National Treasure

Celebrated comedian Paul Finchley waits nervously in the wings at an awards ceremony. He's there to present his comedy partner, KARL, with a lifetime achievement award. The crowd lap up the duo's onstage routine. Offstage we see this lifetime-long partnership which, while one of genuine friendship, is also tinged with a competitive edge.

We're with Dee as she wakes early and sets off to confront her former babysitter, Christina, about the accusations she's made against her father. Christina is clearly scared of Dee as she retreats inside her house, only telling Dee 'you must remember what he was like.' Across town, Paul gives a disastrous radio interview to Victoria Derbyshire, who skewers his attempts to make the listeners sympathise with him. Jerome is furious Paul's disobeyed him by talking about his arrest publicly.

Marie is rattled when she bumps into Paul's first accuser, Rbecca, in the magistrate court loos before Paul's first hearing. Rebecca tells Marie she's not lying, and she's doing this for Marie as much as for herself. Marie re-joins Paul, Jerome and Paul's new barrister, Zoe, with Rebecca's words ringing in her ears. Marie, Paul and Dee's son, BILLY, next visit Dee at the hospital, who's just woken from her coma. Paul deals with the press outside, giving a statement about Dee. Inside, Dee is badly scarred, with mixed emotions about seeing her mum and son. But Paul can't face seeing Dee. Marie confronts Paul. He can't tell her why, but there's a sense it's too hard for him to face his daughter.

Paul is in court with Zoe, his barrister. She's showing him where everyone sits, where he'll be. She tells him there's a lot of rubbish talked about how the accused should just ‘be himself' in court. As Zoe points out, if he was being himself he'd hate everyone there for being invited to his humiliation party. He's also an actor, and actors are the worst people in the world at playing themselves. So he needs to be a version of himself who is contrite, who takes this all very seriously – the jury have to believe in his humanity. Back at the Finchley house, Dee is beginning to realise Marie's no longer on side with Paul.