- 10 hours ago
First broadcast 6th November 1970.
Two business executives are trapped for the night on a deserted office floor by a disgruntled employee who has hacked the elevator system.
Ursula Mohan - Moira
Larry Dann - Dave
Michael Culver - Johnson
John Stratton - Harker
Peter Madden - Flint
Keith Ashley - Man in Canteen
Two business executives are trapped for the night on a deserted office floor by a disgruntled employee who has hacked the elevator system.
Ursula Mohan - Moira
Larry Dann - Dave
Michael Culver - Johnson
John Stratton - Harker
Peter Madden - Flint
Keith Ashley - Man in Canteen
Category
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TVTranscript
00:17He didn't really want me to come here at all. I don't think it would suit him a big place
00:22like this. He's been used to working for his dad, you see.
00:25One of the garden shed boys, eh? A few old paintings, six pinnets of nails, and they're all set to
00:30decorate the town hall.
00:31I didn't say anything like that. He's super, actually.
00:35Oh, like that, is it?
00:36Like what?
00:36I'm just thinking about him. Gets you all hot, eh? Around the, uh, around the back of your neck.
00:41It's this place. It's so sticky today.
00:44It's no different from usual. The controls maintain a constant level of temperature and humidity in the corridors,
00:49offices, canteen a lot. All programmed with compensatory factors to cut in when necessary.
00:53Well, maybe the computer didn't know there was curry on the menu today.
00:56Look, the way things are calculated...
00:58The way things are calculated, it gets all nasty and hot in here, and all cold and damp in our
01:03office.
01:03And what floor are you on, then?
01:04Second, data processing.
01:06Oh, well, I mean, there's a reason. The computers. The whole floor's adjusted for high humidity at reduced temperature.
01:13Well, our Mr. Harker says...
01:14You work with Mr. Harker?
01:16I'm one of his staff, yes.
01:17I get it. You're an audio typist.
01:19I'm no such thing. Well, I'm on collation at the moment.
01:24Collation, yeah. You mean typing up lists.
01:27Well, and what do you do?
01:29Technical branch for Mr. Flint's section. They call us the troubleshooters.
01:32Oh, that. Maintenance. And what sort of special cog does that make you?
01:36You aren't really with it, are you? You don't have cogs nowadays. It's all done with micro-circuits and negators
01:41and interrogators.
01:42Well, whoever interrogated this lot got it wrong, anyway.
01:45Computers function perfectly. It's fed the right information.
01:48Well, you work down there. Why don't you and your Mr. What's-It do a bit of feeding?
01:53You know, cool down the canteen and fix our floor.
01:56Not my job to programme this building.
01:58Do you know, there used to be nine different buildings.
02:01Order to and fro, empathetic.
02:02Yeah, but look at now. Entrance doors, power-assisted, lifts pre-selected, canteen requirements exact every morning, and a garage.
02:10Split-second timing, in and out.
02:12Took some putting together, this building. They really knew how to work in them days.
02:15Like our Mrs. Leggett.
02:17Hmm?
02:17Ninety if she's a day.
02:19And the way she'd talk, she'd swear she'd lay the foundation stone with her own hands.
02:24But it will finish up with some machine running the lot.
02:28All those lists we've been typing out, something to do with redundancy.
02:32A lot of bits of wire, deciding whether you're good enough to go on breathing.
02:38And I think they've short-circuited the custard.
02:42Anyway, I must be off.
02:45Keep your powder dry.
02:46In that humidity.
03:01Well, that's about it then.
03:03No need for the qualification. That is it.
03:14There'll be some hardship, of course.
03:15Oh, I wouldn't call it hardship. A few emotional upsets.
03:19Oh, some people are bound to feel a bit resentful.
03:21Well, it was not in our brief to include sentimentality as a factor.
03:24Oh, well, no, hardly.
03:26No one can say we haven't been there.
03:29Or accuse the computer of bias.
03:32Yeah.
03:34Well, there we are. Marching orders prepared.
03:37They're not going to like it, the redundancy regiment.
03:41There's nothing any of them can do about it.
03:44Not now.
03:47You know, one day I may not have to do this.
03:50When we come in, automatic arms will take our coats.
03:53At night, they'll slip them back on again as we leave.
03:56Hmm.
04:04Well.
04:05Funny, it's getting a bit chilly in here.
04:07Well, I imagine temperature reduces outside normal working hours.
04:16Well, it's my turn to show for tonight.
04:17I owe you two and a half days.
04:19Two and a half?
04:19Yes, there was that morning you drove me in, and then we had to go back by train.
04:24The day the garage portcullis jammed.
04:27Oh, that.
04:28I don't think that can happen again.
04:30Not with this new automatic stud relay they've installed.
04:37If there's no need to press twice, one signal is enough.
04:39It's stored until answered.
04:42Well, it's not coming, is it?
04:45That's odd.
04:46Well, it's supposed to be floating between these three floors at this time of day.
04:49It usually is, anyway.
04:50Well, always.
04:51After 1,700 hours.
04:53Never know how to go on the blink before?
04:55Well.
04:57It would appear the official has to use the stairs.
04:59Stairs?
05:00Well, that is what they're for.
05:01An emergency.
05:15What the hell's going off?
05:19I see it must be a fire drill.
05:21Well, this is a fine time to have a...
05:24Oh, I suppose they have to carry out a test every now and then when the staff's gone home.
05:28Very thorough.
05:29Excellent idea.
05:29Well, it's the first time I've been caught up in one.
05:31Better ring security.
05:53Oh, there must be somebody there.
05:55Well, someone on duty.
05:56I mean, fire drill on them fire drills.
05:58It's just the place where someone ought to be stationed.
06:00Well, you don't suppose they go through the whole routine, do you?
06:02I mean, turn the sprinklers on the lock.
06:03Oh, that's highly unlikely.
06:04Just for a test, it caused far too much damage.
06:07Hmm.
06:08Well, I don't know how long we'll have to wait before they open the doors again.
06:11Or restart the lifts.
06:12This is ridiculous.
06:15Ah, that sounds a bit more like it.
06:16Mr. Johnson.
06:18Mr. Arca.
06:19Well, look, if you knew we were here, why the hell did you...
06:21Please listen carefully.
06:23I have something to say to you.
06:24Well, I've got something to say to you too.
06:26If you imagine we're going to stay...
06:27This is a recorded message.
06:29You will miss an important part of it if you try to interrupt or talk to each other.
06:33Until I tell you, you may do so.
06:37I do not propose to tell you my name, nor my official code number in the company records.
06:44One of the numbers you have listed as being no longer necessary to the company, in spite of my years
06:50of loyal service.
06:51How the hell do you know that?
06:53Being in a position to examine the processing material, and the preliminary coded list prepared by the typist for the
07:00duplication,
07:02I know I'm chosen as one of your sacrifices.
07:06Unfortunately, I do not choose to offer my throat to the axe, or shall I say, to the negator circuits.
07:15The way you presented the statistics was an invitation to the computer to choose women operatives.
07:22You loaded them against long-service staff and asked for shallow economies regardless of long-term profitability.
07:30Given the facts in proper form, the output would have printed out quite a different recommendation.
07:37And to be quite frank, Mr. Archer, Mr. Johnson, it might well have eliminated some parasites on your own level.
07:46You bloody nerve!
07:48Quiet, let's hear the rest of it.
07:49I intend to safeguard my job, and a lot of other jobs.
07:54All the men who have given their working lives to the organization, making it what it is today.
08:00And if you imagine we can just be thrown out, written off, simply because you've misinterpreted the functions of an
08:07automated business?
08:08Oh dear, so emotional.
08:09Now, let me tell you my demands.
08:14Demands?
08:14Why the articles...
08:15The redundancy list is to be scrapped.
08:18Instructions for duplication of preliminary categories are to be cancelled.
08:23Mr. Johnson, or Mr. Archer, I leave the choice to you, will dictate a new memorandum to the directors.
08:31This will say that there has been an unavoidable delay in presentation of the final recommendations because...
08:38Well, how should we put it?
08:40Because certain discrepancies have arisen from inadequate programming.
08:46In the meantime, staff dismissals must cease, pending reassessment.
08:54This memo is to be dictated now.
08:58Now!
08:59When it's complete, I'll let you out.
09:02Not before.
09:07If he imagines I'm going to have any part in unpicking all that work, he's sadly mistaken.
09:11He can't force us to do any such thing.
09:13All we have to do is wait.
09:15Yes, well, how long?
09:16Well, all night if necessary.
09:17Sooner or later, someone will realise that this entire floor is cut off by tomorrow morning at the very latest.
09:21Well, the security officer, he'll be run long before then.
09:24When I get my hands on that...
09:25On him, whoever he is, I'm going to wring his bloody neck.
09:28I've allowed you a few moments for consideration.
09:32I fancy you employed them in the utterance of meaningless abuse.
09:37And I'm sure you feel defiant.
09:40Well, I'll now explain why defiance will do you no good.
09:44Look, listen, listen to me.
09:45Before you say something, you're really going to regret...
09:47the building control circuits.
09:49A rather interesting programme, you'll find.
09:52They must be Blake or Woodford.
09:54But they aren't even on our list.
09:55In the first place, the corridor is sealed off.
09:59No other floor is affected and no alarm signals will show because I've arranged that they don't.
10:05The doorman will see nothing unusual on the check panels.
10:10The security officer will have no reason to visit this floor until his routine inspection at four o'clock in
10:16the morning.
10:16Four o'clock?
10:17In the second place, I have made certain adjustments to the air conditioning.
10:23Do you know it is?
10:26The balance has been made to give you some rather cold air and very humid.
10:34Yes, an hour or two of this could have a very nasty effect on your morale, gentlemen.
10:40I think, though, that we can solve our difficulties before then.
10:45It can't be done, you know that as well as I do.
10:48Only the cleaners have the keys to the safety locks.
10:50You can't telephone.
10:52There's only one message the control deck will accept from this office.
10:56And that's a connection to the audio typing spools.
11:00You can record the memoranda I've suggested and that's absolutely all you can do.
11:05Oh, and, incidentally,
11:08don't think you can cheat on the memo.
11:10So, I've coupled the dictation line to one outgoing telephone line as well.
11:16And that's connected to my private phone at home.
11:20I'm miles away, but I can monitor your dictation.
11:24So, if you don't say what I want, I shall not replace my receiver.
11:29And until I do replace it, the relays won't open up to let you out.
11:35I've fixed that.
11:39Also, if you try afterwards to press the rewind button on your desk
11:43and try to erase the message from the spool,
11:47I'll make things fairly unpleasant for you.
11:50How?
11:51The only erasing that's being done is of this particular tape,
11:55the one that's playing to you now.
11:58There'll be no record of my voice left in the morning.
12:00Nothing that anyone can trace.
12:04Now,
12:06you ready to start dictating?
12:09I'll give you five minutes to think about it and get it right.
12:13Or you'll notice it's getting colder.
12:17And damper.
12:19Do you really want to go on?
12:23Five minutes.
12:25Make up your minds while I'm still in a reasonably friendly mood.
12:28If you don't...
12:32I'm not.
12:33I'm not.
12:34I'm not.
15:20Oh, is anything working?
15:22Next all the same.
15:25And across the corridor, everything cut off.
15:28Dead.
15:31So, we've just got to stick it out.
15:32That's right.
15:33We'll get pneumonia.
15:35That's most unlikely.
15:36A good hot bath when we get home.
15:38Yes, and when will that be?
15:49This ridiculous creature has got us here locked in all right.
15:52But he can't do anything to us.
15:54He hopes that we'll crack.
15:56But as long as we don't, what can he possibly hope to get out of this?
16:24There isn't a thing he can do.
16:27Not a thing.
16:29Must be raving mad.
16:31All we have to do is wait.
16:33They'll let us out eventually.
16:35He's wasting his time.
16:58Can you do mores?
17:01No.
17:03And I think it highly unlikely that either a ship's radio operator or a boy scout will be strolling in
17:09the city at this time of night.
17:20You're wasting your time, you hear?
17:22You're wasting your bloody time!
17:23I observe that no message is yet going through to the dictation spools.
17:29I really think I shall have to apply more pressure.
17:33You see, if you don't do what I say, I'm going to get at least one little bit of personal
17:39pleasure out of the whole affair.
17:42I'm going to kill you.
17:45Do I make myself clear?
17:48He's mad?
17:49I tell you, he's mad!
17:50There isn't a thing he can do.
17:52Our chemical synthetics are known the world over.
17:55Some not so well known.
17:57Rather rush-hush, in fact.
17:59Public relations divisions are going to have to work overtime explaining why two executives of the company were asphyxiated by
18:08a leak of a highly toxic compound into the sprinkler system.
18:14He's bluffing.
18:15What, suppose he's not?
18:16I don't believe a word of it.
18:17What, suppose he's not?
18:18I refuse to be intimidated.
18:19Well, have you decided?
18:25Listen.
18:26Listen to me.
18:28I don't believe you're that far away.
18:30You can hear us.
18:31I'm damn sure you can hear us.
18:33So just you listen to me.
18:34Before you go too far-
18:36A hundred and a half minutes.
18:37That's all you've got left.
18:38Look, if he's capable of going as far as he's gone already-
18:40A hundred and a half minutes.
18:42Understood?
18:44You really had better start dictating.
18:48Once the sprinklers start to operate, I'm afraid there'll be no way of stopping them.
18:54It will do you no good at all.
18:56None at all.
18:57I may stay on the list of redundancies with you.
19:00Where will you be?
19:03Utterly redundant, I fear.
19:05Is that what you want?
19:07Well, I think I've used up enough to take my knife, so...
19:11I'll just say goodbye.
19:14One way or the other.
19:17Goodbye.
19:18Whoop!
19:49Copy to PA. Copy to Mr Fletcher. Copy to personnel records.
19:55Further, to start redeployment memorandum of 16th of October, it is regretted that there will be a delay in finalisation
20:04of recommendations.
20:05Certain discrepancies have arisen from inadequate programming.
20:10It will be necessary to prepare a new analysis before estimates can be performed.
20:14Distribution of lists prepared by external circulation services should be cancelled.
20:22It is requested that machine time be booked and machine cleared for 26th October.
20:30End of memo.
21:06I have a good mind.
21:07No, no, tomorrow. Leave it till tomorrow.
21:27I'm going straight to the nearest police station.
21:30No, this is company business. Don't worry, this madman won't get away with it.
21:36What about the redundancy report? That will be rescinded.
21:39Let's get in.
21:40I don't know.
22:18But how could it?
22:20I mean, everything like that could drop on them just like that.
22:22You never know what next.
22:24I mean, do you?
22:25I'll tell you what my fiancée would have to say.
22:28Fiancée?
22:28Well, yes, it was last night.
22:31We talked about it, you know.
22:32And, well, I thought it would be a smashing idea to announce the engagement on my birthday,
22:37my 21st.
22:38That's next Thursday fortnight.
22:39Oh, congratulations.
22:44Flinty had to go and have a look, try to sort it all out.
22:47Oh, how rotten for him.
22:48What was it then like?
22:51The portcullis went right through, down through the roof of his car.
22:55Oh, don't.
22:56Chance in a million, Flinty says, no treasonable fault.
22:59That'll teach people to work late anyway.
23:01They were always at it.
23:03Nasty little creepers.
23:04You know, Flinty's been over every circuit, every relay, checked and rechecked, says he can't find a thing.
23:09Now we've got to wait for the directors to put someone else in charge, and they'll have to reprogram.
23:13And I don't suppose it'll come out at all the same in the end.
23:15Don't suppose it will.
23:16You know, those two must have been dead beat, tired.
23:21Mr. Flint, no joy?
23:25It's a right weirding, isn't it?
23:27Oh, Maura, I've told you about Mr. Flint.
23:28How do you do, Mr. Flint?
23:30I was just...
23:31Oh, it must have been awful, having to go and, well, try to find out.
23:37Well, you know, we were just saying.
23:39Those two...
23:40They must have been so tired, they hadn't a clue what they were doing.
23:43I bet they rattled off that memo without really understanding a word of it.
23:47You know, given another couple of days, they might have changed their minds again,
23:52gone right back to where they started.
23:55Yes, they might.
23:57Yes, that thought had occurred to me.
24:30Yes, that thought had occurred to me.
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