Happy Valley Page #7

Season #1 Episode #1

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He looks momentarily to ANN for support, which was a mistake,

and he realises that as soon as he’s done it.

ANN:

You’re not looking at me. You don’t

think I’m going to agree with

anything you say. Do you?

NEVISON:

How much did we spend on her

education?

HELEN:

Let’s not go down that route again.

NEVISON:

Eh? And what good did that do? I

might as well’ve pissed it all up

against a wall.

ANN drops her fork noisily on her plate and walks out. All

done with an air of massive indifference.

NEVISON (CONT’D)

Yeah, go on. And slam the door.

(she does)

Clang.

Despite his apparent indifference, ANN’s dramatic exit has

put NEVISON momentarily off his food.

HELEN:

(calm, quiet, sad)

That was unnecessary.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 17.

NEVISON:

I’m a nice fella, Helen. I’m a good

boss. I can’t do for one what I

can’t do for everybody. Even if it

is Kevin.

(HELEN appears to be

experiencing some

discomfort. Not that she

parades it. NEV notices)

Have you...?

(nods towards her abdomen)

Had an okay day? Love?

HELEN nods, murmurs “Mmm”, but she’s holding her side,

clearly in some discomfort. NEVISON suddenly looks his age.

He can’t stand what’s happening to her.

CUT TO:

11 INT. INDIAN RESTAURANT. NIGHT 1. 20.45 11

CATHERINE and RICHARD share a table. CATHERINE remains

preoccupied, but it hasn’t affected her appetite. Perhaps

when she’s wound up or upset she eats more. Or faster. I

would.

RICHARD:

I don’t know what it is she doesn’t

get. You don’t move house when

you’ve just lost your job. Do you?

You’d get it.

CATHERINE:

Yeah well. You know. You married

her.

RICHARD:

She goes, “Oh, something’ll crop

up”, so I’m like, “Well what? I’m

nearly fifty, I’m not trained to do

anything else”.

CATHERINE:

No. Well.

RICHARD:

Speaking of which. What was the

story this morning? With that

fella.

CATHERINE:

Richard (

it’s so banal she doesn’t

want to think about it)

It was a domestic.

(MORE)

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 18.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

He was off his head on booze, he

was off his head on skunk. His

girlfriend’d dumped him, that’s -

it’s the usual everyday story of

country folk.

RICHARD:

(interrupts)

Where did they take him?

CATHERINE:

Where did who take him?

RICHARD:

The paramedics. I assume there were

paramedics

CATHERINE:

I don’t know, I didn’t ask. Out of

sight, out of mind.

RICHARD:

How did you talk him down?

CATHERINE:

I didn’t. I tried to. But then he

got his cigarettes out. He hadn’t

made the connection. That trying to

light one of his petrol-soaked

cigarettes would involve clicking

his lighter. So I just foamed him.

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