Interestingly, I've found a letter I wrote in my book of scripts. It must have been in response to a complaint from a real youth group who didn't like the way I'd depicted them. I don't have the original letter, but here's my reply. You can guess what the complaint was like...
Dear Mary and all at the Glebe Youth and Community Centre*
I'm sorry to hear about your complaints about our depictions of youth clubs in 'Millie'. I can assure you that any jokes that I made at the expense of youth clubs were not made out of malice. After all, I help run a youth drama group myself, I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot am I?
I take your point that most youth clubs are much better run than the one depicted in 'Millie'. Unfortunately, if the club in the strip was run with the same imagination and verve I see in most youth clubs it wouldn't be funny. It's a sad comment on human nature, I suppose, but competence isn't considered to be entertaining. That's why the Rushey Green youth club in the strip is they way it is.
Anyway, your point has been taken. And you may find that Nigel, the youth leader in the strip at the moment, will have his hands full dealing with a female youth leaer with a bit more savvy in the near future...**
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Pilcher
* Names changed to protect the innocent
** This did indeed happen, but not for a year...
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