bandwagonesque_91

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.