Life at Absolute Zero by Lynne Truss

Stories by Lynne Truss about the inhabitants of windy Meridian Cliffs, a small wind-battered town on the south coast of England.

E1 In Your Dreams:

Founded 100 years ago, no-one well-known has ever lived in Meridian Cliffs. It's only claim to fame is the Great Cliff-Drop Tragedy of 1936 when rampant coastal erosion caused a party of picnicking holiday-makers to meet an untimely end.

Tension erupts among the local drama society as plans are made for a play celebrating the town's centenary.

E2 Pavlovian:

Ashley, the professional dog walker, is fond of pointing out that dogs live only in the present and that's why they're happy.

It's a skill she could use herself.

Distraught at being betrayed by her boyfriend six months ago, Ashley is firmly stuck in the past. She takes her band of Brighton pooches out onto the scrubby land behind the town - but has to marshal all her resources when Peter the Tibetan terrier goes missing.

E3 The Shortest Way Home:

Sarah Birkett can't stand people who dither. She manages the nursing staff at the local care home for the blind, where her decisiveness is a positive asset.

But was she too quick to make her mind up about Colin?

E4 Houseroom:

Retired driving instructor Terry lives alone with his elderly Jack Russell, Thelonius, and his large collection of jazz records. When daytime TV's Got Any Stuff? comes to town looking for people with unwanted items to take part in the show, it provokes Terry into doing something he's been putting off. His mother died a while ago and her belongings are piled up in his garage. In among the ancient tea towels and assorted plastic ash trays, Terry finds a battered yellow suitcase whose contents take him by surprise.

E5 The Limit:

Carpet fitter Jack has always been a bit obsessive about rules. So living next to a road with a 20 mph limit, which is routinely ignored by every other motorist apart from himself, is particularly testing. But when someone keeps littering the grass verge opposite his house with empty pre-mixed gin and tonic cans, one per day, it threatens to tip him over the edge.

E6 Accept No Substitute:

Jim regularly phones Sarah, his first wife, to go on about Emma, his second wife. Sarah doesn't mind listening to her ex husband talking about the woman who replaced her in his life. On the contrary, she loves hearing about their marital difficulties. But when Emma finds out - what a surprise - she doesn't turn out to be quite so understanding.

E7 Mrs Manville Disposes

Mrs Manville lives in a Tudor revival home called The Grange. Built on a double plot, it's by far the largest house in Meridian Cliffs. Now approaching 80, Mrs Manville has decided it's time to downsize.

Her son Mark, with an eye on his inheritance, has his own ideas about what she should do - but Mrs Manville clings fiercely to her independence, and chooses instead to seek the services of kind, reliable Mr Jolyon.

 E8 In Cold (ish) Blood

When Hugh Velvey's carpet shop mysteriously burns down, it attracts the attention of rookie reporter, Lauren. A fan of Truman Capote and American crime reportage, she finds herself drawn to the gutted, blackened warehouse in the small, bleak wind-battered town, and dreams of writing her breakthrough piece for a British Sunday supplement.

Then a gruesome discovery is made in a Turkish rug.

E9 Darren Springs Forward

Former daytime TV celebrity Darren Fox now lives in a bungalow in Passchendale Road, where he spends his days trying to come up with new game show format starring himself. Then he gets a call from a old presenter colleague. Could this be the opportunity to reignite his career that he's been looking for?

E10 In the Dark

The owner of an Indian restaurant is delighted to serve his sporting heroes - but ends up party to a shocking confession.

 

 

Produced & Directed by Kate McAll

 

 

10 files: each 13 minutes long, size 12 MB, bit rate 128kbps

 

 

https://1drv.ms/f/s!ArrWZcg2lV80hRA7OGnJOQ7y_ZTE

 

 

 

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