Desmond Macintosh

Eccentric resident artist and British expat in his 60s. He still has a vestige of his original Scottish accent. He has lived in Barco, Kerala, south India for at least 25 years and was friends with Lydia and known to Ram. It is not known what happened to his unnamed wife. He is the father of Sunshine, known as Sunny and has not seen his son for 10 years before sending a letter begging him to visit. Sunny is worried and drops everything to fly out at short notice only to find that his father is not answering the gate and can't remember writing the letter until it is produced as proof. Gradually, Desmond concludes that he wants to reconcile and spend time together while he can.

His home is a large open studio space with a shack for accommodation accessed via ladder. There is a limited electricity supply, with a fridge. Once settled in Barco, it seems he has never moved because Sunny knows where he lives. His son arrives at the hospital desperate for help and is dismissed until Lydia hears his father's name. She then decides to take the house call for her old friend. They find that Desmond does not want to be disturbed but has hidden the key for his padlock in the letterbox, so they are able to gain access after a brief search. Sunny thinks he is in distress, mistaking out-of-tune singing for wailing. Desmond is wearing earphones and nothing else (he is naked) while listening to You Really Got Me by The Kinks (1964). He particularly enjoys rock music from this era of his youth. Lydia later tests him on line-ups of The Rolling Stones, which he still remembers in detail. Desmond is also able to recognise his son straight away and is pleased to see him.

Desmond is in the throes of creativity producing a new painting. His clearing is in an unmaintained state, "Art before life" he claims. His personal well-being is also not a priority for him. He has several missing teeth and substantial weight loss with excess skin because he doesn't bother to eat. Lydia hears his cough and insists that he should have called her for help with the congestion. He refuses to go into hospital so Lydia gets at him through his beloved pet, a monkey called "Jimi Hendrix", saying it could be life threatening for the animal. Desmond agrees and puts on loose clothing. After a worrying x-ray showing the full extent of his infection, the team see that he has pneumonia, along with his pet. He is given antibiotics and fluids. Red pills for himself, yellow for Jimi. But despite protests that he is not an idiot, Desmond can't remember which is which or what they are for.

His favourite festival is Holi, which is going on when we meet this character. This forgetfulness causes Lydia to become suspicious about his real condition. Watching him through the day, she diagnoses him with dementia. Frightened and confused, he initially refuses to accept her conclusions but has to face the truth when the letter to Sunny is in front of him as proof. By Desmond's own admission, his son owes him nothing and a frustrated Sunny opts to abandon his father unable to cope with the condition long-term. Then a stubborn and independent Desmond just wants to go home. Lydia stocks his fridge and gives out her emergency number.

Appearance: Episode 1.03

Actor: Clive Russell [IMDB | Wiki]