By Davina Morris

The eagerly anticipated second series of the hit Channel 4 show, Dubplate Drama, is released on DVD today. It will feature all 12 episodes of the interactive drama, along with extras and exclusive behind the scenes ‘B side’ footage. Series two picks up the story of Dionne (Shystie), an aspiring female rapper trying to make her way in the UK music scene. Struggling against the trappings of street life, Dionne fights for success in the male dominated music industry.  Shystie spared time to reflect on the popular series.

How would you describe Dubplate Drama?

It’s the first interactive TV show that follows the ups and downs of an aspiring MC called Dionne. She’s trying to make it in the music business but she gets pulled back by a lot of negative people and runs into a lot of trouble. Her cousin Warren tends to get her in a lot of trouble as well. But finally she meets a guy called Drama who works in a record shop, and her tries to steer her in the right direction. It features a lot of issues that affect young people today, like teen pregnancy, drugs and violence.

What do you think was the key to show’s appeal?

I think the cameos we had from underground artists helped to raise the show’s profile amongst young people who look up to those artists. There were a lot of people watching so they could see some of their favourite MCs do their thing. The fact that the show was interactive also gave viewers the chance to get involved by choosing what outcome each episode would have Also, the issues that were covered were relevant to young audiences.

What was the vibe like on set?

It was a lot of fun. A lot of the people on set were young, so there was a lot of energy and plenty of jokes. The director Luke Hyams was really good, in that he let us improvise with certain lines and allowed us to be quite free with the scripts. I also knew a lot of the people from before we started filming, so it really wasn’t like work a lot of the time.

What would you say to those who felt that the show offered a stereotypically negative representation of young people?

What happens on the street isn’t always positive. The show offered some of the harsh realities of street life. It can’t always be about happy endings. Dubplate Drama was about bringing the harsh realities into sight. Somebody was killed in the programme, but you also saw the repercussions of what happened after that person died. It wasn’t as if someone was killed and then everybody forgot about it and started partying. I think all aspects of the show were dealt with realistically and in a responsible way.

Some have suggested the acting in the show wasn’t great…

Maybe it wasn’t. A lot of the cast were musicians and not actors. But I think it was a good thing that the show gave people who hadn’t necessarily acted before, the chance to do something different. Having acting on my CV is definitely a good thing! And I’ve seen a lot worse acting before.

Will there be a season three?

Hopefully. I’m not sure yet, but I do hope so.

If there is, what would you like to see happen for your character?

I’d like to see her have the baby and face life as a young mother. I think she should still do music, but it would be good to see how she juggles that with having to find a place to live and setting herself up to be in a position to provide for herself and the baby that’s on the way.

What else is happening for you?

I’ve got my album coming out this summer, so I’m working on that. I’m also in Adulthood [the follow-up to the 2006 film, Kidulthood], which is due out at the end of this year or the beginning of 2009. [Writer] Noel Clarke is really nice. I’m grateful to him for giving me the chance to be in it. I think it’s better than Kidulthood. The storyline is better and there are new faces in it as well.

Dubplate Drama is out on February 4, priced £19.99 on Revolver Entertainment

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