Enter David Butler - Guest Sister Beryl Ash

CAMERAS DIALOGUE SOUND

16A 1 DAVID ENTERS AND SITS. EAMONN SITS.

BBC ENTRANCE 24170

DAVID BUTLER APPLAUSE

EAMONN:

ZOOM TO 2/sh DAVID BUTLER, THIS IS YOUR LIFE.

SIX YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU WERE JUST ELEVEN YEARS OLD, A MOMENT OF SCHOOLBOY CURIOSITY NEARLY ENDED YOUR LIFE. ON A STRETCH OF DOWNLAND THAT WAS ONCE A FIRING RANGE YOU FIND AN OLD MORTAR BOMB.

17 3 YOU TOUCH IT AND THERE`S A BLINDING EXPLOSION.

MCU SUBJECT FROM THAT SPLIT-SECOND YOU KNOW NOTHING UNTIL YOU STRUGGLE BACK TO CONSCIOUSNESS IN HOSPITAL AND HEAR THIS VOICE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

BERYL ASH (O.S.) O.S.MIC.

ZOOM TO CU DAVID YOU`VE BEEN BADLY HURT AND YOU`VE GOT TO BE BRAVE.

EAMONN:

SHE WAS AT YOUR BEDSIDE ON THAT DAY SIX YEARS

AGO. THEN SISTER IN CHARGE OF YOUR WARD AT LUTON & DUNSTABLE HOSPITAL, SISTER BERYL ASH.

18. 1 ENTRANCE SISTER ASH TAPE 3

ENTRANCE

19. 2 MCU GREETING AND

20. 3 MCU GREETING GREETING

21. 1 EAMONN:

2/sh AS SISTER, IT WAS UP TO YOU TO TELL DAVID JUST HOW BADLY HURT HE WAS?

SISTER ASH:

22. 2 YES, AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WORRIED ME TERRIBLY.

YOU SEE, AFTER HE HAD BEEN OPERATED ON HE WAS KEPT UNDER DRUGS FOR THREE DAYS AND I KNEW ALL THAT TIME THAT WHEN HE CAME ROUND I WOULD HAVE TO TELL A VERY HEALTHY LITTLE BOY THAT HE`S LOST BOTH HIS LEGS AND A HAND.

EAMONN:

23. 3 YOU WERE EXPECTING AN ORDEAL FOR BOTH OF YOU?

SISTER ASH:

24. 2 I WAS, AND THE FIRST THING I SAID TO DAVID WAS THAT HE`D GOT TO BE BRAVE ABOUT HIS LINJURIES AND REALLY HE WAS LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AT ALL. HE DIDN`T EVEN CRY BUT HE CAUGHT HOLD OF MY HAND AND HE WOULDN`T LET ME GO UNTIL I TOLD HIM EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

EAMONN:

25. 3 AND YOU TOLD HIM THE TRUTH.

SISTER ASH:

26. 2 YES. HE WAS DETERMINED TO KNOW SO I TOLD HIM THAT HIS LEGS AND HIS HAND HAD BEEN SO BADLY INJURED THAT THEY WERE NO MORE USE TO HIM AND THAT WE WERE MAKING HIM NEW ONES INSTEAD.

EAMONN:

27. 3 EVEN THEN THERE WERE NO TEARS?

SISTER ASH:

28. 4 NO. HE WAS QUIET FOR A LITTLE WHILE THEN HE SAID:

"SISTER, WILL I BE ABLE TO PLAY AGAIN WHEN I GET MY NEW LEGS?"

EAMONN:

29. 3 YOU REASSURED HIM?

SISTER ASH:

30. 4 I DID MY BEST AND WHEN DAVID HAD THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR A MOMENT HE SAID SOMETHING THAT I`VE NEVER FORGOTTEN.

HE SAID "WELL I COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE OFF COULDN`T I?"

31 3 EAMONN: TAPE 4

MCU SUBJECT

ZOOM TO 3/sh for THANK YOU, SISTER BERYL ASH.

EXIT

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