Sexpop – Treatment

This is the start of a treatment for an idea I have. Let me know what you think. I can't help but think the idea is a little far fetched? Does this treatment grab your attention?

This is a situation comedy about a nearly thirty something loser that stretches the imagination and at times borders on the insane.

You could be forgiven for thinking Charlie is somewhat of a loser. He is about to hit the ripe old age of thirty and lives in a tiny bedsit all by himself. To make life even more unbearable he works a dead end job selling cat deterrents to garden centres. But while the rest of us are engrossed in the latest happenings in EastEnders or tucking the children safely to bed, Charlie is entering the mysterious and wonderful world of Sexpop. Helped only by an eight year old Chinese boy named Polo and a magical clown who lives in his wardrobe; Charlie enters a world of imagination and possibility that none of us could ever comprehend. Come join Charlie and enjoy the many adventures he embarks on but be warned when entering the world of Sexpop sanity is only an option.

Charlie does not care about social conventions and most certainly does not conform to what we, as people, would call the norm. His poor social skills and brutal honesty lead him to offending pretty much anyone that comes into contact with him. But in a world without rules and where anything is possible Charlie finds himself the hero; the one man that everyone wants to be or be seen with. Charlie is outrageous in appearance, with big hair and painted nails he looks like a reject from 'A Mad Hatters' tea party.

Polo is a Chinese immigrant who moved to England with his mother in search of a better life. After moving into the same house as Charlie, Polo became fascinated with him and a mutual love for The Simpsons led to a new friendship blossoming. The nickname Polo stems from it being the only word he can say in English.

Augustus is the magic clown who lives in Charlie's wardrobe and is the gatekeeper into the world of Sexpop. After committing one of the worse sins in Sexpop history Augustus was banished to the wardrobe and given the job role of servant to the chosen one. Very resentful and often drunk, Augustus' daily life consists of giving Charlie guidance through the bizarre world of Sexpop.

So.. Charlie goes about his normal day-to-day life working, being outcast and failing miserably with his attempts to woo the love of his life Lucy. But always in the back of his mind Charlie knows that the evil wizard Mugabe is plotting to take over, not only the world of Sexpop, but also the world you and I exist in.

Cheers people!

An odd read.

It sounds a little like a 1970s children's TV show in places. ("Jamie & The Magic Torch" sprang immediately to mind.)

But then there are some elements which made me wonder exactly who this is aimed at...

"Mugabe"? Given some of the genuine atrocities that man has permitted in the real world, I'm not sure immortalising him in a sitcom, even as a fantasy bad guy, is going to go down well.

The character of "Polo" also doesn't ring true...

The notion that "polo" is the *only* word of English an 8-year-old Chinese immigrant can speak flies in the face of the evidence: kids learn languages much more readily than adults. While his accent might not be that great yet, it's unlikely he'd only have picked up one single word.

Also, how can he be a fan of "The Simpsons" if he doesn't understand it? Animated series like these are quite dialogue-heavy and not as full of the kind of linguistically-neutral visual humour as, say, "Tom & Jerry" or Tex Avery's cartoons.

My youngest brother and his wife both teach English as a Foreign Language ('EFL'), and I've worked in the same field myself for a few years (including managing a school specialising in EFL tuition). The younger you are, the easier it is to learn a new language and become truly fluent in it.

The process of learning a language gets more difficult with age, so Polo's mother will likely never become fluent. Polo, on the other hand, would have probably picked up quite a few new words within a week or so of his arrival, depending on how much exposure he's had to the local community and culture. (Note, too, that, under English law, Polo should be in school.)

But aside from all that, there's nothing wrong with it.

It would be worth explaining what 'sexpop' is.

The strangest part about Polo, for me, is that it actually is happening to me right now. I have a young chinese lad living above me and the only word he can say in English is Polo. He loves the Simpsons and when we watch together I find him just laughing at the same points I do.

TEFL is a course I ahve just finished as well so also have a good understanding if what it takes for young children to learn new languages.

Sexpop is a world I have created in my head, it began as a cult idea but for me all my work is steadilt being based around it.

Quote: Darren Pomroy @ September 20 2009, 8:55 PM BST

The strangest part about Polo, for me, is that it actually is happening to me right now. I have a young chinese lad living above me and the only word he can say in English is Polo. He loves the Simpsons and when we watch together I find him just laughing at the same points I do.

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It's possible he doesn't get out much and thus lacks confidence in his English. Another possibility is that he's laughing because you are, rather than because of what he's seen on the TV (although Groening's animated series do have a lot of visual comedy too.)

I once tried showing an episode of "The Simpsons" to two Italian EFL groups: one had very little experience of English; the other was more advanced. The former tended to laugh at visual humour—visual slapstick, reaction shots, etc.—but rarely laughed at verbal jokes. The second got most of the jokes and visual gags, though only the most advanced students picked up on some sight gags that relied on idiomatic English.

TEFL is a course I ahve just finished as well so also have a good understanding if what it takes for young children to learn new languages.

Many EFL teachers I've worked with felt the TEFL course curricula was far too prescriptive. (X minutes teaching grammar, Y minutes teaching vocabulary, Z minutes on conversation, and so on.) The school had a mix of experienced teachers who didn't have formal TEFL qualifications, and some who did. The former tended to get the most consistent results and good feedback. The latter group tended to be very hit-or-miss.

It's possible the Celta and Delta TEFL curriculum has changed since then, so I don't know if it's more flexible in its approach now.

Hmm. I might be veering a tad off-topic, so I'll shut up now.