Tamara Drewe

1 SUMMER. POSY DRAWING 1

2 EXT. DAY. STONEFIELD - THE GROUNDS. 2

Andy Cobb, early thirties, is digging an English garden inthe hot sun. He is lean, naked to the waist. It’s hard to

tell which century he inhabits. Only when he stops to drinkfrom a plastic bottle do we realise he is of our time.

TESS (V.O.)

And love slipped the bonds ofrestraint...

At a table under a willow tree sits Tess - early fifties,

funky specs - at a laptop. She pauses in her typing, staringat Andy.

TESS (V.O.)(CONT'D)

His touch was like a cosmic ‘yes’.

Underneath a converted barn, cross-legged on a bench in abikini top, sits Eustacia. She is hunched over a note pad,

writing at tremendous speed, oblivious to all but her work.

EUSTACIA (V.O.)

‘F*** you,’ screamed Kelly, ‘Fuckyou to hell!’ Scott stepped back

from the cell door as the gob ofspit flew.’

1A INT. DAY. GLEN’S ROOM. 1A

Sitting at a barn window is American academic Glen McCreavy ;

a physically awkward man, more at home with his intellectthan his body. He is surrounded by foolscap, post-it notes,

books and markers - dominated by a poster of a dour Victorian- Thomas Hardy. He is writing. *

GLEN (V.O.)

This complex contemporary matrix iswhat Hardy meant by ‘the ache of

modernism.’

*

*

*

*

He regards it. *

Crap.

GLEN:

He deletes it. He looks at his blank screen, breathingdeeply. The only words left say ‘Chapter Six’.

NICHOLAS (V.O.)

Inchcombe had seen it all before.

He’d seasoned it: the metallic

smell of blood and gunshot;

forensics hunched like vultures.

The dreadful mundanity of murder,

he thought.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 2.

3 INT. DAY. STONEFIELD - NICHOLAS’ SHED. 3

Nicholas Hardiment writes fluidly with pencil and paper. A

good-looking man of fifty. Dark hair, strong figure.

NICHOLAS (V.O.)

He approached Patel, who was

stricken. She was one for whom a

corpse was still an obscenity.

Inchcombe realised a disturbing

truth. His lack of feeling was

almost...

(He stops writing. Sighs)

NICHOLAS (CONT'D)

Pathological...

4 EXT. DAY. EWEDOWN - THE PLAYGROUND. 4

A playground on the edge of an idyllic English village. Jody

Long - fourteen, skinny, restless - is lying at the bottom of

the slide gazing at the clouds. Casey Shaw, her shy, placid

best friend, is sitting on a toddler toy, reading aloud from

a magazine.

CASEY:

‘I’ve been wearing the wrong size

all my life,’ said Katie. ‘I was

always popping out. Turns out I’m a

30GG,’ she says. ‘Now my bras

finally fit - though Simon prefers

me without one.’

Jody checks to see if her breasts have grown. She sighs.

4A INT. DAY. KITCHEN. 4A

A woman in an upmarket apron is taking a tray of scones and

biscuits out of the aga. It’s Beth Hardiment. Once pretty,

she’s now mumsy and countrified.

She examines her baking, satisfied with its perfection.

Mary, the help, is doing the washing-up.

BETH:

Do you think I should be reminding

them to drink enough? It’s very hot

out there...

MARY:

Beth - they’re writers, not babies.

You run round after ‘em too much.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 3.

5 EXT. DAY. STONEFIELD - THE GROUNDS. 5

Glen walks outside, breathing in the fresh air. Beth

approaches with her tray of scones and biscuits.

BETH:

Can I tempt you, Glen?

GLEN:

Wow, thanks.

Glen picks up a scone.

BETH:

I often take something snacky down

to Nicholas at this time of day. I

know how the brain needs feeding.

How are you settling in?

GLEN:

Great. The last writer’s retreat I

stayed at kind of froze my balls off,

you know?

BETH:

Oh.

GLEN:

Screeching firedoors, curried

lasagne and a needy poet - from whom

I still bear the scars.

BETH:

We try to keep it peaceful here;

far from the madding crowd.

GLEN:

Well, it’s paradise.

6 EXT. DAY. EWEDOWN - VILLAGE STREET. TRIANGLE. 6

The blight on this rural paradise is a vandalised bus shelter

near the only T-junction in the village. A twee shop, hanging

baskets and Grade II listed buildings make up the view. It’s

shatteringly dull.

Casey and Jody walk up towards the bus shelter. Their boredom

is epic.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 4.

An open-topped BMW goes past and halts briefly by the

junction. The tones of Classic FM blare out, much to the

enjoyment of the middle aged couple within.

CASEY:

Frock horrors. This weeks top of

the shocks goes to Katie Pound in

an off the shoulder lime by

Roberto.

JODY:

She looks like a bug.

(Car hoots) Wankers!

CASEY:

You wanna sack your stylist girl.

JODY:

Bet they did that on purpose,

dressed her up like an insect.

Casey agrees. They zoom away.

7 EXT. DAY. STONEFIELD. THE GROUNDS. 7

Glen lowers himself into a comfy garden chair, his mouth full

of cream and jam. Behind him, Nicholas’ shed.

GLEN:

Perfect harmony.

8 INT. DAY. STONEFIELD - NICHOLAS’ SHED. 8

Nicholas is panicking down the phone.

NICHOLAS:

In Ewedown? Nadia, what the ffff

are you doing there? I haven’t told

her yet.

8A EXT. EWEDOWN. THE STREET NEAR THE BUS STOP. 8A

Nadia is walking up the road from the station in her high

heels, carrying an overnight bag. She is weeping into her

phone.

NADIA:

Why not? You keep saying you want

to be with me.

Jody and Casey are all ears.

NICHOLAS:

I can’t tell her just like that.

It’s twenty five years; a marriage.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 4A.

NADIA:

Come on Nicholas. Or I’m going to

get in a taxi and find your farm.

Come up there and

NICHOLAS:

No

NADIA:

Drag you out

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 5.

NICHOLAS:

NO, NO DON’T!

NADIA:

I want to be with you. I thought

you’d be pleased...

8B POV. EXT. DAY. STONEFIELD / INT. DAY. NICHOLAS’ SHED 8B

Through the window Nicholas sees Beth leaving a scone by

Diggory, a sleeping poet in a pretentious hat.

NICHOLAS:

Of course I’m pleased... Nadia, go

to the pub and stay there. I’ll come

when I can.

NADIA:

Are you going to tell her?

NICHOLAS:

Just give me a couple of hours

He ends the call just as Beth is nearing the door - panicking

the phone back on to its holder.

NICHOLAS (CONT'D)

Cock pie.

Beth opens the door to see Nicholas apparently hard at it.

BETH:

How’s the worker?

NICHOLAS:

Good actually. Just about to embark

on forensics.

BETH:

Well give me your pages and I’ll get

started.

Nicholas hands her several pages.

NICHOLAS:

Reckon I might pack it in a bit

early today. Need to think about my

blood smears. Might take a drive;

have a pint. Stir the old grey

matter up.

BETH:

Who were you talking to just then?

NICHOLAS:

Judy. She says the Impala contracts

should be through in a day or two.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 5A.

Beth immediately knows he is lying. The lie pains her. She

goes to the door.

GOLDENROD REVISIONS 20.10.09 6.

Beth decides to try and call his bluff.

BETH:

I could come with you.

NICHOLAS:

What?

BETH:

For a drive. I don’t know when we

last went out.

Buying time by biting his scone:

NICHOLAS:

This is absolutely yummy.

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