A Beast With Two Backs
Encyclopedia
A Beast With Two Backs is a television play by Dennis Potter
, first broadcast on BBC1
in 1968 as part of The Wednesday Play
strand.
The play is a fictional account of an event that happened in the Forest of Dean
in the 1890s when four Frenchmen came over the border from Gloucester
with dancing bears
, who were subsequently killed by miners coming off the late shift in retaliation for an unrelated attack on a young local girl.
, a group of schoolchildren racially abuse Joe. Threatening to set Gina on them, the children disperse. Watching from the undergrowth are miner Mickey Teague and his mistress Rebecca. Mickey is reluctant to leave his wife to be with Rebecca, but Rebecca is pregnant and threatens to reveal him as her unborn child's father unless he comply with her wishes. As she rushes towards the town, Mickey brains Rebecca with a rock and leaves her to die in the woods.
In Berry Hill, the townsfolk enjoy the revelry of a Sunday afternoon at the local tavern. Amongst them is Rufus, the village 'simpleton', who once again is dancing on tables to the amusement and goading of the villagers. The local preacher Ebeneezer, Rufus' guardian, arrives and removes him. Rufus is beaten severely by Ebeneezer, and flees into the woods where he discovers Rebecca. Ebeneezer follows and upon seeing Rebecca's body assumes Rufus has attempted to kill her. As Rebecca is still alive, the preacher fears that she will implicate Rufus and kills her.
Later that day, Joe and Gina arrive in Berry Hill and entertain the townsfolk. False rumours are circulating that Gina had mauled one of the schoolchildren the pair had encountered on their arrival over the border. The townsfolk pelt Joe and Gina with stones and force them to flee the village. Back in the forest, Rebecca's body has been discovered and the local constabulary set to work interviewing the residents of the nearby towns. As the shocked villagers gather together back at the tavern, a desperate Mickey convinces the townsfolk that the bear was responsible.
The townsfolk gather at the chapel for evening prayers where a guilt-stricken Ebeneezer delivers a sermon on 'the beast within'. As the preacher calls on the congregation to vanquish the beast in their midst, the villagers choose to see this as a reference to Joe and Gina and a group of miners head off in pursuit of their quarry. Ebeneezer hangs himself and Rufus, upon discovering the body, flees towards the forest. Arriving at the clearing where Joe and Gina have settled down for the evening, the miners throw stones and heavy rocks at the bear before advancing on Gina and beating her to death. Moved by Joe's tears, the men offer him recompense; Joe declines and asks to be left alone with his dead friend. As the miners return to the village they pass a frightened Rufus, and pause to consider his terror.
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
, first broadcast on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1968 as part of The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured...
strand.
The play is a fictional account of an event that happened in the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
in the 1890s when four Frenchmen came over the border from Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
with dancing bears
Dancing Bear
Dancing Bear is a Croatian record label.Croatian artists that released their albums on the label include The Bambi Molesters, Daleka obala, Darko Rundek, Dino Dvornik, Gustafi, Hladno pivo, Ibrica Jusić, Dunja Knebl, Kojoti, Leteći odred and Majke....
, who were subsequently killed by miners coming off the late shift in retaliation for an unrelated attack on a young local girl.
Synopsis
In the 1890s, Joe –a travelling Italian showman– and his dancing bear Gina make their way over the border from Gloucester to the Forset of Dean; hungry and penniless from their poor reception in the last town, Joe hopes to drum up more business. As they make their way to Berry HillBerry Hill, Gloucestershire
Berry Hill is a small village in Gloucestershire, England not far from the town of Coleford.It is notable for being the birthplace of the writer,journalist and TV playwright Dennis Potter.- External links :* * * *...
, a group of schoolchildren racially abuse Joe. Threatening to set Gina on them, the children disperse. Watching from the undergrowth are miner Mickey Teague and his mistress Rebecca. Mickey is reluctant to leave his wife to be with Rebecca, but Rebecca is pregnant and threatens to reveal him as her unborn child's father unless he comply with her wishes. As she rushes towards the town, Mickey brains Rebecca with a rock and leaves her to die in the woods.
In Berry Hill, the townsfolk enjoy the revelry of a Sunday afternoon at the local tavern. Amongst them is Rufus, the village 'simpleton', who once again is dancing on tables to the amusement and goading of the villagers. The local preacher Ebeneezer, Rufus' guardian, arrives and removes him. Rufus is beaten severely by Ebeneezer, and flees into the woods where he discovers Rebecca. Ebeneezer follows and upon seeing Rebecca's body assumes Rufus has attempted to kill her. As Rebecca is still alive, the preacher fears that she will implicate Rufus and kills her.
Later that day, Joe and Gina arrive in Berry Hill and entertain the townsfolk. False rumours are circulating that Gina had mauled one of the schoolchildren the pair had encountered on their arrival over the border. The townsfolk pelt Joe and Gina with stones and force them to flee the village. Back in the forest, Rebecca's body has been discovered and the local constabulary set to work interviewing the residents of the nearby towns. As the shocked villagers gather together back at the tavern, a desperate Mickey convinces the townsfolk that the bear was responsible.
The townsfolk gather at the chapel for evening prayers where a guilt-stricken Ebeneezer delivers a sermon on 'the beast within'. As the preacher calls on the congregation to vanquish the beast in their midst, the villagers choose to see this as a reference to Joe and Gina and a group of miners head off in pursuit of their quarry. Ebeneezer hangs himself and Rufus, upon discovering the body, flees towards the forest. Arriving at the clearing where Joe and Gina have settled down for the evening, the miners throw stones and heavy rocks at the bear before advancing on Gina and beating her to death. Moved by Joe's tears, the men offer him recompense; Joe declines and asks to be left alone with his dead friend. As the miners return to the village they pass a frightened Rufus, and pause to consider his terror.