Sugar Rush

'Sugar Rush' is unlike anything I've ever seen on TV before. On the surface it's a teen drama but it's really incredibly adult, hence its late-night slot on Channel 4. Some bits are most definitely not suitable for children, although it's more what's said than what's shown, and there is a lot of clever innuendo which completely passed me by on the first viewing. It doesn't tiptoe around anything; Kim is in love with Sugar and it's cute, but she's also 'sexually obsessed' with her and the programme makes no secret of the fact that she'd love to get into her best friend's pants.

It sounds like a recipe for every man's lesbian fantasies and from the first couple of episodes it might look like that's how it's going to turn out, but this programme had me totally hooked by the 3rd or 4th instalment and once it passed the half way point, I would probably have done a serious injury to anyone who'd made me miss an episode. I was in floods of tears more than once, which wasn't something I'd expected from the quirky comedy-drama I'd seen advertised. Kim is such a compelling character, and I just wanted to reach out and give her a hug every time she got screwed over yet again. The sub-plot of her parents' marriage falling apart was probably what hit me the hardest, with Richard Lumsden giving an incredible, heart-breaking performance as Nathan the well-meaning house-husband. The whole thing was so well written that just a few words uttered by one of the characters could mean so much, and stir up unbelievable amounts of emotion in me. There's also a slightly surreal style to the way the whole series is shot, which makes it all that little bit more compelling. However, the music contributed a lot to the brilliance of the TV programme for me, which meant I wasn't too happy to find it had almost all been changed on the DVD for 'contractual reasons'.

Olivia Hallinan is a fantastic actress who is definitely going places. What makes her so brilliant and sets her apart from other young actresses is her ability to downplay the role and keep Kim introverted, saying so much with her face and her eyes while keeping her lines almost deadpan at times, so that when she does bring out the emotion in her voice you can really feel it pouring out of her. For me, Lenora Crichlow was the perfect counterpart to this, making me hate Sugar most of the time yet still letting me understand Kim's infatuation with her.

This programme is utterly compelling and while I would give anything for another series, part of me hopes there isn't one, because it was so beautifully crafted that it would be a shame to see it fall apart with any more added to it.

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)

I thought this drama was excellent. It covered a subject that had been skirted around previously and drew in a vary of audiences. The way there are numerous plot lines taking place really keeps the program exciting and makes you eager for the next installment a week later. I was hooked on it and thought both actresses played an extremely convincing role. A teenage virgin lesbian who is in love with her best friend is a simple, yet effective plot line which is open to all possibilities and twists. All the characters binded together to make this successful drama and kept audiences in awe. Was sad to see it has ended, hopefully there will be further dramas similar to this one that can keep audiences intrigued and curious.

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.

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.