Logo of the show As If

As If was 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. Image File history File links As_If_Logo. ... Image File history File links As_If_Logo. ... Dramedy, a portmanteau of drama and comedy, is a genre of movies and television in which the lines between these very different genres were blurred. ... Channel 4 is a public-service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ...

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 similiar to the ones used As If. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Dramedy, a portmanteau of drama and comedy, is a genre of movies and television in which the lines between these very different genres were blurred. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... For Philippine Soap opera, see Teleserye. ... Hollyoaks is a British soap opera set in and around the fictional Chester suburb of the same name and filmed mainly at the Lime Pictures (previously known as Mersey Television) studios in nearby Liverpool. ...

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. David Lowe is a British composer, focusing primarily on music for television. ... The Royal Television Society is a British-based society for the discussion, analysis and preservation of television in all its forms, past, present and future. ...

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.

The Main Characters

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 took separate ways, with Nicky ahving to decide between him and a trip around the world.

Joker card, lower left. ... One Night Stand is an HBO Stand-up Series that first aired February 15, 1989. ... UHI Millennium Institute (UHI) is a federation of 15 colleges and research institutions, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. ... Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. ... Sir Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, KBE (born March 14, 1933), known professionally as Michael Caine, is a double Oscar-winning English film actor. ... The Italian Job is a British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. ... The PlayStation 2 (PS2) ) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... The AIBO ERS-7 resembles a small dog AIBO (Artificial Intelligence roBOt, also means love or attachment in Japanese) is one of several types of robotic pets designed and manufactured by Sony; there have been several different models since their introduction in 1999. ... Emily Corrie as Sooz in As If Emily Corrie (born 1978) is a British actress. ... Sarcasm is the making of remarks intended to mock the person referred to (who is normally the person addressed), a situation or thing. ... Loneliness is an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. ... Mental Illness is a concept in psychiatry and other mental health professions referring to mental abnormality associated with distress and/or dysfunction. ... Look up punk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... NYC goth band The Naked and the Dead (1985). ... This article is about the type of dance. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... This article is about the tattoo, a design in ink or some other pigment, usually decorative or symbolic, placed permanently under the skin. ... Body piercing usually refers to the piercing of a part of the human body for the purpose of wearing jewelry in the opening created. ... A trademark, trade mark, ™ or ®[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by an organization to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the organization and its products or services from those of other organizations. ... Dreadlocks, sometimes called simply dreads or locks, are matted ropes of hair which will form by themselves if the hair is allowed to grow naturally without the use of brushes, combs, razors or scissors for a long period of time. ... Look up artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... McFly are an English pop rock band who broke into the music scene in early 2004 with their number one single, 5 Colours in Her Hair. The band was founded by Tom Fletcher (born July 17, 1985) and also consists of Danny Jones (born March 12, 1986), Dougie Poynter (born... Five Colours in Her Hair is the debut single from the British Pop band McFly. ... Jemima Rooper Jemima Rooper (born 24 October 1981) is a British actress. ... Look up slut in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Orlando Wells (born June 9, 1973) is a British actor. ... For other articles with similar names, see Gay (disambiguation). ... This article is about the series. ... Dead Poets Society is a 1989 film which tells the story of an English teacher at a 1950s boys school who inspires his students to overcome their reluctance to make changes in their lives and stirs up their interests in poetry and literature. ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Caroline as Lisa Hallett in Torchwood Caroline Chikezie is a British actress born of Nigerian heritage. ... Look up bitch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term fashion usually applies to a prevailing mode of expression, but quite often applies to a personal mode of expression that may or may not apply to all. ...

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. Trip hop (also known as the Bristol sound) is a term coined by United Kingdom dance magazine Mixmag, to describe a musical trend in the mid-1990s; trip hop is downtempo electronic music that grew out of Englands hip hop and house scenes. ... Massive Attack are a successful and critically acclaimed band from Bristol, England. ... Mezzanine is the title of the third full-length album from Bristol-based trip-hop innovators Massive Attack. ... For other uses of the word archive, see Archive (disambiguation) Archive are a London-based Trip-hop group. ...

US Version

Main article: As If (US TV series)

An American version of As If was made in 2002, and broadcast on UPN. As If was a short-lived comedy-teen-drama that aired on UPN. It was based on successful UK series of the same name. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... UPN (which originally stood for the United Paramount Network) was a television network in over 200 markets in the United States. ...

Emily Corrie was the only member of the British cast to reprise her role in the US version. Emily Corrie as Sooz in As If Emily Corrie (born 1978) is a British actress. ...

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. Robin Dunne (born November 19, 1976 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is an actor, best known for a lead role in As If, a series of appearances in the the sequels/prequels Cruel Intentions 2 (playing the role portrayed by Ryan Phillippe in the original), Au Pair II, The Skulls II... Adrienne Wilkinson is an American actress born on September 1, 1977. ... As If was a short-lived comedy-teen-drama that aired on UPN. It was based on successful UK series of the same name. ...

External Links

• As If at the Internet Movie Database
• As If on TV.com
• Online Petition - As If on DVD!
• Popular As If forum
• As If Fan Site
• As If Fanlisting