Dubplate Drama

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Dubplate Drama is a British TV drama that aired on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2009. Created by Luke Hyams, it follows Dionne, a teenage grime MC played by Chanel “Shystie” Cali, as she tries to land a major-label record deal to help her grandmother.

The show was told in an interactive way. Viewers could vote on what would happen next by sending text messages, and two different versions of each episode were filmed. The version that aired depended on the audience vote.

The series features many well-known grime and hip-hop guests, including Tulisa, Dappy, Fazer, Big Narstie and Tim Westwood, along with others like Rodney P.

Structure and format:
- Series 1: six 15-minute episodes.
- Series 2: twelve 30-minute episodes.
- Series 3: two 60-minute episodes. The final episode of Series 3 was sponsored by the NSPCC as part of Childline, to raise awareness about knife and gun crime.

Reception and releases:
- Series 1 reached up to 480,000 viewers at its peak, with about 3.3 million watching over its six-week run.
- Series 2 moved to a late-night slot, with some reruns on E4.
- DVDs: Series 1 came out on 29 October 2007 and Series 2 on 4 February 2008. Series 3 has not been released on DVD.
- Music: the show released two mixtapes, and a soundtrack for Series 2 called Dubstep Drama, released in October 2007. DVDs include extras like alternative scenes and an alternate final episode for Series 2.

Production details:
- Executive producers: Michelle Morgan, Sam Coniff, Justin Stennett.
- Producers: Louis Figgis, Red Mullet.
- Cinematography: Damian Bromley, Kit Fraser; editors: Arlen Figgis, Yusuf Pirhasan.
- Country of origin: United Kingdom; Language: English; Number of seasons: 3; Number of episodes: 20.
- Original network: Channel 4 (also aired on MTV Base and via MySpace).

Cast highlights include Chanel Cali, Tyler “Hoodman” Daly, Daniel Parmar, Ricci Harnett, Duane Henry, Tendayi Jembere, Adam Deacon, Tulisa Contostavlos, Dino Contostavlos, Big Narstie, Katia Winter, Charles Mnene, Darragh Mortell and Rodney Panton.