At a posh private school there is an hierarchy that sees the housemaster exercise rather arbitrary authority through his three "whips". It's usually the younger pupils they like to terrorise, but at this school there are three older men who attract their attention. There's "Mick" (Malcolm McDowell), "Johnny" (David Wood) and "Wallace" (Richard Warwick) and led by the former, they have little interest in conforming with the expectations of the establishment. Amidst this culture of bully or be bullied, there is also some military training provided and it's this that sparks an idea of a more direct form of rebellion - and when better to implement their plan than at a high ceremonial with an HRH and an army general in attendance. McDowell is at his malevolently mischievous best here as he exudes a spirit of belligerent bloody-mindedness that shines quite a light on the toxic atmosphere at a place of learning where individuality was distinctly frowned upon. That's not just individuality of thought and mind, but there are also asides made to sexuality as "Wallace" has a lot less interest in their new friend from the tea bar (Christine Noonan) and she has quite a bit more enthusiasm for "Mick". Though the brutality of the daily behaviour isn't explicitly displayed, there's little left to our imagination and by the end it's quite clear that writer David Sherwin is taking a swipe not just at the privilege on display here, but about the broader societal attitudes to class rather than merit. There's a fairly solid array of supporting effort on display here, too, with many characterisations firmly propping up the out-dated notions of perpetuating the status quo and inherited entitlement that help this thought-provoking story stand out.