SUS Returns to Saturday Mornings

Transport yourself back to the summer of 1993 with the return of a staple element of local youth programming in the shape of SUS. Whether you were a teenager catching the edgy wave of anarchic mayhem or a student living in digs and looking for something to accompany the morning fry after the night before, SUS provided a welcome injection of fun to kick start the weekend. In an age of subversive and slightly chaotic youth programming on UK TV, which famously included Channel 4's The Word, SUS gave Northern Irish teenagers a way of owning the genre for themselves. 

Of course, one of the most notable aspects of the series is that it provided an early vehicle for presenters who went onto become famous. Today, Carolyn Stewart is one of the most recognisable voices on local radio with her show on U105, but in the early 90s she was the roving reporter out and about across Northern Ireland visiting raves in barns and dogy student accomodation. Meanwhile, the career of student anchor Patrick Kielty has never stood still, with him achieving national fame on a long list of shows such as Love Island before bagging the prestige role of host of RTE's The Late, Late Show.

With its mixture of celebrity interviews, live music, comic sketches and wild camera angles, SUS was very much a product of its time - but is almost all the better for it today as a slice of pure nostalgia for 90s programming and irreverant fun. In an effort to re-create that 90s weekend vibe we'll be making an episode available on the Digital Film Archive every Saturday morning, beginning on 13 April 2024. DIve back into your youth!