oh, good morning. My name is Elinor Shaw.

I work at the Home Office.

What can I do for you, Elinor?

Well, my day job is immigration.

I'm a deputy secretary.

But the reason I'm calling is because I also sit

on the budgetary oversight panel,

for my sins.

OK, um, consider me intrigued.

Well, I can see that, last May,

you applied for a second-stage Home Office competed grant

on behalf of the Lyell.

I did, unsuccessfully.

Or are you calling me to tell me something different?

Well, actually, additional funding has been freed up

and the panel are now actively reassessing close calls.

So we were a close call?

Yes, very.

The reassessment would involve a two-day in-person inspection

by myself, which I appreciate may not be...

It's fine. When can you come?

Well, I've just had a cancellation,

hence the call.

Would today work?

Yes.

It would absolutely work.

Well, that's great.

NIKKI: Dr Nikki Alexander.

Jack Hodgson.

DI John Flynn. Thanks very much for coming down.

Greatly appreciated. No problem.

Seeing a lot of this lately. What's that?

Drunk and homeless incidents.

A lot of them come down from London

looking for a better life.

Uniforms called in four ambulances last week.

Paramedics pronounced him dead. Left him in situ.

Any ID on the body?

No, no.

Paramedics also noticed

some footprints leading to the body...

..we did the best to preserve.

Prints aren't uniform.

Can you help me turn him? Fine.

Some sort of wooden stake or post

broken off in his chest.

Where's the rest of it? Not sure.

CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK

Single from Victoria.

OK. I went to the clubhouse like you asked, sir.

Oh, right. Uh... Dr Nikki Alexander.

Hi. DC Alice Kirk.

Yeah. So, the barmaid said it was proper cold yesterday.

A biting easterly wind.

She say anything else? Yeah. Yes.

Um, yes. The customer who was outside for a smoke

told her he saw a man staggering around

in a big coat.

Thought he looked drunk.

I've requested to access their CCTV.

What time did she see him?

Um, around 6pm, when she came on shift.

So he could have been lying here for up to 14 hours

before he was found.

Three of the nails on his right hand are snapped off.

A sign of a struggle? Possibly, yes.

And the stake - is that enough to kill him?

I'll know more after the postmortem.

Nikki, take a walk?

Laying out in the open overnight and no-one sees him?

Driftwood. Human detritus.

Unseen in plain sight.

So how did he lose his shoe?

I don't know.

There it is.

Swap?

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

Here's the rest of the stake.

Could be.

Exposed wood is clean and unblemished.

How did he get on the beach? Hmm?

His other shoe.

Take a look at this. Ah.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

There are shoe prints here.

One set of prints to and from.

Just him.

Spacing and tread orientation

suggests he's moving in this direction, maybe running.

Trips... Running, trips,

loses shoe, falls hard on a stake.

Was he running to something or from it?

ELINOR: So the more access you can give me,

the more comprehensive my report,

the more likely the panel will find favour with it.

Sure.

Anything you need.

SHE SIGHS I must warn you,

the panel aren't exactly fleetfooted when it comes to

the decision-making process.

I remember from last time.

Well, the backlog's grown, I'm afraid.

Four months, minimum. Ah, all good things!

So, where's the rest of your team?

Uh, they were called out first thing.

A John Doe on Fincham Beach.

Not our usual patch, but we have a reciprocal deal down there.

Staff shortages.

That's a body you can't ID, right?

Yeah, that's right. Well, not yet, anyway.

All right, cheers, mate. No worries, Jack.

Lonely way to go.

Emptiness, stretching forever.

Very unlucky.

It doesn't look like luck was ever on his side.

A strange accident, don't you think? Mm. In the middle of

all this nothingness, he happens to trip and impale himself.

Hmm, one set of prints to and from the broken stake.

Find something that points another way.

There's, er, someone else I'd like you to meet with, actually.

Ah, Cara.

Uh, this is Elinor Shaw.

Uh, Cara's... No, I... I understand.

Oh. You're printing your assignment

because your printer is broken?

Huh!

Nice to meet you, Cara.

Oh, yeah, sure.

What's Cara's role here? Is she an intern?

Uh, no. Uh, student. Just doing some work experience.

Oh, when does that finish? Uh... Last week.

Um, we applied for an extension

and in the meantime, she's just doing some observing.

Don't worry, I know all about assignments.

My son Adam used to get into a right state.

I used to have to ply him with snacks.

HE CHUCKLES Uh, yes. Shall we...?

VEHICLE APPROACHES

SHE SIGHS

SHE SIGHS

SHE SIGHS

SHE LOCKS DOOR

SHE EXHALES SHARPLY

LINE RINGS

PHONE BUZZES

LINE RINGS

Hello. Fish speaking.

This is May Lwin. I'm...

I'm his wife. You with him?

Where are you calling from, May Lwin?

You're with him? You're with my husband?

Listen, May Lwin, it's not safe to...

Is he with you?

No, he's not. I'm going to come and get you.

Just tell me where you are.

I know a scalpel from a syringe, and that's about it.

I am the definition of lay.

But as a deputy secretary, I know what a functioning team looks like,

and that's what I hope to observe.

A cohesive, efficient operation,

worthy of what could be a significant grant.

So you'll be...shadowing us?

Shadowing you, asking you the odd question,

speaking to you one-to-one, but doing my level best

not to get under anyone's feet.

Right. Sounds good.

The fact that you have a live case

in this Fincham Beach death is, um, well, auspicious.

Auspicious? Instructive,

perhaps I should have said.

Well, come and see us in action.

Practice, not theory.

Yes, exactly.

We have the CCTV from the clubhouse.

He was alone.

It doesn't capture the moment he met with the stake.

You think he was attacked with it?

I don't think we can rule it out.

Thanks.

DOOR BUZZER

DI Flynn! I thought you were of the mind

that the postmortem report would suffice.

Well, I still think it's an accident, but, erm...

..I just want to know.

Well, best endeavours.

DI John Flynn. Elinor Shaw.

Elinor works for the Home Office.

She's here to see if we warrant additional funding.

Hi. Hi. I think we know the answer to that one already, don't we?

Oh, my lips are sealed.

But I do promise to keep my clipboard out of sight.

Would you mind if I observe? No, not at all.

But you might have to ask him.

Sure.

Are you OK?

Yeah, fine.

NIKKI: Body is that of an as-yet-unidentified adult male,

approximately 30 to 40 years old.

There's what appears to be

a recent fracture of the nasal bones.

Suffered near death?

Possibly, given the blood.

VELVY: From falling on the fence, maybe?

Uh, maybe he just hit the ground face-first.

I mean, it's notable that, uh, there's only one set of footprints

leading to and from the broken post.

So you're proceeding on the basis that this was an accident?

We're interpreting the evidence sequentially.

No foregone conclusions.

NIKKI: There's some sort of red dye on his teeth.

Could be from Southeast Asia.

Chewing betel leaves stains the mouth red.

Oh, it's a thing, is it,

chewing betel leaves in Southeast Asia?

Yeah, it's a vital cultural practice.

It also causes tooth decay and oral cancer.

Well, in terms of an ID,

it'd be great to narrow it down to Southeast Asia.

Well, he has distinctive tattoos on his legs...

..and another one here, on his left arm.

VELVY: Dr Alexander has asked me to dig into the tattoos,

what they mean and signify culturally.

Yeah, well, yeah.

Might just be prison tats, so...

There's a healed injury

on his right upper arm -

thin, uniform, vertical scars.

Any idea what might have caused that?

No.

But scarring pigmentation

suggests that the wound was sustained

three to four months ago.

It wasn't dressed properly.

There's a grey fibre buried in the wound.

Er...

Oh.

There's a wound to the chest

consistent with the fence post recovered from the scene...

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

..and a slight scratch adjacent to the primary wound.

From the post?

Possibly.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

From the external wound

and the trajectory seen on the CT scan,

we know that the post entered the chest at a downward angle,

just missing his heart.

Nonfatal?

At least, not immediately.

The downward angle is interesting.

In what way?

If he'd fallen on the post, I'd expect to see an upward path,

with entry from below.

So, that's an anomaly?

Yes, it is.

Ian Fish. May Lwin, right?

Where is my husband? Where is Htin Lwin?

Can we talk in the car?

If you get in the car, we can have a proper conversation.

Where is he?

I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me.

You were supposed to meet him.

That's right.

What happened?

I don't know. He didn't show up.

You were late.

He came all the way across the world and you were late.

Yeah. Just a few minutes. I got stuck in traffic leaving London.

His last text says he was waiting for an hour. An hour!

I'm sorry.

I went to the place we agreed to meet and he wasn't there.

I was waiting ages.

I kept calling, but he didn't answer.

Where? Sorry?

Where you agree to meet?

Fincham Beach.

We go there now.

Maybe someone see him, remember him.

Fine. Good idea.

There's fragments of wood

under the nails of his right hand.

Is that from the post?

It seems likely. Tests will confirm.

There's also a faint blue bruise

above his right knee, suggesting

it was sustained recently.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

There's evidence of congested and oedematous lungs.

I've seen that before.

Drug users. Can be the sign of an overdose, can't it? It can be,

among many other things.

It'd certainly explain a few things.

No track marks or other obvious physical signs of drug use.

Maybe he smoked it.

Maybe.

Tox and stomach contents should clarify.

But you're not convinced?

He was in good shape and health.

For a homeless person.

For anyone his age.

There's evidence of

subendocardial ischaemia...

..which occurs when the centre of the heart

is starved of oxygen.

See these pale areas?

Cardiac arrest? Yes.

Arrhythmia. Likely PEA,

when the lower chambers pulsate, but don't pump blood.

You seem surprised.

I am.

There's no sign of coronary disease.

Maybe it was just a new thing. You know, smack disagreed with him,

he lacked the constitution.

I think we're entering the realm of speculation.

Could it have been caused by the impact of being impaled?

Yes.

It's possible the shock triggered a cardiac arrest.

Fatal heart attack. So that was the cause of death?

Definitely. Of that, I'm certain.

JOHN: So a man comes to the UK.

Maybe he dabbles in drugs, explaining the congested lungs,

maybe not.

As I said, let's see what the tox says.

He decides to jump on a train and head down south,

something that we see a fair bit of.

3rd March, off-peak single from Victoria.

He has some kind of like episode,

withdrawal or something. He runs onto the beach,

he trips, he lands on the fence, impaling himself

and inducing a massive heart attack.

Sounds fairly simple to me. Certainly fits with the evidence.

As I also said, if he'd fallen on the post, I'd expect to see an

upward wound tract, not a downward one. Yeah, but that would depend on

the angle of the post in the ground. If he was running at pace,

he could have been near-horizontal at the point of impact.

Explaining the downward trajectory. Possibly.

We should keep an open mind, though. Yes, we should.

Otherwise, I think we're in danger of tailoring the evidence

to a scenario. DOOR BUZZER

DOOR OPENS

Hi, sorry! Sorry I missed the PM. I got stuck on Fincham Beach,

and then I think I probably

subconsciously started thinking about

the last PM I attended. Highlights, Alice.

Just the highlights, please.

Yes. Um, no, I found someone who did recognise him.

A woman who was cleaning her ice cream van at the time.

She said she saw a middle-aged woman and she was shouting at him.

She seemed very agitated. JACK: Our victim?

Er, yes. She said his coat was filthy. And she thinks that

she heard the woman say something about her son, but she can't be sure

because she was listening to music

at the time. NIKKI: Did she say

what happened then? Yes. She finished cleaning, and then

when she looked back, he was gone,

and the woman was standing there, alone.

SHE SOBS

SHE EXHALES SHARPLY

PHONE BUZZES

Why meet here?

Htin Lwin was cautious, and rightly so.

He asked to meet somewhere out in the open,

where we wouldn't be observed or followed.

Why? To do what?

Rehearse.

Prepare for his interview on BBC News.

You're lying.

Look, May Lwin, I get that you're upset and worried,

but I'm not the bad guy here, OK?

I'm not.

I'll level with you. I'm no saint,

and my career's in the toilet. I used to be on the nationals.

Regular contributor to Newsnight.

I was a big journalist, OK?

Successful. You understand?

Yes, I understand.

Well, this story is going to put me back on the map.

It's an important story, a story the world needs to hear.

It's Htin Lwin's story.

He came here to a safe haven.

They'd kill him back home for speaking the truth.

That's why I pulled every favour I could

and spent my own money to get him safely to the UK.

I'm a friend, not a foe.

And, yes, I was late.

That was poor show. That was shit.

But that's all I'm guilty of. OK?

You need to trust me.

OK.

I'm sorry.

Oh...

I think something spooked him and he's decided to lie low.

Then why hasn't he called?

I don't know.

But I say we stay in the area and wait for him to make contact.

There's a motel down the...

Have you seen this man? No. Sorry.

Have you seen this man?

I'm sorry, no. Sorry, no. No.

SPOON CLINKS IN CUP

Do you want a coffee? Uh, no. No, thanks.

Do you know what's the most impressive part of what you do?

That's the sort of question you can't get wrong.

It's all evidence-based. You...

You don't jump to conclusions.

We try not to. That can be challenging.

It can. There's always a measure of interpretation.

Yeah, I suppose it's human nature.

We always look for the bad guy.

I suppose it's why we love conspiracy theories so much.

I'm surprised that you and Dr Alexander

seem to be...chasing rabbits down holes.

We're not.

Oh, I'm just an observer, but it seemed to me that DI Flynn

was trying to keep your feet on the ground.

Our feet ARE on the ground. Stopping you from

jumping to conclusions.

What are you trying to say?

I'm sorry. That was inappropriate.

Yeah, it was.

I don't know what's wrong with me. I...

..I seem to say the wrong things these days.

I guess I've just lost my balance since...

Well, I lost my son,

a few months ago. And, um,

yeah, I thought I was dealing with it, but...

I'm really sorry. Thank you.

After the funeral, I went straight back into the fray.

Compassionate leave sounded like a terrifying black hole.

But now I think I'm...

..I'm losing my judgment.

Maybe I just need to take some proper time out to grieve, heal.

I'm really sorry if I said something to upset you.

No, you're all right. I'm sorry to hear about your son.

PHONE BUZZES Sorry. Excuse me.

SHE SIGHS

Oh, Velvy, have you got a moment?

Sure.

I just wanted to ask you

if you'd found out any other information about the tattoos.

Um, yes, they could tell us a lot.

Well, they ARE telling us a lot.

Gang tattoos?

I don't think so.

Um, the tattoos strongly suggest he is from Myanmar.

Oh. Myanmar?

Well, one resembles the number six in Burmese,

and one of the symbols looks like it could be a police badge.

So I think it's, erm, the insignia of Division 6,

which is an elite armed unit in the Myanmar Police.

Oh, so he was a policeman. Well,

it fits with the thread of tactical polyester we found in his wound.

Fits how? Well, it's a hard-wearing fibre.

They're very common in uniforms.

Right.

And you're comparing these tattoos to reliable samples?

Would you show me?

No problem.

Oh...

Sorry.

My, erm...

My computer must have lost power.

The bar.

What? We go ask in the bar.

Oh, the clubhouse. Yes, OK.

Er, let me go in and ask. What?

The people we're up against, they don't know you're here.

Much better it stays that way. I don't care.

You said you were going to trust me, May Lwin.

Give me Htin Lwin's photograph.

Two minutes.

SPORT ON TV

Hi.

I was just looking for somewhere to watch the match tonight.

This looked like a good spot. Mm.

Oh, I, um,

found this up on the road.

No-one's lost a photo wallet?

It's been difficult to gather information.

Myanmar is in turmoil

and the Rohingya are being ethnically targeted.

There was even a massacre, three months ago.

Hmm. So the Myanmar Embassy have no record of him.

But I've found a Burmese community group here in London

who have helped with the last of his tattoos.

So, these are, erm,

creatures from Burmese folklore,

invoked by the men

as a symbol of strength.

It is a rite of passage that is specific to their country.

And what about this police tattoo? Has that been confirmed yet?

No, but I am confident

in my research. According to the ice cream van witness,

the set-to between the woman and the victim

took place here, 500 yards from where his body was found.

And? And nowhere near

the shoe prints.

That suggests he came onto the beach from the north.

Right. So, what happened

between there and there?

Indeed.

DC Kirk thinks it warrants a closer look. Ah. Mm.

Be good for you to see us out in the field.

The more comprehensive the report...

Oh, er, yes. Um, yes, of course.

Er, yeah, sure.

So, you made much progress with the tattoos, Velvy?

Um, yes. It's been a bit difficult,

but, um, I was just telling Elinor

that these are...

..creatures from Burmese folklore... VOICE FADES

This is a police emblem and, erm... VOICE FADES

..reliable sources. This is...

This is the same as this.

Yeah, how reliable? VOICE FADES

These are...

You have the double.

We go to police.

No, May Lwin, we can't do that.

My husband is policeman. They understand.

Your husband stands accused,

falsely, I know, of very serious crimes.

Lies.

Nevertheless, if he's arrested and extradited to Myanmar...

But there's no extradition treaty.

PHONE BUZZES

Hello.

MAN: Are you with her now? Oh, hello, Mike.

Can you call me back in five?

Cheers, mate. Speak in a bit.

Can I ask you a question? Sure.

How did your son die?

Er, suicide.

Um...

He was on a gap year abroad and...

..they said that he jumped off a bridge.

"They said"?

I'm sorry.

I never ID'd him.

My son, Adam. I...

They said it would be too upsetting.

The damage to his...

..his body and his face.

They may have been right.

That's what I thought.

That they had my best interests at heart.

And you don't think that now?

My eyes have been opened.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not one of those...tinfoil-hat wearers.

But I see it every day. At work?

Politicians don't want the truth.

They want sound bites and happy stats.

Whatever selective data just gives them a headline

or serves their narrative. So...

..do you think he's still alive?

SHE SIGHS

You know, sometimes, I...

..I think I see him getting onto a bus or sitting in a cafe.

It just doesn't make any sense to me that he's gone.

What?!

All OK?

Nikki?

High bacteria and fungus levels on his skin,

alcohol and heroin in his blood,

and in significant quantities.

Hmm. So maybe Flynn was right.

A homeless addict.

Er, this is Angus Day,

a witness who saw our victim from the clubhouse.

I feel bad now. I was going to check he was OK,

but my mate said, "No, he's just pissed."

Yeah, it's a shame you didn't trust your instincts.

Yeah.

Where was he when you first saw him?

And you didn't see which direction he came from?

Why is that important?

Well, a witness said they saw him

standing by the ice cream van, but other evidence suggests that

he came running onto the beach down there. OK.

Seems strange that he'd run along the road

and then come back on himself down the beach.

I think before I saw him, I heard something.

Car braking, maybe. You know, tyres.

But you didn't see a vehicle?

No, I'd only just stepped out here when I heard it.

But after you heard the car, the man came into view?

Yeah, I'd say so. How soon after?

God, I don't know, four or five minutes.

We'll have to check the road for brake marks.

We will. All the way back to the ice cream van.

Oh, Jack...

Faded.

Old.

Probably months, not weeks.

That's our witness? Yeah.

Although if Angus is right about

the sound of the braking,

then it's funny that she didn't hear the tyres squealing.

Didn't you say she was listening to music?

Yes. Good shout. Wouldn't hurt to double-check.

Mm. See if she can tell us

a bit more about the woman she saw shouting at the victim. Mm.

Um, I'm sorry, I've just got to make a quick call.

OK, sure.

CAR DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

SHE BREATHES DEEPLY

TYPING

INDISTINCT CONVERSATION

SHE GASPS

Adam...

Didn't get anything much use out of that, did we? No.

Um, the Home Office lady, is she OK?

Full disclosure - I'm not sure if she is, Alice.

PHONE BUZZES

Where's that?

Don't know.

BUZZING CONTINUES

Jack!

BUZZING CONTINUES

From his coat? Mm.

NIKKI: Do you remember the scratch we found

next to the primary wound? Yes.

I don't think it was from the stake.

There's a needle mark. I can see it,

now the swelling has reduced.

And the bruise above his right knee,

you found corresponding splinters

on his trousers, didn't you?

Yes, only on the right leg.

Do you think they could be from him breaking the post

over his own leg?

Uh...

He was alone, could have stabbed himself.

Why would he do that?

By stabbing himself with a stake,

he draws attention to the injection wound.

I guess that makes sense with the evidence.

If the injection killed him...

..and it didn't show up in the tox,

we're looking at a pretty sophisticated method of murder.

HE GASPS

THUD

HE CRIES OUT

HE GASPS

One purposely designed to obscure the truth.

MAN: Are you ready for delivery? Is she ready?

Look, she doesn't know anything.

If I put her on a plane...

We're outside.

Are you ready?

Yes. Yes. I'm ready.

Everything OK?

I don't like waiting around.

You said you had a plan.

Yes, kind of.

We had a backup meeting point, in case the beach

didn't work. Didn't work?

It gets flooded sometimes. I'm thinking maybe he's gone there.

OK, we go now. We'll leave in ten minutes. OK?

SHE INHALES SHARPLY Five.

DOOR LOCK CLICKS

LIFT BELL DINGS

Thank you.

KNOCK AT DOOR

HE UNZIPS BAG

No, no, no, no, no, no...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Sh!

HE SNIFFS

LOCK CLICKS OPEN

Bitch!

LIFT BELL DINGS

Sorry.