Beachy Head

Emma Tobin, Dan Rebellato, Lewis Hetherington, Liam Jarvis, Hannah Barker

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781849430111
• eBook ISBN: 9781849433501
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

It's been a month since Stephen stepped over the edge. There was no sign no warning. Amy collects her husband's effects, the things he had with him gathered in a single box. As memories of their last night together rewind, replay and unravel, she is desperate to find out why. Joe and Matt are making a documentary. Whilst reviewing their footage they make a startling discovery that will take their film in an unexpected direction - the blurred image of a man jumping from the cliffs. Beachy Head is a powerful look at the ripple effects of one man's decision.

ACT TWO

1.

Hospital.

A shutter screen opens on RACHEL. Mid-interview.

RACHEL: Well, if a body falls from a great height it’ll suffer any number of injuries, particularly from somewhere like Beachy Head, you’ll have fractures, bones sticking through the skin, the skull gets bashed in. Depending on how they fall, the neck might snap – that’s the main one actually.

The first major impact to the head and the brain disconnects from the stem causing a massive shower of impulses that shuts the whole body down. It’s like pulling a plug from a wall.

JOE: Lovely. Excuse me a moment.

MATT: (Joe can you – ?)

JOE: (Yeah sure)

MATT: (It’s just – )

JOE: (Oh yeah)

RACHEL: What is it? Have I –

JOE: No you’re fine it’s a technical thing.

MATT: (Let’s try the light more – )

JOE: (Yeah yeah)

Sorry about this.

RACHEL: Do you want me to carry on?

JOE: We’ll just be a minute.

MATT moves the light.

RACHEL finds it bright so moves.

JOE: Actually, could you stay there? We’re just trying something –

RACHEL: It’s quite bright –

JOE: Is it?

RACHEL: Maybe I could wear sunglasses.

JOE: It’s important to see the eyes.

RACHEL: I was joking.

JOE: Ha ha.

MATT returns to camera.

You were saying about the head being like a plug.

RACHEL: If you break your neck, the brain disconnects from the stem, suddenly, sending a massive shower of impulses that shuts the body down. It’s like when you pull a plug from a wall.

MATT: (She’s squinting)

JOE: Is it a bit bright?

RACHEL: It is a bit.

JOE: (We can try it the other side)

MATT: (We’ll get the same problem)

JOE: (I thought it would be more bouncy in here)

RACHEL: Do I carry on?

JOE: Just give us one second.

Quiet, overlapping.

MATT: (We can turn the whole thing round)

JOE: (I think we reframe)

MATT: (I’m not sold)

JOE: (Last third. Straight to camera maybe. Even half out of frame)

MATT: (It won’t work. Remember the Newport thing)

JOE: (That was different but yeah hm, maybe)

MATT: (Maybe we live with dark. We tweak it in the grade but we accept it’s coming out of the grain)

JOE: (...)

MATT: (Yeah?)

JOE: (Okay) Sorry, just conferring on lighting.

MATT goes to adjust light back to original position.

RACHEL: Is this useful?

JOE: Hugely, it’s brilliant stuff.

MATT: And we’re ready.

JOE: Autopsies. How many you’ve done, how you cope with doing them, do they affect your homelife sort of thing.

RACHEL: Um. Lot of questions.

JOE: I know, sorry.

RACHEL: I’ve performed I should think around a thousand autopsies. An autopsy is, sad to say, a routine thing. It’s part of the training, you get used to it very quickly. I can’t say it affects me. Not any longer. Sometimes the bodies are a bit bashed about, I suppose, and that pulls you back to the person.

JOE: (How’s that looking?)

MATT: (Thumbs up.)

JOE: And.... does everyone get an autopsy?

RACHEL: No.

JOE: Ah. Why not?

RACHEL: Well for a start because I’d be horribly overworked.

People are dying all the time; that’s just how it is. If we were to, what, take on every case, we’d be overwhelmed. Emotionally I mean. Look, the population of the world is let’s say around 6.8 billion.

And around 57 million people die each year. So with 57 million people dying each year that means someone dies roughly every half of a second.

MATT gestures for her to move slightly.

Am I still in the light here? Okay.

So on average someone is dying now... now... now ... now... now... now...

Shutter closes on RACHEL.

2.

AMY & STEPHEN’s shared work room. AMY, MATT and JOE. MATT and JOE do not have their cameras. The box of STEPHEN’s effects is in the corner. They have just entered.

AMY: (Breathes out.) This is it. Stephen worked over there. This was my bit, down here.

JOE: Okay.

MATT: It’s dark.

AMY: The light doesn’t work. There’s a lamp.

She puts it on.

JOE: It feels so still in here.

AMY: I’ve not been in really since –

MATT: Of course.

AMY: I work downstairs. Mostly in the kitchen. Which is fine. When I don’t get distracted by biscuits.

MATT: That’s like him.

JOE sees the bits of writing on th...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Frontmatter
• DIRECTORS’ NOTE
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Characters
• PROLOGUE
• ACT ONE
• ACT TWO
• ACT THREE
• EPILOGUE