“They’ve created this really flawed but likeable female anti-hero, which you don’t see very often”: Blake Harrison and Douglas Hodge on I Hate Suzie Too

Viewers have to come to expect anything that comes from a writer on Succession to be of a certain calibre and with scathing satirical wit. I Hate Suzie, then, from Lucy Prebble (who cut her teeth on theatre writing before moving into TV) and her pal and frequent collaborator, Billie Piper, more than delivered. Much like Fleabag and I May Destroy You, the 2020 hit series felt bold, fearless, like nothing that had come before it, and mined the depths of the female experience in ways not previously explored on screen. In this case, the experience of fame and popularity – and how quickly it can turn into infamy and cancellation.

A follow-up was not necessarily a done deal, but once an idea was floated for more of a contained, three-part Christmas special, rather than a full-blown second season, Piper and Prebble felt they were onto something. And so TV audiences prepare for I Hate Suzie Too – arguably even more chaotic and anxiety-inducing than its predecessor, it certainly gives watching Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems a run for his money. The previously cancelled Suzie Pickles is now trying to win back the favour of her public (while navigating divorce from her manipulative partner) by entering into a Strictly-inspired dance show, Dance Crazee. Viewers can expect a heightened reality that is fictitious, but close enough to the real wringer we put our celebrities through to be wholly believable, and therefore even more uncomfortable than if it were entirely fantastical.

As we follow Suzie on a psychological free fall once more, this time she seems tougher, and, as with the first outing for this character, the dark undercurrents of her story are balanced with black humour and excruciatingly accurate portrayals of the superficiality of a social media-obsessed world.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to two of the stars of the new series, Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners) and Douglas Hodge (Joker, The Report), who play dance contestants Danny Carno and Bailey Quinn – also Suzie’s ex-husband – about why they wanted to join the show, the incredible talent of both Piper and Prebble and the fun of performing dance routines on set.

Sarah Bradbury

I Hate Suzie Too is released on Sky on 20^th December 2022. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for I Hate Suzie Too here: