BBC to release comedy show about pupil's referral unit
The BBC are set to bring out a new series surrounding a group of teenagers struggling to navigate through the troubles and trials of adolescence.
PRU (standing for pupil referral unit) will be released as a comedy show but is this the right idea. Should the show be made as a situational comedy or will the comedy take away from the key messages for the youths that watch it.
The show will follow four teens Sienna, Halil, Jaeden and Belle and the story will be told through their perspectives. The characters are complex but charismatic so the narrative sounds promising for audiences.
Actress Nkechi Simms says that the series touches on some very on trend and relatable topics surrounding today's youth culture.
She says “It covers a lot of different themes such as family cycles, the PRU-to-prison pipeline, being mis-medicated… I think it covers so many relevant topics that young people today will be able to relate to.”
Simms also talks about how she is able to relate to her character Sienna from her time spent in a PRU and drew inspiration from her younger self and her experiences throughout her younger years. She relates a lot to the character she plays and stated “I was very much one of those teenagers who thought I knew best and did what I thought was right, and I think that's a strong trait of Sienna’s that I already had myself - so it was just sort of developing that further.”
Nkechi describes the show as heartfelt, hilarious and clever and relayed that audiences will have a lot of laughs watching the show but also benefit from the more serious themes they touch on throughout the show that are presented in a “really funny, comedic and relatable way”
The show may be about teens but no need to worry there are adults in the cast as well so there’s a character for everyone to grow attached to as viewers often do.
One of the characters is based on the writer of the show Anthony Nathaniel. Anthony is played by Tom Moutchi who has familiarised himself with real anthony’s “isms and skisms” but with a dash of “Tom Moutchi magic” in there too.
So, if you like a good laugh and maybe even a cry (tears of joy or sadness), a good cast, a potentially relatable story about what it means to be a youth and all the troubles that come along with it. Put this in your calendar PRU premieres on May 26th on BBC Three at 10pm and it certainly sounds promising.