Program Title
Bramwell, Series 3

Episode number:
1 2 3 4

Description
Roberts old military comrade Guy Le Saux is back in London, accompanied by his young new Canadian wife Kathleen, to search out six destitute children for a fresh start in North America. But as her husband lectures on the native Indians and starts his recruitment, Kathleens health gives cause for concern and puzzles Robert as he attends to her. Eleanors attempts to link the bruising on her arm to wife-beating, combined with her account of Guys temper at the Thrift, fail to convince her father, adamant that gentlemen do not beat their wives. Eleanor has suggested that the late Daniel Bentleys son Sidney, scourge of his put-upon mother, should be considered for Guys emigration scheme. But the young lad fails to attain the right level in Guys curious tests, estimating intellect from the childrens cranial size

Original broadcast date
1997-12-07

Cast	Characters
Jemma Redgrave	Dr. Eleanor Bramwell
David Calder	Dr. Robert Bramwell
John Castle
Kelly Reilly
Ben Brazier

Credits

Producer: Tim Whitby, Harriet Davison
Director: Tim Whitby, Paul Unwim, David Tucker, Paul Murton, Kate Cheeseman

Intro
BRAMWELL/Episode 4/Intro by Russell Baker

Tonight we meet Guy, an old, old friend of Robert Bramwell's. He has come to London looking for a few good orphans.

Guy has been living in Canada doing philanthropic work with homeless children. He's in London for two purposes: to raise money and to recruit orphaned children willing to emigrate to Canada.

But not just any orphan will do. Guy wants superior children -- children who will grow up to be assets to Canada.

He has a scientific theory about how to recognize superior people.

He does it by measuring their skulls.

Guy is traveling with a new bride, Kathleen. She is a shy, quiet young Canadian, hardly more than a child, and she obviously adores her husband.

The Bramwells -- Robert and Eleanor, father and daughter -- think Guy's theory of skull measurement is nonsense. Still, he is sophisticated and charming and it's a pleasure to have this odd Canadian couple as houseguests.

Until it slowly occurs to them that there may be something extremely odd going on in the newlyweds' relationship.

Extro
BRAMWELL/Episode 4/Extro by Russell Baker

Tonight's Bramwell story is one of the darkest we've seen in this series.

The subject of self-mutilation might keep seven psychiatrists arguing for seven years without agreeing on a diagnosis.

Karl Meninger, a pioneer in the field, thought self-mutilation was rooted in the hatred of someone -- that this hatred turned back in on the hater and led to self-punishment.

Are we to believe that Kathleen punishes herself with embroidery needles because she subconsciously hates her husband?

Is she committing suicide when she insists on staying with Guy? He's already told Robert that she's hopelessly sick and ought to be destroyed like a sick dog.

Whatever is going on in this marriage is too dark and complicated to be easily understood.

The story only hints at what might be coming. These hints do not exactly warm the heart.

For Masterpiece Theatre, I'm Russell Baker. Goodnight.



Episode number: 1 2 3 4




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