Zak Wilkins: THIRD YEAR: Pre-Production (Pitch & Feedback)

Major project, long-form series. Seven episodes of rougly forty five minutes length. (Based on similar shows and multiple online and text sources.

10pm wednesday, similar day to when similar shows aired
Looked at BBC Three since is BBC's home for newcomers: Since shift to online does not do long-form series.
Hoping for broad appeal: Primary audience is young people, but also hoping to appeal to adults hoping to remenice about university experience but through more modern gaze. Parental characters are also heavyily featured to reinforce older audiences. Younger audiences increasingly interested in seeing minority perspectives, hoping to appease through contrast of attitudes towards gender/sexual identity.
Streaming is potentially more approachable for audience but terrestrial television became personally very important during own second year as 'family' viewing, waiting for weekly shows
Can retain rights to sell abroad, similar to how TEotFW is both Channel 4 and classed as a Netflix Original, originally coming out on Channel 4 first.
Constantly questioning 'teen experience', looking at sexuality, drug use and social context, directly and with explicit representation.
Channel 4 long led the way for British youth drama, Hollyoaks and Brookside originally, Skins, Misfits, Fresh Meat for more modern examples.

Clique – Scottish uni thriller on BBC 3, used for alternative ways to approach university base show
Glee – Can't claim it hasn't inspired you

Relevance:Gender and sexuality not sensationalised, hoping for a different, modern approach. Housemates questions, allowing conversations and questionable views to be approached.
Can use youth to explore growing social issues - EG environmental anxiety/youth protest (obviously not new, but current and can show approachability for older audiences)
Friendship as non-traditional family unit

Characters

Group of 5 friends living together, second year of uni, settling in after first term and adjusting to living together.
Wanted to jump in on second term of second year to hop in when friendships have settled.
Show is ensemble approach, each character on own journies, inter-weaving as it progresses.
Don't want them to always be likeable, but relatable and able to empathise with them.
Casting considerations (very minor, not sure if my job, more for visuals – if I had any say I'd push for casting from uni drama schools):
Sarah (blonde girl) - Tallulah Hadden, Queer actress / (drag performer), very outspoken feminist
Beth – Yasmin Page, know her from Pramface, BBC3 comedy, character was shy in social situations but always outspoken amongst friends – being the voice of reason and normally moral/societal good.
Jack – Emma Happleton, in Clique (BBC 3 scottish uni comedy/drama)

Natalie: Adelayo Adedayo, A bit old now but similar to characters I've seen her play in Skins and lead role in Some Girls.
Ryan: Daniel Roche, best known for role on outnumbered. Right age.

Parents play kind of secondary role in episode, visiting/ call's home etc.
Sarah's relationship (or lack of) with her father is key to her character.
Robert Sheehan, as getting older always wanted to see him playing an inexperienced, absent dad role.
Mom – Olivia Coleman kind of character
Paul – Ben Crompton

Visual Material

LOTS OF STRESS AND STUDYING – who studies at social situations? It's all talking over each other and usually dissolves into drinking. Perfect for scenes.
Student house is key location, varying states of mess and clean as cleaning up is one of the arguments I want to repeat in the show, exploring living together. Parties and drinks and drugs and mess and mayhem whilst people trying to study etc.
Nights out

Approach/Themes/Tone

Ensemble Approach - Episodic approach follows group together but want one episode to focus solely around Sarah as she was original main character.
Exploring intensity and significance of later adolescence, vital turning point of young lives when critical life choices mix with heightened social side.
Issue based - personal & public failure / family & social relationships and pressures / mental health / drugs
Self image & identity – trying to figure out values and attitudes

Feedback:

Zak Wilkins