Sunburn is a British television series that followed the lives of a group of British holiday reps. It was broadcast on BBC One between 16 January 1999 and 1 May 2000, running for two series of six and eight episodes respectively. The first was set and filmed in Cyprus and the second in Algarve. The cast included Michelle Collins, Rebecca Callard, Sharon Small, George Layton and Sean Maguire, with Paul Nicholas joining later. The series was created by Mike Bullen, who was interested in the behind-the-scenes lives of holiday reps after watching the docusoap Holiday Reps.[1] Bullen wrote most of the first series but scaled back his involvement in the second; most of that series' episodes were written by Lizzie Mickery.

Sunburn
GenreDrama
Docudrama
Created byMike Bullen
Written byMike Bullen
Lizzie Mickery
StarringMichelle Collins
Rebecca Callard
Sharon Small
George Layton
Sean Maguire
Paul Nicholas
Natalie J. Robb
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series2
No. of episodes14
Production
Running time60 mins
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release16 January 1999 (1999-01-16) –
1 May 2000 (2000-05-01)

The series has never been officially released on video or DVD, nor in any digital format. In March 2023 both series were made available for streaming on UKTV Play.

Episodes

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Series one (1999)

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  • Episode one (16 January 1999) – Nicki Matthews arrives to take over as Janus Holidays' head rep.
  • Episode two (23 January 1999) – Laura has to look after a family of appalling holidaymakers, while Carol conspires to reunite Nicki with Yiannis.
  • Episode three (30 January 1999) – Carol agrees to organise a small wedding for two holiday-makers.
  • Episode four (6 February 1999) – Yiannis's wife puts Nicki in an awkward spot. Julie's parents arrive.
  • Episode five (13 February 1999) – Alan gets into trouble with the police.
  • Episode six (20 February 1999) – Nicki must choose between Yiannis and Steve. Will Greg and Maria ever be reconciled?

Series two (2000)

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  • A Tale of Kidnap and Celebrity (22 January 2000) – Nicki and her team are still finding their feet in their new resort when Alan is mistakenly kidnapped by a political group.
  • New Opportunities, Second Chances and Dominoes (29 January 2000) – A domino competition keeps the reps busy, while Nicki gets an offer she may not be able to refuse.
  • Children and Growing Up (5 February 2000) – David and Nicki swap places for a week to prove how easy the other's job is.
  • Unexpected Love and Golf (12 February 2000) – A golf tournament adds to the reps' workload, while Carol discovers a magical passion.
  • Friendship and Deception (19 February 2000) – Is a holiday-maker's romance with a playboy all it seems? Nicki and the Janus reps investigate.
  • Young Love and Family Feuds (26 February 2000) – Two teenagers fall in love while the Janus team are kept busy organising a medieval banquet.
  • Marriage, Club Trouble and the Bungee Jump (4 March 2000) – Carol is pursued by a love-struck holidaymaker, while Greg's antics turn his love-life into a dangerous farce.
  • Sabotage and Redemption (11 March 2000) – The end of season party leads to some unexpected repercussions, and Janus Holidays finds itself at the mercy of a saboteur.

Cast

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Character Portrayed by Seasons
1 2
Nicki Matthews Michelle Collins Main
Laura Hutchings Rebecca Callard Main
Carol Simpson Sharon Small Main
Greg Patterson James Buller Main
Alan Brookes George Layton Main
Lee Wilson Sean Maguire Main
Julie Hill Colette Brown Main
David Janus Paul Nicholas Main
Yiannis Kyprianou Peter Polycarpou Main
Maria Ioannides Natalie J. Robb Main
Tassos Ioannides George Zenios Main
Elena Kyprianou Zeta Graff Main


Guest appearances

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Over the course of the two series many well known celebrities appeared including Isla Fisher, Josephine Tewson, James D'Arcy, Robin Askwith, Maxine Peake, Colin Baker, Windsor Davies, Cliff Parisi and John Pickard.

Music

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The theme song was sung by Collins and was released on cassette and CD in 1999[2]

References

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  1. ^ Rees, Jasper (17 January 1999). "Sun, sea, sand and ... Cyprus". The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 July 2008. [dead link]
  2. ^ "discogs". Discogs.
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