Quayside Creative have been given the challenge of promoting and adverting a new comedy drama called CSO Manchester which we are aiming to get aired on prime time TV.. . . our first port of call of course is YOUTUBE. Two demos have been submitted so far other online promotions are under way including facebook, myspace and twitter.
CSO Mancheter is by Patrick Gallagher & Greg Cook
Below is the proposal for a comedy drama set in the Northern town of Fieldmoor, which follows the chaotic lives, loves, and working relationships of a team of Police Community Support Officers.
8 X 30 MINS EPISODE
OUTLINES OF MAIN CHARACTER BIOGS
PCSO VINCE FLANAGAN
45-year-old, 20 stone “Big Vince” Flanagan is proud to be the longest serving PCSO in Fieldmoor. Self-satisfied, bordering on arrogant, Vince thinks his 6 years service infers an elevated status. It doesn’t.
While skilfully avoiding any blame for his day-to-day ineptitude, Vince is happy to claim any credit that comes the way of the department.
An inveterate womaniser, Vince is happily married to June, is in a long-term relationship with Tracey, the supervisor at Gregg’s pie shop and is currently setting his cap at Grace Larsson, the latest female recruit. He drinks, smokes, gambles and is constantly one final demand away from fiscal meltdown.
Vince “knows” he looks good in a uniform and his career-path reflects this. Ten years in the army were followed by fifteen as an NCP car-park attendant. A vague financial irregularity led to his parting company with NCP, who were quite happy to give him a reference in order to get rid of him quietly. His next step was to become a PCSO, which is where we find him today. Assuming that his daily foul-ups don't actually result in anybody's death, this is where Vince will be happy to remain until retirement.
PCSO GRACE LARSSON
Beautiful, black, 22 year-old Grace is the most recent female recruit at Fieldmoor Police Station. She read an advert in the local press which stipulated a PCSO would need to be be patient in dealing with complex situations and difficult people, some of whom may be drunk or hostile. Realising she could actually get paid £16 K per annum for doing what she did at home amongst her family - with the added bonus of 21 days holiday - she signed up.
Reliable, dependable and trustworthy, Grace is slow to anger but can become furiously mad - particularly when drink is involved. Alcohol also tends to bring out her low self esteem and penchant for the company of older men.
PCSO TREVOR HARRIS
40-year-old Trevor is keen to ‘make a difference’. Not nasty enough to be a traffic warden, not able to drive an ambulance and not clever enough to be a policeman, he has ended up part of the PCSO team at Fieldmoor.
Trevor has a dark side, however. His extensive collection of samurai swords and replica firearms, coupled with his tendency to randomly quote lines from serial-killer movies at inappropriate moments may explain his string of failed relationships and current single status.
Teetotal Trevor remains optimistic that ‘the one’ is waiting just around the corner. In the meantime he enjoys spending the money he saves by not drinking, on prostitutes.
At work he is smartly turned-out, cheerful and eager to please. He finds Grace attractive but is less than impressed with her drinking.
PCSO CARL DEXTER
19-year-old new recruit Carl wants to be famous. Until Simon Cowell comes calling, his long-suffering mother has nagged him into getting a ‘proper’ job. Since the entry requirements are hardly stringent, he has become a PCSO. It turns out that Carl’s father was Vince’s best mate Ronnie, who died when Carl was a baby and that Vince is actually his Godfather. Vince is unaware of this, obviously because he has not seen any of his 7 Godchildren since their respective christenings. Carl becomes the recipient of Vince’s dubious moral guidance. Unfortunately it looks like he is intent on following it. Carl is a handsome young man and the older local ladies want to mother him and make a fuss of him. The younger ones just want to get into his uniform.
POLICE SERGEANT PAUL GREGORY
48-year-old Sgt Gregory has been in the force for over 25 years. When he joined in the late 70’s the tools of his trade were his truncheon and his handcuffs. Now they’re his keyboard and his mouse. And that suited him, until he was put in charge of the PCSO’s -or C.H.I.M.P.S. (Can’t Help In Most Problematic Situations) as they are referred to acronymically by the regular police officers. Sgt Gregory is looking forward now to his retirement and getting away from PCSOs in general and Vince Flanagan who has become the bane of his life, in particular.
In the meantime, hitting the revenue targets set by the Home Office keeps Sergeant Gregory’s job secure, so he never misses any opportunity to insist that his PCSOs ‘fund raise’, i.e. dish out fines.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PCSO’s WORKPLACE
The PCSOs are stationed at Fieldmoor Police Station. The station comprises a public reception area with a reception desk. To the rear of the reception area are 3 offices: one is for CID; one for uniformed police officers; and one for the PCSOs. Beyond those is the communal changing area, canteen, showers and toilets. The 4 PCSOs share 2 computer terminals and Sgt Gregory has his own desk and personal computer in the same office. In the basement is the custody suite comprising 6 cells and a charge desk.
On occasion we will see them patrolling the streets of Fieldmoor.
THE ARC OF THE SERIES
The first episode introduces all of the 5 main characters with the arrival of the new recruits, Grace Larsson and Carl Dexter. With the revelation that Carl is in fact Vince Flanagan’s Godson, their relationship develops over the coming episodes and they form a bond. Subsequent relationships develop between the characters with Vince confiding one of his various infidelities to each of his colleagues – at times forgetting to whom he has told what about whom. The relationship between Vince and Carl is the overriding story arc – they’re almost like father and son. Vince puts himself in the way of a knife-wielding maniac to save Carl’s life and ends up in intensive care. Carl donates blood to save Vince’s life and we discover that they actually are father and son.
Demo part 2 can be view HERE
