Sugar Rush

The TV adaptation of Sugar Rush is at all nothing like the book. The characters are different, there are some missing, some added and the story lines hardly the same. However i find that its much more interesting than the book as some of the things are hardly realistic. I have mixed feelings about the adaptation, if i was Julie Burchill i would be extremely angry about the way the book has been handled. However the TV adaptation is much more appealing than the book. Sugar Rush really appeals to teenagers who can perhaps relate to Kim in dealing with the issues of being attracted to your best friend. Or any girl for that matter.

First thing's first. Perhaps at the grand ole' age of 21 I'm too old to have a valid opinion on teenage fiction but the book the TV show is based on is, as 15 year-olds round my way like to say, a pile of crud. The fact that Channel 4 even considered adapting such a waste of trees for prime-time TV amazes me. What amazes me even more, however, is what a great job they made of it throughout this 10-part series. Although the fast-paced narration and eye-assaulting camera-work give it a "yoof drama" feel that belies the 18-cert sex and swearing, the acting is of a consistently high standard (Olivia Hallinan could well be the next Charlotte Coleman) and the script pleasingly sharp. Some of the characters are impressively well-drawn. Go down to any shopping centre in the country on a Saturday afternoon and you'll find ten versions of the central character Sugar. Nathan the houseproud father and Dale the dim handyman are also convincing even though Stella and Matt are far-fetched. My only real gripe with the show is the characterisation of 15 year-old Kim. As someone whose life was made miserable by largely internalised sexuality issues a couple of years later than that, I felt that at times her wry, breezy narration of her adversity was not entirely realistic for somebody of that age (even someone of her supposed intelligence and maturity) in that big a situation. Then again, fiction is fiction and some of the lighter moments made me laugh out loud. I am very glad they released it on DVD, as it is something fit to be enjoyed again and again.

this series is amazing!! It is truly one of the best shows i have ever seen. the characters are relateable and funny. sugar and Kim are both beautiful and not stereo typed at all. They both convey emotions realistically and are extremely talented in there own way. the shows main brilliance is the fact that is deals with English teen culture in a true(slightly OTT but it is television)way, as a teenager i found most of the story lines very realteable and saw many of the characters in my friends. The only episode i found unrealistic was the last episode... but it is also oddly my favourite. Although it is over the top is develops the characters and Lenora Crichlow is amazing as sugar in that episode. shocking, different, emotional, realistic, relateable, strong, sexual. all words i would use to describe sugar rush one of my favourite shows on T.V.

Hmm. I'm intrigued, blissfully happy, and yet undoubtedly worried about this programme. I'd love it if Kim and Sugar had an intimate moment, which started a journey of discovery; Sugar gets freaked, then confused, then realises she feels something for Kim too, and they build on these feelings (new to Sugar, old to Kim) cautiously and lovingly. I doubt this will happen. I think Sugar will 'try it out', and ultimately not care about Kim in that way, which will be devastating to Kim in the end.

Awesome soundtrack, awesome acting from Olivia and Lenora...but I think the outcome will bug me.

I am a big fan of the series, despite its having a few minor faults. It varies quite a lot from the book, more so as the series progress. I find Sugar particularly to be a very believable character, and it is good to see a real, uncensored teenage character being shown on terrestrial television. She drinks, smokes, takes drugs, is foul-mouthed, promiscuous and completely non-PC, and in my opinion is a much more realistic representation of a teenager than is usually seen, particularly in these teen drama type shows. Kim too is a believable character, and I think many teenage girls could identify with what she goes through. However, I do think that the writers could have perhaps focused a bit more on her struggle to identify her sexuality - she goes from an innocent, virginal type character to a wild, sex-crazed lesbian with hardly any time to stop and ponder her sexual preferences. I find it hard to believe that any teenager could be so quick to identify as gay without the slightest bit of confusion or worry. Also, she never officially comes out to her parents, and we just assume that after Series 1 ends that they, ahem, 'figure it out'. I think they could have done much better to have shown a realistic parent-teenager 'coming out' conversation, as this would be something a lot of viewers could relate to. In Series 1 Sugar Rush gets a little more far-fetched, and Saint is a bit of a two-dimensional character, but it's still a brilliant show, and I can't wait for Series 3! (supposedly coming to Channel 4 in around March 2007, or so I've heard)