London Spy
Page 24
INT. MANSION. HALLWAY. NIGHT
The geometric lines of fire reflected in the window.
Danny and Frances watch, silent, stunned.
EXT. MANSION. MAZE. NIGHT
The nanny appears at the entrance to the maze, throwing down a petrol can.
She lights the last strip of hedge. And now the complete route out of the maze burns.
INT. MANSION. HALLWAY. NIGHT
As the maze burns in the window, Danny looks to Frances, watching her expression.
She’s engrossed in this fire, as if it were a piece of theatre, her eyes alive, again, to possibilities.
EXT. MANSION. MAZE. NIGHT
Grief stricken, powerless, the nanny drops to her knees before this fire memorial to her son.
Ignoring her, the groundsman sets about trying to extinguish the fire. But it’s out of control.
EXT. MANSION. HALLWAY. NIGHT
Geometric lines of fire reflected in the glass. Danny looking at Frances.
DANNY
For her son.
Frances turns to him - her expression faltering.
DANNY (CONT’D)
All she could do.
Unsteady, her certainty shattered, it takes a supreme effort to turn her back on the fire.
Frances continues towards the front doors.
Danny watches her go. Angry & frustrated.
DANNY (CONT’D)
It was all she could do!
His voice echoes around the space.
INT. MANSION. GRAND HALLWAY. NIGHT
Frances stands by the door, holding it open. Her stance is formal. She’s recovered her poise. And her decision.
Danny stands before her.
DANNY
Just a stupid boy?
Frances looks him the eye. Ice cold. Danny sees nothing in those eyes. No hope. No chance.
EXT. MANSION. GROUNDS. SUNRISE
Danny walks to his car.
When he looks back, the front door is shut. Without a goodbye. In haste. Just as his own mother did.
INT/EXT. CAR / MANSION GROUNDS. SUNRISE
Danny at the wheel. Exhausted. Emotional.
He leaves with nothing.
Suddenly the car door opens and Frances gets into the passenger seat. She shuts the door.
She seems breathless and excited. She looks in the rear view mirror at the fire and smoke. She looks at Danny.
FRANCES
Let’s burn them down for real.
Elated, giddy, younger, lighter, happier.
Danny in disbelief. He does nothing.
FRANCES (CONT’D)
We should probably ‘hurry’.
Danny starts the car.
And he drives, picking at speed, excited, nervous, unsure what is happening or about to happen.
He checks on Frances.
Her expression is of great happiness & warmth.
Danny looking at the mansion in the rear view mirror.
No one seems to be after them.
Frances seems happy, as happy as when Alex held her hand.
Danny looks forward. The path is clear. Escape certain.
And then, the Groundsman steps out, at the end of the drive, holding a hunting shotgun.
The groundsman raises the gun, takes aim.
In an attempt to avoid the shot, Danny swerves.
The groundsman fires, knocking out the front tyre, which explodes in a shower of rubber.
The car loses control, off the drive, through the grass, shuddering to a stop.
Frances has knocked her head on the dashboard. Blood runs down her forehead. A superficial injury.
The Groundsman approaches, reloading.
But he simply stands, and waits.
Charles, dressed for a walk in the country, gets into the back seat of the car, addressing Frances.
CHARLES
Frances Mary Taylor.
She touches her head, looking at her bloody fingertip.
FRANCES
Yes.
(beat)
Yes.
(beat)
Yes.
Charles gets out.
Frances turns to Danny.
FRANCES (CONT’D)
I see why Alistair fell in love with you.
She steps out of the car.
After a beat, Danny also steps out.
EXT. MANSION. GROUNDS. DRIVEWAY. NIGHT
The Groundsman stands over them. Clearly he’s a security agent, sent to guard the couple.
With blood streaming down her face, Frances addresses this agent, with Lady of the Manor formality, as though he were staff, an illusion he is happy to maintain.
FRANCES
You’ll change his tyre?
The groundsman nods.
Charles and Frances head back towards the mansion.
Danny watches them go.
EXT. MANSION. GROUNDS. DRIVEWAY. NIGHT
Danny sits on the gravel, watching as the groundsman replaces the front tyre he shot out. It’s surreal.
And then Danny sees smoke - a fire is burning behind the mansion. Plumes of acrid-dense smoke.
Danny stands. He walks towards it, speed increasing until he’s running, and running fast.
EXT. MANSION. GROUNDS MAZE. NIGHT
Danny runs around the mansion, arriving at the maze.
It’s on fire. The desiccated hedgerow bushes burning.
Danny loops round to the entrance.
He enters the burning maze.
EXT. MANSION. MAZE. NIGHT
Danny crouched, through the burning maze.
Cans of petrol deposited like bread-crumbs.
Some of the hedges are completely ablaze, others less so. Danny follows the trail of fire, until he reaches --
EXT. MANSION. CENTRE OF MAZE. NIGHT
Danny enters the centre of the maze, seeing the nanny, seated beside the statue of the limbless male angel.
She’s looking at the mansion while the maze burns.
Danny turns to see --
At the window to Alex’s bedroom stand both Charles and Frances, watching the fire.
Danny also watches the maze burn.
Everyone seems quite calm. As though this were normal.
In the end, Danny sits beside the nanny. She takes his hand, as she must have taken Alex’s many times in the past, and they watch the fire burn.
EXT. MANSION. CENTRE OF MAZE. DAWN
Sunrise.
The blackened bushes smoulder. Danny turns to the nanny.
DANNY
You can’t stay here?
She seems surprised by the idea.
NANNY
Why not?
Danny thinks the charred maze is sufficient reply.
NANNY (CONT’D)
I’ve worked in this house for twenty five years.
Danny still isn’t convinced.
NANNY (CONT’D)
These people prize loyalty above all else.
She stands.
NANNY (CONT’D)
Everything will stay the same. We’ll go back to how it was before. All of us, the same. Except for you.
She disappears into the maze.
However, after a moment, she returns.
NANNY (CONT’D)
He’s buried at St. Thomas’s Church. It’s not far...
And with that she disappears into the charred maze.
Danny looks up at the faceless anonymous statue.
INT/EXT. SCOTTIE’S CAR / MANSION. DAY
With the car fixed, a new tyre, Danny pulls out of the grass, back onto the gravel drive.
He stops - one last look in the rear view mirror.
Frances and Charles stand at the top of the steps.
Frances takes hold of Charles’s hand. And they stand there, a couple.
The groundsman, still with his gun, to one side.
And at the window to the mansion is the Nanny.
Danny drives off.
EXT. ST THOMAS’S CHURCH. GRAVEYARD. DAY
> A picturesque rural church.
Danny walks through the tombstones, searching.
He finds Alex’s gravestone.
Engraved on it is the name ‘Alistair’.
INT. ST. THOMAS’S CHURCH. DAY
Danny enters the church. The information. He finds a comment card and a pen.
EXT. ST. THOMAS’S CHURCH. GRAVEYARD. DAY
Danny places the note on Alex’s grave.
Written on it is:
“Alex - I found you - you found me - love Danny”
INT. SCOTTIE’S HOUSE. LIVING ROOM. DAY
Danny throws opens the blinds, sunlight floods in.
INT. SCOTTIE’S HOUSE. STUDY. DAY
Danny gets together pens and notebooks.
EXT. SCOTTIE’S FRONT GARDEN. DAY
Danny takes the bike from the garage. He sets off.
EXT. PRIMROSE HILL. PARK. DAY
Danny cycling down at speed, towards the city.
EXT. LONDON. DAY
Danny cycling through London.
EXT. UCL. MAIN QUAD. DAY
Danny locks up his bike. With his bag he walks towards the entrance. The quad is crowded with students.
But we hold back. Not following him inside. The many other students weave in and out of frame.
In the distance, one among many, Danny climbs the steps. And enters the building.
He’s gone.
We linger for a while, watching the other students on the steps and campus: the energy of hopes and ambitions.
END OF SERIES
List of Illustrations
1.1 Danny sad on the bridge. Where it all begins
1.2 Danny and Alex’s country walk
2.1 Scottie and Danny in the woods, with secrets to share
2.2 Danny journeys into the unknown
2.3 Danny meets Alex’s mother
2.4 Alex’s mother is as mysterious as her son
3.1 Danny arrested
3.2 Danny confronted with the dark side of his past
3.3 The blue room
3.4 Danny’s healing
4.1 The professor who taught the genius
5.1 Secrets shared
5.2 Love as decryption
6.1 Author Tom Rob Smith on set
7.1 Fan art – Vipada Jakavanphituk
7.2 Fan art – Jo Lee
7.3 Fan art – Eli Lin
7.4 Fan art – Elger Leng
7.5 Fan art – Jessica Lucas
1.1 Danny sad on the bridge. Where it all begins
1.2 Danny and Alex’s country walk
2.1 Scottie and Danny in the woods, with secrets to share
2.2 Danny journeys into the unknown
2.3 Danny meets Alex’s mother
2.4 Alex’s mother is as mysterious as her son
3.1 Danny arrested
3.2 Danny confronted with the dark side of his past
3.3 The blue room
3.4 Danny’s healing
4.1 The professor who taught the genius
5.1 Secrets shared
5.2 Love as decryption
6.1 Author Tom Rob Smith on set
7.1 Fan art – Vipada Jakavanphituk
7.2 Fan art – Jo Lee
7.3 Fan art – Eli Lin
7.4 Fan art – Elger Leng
7.5 Fan art – Jessica Lucas
Acknowledgements
These scripts wouldn’t exist without Polly Hill. She believed in the project from the beginning and supported it through many difficult moments. She is the best friend a writer, or any creative could hope for. I owe her a great deal.
As we neared transmission, I remember discussing whether a story featuring a gay love story would result in us losing some of our potential audience. I didn’t know how many, but my sense was that the loss would be significant. Polly was amazed by the notion and refused to accept it. When over three million people tuned in for the first episode, it encouraged me to be more optimistic – the world has changed. It’s been a privilege to witness this love story being embraced by so many and I’d like to thank the BBC for making that possible.
On the subject of love, I have to pay special thanks to Ben Whishaw. He is a genius and he championed the show from an early stage, attracting an extraordinary cast who wanted to work with him. The part of Danny was written for him and in return he created the most wonderfully attractive and complex portrayal of a man struggling with the world. I defy anyone to watch his performance and not fall in love with him.
I’d also like to thank Michael Edelstein from NBC Universal. All shows need champions and he was steadfast in his belief that the show could be something special and that it was worth protecting. Without his support, the show as we know it, and this book, wouldn’t exist. I will be forever grateful to him.
Working Title Television were behind the making of the show. I remember when I was a child, growing up, struggling with my own sexuality, watching their pioneering movie MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDERETTE. Since the remote control was broken I sat close to the screen, finger loitering near the off button, ready to turn it off in case anyone should return home and discover what I was watching. It felt like a neat answer to that experience, bringing this show to them – the first ever thriller on British television headed by a gay love story.
Finally, on the production side, I’d like to thank Hilary Salmon, who came on as an executive producer for the BBC. It is rare to find people who care about a project as much as you do and who are able to handle it as delicately as though it were their own. She was brilliant and I owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude.
With regards to the production of this book, it’s entirely down to Suzanne Baboneau and Ian Chapman, from S&S UK, both of whom thought we could produce a book that was more than a functional copy of the scripts but a celebration of the show, and everyone who worked so hard on it, which is why we’re including some of the beautiful stills, and the fans’ remarkable reactions. Suzanne and Ian’s enthusiasm is endless and their support is always much appreciated. Thanks also to Laura Nolan at the Kuhn Projects Literary Agency in New York for expertly navigating all the complex rights issues and for championing this book.
The story behind London Spy
By Tom Rob Smith
Twenty years ago, when I was seventeen years old, I stood one night on the dangerous and decrepit former incarnation of the Hungerford pedestrian bridge which connects the north and south sides of the river Thames. The old bridge was narrow, grotty and afflicted with crime, in one horrific incident, a law student had been thrown to his death, and it wasn’t a place to linger. But that night the bridge matched my state of mind and I looked out over the London skyline and asked, as though London were a wise mentor capable of answering back, whether life got any easier. I don’t recall another occasion when I’ve seriously contemplated suicide but standing there, I realized that death would be the end of everything good, as well as everything bad. What I didn’t realize at the time was that had I arrived at a different decision my suicide would’ve wound up as a statistic, engulfed by a much wider narrative of a society in which many young gay people struggle to cope. My life, which in reality, had been a largely happy one, full of love and potential, would’ve been rewritten in those troubled hours, as one of perpetual despair leading to that act. I’m very glad I lived to tell a different story but perhaps because of this moment I’m acutely aware of how our deaths can tell a story separate to the story of our lives.
Herein lies the premise for my first television drama series London Spy, a thriller which opens with Ben Whishaw’s character Danny, standing on Lambeth Bridge, feeling low and wretched, and asking the London skyline whether life gets any easier. London answers him with a chance encounter, an early morning runner who stops to ask if he’s okay – a question that can be both trivial and also profoundly human. So begins a love story that promises happiness for both. However, eight months into their relationship his lover is found dead in circumstances that appear to tell a story of a life entirely di
fferent to one that Danny has come to share with his partner. Danny’s perfect love, which has rejuvenated him, is, in an instant, rewritten. He is no longer this man’s partner but merely one of many nameless sexual hook ups, with a preference for extreme bondage, high risk kink fuelled by drugs and an appetite for exploring the outer limits of sensuality. In this death, Danny not only loses his lover, he loses their love story too, and so his battle begins for the truth, to find out what really happened, and to try and recover the story of their love and life together.
The question has been asked of me whether there are any parallels to the Gareth Williams case, the GCHQ operative found dead in his apartment in Pimlico. I should be clear at this point that this series is entirely a work of fiction, none of the characters are real. In addition, it isn’t intended as a commentary on the police investigation, the security services, or what might have happened. I haven’t sat through the evidence, or heard the testimonies, and I’m in no position to make a judgement. However, it is an indisputable fact that at the heart of the press, the public and indeed my interest in this case, is the question of whether his death told a story of his life, or whether his death was staged to tell a story that would disguise and distract us from his murder.
If it were a murder, the concepts behind its construction are not new. While researching another project some years back, I stumbled across a training manual allegedly drafted by the CIA and distributed to agents and operatives at the time of the Agency’s 1954 covert coup in Guatemala, which ousted the democratically elected president Jacobo Arbenz Guzman. I cannot vouch for this document’s authenticity, and there is so much misinformation in circulation, if it turned out to be another agency’s attempt to smear the CIA, I wouldn’t be surprised. Regardless, it remains a striking document for the ideas embedded in it. Here is a direct quote: