We got the names from the couple that Nisserin knows, and we thought the names had a good sound together. We might make this the title of our show, but before we confirm that we are using these names we will have to ask the real couple and see if they are ok with that.
Our show will be similar to the following shows:
- 'Outnumbered'
- 'Gavin and Stacy'
- 'My Family'
- 'Mrs Brown Boys'
In the sense of story, comedy style and some of the directing & camera techniques.
The show is set in the modern day so its relatable and also it means we can use current issues to our advantage like social media.
Who are the main characters?
The main characters are David and Jackie.
They are an old couple - about 60 years old.
They have 2 children that are both mid to late 30s.
They also have 3 grandchildren, one that is a step-grandad. The ages of them are 13, 11 & 8.
They were born in the 1950s.
They met in the 1970s when they were in their 20s.
They both attended the same disco. David was the new guy in town, whilst Jackie was known by everyone as the dance champion. During the disco, they have a dance off and for the first time ever, Jackie is beaten by David, damaging her title of 'reigning dance champion'. At first she's jealous but as the years pass she starts to fall for him as she falls for her.- One of the aspects of the show we discussed was to show some flashbacks of when they first moved into the village or of when they first met.
- This might be something we decide against as the idea progresses.
Points about Jackie:
- Loves instagram.
- She's always taking pictures on her new iPad, especially her food.
- She knows all the latest trends.
- Knows everything before everyone else in the neighbourhood.
Points about David:
- Technophobe.
- Joke.
- Likes to play pranks on everyone.
- Loves to cook.
- He's always experimenting with new ways to cook and new things to cook.
- There was the idea that he applies for Masterchef.
Who lives in the neighbourhood?
Young couple in their early 20s.
- Engaged, and living in their first home together.
- They have parties and celebrations regularly.
- The Maid of Honor is obsessive and more of a bridezilla than the bride herself.
- We had the idea that at some point - possibly during the pilot - the bride will jump into into David & Jackie's back garden and hide from the MOH.
Middle aged couple in their 40s.
- They have lived on the street for a long time - but not as long as David and Jackie.
- Their parenting style is quite strict.
- Which contrasts with their gay son who is in their 20s.
- Who is obsessed with Taylor Swift.
- Due to their parenting style, they are in denial that their son is gay.
Betty, a friendly old woman.
- She is the neighbor opposite.
- She has a thing for David - she crushes over him in a really obvious way.
- Due to this, David flirty side comes out which show his younger side.
- Overtime Betty is round their house she is very flirty towards David.
- One of the aspects of this we thought about is she could slap his butt every time she leaves their house.
- Every time she sees David she brings him a 'token of love'.
- When she leaves, David stashes these tokens in 'Betty's box' which lives right by the door.
- She owns a mechanical cat called Arnold - she has an odd side to her.
- We had the idea that she could have a spy camera in Arnold's eyes.
- A thought that could work within the show but not the pilot, is Betty goes away on holiday and gets David to look after Arnold and while she is away she spies on him.
Who are the grandchildren?
13 year old.
- Teenage boy.
- Typically grouchy, 'don't care' attitude.
- Has a crush on the 20yr old neighbor.
- When he sees her, his whole manner changes.
- He is an only child.
- Very creative.
- Likes to make something out of nothing.
- He uses a lot of David's stuff and makes objects with them.
- Which then annoys David.
- He has a market dealer friend.
- This is important as he gets a lot of materials from him, for his creations.
11 year old.
- Girl.
- Jackie lives through her and doesn't leave her alone.
- She is a typical pre-teen.
- She gets a new phone and doesn't stop using it 24/7.
- She isn't really a girly girl in terms of her mannerisms but she definitely isn't a tom boy either.
- She's a nice mixture.
8 year old.
- Boy.
- He is the step-grandson.
- He's classed as the chess champion.
- Very civilized and well-mannered, mature and well-spoken.
- He usually calls his step-grandparents by their real names instead of 'nan & grandad'.
- Along with chess, he also loves to play badminton.
- He's a pro player.
- He's quite a posh character in terms of how he reacts to certain situations and other things.
- He's different compared to the other two grandchildren.
....................................................
With these initial ideas in place, developing the idea and story further won't be too challenging for us, and also it gives us a lot to experiment and work with.
We've developed our ideas for characters quite a lot, but really it's giving us a good starting point for the neighborhood and the family. This means if we were to adjust the story slightly, we could easily do so while also possibly developing the characters traits as we go along.
We did create a working plot for our pilot episode, but obviously this might change over time.
The plot we have come up with follows the lines of...
__________
Jackie getting a new iPad - starting her 'instagram famous' journey - and David is waiting for a letter from Masterchef - after applying and wanting to be on the show.
Betty turns up and flirts with David & brings something for David to put in his 'Betty Box'.
Jackie and David mention their grandchildren in a way that includes them in the story.
The bride to be neighbor jumps over fence and the others talk to them about the MOH.
David gets a letter from Masterchef saying he's been accepted but then Greg Wallace look a like tastes the cookies he's made and takes back the acceptance letter.
These initial ideas are a good starting point, but I have no doubt that they will adjust and change over time as our idea develops even further.
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