Extraordinary Portraits Season 5 Episode 5

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Transcript

00:01None of us know what surprises life has in store for us.

00:06But all around are everyday heroes.

00:08Ordinary people showing amazing bravery, courage and determination.

00:12I was holding him by the wrists so that he couldn't blow up the bomb.

00:15When I opened my eyes, I was on the hospital bed, all handcuffed.

00:19I competed in eight Ironman triathlons.

00:23And I'm here to give them the recognition they deserve.

00:26I've assembled a crack team of artists, painters and sculptors

00:30to immortalize these unsung heroes with a unique series of portraits.

00:34This is the hardest bit for you, isn't it, Eddie?

00:36Sitting still.

00:37We were just looking at you.

00:40Can you look at me with your eyes?

00:42It's not going to be easy.

00:43I feel in my own personal health.

00:45The reveals are not that far away now.

00:48If this second cast fails, I'm done.

00:50There's a big sense of responsibility to capture their story.

00:54But the results are going to be amazing.

00:57I've put my heart and soul into this.

00:59Three, two, one.

01:02Fantastic.

01:03Quite blown away, to be honest.

01:05I wasn't thinking you were going to make me cry.

01:07Sorry, I'm getting a bit emotional.

01:10Creating a legacy for generations to come.

01:12I want to remember them like that.

01:14I'm struggling to find right words because there's no words.

01:18To have us captured in that moment, in that spot that means so much is an absolute privilege.

01:25Welcome to Extraordinary Portraits.

01:38The Post Office scandal shocked the nation.

01:41With the scale of the injustice, hundreds of people wrongfully accused, many people's lives shattered.

01:49One of these people is our sitter today.

01:55Seema was not only wrongly accused of theft and false accounting.

01:59She had to pay thousands of pounds to cover the shortfalls and was sentenced to prison while pregnant.

02:05She has spent the last 20 years fighting for justice.

02:09Seema, hello.

02:10Hi.

02:11Lovely to meet you.

02:12Nice to meet you.

02:12How are you?

02:13Very well, thanks.

02:14And you?

02:14Fine, thank you.

02:15Good.

02:16Come and join me in my artist retreat.

02:26First of all, thank you so much.

02:27Pleasure.

02:28For being here today.

02:29What was it that made you and your husband decide to take on a village post office?

02:34We used to work in the city, both of us.

02:36So we came across the post office.

02:38We went in.

02:39We fell in love with it.

02:40And the post office being the heart of the community.

02:42So you're set up in this post office.

02:44When did things start to take a bit of a strange turn?

02:48Oh, my God.

02:49The very first day.

02:50Really?

02:51In the evening, we were around 80 pounds short.

02:54Which means I have to put 80 pounds in there.

02:57No, so you're having to make up the shortfall.

02:59Yeah, very first day.

03:00On the very first day?

03:01The very first day.

03:02And on Wednesday, there was a shortfall of around 200 pounds.

03:05I said, oh, my God, what is this happening?

03:08I'm putting my own money to the post office.

03:10I'm lending them money.

03:11You're finding this supposed shortfall.

03:14Yeah.

03:15The amounts are getting more and more.

03:18So what happened then?

03:18Figures were, like, growing like crazy.

03:21Less than three months.

03:22Post office investigating officers searched my house as well.

03:25Now I know that wasn't right.

03:26But I said, okay, that's fine, because we have nothing to hide.

03:29So this was quite intimidating then?

03:31It is.

03:32So they were already sort of threatening you with?

03:34Threatening me.

03:35Auditors came in.

03:36That day, they made a shortfall of 80,000 pounds.

03:4080,000?

03:4080,000 pounds shortfall.

03:42I was shocked.

03:44I have to sell my wedding gold, my mum's actual jewellery.

03:47She passed it on to me just to make sure we can put the money into the tills.

03:52It was terrible, because I had the dreams that, you know, like, my mum giving it to me, I'm going

03:56to give it to my kids.

03:57I mean, that must have felt awful.

03:59And it was, like, very heartbreaking as well.

04:02Then I receive a summon for court.

04:03They have to be at trial.

04:04In the meantime, I found that I'm pregnant.

04:08For the baby, we've been trying for the last eight years.

04:11Of all the times to find that out?

04:13It would have been, like, a normal situation.

04:14Like, we were jumping up and down, celebrating and all that.

04:18And it was nothing like that at all.

04:20I was shocked when all the jury, every single person, came back to word guilty.

04:25The judge did 15-month imprisonment.

04:30That was the time I said, what, did I hear it right?

04:36Sorry.

04:37No, it's all right. Take a minute, if you want.

04:41It's the sheer unfairness of it all.

04:44The injustice of it.

04:45All I remember, having sharp pains in my stomach.

04:49And when I opened my eyes, I was on the hospital bed, all handcuffed.

04:56When I asked the officers what happened, they said, you collapsed.

05:01I said, can my husband come over?

05:03He said, no, because from here you're going to prison.

05:07I felt so, so, so bad, so humiliated, like, you know?

05:12They said, before I go in, my husband and son will be calling.

05:16And my son was so angry, he was so upset.

05:18He said, Mummy, and you're not here?

05:20Ten-year-old.

05:21Yeah.

05:22And we decided, we're going to say, because Mummy's pregnant,

05:25she's in special hospital.

05:26So he's sort of, he's got a story that he can hold on to.

05:33I mean, I think that's, any parent would do that.

05:35In the meantime, the local paper advertised me as a pregnant thief

05:39who nicked from pensioner.

05:41That must have been just devastating.

05:44If I wouldn't have been pregnant, I would definitely have killed myself.

05:47Because going to prison, that was a shameful thing.

05:53I was about to shame to my family.

05:54It's hellish, but look, you're here now,

05:57and that moment when you found out that you were exonerated

06:01must have felt just a huge relief.

06:03And since that point, you have received the OBE,

06:08and you have continued to fight for all of those people

06:12who were treated in this way, in this injustice.

06:15It's quite some journey, isn't it?

06:17It is a journey, you know?

06:18You've managed to turn this into something positive,

06:20and that is an amazing achievement.

06:23Well, Sima, I think I have the perfect artist...

06:27Oh, brilliant. ...for you.

06:29So, if you just wait here for a second...

06:40How are you doing? All right?

06:41Very well, thank you.

06:42I've just been talking to our sitter.

06:45She was a victim of the post office scandal.

06:48And when you hear it from someone,

06:50their own personal experience,

06:52it really brings it home to you.

06:53There's a lot of elements to it.

06:56I had a long think about this,

06:58and I think Jack would be perfect for this.

07:00Wow.

07:01So, if you'd like to come with me...

07:03Yeah.

07:03...and I'll fill you in on the way.

07:05Absolutely. All right. Thank you.

07:13Amazing.

07:14Sima, I'd like to introduce you to...

07:17Jack.

07:18Hi, Sima. Pleased to meet you. How are you?

07:19Nice to meet you. Fine, thank you. How are you?

07:21Very well, thanks. Very well.

07:23I've heard a little bit about your story.

07:24How do you feel about having your portrait?

07:28I've never thought that I would have a portrait done.

07:31I want a portrait to be like something positive, happy.

07:35Well, I'll see what I can do.

07:36Jack, I can see this.

07:38The mind's ticking over already.

07:41There's lots and lots going on in my head,

07:43but I can't wait. I can't wait to get started.

07:45Okay, great. I'll let you guys get on.

07:47Thank you very much. All right.

07:55You can't not be affected by it,

07:58listening to someone completely innocent

08:00being put through the wringer like this.

08:03There's so much to draw out of it.

08:06It's a tall order, but I think Jack's up to it.

08:09He's not just a great artist, he's a very sensitive soul.

08:20In order to elicit the emotional depth Jack uses for his work,

08:24he wants some insight into Seema beyond the post office scandal.

08:34Hi. How are you doing?

08:35I'm very well. Hi, how are you?

08:37Good to spend class. Good to see you.

08:42Jack, meet my husband, Dave.

08:44Ah, Devinder, pleased to meet you.

08:46How are you?

08:47I'm very well, very well.

08:47Thank you so much for welcoming us in.

08:49Thanks for coming.

08:50No, thank you so much.

08:53So what is happening this evening?

08:56So we're having a Rudra Abhishek,

08:58which is a pooja for Shivji, Lord Shiva.

09:01Aha.

09:02So it's like a cleansing to bring the positivity in the house

09:05and take negativity out of our life and our mind.

09:07We always wanted to do this by force.

09:10We couldn't do it.

09:11What do you think it was that prevented you

09:12from being able to do a ceremony like this?

09:16There's still stigma of going to prison.

09:18Mm-hmm.

09:19Mm-hmm.

09:19It's difficult to overcome.

09:24While observing the religious ceremony and rituals, Jack sketches and makes notes to help inform the final composition.

09:41I felt very self-conscious in there to start off with drawing.

09:44Drew, the master of ceremonies, the priest, the objects.

09:46I've got little drawings of the vessel of Shiva's head that we were making offerings to.

09:52So there are all sorts of things.

09:54All sorts of things in there.

09:56Yes, thank you.

09:57Thank you very much, Dean.

09:59Oh, my gosh.

10:01Oh, this all looks gorgeous.

10:04Tonight has reinforced one thing, and that is that this portrait is not just about one person.

10:09It's about a wider community.

10:22Hey, Derek.

10:23How are you?

10:24Very well, you?

10:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.

10:26Thanks so much for having me.

10:31Last night was just so moving.

10:35Your faith, your beliefs are core to your sense of identity.

10:42When we're going through dark days, I've become alcoholic.

10:45I lost my faith, but she's keeping her faith alive.

10:48What must it have been like for you as a couple?

10:52People think, you know, you did well with your family, but they've got no idea.

10:56I used to say, like, whatever happened, happened for a reason.

10:59That's how it kept me going.

11:01I was more worried about Devinder and Adi because after losing everything, Devinder became very alcoholic.

11:07I was like, how are they both going to cope?

11:11Being an optimistic person, I can't even say it was a bad time because I was pregnant.

11:17It's difficult to believe that it happened.

11:19Still, like, you know, sometimes I think, like, oh, I get up one morning and it's just like a dream.

11:26I could see that it was bringing up a lot of very, very difficult memories.

11:32They're two ordinary human beings who have suffered.

11:35Neither, I suspect, would have survived and got through this on their own.

11:41There we go. That's perfect.

11:43Okay, now if you can just look at each other, that'd be great.

11:46It's a tragic, beautiful, traumatic love story, which I hope has a happy ending.

12:05Right from the moment I found out that I was going to be making a portrait of Seema, I've wanted

12:11to use a sketchbook as a kind of visual diary to work through problems and work through ideas.

12:17How do I tell the story? Do I say things factually or do I say them in a kind of

12:24more metaphorical, ambiguous way?

12:30Jack has decided to use the biggest canvas he's ever worked on in order to do justice to Seema's story.

12:37As he primes it, he layers words and phrases that won't appear in the final portrait, but help him find

12:42the emotion and direction he needs.

12:51Jack's process is to take all the things that have inspired him and build in layers, textures and hidden images.

12:59Hello, Jack. Hi, Bill. How are you?

13:02Very well. This is nice. So, what's going on here?

13:05As you know, I went to Seema and was witness to the Rudra Bishek ceremony.

13:11I think one of the things that I got from it was this quiet, calm kind of power that came

13:16through.

13:17It definitely changed the way I want to kind of portray her.

13:22It sounds like this is quite a sort of pivotal moment in this process.

13:34For the sitting, Jack has asked Seema to bring along some outfits and items that have significance for her.

13:41There she is. Seema, lovely to see you again.

13:44Hi, Seema. How are you?

13:45How are you? How are you? Very well.

13:46Fantastic, thank you.

13:47Yeah. Hi, Seema. Nice to see you again.

13:49Oh, brilliant.

13:50I have quite a few saris.

13:51Yes.

13:52And some, like, ornaments and bangles.

13:54Oh, these are amazing.

13:57So, these are raised.

13:58Oh, my word.

13:58These are gold and silver.

14:00These are beautiful.

14:01This is one of my wedding saris.

14:03Oh, this blue one?

14:04Yeah, blue one.

14:05So, I wore this on my honeymoon too.

14:07And both these sides are my wedding saris.

14:09Part of my wedding collection.

14:11So, I mean, every one of these has some sort of meaning or significance.

14:14Yeah.

14:14But perhaps you could be wearing this one here.

14:17Yeah.

14:17I love that pattern.

14:18I like the subtlety of the colours as well.

14:20Well, I think, while Seema gets ready, gets changed, perhaps we can start taking some photographs of all these things.

14:28It's very subtle, isn't it?

14:30It is.

14:30These embroidered patterns.

14:32But there's also a kind of a subtler pattern on the material itself.

14:35There's many, many layers of patterns.

14:38Reminds me of an artist.

14:39I can't remember.

14:39Jack something.

14:41Yeah.

14:44It is lovely.

14:46This is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

14:49Oh.

14:50Hello.

14:51She is amazing.

14:52Amazing.

14:52Look at this.

14:53That looks...

14:54Honestly, you look spectacular.

14:55And I've just noticed your palms of your hands are beautifully painted with this, this henna.

15:01That's absolutely extraordinary.

15:02And my feet as well.

15:04And your feet as well.

15:05Wonderful.

15:06So there's more to photograph here, Jack, I think.

15:08Seema, if you could just look at Bill, so almost give me a profile.

15:12Okay.

15:13That'll be...

15:13Yeah, there we go.

15:15Did you have any thoughts about how it might, you might be portrayed?

15:19Something happy, something hopeful, something positive, like that kind of...

15:23If they look at my story 15 years ago, 20 years ago, from there to here, what a journey.

15:28Mmm.

15:29Despite everything that's gone on, and at this stage where you're still fighting, you are being so incredibly positive.

15:36Inspirationally so.

15:37It is a sad thing, but if we've been always been looking at the negative side of it, we wouldn't

15:43have been able to move forward.

15:45Mmm.

15:46And life would have been very, very difficult.

15:48Someone like yourself, who is... who has this amazing positive attitude, you know, is...

15:53It hopefully radiates out to others, doesn't it?

15:56That's what I am is.

15:57You always believe, you know, that God always gives a strong fight to his strongest kids, so...

16:02Right.

16:05I'm gonna come round, Jack, and have a look.

16:07Okay.

16:08Promise not to laugh.

16:11I am at the moment.

16:13Already, there's a kind of attitude.

16:15You've captured that sort of studied look of Seema as well.

16:20I really want to make sure I've got a likeness.

16:33That's one foot forward, so we can see a foot underneath.

16:37There we go.

16:45Seema, is it okay just to get you looking perhaps over there?

16:49You see the little...

16:50Could I turn as well, or just look?

16:51No, if you keep your body facing me, but you're... just your head...

16:54Wonderful.

16:55Oh, it looks like you've done this before, so...

16:59I'm not preaching, I'm just talking.

17:04I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in.

17:09And then just dip your head down a tiny, tiny little bit.

17:12That's it.

17:13Wonderful.

17:14Perfect.

17:14And then can you look at me with your eyes?

17:18Wonderful.

17:33See, that's perfect.

17:35You see, that is wonderful.

17:46There's something very important around her neck.

17:49When she was convicted, unfortunately she had to sell an awful lot of the family jewellery,

17:53including this silver necklace.

17:55So the one that she was wearing for the sitting was the replacement one that she bought when

18:01they renewed their vows.

18:03I have transferred 30 individual photocopies onto this board, behind which is all my painting

18:12and drawing, and at the moment it looks white, so the paper is still obscuring an awful lot

18:18of the print, and I have to remove the paper, leaving behind the ink on the photocopies.

18:24This is the exciting bit for me, it's kind of almost like the big reveal.

18:28You're not alone, why you think you are, you're not alone, why you think you are.

18:38We all have scars, I know it's hard, you're not alone, you're not alone.

18:47At the moment, what we're looking at is a super complex background.

18:51It's not the finished image by any means.

18:54The next stage is to actually start painting the portrait and start painting Seema.

19:08Had about four hours sleep, I was here in the studio last night till late,

19:12and then up very early this morning, just sort of reassessing really.

19:17I need to think of a way of somehow getting some of that sort of raw emotion,

19:22that feeling of anger and injustice.

19:25Some of the fight, some of the pain that she's been through,

19:29and I'm not sure how to do that.

19:31If I don't stop faffing, it's not going to be finished,

19:35and that's going to be embarrassing and a disaster.

19:39So it's kind of getting critical now.

19:46Jack has felt the full weight of Seema's story.

19:52My fear is now, if I keep looking at this, and if I keep trying to resolve it,

19:59I'm going to tip it over the edge into, it doesn't work.

20:01That's always a problem with me, so I'm still going to have sleepless nights, no matter what.

20:10The big day has finally arrived.

20:13Jack has put his heart and soul into this portrait,

20:16and is finally happy to reveal it to her and the family.

20:19Hello, Jack.

20:20Hello, Bill. How are you?

20:21I'm very well. This is it, the big day.

20:23Oh, my gosh. I've been dreaming about it.

20:26Very exciting.

20:27Now, the fact that you're not carrying the painting gives me a slight sense of foreboding.

20:33Yeah, here we go.

20:34Blimey.

20:35Yes. I went just a little bit big this time.

20:38You certainly did.

20:39Yeah.

20:40Have you been painting this in the van?

20:42I've been living in the van.

20:43How long ago did you finish this, Jack?

20:45Would it fill you with confidence if I said yesterday?

20:48Right.

20:56Seema has brought husband Davinda, sons Adi and Jayraj,

21:00fellow wrongly jailed postmaster Janet, and friends Archie and Geeta.

21:11Are you excited?

21:13Very excited. So looking forward.

21:14It's some size.

21:16It's such a story.

21:17I just thought that the only way I could encapsulate everything was to go big.

21:22It kind of felt like such an epic portrait that I couldn't really, you know, reduce it.

21:29Do you know what? I'm very excited to see it because I know your work and how wonderfully detailed and

21:36layered it is.

21:37And to hear you say this is like the most ambitious portrait you've ever done.

21:43I mean, it's gonna be...

21:45Fingers crossed.

21:46It's gonna be amazing, right?

21:48Are you nervous?

21:49No, I must know.

21:51I've seen Jack's work.

21:52I know he will do brilliant job.

21:54You ready for the reveal?

21:55As I'll ever be.

21:56Great. Okay. I'll just, uh, I'll go and get Seema and the family.

21:59Perfect. See you in a moment.

22:03Come this way for a portrait reveal.

22:08Excited.

22:09Yeah.

22:10Yeah.

22:11Right.

22:13Okay.

22:14Yes.

22:16Firstly, welcome everyone.

22:18Welcome, Seema.

22:20Today's the big day.

22:21This is the big reveal.

22:23Um, so, Jack, how are you feeling?

22:27I'm like that.

22:28I might not look like it, but on the inside, I am, yeah, I'm trembling.

22:33I desperately hope that you recognize yourself in it.

22:36What about you, Seema?

22:38How are you feeling?

22:39I'm so very, very excited.

22:41I can't wait anymore to see it now.

22:43All right, everyone.

22:45Okay, take a deep breath.

22:48Take a moment.

22:57Jack, shall we?

22:59Okay.

23:07Oh, my God.

23:15Oh, my God.

23:17It's beautiful, Jack.

23:19Oh, my God.

23:20Honestly, it's took my breath away.

23:22Thank you very much, Jack.

23:29It's just like, yes, we believed in ourselves.

23:32That we'll be all okay.

23:34It's amazing.

23:37No words, to be honest.

23:38Oh, my God.

23:40This is a story, actually.

23:41It is.

23:42It's no portrait.

23:44Incredible.

23:45Incredible.

23:52I wasn't thinking you were going to make me cry.

23:55I always want this for my wife because I've seen when she's going through hell,

24:01I see her standing tall, beautiful, proud.

24:06You know, this is what I want from my wife.

24:09And this is what she's getting now.

24:12Incredible.

24:13I'm so happy.

24:19I think it's sort of, like, gone from the dark and it's brought out in the light.

24:25The gold is symbol in us and who she is now.

24:29And what she's come through.

24:31All the good memories there.

24:32Not the bad memories we've been gone through.

24:36Amazing.

24:40Here we are.

24:41Standing proud.

24:44I'm trying, I'm struggling to find right words.

24:46Because there's no words.

24:49Genuinely shocked, to be honest.

24:52Looking at it.

24:54Proud on my mum.

24:55Emotional.

24:57It's wonderful.

24:59Really happy for mum.

25:01And that, whatever she's been through is, you know,

25:04there's always a good outcome.

25:06It shows Seema in the light.

25:08The wonderful light that she is.

25:12Strong, proud woman that she is.

25:15It's just, it's just captured her completely.

25:22It's so powerful.

25:24By looking at it, it's giving me power back.

25:26It's giving me strength as well.

25:28Thank you very much.

25:30For God's sake.

25:35Thank you very much.

25:36Thank you very much.

25:38It's brilliant.

25:47I'm incredibly emotional.

25:49It has been such a privilege to, to have all of you sort of share everything that you've been through

25:56over the last few years.

25:57And I think it's that kind of, the force of kind of good that you are, that I hope has

26:04come across.

26:05I think that, you know, your reaction says it all really.

26:08It's overwhelming to see yourself as others see you, but also to see someone who's understood you, understood you and

26:17your story.

26:19Some bits you might be able to see through the layers.

26:22There's, there's references here back to the stamps, but they're underneath you now.

26:28You're treading on them.

26:30Yes.

26:32That's the, that's the past.

26:36Thank you so much.

26:39It's amazing.

26:41So now Jack and I are just going to step out, invite you to come forwards and really have a

26:48closer look.

26:56You done it?

26:57Yeah, just.

26:58I know.

26:58That's easy.

27:00Yeah, I didn't realise the stamps either.

27:02It's just amazing.

27:03How are you?

27:04Yeah, on a wedding day.

27:06On a wedding day.

27:07That's my mum and dad.

27:08It's incredible.

27:15Jack.

27:16Hello.

27:16You look, you look dramatic.

27:19I am shaking.

27:21You look a bit shell shocked.

27:22I'm utterly overwhelmed.

27:24Yeah.

27:24Utterly overwhelmed.

27:25And how are they?

27:26Er, I think the same.

27:28That was just one of the most intense experiences I think I've ever been through.

27:33No way.

27:34Yeah.

27:35Brilliant.

27:35You know, I wasn't expecting that at all.

27:42That was extremely moving.

27:46It was very powerful.

27:48I think Devinder's reaction probably was what set me off.

27:54I think because there's his wife Seema looking beautiful, strong, powerful, magnificent.

28:03Yet paradoxically what that does is remind you of all the tough times.

28:09And that's what great art can do.

28:12That's the wonder of portraiture.

28:14That's the wonder of portraiture.

28:30That's one of the most immense portraits.

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