Narrator: Hello. Alice is in the woods.
She's trying to find her
way back to the beautiful garden
that she saw when she first arrived in
Wonderland. Here she is, outside a little
house. She's wondering who lives there.
Alice: I wonder who could live
in such a little house!
Narrator: Before she had the chance
to wonder for very long, a fish ran out of
the woods and knocked on the door.
The fish was wearing a footman's
uniform. Another footman opened
the door. Alice was near enough
to hear what the fish said.
Footman: the Queen. An invitation
for the Duchess to play croquet.
Alice: The Duchess?!
Narrator: Alice was so curious she went
to knock on the door.
But there was no use knocking,
because it was so noisy inside the house
that no-one could possibly hear
her little knock.
Alice was even more curious now
so she opened the door ...
Alice: Hello?
Narrator: And she found herself in a noisy,
smoky kitchen. A cook was cooking a pan of
soup over the fire and the Duchess
was holding a crying baby.
There was also a big cat who was sitting
above the fire and smiling from ear to ear.
Everyone was sneezing except the
cook and the cat.
Alice: There's too much pepper in that soup!
Please would you tell me why
your cat grins like that?
The Duchess: It's a Cheshire-Cat,
and that's why.
Alice: I didn't know Cheshire-Cats grinned
In fact, I didn't know that cats could grin.
The Duchess: You don't know much,
and that's a fact.
Narrator: Just then, the cook took the pan
of soup off the fire, and started throwing
pots and pans and plates and dishes
all around the kitchen.
Some of them hit the Duchess,
but she didn't seem to notice.
Some of them hit the baby,
who was crying anyway.
Alice: Oh please! The baby! Be careful!
The Duchess: Here! You hold it if you like!
Narrator: And the Duchess threw the baby
at Alice who just managed to catch it.
Alice: Ohh!
The Duchess: I must go and get ready
to play croquet with the Queen.
Narrator: And, with that, The Duchess left.
Alice held the baby and wondered
what to do with it.
Alice: What am I going to do with you?
You're a strange shape ... Oh!
You're a not a baby.
You're a... you're a pig!
Narrator: It was easy to decide what to do
with a pig. Alice took it outside and let
it go into the woods. The Cheshire-Cat sat
in a tree and watched her.
Alice: Cheshire-Cat, could you tell me
which way I should go?
Cheshire-Cat: A Hatter lives over here,
and a March Hare lives over there.
They're both mad.
Alice: But I don't want to meet mad people.
Cheshire-Cat: Oh, we're all mad here.
Are you playing croquet with the Queen today?
Alice: I'd love to play croquet with
the Queen - but she hasn't invited me.
Cheshire-Cat: You'll see me there ...
Narrator: The cat disappeared.
Alice set off in the direction
of the March Hare's house and soon
she came to a house. Outside the house
she saw a tea-party quite unlike any
tea-party she had ever seen before.
Next time, I'll tell you about
the Tea Party and what happened
when Alice met the March Hare and the Hatter.
Goodbye.