We decided to have a few main characters in our soap for the first few months so that viewers can concentrate on those storylines but as the weeks go on we will introduce more characters and build their storylines to maintain an entertaining balance and stick to the convention of ongoing interlinking storylines found in soaps at the moment. Here are main characters and a few smaller characters .
Charlie
Character Description
Charlie is your typical ‘Jack-the-lad’ who has got himself a reputation for messing girls around and partying a lot! He has no real interest in school but sticks around to pursue his desired career in music. He is stylish and always up to date with the latest trends, coolest music and newest gadgets. His family are wealthy however show him no attention as they are always away on business and this drives him to act out in hope to find their attention.
Storylines
Charlie has made a new friend in James however he’s a little too tame for Charlie’s liking so he sets out to show James how to have a good time and to not be so weighed down by his girlfriend. He does however spot Pixie from across the common room and sees her as his biggest challenge yet. However, she manages to change him from his frivolous ways and this results in him caring about her a great deal.
We chose to create a character like Charlie because he’s exiting and wild and what people would like to see. He is the typical attractive ‘bad boy’ that girls like to watch and boys aspire to and we felt that he would be one of our main most interesting characters. We liked the storyline of him changing for Pixie because it showed a more sensitive side to him and felt that people sympathise with the character.
James
Character Description
James has always done what he’s been told and works really hard at school. He plays for the school rugby team and plays a bit of guitar on the side. He has always been very polite, kind and cares for his girlfriend Emily a great deal. However, he has become sick and tired of being everyone’s “ door mat ” and decides a drastic change is in order and needs to have more fun and do things for himself for once.
Storylines
James becomes friends with Charlie because he is jealous of Charlie’s fun and free lifestyle. He hopes that Charlie will take him ‘under his wing’ and the pair become close and frequently go out drinking and partying. He drifts further away from his girlfriend Emily who only seems to keep nagging him and getting in the way of his fun so that when he hears she is pregnant he can’t believe that he might have to have the responsibility of a baby.
We chose the character of James because he is your ‘typical’ guy and we thought that more male viewers could relate to him than Charlie. However we liked having two very strong male characters so that we could hopefully attract more male viewers to soaps as we saw from our research that the majority of soap watchers we asked were females and we hope to cover the niche in the market. We also felt that by showing the male perspective of a teenage pregnancy may be informative and is rarely seen on most soaps.
Emily
Character Description
Emily is your typical good student with excellent grades and gets on well with her teachers and peers alike. She dresses well and is very content with her life as it is due to her long term relationship with her boyfriend James. She worries about the future, what university to go to and getting the grades she needs for her top choice. She also worries about what will happen when she and James go separate ways to different universities.
Storylines
Emily falls pregnant and is going through a rough path with boyfriend James. She tells him in argument which only makes matters worse and she feels she is losing him. She also has the problem of not being able to go to university if she keeps the baby but isn’t sure about having an abortion.
We chose Emily to be a character because we felt that everyone knew a girl like her. She is enviable but also likable because she never does anything to upset or annoy anyone. We also felt that her university worries could become very informative for other people having the same difficulty with their decision. Also her pregnancy storyline is very hard hitting and it is breaking the mould of showing a young irresponsible young girl becoming pregnant. She will hopefully break the stereotype.
Pixie
Character Description
Pixie is an individual who dresses in her own kooky style and has a passion for art. She has found it hard to make friends as people think she is different and she takes that puts all the emotion into her art. She is very cautious of people as she feels they may be playing a trick on her or will laugh at her which makes her incredibly shy.
Storylines
Pixie attracts the attention of ‘playboy’ Charlie but immediately dismisses him as just having a laugh and playing a trick. However, he still pursues her seeing it as a challenge and realises that there is much more to her than meets the eye and that they have a lot in common. He confides in her all his feelings about his parents and she feels that maybe he is different. The two become close and a romance is imminent until Pixie is gets rejected from the art school she has always dreamed of going to and this pushes her over the edge. She sends a message thanking Charlie for being her friend and takes an overdose in school, collapsing in the corridor, but will Charlie find her in time.
We chose Pixie because she was different, interesting and we could have fun with her character. We liked the storyline of the ‘bad boy’ changing for the ‘quite shy girl’ and felt that it’s a story people would like to see. We thought that her suicide attempt would be a good dramatic storyline to include and would maybe help reduce bullying and inspire someone to talk to someone at school that seems lonely.
As well as our main characters we wanted to include a few more minor roles that would develop into more inportant characters in the future
Chloe – Tim’s stepsister. ‘Social climber’ – feels weighed down by Jack.
Tim – Geek – stepbrother to Chloe. Feels lonely – likes Pixie from afar.
Heather (Emily’s mother) – pushy parent, she feels pressured.
Mr Hopkins – Head of Sixth Form, Tim’s dad, Chloe’s stepfather.
Joe – old, grumpy shopkeeper.
Lucy – friendly young café owner. Interested in Dave
Dave – gardener. Adele’s older brother.
Here is a general overview of the main storylines and how they develop and also some of the smaller storylines to be developed in the future...
-
Emily is a clever, respectable girl gets pregnant by boyfriend – who starts cheating on her
-
Adele is jealous of Emily, spreads gossip and rumours about her – they fall out.
-
James (Emily’s boyfriend) starts hanging out with Charlie – ‘leads him astray’ starts drinking, taking drugs, skipping school....
-
James drink-drives with Emily in the car – she is seriously injured and dies some months later, after being in a coma.
-
Pixie is suffering from domestic abuse and is depressed, she feels like she has no-one, she attempts suicide. She is found and taken to hospital by Charlie.
-
Charlie and Pixie become an item, to everyone’s surprise. She is used to being anoutsider but Charlie finds it hard – examines peer pressure.
-
Tim, Pixie’s best friend, tells Pixie he loves her.
-
Lucy and Dave start dating, but break up when she finds out he’s her half brother and he knew all along!
-
Joe’s body is found on Christmas Eve…but who is behind the murder?
