Parklife: A New Climate Podcast Soap Opera

Introducing Script6

Hello! We are Lilie Ferrari and Nick Wright, co-directors of Script6, a small Norfolk-based company creating TV and audio drama. Recently, we’ve been in conversation with the team at Carbon Copy about Changeprint, a new way to talk about collective action in response to climate change, and how well it fits with our latest project.

The Challenge of Climate Conversations

As scriptwriters, we understand that engaging people in discussions about climate change can sometimes be difficult. While you, the reader, are interested enough to read this blog, there are others who back off at the mention of terms like “climate crisis” or “climate emergency”.

The scale and complexity of the issue can feel so overwhelming that people switch off. This is probably the reason that climate change is not exactly at the forefront of mainstream narrative entertainment, as shown by the lack of films and television dramas on the subject. Aside from the film Don’t Look Up (already five years old!) it’s hard to find recent fictional narratives that tackle climate change directly.

At Script6, we’ve spent many hours discussing the challenge of addressing the climate crisis through drama in a way that can engage with people who wouldn’t normally be part of the climate conversation.

Our Solution: Parklife

We’ve created a podcast soap opera called Parklife, set entirely in a city park. The characters are ordinary people dealing with current climate concerns and our stories emphasise that everyone is capable of joining in somehow and making a positive difference.

Parks have always been central to city life. They are crucial to urban existence, providing space for everyone and supporting both physical and mental wellbeing. Our parks are now at the forefront of climate change impacts but are also under threat from council budget cuts – all meaty material for a scriptwriter! By setting Parklife entirely outdoors, we believe this will make stories about climate and nature accessible without being preachy.

Focus on People and Places

In the spirit of a Changeprint, Parklife centres on people and places rather than emissions reductions. The narrative focuses on the small, meaningful steps individuals can take that foster community and purpose.

Our diverse cast of characters includes those who work in the park and those just passing through. A young park employee and a researcher concerned about their future (our love story!). A park-keeper who struggles with change (middle-aged fears). A family running the café, seeking to balance financial pressures with eco-friendly choices (the real cost of being climate aware). The ‘Dog Squad’ – three older dog-walkers who frequent the park and comment on events online (three completely different points of view!). A local developer with his eye on the park’s potential (climate is low down on his list of priorities).

Through these characters, we aim to explore real-life challenges and tell a hopeful story about collective action and positive change.

A Never-Ending Story!

We begin with a massive storm that damages part of the Strangers’ Oak, an ancient tree planted centuries ago by Dutch immigrants and now a symbol of the city. Debates over the tree’s future create divisions among the characters, while the involvement of The Green Machine, a group of radical environmental activists, intensifies the urgent questions we all face in a changing climate.

What will happen? We don’t know yet. But we want to be part of the unfolding story about how we respond to the climate and nature crisis together!

We hope to record and release the first series of Parklife within the next few months. You can find out more and support what we’re doing here.