Miami 7
Encyclopedia
Miami 7 is a television series starring British pop group S Club 7. Thirteen episodes were produced and aired on CBBC
from 8 April 1999 to 1 July 1999 During each episode, the members would perform one of the songs from their album S Club
. All seven members of the band starred as themselves. It was created and partially written by Kim Fuller
, who also created and wrote the Spice Girls
' film Spiceworld: The Movie
.
Renamed S Club 7 in Miami, the show was taken to America where it aired on Fox Family - which later became ABC Family
- between 6 November 1999 and 5 February 2000.
The show was watched by 90 million viewers in over 100 different countries.
by their management. Instead, the band find themselves working in a hotel for Howard and Marvin Borlotti and entertaining the residents of the hotel. They learn to deal with the culture shock
of being in a new country and eventually enjoy and somewhat become accustomed to what America has to offer.
Miami 7 was released on PAL
video
in 2000. It was released both as three individual cassettes or in a "Complete Boxset" containing all thirteen episodes. The first two volumes were also released on NTSC
video
however the third volume (containing the final six episodes) was never released. The NTSC
version also contained bonus scenes and extra footage.
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
from 8 April 1999 to 1 July 1999 During each episode, the members would perform one of the songs from their album S Club
S Club (album)
S Club is the debut album by British pop group S Club 7. It was released by Polydor Records on October 4, 1999 worldwide. The album was primarily produced by StarGate, Absolute, Dufflebag Boys, Eliot Kennedy and Mike Percy...
. All seven members of the band starred as themselves. It was created and partially written by Kim Fuller
Kim Fuller
Kim Fuller is a British writer for film, radio and television. His brother Simon Fuller is Britain's most successful music manager as manager of Annie Lennox and The Spice Girls amongst others and creator of the Idol Series...
, who also created and wrote the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
' film Spiceworld: The Movie
Spiceworld (film)
Spice World is a 1997 British musical comedy film directed by Bob Spiers, written by Kim Fuller and Jamie Curtis, and starring the best-selling pop girl group the Spice Girls...
.
Renamed S Club 7 in Miami, the show was taken to America where it aired on Fox Family - which later became ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
- between 6 November 1999 and 5 February 2000.
The show was watched by 90 million viewers in over 100 different countries.
Main cast
- Tina BarrettTina BarrettTina Ann Barrett is a London based singer-songwriter and actress. Her major breakthrough came in 1999, at the age of 22 when she became a member of the pop group/band, S Club 7 where she enjoyed five years of hit singles, arena tours and awards.Barrett was born to an English father and Guyanese...
- Paul CattermolePaul CattermolePaul Gerald Cattermole , St Albans, Hertfordshire, England) is an English singer and actor. He was previously a member of S Club 7, and was the lead singer of the band Skua and latterly Charlie Bullitt until he left in October 2005....
- Jon Lee
- Bradley McIntoshBradley McIntoshBradley John McIntosh is a British singer, best known for being part of the band S Club, who had several hits.-1998–2003: S Club and Breakthrough:...
- Jo O'MearaJo O'MearaJoanne Valda O'Meara is an English singer-songwriter, television personality and actress. Formerly one of the lead singers of pop group S Club, she launched a solo single after the group's split in 2003, which cut short the production of a proposed album following an appearance on Celebrity Big...
- Hannah SpearrittHannah SpearrittHannah Louise Spearritt is an English actress and singer. She was previously a member of the pop group S Club 7. She is also known for playing the role of Abby Maitland in the British drama Primeval....
- Rachel StevensRachel StevensRachel Lauren Stevens is an English singer-songwriter, actress, presenter, dancer, television personality and model. She is a former member of the successful pop group S Club, and launched a solo recording career in 2003, releasing seven singles and two albums in the UK between 2003 and 2005...
- Paul Louis - Marvin Borlotti
- Alfie Wise - Howard Borlotti
Recurring cast
- Gary WhelanGary WhelanGary Whelan is an Irish actor, known for his work on British television.Although born in Ireland, Gary relocated to London when he was ten years old.-Acting:He has portrayed several roles in the police force...
- Danny Parsons - Tyler Cravens - Rayland Crowe
- Tom NowickiTom NowickiTom Nowicki is an American actor who has appeared in several feature films, television series, mini-series and movies of the week. He is a member of the Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors' Guild who is best remembered for his lead appearance on RollerJam and also appeared in the...
- Director - Richard BraineRichard BraineRichard Braine is a British television actor.One of his most recognisable roles was that of Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle in the ITV television third and fourth series Jeeves and Wooster based on the P. G. Wodehouse novels...
- Magician - Barry Brantd - Police Officer
- Regnia Freedman - Secretary
- Cathy DennisCathy DennisCathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
- Jill Ward
Plot
The show saw the group, desperate to make it big, offered a chance for success in MiamiMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
by their management. Instead, the band find themselves working in a hotel for Howard and Marvin Borlotti and entertaining the residents of the hotel. They learn to deal with the culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
of being in a new country and eventually enjoy and somewhat become accustomed to what America has to offer.
Recurring elements
- The group were always shown to have a strong connection. Every time they put their hands together in a circle and said the words "United we stand, divided we fallUnited we stand, divided we fall"United we stand, divided we fall" is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from nations and states to songs. The basic concept is that unless the people are united, it is easy to destroy them.-Early use:...
", a bolt of lightning would spread throughout their arms & while it happened, the lightning hurt them. - The group would always sing one of their songs at the end of every episode. With the exception of episode two where the group sing "Tie a Yellow RibbonTie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
" and episode eleven where they sing "Dancing QueenDancing Queen"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
", which was recorded for the AbbamaniaABBAmaniaABBAmania is a tribute album to Swedish pop band ABBA, released in 1999. It followed an ITV programme of the same name and featured various British and Irish artists covering ABBA songs.-Track listing:# "Money, Money, Money" – Madness...
soundtrack.
Episodes
| Title | |S Club sing | 8 April 1999 | "Everybody Wants Ya" "It's a Feel Good Thing (Buenos Tiempos)" |
1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The band are demoralised by bad management and a lack of decent gigs. However, when they are sent to Miami to perform they see it as their chance to find fame and fortune. The band arrives at the Paradise Hotel expecting to live a life of luxury, however, hotel manager Howard has other plans for the band. | |||||
| "Howard's Hotel" | 15 April 1999 | "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973.... " "S Club Party S Club Party "S Club Party" is a dance-pop song written by Mikkel Eriksen, Hallgeir Rustan and Tor Erik Hermansen for S Club 7's debut album S Club . Released in the UK on 20 September 1999, the song was produced and written by Stargate and received a mixed reception from music critics... " |
2 | ||
| The hotel isn't as glamorous as the band's agent promised them. Instead of singing and performing, the band has to work as hotel employees, rather than as a full-time band. When Howard does ask the band to sing, his choice of song is not from their original songs and is not their musical style. | |||||
| "The Blue Chevy" | 22 April 1999 | "Down at Club S" | 3 | ||
| The band persuades Howard to pay them decent wages and sell them his spare car, which promptly breaks down. Jo and Bradley decide to secretly take parts from Howard's Red Chevy and put them in their own car (a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Chevrolet Bel Air The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1950–1975 model years. Hardtops in the Chevrolet Deluxe Styleline model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950–1952, but it was not a distinct series of its own until... convertible). |
|||||
| "Wind Resistance" | 29 April 1999 | "Everybody Wants Ya" | 4 | ||
| With a hurricane on the way, Howard leaves Paul in charge of the hotel and the Hawaiian Luau party he's planned for its guests. Unfortunately, Paul becomes extremely bossy and forces the band to wear grass skirts. As the storm rages, the band discover Howard has taken shelter in the basement, and persuade him that the hurricane has passed. | |||||
| "The Man From E.M.I." | 6 May 1999 | "Two in a Million Two in a Million/You're My Number One "Two in a Million/"You're My Number One" is a double-A-side single, released as the third single by S Club 7. It was first released on 13 December 1999. It made its debut at number 5 in the run up to Christmas selling almost 100,000 and peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart the following year... " |
5 | ||
| The band are excited to hear that the head of EMI Records EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... is staying at the hotel. Meanwhile, Rachel's upset that her boyfriend hasn't written yet, whilst Jo becomes angry at her boyfriend, Robert, for writing too often! Jo decides to break up with him only to discover that her boyfriend is standing behind her! |
|||||
| "Alligator" | 13 May 1999 | "So Right" | 6 | ||
| Howard's finds himself with a date with a swimsuit model and Rachel, Tina, and Jo set about giving him a complete makeover. Meanwhile, The boys and Hannah decide to set their boss's pet alligator, Clint, free. However, they're disappointed when Clint returns. Marvin explains to them that he's a homing (domesticated but allowed some freedom) alligator. Howard's date is a disaster - his dinner partner, Arlene, has no fashion sense. He returns home disappointed, but it appears he's taken his new-found metrosexuality a bit too seriously. | |||||
| "Volleyball" | 20 May 1999 | "You're My Number One Two in a Million/You're My Number One "Two in a Million/"You're My Number One" is a double-A-side single, released as the third single by S Club 7. It was first released on 13 December 1999. It made its debut at number 5 in the run up to Christmas selling almost 100,000 and peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart the following year... " |
7 | ||
| The band give Jon tips on chatting up girls. They're also given a volleyball lesson by some locals, who turn out to be workers at Howard's cousin Hank's hotel. Howard decides to set up a volleyball match between the two hotels and bets that S Club will lose. The band is fuming and do everything they can to win the match. | |||||
| "Alien Hunter" | 27 May 1999 | "We Can Work It Out We Can Work It Out "We Can Work It Out" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was released as a "double A-sided" single with "Day Tripper", the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release... " |
8 | ||
| The band become the stars of the fictional hit TV series, Alien Hunter; the hotel is used as a filming location. Tina, dressed as an alien, falls asleep in a laundry truck and wakes up in a busy shopping mall, where she meets a handsome photographer. Meanwhile, Tina's dad suddenly turns up at Paradise Hotel and blames Howard for her mysterious disappearance. Meanwhiwle, Rachel and Hannah have a slight falling out over Rachel's teasing Hannah about her role on the show. | |||||
| "Missing" | 3 June 1999 | "I Really Miss You" | 9 | ||
| Howard loses the band, in a card game, to his cousin Hank, who runs the nearby Sunset Sands Hotel, which seems to resemble what their agent in England promised them. As Hank treats the band worse than Howard, the band begin to realise that working for Howard isn't as bad as they had thought. With the band away from the hotel, Howard and Marvin's profits are down and they're actually missing the band, so they set up another card game to win the band back. | |||||
| "Court in the Act" | 10 June 1999 | "Bring It All Back Bring it All Back "Bring It All Back" is the debut single by British pop group S Club 7. It was co-written by S Club 7, Eliot Kennedy, Mike Percy and Tim Lever for the group's debut album S Club, which was released in 1999. Kennedy, Percy and Lever also produced the song, which received a mixed reception from music... " |
10 | ||
| Howard erects a sculpture of himself outside S Club's dormitories and gets into trouble with Raylan Crowe from the Department of Labour for employing foreigners at the hotel. In court, the band persuades the judge to let them stay by performing, whilst Howard is fined $5,000. To raise the money, he tries to sell the statue, which crumbles around him. | |||||
| "Bermuda Triangle" | 17 June 1999 | "Dancing Queen Dancing Queen "Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"... " |
11 | ||
| Wanting to take a day off, S Club 7 borrow Howard's boat and take a cruise back to the 1970s. Along the way they meet Elvis, Madonna and Cher before returning to 1999 where they discover that Howard has changed. | |||||
| "How Deep is Your Love?" | 24 June 1999 | "Hope for the Future" | 12 | ||
| The band is given a holiday when Howard's hotel is shut down by the Department of Health, so they head to the Miami Seaquarium to swim with dolphins. Rachel meets a photographer who reckons she'd make a good model and Paul falls for scuba instructor Janeane, who seems to like him too. The others aren't so sure though when they catch Janeane kissing another guy and discover she's also been dating Bradley. | |||||
| "Reprise" | 1 July 1999 | "Gonna Change the World" | 13 | ||
| With their contract with Howard about to end and their deal with their old manager now expired, the band look back over their time in Miami. They have lunch with Jill Ward (the star of Alien Hunter) and she advises them that they should travel to Los Angeles to make a name for themselves. Howard has a "realization" that maybe he was a little too hard on S Club and tries to "apologize" to them and persuade them to stay. At the end of the episode, they have to decide between moving on to Los Angeles or returning to England. | |||||
Specials
| Title | |S Club sing | 18 September 1999 (ITV) | "You're My Number One" "Friday Night" "Viva La Fiesta" "S Club Party S Club Party "S Club Party" is a dance-pop song written by Mikkel Eriksen, Hallgeir Rustan and Tor Erik Hermansen for S Club 7's debut album S Club . Released in the UK on 20 September 1999, the song was produced and written by Stargate and received a mixed reception from music critics... " |
1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The band begin their journey to Los Angeles from Miami. After accidentally coming across a time portal, they find a town in the 1950s, which is dominated by a gang. | |||||
| "Boyfriends and Birthdays" | 12 December 1999 | "Bring It All Back Bring it All Back "Bring It All Back" is the debut single by British pop group S Club 7. It was co-written by S Club 7, Eliot Kennedy, Mike Percy and Tim Lever for the group's debut album S Club, which was released in 1999. Kennedy, Percy and Lever also produced the song, which received a mixed reception from music... " "Reach Reach (S Club 7 song) "Reach" is a song by S Club 7, released as a single on 22 May 2000. "Reach" is an up-tempo track co-written by Cathy Dennis and Andrew Todd .. The lyrics were probably inspired by a Shirley Bassey double A-side of "Reach For The Stars" and "Climb Every Mountain" although the song itself sounds... " "Two In A Million" |
2 | ||
| The band take a rest stop at a trailer park near Paradise Beach in Smalltown, where they meet a family who live in an RV. They discover that the father may or may not arrive to attend the son's birthday, so they strive to make his birthday the best ever. Meanwhile, Rachel receives a call from her boyfriend back home, who asks her to choose: him or the band. | |||||
Video releases
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 2000. It was released both as three individual cassettes or in a "Complete Boxset" containing all thirteen episodes. The first two volumes were also released on NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
however the third volume (containing the final six episodes) was never released. The NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
version also contained bonus scenes and extra footage.