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| “ |
Come on... If we're going down, we should go down fighting. |
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—John Batley to Muriel Batley | ||
John Batley is a fictional character of the 2012 Miniseries Titanic, played by Toby Jones. He is an employee of the Earl of Manton and joins him on the Titanic with his wife, Muriel Batley.
Episode 1[]
John Batley is first seen on the train with his wife, meeting the Earl of Manton and his wife and daughter. Then they drive to Southampton to board the ship.
In their cabin, Muriel complains to John about his dedication to Lord Manton.
That Sunday, John is visited by Lord Manton in Second Class. He brings the Batleys to First Class, where Lady Manton claimed a table. Harry Widener and Georgiana join too.
In the evening, John is outside on aft B Deck when a huge iceberg passes by.
The Batleys find a way up to First Class where they find the Mantons. Muriel throws heap of abuses towards Lady Manton about her 'aristocratic' behavior. Lord Manton tries to make her shut up, but his efforts are in vain and John Batley has to push her wife away.
Episode 2[]
On the Sunday of the Maiden Voyage, Captain Smith hosts a church meeting with passengers of all classes. John is quite reluctant to attend the meeting as he is "only" Second Class, but Muriel doesn't want to be "only" anything and they attend church.
Muriel is glad the meeting is over. Then Lord Manton invites the Batleys for tea at 4. Stewardess Desmond helps Muriel get dressed for the tea party. Once she's gone, Muriel reveals she read his husband's papers, which tell that Lord Manton has an illigitimate daughter, which John made sure she doesn't know. She lives in Dulwich and Lord Manton thinks it will confuse her to tell her, maybe when she's grown up. It is is also revealed the Batleys cannot have children.
That evening, John is staring outside on the Second Class Promenade on B-Deck when Captain Smith passes by and asks him how the tea party was. Smith goes to bed, but very soon after the ship vibrates and a huge iceberg passes by, right in front of John's eyes.
The lifeboats are being loaded. John brings his wife towards a boat, and asks permission to First Officer Murdoch to join her. Second Officer Lightoller said 'no men' but Murdoch ignores that and allows Batley in.
Before the Batleys can enter the lifeboat, most of the Maloney family run to the boat, where Mary Maloney suddenly gets trampled. Lord Manton helps to get her up. Muriel is also trampled, but John refuses help from Lord Manton. The Maloney family board lifeboat 15, and Murdoch orders steward Hart to take charge.
The Batleys go up to the Boat Deck and ask a steward if the lifeboat they see is full. The steward frees himself and runs back inside. Muriel takes a seat on a set of stairs and starts petting a runaway dog. John eventually manages to cheer her up and they go to the bridge area, where a lifeboat is lying upside down. Lord Manton, Barnes, Second Officer Lightoller, John Jacob Astor, Harry Widener and others try to right it. The Batleys go and help them, but suddenly Titanic heavily shakes, the water rushes to the boat and the episode ends in another cliffhanger.
Episode 3[]
Episode 4[]
Anachronisms[]
- The train Batley was on appears to be from 1950.
- They drove alongside the Titanic in a post-World War 1 Model T-Ford which was also green, placing the scene in 1926-1927.