From her beginnings as a YouTube mockumentary star to appearing MTV Cribs, Charity Shop Sue has won the hearts of many - but what were the beginnings of Bulwell's iconic boss laydeh? We spoke to Stu Edwards and brothers Tim and Matt Chesney, creators at Dead Sweet TV to talk about comedy writing, creating a LGBTQ+ icon and working with Shane Meadows and Vicky McClure.
We’ve all encountered a Sue before - she is a true British archetype, so it seems logical for someone to finally bring someone like her to life on screen. How was she conceived?
The initial idea was conceived around fifteen years ago by Stuart. From the start the character was always going to be egomaniacal, patronising and super direct so the comedic contrast of her working for a charitable cause would be fun to write. As the character developed, we all started drawing inspiration from the Notts women in our families - Matt and Tim in particular wanted to pay tribute to their ‘Nonnar’. Also our mums, aunties and other eccentric/gritty women we love who raised us with tough love and campiness. Many of the stories are based on true events that make up for ‘no-nonsense naughty Notts gal’.
Did it take you long to find who should play Sue, or was Selina Mosinski always in mind?
The character was originally much older but Tim was keen for Selina to try out for Sue. Matt had worked with her in Notts and they were good friends and Stu had studied with her at Clarendon College. From Selina’s first informal audition it was instantly clear that she was Sue. She added so much to the character and brought her to life in ways we couldn't have imagined. In our first rehearsals we’d all laugh so much to the point of feeling a bit nauseous. We still absolutely piss ourselves laughing twelve years later.
MTV Cribs was filmed in Stu’s mum’s house in Kirkby in Ashfield - if the teenage gay kid from Mansfield knew that one day he would bring MTV to Kirkby in A he would never have believed it.
What are your backgrounds? Did you have previous experience in writing and directing comedy?
We all met on a theatre course at Clarendon College many years ago. From there Matt went on to study fine art at NTU (and is also director of BACKLIT), Tim studied film and sound at Confetti and Derby Uni, and Stuart continued studying theatre at NCN. In our work before Sue, we all took on a directorial approach in our different fields and we’ve been able to bring that to the various elements of writing, directing concept, editing, music and making Sue. We’re like a three headed monster.
Sue has been cited as an LGBTQ+ icon, why do you think she resonates so well with this community?
We always say it because there are three gays and a laydeh behind the show so there’s also sort of ‘queer code’ in everything we do in Sue. The community has always felt empowered and protected by strong women who stick up for you and don’t take any shit - and that's our Sue.
It seems Sue has become increasingly independent of the show - she’s now massively popular on social media and has been featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race, MTV Cribs and Strictly Come Dancing. Is this part of Selina’s input or something you still contrive together?
Whatever we do with Charity Shop Sue, whether it's a video for TikTok, a live performance or an ad campaign it’s always a group effort between Stu, Matt and Tim (Dead Sweet TV) and Selina. Everything is planned and written in advance with the freedom to go off script/play when it feels right. We are all best friends and have the most fun working together and have had some pretty wild experiences where we’ve had to pinch ourselves. MTV Cribs was filmed in Stu’s mum’s house in Kirkby in Ashfield - if the teenage gay kid from Mansfield knew that one day he would bring MTV to Kirkby in A he would never have believed it.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to get into writing comedy?
Start by creating something that entertains you first and foremost. Don’t go into it thinking about how to appeal to a big audience, that will make you second guess yourself and create something inauthentic. From there you can start to hone your craft. It's good to learn all the rules associated with TV and film writing - so you can break them or avoid them completely. The industry has a very rigid way of working these days - it can stifle your creative freedom. Make sure you love what you do and DON'T wait for acceptance or permission from the industry to make your character or show.
TV comedy is in such a bad state - it’s rarely funny, original or reflective of real life. Online platforms have considerably more to offer in keeping your ideas authentic and relatable. Why not try some ideas with some like-minded people and see what gets the best response? Ultimately, don’t give up! There is a ‘you shaped niche’ in the world and it takes time to carve it out. We are still hustling!
Have you got anything else up your sleeves at Dead Sweet Productions?
Yes, as well as our continued work on Charity Shop Sue we have a handful of other projects in various states of development and hope to have some tasters of these out soon. We’ll always be writing about misfits specifically for Queer audiences. We’re testing out some ideas on our @deadsweettv socials. We have so many other weird and wonderful characters and worlds we can’t wait to share!
Click here to read our interview with the boss laydeh herself, Charity Shop Sue.
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