Sugar Rush (TV series)

otheruses4|the TV series based on the novel of the same name|the Food Network TV show|Sugar Rush (Food Network)Infobox Television
show_name = Sugar Rush


format = drama/comedy
runtime = 30 minutes (including adverts)
starring = Olivia Hallinan
Lenora Crichlow
Sara Stewart
Richard Lumsden
Sarah-Jane Potts (Series Two)
country = UK
network = Channel 4
num_series =2
num_episodes =20
list_episodes =List of Sugar Rush episodes
website =http://www.channel4.com/sugar
imdb_id=0452568
tv_com_id=37968

"Sugar Rush" is a critically acclaimed British television drama series developed by Shine Limited and broadcast by Channel 4, based on the Julie Burchill novel of the same name. It is centred around the life of a 15 year old lesbian Kim Daniels who at the beginning of series one moves from London to Brighton on the south coast of England.

The first series was broadcast in 2005 on Channel 4, at 10:50 p.m, but would sometimes air later due to "Big Brother 6 UK" over-running, with the next episode on E4 afterwards, sometimes overlapping the Channel 4 broadcast. The programme was shown significantly after the watershed.

The first episode of the second series was broadcast on Channel 4 on 15 June 2006, and the last episode was aired on August 17 2006 on Channel 4, and on August 10 2006 on digital channel E4.

Both series one and two of Sugar Rush have been released on DVD box-sets. The first series' box-set was released on August 15 2005. The second series box-set, and a separate series one and two box-set were released on 21 August 2006. An audio CD compilation of the first series' music has also been compiled, but as of September 2006 a similar audio CD to compliment series two has yet to materialise. It should be noted that some of the commercial music used in the TV series has been changed to stock background music for the DVD release.

Series one currently airs on OUTtv in Canada. Re-runs of series two have recently aired on the Channel 4 broadcast.

Characters

Main characters

Kim Daniels (Olivia Hallinan)

Kim is fifteen at the beginning of the first series and sexually obsessed with her best friend Sugar while she desperately tries throughout the series to understand her own feelings. She is prepared to do anything as long as it involves Sugar while at the same time dealing with the discovery of sex, love, lies, drugs and obsession.

Maria "Sugar" Sweet (Lenora Crichlow)Sugar, real name Maria Sweet, is a stereotypical British teenager into drink, going out, sex and guys, as well as Kim's best friend. She is one of those people who loves life and can get anything they want. Sexy and sassy, not to mention clued up, she is a bit of a bad influence on Kim, getting her mixed up in all kinds of things, and getting them both into situations. Sugar has an addictively electric personality that attracts people, especially Kim, to the point of obsession. She represents that one person in a person's life that was always unreachable, the one whom they always wanted but could never quite build up the courage to try and talk to, or ask out. The person that people would dream about night after night and stare at for hours from distance. However she seems to constantly tease Kim, with little glimmers of hope that she might just feel the same. In Series 2, Sugar is incarcerated in a young offenders institute and we see a more humane side of her when she tells Kim that she feels really lonely and that Kim is the only person in her life who hasn't abandoned her since she has been imprisoned. It seems that she may have slept with her female prison governor to have her sentence reduced and in the third episode of the second series, Sugar is finally released from the young offenders.

Stella Daniels (Sara Stewart)Stella is married to Nathan and mother to Kim and Matt, not that she really believes it. Stella appears not to have ever really grown up and refuses to take on the responsibilities of parenthood, or adulthood. Stella spends her time trying to enjoy the freedoms of life as if she were Kim's age, and would like to believe that she is Kim's sister rather than her mum (perfectly represented when she wanted to borrow Kim's jeans to go and see Dale).

She spends a lot of her time trying to cover the tracks of her extra marital activities from Nathan, who she still loves, but as she says, 'when you've had two kids and you've been living with the same man for 15 years the sex isn't that great'.

Nathan Daniels (Richard Lumsden)Nathan is described by Kim as 'half man, half pinny'. Nathan is trying to be a good father but is completely ignorant of anything going on around him especially when it comes to his family. He appears to live life in his own dream world where his family is perfect, his wife is faithful, his son is normal, his daughter is straight and doing well at school, and Brighton is the perfect escape from London.

Nathan has grown into an adult without realising, and has slowly become completely un-exciting; all the things you see in your parents and adamantly believe you will never be like when you grow up. He has very nearly 'tidied himself out of a marriage', and doesn't have much luck when he decides to try and spice things up: his "sexy dessert" idea sending Stella to hospital.

Matt Daniels (Kurtis O'Brien)Matt is Kim's confused and alienated younger brother who believes he is from a different planet. Matt is desperate for attention from his parents and others, and goes to extreme lengths to get noticed, even to the point of turning everything he owns blue including himself and his hamster.

As far as Kim is concerned, Matt is just her brother who wanders round with a goldfish bowl on his head. He completes a remarkable transformation into a goth for series two. He currently is experimenting with cross-dressing, one episode featured him borrowing Stella's underwear. In another episode Kim bribed him to stay in the house while she left to visit Saint while she was babysitting him by trading her lip-glosses for his silence.

Saint (Sarah-Jane Potts)Saint (whose real name is Sarah) is a young woman who works during the day in a female-orientated sex toy shop (called "The Munch Box") and by night as a DJ at the CC (Short for Clit Club). She is quite attractive and is more confident than Kim. Saint was introduced in the first episode of Series 2, where she bumped into Kim on the street. After the accident, there was a certain chemistry between the two and after several failed attempts at dating they become girlfriend and girlfriend, however by Episode 3 of Series 2, it is revealed that Saint is still friends with her ex-boyfriend, which causes some friction in her relationship with Kim. During Episode 5 of Series 2, Kim is caught cheating on Saint with rocker Montana which results in Kim overdosing on the beach. After several hallucinations, Kim repeatedly calls Saint apologising profusely before collapsing. When she awakes, Kim mistakenly believes Sugar saved her life; Yet it is revealed that it was actually Saint who saved Kim's life.

upporting characters

Tom (Andrew Garfield)Tom is Kim's next-door neighbour, the son of two gay men who has to deal with being called names himself; and after telling Kim that he's not gay, she tells him she is. He appears to stalk her through the beginning episodes, but after a brief fling with Sugar that didn't turn out so well, they become friends and sleep together in the desperation to not end up as virgins. Tom is devastated when he realises Kim is gay, but overcomes this to become cool, with his own crew who even carry his trombone for him.

Beth (Laura Donnelly) Beth only appears for two episodes of the first series of Sugar Rush, but makes a strong impression on Kim. When we first meet her we think she's trying to "un-gay" herself at the church meeting, but we later learn it is just to see 'who she can pull'. She brings a normality to Kim's life, and seems really interested in Kim, which in turn causes Kim to believe she's over Sugar. She is in fact not, and the last time we see Beth she is alone on the pier, after being stood up.

Dale (Neil Jackson)Dale appears in seven of the ten episodes in Series 1. He is a handsome handyman who embarks on an affair with Stella. He was portrayed as a slob and it seemed like he had no real feelings for Stella and was just seeing her for sex.

Anna (Anna Wilson-Jones)Anna is a beautiful womaniser who can be charming when she wants to be. She wasted no time in seducing Kim and wasted even less time discarding her after they'd had sex together, leaving Kim feeling used and humiliated. She is described by Kim as a 'psycho bitch.'

Mark Evans (Jalaal Hartley)Mark is the ex-boyfriend of Kim's current lover, Saint. He sparks a confrontation between the pair when Kim accuses her of "pretending to be gay". He later returns and has a brief relationship with Sugar, which ends when she exhausts of being "everybody's project for improvement" post an unsuccessful meet with Mark's parents.

Dimitri (Thure Lindhardt)Dimitri makes his first appearance in series 2. He is Sugar's first love interest after her time in prison for fleeing the scene of an accident, car theft and credit card fraud. She, along with Kim and Saint devise a mission to retrieve the taking's from the munch box which Sugar gave to him as compensation for the money she stole from him. He was revenged upon for leaving the girls with his bar bill by Sugar enticing his dog, Nancy to perform a sexual act upon him.

Montana (Jemima Rooper)Montana appears in one episode, as a vocal act in the CC on a drag theme night. She serenades Kim with the Babybird number three hit You're Gorgeous after embracing her at the bar for being 'a real woman'. She later kisses Kim believing that Saint is away on business, only for them to pull away to reveal Kim's girlfriend standing between them.

Episodes

There have been 2 series of the programme, the first airing in 2005 and the second in 2006. Each series consists of ten episodes, each 30 minutes long, including adverts. Episodes do not have individual titles.

Cancellation

Channel 4 has stated that Sugar Rush will not be returning for a third series, despite its popularity with viewers and critics alike. Some rumours are that there was not a scheduling spot for it, that it was being removed because of the requirements for Big Brother 8, and because a third series was never originally planned.cite web|url=http://lovegirls.co.uk/articlecomments/12/Channel+4+Cancels+Sugar+Rush/|title=Channel 4 cancels Sugar Rush|publisher=Lovegirls.co.uk|accessdate=2007-03-29]

A decision had been made to allow new dramas to be made for each month in 2008. However, a spokeswoman has confirmed that third and fourth series were never planned, and that the story of the girls had run its course.

Hallinan and Crichlow subsequently spoke out about the cancellation, saying, "the show was an asset to Channel 4. I don't think Channel 4 recognises "Sugar Rush" was a brave move and did really well for the channel," and adding that the cancellation, "was a last minute thing, especially the way we leave series two [i.e. with Sugar moving in with Kim and Saint] , it sets things up for series three." [ [http://lovegirls.co.uk/articlecomments/21/Sugar+Rush+Interview+-+Part+2/] Interview With Olivia Hallinan and Lenora Crichlow]

Awards

On November 20, 2006 Sugar Rush (A Shine Production for Channel 4, United Kingdom) was awarded the 34th International Emmy Award classified under "Children & Young People". It ran against "Boys Will Be Boys" (Monster Film for NRK, Norway), "Elias - The Little Rescue Boat" (Filmkameratene AS, Norway) and "Johnny and the Bomb" (Childsplay Television, United Kingdom).

It was nominated for the Best Drama Series BAFTA Television Award in April 2007 - along with "Life On Mars" and "Shameless" - but lost to "The Street". [cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/site/page129.html|title=BAFTA winners & nominees|publisher=Bafta.org|accessdate=2007-05-20]

References

External links

* [http://www.channel4.com/sugar "Sugar Rush"] at Channel4.com
* [http://sugarrush.0catch.com The Sugar Rush Site]
* [http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2006/7/sugarrush.html Article: Fans Hooked on Second Season of Sugar Rush]
* [http://www.iemmys.tv/index.html 34th International Emmy Awards]