Grantchester (2014) s09e01 Episode Script
Series 9, Episode 1
♪
GRAY: The world is changing.
WILL: The bishop's
offered me another job.
New challenges.
Maybe we could both do more.
If I asked you to stay
WILL: You are not
making this easy.
Reverend Alphy Kotteram
I'm the new vicar.
I need your help with a case.
ALPHY: I'm no detective.
GEORDIE: I don't
need a detective.
A vicar will do.
♪
♪
(thunder claps)
(whimpering)
(click)
♪
♪
("Topsy Turvy" by Benn
Joe Zeppa playing)
Well, now the mouse ♪
In the house is
a-chasing the cat ♪
No, the dog don't
want no bone ♪
Well, now the laughing hyena ♪
Is a-kinda blue ♪
Since my baby's gone ♪
Everything's topsy-turvy ♪
MAN: Roll up, roll up.
Since my baby's gone ♪
Come to Carson's Circus,
the greatest show in town.
Take a seat inside
and marvel at the mystery
of Errol Macabre and the
fantastical Feathers!
Prepare to have the
time of your life!
(crowd applauding)
ERNIE: Dad!
Hurry up.
(merry-go-round music playing)
I always think of
Chekhov's "Kashtanka."
You can get a cream for that.
It's the story of a
mistreated carpenter's dog
that gets taken in
by a friendly circus clown.
But then she runs
back to her old master
when she sees him
in the audience.
Well, he had the
better sausages.
I think she preferred
the hard grafter
to the crowd pleaser.
It's a dog.
Probably didn't give
it that much thought.
BONNIE: I'm not
sure the circus
is a natural
environment for animals.
I find all the greasepaint
suspicious. Oh!
And it smells.
Sweaty acrobats in hot tents,
being carted around the
country all summer long?
MRS. CHAPMAN: You can talk.
I've found things in your
bathroom plug that would make
a monkey blush.
Sylvia!
MRS. CHAPMAN: And
not liking a circus?
What flimflam.
I used to dream of going.
In Calcutta, I once
saw a Lyallpur woman
dance with a lion.
Taught it to bounce
basketballs in the air.
I saw something like
that in Biarritz,
except with a woman
and a Ping-Pong ball.
(chuckles) BONNIE
(gasps): Will!
Behave.
Come on.
♪
I've got you.
(mouths)
How do you fancy a big
family holiday this year?
A surprise for Cath and Bonnie.
Look at you, earning
brownie points.
We shall discuss anon.
JACK: I'll have, uh,
five of these, please.
Yes, sir, coming right up.
Seems like a fun job.
Oh, you bet.
I'm only helping, though.
My dad rents the
field to the circus.
Dad, look at her wings.
NICK: That's Feathers.
She's amazing
you'll love her.
WILL: Wings, eh?
Wow.
Here you are, kids!
ALL: Yay!
(kids giggling)
Wait, watch this.
I bet you a week's wages the tax
man won't see a penny of that.
(clicks tongue): Oi,
we're here to have fun.
I'll do my best. Hmm.
(drumroll playing)
(cymbal crashes, audience
cheers and applauds)
POGO: Jadies and Lentlemen,
welcome to Carson's Circus!
(band playing)
(yelping and chuckling)
(audience gasping and oohing)
(cheering)
(chuckling, laughing)
Very good.
(audience gasping and cheering)
Ooh.
Very nice.
WILL: Behave.
(audience chuckling)
(handcuffs locking)
(audience oohing)
(slams)
(key turning)
(audience gasps)
ERROL: And now
The metamorphosis!
(drumroll playing)
(cymbal crashes,
audience cheering)
Hello.
Isn't she supposed
to be uncuffed?
FEATHERS: Errol
(knocking on trunk)
I think you, um,
you left your key in the
other trousers again.
I don't suppose we
have any locksmiths
in the audience tonight?
Or maybe a police officer?
Oh!
Don't you dare. You've
got one right here.
(audience applauding)
Get up get up!
FEATHERS: Come on up!
Ooh!
Ooh, oh! Ooh!
I am so sorry.
Do excuse me, sir.
(laughs)
Ah. (audience laughing)
(Cathy cackling)
(laughs)
No need to get so attached.
I'll have you free in a jiffy.
(laughing)
Oh
(Feathers giggling,
audience cheering)
FEATHERS: Thank you, sir.
Take your seat.
Now, what about Errol?
(exclaims)
(crowd cheers)
It's magic!
Ah, we got there in the end, eh?
(cheering and applauding)
FEATHERS: And now, for Carson's
Circus' most daring trick!
(audience oohs)
It's very dangerous.
(audience gasps)
GEORDIE: Do you
think he's all right?
(chuckling)
♪
Please, Feathers.
(audience gasps)
It's a trick shot.
Shush.
(audience gasps)
(audience falls silent)
(cheering, applauding)
Ha!
(chortles)
We are Errol Macabre
and Feathers!
(audience cheering
and whistling)
WILL: Last night,
children gazed at feats
that defied gravity,
logic, and belief.
And yet despite
the apparent danger
the performers
put themselves in,
I saw wonder on the
faces in the crowd.
For is the circus
not an institution
of joy?
A gathering of,
of man and beast?
Laughter (whispering):
Where's Leonard?
And terror, of life and death?
It, um (clears throat)
(whispering): Where's Leonard?
It reminds me
of a desert long ago,
where dusty, huddled souls
performed clowned, even
to a scared and hopeful crowd.
They juggled bread and wine,
and told the thrilling
secret of the universe:
"Christ is risen."
BONNIE: Excellent appropriation
of the circus there.
Is next week gonna be "How
'The Guns of Navarone'
reminds me of Paul
and the Corinthians"?
Ha, ha.
Now even Leonard's
skipping church.
He never misses
a Sunday service.
Perhaps he's run
away with the circus.
Leonard'll be fine.
I'll go past the halfway
house and check on him.
After you've seen the bishop.
After I've seen the bishop.
You'd better be
behaving yourself.
I am! (chuckling)
I am.
♪
This isn't a telling-off?
I rarely worry
about you anymore.
(exhales) Oh, you
look disappointed.
(chuckles): I only
hear good things.
Are you happy? Oh, very.
I'm a lucky man.
And your congregation,
how is the turnout these days?
Well we, uh, we lost
a few over winter.
And holiday season's
starting up, so
No, it wasn't an accusation.
We're noting it everywhere.
The world is changing.
(smacks lips)
Where once people
looked to the church,
now they turn to
the television set.
Grantchester will
endure, but there are
less fortunate places.
Where a boat rocker could
make a tremendous difference.
I'm, I'm sorry, another parish?
Another diocese Newcastle.
(laughs): Newcastle?
An inner-city position.
At a bigger parish.
With tougher challenges.
It would mean more
time with the needy
and less helping the law.
Well, it's a, it's a big move.
And a quick decision.
I need an answer this week.
It's a lot to consider, I know.
I can't.
My son's still a baby.
And we're very happy here.
Well, it was a long shot.
But if you change your mind
Hmm.
No post this week?
There were a few bits.
Nothing in the hallway.
It's not kept there anymore.
Mrs. C streamlined the
household last Tuesday.
I'm not sure we
should have hired her.
Lucky she didn't
itemize the kids.
Try the sideboard.
(phone ringing)
Nope.
Uh, Esme took some upstairs.
Ooh, what's she hiding?
Mm.
Cambridge 979
Yeah, what is it, Larry?
(door closes)
♪
What's happened?
Trouble at the circus.
♪
Not unusual for him
to be by himself?
WOMAN: Not really.
Bloody hell.
Clear everyone out.
Now.
The lot of ya!
♪
LARRY: So, the show
ended at 6:00 last night.
Head clown fella says
they were all tidied up
and done in here by 8:00.
Then the whole lot of 'em
had dinner out in the field.
What everyone, all together?
Eat together,
board together.
Like a holiday camp,
far as I can tell.
Today was their one day off,
so a bunch of 'em went
into town afterwards.
Did he go? Errol
Macabre, real name
Eric Mowbry.
He did not.
Last seen before dinner.
One of the performers found
him in here this morning.
He liked to practice his
magic after hours, apparently.
Anyone mention
grudges, rivalries?
Haven't got around 'em all,
but not a bad word yet.
Well, get to it.
And make sure none of
them try and leave.
Was he any good?
The magician?
I was thinking of
coming along to watch.
Well, you're a bit
late now, Larry.
Two, three, four.
Errol's.
♪
(Geordie sighs)
What was the bishop asking?
"How clean is your font?"
That kind of thing?
What's with the sudden interest?
You hate bosses.
I do not.
My last one, maybe.
New fella's terrific.
Never leaves the golf course.
(chuckles)
He, uh,
he offered me a
new job, actually.
In Newcastle.
You're kidding.
You don't want that, do you?
Well, it's quite an opportunity.
But no, no,
everything's great here.
Why would I throw that away?
Exactly.
You really gonna up sticks
now with James still a baby?
Newcastle?
Bloody hell, you wouldn't
last five minutes. (laughs)
♪
Two bus tickets to London.
Dated for next Thursday.
And I don't think that's
on the circus's tour route.
I'll raise you.
Some kind of drug.
It's like ammonia.
Opium, maybe?
Well, he was a bit
sloppy during the show.
Addict?
Or selling?
Killed over it?
Someone here knows.
GEORDIE: What's your
real name, Pogo?
Jerry McAllister.
Ringmaster and head clown.
And it was you who reported
the murder, Jerry? Yeah.
Awful thing to happen.
WILL: Did Errol have any
enemies here?
It weren't one of us.
When you're 40 feet in the air
and you let go of a trapeze,
you better believe
someone's gonna catch you.
This place is a
machine built on trust.
These might suggest he
was trying to escape,
one way or another.
No, we're booked here all
week, he'd have no time.
Nah, it's not for Errol.
What about this?
Opium, I'd wager.
No idea.
This is a clean circus.
I don't tolerate sloppiness.
We never miss a show,
and we always deliver.
Well, sadly, there
is no show, Jerry.
Not until this is solved.
Tomorrow, we will be performing.
If you'll excuse me.
(mouths)
♪
It's a trick.
That's what I kept thinking,
that he was gonna sit up
and, "Surprise, Feathers!"
Mmm, Feathers?
Anita Carson.
But everyone calls me Feathers.
Of Carson's Circus.
It's a family business.
The circus belongs to my nanna.
Nanna Carson.
Bona fide circus royalty.
She used to be queen of
the high wire me, too.
Till Errol saw my potential.
Trapeze artist turned
magician's assistant?
There's no end to my talents.
Were you and Errol together?
Errol was kind.
He taught me his act,
but it weren't romantic.
It (inhales deeply)
More like, I felt sorry for him.
With the drink.
He knew he was losing his edge.
If he taught you his act,
maybe you could explain
something to us.
♪
I'm not supposed to say.
You're supposed to
tell a detective.
But he, he swore me to secrecy.
Would you prefer
me to arrest you?
(sighs)
The arrow never fires.
It stays in the barrel.
The ribbon is tied
to a fishing wire,
which gets pulled
out of the gun,
through a tube sewn round me
and into the target,
where a fake arrow pops out.
(gun opens)
This isn't a trick gun.
Yeah.
There is a plug just in the
Nope.
You think someone's
messed with it?
You know anyone who'd do that?
No.
No, no, no, no.
Errol was part of the family.
That, uh, slipup
the handcuffs and the
trunk in the other trick
was, was that intentional?
No the daft old drunk put
the real handcuffs on me,
instead of the breakaways.
I had to pick it myself.
You turned it round pretty well.
Mmm, well, we'd have died
on our arses otherwise.
Did that happen a lot?
Yeah, more than I'd like.
His aim was so off with
the rifle last night
that the wire nearly
pulled me sideways.
And I told him as much.
He was holding you back.
Maybe you wanted shot of him.
Not like this.
I'll succeed because
of how good I am.
Where were you after the show?
Practicing.
In my tent.
On your own?
Mm-hmm.
Means, motive, no alibi.
Find a little evidence,
we've got her bang to rights.
And we still need to talk
to Nanna. LARRY: Thank you.
You come across a
Nanna Carson yet?
Not yet, boss.
Well, find her.
You want to swing by the office?
Got to drop this vial back.
Another time?
I need to do some pastoral care.
BOTH: You can get
a cream for that.
Leonard? SAM: Our
grandparents grew up
in a world where the
pace of life was dictated
by the horse and cart.
So today's world must
seem like science fiction.
Think about it.
The Russians put
a dog into orbit.
So the Americans, they
launched a monkey.
Then the Russians sent up a man.
Now the Yanks have done so, too.
Incredible technology.
Enormous resources.
And yet people starve
on their streets.
So, this is where you've been?
But it doesn't have
to be that way.
You see, the people
in power, they know.
They know that we
outnumber them.
So they stoke our
fear of each other.
They don't think that
we have enough hope
to overcome those fears.
But I have hope.
I have faith.
Faith that love overcomes all.
If you can't see it,
then, well, I urge you,
look closer.
It happens in inches.
I went to each of the colleges.
I asked for some ingredients.
Something surplus
from their kitchens.
Bread from Trinity.
Carrots from King's.
Food to make meals
for the homeless.
You add enough inches,
and you get a mile.
(talking softly)
Thanks for coming.
(conversations continue)
(people talking, phones
ringing in background)
Coroner's report will be on
your desk first thing tomorrow.
Thank you, Miss Scott.
Also, another robbery
reported, this time
in Little Shelford.
It's becoming a spree.
But Jones caught the
Peterhouse bike thief.
Samuels found a witness
for the Hobson Street fire
And Winston rescued a cat.
That's more like it.
Oh, and we were doing so well.
Boss.
That is a lovely
dress. Stop there.
Thank you very much.
What is it, Larry?
Local lad, Nick Jeffries,
working the circus
stalls all summer?
Lad selling candy floss?
His parents have come
in, worried sick.
Nick never came home last night.
Get uniform out looking now.
♪
DANIEL: We met him preaching
on the street at Jesus Green.
It's almost got me converted.
Sam, this is Will Davenport.
Sam White.
Pleasure.
Sam studied at Corpus, too.
No kidding.
You and Chambers
are legends there.
It's true.
Now you're at
Grantchester, as well?
I mean, Will, I'm in awe.
To have a parish of your own.
Well, it seems like you're
building something special here.
It's Leonard's offer of this
space that made today possible.
Oh, we promised to
carry some boxes
to the Round Church for
supper. Yeah, we did, indeed.
See you again.
Sorry I missed Sunday service.
Oh, don't be.
This is a far better thing
than listening to my waffle.
I like your waffle.
But I do want to
do more of this.
Talks helping.
You don't settle,
do you? Mmm.
Anyone home? DORA: Dad,
we've got a surprise!
Dad, Esme's got huge
news. Come on, quickly.
GEORDIE: All right, all
right. IVY: Biggest news ever.
Come on.
You're not gonna believe this.
I've been offered a job.
A job?
What about school?
You left school at 16.
CATHY: It's Harrison and Sons.
The big importers
on Sterling Street?
Doing what?
Office work.
Typing all of it.
Can you type?
(chuckles): Dad.
Bloody Harrison and Sons.
(laughs)
Well done. (laughing)
DORA: Esme, come on, quickly.
IVY: Come on, Esme.
(girls giggling)
Applied behind our
backs, she did.
Her own money.
Independence. Less help
around the house,
and the school runs.
That's why we took Mrs. C on.
♪
(TV playing softly)
They're both down.
What are you brooding over?
I met a street preacher today.
No church, no standing,
just, just helping out.
Building a following, turning
atheists into believers.
Is that jealousy I detect?
Am I preaching to
the choir here?
Congregation's shrinking,
and I hadn't even noticed.
Well, you're not the
Wild One anymore.
A little bit of coasting
isn't the worst thing.
The bishop's offered
me another job.
Oh.
That good?
Uh, in Newcastle.
Bit of a trek.
Big challenges, bigger
parish, more hands-on.
I said no.
Of course.
You know, it's too much of an
upheaval for you and the kids.
You just decided?
On your own?
Well, Geordie and I Oh.
The boys decided.
No, I just, I, I
didn't think you'd
You didn't think.
God, you're still the same posh
boy who thinks he knows best.
Ernie and I have been through
two dads and three
homes in as many years.
You're still a stone's
throw from your old college.
I'm sorry.
I really am.
Cake sales.
That's coasting.
Prayer meetings
with women who talk about their
neighbors' dahlias. (chuckles)
Maybe we could both do more.
What about Geordie?
He survived Burma.
He'd get through us leaving.
Question is,
do you want to?
♪
(door closes)
Morning. Morning.
♪
♪
Hello?
Oh, sorry.
No, no, it's okay.
Something terrible's happened.
Errol asked me to help him
practice after the show.
Feathers had torn strips
off him for being sloppy.
So we rehearsed
the handcuff escape
and then the arrow trick.
Just you and Errol? Yeah.
He thought she was
being over dramatic,
so he stood in for her in
front of the target, and I
I didn't mean
What did you do, son?
He told me it was all safe.
It's supposed to be a trick!
It's okay.
GEORDIE: Nick, I
need you to say it.
I shot him.
I didn't even really aim.
He didn't say a word, just
What happened next?
I ran.
I'm sorry.
I couldn't stay
there with him
Like that.
What time was this?
After dinner.
9:00, I think.
What's with all the face paint?
I was gonna audition
for the circus.
Errol had a vial of opium.
Lab confirmed it.
And two bus tickets to London.
Know anything about them?
No.
Unusual, though.
None of them have
money of their own.
What do you mean?
Nanna Carson collects
all the takings.
Everyone gets bed and board,
but there's no wages.
You have to petition
her for spending money.
Or a night out.
Sounds like bloody communism.
Hang on.
If you hadn't
rehearsed with Errol,
when would the
trick next be done?
The next show.
When it would be
aimed at Feathers.
♪
(door closes) I don't
have time for this.
It's a busy week.
With what?
There's no circus till
we find the killer.
WILL: And you should know,
Errol may not have
been the target.
So who?
Me?
Do you know if anyone
had a grudge against you?
FEATHERS: No.
You mentioned that you have
a "busy week."
Does that have anything
to do with London?
Errol bought them.
We've got an audition
at the London Palladium.
What about the
circus? Your family?
I'm tired.
Of the trucks
and tents and a stupid
new town every week.
I want a bed.
Just a proper bed.
Fresh start, new challenges.
You want to run
away from the circus
and join the rat race.
I need to go.
I have to try.
Without Errol?
Sorry, Errol, but
I was carrying him.
I can do a solo act
and I can do it better.
Does Nanna know
about the audition?
She didn't want us to leave.
If she doesn't approve,
who paid for the tickets?
I don't know
Errol just sorted it.
Very convenient.
Can I go now?
You can.
But I can't guarantee
your safety at the circus.
(phone ringing in background)
Someone wants to kill Feathers.
Or Errol.
Could've found out he was
gonna practice with Nick.
Maybe.
But in any case, the rifle
was used during the show,
but gets sabotaged before Nick
and Errol rehearse at 9:00.
And so the only window
for someone to have
tampered with it
is between 8:00 and 9:00.
When they all had
dinner together.
Any exceptions?
Jerry, uh, Pogo, was
entertaining the younger kids,
and that Feathers
girl was on her own.
Thanks, Larry.
Post-mortem found no
opium in Errol's system.
So, was he selling?
Used the proceeds to fund
his escape with Feathers?
Someone finds out, doesn't
want them to leave.
Or they just wanted
to send a message:
"I control the purse strings."
(calls): Larry!
Nanna Carson,
lady that runs the circus,
did you get her statement?
No, she was
suffering a migraine.
Of course, because the
last thing we'd want
is to disturb a murder
suspect with a sore head!
Bloody Nora!
Sorry, boss.
♪
Oh! Sorry.
Nanna Carson anyone seen her?
No.
Maybe she's fled.
(objects shifting)
Jerry?
Isn't this Errol's tent?
Yeah, I was just, uh
Rifling through a
dead man's things.
GEORDIE: Looking
for more of this?
Now, I'm thinking
either Feathers or Errol
discovered you were using
and threatened to expose you.
(exhales): Expose me?
Errol supplied me.
(sighs)
A couple of years ago,
I put me back out.
And if you can't roll and
fall, you can't clown.
Well, you could do
something else here.
Really? (chuckles)
Only life I had before
this was as a gymnast.
I was up for the
Olympics in '44.
Horse vault, the parallel
bars the works.
Only the games were canceled.
(laughs)
Bloody war put paid
to that dream, hm?
(sighs): Now, without that,
I can't perform.
Can't unload trucks, fix tents.
I've got no other skills.
So, Errol sourced the opium.
Yeah.
Wherever we went,
he knew someone.
(sighs): And that little
extra I get as ringmaster,
it all went to him.
GEORDIE: Maybe Errol
held out on you.
And you lost it.
He was my only connection.
(sighs): I was here
with the families
on Saturday
night ask Nanna.
I'm going to.
♪
(door closes)
GEORDIE: Nanna Carson.
I'm Inspector Keating.
This is Will Davenport.
Quite the collection.
A record of every Carson clown.
No two can wear the same makeup.
How is business?
Oh, times are tough.
Audiences are
small. (chuckles)
That I can understand.
So, um,
forgive me if I've
seemed elusive,
but I've a whole
company to take care of.
Care is your word for control.
When you learned
Feathers and Errol
were auditioning elsewhere,
you wanted to punish them
for disobeying you.
I wouldn't wish them any harm.
I wanted them performing
here, so we could
Bow out on top.
Meaning?
No one here knows yet,
so I beg your discretion,
but, um, I'm retiring this year.
And what will happen
to the circus?
Oh, I've got a buyer.
Sadly, not a showman.
He'll strip it for parts.
Why not pass it on?
To your, to your
kids? To Feathers?
(chuckles): And live
how? This is my pension!
But we will finish
the tour together.
No one can perform or go on tour
until we solve this murder.
Of course much
preferable to have
a hundred circus freaks
with nothing to do
rampaging through
Cambridge tonight.
Now, hang on
Or we could simply say,
"The show will go on."
♪
How would you feel
if someone was
leaving your circus?
What, Feathers?
Forget the bus, I'd
buy her train fare
and drive her to the station.
(chuckles)
But if it was
someone you'd, you'd miss?
Upset, sure.
Is this because you found
out Esme got a new job?
Hm?
Applied behind our backs.
I was annoyed.
And sad.
That she'd grown up
while I wasn't looking.
Was proud of her, though.
But Cathy.
I think she feels betrayed.
You know, I, um
Oh. Boss.
(door closes)
Lady here says her
husband's been stolen.
Stolen?
Robbers broke in
and took his locket.
A silver pendant.
The husband was wearing it?
No, he was in it.
GEORDIE: Small fella, was he?
His ashes.
You could've opened with that.
She wears him out and about,
does she? LARRY: Apparently.
Church and shops.
Friday, she was down
the circus, too.
We'll be in touch
soon. Thank you.
(phones ringing)
The widow's not the only
robbery to take place
after a circus visit.
Little Shelford, set of
pearls, gold watch in Girton.
I called around same story
over at Colchester
and Chelmsford.
So one of the performers?
Identifies the wealthy punters,
and then follows them
home after the show.
Well, that's one way to get a
little financial independence
from Nanna Carson. (inhales)
Sleight of hand
would be useful, too.
Errol, though, or Feathers?
The chances are,
somewhere at that circus
is a bag full of loot.
♪
(people calling and
talking in background)
MISS SCOTT: Samuels is parked at the
back and Jones will watch the front.
Appreciate you doing this.
It's fine I've been
wanting to see a circus
since I read Chekhov's
"Kashtanka" last year.
If only Leonard were single.
And you were a man.
It's work, Larry,
it's not a date.
I just thought it would be nice.
GEORDIE: Oi.
Feathers won't stop performing,
so you two can at
least watch her back.
Go on.
(people talking, music
playing in background)
Now, where would an illusionist
hide their stolen goods?
♪
Are we allowed?
We're undercover!
When you're undercover,
you don't say,
"We're undercover."
You just do what you'd
normally do on a night out.
♪
Anything?
No, nothing in your size.
Is there anyone here
brave enough to assist me?
How about you,
sir? Don't be shy.
Come on up!
(gasps): Go on!
I'll do it! Ah.
We have a volunteer.
A big round of applause,
ladies and gentlemen!
(audience cheers and applauds)
(lid thuds)
(Feathers talking in background)
(knocking)
Got something?
(grunts)
FEATHERS: The metamorphosis!
(audience applauding)
(lid drops)
(chuckles) Bingo.
WILL: It's a pawn
shop receipt.
Silver pendant, gold watch.
It's all the stolen goods.
Well, maybe the shop owner knows
if it was Errol or Feathers.
We'll need that.
Or fingerprints.
Otherwise, she'll deny it
and blame the dead man.
(dog barking)
MAN (on radio): And now,
another delightful piece
that always puts
my mind at ease.
If you're ever left feeling
like the world has gone
a little topsy-turvy,
then this next hymn should
put you back on an even keel.
(music begins on radio)
(quietly): She's ironing
my ruddy underpants!
She told me today
she wants to
schedule prayer time.
No wonder the kids
want to leave.
What's that?
A letter to Harrison and Sons.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot
take up your offer"?
Mm. What, Es changed her mind?
No, but I'm putting
my foot down.
Uh, we can't control her, Cath.
She's not a little girl anymore.
But she is.
I've been thinking,
she should get a job next year.
Doesn't she deserve
a shot at this job?
Do you know what she deserves?
Not to struggle with
high expectations
and dangerous men.
I was older when I started work,
and it was bloody tough.
(sighs)
Yeah, but you didn't have a
mum like you at your side.
We've gotta take
the leap with her,
before she doesn't need us.
(clicks tongue, sighs)
♪
(Mrs. Chapman humming)
You know you're gonna have
to give Mrs. C the shove.
So, how long's it been
since your last confession?
(chuckles)
What made you start this place
and not stick with the café?
Stability isn't
always happiness.
Or fulfillment.
Do you think someone
can be fulfilled
and also be coasting?
Isn't that the ideal?
(both laugh)
What's brought this on?
I want new challenges.
And I guess I'm
I'm just scared in doing that,
I'm gonna let people down.
When I left Grantchester,
I felt I'd let everyone down.
But I found people
here who need me more.
If I'd stayed, I'd
You were brilliant.
You'd still be.
I'd be bitter and resentful.
Living half a life.
♪
(birds chirping)
Mm, morning, Vicar.
If you want a job,
I'm in need of an assistant.
And I'm in need of answers.
And no games, please.
♪
(people talking in background)
Any trouble last night?
I didn't see you after the show.
Uh, no, no.
The girl, Feathers, was
fine, so we I went home.
Right.
Everything all right now?
Yes, completely.
Just working out how
to get over to Newnham.
Need to get a statement signed.
Well, Larry'll take you.
Larry, Miss Scott needs
a lift to Newnham.
I can't, boss. Oh, it's fine,
I can make my own way there.
I gotta file an incident.
It's just a jiffy on the bus.
On a littering incident.
Larry, reports
can wait go on.
You all right?
Too many beers
last night, was it?
No, no, just
(quietly): You two.
You didn't!
No! No!
Bloody Nora!
Please. The whole
world's gone topsy
Just, shut up!
Please, sir!
He's sweet, but it was a
mistake he'll understand.
Please say nothing!
WILL: So I asked
Feathers, "Why now?
Why audition this week?"
Because she wanted to leave.
She said as much.
No.
She knew Nanna was selling.
So, Feathers killed
Errol, to go it alone.
No.
Who else was Errol close with?
Jerry?
But he's got an alibi.
How good is it?
Because I think I
have his motive.
(calls): Larry!
(man coughs in background)
La (exhales)
Jerry McAllister his alibi
on the night of the murder.
Witnesses place him
entertaining the kids.
As himself,
or as a clown?
♪
Saturday night, after the
show, but before the accident,
you said you were trying
out for the circus.
Jerry gave me a
shot at clowning.
Entertain the kids
during dinner.
You were wearing face paint?
Yeah.
Jerry gave me this one to copy.
♪
GEORDIE: Every clown's
makeup is unique.
Except on Saturday night,
when you got Nick
Jeffries to copy this.
The Pogo makeup. So?
I let the kid borrow my look.
But for a dozen witnesses,
that put Pogo, you,
in the dining area
between 8:00 and 9:00,
when you were really
sabotaging Errol's rifle.
I'd never hurt
anyone in my troupe.
WILL: Star athlete
turned head clown.
Traveling the country.
Running a tight ship.
Loving your job.
Absolutely.
And 20 years later, you
find yourself middle-aged,
with back pain and
an opium habit.
So when you learn
Nanna's selling up,
you find you've no money,
no pension, no future.
You've every right
to feel bitter.
WILL: And rubbing
salt in the wound
is a young woman who's not
only going to escape your fate,
she's going to do better
than you ever did.
She's a thief you
know that, right?
This is a machine
built on trust.
Your words.
I don't trust her
she's trouble.
Always has been.
Too good for the trapeze,
too good to be
Errol's assistant.
Too good to be in our circus.
I reckon her leaving
made Nanna want to quit.
She thinks she's better than us.
Needed to be taken down a peg.
(exhales)
I swapped the handcuffs.
She was supposed to get
trapped, made a proper fool of.
She turned it round.
Biggest applause of the run.
If she had a chip on
her shoulder before .
She's a menace.
Imagine she got that audition,
got the Palladium,
with no graft, no ethic.
Cheating and tricking her way.
She had to be stopped
somebody had to
It were meant to be her.
♪
There was a time you could've
taken your chances elsewhere.
An Olympic qualifier,
coasting in a circus.
Until the regrets got so big,
so bitter
they killed a man.
GEORDIE: But seeing someone
grow up and grow beyond you,
it's a hard thing.
You think so? Mm.
I said as much to
Cathy about Esme.
It'll be Ernie and
James in no time.
(chuckles)
I'd, uh, better be going.
Will.
♪
Let's make the most
of this summer.
Make it the best one ever.
♪
Boss.
Mm? Bag of money
from the circus,
lab reckons it's all fake.
I followed up
on the pawn shop receipt,
too couldn't find them.
The shop doesn't exist.
So no pawn shop and no money.
Weird, ain't it?
Hm.
You saw it, then it vanished.
It's kind of like an illusion.
WILL: I know at times,
the world can feel
like a circus.
Three billion acts, all trapped
under the same big tent,
all clamoring for attention.
It can be scary
and disorientating.
It's no wonder that we
cling on to old certainties.
They're the hands
we hold in the dark.
But one day, we may reach out
and find those hands are gone.
Or that by clinging
tight to them,
we've missed out on the chance
to stand tall, to see
further on our own.
We must accept change,
as it always comes.
And we cannot let regret
eat away at us.
Peter says, "Use whatever gift"
you have received
to serve others."
For in the end, we have a duty
to be all we can be.
I, uh, hope I'm not too late.
About the position?
No, not yet.
(click)
♪
(baby cooing)
GEORDIE: Well, it's a baby.
We have a witness.
WILL: Ernie?
I love this place.
You having second
thoughts? No.
WILL: I just want to
find the right moment.
♪
♪
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♪
GRAY: The world is changing.
WILL: The bishop's
offered me another job.
New challenges.
Maybe we could both do more.
If I asked you to stay
WILL: You are not
making this easy.
Reverend Alphy Kotteram
I'm the new vicar.
I need your help with a case.
ALPHY: I'm no detective.
GEORDIE: I don't
need a detective.
A vicar will do.
♪
♪
(thunder claps)
(whimpering)
(click)
♪
♪
("Topsy Turvy" by Benn
Joe Zeppa playing)
Well, now the mouse ♪
In the house is
a-chasing the cat ♪
No, the dog don't
want no bone ♪
Well, now the laughing hyena ♪
Is a-kinda blue ♪
Since my baby's gone ♪
Everything's topsy-turvy ♪
MAN: Roll up, roll up.
Since my baby's gone ♪
Come to Carson's Circus,
the greatest show in town.
Take a seat inside
and marvel at the mystery
of Errol Macabre and the
fantastical Feathers!
Prepare to have the
time of your life!
(crowd applauding)
ERNIE: Dad!
Hurry up.
(merry-go-round music playing)
I always think of
Chekhov's "Kashtanka."
You can get a cream for that.
It's the story of a
mistreated carpenter's dog
that gets taken in
by a friendly circus clown.
But then she runs
back to her old master
when she sees him
in the audience.
Well, he had the
better sausages.
I think she preferred
the hard grafter
to the crowd pleaser.
It's a dog.
Probably didn't give
it that much thought.
BONNIE: I'm not
sure the circus
is a natural
environment for animals.
I find all the greasepaint
suspicious. Oh!
And it smells.
Sweaty acrobats in hot tents,
being carted around the
country all summer long?
MRS. CHAPMAN: You can talk.
I've found things in your
bathroom plug that would make
a monkey blush.
Sylvia!
MRS. CHAPMAN: And
not liking a circus?
What flimflam.
I used to dream of going.
In Calcutta, I once
saw a Lyallpur woman
dance with a lion.
Taught it to bounce
basketballs in the air.
I saw something like
that in Biarritz,
except with a woman
and a Ping-Pong ball.
(chuckles) BONNIE
(gasps): Will!
Behave.
Come on.
♪
I've got you.
(mouths)
How do you fancy a big
family holiday this year?
A surprise for Cath and Bonnie.
Look at you, earning
brownie points.
We shall discuss anon.
JACK: I'll have, uh,
five of these, please.
Yes, sir, coming right up.
Seems like a fun job.
Oh, you bet.
I'm only helping, though.
My dad rents the
field to the circus.
Dad, look at her wings.
NICK: That's Feathers.
She's amazing
you'll love her.
WILL: Wings, eh?
Wow.
Here you are, kids!
ALL: Yay!
(kids giggling)
Wait, watch this.
I bet you a week's wages the tax
man won't see a penny of that.
(clicks tongue): Oi,
we're here to have fun.
I'll do my best. Hmm.
(drumroll playing)
(cymbal crashes, audience
cheers and applauds)
POGO: Jadies and Lentlemen,
welcome to Carson's Circus!
(band playing)
(yelping and chuckling)
(audience gasping and oohing)
(cheering)
(chuckling, laughing)
Very good.
(audience gasping and cheering)
Ooh.
Very nice.
WILL: Behave.
(audience chuckling)
(handcuffs locking)
(audience oohing)
(slams)
(key turning)
(audience gasps)
ERROL: And now
The metamorphosis!
(drumroll playing)
(cymbal crashes,
audience cheering)
Hello.
Isn't she supposed
to be uncuffed?
FEATHERS: Errol
(knocking on trunk)
I think you, um,
you left your key in the
other trousers again.
I don't suppose we
have any locksmiths
in the audience tonight?
Or maybe a police officer?
Oh!
Don't you dare. You've
got one right here.
(audience applauding)
Get up get up!
FEATHERS: Come on up!
Ooh!
Ooh, oh! Ooh!
I am so sorry.
Do excuse me, sir.
(laughs)
Ah. (audience laughing)
(Cathy cackling)
(laughs)
No need to get so attached.
I'll have you free in a jiffy.
(laughing)
Oh
(Feathers giggling,
audience cheering)
FEATHERS: Thank you, sir.
Take your seat.
Now, what about Errol?
(exclaims)
(crowd cheers)
It's magic!
Ah, we got there in the end, eh?
(cheering and applauding)
FEATHERS: And now, for Carson's
Circus' most daring trick!
(audience oohs)
It's very dangerous.
(audience gasps)
GEORDIE: Do you
think he's all right?
(chuckling)
♪
Please, Feathers.
(audience gasps)
It's a trick shot.
Shush.
(audience gasps)
(audience falls silent)
(cheering, applauding)
Ha!
(chortles)
We are Errol Macabre
and Feathers!
(audience cheering
and whistling)
WILL: Last night,
children gazed at feats
that defied gravity,
logic, and belief.
And yet despite
the apparent danger
the performers
put themselves in,
I saw wonder on the
faces in the crowd.
For is the circus
not an institution
of joy?
A gathering of,
of man and beast?
Laughter (whispering):
Where's Leonard?
And terror, of life and death?
It, um (clears throat)
(whispering): Where's Leonard?
It reminds me
of a desert long ago,
where dusty, huddled souls
performed clowned, even
to a scared and hopeful crowd.
They juggled bread and wine,
and told the thrilling
secret of the universe:
"Christ is risen."
BONNIE: Excellent appropriation
of the circus there.
Is next week gonna be "How
'The Guns of Navarone'
reminds me of Paul
and the Corinthians"?
Ha, ha.
Now even Leonard's
skipping church.
He never misses
a Sunday service.
Perhaps he's run
away with the circus.
Leonard'll be fine.
I'll go past the halfway
house and check on him.
After you've seen the bishop.
After I've seen the bishop.
You'd better be
behaving yourself.
I am! (chuckling)
I am.
♪
This isn't a telling-off?
I rarely worry
about you anymore.
(exhales) Oh, you
look disappointed.
(chuckles): I only
hear good things.
Are you happy? Oh, very.
I'm a lucky man.
And your congregation,
how is the turnout these days?
Well we, uh, we lost
a few over winter.
And holiday season's
starting up, so
No, it wasn't an accusation.
We're noting it everywhere.
The world is changing.
(smacks lips)
Where once people
looked to the church,
now they turn to
the television set.
Grantchester will
endure, but there are
less fortunate places.
Where a boat rocker could
make a tremendous difference.
I'm, I'm sorry, another parish?
Another diocese Newcastle.
(laughs): Newcastle?
An inner-city position.
At a bigger parish.
With tougher challenges.
It would mean more
time with the needy
and less helping the law.
Well, it's a, it's a big move.
And a quick decision.
I need an answer this week.
It's a lot to consider, I know.
I can't.
My son's still a baby.
And we're very happy here.
Well, it was a long shot.
But if you change your mind
Hmm.
No post this week?
There were a few bits.
Nothing in the hallway.
It's not kept there anymore.
Mrs. C streamlined the
household last Tuesday.
I'm not sure we
should have hired her.
Lucky she didn't
itemize the kids.
Try the sideboard.
(phone ringing)
Nope.
Uh, Esme took some upstairs.
Ooh, what's she hiding?
Mm.
Cambridge 979
Yeah, what is it, Larry?
(door closes)
♪
What's happened?
Trouble at the circus.
♪
Not unusual for him
to be by himself?
WOMAN: Not really.
Bloody hell.
Clear everyone out.
Now.
The lot of ya!
♪
LARRY: So, the show
ended at 6:00 last night.
Head clown fella says
they were all tidied up
and done in here by 8:00.
Then the whole lot of 'em
had dinner out in the field.
What everyone, all together?
Eat together,
board together.
Like a holiday camp,
far as I can tell.
Today was their one day off,
so a bunch of 'em went
into town afterwards.
Did he go? Errol
Macabre, real name
Eric Mowbry.
He did not.
Last seen before dinner.
One of the performers found
him in here this morning.
He liked to practice his
magic after hours, apparently.
Anyone mention
grudges, rivalries?
Haven't got around 'em all,
but not a bad word yet.
Well, get to it.
And make sure none of
them try and leave.
Was he any good?
The magician?
I was thinking of
coming along to watch.
Well, you're a bit
late now, Larry.
Two, three, four.
Errol's.
♪
(Geordie sighs)
What was the bishop asking?
"How clean is your font?"
That kind of thing?
What's with the sudden interest?
You hate bosses.
I do not.
My last one, maybe.
New fella's terrific.
Never leaves the golf course.
(chuckles)
He, uh,
he offered me a
new job, actually.
In Newcastle.
You're kidding.
You don't want that, do you?
Well, it's quite an opportunity.
But no, no,
everything's great here.
Why would I throw that away?
Exactly.
You really gonna up sticks
now with James still a baby?
Newcastle?
Bloody hell, you wouldn't
last five minutes. (laughs)
♪
Two bus tickets to London.
Dated for next Thursday.
And I don't think that's
on the circus's tour route.
I'll raise you.
Some kind of drug.
It's like ammonia.
Opium, maybe?
Well, he was a bit
sloppy during the show.
Addict?
Or selling?
Killed over it?
Someone here knows.
GEORDIE: What's your
real name, Pogo?
Jerry McAllister.
Ringmaster and head clown.
And it was you who reported
the murder, Jerry? Yeah.
Awful thing to happen.
WILL: Did Errol have any
enemies here?
It weren't one of us.
When you're 40 feet in the air
and you let go of a trapeze,
you better believe
someone's gonna catch you.
This place is a
machine built on trust.
These might suggest he
was trying to escape,
one way or another.
No, we're booked here all
week, he'd have no time.
Nah, it's not for Errol.
What about this?
Opium, I'd wager.
No idea.
This is a clean circus.
I don't tolerate sloppiness.
We never miss a show,
and we always deliver.
Well, sadly, there
is no show, Jerry.
Not until this is solved.
Tomorrow, we will be performing.
If you'll excuse me.
(mouths)
♪
It's a trick.
That's what I kept thinking,
that he was gonna sit up
and, "Surprise, Feathers!"
Mmm, Feathers?
Anita Carson.
But everyone calls me Feathers.
Of Carson's Circus.
It's a family business.
The circus belongs to my nanna.
Nanna Carson.
Bona fide circus royalty.
She used to be queen of
the high wire me, too.
Till Errol saw my potential.
Trapeze artist turned
magician's assistant?
There's no end to my talents.
Were you and Errol together?
Errol was kind.
He taught me his act,
but it weren't romantic.
It (inhales deeply)
More like, I felt sorry for him.
With the drink.
He knew he was losing his edge.
If he taught you his act,
maybe you could explain
something to us.
♪
I'm not supposed to say.
You're supposed to
tell a detective.
But he, he swore me to secrecy.
Would you prefer
me to arrest you?
(sighs)
The arrow never fires.
It stays in the barrel.
The ribbon is tied
to a fishing wire,
which gets pulled
out of the gun,
through a tube sewn round me
and into the target,
where a fake arrow pops out.
(gun opens)
This isn't a trick gun.
Yeah.
There is a plug just in the
Nope.
You think someone's
messed with it?
You know anyone who'd do that?
No.
No, no, no, no.
Errol was part of the family.
That, uh, slipup
the handcuffs and the
trunk in the other trick
was, was that intentional?
No the daft old drunk put
the real handcuffs on me,
instead of the breakaways.
I had to pick it myself.
You turned it round pretty well.
Mmm, well, we'd have died
on our arses otherwise.
Did that happen a lot?
Yeah, more than I'd like.
His aim was so off with
the rifle last night
that the wire nearly
pulled me sideways.
And I told him as much.
He was holding you back.
Maybe you wanted shot of him.
Not like this.
I'll succeed because
of how good I am.
Where were you after the show?
Practicing.
In my tent.
On your own?
Mm-hmm.
Means, motive, no alibi.
Find a little evidence,
we've got her bang to rights.
And we still need to talk
to Nanna. LARRY: Thank you.
You come across a
Nanna Carson yet?
Not yet, boss.
Well, find her.
You want to swing by the office?
Got to drop this vial back.
Another time?
I need to do some pastoral care.
BOTH: You can get
a cream for that.
Leonard? SAM: Our
grandparents grew up
in a world where the
pace of life was dictated
by the horse and cart.
So today's world must
seem like science fiction.
Think about it.
The Russians put
a dog into orbit.
So the Americans, they
launched a monkey.
Then the Russians sent up a man.
Now the Yanks have done so, too.
Incredible technology.
Enormous resources.
And yet people starve
on their streets.
So, this is where you've been?
But it doesn't have
to be that way.
You see, the people
in power, they know.
They know that we
outnumber them.
So they stoke our
fear of each other.
They don't think that
we have enough hope
to overcome those fears.
But I have hope.
I have faith.
Faith that love overcomes all.
If you can't see it,
then, well, I urge you,
look closer.
It happens in inches.
I went to each of the colleges.
I asked for some ingredients.
Something surplus
from their kitchens.
Bread from Trinity.
Carrots from King's.
Food to make meals
for the homeless.
You add enough inches,
and you get a mile.
(talking softly)
Thanks for coming.
(conversations continue)
(people talking, phones
ringing in background)
Coroner's report will be on
your desk first thing tomorrow.
Thank you, Miss Scott.
Also, another robbery
reported, this time
in Little Shelford.
It's becoming a spree.
But Jones caught the
Peterhouse bike thief.
Samuels found a witness
for the Hobson Street fire
And Winston rescued a cat.
That's more like it.
Oh, and we were doing so well.
Boss.
That is a lovely
dress. Stop there.
Thank you very much.
What is it, Larry?
Local lad, Nick Jeffries,
working the circus
stalls all summer?
Lad selling candy floss?
His parents have come
in, worried sick.
Nick never came home last night.
Get uniform out looking now.
♪
DANIEL: We met him preaching
on the street at Jesus Green.
It's almost got me converted.
Sam, this is Will Davenport.
Sam White.
Pleasure.
Sam studied at Corpus, too.
No kidding.
You and Chambers
are legends there.
It's true.
Now you're at
Grantchester, as well?
I mean, Will, I'm in awe.
To have a parish of your own.
Well, it seems like you're
building something special here.
It's Leonard's offer of this
space that made today possible.
Oh, we promised to
carry some boxes
to the Round Church for
supper. Yeah, we did, indeed.
See you again.
Sorry I missed Sunday service.
Oh, don't be.
This is a far better thing
than listening to my waffle.
I like your waffle.
But I do want to
do more of this.
Talks helping.
You don't settle,
do you? Mmm.
Anyone home? DORA: Dad,
we've got a surprise!
Dad, Esme's got huge
news. Come on, quickly.
GEORDIE: All right, all
right. IVY: Biggest news ever.
Come on.
You're not gonna believe this.
I've been offered a job.
A job?
What about school?
You left school at 16.
CATHY: It's Harrison and Sons.
The big importers
on Sterling Street?
Doing what?
Office work.
Typing all of it.
Can you type?
(chuckles): Dad.
Bloody Harrison and Sons.
(laughs)
Well done. (laughing)
DORA: Esme, come on, quickly.
IVY: Come on, Esme.
(girls giggling)
Applied behind our
backs, she did.
Her own money.
Independence. Less help
around the house,
and the school runs.
That's why we took Mrs. C on.
♪
(TV playing softly)
They're both down.
What are you brooding over?
I met a street preacher today.
No church, no standing,
just, just helping out.
Building a following, turning
atheists into believers.
Is that jealousy I detect?
Am I preaching to
the choir here?
Congregation's shrinking,
and I hadn't even noticed.
Well, you're not the
Wild One anymore.
A little bit of coasting
isn't the worst thing.
The bishop's offered
me another job.
Oh.
That good?
Uh, in Newcastle.
Bit of a trek.
Big challenges, bigger
parish, more hands-on.
I said no.
Of course.
You know, it's too much of an
upheaval for you and the kids.
You just decided?
On your own?
Well, Geordie and I Oh.
The boys decided.
No, I just, I, I
didn't think you'd
You didn't think.
God, you're still the same posh
boy who thinks he knows best.
Ernie and I have been through
two dads and three
homes in as many years.
You're still a stone's
throw from your old college.
I'm sorry.
I really am.
Cake sales.
That's coasting.
Prayer meetings
with women who talk about their
neighbors' dahlias. (chuckles)
Maybe we could both do more.
What about Geordie?
He survived Burma.
He'd get through us leaving.
Question is,
do you want to?
♪
(door closes)
Morning. Morning.
♪
♪
Hello?
Oh, sorry.
No, no, it's okay.
Something terrible's happened.
Errol asked me to help him
practice after the show.
Feathers had torn strips
off him for being sloppy.
So we rehearsed
the handcuff escape
and then the arrow trick.
Just you and Errol? Yeah.
He thought she was
being over dramatic,
so he stood in for her in
front of the target, and I
I didn't mean
What did you do, son?
He told me it was all safe.
It's supposed to be a trick!
It's okay.
GEORDIE: Nick, I
need you to say it.
I shot him.
I didn't even really aim.
He didn't say a word, just
What happened next?
I ran.
I'm sorry.
I couldn't stay
there with him
Like that.
What time was this?
After dinner.
9:00, I think.
What's with all the face paint?
I was gonna audition
for the circus.
Errol had a vial of opium.
Lab confirmed it.
And two bus tickets to London.
Know anything about them?
No.
Unusual, though.
None of them have
money of their own.
What do you mean?
Nanna Carson collects
all the takings.
Everyone gets bed and board,
but there's no wages.
You have to petition
her for spending money.
Or a night out.
Sounds like bloody communism.
Hang on.
If you hadn't
rehearsed with Errol,
when would the
trick next be done?
The next show.
When it would be
aimed at Feathers.
♪
(door closes) I don't
have time for this.
It's a busy week.
With what?
There's no circus till
we find the killer.
WILL: And you should know,
Errol may not have
been the target.
So who?
Me?
Do you know if anyone
had a grudge against you?
FEATHERS: No.
You mentioned that you have
a "busy week."
Does that have anything
to do with London?
Errol bought them.
We've got an audition
at the London Palladium.
What about the
circus? Your family?
I'm tired.
Of the trucks
and tents and a stupid
new town every week.
I want a bed.
Just a proper bed.
Fresh start, new challenges.
You want to run
away from the circus
and join the rat race.
I need to go.
I have to try.
Without Errol?
Sorry, Errol, but
I was carrying him.
I can do a solo act
and I can do it better.
Does Nanna know
about the audition?
She didn't want us to leave.
If she doesn't approve,
who paid for the tickets?
I don't know
Errol just sorted it.
Very convenient.
Can I go now?
You can.
But I can't guarantee
your safety at the circus.
(phone ringing in background)
Someone wants to kill Feathers.
Or Errol.
Could've found out he was
gonna practice with Nick.
Maybe.
But in any case, the rifle
was used during the show,
but gets sabotaged before Nick
and Errol rehearse at 9:00.
And so the only window
for someone to have
tampered with it
is between 8:00 and 9:00.
When they all had
dinner together.
Any exceptions?
Jerry, uh, Pogo, was
entertaining the younger kids,
and that Feathers
girl was on her own.
Thanks, Larry.
Post-mortem found no
opium in Errol's system.
So, was he selling?
Used the proceeds to fund
his escape with Feathers?
Someone finds out, doesn't
want them to leave.
Or they just wanted
to send a message:
"I control the purse strings."
(calls): Larry!
Nanna Carson,
lady that runs the circus,
did you get her statement?
No, she was
suffering a migraine.
Of course, because the
last thing we'd want
is to disturb a murder
suspect with a sore head!
Bloody Nora!
Sorry, boss.
♪
Oh! Sorry.
Nanna Carson anyone seen her?
No.
Maybe she's fled.
(objects shifting)
Jerry?
Isn't this Errol's tent?
Yeah, I was just, uh
Rifling through a
dead man's things.
GEORDIE: Looking
for more of this?
Now, I'm thinking
either Feathers or Errol
discovered you were using
and threatened to expose you.
(exhales): Expose me?
Errol supplied me.
(sighs)
A couple of years ago,
I put me back out.
And if you can't roll and
fall, you can't clown.
Well, you could do
something else here.
Really? (chuckles)
Only life I had before
this was as a gymnast.
I was up for the
Olympics in '44.
Horse vault, the parallel
bars the works.
Only the games were canceled.
(laughs)
Bloody war put paid
to that dream, hm?
(sighs): Now, without that,
I can't perform.
Can't unload trucks, fix tents.
I've got no other skills.
So, Errol sourced the opium.
Yeah.
Wherever we went,
he knew someone.
(sighs): And that little
extra I get as ringmaster,
it all went to him.
GEORDIE: Maybe Errol
held out on you.
And you lost it.
He was my only connection.
(sighs): I was here
with the families
on Saturday
night ask Nanna.
I'm going to.
♪
(door closes)
GEORDIE: Nanna Carson.
I'm Inspector Keating.
This is Will Davenport.
Quite the collection.
A record of every Carson clown.
No two can wear the same makeup.
How is business?
Oh, times are tough.
Audiences are
small. (chuckles)
That I can understand.
So, um,
forgive me if I've
seemed elusive,
but I've a whole
company to take care of.
Care is your word for control.
When you learned
Feathers and Errol
were auditioning elsewhere,
you wanted to punish them
for disobeying you.
I wouldn't wish them any harm.
I wanted them performing
here, so we could
Bow out on top.
Meaning?
No one here knows yet,
so I beg your discretion,
but, um, I'm retiring this year.
And what will happen
to the circus?
Oh, I've got a buyer.
Sadly, not a showman.
He'll strip it for parts.
Why not pass it on?
To your, to your
kids? To Feathers?
(chuckles): And live
how? This is my pension!
But we will finish
the tour together.
No one can perform or go on tour
until we solve this murder.
Of course much
preferable to have
a hundred circus freaks
with nothing to do
rampaging through
Cambridge tonight.
Now, hang on
Or we could simply say,
"The show will go on."
♪
How would you feel
if someone was
leaving your circus?
What, Feathers?
Forget the bus, I'd
buy her train fare
and drive her to the station.
(chuckles)
But if it was
someone you'd, you'd miss?
Upset, sure.
Is this because you found
out Esme got a new job?
Hm?
Applied behind our backs.
I was annoyed.
And sad.
That she'd grown up
while I wasn't looking.
Was proud of her, though.
But Cathy.
I think she feels betrayed.
You know, I, um
Oh. Boss.
(door closes)
Lady here says her
husband's been stolen.
Stolen?
Robbers broke in
and took his locket.
A silver pendant.
The husband was wearing it?
No, he was in it.
GEORDIE: Small fella, was he?
His ashes.
You could've opened with that.
She wears him out and about,
does she? LARRY: Apparently.
Church and shops.
Friday, she was down
the circus, too.
We'll be in touch
soon. Thank you.
(phones ringing)
The widow's not the only
robbery to take place
after a circus visit.
Little Shelford, set of
pearls, gold watch in Girton.
I called around same story
over at Colchester
and Chelmsford.
So one of the performers?
Identifies the wealthy punters,
and then follows them
home after the show.
Well, that's one way to get a
little financial independence
from Nanna Carson. (inhales)
Sleight of hand
would be useful, too.
Errol, though, or Feathers?
The chances are,
somewhere at that circus
is a bag full of loot.
♪
(people calling and
talking in background)
MISS SCOTT: Samuels is parked at the
back and Jones will watch the front.
Appreciate you doing this.
It's fine I've been
wanting to see a circus
since I read Chekhov's
"Kashtanka" last year.
If only Leonard were single.
And you were a man.
It's work, Larry,
it's not a date.
I just thought it would be nice.
GEORDIE: Oi.
Feathers won't stop performing,
so you two can at
least watch her back.
Go on.
(people talking, music
playing in background)
Now, where would an illusionist
hide their stolen goods?
♪
Are we allowed?
We're undercover!
When you're undercover,
you don't say,
"We're undercover."
You just do what you'd
normally do on a night out.
♪
Anything?
No, nothing in your size.
Is there anyone here
brave enough to assist me?
How about you,
sir? Don't be shy.
Come on up!
(gasps): Go on!
I'll do it! Ah.
We have a volunteer.
A big round of applause,
ladies and gentlemen!
(audience cheers and applauds)
(lid thuds)
(Feathers talking in background)
(knocking)
Got something?
(grunts)
FEATHERS: The metamorphosis!
(audience applauding)
(lid drops)
(chuckles) Bingo.
WILL: It's a pawn
shop receipt.
Silver pendant, gold watch.
It's all the stolen goods.
Well, maybe the shop owner knows
if it was Errol or Feathers.
We'll need that.
Or fingerprints.
Otherwise, she'll deny it
and blame the dead man.
(dog barking)
MAN (on radio): And now,
another delightful piece
that always puts
my mind at ease.
If you're ever left feeling
like the world has gone
a little topsy-turvy,
then this next hymn should
put you back on an even keel.
(music begins on radio)
(quietly): She's ironing
my ruddy underpants!
She told me today
she wants to
schedule prayer time.
No wonder the kids
want to leave.
What's that?
A letter to Harrison and Sons.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot
take up your offer"?
Mm. What, Es changed her mind?
No, but I'm putting
my foot down.
Uh, we can't control her, Cath.
She's not a little girl anymore.
But she is.
I've been thinking,
she should get a job next year.
Doesn't she deserve
a shot at this job?
Do you know what she deserves?
Not to struggle with
high expectations
and dangerous men.
I was older when I started work,
and it was bloody tough.
(sighs)
Yeah, but you didn't have a
mum like you at your side.
We've gotta take
the leap with her,
before she doesn't need us.
(clicks tongue, sighs)
♪
(Mrs. Chapman humming)
You know you're gonna have
to give Mrs. C the shove.
So, how long's it been
since your last confession?
(chuckles)
What made you start this place
and not stick with the café?
Stability isn't
always happiness.
Or fulfillment.
Do you think someone
can be fulfilled
and also be coasting?
Isn't that the ideal?
(both laugh)
What's brought this on?
I want new challenges.
And I guess I'm
I'm just scared in doing that,
I'm gonna let people down.
When I left Grantchester,
I felt I'd let everyone down.
But I found people
here who need me more.
If I'd stayed, I'd
You were brilliant.
You'd still be.
I'd be bitter and resentful.
Living half a life.
♪
(birds chirping)
Mm, morning, Vicar.
If you want a job,
I'm in need of an assistant.
And I'm in need of answers.
And no games, please.
♪
(people talking in background)
Any trouble last night?
I didn't see you after the show.
Uh, no, no.
The girl, Feathers, was
fine, so we I went home.
Right.
Everything all right now?
Yes, completely.
Just working out how
to get over to Newnham.
Need to get a statement signed.
Well, Larry'll take you.
Larry, Miss Scott needs
a lift to Newnham.
I can't, boss. Oh, it's fine,
I can make my own way there.
I gotta file an incident.
It's just a jiffy on the bus.
On a littering incident.
Larry, reports
can wait go on.
You all right?
Too many beers
last night, was it?
No, no, just
(quietly): You two.
You didn't!
No! No!
Bloody Nora!
Please. The whole
world's gone topsy
Just, shut up!
Please, sir!
He's sweet, but it was a
mistake he'll understand.
Please say nothing!
WILL: So I asked
Feathers, "Why now?
Why audition this week?"
Because she wanted to leave.
She said as much.
No.
She knew Nanna was selling.
So, Feathers killed
Errol, to go it alone.
No.
Who else was Errol close with?
Jerry?
But he's got an alibi.
How good is it?
Because I think I
have his motive.
(calls): Larry!
(man coughs in background)
La (exhales)
Jerry McAllister his alibi
on the night of the murder.
Witnesses place him
entertaining the kids.
As himself,
or as a clown?
♪
Saturday night, after the
show, but before the accident,
you said you were trying
out for the circus.
Jerry gave me a
shot at clowning.
Entertain the kids
during dinner.
You were wearing face paint?
Yeah.
Jerry gave me this one to copy.
♪
GEORDIE: Every clown's
makeup is unique.
Except on Saturday night,
when you got Nick
Jeffries to copy this.
The Pogo makeup. So?
I let the kid borrow my look.
But for a dozen witnesses,
that put Pogo, you,
in the dining area
between 8:00 and 9:00,
when you were really
sabotaging Errol's rifle.
I'd never hurt
anyone in my troupe.
WILL: Star athlete
turned head clown.
Traveling the country.
Running a tight ship.
Loving your job.
Absolutely.
And 20 years later, you
find yourself middle-aged,
with back pain and
an opium habit.
So when you learn
Nanna's selling up,
you find you've no money,
no pension, no future.
You've every right
to feel bitter.
WILL: And rubbing
salt in the wound
is a young woman who's not
only going to escape your fate,
she's going to do better
than you ever did.
She's a thief you
know that, right?
This is a machine
built on trust.
Your words.
I don't trust her
she's trouble.
Always has been.
Too good for the trapeze,
too good to be
Errol's assistant.
Too good to be in our circus.
I reckon her leaving
made Nanna want to quit.
She thinks she's better than us.
Needed to be taken down a peg.
(exhales)
I swapped the handcuffs.
She was supposed to get
trapped, made a proper fool of.
She turned it round.
Biggest applause of the run.
If she had a chip on
her shoulder before .
She's a menace.
Imagine she got that audition,
got the Palladium,
with no graft, no ethic.
Cheating and tricking her way.
She had to be stopped
somebody had to
It were meant to be her.
♪
There was a time you could've
taken your chances elsewhere.
An Olympic qualifier,
coasting in a circus.
Until the regrets got so big,
so bitter
they killed a man.
GEORDIE: But seeing someone
grow up and grow beyond you,
it's a hard thing.
You think so? Mm.
I said as much to
Cathy about Esme.
It'll be Ernie and
James in no time.
(chuckles)
I'd, uh, better be going.
Will.
♪
Let's make the most
of this summer.
Make it the best one ever.
♪
Boss.
Mm? Bag of money
from the circus,
lab reckons it's all fake.
I followed up
on the pawn shop receipt,
too couldn't find them.
The shop doesn't exist.
So no pawn shop and no money.
Weird, ain't it?
Hm.
You saw it, then it vanished.
It's kind of like an illusion.
WILL: I know at times,
the world can feel
like a circus.
Three billion acts, all trapped
under the same big tent,
all clamoring for attention.
It can be scary
and disorientating.
It's no wonder that we
cling on to old certainties.
They're the hands
we hold in the dark.
But one day, we may reach out
and find those hands are gone.
Or that by clinging
tight to them,
we've missed out on the chance
to stand tall, to see
further on our own.
We must accept change,
as it always comes.
And we cannot let regret
eat away at us.
Peter says, "Use whatever gift"
you have received
to serve others."
For in the end, we have a duty
to be all we can be.
I, uh, hope I'm not too late.
About the position?
No, not yet.
(click)
♪
(baby cooing)
GEORDIE: Well, it's a baby.
We have a witness.
WILL: Ernie?
I love this place.
You having second
thoughts? No.
WILL: I just want to
find the right moment.
♪
♪
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♪