'Drama series based on the novel by Julie Burchill. Meet 15-year-old Kim, who has just moved to Brighton and developed an earth-shattering, hormone-surging crush on her new best friend, Sugar'¹
"Wow, this is really something different..."
Like many teen dramas (see Malcolm in the Middle/Everybody hates Chris), the show is set in monologue with the main character, 'Kim', as narrator. In the first series this setup really suits the dilemma Kim finds herself in; she is an angst-ridden teen struggling to copy with discovering her latent sexuality whilst growing up in the seaside town of Brighton. Similarly the script is very inventive and really quite clever:- as Olivia Hallinan (who plays 'Kim' in the massive cult-following show) put it in a recent interview; "I got called back and read the full script and thought, 'Wow, this is really something different'...”
Given her key role in the series, Hallinan is a perfectly well-suited actor and a great ambassador for the original novel 'Sugar Rush', successfully bringing out the irony behind Kim's situation. The other actors too, have outdone themselves - inspired perhaps, by the ingenious of Katie Baxendale and her co-script writers - delivering an entirely believable performance right through the first series to its dramatic end.
Given her key role in the series, Hallinan is a perfectly well-suited actor and a great ambassador for the original novel 'Sugar Rush', successfully bringing out the irony behind Kim's situation. The other actors too, have outdone themselves - inspired perhaps, by the ingenious of Katie Baxendale and her co-script writers - delivering an entirely believable performance right through the first series to its dramatic end.
Sugar Rush is at times let down by poor continuity and amateur screenplay (largely down to its low-budget), but this is more than made up for by its witty comedy and for some fans, the classic soundtrack, so overall is still enjoyable in its own right. Each episode seems fresh and different with exciting new plot ideas, yet there is a also a great sense of togetherness to the series as a whole; each instalment is a piece on a timeline within the first series. Some of the story lines are very much feel-good and make us laugh out loud. Some (perhaps unexpectedly) prove to be quite emotional.
This is a definite must-watch. Be open to the ideas it presents, particularly about family values and issues of sexuality. Look past the 'cult status' of this programme and appreciate it for what it is; a very well-written show featuring an equally great set of acting performances.
7/10
