Script File
Phackers
The Phackers (physics hackers) are four university, physics students. Their knowledge and understanding far outstrips that of the professors who teach them, but they have to go through the motions of becoming qualified before they can unleash their genius on an unsuspecting world. They spend their spare time (they're students; they have a lot of spare time) inventing ways to bend or break the laws of physics. They can time travel, travel colossal distances almost instantaneously and make the impossible possible. This could be compared to 'Doctor Who?' but I think 'The Tomorrow People' (seventies TV show) is closer. The difference is, the Doctor and the Tomorrow People always knew the right thing to do and did it. This lot don't have an ounce of common sense between them and have an irritating habit of inadvertently destroying solar systems. They are accidentally joined by Dave who knows nothing about science fiction or fact. I've written six episodes. I co-wrote 'The Big Unchill' (using my real name, Ron Rothwell) with Katherine Nader, which won recognition in your Genre Lab Roundtable last year. Katherine took part in the Zoom meeting with three other writers and Claire, and Natalie. Katherine can't work with me now due to work commitments so I've written this solo. I'm not a screen writer so it's missing 'techy bits'.
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Ronald RothwellWriter
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Project Type:Television Script
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Number of Pages:46
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:No
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Student Project:No
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Genre Lab Script Roundtable
July 11, 2020
Genre Lab Script Roundtable, screenplay
I was born in Bolton at a very early age in 1965. I couldn’t and wouldn’t describe my childhood as happy; my parents were not a happy couple and they constantly argued. I excelled in school, being alternately known as ‘the brainy one’, and ‘the class clown’. In the seventies, we had grammar schools and the eleven plus exam. The pupils who scored in the top ten percent were offered a place in grammar school. I went to one and have always been and will always be grateful.
Aged fifteen, I decided my vocation was photography. I set up a darkroom in the loft and spent as much time and money as I could to become competent. When I left school, I was a professional photographer for nine years.
Aged nineteen, I had the tremendous good fortune to meet the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. Thirty four years later we are still happily married.
I became disillusioned and bored with photography and, aged 25 I started a business, installing and repairing burglar alarms. I still own and run the company.
In 1993, we had a son, in ‘95 we had a daughter and in ’97 we had another son.
My wife, worked for social services and did three twenty-four hour shifts per week. Being self employed I would stay home when she was at work and go to work when she came home. It meant we never had to use any kind of childcare.
Dear reader, I don’t know if you have children but if you do you’ll know that there’s a lot of time spent waiting; waiting for them to wake up, waiting for feeding time, rocking a cot at 4.00am, etc.
In ’97, just before our youngest was born, I decided to use this time to test a theory; I’d always thought maybe I could write but was always busy with other things. I bought an exercise book and pack of ballpoints and set out to write ‘a funny book’. I wasn’t interested in changing anyone’s life, critical acclaim or winning awards, just writing a funny book. The first night I wrote page one. The second night I wrote eight pages. Doing some quick maths, I worked out I’d finish it by Christmas and be able to retire on the royalties by Easter. Sure enough, a mere ten years later, I finished the bloody thing. This was 2007, I didn’t do anything with it until I launched a website in 2009 and published on Amazon in 2010. By 2013, I’d sold six copies and decided I’d better have a go at marketing. Towards the end of 2013 I started writing short stories. I now have a dozen books published (three are compilations)