The second series of Last Tango in Halifax has recently started on the American PBS network, and in keeping with the tradition that I started for series one, I’ve continued marking the missing scenes that had been cut from the US broadcast that were in the original BBC broadcast. The words/lines/scenes that were eliminated are marked in red. This post covers the first three episodes of the second series. The second half of the series will be posted soon after its been broadcast on PBS.

Dialogue and images included are property of Red Production Co. and the BBC. A wonderful thank you to the brilliant Sally Wainwright for another fantastic series.

Series 2 Episode 1

After John’s phone call with Gillian, and before his phone call to Judith, there’s a bit of an interchange between he and his sons.

Laurence: Dad, what’s for tea?
John: Nothing… I don’t know.

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During Gillian and Caroline’s conversation in the cafeteria, after Gillian has asked Caroline about Kate, Gillian delves into telling Caroline about her drunken one nightstand with John. As the rest of the previous conversation is all intact, I’m starting with that vantage point.

Gillian: I need to tell you this thing.
Caroline: Okay.
Gillian: You’re going to think I’m a complete dipstick when I’ve told you but I’d rather be up-front about it, you know and then we can either move forward…or not. Okay, so first of all, I don’t regret it. I don’t regret anything. I make a point of never regretting things…however…
Caroline: You’ve slept with John.
Gillian: [rather surprised that Caroline’s voiced it right off.] I was pissed. It was my birthday. I felt sorry for him, for him being such…um…a twat. So pathetic.
Caroline: [surprised] Oh, you really have slept with John? [Long awkward silence]. Was it? What was it like?
Gillian: To be honest? I don’t actually remember very much about it, except that it happened.

The rest of the scene remains intact.

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Just a side note from the scene (nothing missing from it) with Alan and Celia up on the high cliff, as the camera pulls back for the long shot, that is some absolutely gorgeous scenery.

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After the scene where Alan and Celia tell Gillian about moving over to Harrogate, there’s a little scene with Alan and Celia up in his bedroom.

Celia: I’ve got me new hat.
Alan: Umm.
Celia: So that’s that bit covered.
Alan: Umm.
Celia: Something old, something new.
Alan: Something old we’ve not got.
Celia: Well, we’re both old.
Alan: Are we?
Celia: Well, you are. I’m not. [they both start laughing.] I started counting backwards when I got to 36.
Alan: How old does that make you now, then?
Celia: Mmm. Minus three.
Alan: Fancy.
Celia: I had a very interesting experience in 1988, when me and our Caroline were both twenty-two.
Alan: That must have taken some explaining.
Celia: Not really. Something borrowed?
Alan: Well, I could borrow a bow tie off Maurice. Then I’d be very dapper.
Celia: Uhm. You could and you would. But then he’d want to know why you were borrowing it. You know what a nosy old bugger he is.
Alan: I could lie. I could say I’d been invited to a cocktail party. In Manhattan.
Celia: Mmm. He’d believe that.
Alan: Or he’d want to come with me.
Celia: Tell him to sod off.
Alan: Okay. Something blue? A mucky magazine?
Celia: Have you got any?
Alan: No. Have you?
Celia: Oh yeah. Got loads. [they laugh] No, I haven’t. [heavily laughing again]

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When Gillian’s about to leave Caroline’s place, John comes running out to her car and tries to stop her. Before he gets in the car, Gillian yelps a surprised and pissed off “Shit!” as John has his hands braced against the hood of the car.

Following John’s conversation in Gillian’s Land Rover, he returns to the house to find he’s locked out. He knocks on the window where the family is having supper, and Caroline lets him in.

Caroline: Do you want something to eat?
John: Is there enough?
Caroline: Just find a chair. [The others in the room aren’t very impressed with him.]
John: [After returning with a chair, sitting at the end of the table with William on one side and Kate on the other.] Hello. Hi, Alan. How’s the… [he gestures towards his chest]
Alan: Oh, fighting fit.
John: Good. That’s good. That’s…
Kate: [holding up wine bottle] Would you like?
John: Oh, just a small one. [Caroline puts a place setting down for him.]
Caroline: You want a glass? [A little snarky]
John half smiles around as Celia is glaring at him.

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Series 2 Episode 2

When John’s turned up to Caroline’s office to talk about his future prospects there’s a little bit left out.

John: I don’t know what’s happening to me. I don’t know who I can…I can’t…There’s no one I can…
Caroline: What do you want? I don’t mean…um, generally, in life, now, what do you want? Focus on the future, not the past.
John: I want you. I want everything to go back like it was.
Caroline: Right. [Thinking he’s an idiot and that’s not going to happen, she stands up and walks round the desk to sit in an adjacent chair.] I’ve moved on. You are going to have to get used to that and when you do…
John: [Interrupting] My publisher’s dropped me.
Caroline: Really. Really?
John: Yeah.
Caroline: Oh, shit. Well, I’m…God, I’m sorry.
John: I’ve squandered everything that mattered. I don’t recognize myself.
Caroline: Could you get more work at the university?
John: Yes…that’s…it’s…I can ask. But…[shakes head, it’s not likely]
Caroline: [after an awkward silence] Would you like some tea?

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After Gillian’s phone conversation with Raff, there’s a brief that’s dropped with Kate driving into Caroline’s driveway, then Caroline pulling up with herself and Laurence in the car.

Caroline: [to Kate, smiling at her] Have a good day?
Kate: Uhm mm.
[Laurence gets out of the car. He’s not exactly appearing thrilled that Kate’s moved in.]

The rest of the scene in the house is the same as aired on PBS

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During the conversation with Caroline, Alan and Celia after they’ve popped round to tell Caroline about the wedding and such, there’s a little bit left out of Celia’s line.

Caroline: Right. So, just out of interest, now you’re married, where were you thinking of living?
Alan: Ah, well, ah… [Alan & Celia talking over each other]
Celia: Ah, we’ve not really thought about it…
Alan: That’s just one of the things, you see. We were getting that bogged down in practicalities of this and the other that we ended up thinking that we’d never end up get wed at this rate.
Caroline: Okay, well, I’m just going to run this past you. John’s publisher’s given him the shiff.
Celia: [laughs] Oh, shit.
Caroline: So, this is the thing. He can’t afford to buy me out, my half, my share, which I always imagined he could. But he can’t, so whey hey [raises her champagne glass then puts it down]. Anyway, now I’m contemplating ways I can buy him out, rather than sell up, which is obviously an option.

[The rest of the conversation between them remains the same.]

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At the end of Caroline and Kate’s discussion whilst they’re supervising the cricket practice, Kate comments that at Caroline’s age, looking after a baby wasn’t really what she’d be planning on next. The part that follows is missing from the PBS airing:

Caroline: I wonder how my mother’s getting on. [Checking her phone] She was delivering a baby the last time I spoke to her. [texting her mum]
Kate: [incredulous] You’re mother was delivering a baby?
Caroline: Well, she said she was.
Kate: Whose?
Caroline: Ah, oh it’s… [shakes head]
Kate: Is there anything that woman doesn’t get up to?
Caroline: Well, someone else will be doing all the hard work. She’ll just be standing by the door making droll comments.

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Series 2 Episode 3

In the scene when Alan and Celia are talking on the phone about Raff, Ellie and the baby, there’s a part missing after they say they’re missing each other and Celia tells Alan that Caroline’s returned home, and the next scene where Caroline walks into the house to the sitting room. They talk a little about what to name Ellie and Raff’s baby.

Celia: I’m missing you.
Alan: [little chuckle] I’m missing you.
Celia: [sound of Caroline’s Jeep pulling into driveway] Oh, eh up. Madame Mazonga’s back.
Alan: [chuckles again] Who?
Celia: Our little Caroline. Hey, what do you think about Cordelia for a name. It’s King Lear. There’s three of them…daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia.
Alan: Why think of three?
Celia: [laughs] Goneril. Oh, you just wouldn’t, would you?
Alan: There’s no wonder they wanted him dead.
Celia: The dozy old bugger.

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The following scene comes from the next morning at the house before they leave for school and Celia pops round to talk to Caroline. In the scene, there’s a flashback to a conversation that Celia and Alan had had in their car the evening before after they left the farm, that’s eliminated from the PBS broadcast.

Celia: Poisonous. I could have been in tears.
Caroline: Do you want me to get involved? Do you want me to ring her?
Celia: No!
Kate: [enters room] I’m off. Oh, hello, Celia.
Celia: Hello, love.
Kate: See you there.
Caroline: [Giving Kate a loving look; she’d clearly love to kiss her but not around Celia just yet] Yeah.
Kate: Okay, bye. [Kate leaves]
Caroline: Is Alan all right? Is he here?
Celia: We drove back last night. Did you not hear us?
Caroline: How is he?
Celia: I think he’s had enough of her. I think, between you and me, it sounds like she’s been a bit of a bloody nuisance all her life.
[flashback: Alan and Celia are sitting in their car chatting]
Alan: Never at school. This was after she went back after the abortion. Always over in Manchester at night. Pink hair, green eyebrows, studs everywhere. Course this is when she started bothering with him. Eddie. Bloody Eddie. And then there were the little incidents: shoplifting, joyriding. It were all him. She were just daft enough to along with him. And a word and she would just go doin’ all apologizing, making amends. One thing, aye, she weren’t from a bad home. She’d had a perfectly good upbringing, thank you. And we were just as upset and bemused by the way she carried on as anyone else.
Celia: Well, I’m sorry you’ve had it all to put up with.
Alan: Aye, well. Makes you wonder why you bother.
Caroline: Well that can’t be any good for him with his condition.
Celia: He’s fine, he says. He says as long as he’s with me, nothing else matters.
Caroline: I might ring her.
Celia: Oh, I wouldn’t. You know she doesn’t like you.
Caroline: You shouldn’t say things like that.
Celia: She’s right jealous of you.
Caroline: Oh, I don’t….I’ve never…
Celia: You don’t see it.
Caroline: Right. Well, okay. I’ll keep out of it then.

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Following Celia and Alan’s conversation about the tiff with Gillian, and the two of them looking after Caroline’s boys while Caroline takes Kate away for her birthday weekend, there’s a continuation of the scene that’s been intercut with Caroline and Laurence. Caroline and Laurence arrive at the school.

Laurence: Why don’t you and Ms. McKenzie drive to school together?
Caroline: Because we don’t always finish work at the same time. [Turns to face Laurence] Please call her Kate.
Laurence: Everyone knows, you know? You need to stop kidding yourself because you just look like a hypocrite. Which is not a cool message to be sending out to the 2.7 percent of kids in this school who will one day turn out to be muff-munching shirt-lifters.
Caroline: I see. [Pause] See you later. [Laurence gets out of the car and Caroline looks over the parking lot where Kate has just gotten her things from the boot of her own car.]
Laurence: [to his mate, Angus] She’s taking McKenzie off on a dirty weekend next weekend. My granny’s looking after us. Do you want to come around and watch “Resevoir Dogs” and get pissed and trash the place?
Angus: Yeah.

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After John arrives at the farm, he and Gillian start talking as she brings a couple of cups of tea to the sitting room.

John: So, where’s Ellie gone? Do we know?
Gillian: I rang her mum and she said she had no idea. But then Harry phoned later to say she was there, at her mother’s. Silly bitch.
John: Are you all right?
Gillian: Well, everyone’s fallen out with me. Again. So…I’m kinda up shit creak without a paddle. Again. So, God. I don’t know. It’s a bit mad, isn’t it? You and me.
John: Well, I don’t know. It’s not much madder than everything else that’s happened.
Gillian: I’m wondering if you were right. About Robbie. Me and Robbie.
John: Really?
Gillian: It’s not just…it’s…I did this thing once. I’ve never told anyone. Except my Dad knows.
John: What thing?
Gillian: It was when Eddie died.

[The rest of the cross-cut scenes between Gillian and John, Celia and Alan discussing in tandem how Eddie died, remains in-tact.]