The deadline for the Peter thingy is 15th July... to the USA.

If you asked the Beeb to send your script back via a SAE, has anyone received them yet?

Nah, I sent an SAE and haven't got it back yet. Hopefully not too distant future.

Haven't you got other copies of your scripts?

Well, yes. Let's just say at this stage, I'm still clinging to the idea that it might have got lost in the post (which is why I didn't even get an email). Once it's back in my grubby hands, then it's time to move on...

Ah.

From the blog:

We had a lot of....'first day of school, bullying at school, geeks at school, weird conspiracy/sci-fi/alien/monster at school. We had a lot of portals into other dimensions, plenty of time travel, a fair few goblins/monsters/aliens.'

Mine was:

first day of school, bullying at school, geeks at school, weird conspiracy/sci-fi/alien/time travel.

Well, there we are then.

"first day of school, bullying at school, geeks at school, weird conspiracy/sci-fi/alien/monster at school. We had a lot of portals into other dimensions, plenty of time travel,"

He basically copied and pasted my synopsis verbatim.

AND the kids in mine were about 13-14. I actually did nothing right for this one.

Quote: Flaner @ July 22 2009, 9:43 AM BST

"
AND the kids in mine were about 13-14. I actually did nothing right for this one.

View original

Yeah, for some reason I ignored the age thing and had my kids be 14/15 years old. Dumbass. Though I don't think it's really true that if you're ten, then you only want to watch shows featuring ten year olds; that's obviously wrong. When I was ten my favourite show was Doctor Who, and he's about 900 years old!

My kids were 12 - I thought making them any younger really limited what they could do, to be honest. It's interesting that they talked about aiming it at 6-12 year olds, but yet if you look at 'MI: High' or 'The Sarah Jane Adventures', the kids in those are in their teens (and played by much older actors).

And yes, I had school scenes and a bully/gang, but they weren't the core of the story. My hero was seen to be at school because, you know, he's a school kid. That is a massive part of your life when you're that age (as it is in 'MI: High' and 'The Sarah Jane Adventures').

No aliens though.

Children like characters to be their own age or older. Never younger.

Mine were 10-12.There were a few of them.

Mine two main characters were 11, and were dealing with contemporary issues which may have been classed as too "mature" I suppose. (Boy with a single mother. Father gone astray.)

Have you ever read Tracy Beaker? I think she stabbed some one.

Quote: Mikey Jackson @ July 22 2009, 12:30 PM BST

Mine two main characters were 11, and were dealing with contemporary issues which may have been classed as too "mature" I suppose. (Boy with a single mother. Father gone astray.)

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Na - that would have been fine. Clyde from 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' is being raised by his Mum after his Dad left, for instance.

The 'emotional centre' of my story was that the Dad had lost his job during the credit crunch and the family were struggling to pay the bills (I wonder how many scripts were based around that too?). It was all from the kid's POV, but it wasn't all kitchen sink, doom and gloom. There was a bit of fun and magic in there too. Not enough, it seems, but there you go.