getting even flyer

Mandy Redvers-Rowe, a writer for television, radio and stage, talks about what inspired her recent project Getting Even. 


Where did the inspiration for this project come from?
 

During lockdown I was following the Disability News Service and becoming increasingly disturbed about the very real impact of people having to change from DLA (Disability Living Allowance) to PIPs (Personal Independent Payments). The private companies that operated the screening programmes were not responding to disabled people’s needs. For example, they were not willing to interview people in their own homes, even when their doctors or social workers recommended it. Consequently, a number of people fell through the cracks in the system, lost their benefits and all associated financial support. This led to a number of deaths – some as a result of suicide and two people actually starving to death.    

No one seemed to be talking about it. I wanted to do something to highlight the situation.

I began to develop the idea for Getting Even, initially as part of a DANC (Disabled Artist Networking Community) project with my then mentor Ben Tagoe. When this finished, I continued to develop the idea with Justine Potter, Development Producer for Savvy Productions. 

I didn’t want to make a piece that was too dark, but neither did I want to shy away from telling the story I wanted to tell. I come from a sketch writing background and believe that comedy can sometimes be more effective at highlighting difficult issues than straight drama. 

I asked my original comedy writing partners Mandy Colleran and Ali Briggs for their input. I felt this was too important a subject and truthfully felt a little daunted approaching it on my own. 


Tell Us About Getting Even?
 

Getting Even is a comedy drama about a group of disabled people who are so p***ed off with the Minister for Disability, that they decide to kidnap him! Not to harm him – but to educate him!

They plan to keep him for a few hours, but a heavy police presence prevents them from returning him. Some of the videos of the ‘minister’s education’ have gone viral. They are forced to keep him and figure out another way to ‘give him back’….

Meanwhile, the minister’s ratings are going up! He’s never been so popular. He tries to negotiate with the gang to get them to keep him a little longer. That’s it – they’ve had enough - they definitely have to find a way to get him off their hands. 

Getting Even was written by Mandy Redvers-Rowe with associate writers Mandy Colleran and Ali Briggs, directed by Justine Potter. It was written as a TV pilot and Manchester Independents supported the development of the script, and a tabletop reading.