ITV Pitch research 18/04/2012

“BOTTLED UP”

PLOT

A television drama set in a secondary school. Focuses on the irrational behaviour of one pupil- Sinead Hickman.

·        Sinead is a 15 year old who is passionate about sport and netball imparticular but has problems dealing with her emotions, she says what she feels without actually thinking about it and has a problem with anyone who doesn’t care about winning. Sinead is always in trouble for her behaviour and is at risk of loosing what she loves (her place on the netball team) if the teachers do not get to the bottom of what causes her to loose it.

·        Gemma is the schools PE teacher and the coach of the netball team in which Sinead is captain and her relationship with Sinead is very strong they have a firm understanding of what each other want and need leading to them getting on well.

Minor characters

·        Phoebe is a member of the netball team who is on the wrong side of Sinead’s anger problem.

·        Referee of the netball match with be featured for a few lines of dialogue.

·        Mr Johnson is the science teacher in whose class Sinead looses her temper to a severe level.

·        Josh- Sinead’s boyfriend who is a bit too forward for Sinead’s liking.

When Sinead looses her temper during a netball match we see her struggle to regain control of her emotions. The story will show how a mainstream secondary school fail to see the vital signs of an unstable home life resulting in the emotional breakdown of a vulnerable young pupil.

 BEGINNING

Netball match. Sinead is angry because the other team members are not showing the passion she does and in her opinion are letting the team down. Sinead ends up being dragged off the pitch in order to stop her doing something that she would regret to a fellow team member.

MIDDLE

Sinead is given a final warning and put on report to try and regain control of her behaviour. When somebody insults Sinead during a science experiment she flips and throws a Bunsen burner across the classroom- this looks like the final straw and yet again Sinead finds herself in Gemma’s office trying to explain her behaviour.

When Sinead tells Gemma she can’t play for the netball team that night it becomes obvious that there is something more going on in the young girls life. After questioning why she is limping Gemma notices an unusual bruise on Sinead’s leg and foot, which seems like a touchy subject with the girl who refuses to give a reasonable explanation. With Sinead facing permanent exclusion Gemma is determined to get to the bottom of her behaviour, which has only just become out of control and unveils a horrible secret that explains everything from her irrational personality to her badly bruised leg-Her stepfather is abusing her.

END

With the secret now out we will see Sinead battle her emotions and the torture she goes through when trying to bring herself to talk to the police to get some help. Gemma’s role becomes even more important in Sinead’s life when she realises the extent of the abuse this young girl has been a victim of. Will Sinead ever be able to put this behind her and get back the life she used to live, forgetting the people who have hurt her and focusing on those who care? Josh’s commitment is tested when he becomes aware of what’s been going on and has to stop himself taking matters out of the polices hands. 

Current ITV dramas /Red productions dramas

·        Bedlam

·        Scott and Bailey
 Scott & Bailey (ITV1) is a huge advance for women. And for viewers, as Janet, Rachel and Gill are by far the most compelling cops on TV. The second series ended with Janet being dumped by Adrian and Rachel going on a bender and finding herself under suspicion for murdering Nick. It turned out to be her idiot brother wot dun it and the mixture of shock and horror in the final scene as she finally met her mother (Who is she? Was the brother there too?) left us with a pleasing cliffhanger for the next series.

·        Exile

·        White Chapel

·        Eternal Law

·        The Syndacite
  The Syndacite(BBC ONE) The lines have a directness that subtitle the paradoxes of sudden fortune, as when Jamie exultantly tells Stuart to stop worrying about the police investigation: "We're millionaires! Nobody can touch us now." You feel too that the characters behave in ways that will make the plot run smoothly, rather than in ways that are entirely plausible.

Schedule

Post Water shed because of the explicit nature of the topic.

Probably 9pm-10pm. It would probably be  a three part series.

It would be going up against other dramas on BBC and C4 such as The Syndicate, Silent witness ect.

Focus groups

·        Teenagers

·        Teachers

·        Writers

·        Professionals

·        Parents

No dramas have even made the top ten on ITV's viewing figures on BARB which suggests that there is a gap in the market for a hard hitting drama. With silent witness and The Syndicate on BBC One making numbers 7, 8, 9.