Now...
for reasons that will soon become crystal clear,
no detail of what you see and hear this week
must ever become public knowledge.
Gentlemen,
this job has always been, and must always remain,
the most closely guarded of secrets.
The prisoner is first brought into this lobby area.
Aye aye... That's thoughtful, isn't it?
Hook to hang their coat on.
Mind you, they won't need it afterwards!
Settle down.
So then, this is the lobby area.
With coat hooks.
Then...
through this door...
...their cell.
The only one like it in the prison.
It will be their home for a minimum of three Sundays
from the day of sentence.
That's the law.
This is where the prisoner eats,
sleeps, and waits.
Waits for one fine morning, nine o'clock...
...when one of you comes through that door.
Now, when you do...
...he'll be sitting here.
As you enter, he'll stand up,
and instinctively turn, and take a step towards you.
He's thinking you'll lead him back out onto the landing.
That, gentlemen, is where you've got him.
In those few seconds, you take his left hand with your right,
spin him, pinion him, and lead him back out that way.
He'll be confused by this.
And disorientated.
But he'll not be scared.
He knows what's out there.
Just a door to a courtyard.
And a wall.
And Mr. Sykes' coat hooks on it.
Mr. Cooper, would you push back that door, please?
So, what do we do? We exploit it.
We get him in here and dropped
before he's had time to recover from the shock.
Before he can struggle or fight,
and before he even knows what's happening.
No sense in prolonging the agony. For him or for you.
The heavier the man, the shorter the drop you give him.
The weaker the neck, the shorter the drop.
Get it wrong, and you'll pull his head off.
Pierrepoint...
Male, 24 years old, 5ft 6.
160lb in his clothes.
- Occupation? - Manual laborer.
A good strong neck...
Table says 6ft 3. I'd give him 6ft 11.
So would I. Good.
Very good.
Oh, Mr. Pierrepoint.
Well, this is a surprise. We weren't expecting you till next week.
No, no, I was just passing.
I finished my round a little early, and, well...
...here I am.
Well, that's nice.
I was...
Fetch some more paper bags out of the back, Alice.
Now, please.
Actually... I did have a special reason for calling today, Miss Fletcher.
Only, I was wondering, like...
Pierrepoint. We don't have a delivery today.
No. I er...
No.
No, I just came in for some pipe tobacco.
Yeah, can I have a half ounce of Ready Rub, please,
and a box of Swans, thank you.
And don't keep my staff chatting. They're busy.
Right, Mr. Sellers. Aye.
- I just wanted to... - That'll be one and two.
Mr. Sellers, I can't find any bags.
I'd love to. How about the pictures?
Saturday night.
I'll see you outside Churches at seven.
Saturday night.
That lass sends her regards.
You know Annie? Miss Fletcher.
Aye, works in the sweet shop, she does.
Why now, Albert? Why start now?
It's just in me.
I always knew it would come out some day.
You'll have no luck, Albert.
Not as long as you live.
And I'll say to you what I said to your father.
You don't bring it over that threshold.
I'll let you get on with it, then.
I've been accepted, Uncle Tom.
Your dad would have been proud of you.
No doubt about that.
It's what he wanted. Another Pierrepoint on the list.
They've offered me a job.
Strangeways Prison, Anthony David Farrow.
Tuesday, 26th.
What's the matter?
I'm going to be assisting.
He don't look much, he don't.
I've got 6ft 6 in my mind, but I'll have to look it up in my book.
We'll use this one.
Less stretch in it.
Like old Andrews said,
only thing we want to stretch tomorrow is me laddo's neck.
Eh, Albert?
Stand clear.
Seems to be working.
Come on, let's get some tea down us.
Eight hours,
20 minutes, Albert.
That's all he's got left.
Ticking away.
He gets involved with some old tart.
She pushes him over the edge.
He winds up in here waiting for us to come knocking on his door.
Doesn't bear thinking about, does it?
I wonder if he's looking at his watch.
I don't think 6ft 6 is enough.
He's a slight lad, but he's stronger than he looks.
I think you should give him 6ft 8.
6ft 6, 6ft 8...
It doesn't really matter, does it?
Either way, he's going down.
God forgive me, God forgive me, God forgive me...
God forgive me...
Please...
Help me.
Follow me.
Please...
Wait, wait.
Please.
What have we just done, eh?
We've just killed a man, just like that.
- Very bad. - You don't want to think of it like that.
Think of it as... Well, think of it as...
I'm Albert again, you're Charlie.
We're just the same as we were yesterday.
Yeah, but it won't ever be the same again, will it?
Not after what we've just done. Eh?
Here. You done all the work. You have my money too.
- There's no need. - Go on, you take it. I don't want it.
All right? I don't want it.
I've done you a nice chop.
I'll warm it up for you.
Pork chop.
Your favorite.
Don't be too late up.
Mrs. Pierrepoint, can you help me out with this stocktake tonight?
I know it's Alice's turn, but she's insisting on going out with the WVS
collecting pots and pans.
It's for t'war effort.
This shop turning a profit - that's for the war effort too, you know.
I don't mind, Mr. Sellers. Mr. Pierrepoint is away tonight anyway, so...
What, again?
Where does he go on these trips?
Private business, Mr. Sellers.
Oh, yes.
Yes, of course.
Thank you, Mrs. Pierrepoint.
8ft 6.
Two old ladies she killed.
Got them to make out their wills to her, then gave them morphine.
Did she?
Follow me.
Oh, God, please help me.
Please help me.
14 and a half seconds, Pierrepoint. Most satisfactory.
Thank you, sir.
I do try to take a pride in my work.
- I don't believe there's a quicker man on the list. - I'm sure there is not.
Oh, no.
Now, am I mistaken, or did the prisoner speak on the scaffold?
Not that I was aware of, sir.
Funny. I thought I heard her say something.
No, sir.
- She did say something, didn't she? - Aye.
She asked for her god.
That's nowt to do with me or anybody else.
It's between her and her executioner.
When I walk into that cell...
...I leave Albert Pierrepoint outside.
I never mix the two.
You have to be clear about these things.
People are always wondering whether it's possible to take a life,
and it not affect you.
Written bloody books on it.
- What do they say? - I don't know.
It's not me taking their life.
It's the government wants these people executed, not you or me.
It's the way I see it.
I never concern myself with what they've done.
It doesn't matter to me.
Right, bring her down.
Grand. Right...
Nice and clean.
Second and third vertebrae.
You see, we don't hurt 'em, Kirky.
Instant.
A professional job, well done.
She wouldn't have felt anything.
Right, lower her down.
That's it, that's it. All right.
Right, take it away.
It's not so much the execution.
It's this bit I hate, Albert.
Why can't someone from the mortuary do this?
Because they wouldn't take care of her.
She paid the price.
She's innocent now.
- Good evening, Albert. - Aye, aye.
Excuse me, lad.
- Hello, love. - Are you gonna sing for us?
- Give us a chance. I'm parched. - Over here.
- Hello, Tosh. - Hello, Tish lad.
- Hello, Wack. - I didn't think we were gonna see you tonight.
I nearly didn't make it. I've had a busy day.
Couldn't find us a tin of Spam off your lorry?
Of course. It's just a matter of timing and temperature, Percy.
When hell bloody freezes over.
Get that down you. Get the old vocal chords loosened up.
Right, then, Tish lad, let me have a little think.
I like to think about things, Tosh.
Do you know what I thought about the other day?
What if a person's brains was made of gunpowder?
You thought about that, Tish?
Yes, I did, and then I stopped thinking about it in case it were true.
Well, I wouldn't worry, Tish lad.
There's not enough in there to blow your hat off.
How about this one?
# There was a man
# His name was Rouse
# He had the key
# To every house
# He was suspected
# And then arrested
# For making whoopee
# Another bride
# Another groom
# Another sunny honeymoon
# Another season
# Another reason
# For making whoopee
Turn your eyes away.
- You didn't tell me you could sing. - Jessie. You came.
Said I would, didn't I?
Yeah, I'm so glad you came.
Isn't she lovely, Tosh?
- This is Jessie Kelly, my... - Acquaintance.
Yes.
And this is Tosh, my partner in crime.
- Pleased to meet you. - And you.
What can I get you?
No, you're all right. I get my own drinks.
You stay here with your pals. Making whoopee.
Oh, God.
- What's that with the bandages? - Suicide bid.
Smashed his arm through a window, slashed his wrist.
He's in here for killing his girlfriend.
Says he just wants to get it over and done with.
Well...
we'll do our best, Georgie.
5ft 6.
I was assistant to Duggie Ford on my last job.
Oh, aye? That's it.
Yeah.
Geezer in Strangeways.
- Gangland murder. - How'd it go?
Not too bad.
A bit jittery was Ford. But he done all right.
Fast with it. They said 16 seconds after.
Right.
Here's the sandbag.
Let it stretch overnight.
Reckons he's in with a shout of being number one, does old Fordy.
Does he, now?
Now, pay attention, Georgie.
Tomorrow morning,
I'm going to pull this pin half out.
But just enough to make it catch.
It'll make it easy to whip it out quickly.
So I want you off them traps like lightning.
I'll be quick for you, Albert, I promise. We're a good partnership, aren't we?
I want to bust 13 seconds tomorrow, Georgie.
That was my father's average.
Seven and a half seconds. That's a record.
I don't mind telling you, Pierrepoint, I don't think there's a better man in the country.
Thank you, sir.
Seven and a half seconds, Georgie.
Never seen anything like it... in the history of capital punishment.
I don't think Ford or any of the other buggers will be getting a look in now.
All I can say is, Georgie...
...your fella Maximovsky got his wish.
They're off.
Flanagan here.
- What the devil are you doing? - I don't know. He won't go.
You couldn't ride a rocking horse.
I'll make you apologize for that, you cad.
Neck and neck. 30 yards to go. Ten yards to go. At the post. Canteen wins.
Well, what did I tell you.
Magnificent, Flanagan. I apologize for everything I said.
The Belsen war criminals arrive at Lüneburg for trial>
Their faces give little clue to what they're thinking.
Last out of the lorry is Josef Kramer, the Beast of Belsen.
The calm orderliness of the scene contrasts violently
with the ghastly pictures which shocked the country
when they were shown in British newsreels.
More than four million men, women and children
were scientifically murdered by gassing.
In this camp, the SS women, led by Irma Grese,
had their victims torn to pieces by savage dogs.
Pregnant women went straight to the gas chamber.
Everything done with hideous precision.
The prisoners have been provided with Allied officers as defense council.
Next to Kramer sits Doctor Fritz Klein, German medical officer at Belsen,
a man with a loaded conscience.
After 12 years of Nazi thuggery,
one wonders what the Germans think of British justice.
They may well mistake fairness for weakness.
- Hello, Tosh. - Hello, Tish.
Annie, this is Tish, that young songbird I was telling you about.
- Very pleased to meet you. - How do you do?
Did you enjoy the flick, then?
Aye. It was very comical, wasn't it?
Aye. You've got to laugh, haven't you? They're my favorite, The Crazy Gang.
I don't know why. Grown men playing silly buggers, if you ask me.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Pierrepoint. This is Jessie, my lady friend.
Yes, yes, we've met before.
Well, perhaps you'd like to join us? We're going for a drink.
- Well, aye... - I think we have to be getting back, really.
Aye.
Well, maybe another time, then, eh?
- Or maybe not. - Don't be like that, Jessie.
I don't know why you're creeping round them. They've no time for you.
Well, I've no time for them.
Jessie.
Talk about brazen.
Just walking out with him, bold as brass.
- It's nothing to do with us, is it? - Oh, it's not right, Albert.
I mean, she's got a husband and two children.
It's not right.
Annie?
Are you awake?
What is it, love?
Well, it's just...
...something I want to tell you.
Can it not wait till morning?
No, it's important.
It's about what I do...
...when I go away.
You know, the letters.
I know what you do, Albert.
- You know that... - I worked it out.
Why didn't you say?
Well, I...
...I wanted to hear it from you.
Ah, Pierrepoint.
I suppose you're wondering why you've been dragged down to London.
It had crossed my mind, sir, yes.
I'm afraid you'll have to blame the Field Marshal.
Pierrepoint, this is Field Marshal Montgomery.
No. Monty?
- Aye. - What did he say?
Well...
He said...
He looked me in the eye, and he said,
"The eyes of the world are on us, Mr. Pierrepoint. After what the Nazis..."
After what the Nazis did at Belsen,
I think it's important to show
that British justice is firm but fair.
Now, I'm reliably informed
that you're the very best we have in your particular field.
Did he say that?
Did he really? He did?
Did he actually say you are the best man?
Aye.
The Russians would put them up against a wall, of that I've no doubt.
The Americans apparently strangle the buggers,
leave them dangling on the end of a rope for half an hour.
But I understand that you adopt a more sophisticated method, Mr. Pierrepoint.
Well, I must get some starch for your collars.
And I might have saved up enough coupons for a new pair of shoes.
I've a system of variable drops, sir.
Separation of the second and third vertebrae results in instant death.
And you can guarantee that,
in every instance?
Yes, sir, I believe I can.
Well, you're the man for me, Mr. Pierrepoint.
I want the world to know
that our executions are the most efficient and the most humane.
And you're a very important part of that plan.
And what did you say?
I told him I was busy with my grocery deliveries, but if I could find...
Albert!
What do you think I said? I told him...
I fly to Germany on Wednesday.
I might be gone for a week to ten days.
Chose me special.
Aye.
This is it, Annie.
I'm number one.
- Mr. Pierrepoint. - Aye.
If you'd like to follow me, sir.
Here's the list for Thursday.
Ah.
Pierrepoint, good to see you again.
Governor Paton-Walsh.
I'm sorry, sir, I should say Brigadier. I did wonder when they said the name.
I understand Monty asked for you personally.
I'm sure I was just the first one on the list, sir.
Yes. Well, look...
We've had the gallows constructed to Home Office specifications,
as you've requested.
And here's the list of tomorrow's condemned prisoners.
Don't know what we'd have made of this back in civvy street, eh, Pierrepoint?
13 in one day?
I'm sorry. I'm not with you, sir. I thought we had a week to do this job.
Well, yes, but there are different batches each day.
Well, how many others are there, sir?
47 in total.
47?
And that's just this week.
I'm afraid you'll find them coming thick and fast
now that the courts have delivered their verdicts.
Jolly good.
Lieutenant Llewelyn here has been assigned to act as your assistant,
and he'll show you to your quarters.
- Shall I take these for you, sir? - No, I'll hold on to that one.
Thank you, sir.
It is rather a lot, isn't it, sir?
13 in one day.
What Monty has asked for, Monty will get.
The big fellow to the right, that's Kramer.
Commandant of Belsen.
He used to stand on his balcony and take pot shots at the poor buggers for fun.
A little behind him, older fellow...
that's Fritz Klein.
Doctor Death, we call him. Did all the experiments.
The young woman to the right,
that's Irma Grese.
Used to walk round the camp with a bullwhip. Witnesses saw her using...
Now, listen to me, Lieutenant.
We're not interested, understand? We don't care what they've done.
They're human beings, and they've got to die. That's all we need to know.
When you're working with me, you concentrate on height,
weight, and physical condition.
That way we get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Yes, sir.
196lb.
Irma Grese.
Five three.
You do the Jews' work for them.
113lb.
That's the last of them.
I'm supposed to let them hang for an hour before we take them down.
Have to cut that back to 20 minutes, or we'll never get it done.
We'll double up with the men, but do the women first, one at a time.
- Start with her. - Yes. Arrogant bitch.
She's the youngest.
She'll be the most frightened.
Irma Grese.
Follow me.
Right, gentlemen, we'll reassemble in 20 minutes.
Strange. I thought this would be a piece of cake.
After what these people have done.
Lining someone up in your sights, and pulling the trigger...
...was one thing.
But standing with them on the gallows...
...both knowing what's going to happen...
I think it's the knowing that's the worst part of it.
The absolute certainty that they're going to die.
Seeing it in their eyes.
Still, it's like you said.
It's not really us in here, is it?
Aye.
That's right, lad.
Time for a brew?
No, we don't want to fall behind.
Right...
Fetch the last coffin in, that's us done.
There's no more left, sir. Bit of a breakdown in communication.
- How do you mean? - There's no more coffins.
They said just to stretcher him out.
Tip him into the ground as he is.
No.
No, no, no, no, that's not right.
There are 13 prisoners. There should be 13 coffins.
No, I'm... I'm not having it.
13th day of the month...
13 prisoners...
13 witnesses...
I'm not having it at all.
This man has paid the price, do you understand? He's atoned for his sins.
What's left of him should be treated with gentle dignity. Do you see?
Yes, sir. I'll... go and sort another coffin.
Aye, you do that, lad.
Mr. Pierrepoint?
Mr. Pierrepoint.
Jack Ellis, Daily Sketch.
Can you tell us about your time over in Germany? How many did you drop?
- You what? - The Belsen mob.
Did they have any last words on the gallows?
Have you got a message for our readers?
No, I bloody haven't. Now hop it.
Is that you, love?
Love, there's a reporter out there, and a fella taking photographs.
Yes, I know, I know.
They've been there a couple of days, asking when you'd be back, and...
- And you've been on the wireless. - How do you mean?
Mentioned you by name. Albert Pierrepoint, they said.
- What have they been saying? - Oh, you know, where you've been,
what you've been doing, and...
You've been in the papers too, loads of times. I've kept them for you.
Well, that isn't right.
No, no, no, no, no...
That isn't right at all, no.
Good luck to you, Mr. Pierrepoint.
Keep up the good work, Albert.
String them all up, I say. Nazi swine.
- Hip. Hip. - Hooray.
# For he's a jolly good fellow
# And so say all of us.
Cheers.
So...
how's it going, then?
You know, with your lady friend.
Over. Well, I finished it with her.
Yeah, she was messing me about.
Devastated she was, when I told her.
Said I was everything to her.
I bought her a diamond ring and everything.
Cost me a month's wages, but...
But I broke it off, because...
she was messing me about.
Well, there's only so much that you can put up with, isn't there?
Look at that.
It's not right, Annie.
What I do is private. Now everybody knows about it.
I'm not comfortable with it. It's not how it's done.
No, I've been thinking, love.
I've done my duty.
Maybe it's time to give it up.
I think you're right. I think you should give it up.
You've always said you don't get enough respect delivering groceries.
- No, but I meant, you know... - I know what you meant, love.
But just listen to me for a minute, will you?
This money that you brought back from Germany...
Well, with what we've got already, there's nearly £300 here.
You're not to touch that.
Listen, you've always said you wanted to be your own boss, haven't you?
Well, now is your chance.
The lease on The Struggler is up in two months. I telephoned the brewery.
We could set ourselves up nicely there with this.
- We've no experience of running a pub. - Well...
We could make a go of it, I know we could.
We might fall flat on our faces. We've no idea how to...
how to drum up custom or anything.
Oh, well, I think there's a few people out there
who'd like to buy a pint off the man who hanged the Beast of Belsen.
Don't you?
Hasn't stopped rabbiting, Evans.
Night and day,
on and on...
about how it was some other fella done it.
He can't face it.
Strangled his own daughter.
Yeah, and buried her in the wash house.
And now he can't face it.
Mr. Pierrepoint.
Really and truly, I'm in here for something I never done.
All right. Follow me.
I think it was probably Christie what done it.
...the death sentence. Abolish capital punishment.
Hear! Hear!
It's Pierrepoint, the murderer.
There. There.
May God forgive you.
Here he is. Here's the guv'nor.
All right, Albert.
What's up with old Tish?
I don't know. He's been like that all evening.
Two pints, and a whisky and ginger.
Righto.
What are all those?
They're for you.
They've been buying them for you all night.
- I couldn't drink all those. What'll I do with them? - Sell 'em.
- Whisky and ginger was it, love? - That's it, thanks.
Hey, Tosh. Come on, Tosh, give us a song, man.
How about it, Tish lad, eh?
Mind your backs.
I'll give you a song.
# Jealous heart
# O, jealous heart stop beating
# Can't you see
# The damage you have done?
# You have driven her
# Away forever
# O, jealous heart
# Now I'm the lonely one
Come on, lad, let's do 'em a number.
We'll give them a giggle. What do you fancy doing, eh?
Come on.
Liven up, come on.
Steady, lad.
Gin and tonic.
Jessie?
- Oh, God, here he is. - This is him, yes?
You're to keep away from her.
She doesn't want you hanging around,
following her, staring at her window, OK?
You keep away from her.
- She's with me now. - I'm going away with him.
Me and t'kids. Somewhere you won't be able to follow us.
Keep your hands off her.
I love you, Jessie.
Right, come on, now. That's enough.
- Any more, I'll have to call the police. - OK.
- He's got the message. - Right, I'd like the two of you out now, please.
I'm not going anywhere.
It's him that's been bothering me.
- He had it coming. - Right, come on, now, love, please.
Get your hands off me. I'm not having them on me after what they've done.
Right. That's it. Out.
I don't know how you stand it.
Him touching you.
They're covered in blood, his hands.
That's what they are.
Filthy with it, both of you.
I even prayed to God the other night.
Just to give me some peace.
To stop me thinking about her.
Best thing all round is to try and forget it.
Yeah.
Do you know what I admire about you?
It's your strength of character.
The way you keep things under your hat.
I mean, doing the things you do.
Bearing that load.
And nobody would have guessed a thing.
It's not been easy.
I've got things in here too that I'd rather they weren't there.
Oh, aye, I can keep them at bay, yeah.
But they're waiting for me.
Waiting for me to let my guard down. Waiting all the bloody time they are.
I did a lot of jobs in Germany.
More than were really good for me.
Too many, really.
I get so bloody tired now.
Albert?
Hm?
But...
I don't let things bother me. Oh, no, no.
No, I sleep like a baby, don't I, Annie?
- Mm. - Aye.
I'd best be going.
Aye.
- Goodnight, Annie. - Night, Tish.
All right.
Night, Tish lad.
Tosh...
I am so sorry.
I've packed your bag for the morning.
Oh, yeah, I saw that. Thanks. Thanks, love, aye.
- So, what did Tish have to say? - Oh...
He was...
...very apologetic.
So he should be, bringing all that trouble into the pub.
He loves her.
Aye.
He told me so.
There's a record here of a job at Strangeways,
but there's no corresponding payment.
What?
Oh, aye, yeah, it was probably a reprieve, you know.
Happens all the time.
Is there no cancellation fee?
It depends on the prison, you know.
Some prisons pay, and some don't.
Well, that's not fair.
It's not your fault they're reprieved, is it?
What about the inconvenience? Going all that way down there for nothing.
Well, it's only the pub, isn't it?
You cover for me.
Yeah, but they don't know that, do they?
You do a grand job running this place, you know.
No...
I'm really proud of you, Annie.
Albert Pierrepoint. It is you, isn't it?
- I know you from your photographs. - I'm sorry, madam, can I help you?
Oh, dear God.
Please save him.
Please save my boy. They say it's you going to hang him.
- I'm sorry, madam. I can't help you. - Oh, please, Mr. Pierrepoint.
Please. He was a good boy, my Jimmy.
Please.
Tell them you're not gonna go through with it.
Sorry, madam. You've got the wrong man.
Please. I can't think how else to save him.
Please, Mr. Pierrepoint.
- I'm sorry, madam. - Please.
Please.
Please, Mr. Pierrepoint.
Please.
I shall be away on the 27th and the 28th.
Righto, love.
I've had to duck round the other side, you know what I mean?
- Albert. - Georgie.
- Seen the anti-mob outside? - Aye.
They keep coming back for more.
They'll be there tomorrow morning. Don't matter how cold it gets tonight.
I mean, what do they want, Albert?
This fella, Corbitt.
He's took a young woman's life.
He took her to an hotel room and strangled her.
She's never coming back, is she, Albert?
Why would they put up such a fuss on his behalf?
Let them cry and holler as much as they like, Georgie.
You do your job, and I do mine.
And I shall sleep soundly tomorrow,
just like I always do.
Ah, there you are, Pierrepoint.
Governor.
This fellow Corbitt tomorrow...
Sir?
One thing rather queer to relate...
The fact is, he says he knows you.
- Does he? - Yes.
Says he's a friend of yours.
I don't know any James Corbitt, sir. I've never heard the name before.
Since my picture's been in the newspaper, lots of people think they know me.
Only he's getting into rather a state over whether or not you'll acknowledge him tomorrow.
In what way?
Well, on a personal level, I suppose, when you enter the cell.
He says it would mean a great deal to him if you did.
Well, that's... that's not really the way, sir.
Help smooth things over, no doubt.
We don't want any fuss, do we, Pierrepoint?
No, sir.
Very good.
# Can't you see the damage you...
Don't get many feel like singing, do we, Albert?
- # You have driven... - Still, he's not got a bad voice as it goes.
Has he?
# O, jealous heart
# Now I'm the lonely one
Albert, what's up?
6ft um...
6ft... 6ft 6 or something.
What's this?
We're to be brought a hot meal.
That's our entitlement. A hot meal. We're not bloody rabbits.
- Well, the cook has gone home. - Get them to fetch the bugger back.
I'll tell you what - there'll be no bloody job tomorrow.
Go and see what you can do.
Hello, Tosh.
Hello, Tish, old pal.
I'm sorry, lad.
You're going to have to turn around.
Come with me now, lad.
You'll be all right, Tish.
Come on, now.
I'll look after you. Come on, lad.
No, no...
Thank you, Albert.
Where have you been?
You know where I've been.
I was getting worried.
You're so much later than usual.
Hm?
Well, I went for a drink.
Right.
Did you meet up with some pals?
I haven't got any pals.
I just wanted to spend that.
Well, your dinner will be a bit dried up now, but I'll put some gravy on it.
Would you like a potato with...
I don't... I don't want anything, thank you.
Why don't you ask me...
...why I went drinking?
Like my father used to. Hm?
Maybe you'll have a sandwich later.
Not a bad night tonight.
Most of the regulars in.
I put some... some boxes of chocolates behind the bar.
Sold 11 of them.
I think, come closing time they feel a bit guilty.
They think maybe they'd better take home a peace offering.
I thought maybe we should start...
Do you want to know what I did today, Annie?
Eh?
I hanged Tish.
Aye.
Tish?
James Henry Corbitt, that was his name. You know, we never knew that.
- He murdered Jessie, you know. - Tish?
One night, he followed her to Liverpool,
cheap hotel, his hands around her throat.
If he can't have her, nobody can.
Another sad, sordid little story, just like the rest of them.
And I just put a rope round his neck,
and hanged him for it.
Well, say something.
- Don't you want to know about it? - No.
Don't you want to know what he looked like?
- What he said? - No.
Don't you want to know what it felt like to take a friend and do that to him? Eh?
No, what I was going to say was...
I thought we could start doing flowers.
Keep bunches of flowers behind the bar...
What do you think?
I've done for him, Annie.
Don't you understand?
I've killed him, and for what? Hm?
For money. Dirty bloody money.
- I looked into his eyes, Annie. - Stop it, please.
- He saw me. He thanked me. - Stop it.
We don't talk about it, Albert.
That's what we've always agreed.
Well, I want to talk about it now.
Look here...
Of course it was me.
It's been me all along. I've done for them.
Me.
At least they killed in jealousy, haste, or passion.
What about me? What can I say?
I've murdered the bloody lot of them. Look.
Hundreds of them.
Hundreds and hundreds of them.
Get off me, get off me.
No, Annie, I can't bear it any more.
- Not on my own. - You are going to have to.
I don't want to know about it, Albert, I don't.
Hold me, Annie, please.
Like you always do.
Tell me I'm not a bad man.
I can't.
I can't, Albert. I can't.
Can't.
No.
What do you think it's been like for me all these years? Ever think about that?
Staring,
whispers.
You think you're the only one who's suffered.
We don't talk about what you do, Albert.
No...
We don't. Never have, never will.
No.
Sorry, love.
Sorry.
Today the murder of Ruth Ellis
committed in our name.
Behind another line of policemen a car is emerging.
Its passenger...
It's Mr. Pierrepoint.
It's Albert Pierrepoint who is now the target of the crowd's fury.
I notice they've not paid you for that job in July.
Strangeways job.
I think it must have been another of them reprieves.
It's not right, Albert.
I don't think you should put up with it any more.
I think you should write to them.
Write to them, Anne?
What would I say?
Oh, I don't know, but...
I know they're exploiting your good will.
After all the years of loyal service you've given them.
If I were you, I'd have a good mind to...
To what, Anne?
Well, I don't know, but...
Tell them you're considering taking your name off the list.
In protest, you know.
Yes.
Aye, yes, it has been bothering me.
I have to make myself available on the day, don't I?
I might have to get extra staff in to cover. They don't know otherwise, do they?
Well, it's up to you, of course, but...
...I don't think anyone would blame you.
I certainly wouldn't.
No.
I shan't put up with it, Anne. You're right.
It's a matter of principle. It's... a point of principle.
I shall write a letter tonight.
Aye.
I'll make us some tea.