Task Four- Other Genre Idea- Factual Format
Sort It Out!
Channel 4
6 x 30″
Can ten self confessed binge drinkers come up with better ideas to curb the trend than the suited old M.P’s have? Two teams take over city centre bars and battle to ‘Sort it Out’.
We’ve all seen the pictures of young drunks hugging the curbs outside pubs and clubs across the country after a few too many. Its unhealthy, leads to violence, casual sex and we’ve probably all done it a few times. The fact is we drink to have fun and that’s never going to change, but are there things that can be done to help us have fun without ending up on the floor.
This programme will put the people who know the issue best to the test.
There will also be a young hip presenter to guide us through and add a bit of extra glamour and humour.
I would be hoping to get sponsorship from a drinks brand or bar chain that is interested in promoting responsible drinking and finding ways to bring people back into the bars and pubs instead of home drinking.
Episode 1:
We track down our participants, finding a selection of people who been caught out by the tabloid papers. We give them as limited information as possible. The presenter turns up on their door step and we whisk them off to France, the country that routinely comes up as being the most binge averse, where the group get to know each other, no doubt over a few too many drinks. The next day we explain to them what the task ahead of them entails and they are split into two groups and given the keys.
Episode 2:
The aim of the game is to run profitable bars, the only problem is that they have to introduce measures to stop people getting too drunk.
The first week will see the teams argue over what their strategy is going to be. They hit the town to do some market research and get to know their competition. They can charge what they want, reduce prices so people drink with them instead of pre-loading on cheap supermarket strength cider before hitting the town, or up the price so people drink less. They can refuse to serve people, make soft drinks free at drinks stations, serve up food, put on entertainment or anything else they can come up with. Each team will have a financial expert and whatever they choose to do they have to make those books balance.
Episode 3:
The teams have just one week redecorate, stock their fridges and train their teams before the big opening night. Will everything get done in time, will the team agree and what will they come up with to pull the punters in on day one?
Episode 4:
The teams reflect on the opening night. Did it work out as well as planned, or are they ringing the changes already? Weekend over, what can they do to keep the money coming in? Games night, battle of the band, curry night, they chose.
After a month of plugging away cracks are beginning to show within the teams and some of the staff are driven to drink!
Episode 5:
After two months of testing out their theories the teams are given one final task, to host a one off alcohol free event. What kind of event will they plan and will people pay for an alcohol free night out? How else can the teams earn the last pounds to count to the final total?
Episode 6:
The Results: We find out if its possible to curb binge drinking and run a successful business. The winning team is announced and we look back at all the successes and failures and see how the experience has changed the views of the contenders.
The winners get a trip of a life-time, we get a look into the workings of the alcohol trade, meet the people who support it and see if there is anything out there to make out drunken nights out hurt a little bit less the morning after!
Task 5- The Trailer
A very simplistic trailer to an accompany the Sort It Out proposal.
What would a binge drinker change the morning after the night before to make sure they never got that drunk again?
These are the people who could make a difference.
Lets get their ideas, challenge them to run a busy city centre bar and see if there’s anything that can be done.
I feel that this should take place in the UK, rather than France, since this is where the problem is. The biggest challenge will be not stopping serving customers when they have already drunk too much.
We would need to know that there is real jeopardy. The worthy outcome might be to easily attained by people acting well for the cameras.
The audience will have to believe that the goal is hard to achieve and there have to be numerous barriers in each episode. What you want is something of the scale of Jamie’s School Dinners: an attempt to change society’s behaviour.