KEN
SHABBY
Cartoon link into a still of a
beautiful country home. 'Hearts of Oak' -type music. The camera tracks into the
house and mixes to: close-up of distinguished, noble father and gay, innocent
beautiful daughter - a delicately beautiful English rose.
Father: (G.C.) Now I understand that you want to marry my daughter?
Pull out to reveal that he is addressing a ghastly thing. A grubby, smelly, brown mackintoshed shambles, unshaven with a continuous hacking cough, and an obscene leer. He sits on the sofa in this beautiful elegant lounge.
Shabby: (M.P.)
(sniffing and coughing) That's right ... yeah... yeah...
Father: Yes, you realize of course
that Rosamund is still rather young?
Daughter: (Connie Booth) Daddy you
make me feel like a child. (she gazes at Shabby fondly)
Shabby: (lasciviously) Oh yeah ...
you know... get 'em when they're young eh... eh! OOOOH! Know what I mean eh,
oooh! (makes obscene gesture involving elbow)
Father: Well I'm sure you know what I
mean, Mr ... er... Mr... er .. er?
Shabby: Shabby... Ken Shabby...
Father: Mr Shabby... I just want to
make sure that you'll be able to look after daughter...
Shabby: Oh yeah, yeah. I'll be able
to look after 'er all right sport, eh, know what I mean, eh emggh!

Father: And, er, what job do you do?
Shabby: I clean out public
lavatories.
Father: Is there promotion involved?
Shabby: Oh yeah, yeah. (produces
handkerchief and cleans throat horribly into it) After five years they give me a
brush... eurggha eurgh ... I'm sorry squire, I've gobbed on your carpet...
Father: And, ah, where are you going
to live?
Shabby: Well round at my Gran's...
she trains polecats, but most of them have suffocated so there should be a bit
of spare room in the attic, eh. Know what I mean. Oooh!
Father: And when do you expect to get
married?
Shabby: Oh, right away sport. Right
away... you know... I haven't had it for weeks...
Father: Well look I'll phone the bishop and see if we can get the Abbey...
Shabby: Oh, diarrhoea. (coughing
fit)
C
Voice Over: (J.C.) The story so far:
Rosamund's Father has become ensnared by Mr Shabby's extraordinary personal
magnetism. Bob and Janet have eaten Mr Farquar's goldfish during an Oxfam lunch,
and Mrs Elsmore's marriage is threatened by Doug's insistence that he is on a
different level of consciousness. Louise's hernia has been confirmed, and Jim,
Bob's brother, has run over the editor of the 'Lancet' on his way to see Jenny,
a freelance Pagoda designer. On the other side of the continent Napoleon still
broods over the smouldering remains of a city he had crossed half the earth to
conquer...