Charity Shop Sue (web series) explained

Genre:	Mockumentary
Executive Producer:	Shane Meadows
Producer:	Vicky McClure Mary Kearns Penny Linfield
Opentheme:	"Sec*Hand Chances" by Alison Darksus and Nicola Harness
Country:	United Kingdom
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	19
Company:	Spool
Runtime:	6–12 minutes
Network:	YouTube

Charity Shop Sue is a British mockumentary web series broadcast on YouTube between October and November 2019. The series was created by Matthew and Timothy Chesney and Stuart Edwards and filmed in Bulwell, Nottingham, in the fictional charity shop Sec*hand Chances. It starred Selina Mosinski as shop manager Sue Tuke, along with Joyce Townsley, Sherrie Johnson and Nicola Harness. The series was popular with the LGBTQ+ community and received praise from The Guardian for being "bleak, relatable and so funny".

Production

The mockumentary series Charity Shop Sue was created, written and directed by twin brothers Matthew and Timothy Chesney and Stuart Edwards, with Shane Meadows serving as executive producer.^[1] The series filmed for three weeks in 2014, in Bulwell, Nottingham.^[2] The location for Sec*hand Chances, the fictional charity shop used in the series was at the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a real charity shop on Bulwell Main Street, next door to Poundland.^[3]

A Christmas pilot, Charity Shop Sue's Christmas, aired on Notts TV in December 2017 as part of Sky Comedy, which featured a cameo from Nottingham-born actress Vicky McClure, who also produced the series, alongside Mary Kearns and Penny Linfield, the latter of whom appeared in the series' fifteenth episode.^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} The character of Sue Tuke, aka "Charity Shop Sue" (played by Selina Mosinski), began gaining online attention on social media in the late 2010s, and following on from the character's popularity, the series consisting of eighteen episodes was released on YouTube in October 2019, five years after it was filmed.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Plot

Following on from Charity Shop Sue's internet fame, a group of local filmmakers release previously unseen footage from five years prior, when they were invited to film a documentary inside the charity shop Sec*hand Chances, which follows manager Sue Tuke and her group of volunteers, Vera, Kersch and Viki. Sue anticipates that partaking in the documentary will boost the shop's revenue and custom, with hopes of being noticed on the internet. Throughout the series, Sue is constantly coming up with overambitious schemes to save the shop from being closed down, which she frequently coerces her volunteers into going along with and results in a series of fiascos that sees her refuse to take part in anymore filming.

Cast and characters

Main

• Sue Tuke (Selina Mosinski) – the domineering, power-hungry and borderline sociopathic manager of Bulwell-based charity shop Sec*hand Chances. She is a former fashion stylist who previously worked for multiple celebrities in Paris and Milan, and is constantly coming up with new ideas in an attempt to boost the failing shop's image and custom, whilst undermining her volunteers and occasionally manipulating her customers with her optimistic schemes.
• Vera Goodard (Joyce Townsley) – an elderly volunteer who frequently criticises Sue's management skills and behaviour. She is kind and understanding, but quickly grows tired of Sue's schemes and is usually the first to voice her opinion which usually results in her bickering and arguing with Sue.
• Kersch Callahan (Sherrie Johnson) – a delivery driver who joined the shop as part of a probation scheme. She is good natured and credits the shop with helping people get back on their feet. She met a girl named Ally in prison and is waiting for her to be released. Kersch often goes along with Sue's schemes as not to rock the boat, but can at times take control of situations which agitates Sue.
• Viki Wilson (Nicola Harness) – the youngest of the volunteers who is quieter than the rest and is often taken advantage of by Sue and her boyfriend Dwayne. She is creative and is often seen making her own greetings cards and other craft items. Viki plays the keyboard and performs songs with her friend Madalicat363. She also rescues a dog whom she names Dodo and is upset when she has to give her away.

Recurring

• The Cameraman (Stuart Edwards) – The cameraman who films the documentary inside the shop and serves as the narrator for the series. He often breaks the fourth wall and communicates with Sue and the volunteers, and is sometimes heard laughing during scenes.
• Dwayne (Chris Sainty) – Viki's controlling boyfriend and a local yob. He regularly takes advantage of Viki until she dumps him.
• Crystal (Melanie Jakubiak) – a local delinquent who regularly causes trouble, namely urinating outside the shop and excreting in the changing room. She is also featured in a love triangle with Dwayne and Viki
• Madalicat363 (Alison Darksus) – Viki's internet friend who regularly hangs out at the shop. She is also a singer and provides the vocals for the songs used in the series.
• Gloria (Becky Matter) – a volunteer who does not wish to be filmed and therefore refuses to be shown on camera. She later suffers a panic attack. Sue forces her to take three weeks off as she doesn't want her bad energy reflecting on the shop ahead of Janet's visit.
• Belinda (Jackie Edwards) – Sue's sister with whom she has a strained relationship with. She sticks her fingers up at Sue whilst walking past the shop and later gets involved in argument with her over their mother's belongings and ends up storming out. She later runs into the shop to use the toilet, and Sue gives her a stack of newspapers as a substitute for toilet paper.
• Herself / angry customer (Vicky McClure) – McClure appears as herself in the Christmas special and visits the shop as part of an appeal. She also appears as an angry customer who barges into the staff room because she wants serving in the sixth episode of the series.

Guest

• Vinny (Vincent Hunter) – a market trader who Sue mistakenly calls "Billy" that flirts with her before she buys some vegetables from him.
• Sharon (Käthe Shipman Shirl) – a customer who Sue helps find a new outfit and questions what dress size she is before styling her in a velour tracksuit.
• Joe (Charlie Wesson) – a recently widowed gentleman who visits the shop to donate some of his wife's possessions, including a "Royal Lady" which Sue cons him into thinking is fake.
• Mystery man (Shane Meadows) – a man whom Sue meets outside the front of the shop after it is closed to sell him Crystal's soiled knickers.
• Antique Hunt contestants (Karen Chesney / Peter Chesney / Tom Frankenburg) – members of the public that are holding their antiques in various locations for Sue to evaluate during her antique hunt.
• Mum (Khia Bianca) & Child on tram (Adreanna Bianca) – a mother and child on the tram during Sue's antique hunt who Sue attempts to pressurise into looking for a man holding her donation.
• Mike (Phil Green) – a collection man that Sue falsely accuses of touching her breast as an excuse to explain to Kersch why a fridge hasn't been collected. After Sue tells Viki to back up her story, she mistakenly tells Kersch that Mike touched her breast too, but when Kersch calls him he denies this and Sue says she was joking.
• Customer opening oven (Michelle Long) – a customer who Sue forces to open an oven door as part of her latest scheme of putting cuddly toys in the oven to entice a purchase. The same customer later backs up the young mum's story after her son accidentally breaks the cabinet.
• Young Mum (Dina Gold) & Child breaking cabinet (Louis Gold) – a mother who is visiting the shop alongside her son, the latter of whom breaks Sue's wooden cabinet, with Sue attempting to get him to do Saturday work or use his pocket money to pay for the damage.
• Man buying book (John Birch) – a man who attempts to buy a book from the shop but is coerced by Sue into putting money in a donation tin for Mable, a volunteer who recently died.
• Dodo the Dog (Lula Chettle) – a dog that Viki rescues and hides upstairs in the shop, before Kersch finds her a new home.
• Grace (Bo Olawoye) – a woman who Sue finds waiting for a refund on a jacket she bought. Sue gives her the refund but takes a cut of the money back, charging her for the coffee one of the volunteers had made her.
• Mr Stubbs (Stuart Lawrence) – a man who calls Sue demanding back a bag of his mother's items that were dropped off at the shop. When Sue tells him they've already gone, he asks for compensation and threatens to go to the press.
• Pamela Jenkins (Penny Linfield) – a woman who Kersch discovers online to come and rescue Dodo the Dog, and subsequently ends up arguing with Sue after the latter asks for a donation.
• Dolly customer (Joanne Johnson) – a frustrated customer who wanted to buy a doll for her mother but changed her mind and became irritable because the shop wasn't open on time due to Sue having a nosebleed.
• Janet (Michelle Bowen) – the area manageress who pays a visit to Sec*hand Chances to discuss the prospect of having to close down the Bulwell branch due to a lack of revenue and complaints from head office. She also appears to be friends with Vera which doesn't sit well with Sue.

Reception

The series was popular and well received by the LGBTQ+ community.^[11] Sue Tuke was described as a "cringeworthy love-to-hate character" and received comparisons to David Brent from The Office and Jill Tyrell from Nighty Night.^{[12] [13] [14]} Mosinski described her character as a "psychopath" and added that "everyone knows a Sue".^{[15] [16]} Nat Harris of The Guardian said finding a show such as Charity Shop Sue on YouTube was a "thrill" and identifies Sue as a "terrifying and brilliant character", with a "passive-aggressive tone and husky smoker's laugh", describing the series as "bleak, relatable and so funny".^[17] The series was created by three gay men, who based the character of Sue on several of the women in their lives, and was described as a "safe space" for the queer community.^[11] Speaking at The INDI's Film Festival in August 2021, creator Stuart Edwards expressed interest in writing a second series, as well as hopes for the show to be picked up by a broadcasting network.^[11]

Notes and References

1. News: Charity Shop Sue marks Nottingham Victoria Centre's 50th birthday . BBC News . 17 August 2023 . 15 June 2022 . 23 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220923202905/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-61797228.amp . live .
2. Web site: Charity Shop Sue. Spool. 17 August 2023. 5 June 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230605211219/https://spool.uk.com/projects/charity-shop-sues-christmas-2/. live.
3. Web site: INDIs Movie Night: Charity Shop Sue - Leeds International Film Festival . Leeds Film Festival . 17 August 2023 . 19 August 2021 . 6 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206101457/https://www.leedsfilm.com/archive/indis-movie-night-charity-shop-sue/ . live .
4. News: Charity Shop Sue returns for Christmas special with guest star Vicky McClure. Gorman. Rachel. 19 December 2017. Nottinghamshire Live. 17 August 2023. Reach. 28 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230128232631/https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/whats-on-news/charity-shop-sue-christmas-special-3660523. live.
5. News: James Acaster makes a Sky comedy short . Chortle . 17 August 2023 . 17 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230817140844/https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2017/12/07/38624/james_acaster_makes_a_sky_comedy_short . live .
6. News: Charity Shop Sue's On Tele. 15 March 2018. 17 August 2023. LeftLion. 26 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220126174455/https://www.leftlion.co.uk/read/2018/march/charity-shop-sues-on-tele/. live.
7. News: As a Sky TV comedy about a Bulwell charity shop hits our screens its star Vicky McClure reveals all. 21 December 2017. Nottinghamshire Live. 17 August 2023. Reach. 11 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220811144635/https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/whats-on-news/sky-tv-comedy-bulwell-charity-962254. live.
8. News: INTERVIEW: Social media sensation Charity Shop Sue – when will she return to Bulwell? . I Am Birmingham . 17 August 2023 . 5 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205204635/https://www.iambirmingham.co.uk/2020/02/12/interview-social-media-sensation-charity-shop-sue-will-return-bulwell/amp/ . live .
9. News: £3.60 with Charity Shop Sue. 5 November 2019. The Face. 17 August 2023. 28 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328015632/https://theface.com/life/charity-shop-sue-sec-hand-chance-nottingham-youtube. live.
10. Web site: Charity Shop Sue . British Comedy Guide . 17 August 2023 . 8 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211208181043/https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/ . live .
11. Web site: Charity Shop Sue Live Q&A – INDIs Movie Nights . YouTube . 20 August 2023. INDIs Festival. 31 August 2021.
12. Web site: Ep 1: Something Sue Please w/ Selina Mosinski . Apple Podcasts . 25 August 2023.
13. Web site: Ep.14 Selina Mosinski. The journey that led her to CHARITY SHOP SUE…and causing a McDonald's Burger King feud at some point in the 90's . Apple Podcasts . 25 August 2023. Performer Trauma . 13 December 2022.
14. News: Meet Charity Shop Sue: Bulwell's answer to Madonna and the Dalai Lama . Gay Times . 17 August 2023 . 5 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205190324/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/charity-shop-sue-interview/amp/ . live .
15. News: Charity Shop Sue: Who is the YouTube sensation taking over British comedy? . Legit . 17 August 2023 . 23 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220523020631/https://www.legit.ng/1416749-charity-shop-sue-who-youtube-sensation-british-comedy.html . live .
16. News: QUIZ: Which SecHand Chances volunteer from Charity Shop Sue are you . The Tab . 17 August 2023 . 21 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220521221518/https://thetab.com/uk/2021/11/11/charity-shop-sue-volunteer-quiz-228328 . live .
17. News: Nat Harris: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet) . The Guardian . 17 August 2023 . 12 October 2022 . 31 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230531085750/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/oct/13/nat-harris-the-10-funniest-things-i-have-ever-seen-on-the-internet . live .