Glenn Cullen and The Care Home Lady
- "Can you please shut up! For one F**king minute, I am asking nicely, please!"
- ―Glenn Cullen
The Care Home Lady was an unnamed character that made a small, brief appearance in Series Two (Portal:Series 2 characters) Episode 1 in The Thick of It when Hugh Abbot , Glenn Cullen and Robyn Murdoch pay a visit to a factory style workplace,
We first meet her when Hugh, Glenn and Robyn get out of a blue Jaguar XJ. Hugh starts introducing himself and shaking hands with the employees. The Lady approaches Hugh and asks if he knows what it's like to clean up his own mothers piss.
Naturally, Hugh gives her his sympathies and quickly tries to get away from her, however, Hugh is confronted by her once again, asking if that was his answer, In response, Hugh replies that he was the wrong person to talk to and that she needs to talk to someone at the Department of Social Affairs ( DSA, later known as DoSaC) and he would get someone to note her case.
Like a flick of a switch, she becomes very agitated, saying that nobody has noted her case. To try and calm the situation down, Hugh tries to calm her down by putting his hand on her shoulder, this did not help, she slapped Hugh's wrist and asks him what is he touching her for because he didn't want to know her, Hugh was in trouble, what started as a question about how the Social Affairs would do about a serious matter, had turned into a bitter conflict.
Once again, as Hugh tried to walk away, she once again follows him hurling abuse and comments at him asking him if he thought her mother pissing herself was a funny joke.
Later on, Glenn Cullen, who is talking on the phone outside, is approached by the Lady. She persists with her story and constantly badgers Glenn. Eventually, turning around to confront the woman, he shouts, "CAN YOU PLEASE SHUT UP, for one fucking minute, I am asking nicely...please."
Not at all affected by this remark, the 'Piss Lady' (as she is later called by Ollie) then asks Glenn whether he 'enjoyed that?' After offering an apology, and keen to rid himself of her, Cullen gives the Woman Oliver Reeder's phone number as someone who could resolve her situation.
Ollie is subsequently called multiple times by the Care Home Lady and laments that she will call him constantly until her mother's 'problem' is rectified.
Unbeknownst to Glenn, his outburst was recorded.
Meanwhile, keen to hide the severity of an earlier disastrous IT overspend in the Ministry of Defense, Malcolm Tucker capitalizes upon this slip-up and pushes the 'Piss Lady' story to the top of the news reel, in which Cullen's remark is featured. This plan is effective, as all attention was shifted to both Hugh and Glenn.
Behind the Scenes