Material Girl: Series 1

Recently completing its run on BBC One, Material Girl is a six-part fashion drama charting Ali Radcliffe’s (Lenora Crichlow) successes and tribulations as she sets up her own fashion label in London’s Brick Lane.

Each week Ali grapples with the constant underhand antics of her ex-boss Davina Bailey (Dervla Kirwan) as well as the growing attraction she feels towards her business partner Marco (Michael Landes). Not only this, but she manages to get a new boyfriend... and then lose her boyfriend... and then get him back... and then lose him... etc.

The main let-down here is the script, with numerous scenes where the relatively good actors are forced to muddle their way through some embarrassingly stilted dialogue. Also, there’s an inordinate number of scenes filmed at Piccadilly Circus (why, if she works in Brick Lane?!) giving the impression of a desperate attempt from the makers to plant the show in the sexed-up TV London of Secret Diary of A Call Girl and Hustle.

Despite all this, the characters are likeable enough and it's fairly watchable, if undemanding, stuff.



Released on DVD on 22nd February 2010 by Universal Playback.

Written by Olivia Spooner.