Kipper

by
Andy Fitzsimmons
EXT. SCHOOL SPORTS DAY - DAY

It is 1975, 5 YEAR OLD KIPPER, Andrew Kendrick, is about to

start the 100 meters race.

The race starts, all the other kids sprint off.

Kipper starts the race running in imaginary slow motion.

KIPPERS MAM (O.C.)

What's he doin'?

CUT TO:

KIPPER FACE ON. The Six Million Dollar Man theme starts as
Kipper runs, very slowly, to the finish line.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Andrew Kendrick. A man barely
alive.

EXT. WREXHAM HIGH STREET - DAY

We follow 11 YEAR OLD KIPPER walking down the middle of the

street, avoiding the traffic.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
We used to go to Wrexham baths
every Saturday. The snack machine
had huge revolving springs.

INT. WREXHAM BATHS - POOL AREA - DAY

There are three pools, a beginners pool, a full sized pool

and a diving pool with three levels of board.

11 year old Kipper is jumping, bombing, off the top diving

board.

Freeze frame as he hits the water, before rewinding back

through the events that lead up to this.

INT. WREXHAM BATHS - CHANGING AREA - DAY

Kipper, 11 YEAR OLD ROGER, 11 YEAR OLD FLICKO, 11 YEAR OLD

MOUSY and several other LADS give their clothes, which they
have each put in a metal basket, to the attendant, exchanging
them for a coloured, rubber, wrist band.

They do their best to avoid stepping in the disinfectant at

the entrance to the pool area.
 2.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
It always got your crisps stuck and
you had to decide whether to risk
putting more money in. In the hope
that the second bag would dislodge
the first. You could have asked the
man, but you never asked the man.
You just got in more and more
bother with the machine.

INT. WREXHAM BATHS - POOL AREA - DAY

Kipper and his mates jump into the main pool, startling the
other swimmers.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Wrexham baths had an Olympic size
swimming pool, well nearly. They
made it a foot too short.

CUT TO:

LATER. Flicko is in the water while the rest of them stand on

the edge of the pool.

Flicko is firing at Kipper with an imaginary shotgun who

reacts to the blasts and falls into the water.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

We used to play "choose your
weapon". You all lined up at the
edge of the pool, then got killed
with the weapon of your choice. I
chose pump action shot gun.

INT. EVERLAND CHIPPY - DAY

18 YEAR OLD KIPPER, who is working behind the counter pulls

out a shotgun. Screaming as he guns down three adults and one
kid, DANNY, 11.

He looks into the child's eyes as he kills him.

INT. WREXHAM BATHS - POOL AREA - DAY

Kipper and his mates are splashing around, laughing.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
We always avoided the man with the
abnormally hairy back. And the slow
moving old age swimmers.

Rewind back to the disinfectant pool where we see Kipper and

his mates trying to avoid it.
 3.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

The disinfectant was bad but we
loved the diving pool.
(beat)
Baiting the other attendants was OK
but they pretty much ignored you.
We always went to the diving pool
last.

Fast forward through the whole day to the diving pool.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

It started with a bit of messing
about on the lower boards. And
then, just before we left.

We see Kipper bombing off the top board again and hitting the
water.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

We got ourselves kicked out.

INT. GRESFORD VILLAGE - DAY

18 year old Kipper is led away by the police.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
No bombing.

INT. EVERLAND CHIPPY - DAY

We see 18 year old Kipper and 18 YEAR OLD MOUSY’S faces side
on. The are looking down at something.

KIPPER, 18
What the fuck is that.

MOUSY
Fucking Flicko giv it me.

KIPPER, 18
Flicko man. What the fuck is he
doin' with that fucker?

MOUSY
Duno like.

KIPPER, 18
This isn't fuckin' Moss Side man.

MOUSY
Will ye keep it here for a bit. Me
mams comin' tomorrow.
 4.

KIPPER, 18
Fuckin' ell Mousy.

MOUSY
Come on Kipper. Please.
(pause)
Just put it behind the counter.

KIPPER, 18
Fuckin' 'ell.

MOUSY
Go on man.

Kipper contemplates this looking from side to side.

KIPPER, 18
Alright giz it.

MOUSY
Cheers pal.

CUT TO:

FULL VIEW OF CHIP SHOP. Kipper is putting something behind

the counter.

MOUSY (CONT’D)
That fucking McDonalds on the high
streets openin' tomorrow.

KIPPER, 18
Twats.

MOUSY
Might be alright like.

KIPPER, 18
Have you seen the size of the
fuckin' chips there? Fuckin' tiny.

MOUSY
Might be alright.

KIPPER, 18
Fuck off. Fuckin' Americans and
Japs comin' here.

MOUSY
Sharps giv me dad a job.

KIPPER, 18
What's wrong with the Fuckin'
chippy?

MOUSY
OK man.
 5.

Uncomfortable silence

MOUSY (CONT’D)
Ferryman on Friday?

KIPPER, 18
Yea. Smart.

MOUSY
Tidy.

Mousy leaves as a CUSTOMER comes in.

CUSTOMER
Chips please, and a can of Tonno.

Kipper's POV: His hand as he wraps the chips very fast.

He hands the chips and a can to the customer.

KIPPER, 18
Fastest hands in Wrexham.

INT. TV STUDIO - DAY

The PRESENTER is interviewing PETER COTTON, a local

Journalist, on Welsh regional television.

Peter is sporting a black eye and bruised cheek.

PRESENTER
Wrexham Front Line is an organised
group of hooligans operating out of
Wrexham Football Club. A collection
of young, well dressed, men intent
on causing violent clashes with
rival fans and even local people
who cross them. They leave "Calling
Cards" like this.

She holds up a scruffy, hand written, business sized card

with "Wrexham Front Line Kill All Comers" scrawled on it.

PRESENTER (CONT’D)
Peter Cotton, a journalist on the
Wrexham Leader, managed to
infiltrate the notorious
organisation. Peter do you think
this, tragic, incident is anything
to do with them?
 6.

PETER
The only weapons the Front Line
carry are Stanley Knives, ball
bearings, golf balls, golf balls
with nails in. It's very unlikely
one of them would ever carry a gun.

PRESENTER
But Wrexham is known for it's
violence, especially on Saturday
nights and the Front Line are...

PETER
I hardly think that a glassing
outside the Bake and Take. and
somebody playing Bruce Lee in the
Ferryman queue are quite the same
as a multiple shooting in the
Everland Chippy.

PRESENTER
Just how did you manage to gain the
trust of one of the most secretive
and dangerous groups in Clwyd.

PETER
I put on a Kappa cagoule and hung
around McDonalds for a bit.

INT. EVERLAND CHIPPY - DAY

Kipper, 18, is serving. Danny, is playing the video game in

the corner.

Two slightly older, but much harder looking, kids enter. They
are both smoking the ends of fags they have probably picked
up from the floor or an ashtray.

HARD KID 1
Ey lar. Giz yer last life.

DANNY
Geroff.

HARD KID 2
Go on giz it.

DANNY
Fuck off.

They push Danny away, taking his place at the machine.

HARD KID 1
Fuck Off lar.
 7.

KIPPER, 18
Ey. Lay off will ya.

DANNY
But they...

KIPPER, 18
I said lay off. Before I chin ye
meself.

DANNY
(resigned)
Can I ave a Mr Freeze.

Kipper serves him as the hard kids finish their game.

KIPPER, 18
Danny pays and makes his way to the
door but is pushed aside by the
others as they leave.

HARD KID 2
Come on. Lets go to McDonalds.

KIPPER, 18
(Shaking his head
exasperated)
10 fucking p.

INT. MCDONALDS - DAY

Kipper, 18, walks around the restaurant. Several lads,

including DAVIS, in Kappa and Adidas are sitting, in the
children's area, in a plastic train. The Wrexham Front Line.

Toddlers are milling around them. The lads are giving things
to TIMMY, he is the same age as them but even more thick.

Peter Cotton is sitting nearby wearing his Kappa gear, he

jerks his head to Timmy, to get him to come over, which he
does and shows him what is in his bag.

DAVIS
(shouting)
Timmy.

TIMMY
Yea?

DAVIS
Fuckin’ come back over ‘ere.

Timmy shrugs and makes a move back.

DAVIS
But fuckin’ smak ‘im first.
 8.

Timmy turns back and smacks Peter in the face before walking
back.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Timmy was only allowed in the
Wrexham Front Line because he
smuggled their stuff into the
ground for them. He was a spaz.

DAVIS
(shouting)
Oi Kipper.

JUMP CUT TO:

Kipper is pushing Davis away.

KIPPER, 18
Fucking McDonalds man.

INT. EVERLAND CHIPPY - DAY

Kipper is serving a lone MAN.

KIPPER, 18
Chip bap. Would you like a battered
sausage with that.

MAN
You takin' the piss mate.

KIPPER, 18
Nope.

MAN
And a can of Vimto.

KIPPER, 18
We only have Wrexham Tonno.

MAN
That's what I mean.

KIPPER, 18
Enjoy your meal.

MAN
Are you lookin' for a fuckin' smack
or somthin'.
(picking up his food)
Fucking queer.
 9.

INT. HIPPODROME CINEMA - NIGHT

Kipper, 18, and Mousy are sitting in the middle of the

smoking half of the cinema. Fags in hand, a carton of Kiora,
Butterkist popcorn and some Toffets between them.

Along with the rest of the audience they are whistling and
cheering the start of the film.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
The hippodrome was smart. For this
reason.

Suddenly the film stops and the lights go up. The Cinema
owner walks out from the front.

CINEMA OWNER
Right if I have any more of that
bloody stupid shouting and
whistling I will clear this cinema
row by row.

The audience boos him.

CINEMA OWNER (CONT’D)

I mean it. Now settle down.

The audience boos louder.

CINEMA OWNER (CONT’D)

There's plenty more people outside
who I can let in instead of you.

MOUSEY
Fuck is there ye nob.

CINEMA OWNER
Who said that?

Pause while he looks in vain for the culprit

CINEMA OWNER (CONT’D)

Right any more and you're out.
Until you are all quiet I will not
tell the projectionist to turn the
film back on.

The audience, reluctantly shut up.

CINEMA OWNER (CONT’D)

Right.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Sharps opened a factory on top of
the land that used to be the
entrance to the mines.
(MORE)
 10.
KIPPER, 33(cont'd)
There were two cranes that were
left as a monument, after the
disaster. They took them down but
moved the cable wheels to the
roundabout. For the new bypass.
They set em in concrete.

He leaves and the film restarts.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Because of out of town multiplexes
the Hippodrome eventually had to
close. But not before they did
something brilliant. They split it
into two screens, horizontally,
with plywood. You could hear the
other film. The quiet bits in Rain
Man had the soundtrack to Chimp
Mates.

CUT TO:

KIPPER’S FACE. A bit of spit falls from above.

KIPPER, 33 (CONT’D)
It was a bit of a shame because
future generations couldn't spit
off the balcony. Mind you...

INT. SCHOOL BUS - EVE

Kipper, 11, is standing at the front, on the top deck.

He spits out of the window at the front before ducking as his

gob sails back into the bus and into some kids face.

EXT. SCHOOL BUS - EVE

The bus has stopped at a stop. Kids are getting out, trying
to avoid a hail of spit.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
I lived in Gresford. It was further
up the route than Marford. By the
time I got off it was easier to
avoid the flob.

Kipper, 11, spits a greeny out of the window.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Come to think of it, you can't even
do that anymore. The school run is
done by a private firm now. They
use coaches. You can't even push
kids off the back.
 11.

We see a kid hanging off the back of a Routemaster bus. The

other kids, including Kipper, punch his hands as he holds on
for his life.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

You could always spot a bummer on
sight. There were always a few
minor bummers in our school. Ones
you beat the fucking shit out every
now and then, or tried to push off
the back of the bus. But every
generation had a special bummer.

EXT. DARLAND SCHOOL - MORNING

JEREMY MARSHAL, walks through the school gates. The other

kids throw themselves into the roadside hedge to avoid
touching him.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
We had Jeremy Marshal. We called
him Bummer Marshal. He was special
because he had bummed a dog.
(pause)
If you touched him you got homo
disease. It got a bit tiring
because if anybody wrote "Marshal
Sat Here" on a chair you couldn't
use it.
(pause)
It took us two years to hound him
out of school.
(pause)
When he went the headmistress told
everybody off in assembly.
(pause)
We couldn't stop laughing.

EXT. GRESFORD VILLAGE - DAY

Kipper, 11, walks down the street, rubbing his ear tenderly.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
My sister pierced me ear for me
when I was eleven. It always had to
be the left ear. You've got to
remember the saying: right ear,
right queer. By the time I was 15 I
had 5 studs in the fucker, and 2 in
the right. It was alright as long
as you had more in the left.
 12.

EXT. THE FRIDGE AND FRUIT - DAY

The fridge and fruit's sign is falling down, It actually

says, FRI'G' FR' IT.

Kipper, 11, and his mates have spread some lino in front of
it and are break dancing badly.

We see one of the kids trying to spin on his head and failing
miserably.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
That's Nick Nottage. A few years
later we started calling him Tickle
On The Tum. That's because he never
had any nodders and he used to pull
out of a girl just before he came
then wiped it off. He should of
used crisp packets like the rest of
us. If you liked the girl you
didn't turn it inside out.

Another appalling move is done by one of the other kids.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

I once a did an ace move that was
so fast the matches in me back
pocket caught fire. Burnt me arse.

Yet another crap move.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

There was a rumour about crispy
bacon disease. Transmitted by
Sandra Harper.

Yet another appalling move.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

We got the lino off Flicko's Mam.

INT. METAL WORK CLASS - EVE

A Kipper. 11, standing, crying. MR BROWN, the wood work

teacher, stands over him.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Sharps came to our school. They
gave a talk about the new plant.
Afterwards the careers teacher told
us off because they had been
extremely disappointed. Not many of
us were suitable for shift work at
the factory.
 13.

MR BROWN
You know what we should do to you.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
I thought that was a massive
fucking compliment.
(pause)
The wood work teacher, Mr Brown,
was right cunt. I got him in my
first year.

Mr Brown repeatedly smashes a plank of wood drown on the

bench next to his head.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

His trick was, was to walk into a
lesson and say "stop". Anybody who
didn't stop immediately was in the
shit.

We see him crying more

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

One day he kept me back after
school, for smiling too much.

The wood is banged again. Making Kipper sob.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

He used to say "I can make you cry
if I want boy". Of course he could.
I was fucking eleven.

Mr Brown smashes the plank again.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Mr Brown, was mad. If you fucked up
a plank his saying was "wood
doesn't grow on trees". What the
fuck.

MR BROWN
You smile too much Kendrick. I
don't like it.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
It’s a good job he didn’t teach
metal work.

A piece of metal is slammed down.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Oh, hang on, he did.
 14.

INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR - DAY

Kipper and Roger,11 stand with their noses against the wall

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Once Mr Brown made me stand with my
nose against the wall for an hour.
I can't even remember why.
(pause)
He used to make the kids from Auto
Mechanics clean his car with the
fire hose.

EXT. OUTSIDE THE FERRYMAN CLUB - NIGHT

Kipper, 18, is squeezing a blokes crotch. The bloke is white,

trembling, looking shocked, and obviously in massive pain.

Kipper pulls the blokes head back by his hair.

KIPPER, 18
Fucking cunt.

Kipper lets go and, before the man can do anything, karate

chops his neck. The bloke falls to the ground as Mousy
appears to help Kipper kick the fuck out of him.

MOUSY
Fuckin' Bruce Lee.

KIPPER, 18
Fuckin Mad fuckin' Max.

He kicks the shit out of the bloke then steps back in a Bruce
Lee pose.

KIPPER, 18 (CONT’D)
Fucking Fastest hands in fuckin'
Wrexham.

EXT. GRESFORD VILLAGE - DAY

Kipper, 18, is being led into a waiting police car.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
I don't know why I did that.
Probably frustration.

EXT. PRISON. DAY

Kipper, 33, is released. He looks around before walking off.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
Frustration of not having a choice.
 15.

EXT. WREXHAM HIGH STREET. NIGHT

We follow Kipper, 33, as he walks down the, now

pedestrianised, street which is dominated by chain shops and
theme pubs.

He bumps into an 18 YEAR OLD KID. They turn round and glare
at each other.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
They put a sign outside the
brewery, promoting Wrexham Lager.
Timmy was pleased because he
thought it said "Wrexham's Larger"

OLD KID
What you lookin’ at pal?

Kipper, barely turning, fells him with one punch.

KIPPER, 33 (V.O.)
She’s fuckin' breakin' up.