Programme 1: School's Out

Programme Outline

School’s Out is a continuous drama exploring issues around male sexual orientation, bullying, step families, loss, and the dynamics of group behaviour as young people cope with sexual identity, social pressures and the behaviour of peers. The central character is Jake Gray who, as narrator, looks back on a series of events that shaped his life as a young gay teenager.

00.00 – 01.18
A class watch a video about relationships and gay men. The boys respond with jeers and stereotypical abuse. The narrator comments that Lucas Grainger is jeering loudest so his friends won’t think he’s gay (but is really suffering from insecurity because of a relationship problem with his father); Jody Linford is jeering because Lucas is, and William Green because he probably is gay. The focus turns to Jake Gray, 14, the kid in the corner who is secretly gay and too terrified to say. The older Jake intimates by the end of the story he’ll have successfully blackmailed Lucas, violently assaulted his stepbrother and almost burned down the school!

01.19 – 03.12
Ellie, Jake’s best friend, thinks the film was OK. Jake is cynical and says it was full of stereotypes. She knows he’s gay and nearly lets the cat out of the bag. They discuss boyfriends and girlfriends. He admits he fancies someone at school called Dean Truro. She asks when he’s going to make a move on him. He says he’d rather die and that’s not how it works. Lucas, Jody and William gather round and taunt him with ‘gay boy’. The narrator analyses their behaviour in terms of primate anthropology, a theme he develops later. Feeling low, and isolated because of the loss of his mother to cancer three years before, Jake is shaken by the abuse, resulting in feelings of anger, hatred and aggression towards the other boys.

03.12 – 06.05
At home Arthur, Jake’s father and a science teacher at Jake’s school, tries to speak to him. He announces he’s become involved with Janet Reece whom he introduces. She has a son at Jake’s school. Jake is stunned to find it’s Lucas, who’s kept his father’s name. Lucas attacks Jake at school and tells him to tell his father to lay off his mother. He compares Arthur abusively to his real dad whom he idealises. William Green and Jody Linford arrive on the scene. Lucas is anxious they shouldn’t find out the reason for the scuffle. Mistakenly, Arthur thinks Jake is unhappy about the relationship with Janet but it’s really because she’s Lucas’s mum. They move into Janet’s home and Jake and Lucas initially have to share a room. Lucas puts tape across the floor to mark out his territory. He says he is going to make Jake’s life hell. Jake denies he’s gay, but Lucas is nervous about dressing in front of him and warns Jake if he tells anyone they share a room he’s dead.

06.06 – 10.45
Back at school word is out about the relationship between Janet and Arthur, leading to more taunts, and loss of face for Lucas. The narrator interprets William’s behaviour towards Lucas as a challenge to the ‘alpha male’ and Jody’s as ‘follower behaviour’. He says Lucas’s own alpha male is his dad in Australia whom he fantasises about joining in a luxury, idealised life. The boys steal Jake’s bag, find a photograph of his mother and try to burn it. Jake, enraged, returns home and rifles through Lucas’s things. He finds a letter from Lucas’s father saying he doesn’t want his son to live in Australia with him but he’ll take him on holiday. Jake taunts Lucas with this news, saying if he doesn’t lay off he’ll tell the whole school.

10.46 – 17.15
The bag throwing at school starts again but this time Lucas opts out. The two boys have a pact about not saying they share a room. Just as things are looking up, Janet and Arthur announce they are getting married. Lucas is very upset, Jake more accepting. There’s talk of the ‘gay’ brothers at school. Jake thinks they all know he is gay but he is determined to stay in the closet. The boys have to organise the wedding. They get to know each other better and become more relaxed. At the wedding party Lucas asks Jake who he fancies at school. He says Dean Truro. Lucas is relieved it’s not him. When the newly weds are away, the boys have a party. William Green discovers they share a room and tells everyone. Lucas worries what they’ll think and tells them that Jake fancies Dean.

17.16 – 23.53
Chrissie Briggs sets Jake up to think Dean fancies him and Jake makes a complete fool of himself. All the party guests start chanting ‘Jake Gay’. Lucas tries to apologise, but it’s too late. Jake tells those present about Lucas’s father. In a show of bravado William grabs Arthur’s keys and heads for the school. Jake also goes in that direction. William and his cronies break in and start writing graffiti about Jake. Lucas realises things have gone too far. A fight breaks out, chemicals are knocked over and a fire starts. Jake sees the flames and witnesses the boys exiting from the school. He goes to investigate and finds Lucas trapped. He eventually decides to free him. Lucas tries to thank him but Jake says he did it for Janet and Arthur, not him. He then explains this was a lie because he really did it for himself. This leads to a turning point: he’s bigger than them, his own man, and doesn’t need anyone’s approval.