Mr. Kershaw's Dream System

Mr Robin Kershaw, has been driven mad by the frustrations of using phone systems supplied by the GPO in the late 1970s and has gone to see his psychiatrist.

The short film starts with Robin (played by Rowan Atkinson) in the Doctor's waiting room, he is very nervous, he tries to calm himself by reading a magazine, which in the first comedic moment of the film turns out to be upside down.

The doctor (played by Geoffrey Palmer) apologies for keeping him waiting saying he hadn't realised he was waiting.

As Robin enters the consulting room nervously, he has an adverse reaction to seeing a white 700 series dial telephone.

Once they are both seated Robin can still see the telephone, to reduce his distress he manhandles the doctor into a position which blocks his view of the distressing piece of customer apparatus.

The first flash back scene reveals Robin dressing down a suited subordinate about the importance of timing. During the flashback Robin fails to answer several phone calls in time, as he wanders round the suite of offices desperately trying to find and answer ringing phones. He uses the phrase "I don't believe it.". Flashback 1 ends with the films first stunt - Robin diving over his desk and ending up in a pile on the floor in an attempt to answer another ringing phone. No stuntmen are mentioned in the credits so presumably Atkinson did his own stunts in this film.

Flashback 2 is the answer to the problems demonstrated in flashback 1. Carol (Robin's secretary played by Imogen Bickford-Smith) effortlessly demonstrates the group call pick feature of the Monarch 120 phone system. Carol explains BT has installed the new phone system over the weekend. The code dialled is *8# star eight gate. Robin then uses the feature successfully.

The third flashback demonstrates the second problem: that being trying to contact that person who is always on the phone. Colin and Robin keep on failing to contact each other on the old phone system, eventually they resort to leaning out of their windows and shouting to each other even though they are two stories apart.

The fourth flash back is the monarch 120s antidote to the second problem. Carol demonstrate the callback feature to her manager after he has problems contacting a colleague. This time the feature code to remember is R for recall, wait for dial tone then star two gate, then replace the handset.

Back from the flashback the psychiatrist wonders if such technology could exist, could it be possible ?

Flashback five demonstrates the problems of dialling the many digits needed to call offices aboard and sometimes needing to divert both external and internal calls to another extension. Robin ends up calling the New York Samaritans by accident and shouting angrily at his boss, the flash back ends with Robin holding the handsets together ear piece to mouth piece so that his boss ends up conversing with the New York Samaritans.

Flashback 6 - Carol introduces her boss to abbreviated dialling, simply by dialling **13 he can call their New York Office. She also demonstrates the Monarchs divert feature on the other phone in Robin's office.

The series of flashbacks hilariously illustrate a few of the problems suffered by PABX users in the UK, that the new Monarch 120 PABX can solve.

Eventually patient and doctor go to the office that has driven Robin mad to find the phone system to solve all the problems has been installed. Robin strokes the modern touch sensitive console of the new Monarch, he kisses his new pushbutton telephone after successfully testing the group call pick up feature all by himself.

Mean while in reception Carol demonstrates to the doctor how a receptionist would handle incoming calls, including those where the the intended call recipient has not answered the call. There are lovely close up shots of the Monarch's flashing red LEDs, touch sensitive buttons and clear LCD display. Good technical accuracy.