The Gift of the Nation

Logline
The brand new game show with Britain’s ultimate gift and life changing prize: a visa. It’s a refugee right to remain royal rumble; the winner takes all but for the losers all they receive is their airfare home.
Project Description
The Gift of the Nation is a parody of the golden age of the British game show, the 70’s and 80’s. Play your Cards Right meets The Generation Game meets The Price is Right meets Brass Eye. However there is much more on offer than cash, a car, a holiday or even a “Brucie Bonus”. Contestants are asylum seekers hoping to win the prize no money can buy: a visa to remain in the UK. Made up of rounds, the show follows the standard game show format: a tongue in cheek general knowledge round based UK citizenship test, a ‘Generation Game’ style ‘End Game’ and the final.

Characters
Lindsey Laverne: If studios could biologically engineer the most perfectly camp game show host Lindsey Laverne would be the blueprint: The wit of Larry Grayson, the common touch of Barrymore and the tan of Dale Winton.
Babur and Boosah: Afghan refugees and married. Babur was a doctor; Boosah’s English appears to be poor and she wears a burka.
Agdu and Obiamakachukwu: Nigerian married couple seeking political asylum.
Cheryl and Chantelle: the glamorous game show girls.
Audience: Blue rinse brigade who love a good shriek and cackle.

Synopsis
Two couples are left to battle it out for the final prize having beaten off the competition in part one. A VT is run with each couple’s sob story; think The X factor meets a third world charity appeal. Lindsey then gets to know the contestants with some light hearted chit chat. He loves double entendre and innuendo and so do the audience and he plays on the contestant’s names with wicked irony. The audience howl with laughter, Lindsey snaps Kenneth Williams-esque “Behave yourself!” The show progresses on to the general knowledge round where contestants not only build up points but also prizes. An example question might be: Steel and coal were famous heavy industries in Britain but what Cole was recently caught sexting? Prizes include a crystal decanter, golf clubs and other utterly impractical items all modelled by Chantelle and Cheryl. The next round the contestants learn a British past time or skill; tonight’s past time is line dancing. Judged by the audience, the winners win a Mini with a Union Jack roof and progress to the final. In the grand final the couple will have to decide to keep all their prizes or gamble for the chance to win a visa…what will they do, take the prizes and get deported or gamble? They’ve lost their dignity; they could lose a whole lot more!

Theme
The materialism, ignorance, prejudice, shallowness, superficiality and celebrity obsessed culture of modern day Britain are all laid bare in this parody. Where TV shows in the past, such as Gladiators, Distraction and Total Wipeout have mimicked audience/participator relationship of gladiatorial contest, this show stoops way further. Depicting the essence of a real gladiatorial event; these contestants are seen to be lower than the audience. However, they will still suffer this humiliation and degradation for the chance for “a better life in Britain”. The rounds and the final round are an allegory of the asylum process. The first two rounds are proving yourself and your case for asylum but the final decision is totally out of the hands of the asylum seeker. Essentially the application comes down to the case you have built and chance. In 2007, 19% of applications were successful while another 10% were allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds. Therefore this life changing decision rests on statistics and chance. It also stresses the harsh reality of the asylum process. The name The Gift of the Nation is in reference to the film ‘The Birth of a Nation’ and the equality issues highlighted in this landmark film.