Well we’re on to Episode 6 of the TPTV repeats, ‘Could Do Better’.
Please Note this contains Spoilers.
Well Budgie’s got a break working behind the counter in one of Charlie Endell’s Soho ‘Bookshops’, however Budgie being Budgie he never knows when he’s on to a good thing or when to leave alone.
A customer ‘Mr’ Marcus Lake (John Franklyn-Robbins) browses some of the wares and Budgie seeing an opportunity steers him to the more ‘hardcore’ selection in the backroom. Budgie hasn’t recognised him but he is Mr Lake a teacher from his old-school he left 15 or so years ago. Charlie meanwhile is full of flu but still grumbles at Budgie… how he treats customers, his fiddles etc. and let’s Budgie know the regular assistant will be back tomorrow, much to the chagrin of Budgie who during his stint has ‘managed’ to save £50 and has dreams of hitting a cruise ship to score with the wealthy dears on board.
Charlie naturally pours scorn on the idea and Budgie’s pimping/poncing ambitions, but it looks for once Budgie might just achieve this ambition but a fly in the ointment shows up – Hazel!
Hazel and Budge had a fling when they were at the Grandee Hotel, Hazel forgot her pills and she thinks she’s pregnant. Budgie doesn’t give a damn either way, even saying to Hazel she can cop for the Family Allowance etc. Hazel however doesn’t want another child, her son from Budgie is more than another complication and wants a private abortion – costing £150. This blows his cruise ambitions out of the water and he’s £100 short but after a second visit to Soho by Mr Lake Budgie gets a brainwave.
Mr Lake lives a double life. He’s a well liked/respected teacher at Budgie’s old school and is in the running for the headmaster job. The last thing he wants is a possible ‘blackmailing’ Budgie getting in the way. Budgie shows up at the school with a parcel and convinces Mr Lake to have a chat with him at Mr Lake’s home. Budgie wants £100 for the porn stack he’s brought round for Mr Lake, but Mr Lake doesn’t want to know and thinks it’s a blackmail ruse in relation to his possible promotion to headmaster. Budgie insists it’s not blackmail and the conversation turns to why Mr Lake is interested in porn at all. He’s a reluctant participant… he’s been unlucky in relationships and see’s this as an outlet he’s not proud of, ‘a drug’ usually throwing the magazines away after buying them and certainly not having them in the house. He also maintains to Budgie he’s not looking for outlets/sexual deviancy either and if anything it’s sad circumstances for both of them. Budgie (possibly?) feels sorry for Mr Lake and leave’s off the porn sale to him and makes his way back to London. However like most things in Budgie this isn’t as simple as it should be. A copper is pounding the beat when Budgie is leaving Mr Lake’s house. The copper recognises Budgie, he is PC Warburton (Ian Stirling) who was in the same year as Budgie and after a sheepish Budgie claims he’s not seen Mr Lake, PC Warburton asks him ‘what’s in the parcel?’ Meanwhile while Budgie’s been on his sojourn both Charlie and Hazel have been trying to reach him at the bookshop.
Even the ‘country’ coppers see through Budgie’s story very quickly and also want to involve Charlie in what seems to be a vice based badger game with Mr Lake. A full of flu and disgruntled Charlie shows up at the police station wanting to… with Budgie the coppers want a bit of fun and hold Budgie and Charlie overnight, even though Mr Lake has sort-of exonerated Budgie with a cock and bull story about wanting career advice etc., even though Budgie left school 15 or so years ago.
Mr Lake successfully gets the headmaster job and has (perhaps wrongly) a soft heart/spot for Budgie, reckoning he might ‘have been able to do something with him’ if he’d been head 15 years earlier. He arranges to ‘loan’ Budgie £100 for Hazel along with a letter offering his advice/support to help Budgie (?) turn things around. He delivers this personally at the Bookshop. However this is being raided by the West End division and it’s only Endell there… he conned Budgie to getting out the car in the rain on their way back from the sticks. Mr Lake gives Endell the letter, Endell reads then tosses the letter (‘twit’) away and keeps the £100. Budgie arrives shortly after, Endell gives Budgie the £100 for some work he wants him to do and doesn’t mention Mr Lake at all.
Hazel meanwhile has had a false alarm and didn’t need the money after all. After all the aggravation Budgie has Charlie’s flu and no cruise to show for it all.
Again it’s another one of those snatching defeat from the jaws of victory episodes for Budgie. Even when he’s on to a good thing with Charlie at the Bookshop he can’t resist another ruse, another con… this time thinking Mr Lake is in the market for a constant supply of porn and trying to tap into his vice, his addiction accordingly.
It also shows a lot of the self-centred/selfish nature of Budgie too. His only concern is having his cruise and perhaps making some – in various ways, too. When Hazel’s possible pregnancy rears it’s head it’s almost disinterest it’s greeted with from Budgie, ‘you’ll cop for the Family Allowance’ is his first response. He’s not happy or proud to have a child/another child and doesn’t really care if Hazel has it or not. When Hazel suggests the abortion The NHS or a backstreet is Budgie’s preferred solution not a proper private clinic which will cost him £150.
This episode also shows some of Hazel’s dependency on Budgie and her stupidity. Obviously he only see’s her for one thing, has next to no commitment to her – or his son and as we’ve seen is going nowhere and can’t stay out of trouble, yet time and again Hazel ‘stands by her man’ and it’s one of these occasions… being roped into Budgie’s scam at the Grandee Hotel and forgetting her ‘pills’ which has landed her in stuck now.
Interestingly too Endell seems to stick with Budgie when the smart decision making would be to cast him adrift. Even when setting him up in a seemingly simple minding/salesman job at his ‘Bookshop’ Budgie finds some way or other to mess that up and specifically mess it up for Endell. He’s now got the police on his radar which he’d probably not have had, wanted or needed had Budgie not tried the strong arm, possible blackmailing act with Mr Lake.
Mr Lake was an interesting character. Might be deceptive but on the whole he seems to be a decent bloke who’s lonely and had a lot of bad luck love and has sort of stumbled on pornography as a controlled outlet for him. The episode was also interesting as some of what it debated (back then) might be debatable now on a moral/right/wrong point of view but on the whole Mr Lake seems to be more a victim of circumstance and people perhaps using him and taking him for a ride… Budgie included. Mr Lake’s job, role and position in society sort of isolates him from being labelled a loser in life, but essentially he is. However in spite of this he still tries to remain upbeat and see the best in things, even Budgie who he thinks/says ‘might have done something with’ if he’d have had him at school now rather than in the ’50’s. Personally I think a younger Budgie would be no different and would have still headed the same way but maybe through education, knowledge and ambition there are ways for people to break out of being factory fodder, ner-do-well’s or villain’s like Budgie. Even when he doesn’t have to Mr Lake’s conscience pangs him to loan Budgie the £100 and offer him (good) advice for the future. Endell’s intervention mean’s Budgie is unaware of Mr Lake’s help, assistance, concern and care but even if he was my opinion is it would go in one ear, out the other for Budgie who’d more than likely use the money on his next scam or something which is for his benefit!
Another fairly good episode in my opinion, perhaps showing everyone’s vulnerabilities in it and perhaps what is holding them back and what – if they could see it, they could do if they put their minds to it. As with the repeats so far they’re good, almost very good if perhaps the common pattern is they seem to lack something – punchiness, quality, dialogue etc. that would make Budgie essential. I’d rate ‘Could Do Better’ a good
7.5/10 again.
Bring on the next episode next week!