Material Girl is a British romantic comedy television series inspired by the book Fashion Babylon and produced by Carnival Films and set in the fashion world, about a young fashion designer battling an evil ex-boss, a sexy-but-devilish business partner and snobby fashionistas to get her break in work and love.
The series premiered in the UK on BBC One on 14 January, 2010. Episodes are an hour long.
Material Girl premiered in South Africa on SABC3 on Wednesday 23 June 2010, at 21h00. New episodes air from Mondays to Wednesdays at the same time. There are six episodes in the first season.
Synopsis
Lenora Crichlow, Dervla Kirwan and Michael Landes star in Material Girl, a romantic comedy about a young fashion designer battling an evil ex-boss, a sexy-but-devilish business partner and snobby fashionistas to get her break in work and love.
Set in the bustling, creative hot-bed of Brick Lane, Crichlow is Ali Redcliffe who sets out to make a name for herself as a fashion designer, in the only way she knows how, through sheer hard work and talent.
Kirwan is Davina Bailey, the scheming designer of the moment, who isn't about to give up her crown as queen of fashion, and the designer every hot star wants to be dressed by.
Alongside Ali is Marco, played by Landes), the mercurial and brilliant business partner who wants to make Ali a star.
At the heart of the show is Ali - impetuous, feisty, neurotic, a total mess in her personal life but extraordinarily talented in her professional life as a fashion designer, mid-twenties, single, fiercely loyal to her tightly-knit group of friends, Alex, Mimi and Lydia.
Alex (Nick Blood) is Ali's flatmate and best friend from college, but also a designer at Ali's key rival, Davina Bailey; Mimi (Ingrid Oliver) is the wannabe stylist at a leading fashion magazine, and almost as intuitive and brilliant as Ali; and Lydia (Anna Brewster) the model with a face like an angel and the voice of a navvy.
Ali's love life is equally up in the air, after a difficult break-up she starts seeing the almost-too-good-to-be-true (but gorgeous) Chris (OT Fagbenle). But will the sexual tension with her and her business partner, Marco, threaten her new relationship?
It is these friendships and relationships, the ups and downs, solidarity, extraordinary chemistry and their entwined destinies that are the fabric of Material Girl.
Material Girl is produced by Chrissy Skinns and directed by Cilla Ware, Sarah O'Gorman and Philip John.
Material Girl is inspired by Fashion Babylon, written by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous. The series has been written by Joshua St. Johnston, Colin Bytheway, Ben Ockrent, Imogen Edwards-Jones and Jess Williams.