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Sorry for the delay getting this up. Hope it’s worth the wait!
In the audience-free studio, a large section of the stage is marked out for the final game. The back wall is styled like the outer wall of a castle. Barriers form a safe no-man’s-land between two playing areas, which are identical except for theming in the player colours. Against the castle wall in each area a stately throne overlooks some bizarre apparatus. Dominating the centre of each area is a wooden washtub, three metres in diameter and a metre high, filled with water and a frothy layer of soap suds, and to the side of each washtub is a clothesline. Further towards the font of the stage, an enormous honeypot towers at least three metres high, and beside it a giant toast rack plays host to a dozen triangular slices.
Standing atop the castle wall, Clara peers down on this layout while she chats to her fellow presenter over the live link. Natalie has taken her hair out of the towel turban, but it is still lank and damp.
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Clara: I, uh, see your photo of Stuart has gone.
Natalie: [triumphant] Yes, and so has the man himself! I sent him away!
Clara: Wow, that’s serious. You do realise if you change your mind it won’t be safe for him to come back?
Natalie: [turns sheepish] Actually, I sent him to the other room of the flat. But I’m definitely not gonna give him any of my attention until tomorrow …Well, tonight maybe…
Clara: Ooh, our viewers are back! Hello again, folks! You’re watching a very special royal edition of Grudge-2-Sludge!
Natalie: It’s Kate on 29 points, Meghan on 21, and there’s just one game left to decide which duchess will be facing much mess!
Clara: Indeed! It’s called Splat Your Service, and it’s gonna be a classic!
Natalie: Of that I have no doubt. And I must say, Clara, that’s a splendid pair you have there.
Clara: Oh, er, that’s very kind of you to say so. [Puffs out her chest with pride] Normally you make fun of them for being smaller than yours.
Natalie: No, not your tits! I’m talking about that pair of thrones! Surely they’re not for our contestants to sit on!
Clara: Of course not! Those two don’t deserve such pampering! Nope, our thrones are reserved for real royalty, and it’s a great honour for me to welcome the ghosts of two great Queens from history – Elizabeth the First and Victoria!
Some slightly bemused applause sounds from the online viewers as the two ghosts sublime into being on the thrones, slightly glowing and translucent.
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Clara: [curtsies] Your Majesties! Thank you very much to taking time out of your busy haunting schedules. It’s great to have you on your rightful thrones, here at Foul-morals Castle in bonnie Scotland!
Ghost of Elizabeth I: [haughtily] I wasn’t Queen of Scotland – that was my cousin Mary.
Natalie: Alright, well don’t lose your head over it!
Ghost of Elizabeth I: [smirks grimly] She did.
Clara: Queen Victoria, you’re not looking amused…
Ghost of Victoria: [sourly] I’m waiting for my bread and honey.
Natalie: But of course, ma’am, and the maids will be along shortly to bring it to you. Clara, where are the maids?
Clara: [sighs in exasperation] Gossiping in the scullery probably. [Rings a bell] Maids! I say, maids! Let’s have some service please!
After a few more impatient rings of the bell, Kate and Meghan plod into their respective playing areas, dressed in frilly French maid costumes. Their evident displeasure increases as they are met with the online audience’s hoots and wolf-whistles, and they stand pouting with their hands on their hips.
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Clara: [tuts] Dear me, what dreadful timekeeping! And now you stand there in that petulant manner! You’re in the presence of royalty, if you don’t mind!
Natalie: Disgraceful! [Tuts] Now let’s see a curtsy for our Queens!
Reluctantly, the pair bend their knees to an almost imperceptible degree.
Clara: Oh, you can both do better than that. Let’s have a proper bended knee!
Natalie: Yeah, Trev Rep says that pulling up the skirt is essential for any curtsy. I quite agree!
Taking hold of their hems, Kate and Meghan repeat the action with more gusto. Because their skirts are so short, they can’t avoid revealing their panties, and cameras are on hand to capture all.
Clara: Much better! This is the final round of your contest, ladies, and it brings a much-needed dose of role reversal. No longer are you the pampered princesses; instead you’re the servants and it’s time to get your hands dirty!
Natalie: More than their hands, Clara! Now ladies, I’m sure you know how the nursery rhyme goes − The maid was in the garden, pegging up the clothes − and that’s exactly what you shall be doing! Lurking in those washtubs are your respective monarch’s smalls – although actually they’re not so small – and it’s your job to take ’em out and peg ’em up on your line!
Clara: Kate, for each pair of Elizabethan hose you attach to your line, you’ll get two points, while Meghan gets the same for each pair of Victorian bloomers!
Natalie: But a maid’s work is never about doing one job! Your monarchs are frequently peckish, and when they call for their bread and honey, you better get it to them fast!
Clara: Yes, as soon as you hear the call, you need to go over and fetch a piece of bread, nicely dipped in honey, to deliver to your sovereign.
Meghan: [points to the top of the 3-foot honey pot] And how are we supposed to dip it in honey all the way up there? You gonna give us stilts?!
Natalie: Ooh, that’s a good idea; we didn’t think of that. No, to dip your bread in the honey, you need a bit of robotic wizardry, plus the help of a friend!
As Natalie speaks, two chains descend from the ceiling, each with a magnet on the end.
Clara: Yes, this is where our contestants’ buddies come into play. Assisting Kate, we have her sister Pippa, live from central London…
Natalie: …while Meghan’s best friend forever, Serena Williams, is aiding her from the beach in LA. Ladies, are you still there?
We are shown a split image of Pippa Middleton and Serena Williams, locked inside their perspex tanks.
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Pippa: Yes, we’re still here. Can’t exactly go anywhere, can we?
Clara: No, very true, because you and Serena are trapped inside our pressure chambers, the pressure in question being the tanks of Grudge-2-Sludge finest poised above you!
Serena: [lifts a strand of her hair with one hand] Do you have any idea how long it takes to do my hair?
Clara: Nope, but it’s probably nowhere near as long as it’ll take to get that goop out! Ladies, can you confirm that on your screens you can see a bird’s-eye view of your teammate’s toast rack and honeypot?
Pippa and Serena affirm this.
Natalie: And can you give your joysticks a wiggle?
Said action is performed, causing the magnet cranes to swing about.
Natalie: Oh, very good. I sense you are girls with an experienced grip, rather like myself [winks]. Anyway, it’s your job to pick up the bread pieces, hoist them into your honey, and then lower them again for your contestants to grab!
Clara: Yes, better make sure your honeyed bread is ready when the call comes, because Liz and Vick are very impatient. They expect their bread and honey to be laid before them, within the circle marked in front of their thrones, no more than 15 seconds after calling for it!
Natalie: Woah, Clara! Doesn’t this break social distancing?
Clara: No, it’s okay. Ghosts can’t catch viruses.
Natalie: [frowns earnestly] So are ghosts real then?
Clara: Well, no… These are holograms, but luckily holograms can’t catch viruses either. Anyway ladies, lay your bread and honey within 15 seconds, and you shall be rewarded with 4 points. But fail, and a 2-point penalty awaits, plus you’ll incur the ghost’s wrath!
Natalie: And you don’t want to do that. Ghosts can get a bit lairy with the old ectoplasm!
Clara: Two minutes on the clock for this one. Oh, and one more thing – take care because there are some blackbirds flying about!
Natalie: Four and twenty of the buggers, to be precise. Ladies, are you ready? Your time… starts… NOW!!
The klaxon blasts. Clara ducks out of sight behind the battlements. Kate and Meghan spur into action. They charge towards the washtubs, where their first challenge is surmounting the metre-high sides. Kate tries to get a leg up, but hesitates, realising she can’t do so without flashing her princessly panties to the nation again. Meghan levers herself up with her arms and lurches over the edge, splashing headfirst into the soapy water. She re-emerges cross and sopping, her maid costume plastered to her figure and her hair full of white suds. But remembering the urgency of her challenge, she puts aside her annoyance and starts searching for the bloomers. They are at the bottom of the tub, and she has to stoop up to her neck just to reach them.
Kate, after a couple of failed attempts and some very undignified pantie-flashing, manages to perch on the side of the washtub. She slides off the edge, squeaking as she splashes up to her midriff in the frigid wash-water. Meghan, meanwhile, is already clambering out of her tub, a couple of pairs of bloomers draped over her shoulder.
Further down the playing area, Pippa and Serena are getting to grips (or not) with their magnetic cranes. Serena is carefully maneuvering a bread triangle over her honeypot, but Pippa, struggling with the basic concepts such as forward and reverse, has failed even to pick up a piece of bread up yet.
Meghan bungles herself onto the ground and runs over to the washing line to peg out the bloomers. As she does so, a pair of blackbirds swoop in to circle above her, bombing her with little splodges of white.
Meghan: Euugh! What is it with you Brits and bird poop!
Ghost of Victoria: [rings a little bell] Bring me my bread and honey!
Alongside the main countdown clock on the screen, a smaller, blue number ticks down from 15 seconds.
Serena: Meg, that’s us!
Meghan completes her pegging up and rushes over to the toast rack, issuing a legal warning to the blackbirds before she goes. Serena hurriedly dunks the bread triangle in the honey, lifts it and swings it over the side. Honey drips off, dousing Meghan as she waits.
Ghost of Elizabeth I: [rings a bell of different tone] Bring me my bread and honey!
Kate: Oh cripes!
Kate has only just clambered out of her washtub and is forced to postpone pegging out the Elizabethan hose she has collected, instead draping it over her shoulder as she rushes over to her honeypot. She needn’t have bothered; Pippa is no closer to picking up a piece.
Pippa: Dreadfully sorry for the holdup, sis!
Pippa, increasingly panicked, jerks her crane in frantic motions that cause the magnet to swing wildly. Kate, despairing, picks up a piece from the toast rack herself and affixes it to the magnets. She winces, half-expecting a reprimand from Natalie and Clara, but the action wasn’t explicitly forbidden and, accordingly, no reprimand comes. Already though, the time on the red clock is running out…
Meghan, meanwhile, deposits her honeyed bread in front of the Ghost of Queen Victoria. Wordlessly, she turns and runs, evidently not to Victoria’s pleasure.
Ghost of Victoria: Your Majesty, if you don’t mind!!
Victoria raises her spectral arm and fires a jet of ‘ectoplasm’ – milky white and gloopy – at the back of Meghan’s head. Meghan swears.
Meanwhile, things are looking increasingly desperate for the reds. Pippa tries to dunk the bread triangle in the honey, but instead bashes into the side of the pot, causing the triangle to fall from the magnet. Kate groans as her clock runs to zero.
Ghost of Elizabeth I: Too late! Forget it!
Raising her arm, Elizabeth fires a long-range jet of ectoplasm at Kate. Pippa pulls a guilty face.
The game continues in a similar vein. Kate incurs Elizabeth’s wrath on a second occasion, thanks to her sister’s complete lack of coordination, while Serena and Meghan get a good rhythm going. On the other hand, Kate manages to take a slim lead regarding her washing-line, casting aside her dignity to climb in and out of the tub as quickly as possible, no matter what she exposes. To her relief, Pippa starts to get the knack of the crane, and she is able to deliver the third requested bread and honey to Elizabeth in the nick of time.
Natalie: Fifteen seconds left!
The two ghosts simultaneously: Bring me my bread and honey!
The countdown is on as Kate and Meghan dash from their washing-lines to attempt their final bread-and-honey delivery. Serena has a honey-dipped piece of bread ready and waiting for Meghan, who eagerly snatches and runs over to present it to Queen Victoria. Pippa, on the other hand, is making a meal of skirting the honeypot with her triangular piece.
Online audience: …TEN!! NINE!!…
Kate: Come on come on come on!!
A flustered Pippa plunges the bread into the honeypot, but now she has to get it out again. She raises it jerkily, but it catches on the side of the pot, nearly falling off the magnet into the honey.
Online audience: …SEVEN!! SIX!!…
By this time, Meghan has successfully deposited her bread and honey at Victoria’s feet, and is collecting a last-second pair of bloomers from the washtub.
Online audience: …FIVE!! FOUR!!…
Again Pippa’s bread piece catches on the rim, but this time it falls off on the outer side of the pot. Kate clumsily catches it and sprints towards the throne.
Online audience: …THREE!! TWO!! ONE!!…
Kate dives and makes a rugby try at Elizabeth’s feet, just as the klaxon blasts. Elizabeth tuts at the bedraggled girl at her feet and squirts a dollop of ectoplasm to show her disapproval.
Clara: [pops up from behind the battlesments] STOP!! Time’s up! Meghan, drop those bloomers!
Natalie: I bet Harry’s said that a few times! Anyway, Kate, you may not have impressed Liz with the presentation there, but you’ll be pleased to hear the marshals have confirmed that that piece of bread and honey touched down just in time. Absolute photo finish!
Kate picks herself up from the ground and shakes herself off. Meghan, similarly, tugs at her French maid costume to pull it back into place. The atmosphere is tense, and both duchesses are sober-faced. It’s clear that Meghan has done better than Kate in this round, but it’s far from clear whether it’s enough to overturn Kate’s lead.
Clara: [chuckles] I see you’re anxious to know the scores, and all shall be revealed in good time. But first, let’s bid farewell to our spooky sovereigns so they can return to the other side.
Natalie: What, ITV?
Clara: The spirit world, Nat! Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Your Majesties. I hope our games amused you.
Ghost of Victoria: [granite-faced] They did not.
Clara: [shrugs] Ah well. Glad you had the stomach to take part, nonetheless.
Ghost of Elizabeth I: I have the stomach of a king!
Natalie: Ah yes, I can see that. Never mind – you can sign up for Jodie’s fitness sessions. Anyway, thanks for popping by, and maybe when this virus business is over we can all meet up at a séance. Ta-ta for now!
The ghostly figures fade away, leaving the thrones empty.
Natalie: [shivers] Brrr!! Right then, let’s get on with the scores. Kate, you delivered two pieces of bread and honey on time, but you failed on two occassions, so overall you get just 4 points from that. Let’s hope you did a bit better with the washing!
Clara: We’ll soon find out!
Wielding a long pole with a hook on the end, Clara sifts through Kate’s clothesline garment by garment.
Clara: …Five, six, seven, eight, nine! Kate, you pegged up nine pairs of hose, which makes your total for this round… 22 points!
Kate swallows heavily.
Natalie: Hmm, not great, Kate, is it? But then again Meghan entered this round a long way behind; has she done enough to catch up and overtake? Meghan, you got four out of four on bread and honey deliveries – well done! So that gives you 16 points.
Clara: [extends her poles] Looking at your clothesline, you have one, two, three, four… that one’s only half on – I’m not counting that!
Meghan: My lawyer will say otherwise!
Clara: …five, six, seven! Not as many as Kate, but a nice number, giving you a total of 30 points for the round!
Meghan wrings her hands, a shade of optimism coming into her manner, but she’s not sure it’s enough to celebrate. Kate, on the other hand, looks very fearful.
Natalie: And that means that we end this spectacular showdown with the overall scores as follows…
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A massive gasp from hundreds of online viewers.
Natalie: My, oh my! Even Stevens!
Clara: Well ladies, you may be poles apart, but when all is done, we can’t get a postage stamp between those scores!
Natalie: Not that we’d do such a crass thing with your granny-in-law’s face anyway.
Kate: [very pale] P-pity we don’t have a winner. I-I guess we’ll have to go to a tiebreaker question, or m-maybe even another round.
Natalie: Oh, nice try, Kate! Nice try indeed! But from that waver in your voice I think you know how we resolve a situation like this!
Clara: Yep, we haven’t had to invoke this rule before, but it’s always been made clear that if the scores end on a tie, the audience’s say holds sway, and so, with 51% of the vote against 49%…
Meghan: [leaping up and down, not caring that she is showing off her foamy panties] YES!!! Ha ha!! Oh yes!!
Kate: [dread-ridden] Oh, now come on! That vote was too close to be decisive!
Natalie: A win is a win, and we’ll take it by a single vote if needs be. And so, tonight’s winner of this incredible royal tournament, issss… Meghan, Duchess of Sussex!
Kate: Nnnnoooooooo!!!
Meghan: WOOOO-HOOOO!! Oh yeah!! Allllriiight! [Pumps her arm in the air] Katy girl, you are kissing my ass!
Meghan turns her back in Kate’s direction and bends over, sticking out her pantie-clad bum. She presses her hand between her bum-cheeks and then sweeps it away, as if blowing a kiss. Kate is distraught.
Natalie: Oh dear, poor Kate can’t believe it! She was so sure she was going to win! But before we deal with our duchesses, let’s go back to Pippa and Serena!
Pippa: [wincing] Aww, hard luck, Kate! Sorry I couldn’t be more help!
Clara: I think that’s putting it mildly. Pippa, by anyone’s assessment, you lost the game for Kate, and the tabloids will be forever speculating whether you deliberately sabotaged your sister…
Pippa: Certainly not! I tried my best! Using that crane was even harder than reversing a Range Rover into a Mayfair garage!
Natalie: Ah, I do sympathise with the struggles you face in life, but I’m afraid we’re going to add to your woes. Enjoy!
A siren blares. Standing in the middle of her perspex chamber, Pippa braces as a broad column of turquoise gunge plunges down on her. The gunge fans off Pippa’s head, soaking her thin dress while Pippa squeaks in squeamish laughter.
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Natalie: Ooh, I think she quite enjoyed that. Fair play to her!
By the time the deluge is done, Pippa is blue-green and dripping from head to toe. We see another angle of her from a camera across the street, standing inside the splattered cubicle.
Clara: The colour really suits you, Pippa! It’s a shame you can’t wear it to Wimbledon this year, but you can at least take it home with you; luckily you don’t have far to go. Serena, you must be relieved to have avoided that! You and Meghan proved quite the dream team there.
Serena: Well you know there’s sisters and then there’s sistas! Love you loads, Megz!
Natalie: As we said previously, there’s no cash for you, Serena. But on reflection, Clara and I do feel bad to leave you without a prize, so we’re going to send you a special English delicacy to sample.
Clara: Yep, it’s a custard flan.
Serena: Aw, that’s very sweet of you. When will I get it?
Natalie: Right now!
A Flan-o-matic bursts out of a hidden compartment and springs a special delivery into Serena’s face and upper torso. The shaving foam of this flan is white, but as described by Natalie there is also an underlayer of custard. The pie tin drops to the floor, while lumps of the white and yellow plop down Serena’s body. Gawping in shock, she slowly removes her sunglasses.
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Clara: You didn’t think we’d let you get away clean, did you Serena?
Natalie: You’ll both find towel-and-toiletry packs underneath your consoles, with our compliments as always. Thanks for being great sports and taking part in Grudge-2-Sludge! Ladies and gents, Pippa Middleton and Serena Williams!
The online audience applauds. Serena, finally regaining her wits, starts to say something, but is cut off as the link ends and she and Pippa disappear from the screen.
Clara: Oh, that was fun. Speaking, of which, we have a very fun part of the show coming up next! Meghan, do you know what it is?
Meghan: [gleeful] Ohhh, yeahhh!! Iiiiittt’sss sludge time! [Points both hands at Kate, who whimpers.]
Natalie: [grave] Actually, I don’t think it is. I’ve just received some very bad news from the director.
Clara: [alarmed] Huh? What is it?
Natalie: Well… it looks like Harry called the lawyers, and they took out an injunction against the show… [Sighs] I don’t know how to break this… The sludging isn’t going ahead.
Groans sound from across cyberspace. Kate turns her head skyward and exhales in relief.
Meghan: Excuse me? What do you mean, not going ahead?
Natalie: Cancelled. Curtailed. Cut. We’re under a court order to empty the sludge pool forthwith!
Kate: [ecstatic] Oh thank God!
Meghan: Uh, NO! We made an agreement here! Winner takes all, loser tastes the sludge! [Stamps foot] I demand you honour it!
Clara: Love to, Meghan, but it’s out of our hands. We can’t afford the kind of expensive lawyers you have, so we had no option but to cave in to them. This is a mess of your own making!
Natalie: Or non-mess, as it turns out.
Meghan: [seething] Oh I’m gonna kill Harry.
Natalie: Well folks, this isn’t the end to the show we wanted, and I’m sure you don’t want it to end this way either, but thanks for watching and goodbye. She was Clara Quick!
Clara: And she was Natali−
Meghan: No!! I won’t accept this! [Points at Kate] She’s going in the sludge even if I have to put her there myself!
With that, Meghan storms towards Kate. Kate stands her ground, squaring up for a fight. Luckily, Clara is ready, and dispatches a powerful blast of foam from her wrist, which catches Meghan full on in the face and stops her in her tracks.
Clara: Social distancing!!
Natalie: JOKE!! Meghan, calm down! It was a joke! Of course the sludging is going ahead!
Cheers erupt from the online audience. Kate responds with a forlorn groan, her chin falling to her chest.
Clara: There’s no injunction, Meghan! Did you really think Harry would come to your rescue?
Meghan: [clearing foam from her eyes and nostrils] Nah, of course not! …I mean, yeah, he should have done! Why didn’t he?! I’ll have words when I get back to LA!
Natalie: Kate, my dear, don’t look so crestfallen. Speaking as the last person to go where you’re going, I can tell you you’re in for a splendid time – NOT, ha ha ha!!
Clara: Oh yes, folks! Stay glued to your laptop or telly, cos Kate’s getting slimy and smelly! Back by slopular demand, it’s time for…
Natalie and Clara simultaneously: [throw up their arms in joy] THE SLUDGE SLING!!!
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After the infamous title sequence has played, the climatic final section of the show begins. The camera rests on the word ‘spoil’, dully glinting in the piped gold gunge, which has by now partly sunk so as to make the writing extra spindly. Around it, the outer surface of royal blue has turned a tad grey as a crust continues to harden, wrinkling into ridges and the odd crack, beneath which a brighter, wetter porridge-like paste lies waiting. As the camera zooms out, patches of red and white come into view, a mocking play on the Union Jack. The words ‘By’ and ‘appointment’ are next to appear, followed by the stylised crown.
The camera roves to the end of the pool and rises, focusing in on the fulcrum of the giant Medieval-style catapult. A bit higher up and we see the footrest and a pair of bare feet that rest upon it. The feet are motionless except for the nervous twitching of the big toe on the right foot, its scarlet varnish catching the light as it squirms up and down. Next we see the lacy hem of a sequinned red dress, slightly up the calves in this seated position. Kate’s hands are pressed to her knees, the knuckles showing small patches of white. Despite the lack of support offered by the tiny seat, Kate’s back is straight, her stomach in, her shoulders square in the stately posture of a true princess. It appears that she is taking her predicament with decorum and calm, but then the camera arrives at her face…
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Natalie: [voiceover] Oh wow, look at that face! Talk about Her Majesty’s displeasure! Folks, you’re watching history in the making! Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, future Queen of England, all-round prim and proper Princess, is about to face a coronation of sludge!
As Kate continues to the grimace, the camera swings across, settling on the victor in the battle. Meghan’s seating arrangements couldn’t be more different – she nestles comfortably on the plush throne of gleaming gold and purple velvet – and neither could her disposition. She clasps her hands together in glee as she flashes a winning smile at the camera.
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Clara: [voice coming from out of shot] Well things looked doubtful at times, but ultimately, by the thinnest of whiskers, the Markle sparkle shone through! Meghan, you may have married the spare not the heir, but tonight the throne is yours! You must be pleased!
Meghan: [imitates an English accent] Spiffing, Clara! And what do you mean – in doubt? I never doubted I’d win.
Natalie: Mmm, sure. That’s why you wanted to take out an injunction. But of course, Kate never doubted she’d win either. What was it she said now…? [Points nose in the air and speaks in a prim voice] There’s absolutely no chance it’ll be me in that sludge!
Clara: [chuckles] Famous last words from Kate there! Unless, of course, she’d like to update them. Kate?
Kate responds only with a whimper between her grimacing lips.
Clara: Nope, there seems to be a royal seal on her lips there. And just to think, Kate, if you hadn’t have cheated and disobeyed me in Round One, you wouldn’t be where you are now!
A louder groan emanates from Kate.
Natalie: Ah, cheating never pays on Grudge-2-Sludge! Kate, you can sit there and rue the error of your ways a little longer before the inevitable happens, but actually it’s not all despair for you. While there’s no royal pardon, there is a touch of British fair play, cos we’re giving you the chance to tarnish Meghan’s smugness before she pulls the chain. Clara will… [frowns] Come to think of it, where are you, Clara? I can hear you but I can’t see you!
Clara: Up here, Nat!
A faint whirring accompanies the descent of a rectangular platform suspended from a cable at each corner, similar to those used by window cleaners on high-rises. Clara stands authoritatively on this platform, while at her feet are three ornate silver receptacles – a stately tureen, a stout serving dish, and a stylish jug.
Clara: [flourishes] Ta-da! Service at a social distance!
Natalie: Ah, very good, Clara! You see, Kate, every prisoner condemned to the sludge, be they princess or pauper, is entitled to a good meal before their send-off. Not a six-course slap-up as you’re accustomed to at the palace, mind, but a good solid three-course meal. Or should that be a…
Online audience: …THREE-COURSE ORDEAL!!
Clara: Good to see they haven’t forgotten. Yes indeed, we have our signature Gloop of the Day [gestures with her foot], our exceedingly Manky Mains, and of course, here in this jug lurks somebody’s oh-so Just Desserts – I only wonder whose.
Natalie: We shall soon find out! Kate, these three courses could soon be Meghan’s for the wearing; all you have to do is correctly answer the multiple-choice questions I’m about to put to you.
Clara: But for any question you get wrong, Meghan’s glee will only increase, as dinner comes sploshing down on your own head. Understand?
Kate shuffles on her meagre seat, pointing her chin upwards to avoid looking at the sludge so she can concentrate. She answers in the affirmative.
Natalie: Okey dokes. Then let’s unveil the Gloop of the Day! Clara…?
Clara: Viewers may remember the ‘Princess and the Pea’ game from the end of the last series. Well, we kept a little bit of the Pea Gloop and it’s a good thing we did, now that we’ve got some actual royalty to dump it on!
Natalie: Mmmm, extra-stale Pea Gloop! Now pay attention, Kate, here comes the first question… [Clears her throat] You may think that Meghan has caused a big upset in the Royal Family, but she’s nothing compared to another American divorcee – Wallis Simpson – whose marriage to King Edward VIII forced his abdication. But Wallis was actually her middle name; what was her real first name? Was it…
Bessie?
Hessie?
or Jessie?
Kate furrows her brow, forcing the sludge out of her mind in order to concentrate on getting something back on Meghan.
Kate: Uhh… well I don’t think it was Hessie – although the pair of them were Nazi sympathisers – so, either Bessie or Jessie… Hmmmm [puffs out of the corner of her mouth] I’m gonna go with… Bessie.
Natalie: [sharply] And why do you think that?
Kate: [anxious] Well, uh, it’s a name of that particular time, whereas Jessie is a bit more modern.
Natalie: Hmm, interesting piece of working out, Kate, and it’s correct!
Kate: Yes!
Natalie: Wallis Simpson’s real first name was indeed Bessie…
Clara: …And that means Meghan gets messie!
The platform glides over to the side of the sludge pool, carrying Clara into position over the throne while she brandishes the silver tureen.
Meghan: Now wait a minute! I haven’t ruled out legal action… It would be very unwise for you to… EEEEEK!!
Meghan hunches her shoulders and ducks her head, while Clara tilts the tureen and empties its lurid green contents over the railing of the platform. The first dollop hits the decorative features of the throne, splashing against Meghan’s back but leaving her largely unscathed. Clara quickly shifts her aim, and a sopping mass of peas rains onto Meghan’s left shoulder and arm, running down the front of her dress. As Meghan screams, Clara leans forward, landing the remainder of the lumpy goo onto Meghan’s head, covering her glossy hair.
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Natalie: Oh wow! Nice shot!
Meghan gawps as a lump slides down her cheek, and the stuff starts to seep wetly through her dress against her bust. Kate claps a couple of times, delighting in the spectacle.
Meghan: EEUGGHHHH!! It’s disgusting!!
Clara: Glad to be of service, ma’am! [Puts the empty tureen on the floor of the platform]
Natalie: Lovely wholesome Pea Gloop there! Kate, you’ve got this Ordeal off to a flying starter – boom boom – can you keep it up with the Manky Mains? Clara, what’s on the menu?
Clara: [inspects the serving dish] For Manky Mains we have a staple of the royal household – game stew!
Natalie: Ooh, and we’re most certainly game! Kate, let’s hope you are too. Here’s another question: Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, was another woman to fall out with the throne, and she really got it in the neck as a result! It didn’t help that she was rumoured to have a certain characteristic that marked her as being in league with the Devil! What was it?
A birthmark on her left buttock that spelt ‘666’?
An extra finger on her right hand?
Or a Geordie accent?
Kate: [instantly] An extra finger on her right hand!
Meghan: These questions are too easy!
Natalie: Indeed, Ms Boleyn was not famed for saying “Why aye man!” in the royal court, and if there was anything on her bum, Henry kept that detail to himself. An extra finger is the correct answer, and that means Meghan gets game stew!
Meghan: [fumes] Too easy! Even after I won, you’re still trying to rig this against me! [Shouts up at Clara] You dare and you’ll be hearing from my− plleeeurrgghhh!!
Because Clara is already in position above the throne, she is able to act much quicker. She inverts the serving dish, and the thick brown slop hits Meghan square in the face. The nasty mixture of game, veg and gravy splashes all over the duchess’s front, covering the exterior of her blue dress and sliding down her neck to slip inside it too. Meghan jerks her head forward, so that her hair gets a second coating to mix with the green peas.
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Kate: [giggling] Hee hee! It looks like horse do-do!
Natalie: Well it’s you posh people who eat this stuff! Spiffing shot, Clara!
Clara: [proudly puts down the serving dish] You know, delivering it from this height is actually better. Allows for much more splatter!
Meghan: [panting in disgust] My lawyer… is gonna take you to the cleaners!
Natalie: I think you need a trip to the cleaners more than we do, ha ha! Kate, you must be pleased. You’ve made Ms Markle marvellously mucky, and there’s still a chance to give her her Just Desserts to boot! Speaking of which, Clara, what have we got?
Clara: [takes lid off the silver jug] After the game stew we’re going to balance things out with a working-class classic – bread and butter pudding with custard!
Meghan: [incredulous] You put bread and butter in a sweet?! You Brits get weirder by the day.
Natalie: Maybe you’ll learn to like it. Kate, one more question to score a perfect three against Meghan, and this one’s pot-luck general knowledge: Glossophobia is the fear of what?
Stuart: [calls] Frogs!
Natalie: Oi you! Stay in the doghouse! No, actually, it isn’t frogs; it’s one of the following:
Bottles?
Zips?
Or public speaking?
Kate: Can you say the word again please?
Natalie: Glossophobia.
Meghan: Stop helping her!
Kate: Hmmm. Well ‘gloss’ sounds similar to ‘glass’, so I’m thinking it might be bottles. Yeah, fear of bottles.
Natalie: Oh Kate! You’ve fallen for the obvious red herring. Glossophobia is in fact the fear of public speaking!
Kate: Oh no!
Meghan sighs with relief.
Clara: And that means that you will be getting your Just Desserts!
The platform glides diagonally above the sludge pool to where Kate is sitting. The duchess screws her face, hands clutching her knees even tighter. Above her, Clara pours the jug. The custard, being at the top, comes out first, streaking a yellow column through the air. A scream escapes Kate’s mouth as the column connects with the crown of her head, fanning and flowing outwards. Kate’s voluminous hair soon becomes flattened and plastered to her scalp, while the custard flows onwards to permeate her delicate sheer dress. Now it is Meghan’s turn to delight in the spectacle.
Triangular slices of buttered bread, adorned with spiced raisins, tumble out in pursuit of the custard, some bouncing off Kate, while others stick to her. When she is sure that the deluge has stopped, Kate opens her eyes, but her face remains drawn into a cringe.
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Natalie: Oh nice! Just like my gran’s bread and butter pudding! Look on the bright side, Kate; it could have been spotted dick! [winks]
Kate: [whining] You could have taken the chill off the custard!
Clara: If you think that was cold, you ain’t felt nothing yet! Because the dinner is over and now it’s time for the royal gala event!
Natalie: Yep, a swimming gala! Kate, you’re excused from standing due to your precarious seating position, but would everyone else please be upstanding for the National Anthem!
The familiar fanfare begins. Natalie gets to her feet, disappointing everyone by revealing a pair of dull jogging bottoms on her lower half. Clara stands to attention on the platform. Meghan reluctantly gets to her feet, causing a load of goo to splatter to the floor. As the anthem plays, the infamous blingy toilet chain descends from the ceiling at the right-hand of the throne.
Natalie: [half singing] …happy and glorious. Daa da da da da mmmmm hmm hmm, God save the Queen!
The chain comes to a stop at a convenient pulling height beside the throne. Meghan seats herself, an eager smile growing on her face despite all the mess. On the catapult seat, Kate is now twitching. Her feet wriggle on the footrest and she rubs her hands up and down her thighs. Her lips are clamped shut, but from her throat a squeamish bleat escapes.
Clara: Oh my, look at Kate! She knows what’s about to happen! Meghan, this is your moment to savour. Your sister-in-law tried to show you up for a lack of class, and told tales on you to the press. She gave you the cold shoulder; now give her a cold bath! Take hold of that golden chain…
Natalie and Clara together: …AND SLING HER IN THE SLUDGE!!!
The platform whizzes upwards, whisking Clara to safety. Natalie dashes away from her computer, then returns, looking sheepish. Meghan, ever the consummate actress, composes her poise for the big moment, never mind the green and brown slop oozing over her person. Exuding both business and pleasure, she reaches out and tugs the chain, her triumphant gaze locked on her rival. As for Kate, she lets out an equine whinny as fountains of sparks erupt either side of her, and the closing bars of the National Anthem are reprised.
A column of classic Nickelodeon-style green slime drops from above, causing Kate to scream as it umbrellas outwards off her head. The bar of the catapult lurges backward, giving Kate’s front and legs their splash of the slime as she passes through. The catapult pauses in its horizontal position, and there Kate sits, facing upwards towards the empty seats in the back row, the corners of her mouth pulled back in an uber-grimace.
A pyrotechnic charge explodes beneath Kate’s bottom, shooting up golden sparks as the catapult fires. The G-force of acceleration pins the screaming duchess in place as she whizzes upwards, the chair unfolding so as to force her into a standing posture. Then the bar hits the vertical and a sudden stop, while Kate speeds onwards, over the pool of glistening blue goo. Her limbs flail in ungainly fashion, the tasseled hem of her dress riding up her legs as they widen apart. She turns her neck to see Meghan wave a sardonic goodbye, just before her bare feet pierce the surface of the slop, either side of the stylized golden crown. The cold sludge whooshes between her spread legs, and Kate has but a split-second to gasp before her chest and head follow into murky depths.
Natalie: [in hushed awe] Oh wow! We’ve really done it! We’ve dunked the duchess!
Clara: I hope this isn’t classed as treason on the statute books.
Sludge slides across to fill the Kate-shaped hole in the dead-centre of the pool, though a ring-shaped crater remains. The crown has been smashed to smithereens (perhaps symbolic of the way this contest has gone). On her throne, Meghan clasps her hands together, her face the picture of a giddy child waiting to see what presents Santa has brought. A series of bubbles rises up at the site of impact, each breaking the surface with a flatulent slurp, and then, slowly, the crater rises, turning inside-out to become a mound…
The mound swells and then breaks up. A large chunk slips away to reveal a face, although not one anyone would recognise as the delectable duchess who plunged in just seconds ago. Eyes blink open to view the alien sludgescape around her. A mouth likewise opens to gasp – a second too earlier, earning Kate a swig of the stale sludge. Her hair is caked and infused with the lumpy slop.
Meghan: Oh yeah! Awesome!! This is better than Double Dare!!
As Kate continues her rise, the slop clings to her shoulders, arms and torso. Her flimsy dress offers so little protection the stuff might as well be on her bare skin. With her feet on the base of the tank, Kate’s bust barely clears the surface, a strapping lass though she is. A streak of the gold goo hangs off her shoulder, swooping like a sash across her front, while a ridge of white arcs over her forehead. But apart from that, she is completely blue, not only coated but dyed with the inky, regal sludge.
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Natalie: Ladies and gents, I’m pleased to announce that despite the lockdown, filming for the latest sequel of Avatar is going to schedule!
Kate’s all-blue hue is not to last, however. As she gasps in stunned silence (greatly contrasted by Meghan’s cackling celebration), a downfall of green sludge engulfs her – the same colour as the Nickelodeon slime that assailed her earlier, but the same consistency as the awful morass she is mired in. Caught off-guard, she stumbles backwards, getting a faceful of the green as she falls up to her neck in the blue. This time the silence is broken and she issues a piercing scream.
Clara: [coming back into view as the platform] Oh wow! Talk about the trooping the colour! She’s totally−WWWOOOAHHH!!
A stream of pink slop comes down, narrowly missing Clara on the platform. It surges over Kate, thwarting her efforts to rise from the slop.
Clara: [wags a finger at the rafters] Oi! That was a bit close for comfort!
Natalie: Kate well and truly crowned there – what a fantastic sludging! Getting some great reaction too.
We flip through a selection of webcam shots, in which the viewers clap and cheer, before stopping on three familar figures…
Clara: Obviously that last clip is archive footage, as the princes are not social-distancing, but it does seem that Prince William was paying close attention, as we’ve just received a transfer of a million pounds from his Coutts bank account, which will all go to our carers’ good causes!
Natalie: A man of his word − thanks, Wills! But all congratulations are due to the show’s winner. Meghan, just look at the state of your rival down there! Is this everything you could have hoped for?
Meghan: [purrs] And more, Natalie! [Points a condescending finger down at Kate] Filthy!
Clara: I’d say! [Grins as she peers down from the platform] Kate, you may have delighted in your childish pranks, but this time the joke is well and truly on you! And while your tale-telling may have got Meghan in the papers a few times, there’s no doubt who’ll be splashed all over tomorrow’s front pages! How you feeling, hon?
Kate, now a slimy mixture of blue, green and pink, and still in a state of shock, wipes her mouth and musters
Kate: Yyyeeeuurrrgghhh!! I can’t believe this has happened!
Clara: I don’t think any of us quite believe it has happened, either. Thanks for being a spiffing sport, Kate, and though we can’t stretch to a royal valet, it’s our pleasure to gift you a Grudge-2-Sludge towel-and-toiletry pack. Meghan, I think you’ll need one too.
Natalie: Everyone, please give it up for our raucous royals – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and a very sludgey Kate, Duchess of Cambridge! Wahey!
Cheering, whistles and more erupt from the remote watcher. A column of metallic gold drops from the rafters – again passing Clara at closer than comfortable range – to give Kate a very shiny topcoat.
Natalie: Ohhp! Must be a jubilee!
Clara: [again flashes a warning glare towards the rafters] And that brings us to the end of this extra-special episode of Grudge-2-Sludge! Nat, it’s been nice to see you again; shame it can’t be in person. Still, the sight of the sludge must have brought back bad memories for you, even from where you’re sitting!
Natalie: [stiffly] I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Clara: Oh come now, Nat! Kate got it bad, but your sludging is still by far the worst the show has ever seen! Oh yes, definitely the worst… but in my opinion, also the best, ha ha!
Natalie only glowers at the screen.
Clara: Tell us, Nat – what lingered longer? The brown staining or the pigsty smell?
Natalie: [Face of thunder] No comment. [Looks sideways] And you can keep out of it, Stuart! Go away!
Stuart: Sweetheart, I’ve brought you a present to say sorry.
Natalie: Not interested.
Stuart: But darling, you really will like what I’ve got for you.
Stuart seats himself next to Natalie. Tenderly, he holds out his top-hat. Natalie, tempted, extends her hand towards it. Then she draws it away.
Natalie: [suspicious] This isn’t the rabbit’s arse trick again, is it?
Stuart: Darling, I assure you this gift will be nothing but pleasant… for you at least.
Wary but intrigued, Natalie dips her hands into the hat and snatches out what is inside. It is a remote control, wrapped in a red ribbon.
Natalie: Huh. I’d have preferred jewellery, Stuart.
Stuart: Try it and you might change your mind.
Still wary, Natalie taps one of the buttons. Clara exclaims as the platform she is on jerks downwards by an inch.
Natalie: Ooh! Did that do what I think it did?!
Natalie presses the button again. This time the platform drops by a foot, causing Clara to shriek from the dropping sensation in her stomach.
Natalie: Oh, Stuart, this is a good present! [Reaches over to kiss him] You’re gonna get a whole lotta Lloyd lovin’ tonight, you wonderful man!
Gripping to the railing, Clara glances down at the sludge beneath her. She gulps.
Clara: N-Now what’s going on here? Stop this fooling around!
Natalie: [twirls the remote control in her hand] Well well well. Looks like Miss Smartypants has been outsmarted! Looks like I’m gonna get my revenge!
Natalie selects another button. This time the platform whirrs downwards at a steady pace. Clara, for all her olive complexion, has turned decidedly pale.
Clara: No! I won the contest between us fair and square! The grudge is settled; you don’t get to have revenge!
Natalie: Well let’s ask the audience if they agree! Ladies and gents, do you wanna see Clara in the sludge?
A unanimous roar resounds from bedrooms, living rooms and back gardens around the country. Someone starts a chant of “Sludge Clara!! Sludge Clara!!”, and soon hundreds of voices are shouting in unison.
Natalie: [shrugs, a sardonic grin on her face] Looks like the people have spoken!
Natalie touches yet another button, and the platform tilts violently. The empty silverware tumbles into the slop below, as Kate swims clear to a corner of the pool. Clara is flung off her feet, but manages to snatch onto the railing to halt her fall. She is now dangling, legs kicking. Meghan ducks as a blue stiletto flies through the air.
Clara: [panicking] Nat! Don’t do this! Please!!
Natalie: [sharply] You know I hate that name.
Clara: Natalie, I meant to say Natalie! I’ll always call you Natalie from now on, I promise!
The platform continues to descend, bringing Clara’s flailing feet ever closer to the goo.
Clara: Natalie, Natalie, Natalie! Lovely Natalie! Beautiful Natalie! Clever Natalie!
Natalie: Oh Clara, my ears are burning! But I’m afraid it’s too little, much too late! Now Stuart, how about a nice song to send Clara off!
Stuart: Certainly, my dear.
A funky backing track starts up, and Stuart breaks into song.
Stuart:
Kate is in our sludge lagoon,
Clara’s due to join her soon,
And then it’s time for us to go awwwwaaayyyy!!
Natalie: [waving] Bye everyone! It’s been a blast!
Stuart:
But please be friendly to your neighbours,
Don’t be mean, don’t rattle sabres,
Cos we might come sludging back some day!!
Stuart and Natalie: [in (dis)harmony]
Grudge To Sludge!
We are the jury and the judge, judge, judge!
Grudge To Sludge!
We are the jury and the judge, judge, judge!
The platform makes another violent swing. Clara finds herself flung up onto the base of the platform, sliding on her chest, her head now pointing downwards. Clara stares at the vivid blue sludge, only a couple of feet away from her face. The foul broth is still resettling after the disturbance from Kate’s landing.
Natalie: Oh yes! Face first − perfect!! Come on folks, sing it for me!
Online audience:
GRUDGE TO SLUDGE!
WE ARE THE JURY AND THE JUDGE, JUDGE, JUDGE!
Natalie: [maniacally] Time to kiss the sludge, Clara! Pucker up for a nice big sloppy one!!
The royal blue fills Clara’s vision. Her face is lined up with a particular large and rancid lump, which registers as rotten spinach to her twitching button nose.
Clara: Oohh nooo!! Natalie, I’m begging you! Pleeeassee!!
GRUDGE TO SLUDGE!
WE ARE THE JURY AND THE JUDGE, JUDGE, JUDGE!
GRUDGE TO SLUDGE!
WE ARE THE JURY AND THE JUDGE, JUDGE, JUDGE!
GRUDGE TO SLUDGE!
WE ARE THE JURY AND THE JUDGE, JUDGE, JUDGE!
GRUDGE TO SLUDGE!
WE ARE THE JURY AND THE JUDGE, JUDGE, JUDGE!…
Clara’s eyes blink open. Sweat runs off her cheeks, dampening her hair against her pillow. Early daylight filters through a crack in the curtains. On the bedside table, Clara’s phone is ringing.
Ringtone:
Grudge To Sludge!
We are the jury and the judge, judge, judge!
Taking care not to ‘wake’ Mr Cuddly, Clara reaches across and answers the phone.
Clara: Stephanie, hi! … Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit breathless… [frowns] No, I haven’t “finally got a man”, as you put it… Actually I’ve just had the weirdest dream … I dreamt that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle came on an episode of Grudge-2-Sludge… Yeah, I know, as if! … Kate, as it turned out… Oh, and I also dreamt that I’d invented this special machine to flan people remotely… Yeah, it was called a Flan-o-mat…
Clara halts mid-syllable. Her eyes widen as she stares towards the foot of her bed.
Stephanie: [voice tinny through the phone] Clara?
The phone drops from Clara’s hand as she shrinks into her pillow, drawing closer to Mr Cuddly.
Stephanie: Clara, are you there? … Clara, I can’t hear you… Clara…?
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And so ends our tale, which surely leaves more questions than it answers. Was any of it real? Will Kate ever live it down? Will the show return for a second series? Will Clara’s date with the sludge ever come, or will she escape its embrace forever?
I know little more than you at this time, but thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoyed.