Episode 4
Tyranny
• In Cell 1
PBp: Guards!
• In the main atrium
Commentary: Each of these men has been extensively tested for authoritarian, aggressive
and racist traits, to make sure all of them are psychologically balanced individuals. Why?
Because they have volunteered to become prisoners and guards in a major scientific study,
to find out whether a system of inequality turns good men to evil.
[Opening for The Experiment]
• At the guards’ observation post
FCg: [over the intercom] Gentlemen, could I have your attention please?
• In the main atrium
Commentary: At the start of this study, the guards were instructed to run the prison effectively
and safely.
FCg: Any examples of verbal aggression or physical aggression, you will leave the experiment
straight away.
• In the main atrium
PPp: [eating a meal] That ain‟t even cooked properly, mate.
Commentary: But prisoners‟ conditions were significantly worse than those for guards.
PPp: This food is shit!
[cuts to a different scene]
FCg: A set of keys has been misplaced
PBp: I could tell you where they are!
Commentary: And some prisoners were soon rebelling.
[cuts to a different scene]
PBp: No, I‟ve got the keys!
FCg:..to do a thorough search of your cells to see if you can find them.
Commentary: On Day 7, the two psychologists running the experiment saw Paul Petken, a
former charity worker and reformed crack addict, and John Edwards, an evangelical
Christian, break out of their cell and invade the guards‟ quarters.
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• In the guards’ mess
KMp: Come on guys. Hey, come on guys, guys, guys, guys.
Commentary: The guards‟ regime is over.
PPp: Go back and lock yourselves in.
KMp: Brute force, come on guys.
JEp: No brute force is allowed.
Commentary: No one knows what will happen next.
• From the guards’ observation post
FCg: Good morning, gentlemen. It is now time to wake up. Wash and shower, clean and tidy
your cells.
• In the main atrium
Commentary: On the morning of Day 7, the guards try to restore their authority by lining up
the prisoners for morning roll call.
FCg: Gentlemen, could you line up on the orange line, please?
Commentary: The breakout‟s ringleader, John Edwards ignores the guards.
FCg: Mr. Edwards, as quick as possible, please!
Commentary: But, he‟s about to discover that he has made a new and more formidable
enemy. Dave Dawson is an IT advisor, who believes in teamwork and consultation. So far, he
has kept a low profile, but today, he is incensed. What he sees as the selfishness of Petken
and Edwards has put the whole experiment in jeopardy.
• In Cell 2
DDp: [from the atrium] Oi! Edwards!
Commentary: And he‟s in no mood to let Edwards lie in.
DDp: [shouting] Oi! Edwards! Get up!
[JEp opens his eyes]
DDp: Mr. Dawson‟s got the right hump because he didn‟t have enough sleep.
JEp: Does Mr. Dawson want breakfast?
PPp: Well, let‟s hope so.
JEp: [unintelligible] He don‟t know how it goes. You tell him, if he wants his breakfast, he‟d
better keep his mouth shut.
PPp: We need to fuck him, sort it out mate, „cause we got to decide what we‟re going to do.
• In the guards’ dormitory
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TAg: All up, please.
Commentary: In the guards‟ dormitory, the situation seems hopeless.
TAg: It‟s just not working out there.
TQg: Yeah ok.
TAg: It‟s like, people aren‟t listening, they want to do their breakfast, they‟re telling us what to
do. And if they get aggressive, and we can‟t get aggressive then it doesn‟t work.
FCg: This is my point.
Commentary: Some of the guards are on the point of leaving.
FCg: In my mind, we had the resources to control them, and we fucked it up.
TAg: Now, what‟s going to happen is, if you think that we‟re going to live together for the next
week with that lot, I won‟t do it.
FCg: Really? It‟s been an experience [tying his hair up] but the experience is over. [stands]
• In the experimenters’ room
Commentary: But the psychologists, Dr. Steven Reicher and Professor Alex Haslam are not
going to draw the experiment to a close. They want to see if a new kind of social system
will emerge out of the morning‟s chaos.
• In the main atrium
Commentary: It‟s not long before Tom Quarry, the executive owner of a multi-million pound
computer business, makes it clear that he is prepared to stay on but only under certain
conditions.
TQg: I‟ll stay if it‟s a commune, where we have individual tasks and we‟re all accountable to
the group. I‟m going to go if we get a really autocratic official, with leaders and all that. I‟m
going to go.
GPp: But there are going to have to be rules. There‟s always going to have to be rules.
TQg: Oh, there‟s rules, and we can sit down and we can discuss those rules. [Inmates chatter
under him] And if people come to the forefront when discussing those rules then fair
enough.
GPp: And those guidelines are put in place by morality. But you don‟t want to break that
guideline because you‟re letting down someone else; not yourself, you‟re letting down
your partner, you know, who‟s in your cell.
BGg: If it‟s a commune, I‟ll stay, but then again I don‟t know what they‟re going to to allow us
to do, that‟s all.
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NPp: We need to bear in mind, that anyone‟s free to go at any point, you know, you don‟t need
to put any extra pressure on yourself.
BGg: Yes, but what I‟m saying is, “What are we staying here to do?”
NPp: Yeah, yeah.
Commentary: The participants are torn between taking control of the experiment themselves
or calling an end to this extraordinary shared experience.
GPp: No one can put any pressure on anybody. You know, if people want to go, they can go.
Commentary: After a week of conflict and division, they‟re keen to overcome their differences
and reach a collective decision about the experiment‟s future. Martial arts blackbelt and
father of six, Philip Bimpson, [standing at the head of the table, throwing and catching a foil
ball] calls them to a formal meeting to discuss their options.
TQg: Mr. Bimpson, I think you should sit down on this as well, „cause you‟re taking the head.
PBp: [throwing ball of foil between his hands] Well, I‟m not taking the head, I‟m just going to
make a few rules, that I think we all should abide by and you can tell me to fuck off
afterwards – I don‟t mind. So, hear me out.
TQg: But you see, we‟ve got to have democracy here.
PBp: Oh, I know that. But you can‟t have a democracy unless you‟ve got rules to follow.
TQg: [smoking] But the only reason I say that is because we can see how things kick off when
the positions are assumed at the beginning...
PBp: I know, I‟m not trying to be undemocratic. I‟m just trying to set some basic rules for you
gentlemen to talk and argue between.
TQg: OK.
PBp: [holds up ball of foil] This, when it‟s your turn to hold it, you can say what you want. Are
we in agreement with that?
[Many participants agree with „yes‟ and „yeah‟.]
PBp: We‟re not going to shout and rant and rave across the table at each other because it‟s
wasting fucking time. So, each person will get a chance to speak. So off you go. [hands ball
to PPp]
PPp: I just think that it‟s about time we all came together. And I think that everyone – people
were not getting a voice for certain reasons and I think that we can all get on and live
together and I don‟t see there is a reason why we can‟t do it. OK, some people might not
agree with what was done but it has been done now, and that‟s not going to change
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anything and I just think we should all get on and work things out between ourselves.
[hands the ball to DDp]
Commentary: After Petken, Dave Dawson takes his turn.
[DDp sighs heavily]
PBp: You can miss a go if you want to come back.
DDp: No, I‟m alright. Um, there‟s got to be a base level of respect. I think we all need to see
that and there isn‟t. Certain people couldn‟t give a flying fat fuck about anybody else, it‟s
this „I‟m alright, Jack‟ attitude. It‟s only a game. [shakes head] There‟s no need to go and
spoil it for everybody else and uh, it‟s just not on. There‟s no need for it. There‟s no need
to be bullyin‟ and I think the people involved should be ashamed and think about other
people. Think about the consequences and what you‟re going to do. [Passes ball to JEp]
JEp: W-, w-, we‟re not going to, I‟m not going to cry over spilt milk. I want to go forward with
the situation. I believe that from the start we have all been prisoners of some kind and it‟s
taken what we got up to, to establish that, to bring it to the forefront, you know? So we,
um, have to work together. There‟s no way-there‟s no two ways about it – we have to
work together.
FCg: In my mind, and this is no reflection on all you guys, I think you did brilliantly, alright, but
in my mind the fact that you resorted to force, to force the door means you failed. And
you‟ve got to respect my views. You all want me to stay, and I think that‟s a wonderful –
thank you very, very much – thing but I am respecting my view and my view is I‟m going to
go. [throws ball to PBp]
PBp: [throws ball from hand to hand] Um, I‟d like to see it go forward in harmony. Irrespective
of our race, colour, creed, religion, political points of views, etc., etc. I‟d like everyone to
move forward and to discuss these things and see where we come out at the end of the
day. I‟d like to think that we would all come out friends. And I‟d like to think that we‟ll all
come out a little bit more tolerant and educated towards our fellow men. [throws ball in
air]
Commentary: A last ditch appeal to keep everyone on board is launched by maintenance
engineer, Brendan Grennan.
[GPp passes BGg the ball]
BGg: Thanks very much indeed. Last, but I hope not least, myself. We all came together. I
made one of the first announcements and I hope this isn‟t the last. I would like us all to stick
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together if at all possible, including my learned friend on my left. [Referring to FCg] If we
can‟t it‟s been, for me, [becomes tearful] sorry, an unforgettable experience. [puts his
thumb up]
[Participants applaud]
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: This is, this is, this is amazing, isn‟t it? It‟s amazing!
• In the main atrium
Commentary: The inmates vote: to stay or to go.
PPp: Alright, well, I‟ve counted up, yeah? [unfolding paper slips] Stay, stay, stay, go.
FCp: Quite a few people want to stay.
Commentary: Feeling they no longer have a role in the study, [prisoners cheer and whistle]
two of those who are most comfortable as guards, Thufayel Ahmed and Frankie Caruana
decide to leave. They are immediately released. [prisoners cheer]
FCg: We‟re going to be free!
Commentary: The others decide to propose a commune system to the psychologists.
TMg: Harmony. Days of harmony.
GPp: Well, well, well, don‟t count your chickens.
NPp: If we can pull this together, it‟s going to be bliss, isn‟t it? It‟s going to be like having a
week‟s holiday.
TMg: Yeah, it can work.
NPp: If we can do it.
Commentary: They agree on a mission statement.
FCp: We‟re just writing us a mission statement.
PBp: Yeah, cool.
FCp: A sort of simple statement of, of what we want to get out of this time we got here.
[Reads]
“We would like to continue as a collective of shared aims and goals. We intend to
accomplish this with organized responsibilities shared fairly between us all. And we aim to
leave this place at the end as a group and as friends”.
GPp: Excellent.
[Participants applaud]
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Commentary: The psychologists are encouraged that twelve former prisoners and guards
have agreed to come together to build a new social order. They go down to the cell block to
launch the next phase of the experiment.
SRe: We accept your proposal to organize this institution as a single self-governing collective.
The task of this collective is to operate the same system as before. We will observe the
operation of your self-regulating disciplinary system to deal with any violations. If violations
are not dealt with, we will impose our own disciplinary system. Your overall challenge is to
show whether your form of organization can make the system work. [Experimenters
leave]
Commentary: The commune begins with a roast lunch of lamb hot-pot, potatoes, and
mangetout peas.
KMp: Come on guys, the first shared meal. The first of...
FCp: Several.
KMp: Several.
TMg: Here‟s to a harmonious future.
[Participants laugh]
BGg: You know what? I was just thinking that it‟s like a relief off my mind. I tended to be
worried about everything. [IBg clears his plate into the bin] That‟s a good idea, bring out
the rubbish bin. We‟re getting very structured here. Why didn‟t we think of this before?
[Participants clean the facility]
Commentary: Feeling that they own the system, everyone approaches their work duties with
considerably more commitment than before.
BGg: Bloody hell, this place has never been this clean, it‟s almost like... I might get a job with
a contract cleaning firm after this.
FCp: If you think of anything else that needs cleaning, I‟ve done the kitchen, which includes
washing up, wiping surfaces and emptying bins.
• In the guards’ bathroom
IBg: Do you want to give the other cistern a synchronised flush to minimize noise?
GPp: Yeah, you ready?
[GPp and IBg flush toilets simultaneously]
• In the main atrium
FCp: Have you got the list, the old list?
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Commentary: Frankie Clark, a 27-year-old tree surgeon from London, has previously kept a
low profile. But he is now coming to the fore as the organizer of the commune‟s work rota.
FCp: If you‟ve got everything from there, that‟s it.
NPp: What about the cell? Should we do anything about the cells or just…?
FCp: It‟s your own duty to do your own space. You can‟t expect anyone to clean your own shit
out so same as before.
• In the guards’ mess
PPp: I am just going to totally chill „cause there‟s people there that will do that for you, you
know? You know what I mean? There are different strengths aren‟t there? Some people
are like, some people will get off their arses and do things, but other people won‟t, but
then there are different types of people, isn‟t there?
Commentary: The heroes of the night before know they don‟t want to share in the commune‟s
chores. But there‟s a problem: they don‟t want to be left out either.
JEp: They‟re formulating all the stuff out there, which is all good, yeah? But when I had a look
at what Frankie‟s doing, and I looked at the list of responsibilities that he‟s written down
there, and he‟s put all the names against it and your name‟s not there and my name‟s not
there.
PPp: Good.
JEp: And he‟s kept, and he‟s throwing up excuses, saying “Oh well you know, it‟s not finished
yet” and all that sort of stuff. Forget that. I know what you‟re playing at. You do not want
us to be involved in here. But don‟t worry, I‟m going to walk around into everyone‟s little,
um, graph and see what they‟re, what they‟re, what they‟re, um, drafting up, and make sure
that it‟s all done fairly. I want to have a good time and relax and everything, but I don‟t
want to appear to them that we‟re-we‟re not really interested in helping out. I want to
help out…
PPp: Sure.
JEp: But I want to do, you know, like you, as little as possible.
JEp: But if you don‟t want to, don‟t want to include us, fine.
PPp: Yeah, but we‟ll still do a little bit.
JEp: I‟m going to make myself available.
PPp: Hmm hmm.
JEp: You know.
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PPp: This is, this is mine, mate. [bouncing football]
JEp: They‟re playing games now. Listen, we started all this and they‟re flippin‟ trying to, do you
know what I mean? [they leave the mess]
• In the exercise area
[IBg scores a basket]
• In the guards’ quarters
Commentary: Frankie Clark, aware of Edwards‟ disgruntlement, comes up with a job for him:
running the daily medical tests, which involves collecting samples of saliva and urine.
FCp: Do you fancy doing the old um tests and being responsible for all this sort of stuff „cause
JEp: The question is …
FCp: No one‟s doing it yet, so- if you want to do it, I‟ll put you on the list for that,
questionnaires, saliva tests, and urine tests.
JEp: [shrugs] Nah.
FCp: You don‟t fancy doing it?
JEp: Thanks anyway. You, why don‟t you do it?
FCp: Aye?
JEp: Why don‟t you do it?
FCp: Yeah, I‟m happy to do it, yeah, I‟ll do it. I‟m just giving you the opportunity „cause you
said, you sounded like you were a bit, um, miffed that you were left off the list of stuff to do
so...
JEp: No, I just noticed that, uh, my name wasn‟t there, so I just wondered why.
• In the main atrium
[JEp and PPp playing pool]
JEp: [PPp hands cue to JEp] I‟m on reds, ain‟t I?
Commentary: Far from being rewarded for the break-out, Edwards is viewed with suspicion.
The man who broke the prison system could easily become the man who breaks the
commune.
JEp: [singing] Oh no.
Commentary: And when Edwards puts a game of pool ahead of serious commune talk,
Dawson doesn‟t let it pass.
DDp: You turned round and said when we said “Everybody get together”. “I‟ll agree with
whatever” you say and walked off to the pool table. You made that decision. That‟s why
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you‟re not part of this group. [JEp appears surprised and then ignores DDp]
• In the delivery area
Commentary: For the first time in the experiment, the psychologists send in beer for all the
inmates.
FCp: How many?
PPp: Twelve.
IBg: Is that twelve cans?
Commentary: And then wait to see how this is interpreted.
• In the guards’ mess
PPp: So this is what you get when you cause a riot. A reward.
KMp: I think they‟re trying to placate us. Something like that.
FCp: I think they‟re rewarding us for getting halfway. I think they‟re very happy with the way it‟s
going.
PPp: Sure, yeah.
FCp: I think they‟re happy. Very happy.
Commentary: [Participants play chess] On the surface, the commune is running smoothly. But
Petken and Edwards are about to put the system to the test.
PBp: So the golden princes were bored with their new kingdom after a day.
[laughter]
Commentary: They start by taking liberties with left-over guards‟ supplies which are
communal property.
JEp: Ah, I‟m-I‟m up for another orange, if I, if I may. Any chocolate biscuits aye, Mr. Petken?
PPp: I‟m sure I‟d er sort you something out the fridge, squire. [laughs]
Commentary: An attitude that doesn‟t pass unnoticed by Dave Dawson.
TQg: [playing chess] That is annoying. Very, very annoying.
JEp: [eating a biscuit] I know the feeling. Thank you very much. Crack on.
Commentary: Then Petken lights up in the commune‟s designated smoke-free zone.
TQg: Get out of it.
PPp: I‟m just having a drag before I...
Commentary: What Petken and Edwards reveal is that the regime has a fundamental flaw. No
one is prepared to enforce commune rules.
TMg: What are we doing? Is there smoking in here now then?
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TQg: [tries to take cigarette] Look, give it to me.
PPp: See now look „cause you‟re getting something out of it that you want to do.
TMg: What‟s going on? Is there smoking in here or what?
TQg: No, there isn‟t.
JEp: No, he‟s going to take it outside now.
TMg: Do you play chess, Paul?
PPp: No way, mate.
TMg: You never fancied it, no?
PPp: No, I just haven‟t got the patience for it. But I‟ve watched about 100 games in the last
four days though.
TQg: Chess can give you a brain haemorrhage. [sips his beer]
JEp: Have you ever had a brain haemorrhage?
TQg: No. Anyway, apparently if you play chess um if you‟re a bit pissed up and you play
chess, it accesses part of your brain that you don‟t normally use and causing it to swell and
kill you. [PPp shakes his head] It happens, honestly, to chess players. It‟s a fact. [JEp laughs in
ridicule] It‟s a known fact. [TQg smiles]
JEp: Don‟t be so stupid!
TQg: It‟s a fact! [sips beers]
JEp: Mr. Quarry, you are an absolute star. I can just see it: the Mr. Quarry Gameshow.
PPp: He‟s the next Michael Barrymore. A chatshow mate. You have to be on a chatshow. He
is just so funny.
JEp: He is.
PPp: Just naturally funny
JEp: They could use someone like you.
TQg: Oh, it‟s nice to hear.
JEp: Seriously, you would do abs-you‟d be an absolute star. Prime time TV. You are fantastic!
TQg: Come on, get on with it.
JEp: [laughs] Mr. Quarry chatshow
TQg: Come on then. Off you go.
JEp: Have you moved?
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Commentary: By the end of the day, the inmates have fulfilled the cleaning chores, played
hours of chess, pool, marbles and jenga and filled in their daily psychological forms. What
these forms reveal is a surprising trend. Far from becoming more liberal and tolerant in their
commune, the absence of authority is making the inmates crave structure and leadership
all the more.
• In the video booth
PBp: Since I‟ve been filling in um your psychological profile forms, I‟ve found myself going
towards strong leaders. You need a strong leader. You do need a certain amount of force
to, uh, impose rules.
• In the main atrium
Commentary: This kind of authority does not exist in the commune. Some members begin to
fantasize that the psychologists might be about to restore it.
JEp: I‟m just trying to think ahead, and I‟m thinking they‟ve got something else up their sleeve.
They might have five new prisoners, two new guards, three, uh, no, it‟ll be one...
TMg: It‟s twelve in total, isn‟t it?
GPp: Two new guards and two new prisoners.
BGg: You mean, you think it‟ll revert back to the norm- the way it was? They can‟t corrupt, uh,
if we‟ve formed this um commune, i.e., collective, uh, how can they knock that out and
bring back the former. How can they? They can‟t.
JEp: I think we should be aware, or just at least on our toes, should we have any more guests,
we have to have a certain procedure...
PBp: The scariest thing that could happen to anybody right, is if you have to go in a cell with,
uh, Mr. Petken, myself and the Reverend Dawson [laughter]. All stripped down straight to our
boxer shorts, covered in olive oil. Are we up for that? That‟d be a laugh.
PPp: It‟s been a heavy, heavy day today, mate. Everyone‟s fucked. See you later, chaps.
JEp: What‟s the time, anyway?
PPp: Ten o‟clock.
PPp: Jenga with me right arm.
JEp: Uh, what‟s the time?
PPp: Ten o‟clock.
[Lights are turned down]
Commentary: In fact, the next turn of events doesn‟t come from the psychologists. It comes
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from two of the commune members.
JEp: So what next?
PPp: Ah, mate, I would love to kick something off again, and start playing some little game.
But I just don‟t see an angle, I really don‟t.
JEp: We can, we can lock them in, yeah?
PPp: No, no, that ain‟t shit is it? It won‟t achieve anything. I was thinking about you know,
causing a bit of distress to someone.
JEp: So what you just, what do you suggest?
PPp: I don‟t know, mate. Everyone just seems so fucking happy, don‟t they?
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: This is this worry about Paul wants it to kick off. What can we do to make it kick off? It‟s
horrible!
AHe: Mmm.
• In the main atrium
JEp: I am missing family and friends you know, I do miss a few people, my kids and stuff like
that...
PPp: Definitely.
JEp: Because I don‟t think I can stick this pool, fill my belly, sleep, jenga, tests, the tests,
chores. I could not do it. I have to be honest with you, man and that‟s the gospel truth, I
couldn‟t do it.
PPp: That‟s alright, I‟ll go with that, that‟s how it‟s supposed to be, isn‟t it, with these big, big
men from these big big places doing these big, big jobs and what?
JEp: I ain‟t no big shot out there at all, by, by any measure.
PPp: Not at all?
PPp: I‟m nothing out there. I‟m just a little guy just getting on with his life-
PPp: And I‟m an unemployed ex-junkie, mate.
JEp: I ain‟t got nothing, you understand? There‟s all these people that are telling you their
business: they do this, they do that, they do this, they do that. Blah, blah, blah. Then play
marbles!
PPp: But quite happy to do so.
JEp: And quite happy to do so!
PPp: Unbelievable – Ker plunk? Ten o‟clock. [laughter]
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• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: There‟s something, there‟s something actually almost sadistic about this.
• In the main atrium
JEp: Surely, the experimenters are not going to just act like this for the next three or four days.
I don‟t think they‟re just going to, they‟ve got much better things to do. So I think that there
will be another twist to the tale.
PPp: If it does just turn into a little game and a battle of the wills and it all goes a bit wonky, do
you know what I mean, I want to, I want to be going into that with the upper hand. I‟m not
having no one playing games. I‟m not going to be being told what to do by anyone in here,
you know what I mean? We fuckin‟ broke in there, we‟ve done it.
JEp: I‟m not being funny, but we‟re the ones that caused all this, yeah, and there‟s been a
result for everyone. Basically, I don‟t want to be part of their regime.
• On the guards’ walkway
JEp: They want to impose a regime on us after we got them to this position? You know what
they should be doing? Is saying “Well done, boys”, yeah um, “We‟d like you, we‟re going
...” I don‟t know, not that we should be leaders or anything like that but we should be
exonerated from all duties...
PPp: Yeah, but that‟s why I‟m saying, we cordon off a bit outside our cell.
JEp: Aye?
PPp: Take a table and chairs and put it outside our cell. Cordon a bit off and say “Look lads,
we‟re withdrawing from you”. [laughter]
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: Oh God.
• In the guards’ walkway
Ppp: We‟re going to have a bit of a round table there with like four chairs to put our feet up and
play up outside our house all day. I‟m just thinking like a...
JEp: Yeah.
PPp: We‟re withdrawing from the group and everything. You can come and visit but don‟t stay
too long. [laughter]
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: Oh God, we‟re getting the collapse of the system.
• In the guards’ walkway
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JEp: How can we, how can we impose our power and say look? „Cause they can turn round
and say no.
PPp: Sure. But they can‟t use no physical force so that‟s not going to stop us from bringing the
and table and chairs outside our house, is it? Or playing up.
JEp: Is that a camera up there?
PPp: Yeah.
JEp: Wicked.
• In the guards’ mess
Commentary: Two hours after the others have gone to bed Petken and Edwards find Bimpson
in the messroom. He is holding the silver ball.
PPp: We can start twisting people up. But where‟s the excitement in that? Where‟s the dare?
PBp: Nowhere. Like, from my point of view it‟s going to get pretty fucked up, you know,
watching it degenerate into nothing.
PPp: Sure.
PBp: And then there‟s going to be some wimpy bastards who are going to leave.
PPp: Sure.
PBp: So you know I‟m thinking, should I leave now before the wimpy fuckers, uh...
Commentary: Psychologists know that men who have thrived on conflict can easily feel
marginalised in a world without it.
PPp: You know it‟s all, it‟s all very fluffy isn‟t it?
PBp: Yeah. That‟s where I‟ll say you‟ve done your deed, your little subversive action...
PPp: If we was...
PBp: That has led to this but I think that what it has led to will fall on it‟s fuckin‟ arse.
PPp: I think if there was...
PBp: Because you‟re being excluded already.
PPp: If there was twelve of us, twelve fuckers here, twelve people that wanted to have a good
fuck about, I think it might be a bit of a game and it might be a bit of a laugh.
PBp: Yeah.
PPp: I think that would test us all. You know, how strong are you? There saying about physical
confrontation, whether you can keep my arse on the line or not.
PBp: Yeah. [crosstalk]
PPp: It‟s about mental attitude
15
JEp: I totally agree with that. We should be the guards! We...
Commentary: Bimpson is now realizing that there is a vacuum of power in the experiment and
that he is perfectly placed to fill it.
PBp: I tell you what. You‟ve just opened up a whole new fuckin‟ idea to me, um. I‟ll just run this
by you to see what you think, um, maybe I just might change my fucking mind and stay
here. [JEp laughs] I vote, listen, let me finish „cause I have the ball. I vote that us two-three,
me and you two, Mr. Grennan who has experience and say, Mr. Quarry if he wants to and
Mr. McElroy if he wants to...
PPp: No,
PBp: No?
PPp: No, us three!
PBp: I‟d like to have Mr. Grennan along, he‟s a good guy, he‟s a good boy, he looked out for
us.
JEp: What is it you‟re thinking of?
PBp: I‟m gonna say “Listen we want to be the guards”.
PPp: Yeah good idea.
PBp: And fucking make them toe the line.
PPp: Yeah.
PBp: I mean on the fucking line.
PPp: Yeah mate, yeah yeah.
PBp: [As if talking to prisoners] “No fucking talking while you‟re eating. Get on with your food
and get the fucking hell back to your cell.”
PPp: I agree, I totally agree.
JEp: Yeah I‟ll have some of that.
PBp: Bloody hell, that does make it a different dimension, doesn‟t it? Right. [to camera] Listen,
we want to make a bit of an announcement, can you hear us? Just give me a nod if you can.
Tomorrow at first dawn, we‟re having a military take-over of the regime that‟s been put in
place yesterday. The people who are taking over will be myself, Philip Bimpson, my good
friend, Mr. John Edwards, Mr. Paul Petken and hopefully Brendan Grennan who we‟re
going to try and recruit-recruit him. Now if we take over we want military uniforms.
JEp: We would like
PBp: No, we want those uniforms.
16
JEp: No, they‟re our friends aren‟t they?
PBp: Yeah, we want full military uniforms. You already have the measurements, some black
berets and some shades.
[laughter]
JEp: Dr. Marten‟s [boots], steel-toe.
PBp: And we‟re going to run this prison the way it should have been from day one.
JEp: Yeah.
PBp: I‟ll leave it with you.
• In the guards’ mess
Commentary: Petken and Edwards go to bed at half past midnight, but Bimpson can‟t sleep.
[PBp sits on the sofa in different positions throughout the night.] At three in the morning he
starts preparing a manifesto for his new regime. [PBp begins writing]. At four in the morning he
hides his manifesto in the kitchen cupboard, but stays in the
mess to guard it. He sleeps only one hour. Shortly after six he rouses all the other
inmates.
[PBp blows a whistle repeatedly and calls for the other participants to wake.]
• In the experimenters’ room
AHe: [speaking on the phone] OK. Bye. [AHe hangs up phone]
Commentary: The psychologists are also up early, ready for the coup. It is less than 24 hours
since they agreed to the commune. They are apprehensive about Bimpson‟s plans.
• In the guards’ mess
PBp: Mr.Grennan?
BGg: Yeah?
PBp: You‟re a man of some reliability.
BGg: Yeah?
PBp: And me and the lads are bored.
BGg: Are bored?
PBp: Bored yeah.
BGg: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
PBp: So we‟re thinking of reintroducing the original regime.
BGg: Mmhmm.
PBp: So...
17
BGg: Yeah, OK.
PBp: ...If you‟re interested...
BGg: Yeah, yeah.
PBp: ...would you like to be a guard?
BGg: Guard, yeah. Whatever, or a prisoner, whatever you want, I‟ll go along with what you
want.
PBp: ‘Cause we had a little chat last night and we have a lot of respect for you. You‟re a good
guy. So it‟s me, Mr. Edwards, and obviously Mr. Petken.
BGg: Yeah.
PBp: And we know a lot of those people don‟t like us any fucking way.
BGg: I know that, yeah.
PBp: It‟ll be interesting.
BGg: It could be.
PBp: And if you‟re up for it.
BGg: Yeah, yeah.
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: Where are Edwards and Petken? Are they asleep? [Camera shows JEp and PPp sleeping
in their beds.]
AHe: It‟s going to be hard for them to lead a revolution when you‟re in bed, isn‟t it?
SRe: Yeah. It is.
• In the guards’ mess
PBp: [speaking to camera] Can you here me? It‟s either time for a change or it‟s time to go
home. Our work is done.
• In the experimenters’ room
AHe: I mean that‟s the choice, really, isn‟t it?
SRe: Yeah.
Commentary: Bimpson‟s seven o‟clock deadline comes and goes. But twenty minutes later,
he finds the perfect pretext for his attempted coup in the unlikely form of a traditionally
cooked Scottish breakfast.
• In the main atrium
[TQg and GPp are wheeling in a food cart. The other participants are standing around the
atrium.]
18
GPp: Just porridge! Nothing else! Just porridge! Get your porridge here!
Commentary: Since Petken and Edwards helped themselves to the commune‟s supplies of
biscuits and orange juice, there‟s not much left in the kitchen either.
GPp: You didn‟t really think we could sit around all day doing nothing and have lots to eat?
TQg: You know this is what it‟s all about. We‟ve got to start re-evaluating what this is all about,
you know. And this will get more like this, the more we sit around and do nothing.
GPp: And there‟s, and there‟s no sugar.
NPp: Can I have one with less than that.
FCp: That‟s like my granny‟s porridge, that is.
TMg: Is that alright, is it? [licks porridge from fingers]
FCp: Very salty. Fuck me, ah, it‟s got salt in it.
Commentary: To the inmates, this is not just a bad breakfast, it‟s a message about what their
future in the experiment holds.
NPp: That‟s not edible. Can‟t eat it. Don‟t put too much in your mouth.
BGg: This is deliberate. This is deliberate now, isn‟t it? So that means that if we don‟t do
anything, we‟re going to get food that we can‟t eat, or no food at all. Oh that‟s going to be
interesting.
Commentary: The psychologists are about to discover that the hunger of the inmates plays
straight into Bimpson‟s hands.
• In the main atrium
[Most of the participants are sitting at the table. PBp is walking and speaking. PPp is sitting
inside the guards‟ observation booth and JEp is standing nearby.]
PBp: Right, what this situation is, we‟re sitting here eating shit, and we‟re eating fucking shit
because the regime of yesterday doesn‟t work. Irrespective your fucking beliefs, a little bit
of moderate force does work. Yeah? And the [unintelligible] by these two chaps, and a few
of you guys, fucking got a result, and then you push it a bit further. You do a bit of
conniving and devious things to force the fucking issue. Controlled force works.
Commentary: Bimpson is psychologically preparing the inmates for when he and his
lieutenants take power.
PBp: If you‟ve got something that you fucking want, one day, no matter how many fucking
peace banners you carry, you got to fight for it.
19
Commentary: He and Edwards circle the table, already like guards on duty. The control
station is occupied by Petken. The other inmates sit around the prisoners‟ table.
PBp: My opinions have totally changed over the past week. I was almost a fucking pacifist. But
I‟ve gone back to the way I am, a predatory hunter. But the difference between me and
other hunters I have fucking thoughts and morals to try and keep everything in a straight
line. But unfortunately, just like in OPEC or NATO or the fucking EUC or whatever, all
you people sit down there and all you‟re interested in is your own selfish fucking needs.
Now I know these guys have gone out and done their thing. [Referring to JEp and PPp.] It‟s
like when you‟re a fucking soldier, you go out and fight for your country and come back
and no one wants to fucking know who you are. You‟ve fucking nearly given your life there
and no one gives a shit. You‟re disposable. And that‟s exactly what‟s happened in this little
tiny fucking world in here. But it becomes a bit unfair when the guys who are doing all the
fucking doing are getting all the slagging off. That‟s the difference.
• In the experimenters’ room
AHe: It strikes me a bit with Bimpson‟s speech.
SRe: I think he‟s saying that basically you need, for a society to work you need rules, and
basically in this system as it exists, no body‟s doing anything, that‟s why we‟re being
punished, so rather than just looking after yourselves get your arses in gear and let‟s
organize and in order to organize, you need, uh, you know, strong leaders who can get
people to do what they want.
• In the main atrium
PBp: What do you think a leader should be? Yeah? He‟s got to be strong. And do you know
why he‟s got to be strong? Cause you got to tread on a few of you fucking arsesholes to make
you fucking realize you need rules. And the only reason fucking hippy type communes exist
is because the rules force the working classes to pay the fucking dole money for those
fuckers who sit in fields, and I‟m not being biased but no one who‟s got a fucking arsehole
larger than that [makes a small measurement with his hands] to go up them and go, “Hey
Mr. Edwards, you had two fucking cakes and I had one”.
You shithouses. I said it, didn‟t I? You didn‟t have the balls. These guys have got fucking
balls because they put their money where their mouth is and did something about it. And I
know you‟re sitting there quietly because to a lot of you the words I‟m saying do make
sense. And I find standing here that I have more in common with these two than you lot. I
20
hate to say, you‟re fucking great guys, but you‟re arseholes. You‟re alright while you‟re
fucking eating the food and drinking the beer, but when it comes to payday, get rid of the
fucking surplus men. That‟s what it‟s down to, isn‟t it? [TQg is moving a paper on the table
with his tongue and chin.] You‟re selfish, greedy, selfish fuckers, and that‟s just like
everyone in the world who sits at a table, because you only sit at the table to see what you
can get out of it, and you end up like fucking pigs in the trough. [TQg continues to lick the
paper on the table.]
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: This has been getting more and more bizarre isn‟t it?
AHe: Yeah, I know I think it‟s getting to Quarry in a big way. I think...
SRe: It‟s brought on by a profound sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. Everything he
wanted to happen, it‟s going in precisely the opposite way. I mean, not only is the
Commune not working, but his worst nightmares are about to come true.
• In the main atrium
PBp: And all‟s I‟ve done is walk up and down here, day after fucking day, and all I‟ve heard is
griping, bitching, look at them, they‟ve got this, they‟re doing that, but no one will get up
and say anything. You know I‟m right.
PPp: You‟re damn right mate, I can get up when I want, do what I want. The rest of you are
just surplus to requirements.
PBp: Don‟t get me wrong, Mr. Petken, right, is a little bit too over the top. „Cause he wants
fucking global domination. [PPp laughs] These guys...
DDp: I‟ll tell you what, Phil, I‟m just going to interrupt you here, right, right? Anybody can sit
round here and be a cunt. Right? I haven‟t. But from now, you‟re going to find out what I‟m
like when I‟m a cunt. When I‟m the one who fucking walks in there, starts drinking fucking
orange, not offering any fucker anything. Right? I‟m going to be the one smoking all o‟ your
tabs [cigarettes]. Right? And see how much it fucking changes then. Right? Anybody round
here can be the cunt! Right? Not just you two. „Cause let‟s face it. You two are acting like
a pair of fucking cunts. You‟re acting like fucking kids. [DDp stands up from the table.]
PBp: Well, Mr. Dawson, you know where you stand then, don‟t you?
DDp: Yeah I know where I fucking stand, yeah. [DDp leaves the main atrium and enters the
guards‟ mess.]
PBp: You know where you stand and you know where they stand. That‟s the difference.
21
Everyone else has just been feeding you shit.
PPp: [Laughs] Twenty-four hour suspension.
JEp: I rest my case. [Laughs]
Commentary: Dawson‟s anger stems from his belief that legitimate authority is based on
consent. He is reacting to what he sees as disrespect for agreed commune values. While he
sits in the mess, Bimpson‟s case for tyranny is proposed by his lieutenants Petken and
Grennan.
BGg: How about, just a suggestion, that we all revert to the guard/prisoner situation again,
cause then, we had a good structure with that.
PPp: Tell you what, we do that, but we change the guards.
BGg: That‟s no problem.
TQg: You want to lock up everything, just do the same system...
BGg: Revert back...
TMg: We‟ve done that, and it‟s failed though, hasn‟t it?
TQg: It‟s failed. We can hit this thing and we can do it, put this self-regulatory thing in, I
mean...
Commentary: In the wake of Dawson‟s eruption, the other commune members try to defend
their new system.
TMg: We‟ve only done it for a day. It‟s ridiculous. We have one bad breakfast and everyone
wants to give in.
Commentary: But this doesn‟t stop Bimpson.
PBp: Right, I‟m adjourning then. Give me a shout when you have a bad fucking dinner then.
[PBp leaves.]
• In the video booth
PBp: It takes strong leaders to implement, um, order, and I know it‟s harsh at first, like in
Russia when Stalin took over. It did bring the people together. I know it became, uh, an
oppressive state, but that was normal breakdown of things, but it moved things forward
and, you know, that‟s the way life is.
Commentary: At the start of the experiment, Bimpson was one of the participants most
opposed to authority. Now he is its most passionate advocate.
• In Cell 2
PBp: What I‟m talking about is setting up an autocratic state.
22
BGg: Very good.
PBp: Does that make sense?
BGg: It does.
PBp: So what we‟re going to do is, like Mr. Petken‟s fucking predecessors, we‟re going to go
on a raiding party around about twelve o‟clock, not using force. We‟re going to commandeer
the pool table and the basketball court, we‟re going to commandeer the bathrooms and
the showers, self-sufficient, and the kitchens, and everything beyond that fence is going to
be ours. And anyone who wants to join us is more than welcome. I‟d like to count you as
one of those few boys. [PBp and BGg hug]
BGg: Definitely, sir.
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: Bimpson has great charm. He can give paternal love. I mean you look at people talking
about their relationship to Hitler, I‟m not saying he‟s Hitler, that would be ludicrous, but at
the same time, part of the charismatic relationship is, is, is the conflation of the personal
and the formal. Everybody feels they have a personal relationship with him. He can be very
paternal and supportive.
• In Cell 2
PBp: Have a think about it, think about whether it‟s a good idea, and I will announce it at
twelve o‟clock. Because I‟m going to say, right, using no force, we‟re going to move the pool
table up into our new country. This is our fucking state. And if anyone‟d like to join, come with
us. But it‟ll be our little kingdom, you know what I mean?
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: I find it horrible that perhaps we inadvertently have set up the conditions for the
emergence of fascism, and...
Commentary: The psychologists are increasingly concerned about Bimpson‟s plan, and the
impact of his speech on the other commune members.
SRe: I mean there was a point when some of the people in there felt desperate. I mean it was
as if I tried to create the system I believed in, and I‟m going to have fascism imposed upon
me. I think it was fascinating, absolutely, but I think it‟s horrible. I think it was absolutely
horrible.
• In Cell 2
PBp: Alright, I‟ll get back to you in a couple of hours or so [PBp and BGg leave Cell 2]
23
Commentary: Bimpson‟s coup is set for midday. He is now ready to impose his regime,
regardless of the others.
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: Can we, can we move to Edwards?
Commentary: But Edwards can‟t ignore opposition. He confronts Dawson in his cell.
• In Cell 3
[JEp cleaning floor while DDp lies face down in his bed.]
JEp: You don‟t know me. You don‟t know where I come from, or what I do. But yet you have
this funny attitude of me. I‟ve noticed two or three times you‟ve come at me for no
apparent reason in my opinion, and, um, it‟s unnecessary, you know, and your non-desire,
for want of a better way of putting it, not even to discuss it is just evident...
DDp: I‟m listening, John.
JEp: Yeah, well I think you‟re quite rude actually not even to turn around and have a listen to
what I‟m saying. I think that‟s so rude, and it‟s just consistent with the way you‟ve been
behaving with me.
DDp: You‟re the one who came in here, not me.
JEp: Well this is my point entirely. „Cause I think there‟s a problem with, you have a problem
with me. And you‟ve just shown...
DDp: [DDp turns to lie upwards] You‟re quite right, I do. I do. It‟s not just you.
JEp: Well, if...
DDp: And I agree with you, I shouldn‟t have done what I did. That was well out of order,
actually.
JEp: But the thing is you‟ve done it three times now.
DDp: Yeah. Because I‟ve sat and I‟ve watched. And there‟s things that have annoyed me. And
I‟ve tried to keep calm and tried to keep up…
JEp: Yeah but you don‟t do it the way you do it.
DDp: Yeah but people push and push and push.
JEp: I don‟t care how far I push.
DDp: And I explode. But that‟s what happens.
JEp: Fine.
DDp: All I‟m saying, John, is I‟m quite prepared, because I don‟t think me and you are going to
get on, not in these circumstances, do you agree with that?
24
JEp: What I agree with is that you have a personal problem with me, and I‟m not having it. You
understand me, I‟m not having it. Because, really, if this is a real live situation, I wouldn‟t be
talking to you...
DDp: Oh, right, so you‟re saying if we were outside, or...
JEp: You couldn‟t talk to me like that!
DDp: You‟d have given me a good hiding?
JEp: Absolutely!
DDp: Really?
JEp: Absolutely!
DDp: And that would make you feel better?
JEp: It probably would!
DDp: Really?
JEp: But I realize...
DDp: You don‟t think that‟s a problem?
JEp: Not at all!
DDp: No?
JEp: If you‟ve got a problem with me, yeah? Pull me to one side and say, John, I don‟t think
that‟s right, and then we thresh it out that way, have a little chat about it. But you do not do
that in public. [DDp laughs] Don‟t laugh about it!
DDp: No, what I‟m saying is you do your things in public, but I‟m not allowed to do my things in
public?
JEp: OK, I‟m not sure...
DDp: That‟s what it boils down to.
JEp: But I‟m not sure what I‟ve done in public has been a problem. I‟m not aware of that.
DDp: OK, then.
JEp: I‟m not aware of that.
DDp: But maybe you should be, and that‟s the way I react.
JEp: Absolutely, maybe I should be aware of it. What I‟m saying to you, I‟ve not been aware of
it. So what are the things that I‟ve done that you‟ve not been happy with, that you‟ve not had
the balls to come pull me to one side and speak to me about it?
DDp: I guess generally your attitude to the rest of the group. It‟s not very communal, is it? [JEp
shakes his head] It‟s the disrespect to everybody else.
25
JEp: Such as?
DDp: Well, you know, I mean...
JEp: Look, look, Dave. Stop playing games my friend. Stop playing games. That‟s absolute
crap, OK. I‟ve been as much, um, um, interactant, shown a lot of interaction there, as you
have.
DDp: You haven‟t John.
JEp: I‟ve been interacting with everyone as much as you have, as anyone else in this place
here.
DDp: You haven‟t been.
JEp: So don‟t waste my time.
DDp: You haven‟t.
JEp: Can you just give me some evidence please?
DDp: When we‟re all having a conversation and you said, well I‟m not interested, whatever
you say, and then walked off. What was, what was the point in that?
JEp: You know what?
DDp: It doesn‟t matter.
JEp: Listen, listen, listen, listen to me. For the rest of the time, yeah? I wouldn‟t even want to
discuss anything further with you, because you‟re just a bullshitter. You‟re all flipping
mouth. Yeah? What you‟re talking about here is absolute crap. In future, listen! I‟m not
interested. I‟m not interested no more. You stick by yourself, yeah?
DDp: John.
JEp: And don‟t even talk to me. Excuse me, I‟m not interested. I‟m not interested. I‟ve come in
here to try to call a truce with you, yeah? And you‟re accusing me of stuff...
DDp: John.
JEp: ...that‟s absolute diabolical. Yeah, and you...
DDp: John, we can sort this out.
JEp: Excuse me! You wasn‟t even interested in talking with me, let alone sort it out.
DDp: I wasn‟t, I wasn‟t. You‟re right. Now you‟re not interested in talking to me.
JEp: Because you‟re just a liar!
DDp: I‟m not a liar. John, calm down a sec. John, I‟m not going to do that again, because I can
see I‟ve obviously upset you. And it wasn‟t meant to upset you that much.
JEp: Listen to me. Listen to me. You haven‟t upset me. My...
26
DDp: I think I have, John.
JEp: Stop all that! If you‟ve got any problems with me, you come to me to one side, say John, I
don‟t think that‟s blah, blah, blah, and whatever, um, and then we go forward.
DDp: Yep. I‟ll agree to that. [DDp and JEp shake hands.]
JEp: Thank you very much. [JEp leaves Cell 3.]
DDp: Oh well, never mind then. [DDp begins to play cards.]
• In the guards’ mess
Commentary: In the commune‟s non-smoking mess room, Bimpson and Grennan are
beginning to act as if they have already taken over.
[PBp and BGg are smoking on the sofas]
TMg: Is this now a smoking room, is it, or?
BGg: Yes, yes, that‟s what we decided. That‟s what it was when it was a guards‟ room, you
know, and there‟s no hard and fast.
PBp: That‟s what it was before.
TMg: Just this is a smoking room now, and that‟s non-smoking our there. There‟s got to be a
non-smoking area where non-smokers can go.
Commentary: Shaken by the hostility in his confrontation with Edwards, Dawson decides to
speak with the psychologists.
• In the experimenters’ room
AHe: [speaking on the phone] OK, thanks. [AHe hangs up phone.] Dawson‟s on the video
booth, Steve.
SRe: Yeah. [SRe sits down and puts on headphones.]
• In the video booth
SRe: [Through intercom] Hello.
DDp: Hello.
SRe: Sorry, just getting things together to get to talk to you. So how are you, how are you
feeling about things at the moment?
DDp: Uh, I‟m not interested about that. What‟s the procedure for getting out of here?
SRe: Uh, if you make a req-, request to leave, uh, at any time that will be acceptable.
DDp: How do I get home?
SRe: What I‟ll do is I‟ll look into that and, um, do you want to come back and talk to us again in
three quarters of an hour?
27
DDp: Yeah, that‟ll be great.
SRe: OK, bye.
DDp: Thanks.
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: It‟s falling apart.
AHe: Yeah, I think...
Commentary: With Dawson‟s departure imminent, one of the group‟s most significant brakes
on tyranny is gone.
• In the guards’ mess
PBp: [smoking] Well actually, gentlemen, I‟m not prepared to argue about it. You‟ve come up
here mob-handed, you‟re out there doing your thing, and we‟re sitting here having a
conversation, a private one, so if you‟ll kindly fuck off, I‟ll be happy, and I‟ll finish me
cigarette, and finish my talk with Mr. Grennan, if that‟s alright.
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: [on the phone] ...or just end, that‟s the other possible thing.
Commentary: The scientists have a responsibility for the psychological and emotional health
of all the participants. They resolve to end the study before the commune collapses
completely.
• In the guards’ mess
BGg: If we‟re going to make rules regarding everybody in the commune, what‟s the point in
making them if some people are absent? You didn‟t call a meeting to make rules, or
anything. So from that point of view, until I see it in black and white, until we all agree on
it, I won‟t abide by it. [crosstalk]
TMg: Fine.
PBp: Yeah, but you can‟t discuss that because I was in the middle of a conversation with Mr.
Grennan, which you guys have rudely interrupted.
TMg: This room is free to all, we can come in here like anyone.
PBp: That‟s, um.
TMg: And it was decided yesterday that this was a non-smoking room. We can sit down here
and... [crosstalk]
BGg: I wasn‟t even consulted about that yesterday to be honest. [crosstalk] I mean, if we were
told officially... [crosstalk]
28
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: I want to get on set before twelve, that‟s when Bimpson makes his announcement.
• In the guards’ mess
Commentary: The inmates realize the commune is in jeopardy, and that Bimpson is trying to
take over. But they don‟t yet realize that the whole experiment is in its final hour.
KMp: Where‟d it all go wrong? Where‟d it all go wrong?
PBp: God must sit up there sometimes and think that.
Commentary: Five minutes before midday, a day-and-a-half ahead of schedule, the
psychologists take action to bring the study to an end.
• In the main atrium
[The participants are sitting at the table. SRe and AHe are standing near the head of the table.]
AHe: OK, I just want to make a couple of announcements. The first thing is that we‟re going to
finish the study today, OK? But in the meantime, or just this afternoon and tomorrow
morning, we‟ve got...
Commentary: The experiment is over. After a period of debriefing, in which the volunteers are
prepared for reintroduction into the outside world, the prison gates slide open for the
first time since the experiment began.
• In the car park off the set
[The doors to the delivery area open, and the participants exit the set and walk into the
adjoining parking lot.
The participants appear very happy, and are hugging and shaking hands with each other,
including former rivals, such as JEp with DDp.]
TQg: Words cannot explain how happy I am to be out of there.
PBp: I‟ve always wanted a coat like this.
TAg: Bang it on you! [TAg puts his coat on PBp.]
PBp: Yeah.
• In the video booth
AHe: By ending the experiment early, did we rob you of an opportunity?
PBp: It took its natural course, and I was waiting for my opportunity, and my opportunities
came and went, so, that‟s what happens in life.
AHe: Should we, do we do another experiment to see what would happen if you had taken
over?
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PBp: It‟ll be interesting. It‟ll be interesting. And I‟d be interested.
• In the car park off the set
Commentary: For the scientists, this study began as an attempt to analyze the effect of
imposing inequality on their volunteers. But after the collapse of the guard/prisoner regime,
four of the inmates introduced a new, and much more disturbing question.
PBp: When we were there, we were actually going to do a military takeover on the last day,
and it was me, Petken, Edwards, and Mr. Grennan.
• In the experimenters’ room
SRe: In the beginning, all of them hate inequality, you know, don‟t want to be tyrannical
guards, don‟t want to be oppressed prisoners. Why do they get to the point where they nearly
impose it for themselves? And therefore the big psychological question, far bigger than we
realized at the start, is how is tyranny created?
Commentary: From the outset, the guards were reluctant to exercise their authority. The
inmates were left with a vacuum of power in which their basic values began to erode.
AHe: I mean, it‟s interesting just looking at the data here, you can see they are actually now
prepared to tolerate, if you like, more authoritarian solutions. They are prepared, they
want some strong leadership. They want the things, they‟re willing to compromise their
egalitarian principles.
Commentary: The psychologists‟ questionnaires show that most of the inmates share
Bimpson‟s frustrations. In the absence of enforced rules and authority, many of them so crave
order, that they are ready to embrace options far more extreme than they had ever
considered before. In the chaos of a power vacuum, a group selected as decent individuals
has drifted towards tyranny, and in these circumstances, our basic democratic instincts prove
much more fragile than we had ever expected. There is one overriding lesson. If we really
want to stop tyranny, we need to prevent the vacuum of power that feeds it.
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