Tamara Drewe Page #6

TESS:

Is that Tamara Drewe who writes the

column in one of the Sundays?

BETH:

Used to. Writes for the Independent

now.

TESS:

She spent weeks going on about her

nose job. Smart way to pay for it I

suppose. Was her old one an awful

conk?

NICHOLAS:

Yes.

BETH:

She’s poured herself into those

shorts. I hope they don’t give her

thrush.

TESS:

What’s the etiquette with nose

jobs? Do we mention it, or...

Tamara has arrived in earshot. Absolutely everyone, including

a very curious Casey, is staring at her nose.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 28A.

TAMARA:

Hello. Sorry to intrude.

Her hand defensively brushes her nose. Poppy walks towards

her, full of warmth.

POPPY:

Hey, Tamara.

TAMARA:

Poppy, how are you?

POPPY:

Love your new hooter.

TAMARA:

Thanks. It isn’t actually new; just

smaller...

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 29.

At last Beth remembers her manners.

BETH:

Tamara, so sorry about your mum.

TAMARA:

Thank you...

BETH:

Are you staying down for a while?

TAMARA:

I’ll have to. There’s so much to be

done.

BETH:

You must let us know if we can help.

TAMARA:

Actually, I was going to ask if you

could spare a pair of strong arms.

I’ve got a skip coming tomorrow and -

BETH:

Nicholas?

Nicholas is opening another bottle of prosecco. It pops its

cork over his trousers. He mutters a swear word.

GLEN:

I’m available. I do skips.

DIGGORY:

I... No.

TAMARA:

Well thank you. You’re very kind...

Is Andy around at all?

Beth is helping Nicholas wipe his trousers.

BETH:

Oh, I can’t spare Andy. He’s making

a new coop for my Buff Orpingtons.

43 EXT. NEXT DAY. WINNARDS FARM. 43

Tamara and Glen are carrying junk out to a skip. Tamara is in

big boots and a slightly more practical pair of shorts.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 30.

44 INT. DAY. STONEFIELD - THE KITCHEN. 44

Beth is preparing lunch, talking to Poppy. Nicholas is goingthrough his typed-up manuscript; not really listening.

*

BETH:

She’s had the writers down there

helping her all day. I hope sherealises they’re here to work...

*

*

*

POPPY:

Can’t believe what a difference

her nose makes.

*

*

BETH:

Well I think it’s a mistake; taken

away all her character.

POPPY:

Come on; she looks ten times

better.

Huh.

NICHOLAS:

*

BETH:

And she knows it. I found those

shorts really irritating. Goingaround with half her bum hangingout. I mean, why?

POPPY:

To annoy people like you. Might get apair myself.

*

NICHOLAS:

Of course you won’t.

Why not?

POPPY:

NICHOLAS:

Because you’re not desperate, are

you? Always something a bitdesperate about Tamara Drewe.

Beth looks at him puzzled as he works on.

45 EXT. DAY. WINNARDS FARM. 45

Tamara and Glen are having a rest.

GLEN:

So why did you change your face?

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 30A.

TAMARA *

Changing my face is the best thing I

ever did. And I don’t care what *

anyone thinks. *

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 31.

GLEN:

Would it work for me? *

TAMARA:

Maybe; if you did the wrinkles too.

GLEN:

Oh, you’re just coming on to me...

Tamara laughs. She starts work again.

GLEN:

In your column, you write aboutyourself... Does that come easily?

*

*

TAMARA:

No... But it feels right. My firstnovel’s definitely going to be

autobiographical.

*

GLEN:

Your first novel? You’re going to

dash one off just like that?

TAMARA:

Ideally, I’d like to make it into

fiction before I’m thirty.

*

GLEN:

And then maybe a swimwear collection,

a chat show, a pasta sauce range?

TAMARA:

What? *

GLEN:

Life sure is easy for the beautiful.

TAMARA *

You know before I got the nose jobI had no trouble getting takenseriously. Maybe, when they removedthat bit of cartilage, they pulledmy brain out by mistake - what do

you think?

*

*

*

*

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*

Glen smiles, won over. *

46 INT. LATE AFTERNOON. EWEDOWN - THE PUB. 46

Glen is coming from the bar with a pint for Andy and a halffor himself. He has just been served by Zoe.

GLEN:

She’s single, man.

Andy looks over at Zoe.

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ANDY:

Well it’s not exactly a

relationship; we just have an

occasional thing. Zoe doesn’t want

to be tied down and

GLEN:

Not Zoe! Tamara... You should get

in there. Marry the girl. Then you

get to live back in your ancestral

home.

ANDY:

No way. Not her type.

GLEN:

The trouble is Andy, you think like

a loser. And I know that because

I’m the loser that losers turn to

for tips. I’m the losers loser.

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ANDY:

I’m a pedigree loser. I had a

graphics business; went bust. And

then with my great business acumen

I invested in a polytunnel full of

ganja.

GLEN:

Wow. How’d that go?

ANDY:

Made a tit of myself. Spent about

six years stoned out of my box and

I’m only just getting it back

together. Besides, even if I was

the last man in the world, Tamara

Drewe wouldn’t have me.

GLEN:

Why not?

ANDY:

I dumped her.

GLEN:

Oh, you are a loser.

ANDY:

I was twenty. My mates thought I

was cradle snatching... And they

used to call her Beaky.

47 1996. EXT. DAY. OUTSIDE THE PUB. 47

Tamara in her school uniform, is gutted.

TAMARA:

Beaky?...

We see her stricken face as she turns away. Then she turns

back and hits Andy. His nose streams blood.

48 INT. LATE AFTERNOON. EWEDOWN - THE PUB. 48

Glen is preparing to leave.

GLEN:

You told her the truth... The time

might come when she respects that.

Andy, as your love guru, I suggest

you ask Tamara for a date. But take a

shower first, OK?

ANDY:

(smiling)

Piss off, Glen.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 33.

49 EXT. EVENING. WINNARDS FARM. 49

Tamara is in her shorts and boots, chucking empty bottles andold saucepans into the skip, like an Amazon.

50 EXT. EVENING. STONEFIELD - THE GROUNDS. 50

Nicholas is at the hedge, looking down the valley towardsWinnards Farm. He is watching Tamara like a hawk - as if hecan’t quite believe what he is seeing.

51 1996. EXT. DAY. STONEFIELD - THE GROUNDS. 51 *

Nicholas and Tamara are polishing Nicholas’ car.

TAMARA:

Boys know nothing.

Nicholas looks up at her, smiles indulgently. Tamara stopswork.

*

*

*

*

*

TAMARA (CONT'D)

I’ve been reading ‘Inchcombe’s

Dose.’

*

*

*

NICHOLAS:

Have you?

TAMARA:

The bit where Doctor Inchcombe

finds himself having thoughts aboutthe dead guy’s daughter.

Tamara walks around the car, bringing her polishing clothcloser to his.

*

*

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TAMARA (CONT'D)

You describe her light smatteringof freckles and her strikingprofile. So...

She turns her head.

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*

TAMARA (CONT'D)

Who did you base her on?

NICHOLAS:

What?

*

*

*

*

TAMARA:

Have you noticed me?

Nicholas looks at her in surprise.

TAMARA (CONT'D)

Because I’ve noticed you...

*

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*

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 33A.

She waits, hoping for a kiss, a hug, anything. She puts out a *

hand - almost touches him. He steps back. *

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