As If
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As If is a British teen comedy/drama series broadcast on Channel 4. There were four series, the first broadcast in January 2001 and the last in July 2004. There were 76 episodes in total, each lasting 30 minutes. The show's title comes from the Valspeak slang term "As - if!", which is used to express distinct doubt.
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[edit] Premise & Facts
The series focused on six young adults (henceforth: the group) who lived in London. Each episode was presented from a different character's point of view, which was never done before in a teen dramedy television show. The show had a significant cult following and critical acclaim. It was considered groundbreaking and was often referred to as a "cooler", more sophisticated version of another British teen soap, Hollyoaks. Ironically, soon after As If had finished, Hollyoaks began using story telling and filming techniques similar to the ones used As If.
Part of the show's identity was the style, such as surreal fly-on-the-wall style camera work, fast camera transitions, wacky sound effects added to some scenes and the distinctive theme music (the tune "Would you..." by the band Touch 'n' Go). Episode four of the first series was awarded an RTS Television Award for Best Tape or Film Editing - Drama.
[edit] Crew
Directed by : John Duthie, Ed Fraiman, Brian Grant, David Kerr, Barnaby Southcombe(2003).
Writing credits : Amanda Coe, Tom Higgins, Jane English, Julian Jones, Leslie Stewart, Jess Walters, Patrick Wilde
Produced by : Sarah Baynes (2002), Nicki Gunning, Greg Boardman, Johnny Capps, Jonathan Collier, Brian Eastman, Brian Grant, Dean Hargrove, Dan Kaplow, Julian Murphy, Andi Peters.
[edit] The Main Characters
[edit] Jamie Collier (Paul Chequer)
- The joker of the group, he was a well-meaning pleasant guy, but had a tendency to get himself into trouble due to his rather naive behavior. He had an optimistic outlook and was content to play the role of the group's clown. Despite the foolish mistakes he sometimes made, he was well liked by the group as his heart seemed to be in the right place.
- During the first series, we follow Jamie as he enjoys the freedom of single life: he dates an older, married woman he met over the internet; idealizes Nicki, courts her and fails miserably; and eventually ends up kissing Sooz in the last episode. The second series follows the Jaime-Sooz relationship turmoil: from the problematic beginning, to the outing and eventually end of the relationship as Sooz ends it. Jaime ends up with Nicki for a one night stand. The third series follows Jaime's undying love and sacrifice for Sooz, his coping with her coma, and eventually the distance torn between them due to her suicide attempt. The fourth series focuses primarily on Jaime's academic career or the lack of such: he fakes his leaving to Inverness; attempts to retake the qualifying tests and eventually is accepted to study psychology. Sooz and Jamie are together through out most of the fourth series, but end up breaking up after Sooz is unfaithful. The series ends in an optimistic note as the last scene where Sooz and Jamie appear in shows them talking to each other on the phone, but saying nothing: Sooz eventually asks "Are you still there?" and Jaime answers: "Of course I am". They both smile, and that's all we'll ever hear of them.
- Jaime was a big fan of Michael Caine, especially in the original The Italian Job. He enjoyed playing a Playstation 2, had a robotic pet dog called Sparky and was a general gadget freak.
[edit] Suzanne 'Sooz' Lee (Emily Corrie)
- A sarcastic young woman who tended to be blunt and was something of a loner. She was rebellious, and did not agree with social conventions, preferring to live by her own rules.
- She had to deal with multiple mental health problems. She favoured punk/ goth/mosher/grungy style clothing, had a number of tattoos and facial piercings, and was known for her trademark multicoloured dreadlocks (which were reduced to bright red for the final season). She was a talented artist. She had a tough exterior but inside was very insecure.
- Sooz's dreadlocks inspired the 2004 McFly hit Five Colours In Her Hair.
[edit] Nicki Sutton (Jemima Rooper)
- A girl who was initially considered to be a 'slut' in that she slept around and stole other people's boyfriends. Nicky is glamorous and spoiled, but deep inside is a nice girl and a good friend. She suffered a lot after her father was sent to prison and becasue of her mother didn't pay her enough attention. The last episode of the series was from Nicki's point of view, in which she chose between staying with Rob or going on an around the world trip,a present her mother made her.
[edit] Alexander "Alex" Staton (Orlando Wells)
- A gay character, who did not fit any particular gay stereotype. He was in fact a fairly ordinary person, a fan of Star Wars and Dead Poets' Society, and liked football. Alex had many couples during the series, including police officer Dan and Mark. When he served as auxiliar teacher at a school, he met one of the students, Allen (who called himslef "little Al" after Alex, who was also known as Al). Allen forced him into a relation, and after feeling threatened at first, Alex put things clear to Allen. Alex then tried to insert Allen to the gay world, and they become friends. In the last episode, Alex realized he was in love with Allen (or either he was afraid to end up alone), but Allen rejected him.
[edit] Sasha Williams (Caroline Chikezie)
- The "bitch" of the group. She was very classy and loved fashion. She also didn't suffer fools gladly, but was often derided for shallowness. In the first seasons, Sasha was romantically involved with Rob, but they eventually broke up after Sasha was unfaithful. She later tried to get Rob back, but without success.
[edit] Robert "Rob" Conway (Ben Waters)
- Rob was someone who cared a lot for the others and always seemed sensitive to their problems. After he finds out Sasha cheating on him, Rob starts a new relationship with Nicky. In the last episode, they went separate ways, with Nicky having to decide between him and a trip around the world.
[edit] Soundtrack
Apart from its well known theme music, As If also used many popular songs in its 76 episodes. Trip hop music was used quite extensively, especially music by Massive Attack (and specifically songs from the album Mezzanine) and Archive.
[edit] US Version
An American version of As If was made in 2002, and broadcast on UPN.
Emily Corrie was the only member of the British cast to reprise her role in the US version.
The rest of the cast were:
- Alex - Robin Dunne
- Rob - Chris Engen
- Jamie - Derek Hughes
- Sasha - Tracie Thoms
- Nicki - Adrienne Wilkinson
The US version found nowhere near the success of the UK version. Only seven episodes were made, and only two actually aired.
