Miami 7

Miami 7
Miami 7 opening titles
Also known as	S Club 7 in Miami
Genre	British Sitcom Family Entertainment
Directed by	Andrew Margetson
Starring	S Club 7 Alfie Wise Paul Louis
Opening theme	"Bring It All Back"
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	1 (in Miami) 4 (in total)
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Simon Fuller Malcolm Gerrie Christopher Pilkington
Running time	25 mins (approx)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBBC (on BBC One)
Original run	8 April 1999 – 1 July 1999
Chronology
Followed by	L.A. 7

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^[1] 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^[2] - 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.^[3]

Main cast

• Tina Barrett
• Paul Cattermole
• Jon Lee
• Bradley McIntosh
• Jo O'Meara
• Hannah Spearritt
• Rachel Stevens
• Paul Louis - Marvin Borlotti
• Alfie Wise - Howard Borlotti

Recurring cast

• Gary Whelan - Danny Parsons
• Tyler Cravens - Rayland Crowe
• Tom Nowicki - Director
• Richard Braine - Magician
• Barry Brantd - Police Officer
• Regnia Freedman - Secretary
• Cathy Dennis - Jill Ward

Plot

The show saw the group, desperate to make it big, offered a chance for success in Miami 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.

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 fall", 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 Ribbon" and episode eleven where they sing "Dancing Queen", which was recorded for the Abbamania soundtrack.

Episodes

Title	Original airdate	S Club sing	#
"Take Off"	8 April 1999[1]	"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[1]	"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" "S Club Party"	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[1]	"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 convertible).
"Wind Resistance"	29 April 1999[1]	"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[1]	"Two in a Million"	5
The band are excited to hear that the head of EMI Records 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[1]	"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[1]	"You're My Number One"	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[1]	"We Can Work It Out"	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[1]	"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[1]	"Bring It All Back"	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[1]	"Dancing Queen"	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[1]	"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[1]	"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	Original airdate	S Club sing	#
"Back To The 50's"	18 September 1999 (ITV)	"You're My Number One" "Friday Night" "Viva La Fiesta" "S Club Party"	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" "Reach" "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

Miami 7 PAL video cover

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.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} "BBC Programme Catalogue - Miami 7". BBC. http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/series/MIAMI+7. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
2. ^ Neal, Victoria (November 1999). "Daydream Relivers - British import, 'S Club 7' television program, about a performing group by the same name, is coming to the US". Entrepreneur. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_11_27/ai_57475939. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
3. ^ "S Club reach for the top". BBC. 18 June 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/796258.stm. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
4. ^ "S Club 7 in Miami - Tape 2: Amazon.com listing". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/6305748829/. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 

External links

• Miami 7 at the Internet Movie Database