Emily Drabble 

Rachel Wilson wins our young screenwriter competition!

The hilarious tale of a forgotten rabbit has been crowned victorious in our Natasha Farrant screenwriting competition. So congratulations to Rachel Wilson AKA site member Rachie – and her rabbit Biscuit (who was not harmed during the writing of this screenplay)
  
  

Rachie and rabbit
Rachel Wilson has won our screenwriting competition (seen here with her rabbit, Biscuit). Photograph: Rachel Wilson Photograph: Rachel Wilson

Back in July we launched a screenwriting competition with Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby author, and Guardian children's fiction prize 2014 longlistee, Natasha Farrant who set site members a mission to introduce their family through a screenplay in an original and gripping way.

We are delighted to announce that Rachel Wilson AKA site member Rachie, 14, is our wonderful winner. Judge Natasha Farrant said: "Rachel just nailed the chaos of family life. I loved that even in this short piece each character was so well-defined and different. Annabel is a perfect annoying big sister, and Mum's mortification is so typical and funny. I am a little bit worried about what happened to the rabbit… I'd love to read the scene when they catch him, because I know it will be hilarious! An excellent entry, well done."

Rachel wins an HD video camera and signed copies of Natasha Farrant's The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby books: After Iris and Flora in Love.

And now Rachel gives us an insight into how she wrote her script: "The characters are very real as well as the setting and atmosphere I tried to create of the car. My family are very close and travel usually together (including the rabbit) nearly every weekend to our static caravan in Keswick in the Lake District. My twin and I (Annabel) are like all teenagers a little impatient so in a hot, stuffy, packed car travelling for two hours the annoyance and sarcasm I described in her voice is very much real. Biscuit is the family rabbit he is one of a kind, mad and cute at the same time. He eats bran-flakes and strawberries for breakfast in his own little breakfast bowl and his favourite place in the world is the caravan where he sits on the window sill and watches the television with the family. As for Mum she didn't actually forget the rabbit and never has, however I thought it would be a funny twist in the tale."

Congratulatons also to runners up Sebastan Sawka and Kiran Parry who win signed copies of Natasha Farrant's The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby books.

And here is…

Rachel's mad summer, family, holiday diary

Scene one
Car journey

Mum's car, white Mercedes with black interior. The quite small boot bulging with clothes and essentials. The rabbits carrier sits on the front seat on top of all the coats, In front two cool bags full of food and a computer wobbles dangerously off the seat. Behind a big bag full of books, paper and chargers is squashed against the seat. More bags are piled on the back seat but surprisingly everything fits into the car. Just… The heat is practically frying the leather seats and making the car almost unbearable to sit in for anymore then two minutes let alone two hours. MUM in the driver's seat turns up the radio.

ANNABEL puts in her earphones, checks her messages and leans her head against the cool window eyes closed.

Note one: This two hour journey from the Wilson's home in East Boldon a small village near Newcastle to the Wilson's second home in Keswick, the Lake District, a static caravan in Derwentwater Caravan Park is made very often, precisely nearly every weekend. DAD would usually be driving us but because of a last minute meeting in London the family agreed to him taking his car and meeting us in Keswick for a two week relaxing start to the summer holidays.

ANNABEL
It's too hot!
(Fanning herself with a gossip magazine and frowning deeply)

MUM
(Sighs leaning over to turn on the air con)
You can't say that, we live in England – this is beautiful weather.

ANNABEL
We could live in the Sahara desert and I wouldn't care, it's still too hot.
(Reaching in her bag for her blush pink sunglasses, propping them on her nose and changing the song on spotify.)

Mum laughs at Annabel and turns her attention to the cameraman . She smiles and pulls a funny face for the camera.

MUM
Excited for summer?

CAMERAMAN AKA ME
Yes! So excited – I have five rules for the perfect summer.
(Spreading her hands in front of her face looking up as if in a dream)

MUM
And what are they?
(Raising her eyebrows thoughtfully)

CAMERAMAN
One. Get a tan
Two. Have lots of lies in
Three. Get a henna tattoo
Four. Don't think about school
Five. Make a recorded summer diary

MUM
Oh, is this why you have recorded the start of your holiday, I think it's a wonderful idea – a 2014 summer diary.

ANNABEL
Mum, pass the rabbit, I can put him in the middle of us.

MUM
Please…

ANNABEL
Please pass the rabbit.
(emphasising the word please.)

Cameraman Rachel reaches over to get the rabbit, surprisingly effortlessly, and passes to Annabel.

ANNABEL
Has Biscuit been on a diet, he's awfully light
(Opening the cage door and feeling for the massive fur ball that is the rabbit)
He's not there!

MUM
Don't be silly of course he is.
(Hinting panic in her voice)

ANNABEL
Oh yeah, because he's so small I can't feel a massive rabbit in a cage nearly the same size as him.
(with a sarcastic roll of the eyes)

CAMERAMAN
Turn around mum you've left Biscuit in the garden.
(Laughing out loud)

ANNABEL
Can you imagine if we had gotten all the way there and we had to go back?

CAMERAMAN
I'll get ready to run in the garden to get Biscuit.

ANNABEL
You'll have to be quick, dad's booked the table for seven. Mum I can't believe you forgot the rabbit.
(Laughing)

MUM
(Turning to cameraman her face a picture of embarrassment)
For goodness sake don't waste the battery this isn't an important summer moment.

Note two: Mum is trying to hide the fact that she forgot to get the rabbit in the garden because she knows that the whole family will make fun of her all summer.

• Thank you Rachel Wilson for this highly entertaining screenplay. Look out for Rachie's video reviews which she will create with her new video recorder for the Guardian children's books site! We love unusual reviews so if you fancy doing a video one, just upload it on YouTube and send us the link and we'll post it. We also accept audio reviews. And good old written ones are very welcome, of course. If you aren't a site member yet then here's how to join. Come on in, the water's fine!

 

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