- "Between the dames and the horses, sometimes I don't know why I put my hat on."
- ―Arthur
Uskerty is the second episode of the fourth series of the BBC's Cabin Pressure, which was first broadcast on January 16, 2013.
Synopsis[]
Official synopsis for the episode Uskerty:[1]
- As Carolyn and Martin turn a short hop into a long climb, Douglas and Arthur get to play with an airport.
Plot[]
An unusually bad-tempered Carolyn insists on a stop in Kilkenny to visit a nearby village, Uskerty, and drags Martin with her to carry something. This, it transpires, is a stuffed sheep named Finn McCool III, which she thinks will be a birthday present that Herc truly hates.
Returning to the airport, Carolyn's temper annoys the taxi driver enough to get them thrown out in the rain in the middle of nowhere. Carolyn orders Martin to climb a tree to find a phone signal, but he is unable to tell Douglas their location before being stung by a bee and falling. Martin takes issue with his treatment and lack of salary; a softening Carolyn expresses dismay that Martin isn't already looking for a new job but admits that MJN would fold without him.
The two are eventually able to hitchhike a ride back to the airport in a goose farmer's van. Martin is forced to ride in the back where, feeding it a piece of seedcake Carolyn made him take earlier, a goose eats the signet ring he inherited from his dad.
Meanwhile, Douglas and Arthur have been touring Kilkenny airport with enthusiastic airport manager Gerry. When Carolyn and Martin arrive, Martin begs Douglas for help retrieving the ring, having lost track of the goose that ate it. Douglas suggests using Gerry's security scanner. Carolyn wants them on the plane before sundown, but Martin, having been treated badly by Carolyn all day, first insists on scanning the truckload of geese.
Cast[]
- Stephanie Cole as Carolyn Knapp-Shappey
- Roger Allam as 1st Officer Douglas Richardson
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Capt. Martin Crieff
- John Finnemore as Arthur Shappey
- Marian McLoughlin as Breeda
- Robert Wilfort as Gerry
- John O'Mahony as Farmer Fisher
Trivia[]
Uskerty was built around the last pairing of the main characters which hadn't been seen to that point—Martin/Carolyn and Douglas/Arthur—a concept that was originally planned for Ottery St. Mary.[2]
The final scene of the episode was cut for time, but would have showed the crew successfully finding and purchasing the goose that ate Martin's ring, then preparing to stay the night in Kilkenny.[2]
Carolyn's bad mood is never explained in the episode; in another scene that was cut for time, Martin learns that it was caused by Gordon's annual phone call to buy back Gerti.[3]
References[]
- ↑ BBC Radio 4: Cabin Pressure, series 1, Uskerty. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Forget What Did: Uskerty. Retrieved 25th September 2023.
- ↑ Forget What Did: Farewell Bear Facts - Uskerty. Retrieved 25th September 2023.