All Hail Mrs. Hall

- I think people love Mrs.

Hall's open-heartedness.

She wants to love everybody and nurture everybody and see the good in people.

Sit yourself down, I've made you dinner.

And I think she's also very good cook and I think that always helps.

(laughs) - Come on, mustn't keep Mrs.

Hall waiting.

I think she wants to make sure you never dream of going away again.

- Just a light meal tonight.

- It looks tremendous.

She's the glue that binds everyone together.

She runs that house and also the kind of lives of these three men.

And she does it with such style and panache.

- Trist and James have sort of become her surrogate children, and I think that's why they absolutely adore her and love her so much.

Who doesn't love being mothered.

I mean, I know I do.

- You want her as your mate, don't you.

That's how I kind of feel.

She's solid, she's the glue in that household.

She's like stealth almost.

Like things are running really smoothly, everything's going really well, people are going, "Wow, this is great!"

And it's quietly Mrs.

Hall behind it all.

- Everything that happens in Skeldale House happens with her knowledge and her say so.

But she manages to give me the impression that I actually am still in charge.

And I think that's rather brilliant.

- She could kind of see everything before it happens, and kind of know what Siegfried's up to, she's sort of a Siegfried whisperer.

- We're not talking about Tricki Woo anymore, are we?

- We're simply folk really, Mr.

Farnon.

We all just want the occasional pat on the head.

- She almost glides through the house, just putting out fires left, right, and center and sorting everyone out.

You're all right, you're all right, checked in with you.

I'm treating an animal in one.

- I'll settle the next one into the other room.

- She just keeps the whole place ticking over, doesn't she?

I'd dread to think of what Skeldale House would look like if Mrs.

Hall wasn't in charge of the place.

- I don't think it could run as well without her.

I think the men know that.

- I say Mrs.

H, smells marvelous.

- Really does.

- Yes, well, it's just bread and cheese for now.

So hands off!

That love that she puts into preparing and making that home a lovely place for everybody is about wanting everyone to enjoy being there, and to be able to share their stories at the end of the day and have fun with each other, and be replenished in each other's company.

- You know, Mrs.

Hall, this soup is absolutely first rate.

(everyone humming in agreement) And then we also see this wonderful other side to Mrs.

Hall.

We see this gentleman come in with his little dog.

- Sorry, in the rush I didn't catch your name.

- Audrey.

- Gerald.

- Mr.

Hammond, or Gerald, as he becomes, is a really lovely man who has a bit of a bolt out of the blue for Mrs.

Hall.

- Seems like a nice chap.

- He does.

The arrival of Gerald makes Mrs.

Hall think a little bit about a side of herself that she hasn't engaged with in a long time.

- When you grow tired of moving your clock forward, let me know and I'll come fix it.

Lost time is never found again.

- It's exciting to think that there are new paths ahead that she perhaps hadn't considered before.

He's a very lovely man with a twinkle in his eye, and we'll see where that goes.

(laughs) (piano music)