Dubplate Drama

Dubplate Drama
Title card (2007)
Genre	Drama, Music
Created by	Luke Hyams
Starring	Chanelle Scott Roger Griffiths Ricci Harnett Tyler Daley Adam Deacon Noel Clarke Tendayi Jembere Richard Rawson Michael Coombs Dino Contostavlos Tulisa Contostavlos Tim Westwood Charles Mnene Darragh Mortell Isaac Ssebandeke Jamie Di Spirito
Opening theme	"Theme To Dubplate Drama"
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	14
Production
Running time	15-60 minutes
Release
Original network	Channel 4
Original release	11 November 2005 – 3 July 2009

Dubplate Drama is a British television series that aired on Channel 4 between 11 November 2005 and 3 July 2009.^[1] The premise of the series involved a group of young musicians, leading role played by Shystie attempting to make it big by securing a record deal. Three series of the show were broadcast - the first series contained twelve fifteen-minute episodes, the second contained six thirty-minute episodes, and the third contained two feature-length specials of sixty minutes each. The show was described as "the world's first interactive drama series", as it allowed viewers to vote on the outcome of each episode.^[2] The first two series of the show were released on DVD, with the third remaining unreleased. The show was notable for its well-known British talent, including roles played by Shystie, Noel Clarke, Adam Deacon, N-Dubz and Tim Westwood.

Cast

• Chanelle Scott as Dionne
• Roger Griffiths as D-Brain
• Ricci Harnett as Prangers
• Tyler Daley as Warren (Series 1—2)
• Adam Deacon as Bones (Series 2)
• Noel Clarke as Mike (Series 2)
• Tendayi Jembere as Minus (Series 2)
• Richard Rawson as Flames (Series 2)
• Michael Coombs as Errol (Series 2—3)
• Dino Contostavlos as Sleezy (Series 2—3)
• Tulisa Contostavlos as Laurissa (Series 2—3)
• Tim Westwood as Tim (Series 2—3)
• Charles Mnene as Devil (Series 3)
• Darragh Mortell as Mikey (Series 3)
• Isaac Ssebandeke as Millz (Series 3)
• Jamie Di Spirito as Shane (Series 3)

Episodes

Series 1 (2005)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Underground FM"	TBA	TBA	11 November 2005
After her debut underground performance, Dionne is witness to an attack on a local radio station by a violent gang - but is mistakenly believed to be the ringleader by the station manager, Prangers, who makes her the target of his anger. In order to ensure her own safety, Dionne is forced to flee and has no choice but to take refuge with the gang.
2	"Acapulco Red"	TBA	TBA	18 November 2005
Dionne's association with the gang continues to grow as she is booked to perform as the headline act an illegal rave. Her elation is short-lived, however, when she catches her cousin Warren with a stash of drugs. She has no choice but to throw Warren out, but he warns her that he will be at the mercy of a drugs kingpin who has taken a strong disliking to him.
3	"Rap Battle Blue"	TBA	TBA	25 November 2005
Dionne gives Warren a second chance, but begins to regret her decision when he gate-crashes her performance at the rave by getting into a fight with a fellow partygoer. Dionne, however, decides to put her career ahead of their relationship and goes ahead with her performance, forcing a badly injured Warren to leave alone to seek refuge from a further beating.
4	"Hang On"	TBA	TBA	2 December 2005
Dionne successfully defeats her opponent in the rap battle, but leaves swiftly to find a badly-beaten Warren. Meanwhile, Rudy, a member of Redhead's gang, prompts him to commit an armed robbery. Subsequently, Redhead invites Dionne out for a drive, although she is blissfully unaware that she is about to be accomplice to a potentially life-changing situation.
5	"Jacked"	TBA	TBA	9 December 2005
Dionne and Redhead are searched by the police, but manage to escape when the officers are distracted by a further crime taking place nearby. Dionne is furious when she discovers Redhead deceived her, but he ignores her anguish and decides to go ahead with the robbery anyway. Dionne decides to confront Rudy, but will her conscience get the better of her?
6	"Man Down"	TBA	TBA	16 December 2005
Redhead is kidnapped and interrogated by Prangers, who retrieves the loot stolen in the robbery. However, when he later disposes of a chain belonging to a rival gang member, Dionne's boyfriend, Melvin, finds it and decides to wear it. When the rival gang discover Melvin is in possession of the chain, they plot to retrieve it... by any means necessary.

Series 2 (2007)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
7	"Al Capone"	TBA	TBA	20 September 2007
Warren decides to sell drugs for Errol and Redhead to fund his career in music, but when Prangers is assaulted outside a nightclub, the police begin to probe his activities. Concerned that he will be caught, he pressures Dionne into hiding his stash for him - which forces her to question how far her family loyalty will actually go.
8	"Born Human"	TBA	TBA	27 September 2007
Errol commissions Minus to create a music video to show off his talents as a director, but Minus is forced to confront his own conscience when he is witness to Errol assaulting one of the dancers featured in the film. When the police arrive, Minus struggles to decide whether or not to keep quiet - for the sake of his career.
9	"California Sunshine"	TBA	TBA	4 October 2007
When Dionne and Warren are abandoned in an unfamiliar town, they begin to panic. Desperate to get home to London, they decide to steal D-Brain's limo - but in the ensuing chaos, they accidentally mow down Bones. Dionne, in fear of being arrested, decides to leave Bones at the roadside in the hope that he can't identify her.
10	"Wild Road Home"	TBA	TBA	11 October 2007
Dionne and Warren bump into old pal Drama, who agrees to drive them back to London. However, on the way, they make a quick detour to a nearby radio station - where Warren seizes his chance to show off his skills as an MC. Drama, however, is unimpressed, and Dionne is forced to plea for forgiveness when decides to take them back into the wilderness.
11	"Paper Chaser"	TBA	TBA	18 October 2007
Dionne decides to get her own back for Warren's disrespectful behaviour, and confronts him at the video shoot. Warren, however, has received word that a pair of thugs, armed with knives, are intending to gate-crash the shoot and rob the actors involved. Have given prior warning to stay clear, Warren is torn over whether or not to inform the crew.
12	"The Diss Track"	TBA	TBA	25 October 2007
Bones writes a diss track against Dionne, in order to impress his friends - but the personal references to Dionne and Warren's grandmother leads to Bones receiving a harsh beating. With his own mother witness to the savage attack, she immediately phones the police. But with her son's life at risk, she is forced to make a split-second decision.

Series 3 (2009)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
13	"Living the Dream - Part 1"	Luke Hyams	Luke Hyams	26 June 2009
Now signed to a major label, and with a number-one single under their belts, 'The Fam' have the entire world at their feet. However, a bitter rivalry between brothers Devil and Millz, combined with Laurissa's ever-increasing cocaine habit, and Mikey's newfound sex-addiction, prove to be the start of an enormous fall from grace.
14	"Living the Dream - Part 2"	Luke Hyams	Luke Hyams	3 July 2009
With the actions of their ruthless and violent manager becoming ever-more erratic, 'The Fam' find themselves surrounded by an increasingly dangerous gang culture. As their world begins to implode, fame, fortune, greed and jealousy turns each member of the group against one another - resulting in a matter of life and death.

External links

• Dubplate Drama at the Internet Movie Database

References

1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499386/
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4283094.stm