A number of attractions at Granada Studios Tour were extremely unique. An opening day attraction was the House of Commons experience, where visitors were welcomed into the chamber where a debate was in full flow. A excerpt of one of the scripts is shown below.
The set was built in 1986 at a cost of £90,000 for the serialisation of Jeffrey Archer’s novel ‘First Among Equals’. The real House of Commons has seats for around 450 members, however this set has seating for around 260.
Speaker: We now have a bill for anyone who has ever been sick and fed up.
Labour: Are we getting rid of British Rail?
Speaker: No, it’s about the Health Service. Would anyone like to say anything about the Health Service?
Labour: Yes, we want one.
Speaker: The member for Grimsdale, would you like to elucidate?
Labour: In front of all these members?
Speaker: Yes please.
Labour: Oh go on then. Mr. Speaker, we have repeatedly attacked the Government on the National Health cutbacks. I repeat, we have repeatedly attacked the Government on the National Health cutbacks, haven’t we? It is a sad state of affairs altogether.
All: It is a sad state of affairs.
Labour: For example, one of my constituents has been on the waiting list now for 14 years and she still hasn’t had her gas fire fitted.
Speaker: Just a minute, we’re talking about the Health Service.
Labour: So am I, Mr. Speaker, since this Government came into power there have been more ill people in this country than ever before. I mean look at him. He shouldn’t be here – he should be at home in bed with a Night Nurse and a bottle of Wincarnis.
Tory: He’s as fit as a fiddle. It’s you, you need glasses.
Labour: And there’s another thing, the price of glasses, it’s ridiculous. I went into Vision Express the other day and within one hour I came out with a colour telly and a video.
Speaker: I think that was Vision Hire not Vision Express.
Labour: Well I didn’t know, I didn’t have my glasses on, I couldn’t see. The point is, we want to get more money invested into the Health Service, don’t we? So what is this tight-fisted, short-sighted Tory Government going to do about it?
