Hooligan

Character Descriptions FRANK - A bitter brute of a man. Built like an ox, he is angry at the world for no real reason. Xenophobic and racist beliefs with a short fuse and hot temper. A history of violence with most of his life behind bars. ZAHIDA - Workaholic, driven young mother. Her race and gender make her feel as though she needs to prove herself in her career with in the social care system. A quick witted and feisty woman, her headstrong stubbornness and determination are key to her holding her own.. ERNIE - Silver tongued and sharp Caribbean elderly gentleman. Part of the Windrush generation and wise with his years. Calm and collected in his persona, he is a prisoner to his house due to old age. Chess and the wireless radio being his main source of entertainment. JACK - Unsavoury youth. Scrawny build with a pale stoner complexion and a huge chip on his shoulder. Wants to make a name for himself as has been raised in the murky shadows of toxic masculinity and violent means to resolve any given circumstance. Story Set in London in early 2000’s. Frank stands alone against the world, freshly released into the public domain after over three decades behind bars for his part in a football hooligan firm leading to the brutal death of an innocent man. He is angry, bitter and has no one to turn to. He smokes and waits for his P.O (parole officer) to collect him from the gates of prison. He is expecting John, his assigned social worker who has been handling the transition to freedom for sometime. However he gets Zahida, a small young Indian woman who instantly rubs Frank, a bigot, up the wrong way. A snarled exchange between the racist thug and a thick skinned and pragmatic woman ensues. Resulting in Zahida leaving Frank at the gates, she is not one to be pushed around and she certainly isn’t going to give any of the racial abuse being spouted from Frank any creedence. Forcing Frank to make his own way back to town. A lesson in how times have changed. Frank is now a relic of an ugly era of British history when the National Front, Skinheads and violence had merged into a crescendo of hatred and dominance. In record time Frank is making enemies everywhere he goes. He can’t help but leave a trail of annoyance and aggravation. This is no different when he visits his ex-lovers home to find she has moved on with her life and now has a 18 year old son, Jack. An instant rivalry is triggered in Jack who as the man of the house feels he has to protect his mum and also out of his warped sense of manliness sees Frank as a threat. The lessons come thick and fast to Frank, its not long before he is given an ultimatum by Zahida. In order to remain free and see out his probation he has to play nice and also complete a new government initiative to see parolees placed as a live-in care for elderly people. The governments way of killing two birds with one stone. Frank is paired with Ernie, an elderly man from Trinidad who came to the UK as part of the windrush generation. The two have reservations about each other but are civil and realise they have more in common than they first thought. However, Frank has been seen moving into the house by Jack. Resulting in a threat being made by way of a petrol bomb placed in Frank’s bedroom with a signed note. Thus initiating a feud that escalates instantly with Frank upping the ante by stealing and firebombing Jack’s car. Meanwhile Zahida has bigger problems, she is in a bitter dispute with her ex-partner who is relentless in his quest to take away their son in a divorce row. The ex is keen to paint Zahida as an unsafe parent due to her job and the people she deals with. In seeing Zahida leaving Frank’s house the gang, decide to turn things up a notch and target Frank once again with some racist graffiti. Something a younger Frank may have also been guilty of, but now the paint is like a flag to a bull. Landing him in trouble with the police. However, it’s Zahida who manages to make the situation disappear and have Frank released without charge. Frank returns the favour with his heavy handed mentality once again leading to violence and a private investigator taking the beating. With his days coming as Ernie’s carer to an end Frank is seeing a new side to life and the wonders it can offer if they are sought out. Returning from a football match his world is turned upside down when he discovers Ernie, down and severely hurt. Resulting in a final showdown between Frank and the thorn in his side, Jack. There is a brief and brutal fight ending when Frank is stabbed and left for dead. Waking up alive surrounded by his new family of friends. Frank is content though handcuffed to the bed.