THE SELF-PRESERVATION SOCIETY
a 6× 30 min television series pitch deck
OVERVIEW
Logline
In a village sealed off from a deadly epidemic, the real battle isn’t survival—it’s surviving each other.
Target Audience
The story blends dark humour, absurdity, and emotional horror, inviting viewers to laugh at their own fears.
Themes
Community versus individualism, the fragility of social bonds under pressure, and the darkly comedic lengths people will go to in order to protect themselves and their secrets.
Genre
A dark comedy-drama, blending satirical humour with tense, character-driven drama to explore human nature and survival in absurdly high-stakes situations.
THEMES
Survival & Selfishness
Examining how far people will go to protect themselves when their lives are on the line.
Paranoia & Distrust
How fear and suspicion erode relationships and breed conflict.
Morality & Compromise
The ethical dilemmas of self-preservation and what it means to do the "right" thing under pressure.
Community & Isolation
The tension between coming together or fracturing apart in a closed-off society.
TREATMENT
On the day David Pears finally decides to leave his crumbling marriage, the world turns upside down. A deadly virus sweeps across the country, forcing governments to lock down cities and isolate regions. By chance, David’s small village, nestled between a steep motorway embankment and endless countryside, becomes a perfect fortress. But when the Parish Council—typically tasked with trivial matters like dog fouling and potholes—votes to destroy the bridges and barricade the roads, David finds himself trapped with his estranged wife, Erica, and an increasingly unstable community.
With the village cut off, the Parish Council seizes unprecedented authority, declaring themselves the governing body. They ration supplies from the local mini-supermarket, assign security roles, and redistribute the homes of the dead. Beneath the surface, tensions simmer. The poorer residents, forced to work longer hours for meagre food rations, grow resentful of the wealthier villagers who still cling to their comforts. Meanwhile, the rich whisper about the "duty" of the lower class to maintain order.
Things take a darker turn when Rochelle Slur, a ruthless Conservative MP who happens to be visiting her second home in the village, assumes control of the council. Under her leadership, the village adopts an authoritarian structure, with patrols, curfews, and harsh punishments for dissenters. Slur’s vision of "preserving the village" soon morphs into a personal power grab, stoking fear and division.
David, reluctantly drawn into the chaos, becomes a quiet observer of the madness. Torn between leaving his wife behind or staying to help the growing resistance, he becomes embroiled in secret meetings to overthrow Slur. As the infected grow in numbers just beyond the embankment, the village descends into a Lord-of-the-Flies-style power struggle. Paranoia, greed, and class resentment threaten to tear the community apart long before the virus can reach them.
Through moments of dark humour and stark drama, The Self-Preservation Society examines how quickly civility breaks down when survival is on the line, and how the real danger often comes from within. Will David flee his failing marriage and the village's madness? Or will he discover that survival means more than just giving up on what really matters in the name of self-preservation—it means deciding what kind of person he wants to be when the world falls apart?
EPISODES
1
LOCKDOWN
David Pears is packing his bags to leave his wife, Erica, when breaking news announces a catastrophic global epidemic. The village council holds an emergency meeting, deciding to destroy the two bridges connecting the village to the outside world. The infected gather along the motorway embankment, too weak to climb, but their eerie presence unnerves the villagers. The episode ends with the council declaring themselves the village’s government, leaving the villagers stranded together.
2
Divided We Stand
The Parish Council implements rationing, dividing the supermarket's dwindling supplies, while tensions between the wealthy and poor escalate. Rochelle Slur, the local Conservative MP, manipulates the council’s weak leadership, offering "firm guidance" that increasingly resembles authoritarian rule. David tries to avoid conflict but is pulled into disputes, particularly when his neighbours accuse him of hoarding supplies. Erica and David are forced into an uneasy truce as they realize survival requires cooperation.
3
Clearing House
Rochelle seizes control of the council, instituting patrols to monitor behaviour and harsh punishments for "rule breakers." David is pressured into joining the patrols, forcing him to see the growing unrest in the community first-hand. The village patrols search street by street, house by house, clearing the last remnants of the infected. Class resentment boils over when a group of poorer villagers demand better housing as the haves and have-nots form conspiratorial factions.
4
Resistance is Useless
The resistance, led by a group of underappreciated villagers—including a local teacher, a pub landlord, and a single mother—begins planning to overthrow Rochelle. David is drawn in when he discovers a friend has been imprisoned for stealing medicine. As tensions rise, the infected on the motorway begin to show signs of unusual behaviour, clustering closer to the embankment and moaning louder. The episode ends with Rochelle announcing new measures: anyone caught plotting against her will be exiled to the infected zone.
5
The Best of Times
Rochelle’s paranoia grows as the resistance gains traction, leading to harsher punishments and random inspections of homes. David discovers that one of his patrol colleagues is secretly reporting resistance members to Rochelle, leading to a moral dilemma: should he betray a neighbour or risk his own family being targeted? Meanwhile, Erica grows closer to the resistance, reigniting David’s feelings for her as they work together on a secret plan to sabotage Rochelle's fascist leadership.
6
The Worst of Times
Rochelle uses a power outage as an excuse to declare martial law, but her grip begins to slip as villagers rebel. David is caught in the middle, torn between his loyalty to the village and his growing moral obligation to help the resistance. Meanwhile, the infected on the motorway grow bolder, reaching the base of the embankment in larger numbers. In a climactic confrontation, the resistance storms the council meeting to depose Rochelle, but their success is overshadowed by the infected breaching the embankment. The episode ends on a cliff- hanger: the village in chaos, Rochelle in hiding, Erica as the new leader, and the infected clawing up the embankment.
MAIN CHARACTERS
David Pears
Depressed and restless, he despises the monotony of village life and longs to escape to something bigger and better. His dreams of leaving are dashed by the epidemic, trapping him in the one place he’s been trying to flee. A source of quiet frustration is that everyone mispronounces his surname as "Pears" when it’s actually "Peers," but correcting them has become a futile exercise. He envies the success and freedom of others, particularly Mick Nicholson, and struggles with his feelings of inadequacy while finding himself reluctantly pulled into the madness of village survival.
Erica Pears
David’s wife Erica is a high-achieving lawyer with a picture-perfect exterior. She juggles her demanding career with being the ideal mum to their precocious child, a balancing act that often leaves David feeling overshadowed. Though their marriage is strained, she views David’s dissatisfaction as another problem she needs to manage. Beneath the polished surface, however, Erica is just as trapped as David, hiding her own anxieties about their situation and the cracks in her "perfect" life.
Mick Nicholson
Larger-than-life landowner with a brash, Jeremy Clarkson-like personality. Wealthy and self-assured, he lives in a sprawling countryside estate and enjoys flaunting his success with his flashy cars, extravagant parties, and "king of the village" attitude. To David, Mick represents everything he wants but can’t have—freedom, status, and confidence. Mick, however, isn’t as invincible as he seems, and his bombastic charm hides deeper insecurities about his fading relevance and what he might lose in the chaos of the outbreak.
Ronnie Molineaux
A self-styled tough guy and aging wide-boy thug who’s been in and out of trouble his whole life. A fan of Trump and Boris Johnson, Ronnie fancies himself a "man of the people" but is really just a bully with delusions of grandeur. He uses the epidemic as an excuse to throw his weight around, ignoring rules and declaring himself above the law. Ronnie’s swagger masks his desperation to stay relevant in a world that’s changing faster than he can adapt.
Moonboot
A village eccentric with an anarchic, crusty vibe, Moonboot is a Russell Brand-like figure who wears a single moon boot on one foot and a trainer on the other. No one knows why he’s called Moonboot instead of Trainer, but he insists it’s "a statement." He’s anti-authoritarian, wildly unpredictable, and always spouting pseudo-philosophical nonsense about "breaking free from societal chains." Despite his absurdity, Moonboot often has a strange wisdom that surprises the villagers—though he’s just as likely to stir up chaos for his own amusement.
Rochelle Slur
A local Conservative MP with a steely, authoritarian edge and an unsettling ability to command a room. Ruthlessly pragmatic and completely unbothered by how her actions are perceived, so long as they consolidate her power. Stranded in the village during the outbreak, Rochelle seizes the opportunity to "bring order" by taking control of the Parish Council, implementing increasingly draconian policies. She thrives in chaos, using fear to manipulate others while presenting herself as the only person capable of keeping the village safe.
Fenton Wickerman
A burly, boastful man with an inflated sense of self-importance. A filing clerk for the police force, he sees himself as a seasoned crime-fighter, often regaling anyone who’ll listen with overblown stories of his "expertise" in law enforcement. Quick to criticize and even quicker to assert his dominance, Fenton embodies outdated notions of masculinity, frequently telling his young son to "man up" and mocking anyone he deems weak. Despite his bravado, Fenton’s need to prove himself stems from deep-seated insecurities, making him both a comic and tragic figure as the village spirals into chaos.
Mohan Norvel
Mild-mannered, soft-spoken chair of the Parish Council and the librarian of the village’s tiny, underfunded library. Known for his politeness and gentle demeanour, he’s more comfortable tending to his vegetable garden than confronting the brewing tensions in the village. Though he’s well-meaning, Mohan’s indecisiveness and lack of authority make him an ineffective leader, often leaving him overshadowed by louder, more forceful personalities like Rochelle or Mick. As the crisis deepens, Mohan struggles to stand his ground, torn between doing what’s right and being pushed aside entirely.
Nicole Hayes
The relentlessly chipper head of the PTA and self-appointed moral guardian of the village. She’s always organizing fundraisers, asking for donations, and lecturing others about their lack of involvement in "community spirit." Nicole prides herself on being the perfect mum, but her bratty son is the village terror, constantly causing trouble that she refuses to acknowledge. She can be sweetly condescending, masking her judgmental nature with saccharine smiles, and she uses her "helpfulness" to meddle in everyone’s lives.
CASTING SUGGESTIONS
Dan Stevens
David Pears
Faye Marsay
Erica Pears
Alexander Armstrong
Mick Nicholson
Ray Winstone
Ronnie Molineaux
Mathew Horne
Moonboot
Rebecca Sarker
Rochelle Slur
TARGET AUDIENCE
Fans of Dark Comedy & Satire
Viewers who enjoy sharp humour that critiques human behaviour, class divides and societal norms.
Lovers of Character-Driven Dramas
Audiences who appreciate complex relationships and morally ambiguous characters.
Post-Apocalyptic & Dystopian Enthusiasts
Those intrigued by high-stakes settings and the breakdown of social order.
Fans of Shows like The White Lotus & Hot Fuzz
Those who enjoy a mix of biting humour, small-community dynamics, and escalating chaos.
COMPARABLES
The White Lotus
Explores the dark side of human nature within a confined setting, mixing biting humor with character-driven drama and escalating tensions.
Hot Fuzz
Small-town absurdity and paranoia, using quirky, eccentric characters to create humour while revealing a sinister undercurrent.
Don't Look Up
Use satire to highlight the absurdity of human selfishness and dysfunction in the face of crisis.
Shaun of the Dead
The Self-Preservation Society leans into the paranoia and dysfunction of a sealed-off community, emphasizing the dangers of the neighbours themselves rather than external monsters.
THE WRITER
Andrew Wright is a screenwriter and author who has worked in various roles in the film and television industry, alongside Lord Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), Dominic West (The Wire), and Kathy Burke (Nil By Mouth). His first student film was co-funded by Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys).
MUSIC PLAYLIST
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