The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles

Series 4 Episode 1
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris

Narrative
The narrative is about a woman named Darleen who has learning difficulties but she wants
to have a baby with her husband Jamie. However, Jamie isn’t happy with the idea, nor is
anyone related to her or who is in her life because they believe the stress will be too much
for her. Darleen can't get the idea out of her head and it's the only thing she thinks about but
people telling her she shouldn't have one confuses her. The narrative is single strand
because the only storyline is about Darelen wanting a baby and others around her
disagreeing to the idea. The whole story is just about Darleen and most scenes in the drama
have her voice in them. The drama is linear because it is all in chronological order, as the
storyline begins with her talking about wanting a baby and there aren't any flashbacks talking
about her past life. The drama ends with an open structure of Darleen saying she will have
the baby with or without Jamie, this shows us the eagerness she has to have a baby but no
one around still believes it’s a good idea. The cliffhanger is will she have a baby and will this
affect her relationship with her husband, as he isn't giving her what she wants.

Sound Effects
At the beginning of the drama Darleen is out with her Husband at a cafe, there is the sound
of a baby crying in the background. This sound is what makes Darleen share her ideas that
she wants a baby, as she has been thinking about it for a while but has kept to herself
because she didn't know what the reaction will be from her family. When they arrive home
from the cafe there is a door slammed this shows that they are back home and Jamie is in
shock that Darleen wants a baby with him. We are then introduced to Darleen’s social
worker when there is a knock at the door and he is there to tell them about a complaint that
they've received. When he arrives at the door there is a sound of the door opening and then
the door closing this just allows the audience to know that they are in the house. When
Jamie and Darleen are walking to the bus stop there is a woman walking with her toddler
and there is a sound of the toddler crying and then after this there is a sound of a bus pulling
up when Jamie gets on it. Whilst Jamie is out Darleen goes to her mother's house and her
Mum is making her a drink, there is a sound of a spoon going into a cup. When Darleen
arrives back home there is a sound of a computer game, as Jamie is playing on it and didn't
go to work because of Darleen's idea of having a baby.

Atmospheric sounds
At the cafe at the beginning of the drama there is a sound of a baby crying in the
background that allows the audience to set the scene of where they are. As soon as we hear
this sound we know they are out in public. Then when they are both walking home there are
cars and buses moving in the background this allows the audience to know where they are.
When they are out again there is the sound of a dog barking, this tells us if they are inside or
outside. Then when Darleen goes to visit her social worker she sits in his office and there is
sound like a phone ringing. This allows the audience to set the scene of what is in the office
and what it all looks like.
Characters
The main character of the drama is Darleen. She comes across as very bubbly, as she is
always happy or tries to be positive about everything. Even when her family tells her not to
have a baby she still tries to be positive and she is more confused than anything else
because she thought her family would support her idea. Also, she does seem like she is a bit
obsessive about the idea of having a baby because whenever she sees a young child she
can't help herself to try and speak to them. Also she doesn’t stop speaking about the idea
and when Jamie says no she still insists on having one. One of the main reasons people
think she should have a baby is because of her learning difficulties but she doesn't see
herself as any different to anyone other Mum. Jamie on the other hand is quite logical about
his approach, as he thinks having a baby is abad idea because he is already skint enough
and having a baby will cost too much money. Jamie is shown as quite doubtful, as he
worries about a lot of things and the baby idea worries him because he doesn't want a child.
Also he is shown as quite young because he is playing a video game in one of the scenes
this shows his age. Another character is Mohammed who is Darleen’s social worker. He, like
everyone else in the drama, has a Yorkshire voice but this is going against stereotypes for a
person named Mohammed. Finally, the woman in the cafe at the beginning of the drama
was middle class and she was very wary of Darleen when she was around her baby.

Music
There is an anthem tune for the drama this play at the start and the end of the drama, the
song is very upbeat. There is a music bridge that plays in between scenes, this fades in and
out of scenes but for some it fades before they've finished speaking. When Darleen returns
home from her Mums house there is elliptical editing used because it shows that time has
gone past. This is an example, because Jamie was meant to be at work and it skipped all
that time.