Exit Strategy - Pilot Sitcom Script
‘Exit Strategy’ is a sitcom following former corporate high-flyer Beth who quits her job in style and is forced to rent out her spare room to Charlie, a downtrodden graphic designer. Having ditched the stressful corporate world, Beth wants to concentrate on her happiness. She doesn’t mind doing low-responsibility jobs, even if the low wages frustrate her girlfriend, Stella. Meanwhile, Charlie dreams of walking out of his own job, where he sees each meaningless request of him as one more humiliation, but a fear of unemployment means he stays put. Britain is in bad shape; the gig economy and workplace automation has meant many people simply recite adverts in public for money. Nicknamed ‘Adroids’, they’re just another daily irritation to be ignored. Meanwhile, the far-right British Independence Democrats (BID) are growing and their toxic politics has made Britain a more hostile place. The series follows the pair as they navigate demeaning jobs, tricky relationships and eccentric bosses. Will Beth find life on zero hours less stressful than the boardroom, or is she deluding herself? Will Charlie pluck up he courage to tell his boss where to stick it, or is he doomed to follow the same depressing career path as his dad and granddad? In the pilot episode, recently-unemployed Beth is forced by her disgruntled girlfriend Stella to take a job at the supermarket where she works. Beth soon gets on the wrong side of the foul-mouthed boss, Dom, and gets wrapped up in a pursuit of a mysterious character said to lurk in the supermarket’s ceiling. Meanwhile, Charlie’s day starts badly and gets worse, as his boss makes him rush around trying to prepare the office for a visit of some important Scottish clients.