- 2 days ago
S1.E1 ∙ Bonne Annee, Mr Mayle
Sun, Feb 28, 1993
Annie and Peter Mayle decide, in their own words, to take the plunge: they quit their jobs as a tax investigator and an advertising executive and move to Provence in the south of France. Their experience in their first month go from outstanding to downright puzzling. They adore the food and wine but do encounter amusing cultural barriers from the lengthy discussion every time they for to the butcher to the plumber who promises to come back but is unseen for the the next month. They also learn that their old friends in England are lining up to visit them in the summer.
Sun, Feb 28, 1993
Annie and Peter Mayle decide, in their own words, to take the plunge: they quit their jobs as a tax investigator and an advertising executive and move to Provence in the south of France. Their experience in their first month go from outstanding to downright puzzling. They adore the food and wine but do encounter amusing cultural barriers from the lengthy discussion every time they for to the butcher to the plumber who promises to come back but is unseen for the the next month. They also learn that their old friends in England are lining up to visit them in the summer.
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00:00The First Lady of St. Louis
00:01The Second Lady of St. Louis
00:03The Second Lady of St. Louis
00:04The Second Lady of St. Louis
00:08No, no, no. Seriously, we are going to miss him.
00:12Yes.
00:13The place won't be the same without him, no.
00:15And therefore, before he takes French leave...
00:18Sorry, sorry, I couldn't do this, that.
00:21We would like to hear a few words from him.
00:24Come on, Peter.
00:25Peter, stop.
00:27Stop, stop him.
00:28They used, of course, traditionally, to give you a clock and flowers.
00:57Or a fishing rod and an armchair.
01:03So, as far as I know, this is unique.
01:07And I am, perhaps, the only resigning executive in the world to bow out with this.
01:18A solid silver garlic.
01:22Every time I squeeze, I'll think of you.
01:27I can't wait.
01:28I want to see you.
01:29I want to see you before, Mrs Watt.
01:32I'd like you to have this.
01:37It's lovely.
01:38I love the cantier.
01:40But, please.
01:41Oh, Mrs. Mell.
01:42What's I'd like you to have this. It's lovely. I love the can't here. But please. Oh, Mrs.
01:52Mayall. Hi, Mrs. Watts.
02:12Annie.
02:40Annie. Watch.
02:48You've got a nice one, Gav. Thanks. Where to now, then? Paradise. No problem. North or
02:55South, Paradise? South. I'll show you.
03:07You've got a nice one.
03:19You've got a nice one.
03:31You've got a nice one.
03:43The year began with lunch. We'd found a flyer tucked under the wiper of our car in the village
03:58square. Come to Chez Raymond, it said. Come and celebrate the new year with a gastronomic extravaganza. Come and push back the frontiers of pleasure.
04:08The day we went.
04:24And do we have the lot?
04:42And do we have the lot?
04:46Madame, this is a symphony, okay? These are movements. So?
04:52Silly to ask.
04:54When you're ready, Maestro.
04:56You're ready, Maestro.
05:08You're ready, Maestro.
05:10And do we have the most beautiful young people.
05:14You're ready, Maestro.
05:16This is a charm.
05:18You are ready.
05:19It's a charm.
05:20You're ready, Maestro.
05:22Oh, my goodness.
05:23Your gosto.
05:26And do you want to meet your drinks?
05:28One, two, three.
06:00It's coming again.
06:04Hide.
06:06No more, monsieur.
06:09Trois.
06:10We've had three desserts.
06:12Four.
06:13I can't.
06:16Lemon tart.
06:18Just un tout petit pain.
06:22Voilà.
06:23Et voilà.
06:24How long have you been here in Provence?
06:26A long time.
06:28Two days.
06:29How did they?
06:31Life.
06:32Have a seat, monsieur Raymond.
06:34Asseyez-vous.
06:35He's quite French when he's, um...
06:37You see, we actually did it.
06:41We, we stopped work.
06:43Threw it all in.
06:44Um, tout arrêté.
06:46You see before you, monsieur Raymond,
06:48the somewhat flushed remains
06:50of an advertising executive
06:52and tax inspector
06:54and tax inspector
06:54who took
06:55le planche.
06:57So,
06:58à votre planche.
07:00Le planche!
07:02And somewhat the worse for wear,
07:07we set off for home
07:08along the D-109
07:09at the foot of the Louberon Mountains,
07:12driving through
07:13the quite impressive
07:14247,000 acres
07:16of our new back garden.
07:17We'd stumbled on our house
07:20one beautiful summer afternoon
07:22and had mentally moved in
07:23by dinner.
07:25It was Ammar,
07:26a romantic, solid stone farmhouse
07:28built about 200 years ago,
07:30standing alone in the vines.
07:32I'd come here to write a novel
07:36and I'd wasted no time.
07:38The workroom was prepared,
07:40the table cleaned,
07:41the chair comfortable.
07:43All that remained
07:44was to do it.
07:49Annie!
07:50What's for supper?
07:53And a happy new year
07:54to you too.
07:56Yes, it is.
07:57As a matter of fact,
07:58you never guess,
07:59I'm sitting by the pool.
08:01You're where?
08:04You're not.
08:05Really?
08:07Of course,
08:08we'd just love to see you.
08:10Love to.
08:11No problem.
08:13Lunch.
08:14Tremendous.
08:15It's easy.
08:16You've got the change of address card.
08:18Well, there's a plan
08:18of how to get here on the back.
08:20We'll see you then.
08:22Ciao.
08:24Ciao?
08:25The Hopkins,
08:26they're in Italy.
08:27They want to pop in
08:27on their way back to London.
08:28Just for a meal.
08:30Sue said she can't wait
08:31to have a look.
08:31I'd love them to see.
08:33I wouldn't come.
08:34Not if I were them.
08:35Why not?
08:36Come here
08:37and then go back there.
08:40Dangerous.
08:41I mean,
08:41once you've seen it,
08:43you're sunk,
08:43aren't you?
08:44Once you've seen what?
08:47This!
08:48Paradise!
08:48Well, it must feel like a swim.
08:58Ernie?
09:01I'm not asleep.
09:04Are you hoovering?
09:07No hoovering.
09:10Someone's hoovering.
09:11If you've been blackberrying on the South Downs in a forced ten gale, you probably think we know a few things about wind.
09:33But this particular local vulnerability, the Mistral, has a breezy personality of its own, and was at this moment in the process of re-landscaping our courtyard.
09:44Amongst its other tricks, so legend has it, the Mistral upturns old ladies, rips the ears off donkeys, and drives other people round the bend.
09:52We thought that this was all a bit exaggerated.
09:56It wasn't.
10:02What's happening?
10:04It's a bit windy, that's all.
10:06Is it normal?
10:07No idea.
10:08That's wonderful, isn't it?
10:09What's wonderful?
10:11We've no idea what's normal anymore.
10:13Coffee?
10:15That's wonderful as well.
10:18Why?
10:18You can't have any.
10:21Why not?
10:21The pipes are frozen.
10:26In Provence?
10:28Maybe we should have rubbed them with garlic.
10:36Hello?
10:37I mean, hello?
10:40I can't hear a word.
10:43Balaclava.
10:47Hello?
10:49Oh, how nice.
10:51Yes, I'm sure we can put you up.
10:54July?
10:56No problem.
10:57Yeah, well, we'll be in touch nearer the time.
11:01Bye-bye.
11:03And, and, uh, happy...
11:05The Tompkins.
11:09They're coming to see us this summer.
11:11They already ran.
11:12Oh, that was the Hopkins.
11:13The Hopkins.
11:15The Hopkins.
11:16Peter, they're coming tomorrow.
11:18So?
11:19No water.
11:20No food.
11:23Action.
11:24Uh, what colour are the yellow pages?
11:28Oh, Jesus.
11:29Oh, my God.
11:29Oh, my God.
11:30Oh, my God.
11:30Oh, my God.
11:31Oh, my God.
11:31Oh, my God.
11:32Oh, my God.
11:32Oh, my God.
11:33Oh, my God.
11:33Oh, my God.
11:33Oh, my God.
11:34Oh, my God.
11:34Oh, my God.
11:35Oh, my God.
11:35Oh, my God.
11:36Oh, my God.
11:36Oh, my God.
11:37Oh, my God.
11:37Oh, my God.
11:38Oh, my God.
11:38Oh, my God.
11:39Oh, my God.
11:40Oh, my God.
11:40Oh, my God.
11:41Oh, my God.
11:42Oh, my God.
11:42Oh, my God.
11:43Oh, my God.
11:44Oh, my God.
11:45Oh, my God.
11:46The problem is that the pipes
12:15are on a birthday.
12:17It's terrible.
12:18Look at it.
12:19We have friends tomorrow.
12:22They don't touch it.
12:25Oh, yes.
12:27Oh, dear.
12:30Look at that, young man.
12:31Look at that.
12:32No isolation.
12:33No insulation, is that it?
12:36You know how I call it,
12:37Madame Hummel?
12:38A Parisian plumber.
12:40A Parisian plumber.
12:42What's he saying?
12:47I think he's saying
12:47it's typical Parisian
12:48holiday home plumbing.
12:50Tell him we're not Parisian.
12:52I don't think I need to, darling.
12:53Why is he talking about bikinis?
13:04He's going to fix it.
13:05You're our savior, Mr. Conobani.
13:09Vous êtes notre sauveur.
13:11Oh!
13:13Pour une belle femme comme vous,
13:14Madame Hummel,
13:15qu'est-ce qu'on ferait pas?
13:21Provence had always been a dream.
13:23A dream of heat,
13:25of light,
13:26of market smelling of basil.
13:27Now,
13:29suddenly,
13:30the climate
13:31had turned arctic,
13:32and our romantic,
13:33solid stone farmhouse,
13:35under the professional scrutiny
13:37of Mr. Colombani's
13:38power drill,
13:39didn't look quite so solid.
13:42Or romantic.
13:45Ah!
13:46Il est humilde, ce mur.
13:48Il faudra chauffer
13:48sur te maison, eh?
13:50He says we're going to need
13:50central heating.
13:52Surely the wind's
13:53going to die out.
13:54Ask him.
13:55How long,
13:56Mr. Colombani,
13:57le mistral?
13:59Eh?
14:00Oh, non, pas longtemps, là.
14:02Not long.
14:03Non,
14:03deux semaines,
14:04trois semaines.
14:05Three weeks?
14:07Je vais vous expliquer,
14:08ma petite dame.
14:09Venez.
14:13La terre.
14:15The earth.
14:16You should never have
14:17started this conversation.
14:19La Sibérie,
14:20où il fait
14:20le droit de canard.
14:21Siberia,
14:22where it's as cold
14:23as a duck.
14:23I think that's pretty.
14:25Alors, le vent,
14:26le mistral,
14:27il arrive directement
14:28de la Sibérie.
14:28Le mistral
14:29starts in Siberia.
14:31Mais comme il souffle
14:32très fort,
14:33il a déjà raboté la terre.
14:35Et alors,
14:35la terre,
14:36comme elle est plus ronde,
14:37le vent arrive
14:38de plus en plus vite,
14:40et nous,
14:41on est de plus en plus
14:42fada.
14:45Ravissé.
14:46I didn't understand
14:47the words he said.
14:49We don't understand.
14:51Je comprends pas.
14:52Ah,
14:53now that I understand.
14:54He doesn't understand.
14:55Now we're really
14:56getting somewhere.
14:57Ah!
14:59That's true.
15:04L'horeca!
15:05Un miracle.
15:06Just like Jean de Florett.
15:07Exactement comme au cinéma.
15:09Mais,
15:12Monsieur Colombani,
15:13le new pipe,
15:15tuyau,
15:17superbe.
15:18Mais,
15:19pas permanent.
15:21Pas
15:22for always.
15:24Il est pas beau,
15:25mon tuyau?
15:25Oh, non, non.
15:26We think it's a great pipe,
15:28Monsieur Colombani.
15:29Mais il est un peu
15:30visible.
15:32Non?
15:32You're leaving?
15:37Vous partez?
15:38Ah,
15:38c'est que
15:40on a d'autres clients,
15:41Madame Merle.
15:42Yes,
15:42I'm sure you have
15:43other clients,
15:44Monsieur Colombani,
15:45mais nous avons
15:45les visiteurs.
15:47You come back,
15:49s'il vous plaît.
15:49Tomorrow?
15:50Demain?
15:51Oh,
15:51demain,
15:52demain.
15:53Ils disent tous ça,
15:54demain.
15:54Je ne peux pas
15:56me couper
15:56un 4,
15:57moi,
15:57là.
15:58Not tomorrow?
16:01Calendar.
16:01Monsieur Colombani!
16:11Soon,
16:12alors?
16:13Bientôt,
16:14Monsieur Colombani?
16:15Bientôt.
16:16Nous n'avons pas
16:18de heat!
16:19Et nous avons
16:20des amis,
16:21de...
16:21Mal!
16:22Alors,
16:23la semaine prochaine?
16:24Next week,
16:25you promise?
16:26Next week,
16:27non vraiment.
16:29Next week,
16:30no matter.
16:31What's that?
16:35Normalimal,
16:36I subsequently
16:37found out
16:38from the dictionary,
16:39means normally,
16:40all things
16:41being equal.
16:42But not in life,
16:43it doesn't.
16:44In life,
16:45it means
16:45if my 36 prior
16:47engagements
16:48happened to fall through.
16:50But at least
16:51we had running water
16:52again,
16:53so we could at last
16:53get down
16:54into preparing
16:54the lunch.
16:56Annie was going
16:57to sock it
16:57to the Hopkins
16:58by making
16:58a fabronata,
17:00a traditional
17:00Provençal dish.
17:02So,
17:03raving the
17:03force 10 mistral,
17:05we went up
17:05to see
17:06Monsieur Seger,
17:07the village butcher.
17:08hurry up!
17:13A fabronata,
17:21a fabronata.
17:22A fabronata.
17:24Oui,
17:25pour des amis,
17:26guests,
17:27un spécial dish.
17:29Mais nous sommes
17:30un peu
17:30pushed.
17:32Pour une prevenata,
17:33il vous faut
17:33d'abord
17:33du quasi-dodo.
17:35Voilà.
17:37Comme ça.
17:38Coupez
17:39en dés
17:40de 3 cm.
17:423 cm.
17:43Wonderful.
17:443 cm cubes.
17:46But if you could just...
17:47Et également
17:48des herbes de province.
17:49Des herbes de province.
17:50Herbes,
17:50of course.
17:51Et des poivrons.
17:534 poivrons verts
17:55et 1 poivron rouge.
17:58Et...
17:584 green peppers
17:59and 1 red.
18:02But if you could
18:03just get on...
18:04Ça va pas,
18:05non, Félicien.
18:06C'est 4 poivrons rouges
18:07et 1 poivron vert.
18:09She says
18:09it's 4 red and 1 green.
18:11J'ai dit
18:12et je répète
18:134 poivrons verts
18:15et 1 poivron rouge.
18:16Et oh!
18:17Et oh!
18:18Eh bien, moi, je dis
18:18c'est 4 poivrons rouges
18:20et 1 poivron vert.
18:22Oh, c'est tonné.
18:23C'est tonné.
18:24Ça tombe bien.
18:25Ça tombe bien.
18:26We could have
18:27corn bag.
18:28Mais ici,
18:28dit que pour une pevenata,
18:30il faut 4 poivrons rouges
18:31et 1 poivron vert.
18:33Et moi, je dis évidemment
18:33qu'il faut 4 poivrons verts
18:35et 1 poivron rouge.
18:36Mais ça n'a pas d'importance,
18:37ce Félicien.
18:38Ils ont tous le même en cours.
18:39Oh, mais il est le bon.
18:41Oh, mais il est le bon.
18:41Oh, mais il est le bon.
18:41Oh, mais il est le bon.
18:41Oh, il est le bon.
18:42Oh, mais il est le bon.
18:44Il ne fait plus de déficit.
18:45Ils n'ont tous le même.
18:46Tu as dit le pastis?
18:47Non, non, ma frère.
18:48Don't you ever get a get this meat?
18:50Oui, tu as dit le pastis.
18:51C'est de bon.
18:51Non, c'est pas vrai.
19:03Where in Grog?
19:04Dear Grog,
19:0650 minutes
19:07for 3 pounds of veal.
19:08Annie, they've all got bags.
19:19So?
19:20When we came in, they hid the bags.
19:24What's going on?
19:27Maybe they're merging their families, darling.
19:30Maybe they're cutting them up into three centimetre cubes.
19:32I can't give a damn.
19:35Veal, come on.
19:38Action stations.
19:46You get the pan, jump the veal in olive oil.
19:49I'm asking the peppers.
19:52Did you do that?
19:54Not this time.
19:56Have we got candles?
19:57Guess.
19:59Then there's only one thing for it.
20:01Borrowing candles from your neighbours is a fairly simple matter if you live in London.
20:05But our new neighbours, Uguet and Amadei Claymore, live the other side of the vines, the bog and the assault course.
20:12The people we'd bought the house from had introduced us.
20:15Amadei had looked after their vines, keeping them spick and span.
20:19Peter, we've come for candles, okay?
20:24None of this bonjour, bonjour, let's have a drink business, okay?
20:27The electricity's back on.
20:31Let's go.
20:32But I'm just not.
20:33Remember what I said.
20:38Oh, Monsieur Mell, Madame Mell.
20:40Ça, c'est gentil.
20:41Entrez.
20:42Uguet.
20:43No, Monsieur Amadei, we were just passing.
20:46Oh, vous allez entrer.
20:48Uguet.
20:48Peter, leave it to me.
20:54Eh, quatre.
20:56Dix-sept mille francs de gain.
20:58Le grand-père Emile.
20:59Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, soin.
21:02Bonsoir, grand-père.
21:04Bonsoir.
21:05Oh, Monsieur Mell, Madame Mell.
21:08Uguet, bonsoir.
21:09Bonsoir.
21:10The thing was, we, uh, we needed candles, bougies, uh, parce que, uh, uh, they light.
21:17Je vais prendre votre maintenant.
21:18No, no, we won't be staying.
21:19Ne restons pas.
21:21Uh, les candles, that was all.
21:22J'allais vous chercher les bougies.
21:24Uh, no, no, no, um, pas de candles, uh, uh, electricity, uh, tremendous.
21:30Vive l'électricité.
21:32Uh, no need.
21:33It works.
21:33Assayez-vous, Monsieur Mell.
21:34No, no, no, no, no, my wife, my, my, my femme, um, cross.
21:40Narkt.
21:41Narkt.
21:43Friends coming.
21:44I mean, cooking.
21:45Hey, hey, hey, Huguet, l'apéritif.
21:48Je vais d'abord vous servir l'apéritif.
21:50No, no, no, honestly, no, part apéritif, uh, no, um, as I said, we were only looking
21:56for, but no longer need, the bougie.
21:59Ah, je vais vous chercher les bougies.
22:01No, no, Huguet, l'apéritif.
22:03Monsieur Mell, il est pas venu pour les bougies.
22:07I didn't come for the candles?
22:10Part bougie?
22:11What did I come for, then?
22:16Le tennis.
22:18Tennis.
22:19Eh, le tennis.
22:22Leave it to me.
22:25Livinia, vous...
22:28Eh, vous faites un tennis à la place?
22:30C'est ça, eh, Monsieur Mell?
22:31Oh, no, no, no, look, Amadei, no, hang on.
22:36If I'm getting you right, and you think that I would rip up my vines to build a tennis
22:43course, then you're getting me wrong.
22:46No, absolument pas.
22:49Alors, Monsieur Mell, Madame Mell, un pastis, un vincu, un frontignal?
22:54Since we're going to be here all night, I think I fancy an extremely large whiskey you get.
23:01I can't remember why we went.
23:27I can.
23:28Light, right.
23:37Water.
23:40Wonderful.
23:45Half past eleven, down to work.
23:49Annie, don't let's bother.
23:52Don't bother?
23:54Let's give them a tin.
23:55Sue and Ted, our first visitors?
23:58Why not?
23:59Give them a tin of ravioli.
24:01You're mad.
24:02Can't you imagine their faces?
24:04I think I can, yes.
24:05Can't you imagine what they'd say back in London?
24:07They'd be surprised.
24:09What's wrong with that?
24:10I haven't surprised anyone for years.
24:13I've been too good at things.
24:14I've been a professional.
24:16What about a bit of incompetence for a change?
24:18That'd be surprising.
24:20I like that.
24:23You mean, um, a bag of crisps and a tin of tuna?
24:28I don't know.
24:32I don't know.
24:32Maybe.
24:37I'm sorry.
24:39It's the move and stopping work.
24:42It's all a bit new.
24:49It's a long time since I've seen a tax inspector in tears.
24:56A bag of crisps will be fine.
25:00No, I don't.
25:02We'll get up early in the morning
25:04and we'll give them a lovely meal.
25:07Peter?
25:23Hmm?
25:24What's that noise?
25:30Silence.
25:31No wind.
25:35Silence!
25:37Hmm.
25:48Delicious.
25:49You see?
25:49No need to get the wind up.
25:51It's all's well with a...
25:52Hello, Peter.
25:56We were thinking of passing your way in July.
25:58Hello, wee.
26:00Yes.
26:01Yes, it is.
26:04Oh, no.
26:07Really?
26:10How awful.
26:12No, of course not.
26:14No, quite understand.
26:17Yeah, yes.
26:18Yes, do.
26:19Bye, bye, bye.
26:22Sue and Ted.
26:23In a phone box in Genoa,
26:26there's a lorry driver's go slow.
26:28They're not coming.
26:30Not coming?
26:31After all this?
26:32Well, they can't get here.
26:34Oh, hell!
26:35I mean, it's not that I...
26:38Nothing.
26:41All right, then.
26:43Let's celebrate.
26:45Them not coming?
26:46Us being here.
26:50What about the pepernata?
26:52I'll eat the lot.
26:53Oh, yeah?
26:54Hmm.
26:54I ate all the Hopkins pepernata,
27:03won the bet,
27:04drank my winnings
27:05and washed the champagne down
27:06with a charming and very personal
27:08cot de rhum.
27:09After which,
27:10we decided to climb a mountain
27:12to walk it off.
27:13Here, boys.
27:15Me too.
27:16We are neighbors.
27:30The neighbors.
27:32English.
27:33The English.
27:35I'm French, I am.
27:37River, Antoine.
27:39French citizen.
27:41Hunting?
27:43The hunting?
27:44The renard.
27:46Ah, yes.
27:47A fox.
27:50You, the English.
27:51You like that, the renard?
27:53Yes, yes.
27:54We're very fond of foxes.
27:55Oui.
27:57That's good.
28:01I'll bring you a gift.
28:03A present?
28:04A pet.
28:05He's going to bring us an animal
28:06as a present.
28:08How nice.
28:10A renard.
28:12He's going to give us a fox.
28:15A pet?
28:16Domestique?
28:18Non.
28:21Un renard.
28:27Well,
28:28must be getting on.
28:31Au revoir.
28:32Eh, bientot.
28:39Eh, um,
28:40uh,
28:41bonne année.
28:52Why does he want to give us a present?
28:55Probably just means of being accepted.
28:57Oh, jeez.
28:57Doubtless.
28:59But what for?
29:02But then we got to the top
29:03and the view took over.
29:05To hell with wind,
29:07water pipes and worries.
29:08This was it.
29:10And we just stood there
29:11and looked down over our valley.
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