Postcode

It was with interest that I tuned in last night to an episode of Postcode, the new Tony Marchant (The Mark of Cain, Garrow's Law, Holding On and The Knight's Tale for the BBC Canterbury Tales revisit in 2003) drama for children and teenagers. After hearing of its existence I watched with some trepidation - Marchant is without doubt one of the best, however it is notoriously difficult to create an authentic voice for youth programmes. They often end up too square or, more common in recent years, trying too hard to be hip. Shows like Skins have avoided this by appealing to the things kids like the most: sex, drugs, swearing and imagining their lives are so much cooler than they actually are.

I am currently training in a school in Croydon, with excactly the sort of kids represented by one group on the show. As I teach English we often talk about slang and I ask the kids questions about how they say things and why. And I'm pleased to say from my experience I think Marchant's Postcode has it pretty bang on. The main actors are also excellent and support the accurate language choices with understanded acting, and not just Sylvia Young graduates attempting to cover their RP accents.

Marchant said he chose to write Postcode after spotting a gap in the market where teens are forced to watch babyish television or unsuitable adult shows. As I am teaching I should probably take advantage of this immersion in a sociolect in my writing, however I just can't seem to keep up!