The Iron Lady

THE IRON LADY

Written by

Abi Morgan

Author's Note:
References to "PRESENT" mean the undifferentiated years of the
recent past (not 2011).

INT. SHOP. NR CHESTER SQUARE. LONDON. PRESENT. DAWN.

The HUM of a large refrigerator just audible over the
sound of Indian music -
MARGARET, briefly glimpsed pondering cartons of milk.
The electronic PEEP of the cash til.
A man on a mobilephone pushes past MARGARET, who takes
her place second in the queue.
The female shopkeeper piles newspapers on the counter in
front of MARGARET. Distracted by images of the bombed
hotel on the TV, she hesitates for beat.

MAN BEHIND THE COUNTER
One forty-nine please.

MARGARET
How much is the milk?

MAN BEHIND THE COUNTER
Forty-nine pence.
(taking the change)
Thank you.
MARGARETturns to leave, jostled by a tall young man
wired into an ipod.

EXT. STREET. CHESTER SQUARE. LONDON. PRESENT. DAWN.

MARGARET heads down the busy street, shopping bag in
hand.

INT. KITCHEN. CHESTER SQUARE. LONDON. PRESENT. DAY.
MARGARET sits at breakfast with her husband DENIS,
sipping tea. DENIS butters his toast. MARGARET shakes her
head.

MARGARET
Too much. Much too much butter.DENIS
I like butter.
MARGARET
Milk's gone up.

2

MARGARET reaches for a jug, pouring milk into it, sliding
it down on a table.
MARGARET (CONT'D)
49p a pint.
DENIS
Good grief! We'll have to
economise. I suppose we could
always sell the car.
(chuckles)
Or take in paying guests!
He scoops up the newspaper and glances towards the door -
DENIS (CONT'D)
Watch out. She's on theprowl.
MARGARET looks beyond DENIS to a a sense of growing
commotion. A concerned POLICE GUARD coming up the stairs
meeting JUNE [early 60's] MARGARET's carer, along a
distant corridor, steady on the approach.
MARGARET
(to DENIS)
Eat your egg.
JUNE smiles with visible relief on seeing MARGARET, now
sitting tapping open her egg.
JUNE
Goodness! There you are.
JUNE's look of quiet concern.MARGARET
Yes.
MARGARET eats her egg.
MARGARET (CONT'D)
Here we are.
But for JUNE, she is entirely alone.

INT. CORRIDOR CHESTER SQUARE. PRESENT. DAY.

WHISPERING-

JUNE
I don't understand how it
happened, how could she possibly
have got out? It's very very
important -

MARGARET looks out of the kitchen. Her POV down the
corridor of JUNE and the POLICEMAN and a CLEANER.

3JUNE (CONT'D)
Please just make it really clear.
Who's on after you?

POLICE GUARD
Dixon.

MARGARET slips away.

INT.HALL. CHESTER SQUARE. DAY.

MARGARET hurries through the hall.

INT. BEDROOM. HOUSE. CHESTER SQUARE. LONDON. PRESENT.DAY.

A wide cupboard-

MARGARET's eyes move back along the rail in front of her,
her fingers touch hanger after hanger of brown tweed and
grey twill.JUNE goes over to the curtains, pulling them back,
letting in the sunlight-

JUNE
Beautiful day. Oh, you've made a
start. Carol's coming soon, I'll
get some bags. Anything you want
to go to Mark, I'll bring up a
suitcase for it.

The smell of smoke lingering. Suddenly DENIS' hand
reaches across, wavering between jackets of brown tweed
and grey twill-

He reaches for a suit.MARGARET
No no no no. The grey.

DENIS (O.S)
You sure?

The swipe of a clothes brush, briefly seen, drawn across
one sleeve-

MARGARET
Yes.

Distant footsteps-

MARGARET (CONT'D)
...Definitely the grey.

JUNE returns, oblivious-

4

DENIS (O.S)
Righty ho. Boss knows best.

JUNE spies the newspaper, sees the photos of twisted
carnage on the front page.

DENIS (CONT'D)
Don'tlet her take my paper away.

JUNE reaches one hand out to scoop it up in passing-

MARGARET
Oh, I haven't had a chance to look
at that yet, dear.

JUNE
Sorry.

JUNE hesitates, leaves the newspaper resting on the bed
as she heads off with the suit on a hanger.

DENIS
Atta-girl.

DENIS smiles as he stands in the bathroom doorway,
soaping his face with shaving cream-

He hums...