Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging Finally Gets an Update - and Books Fans Should Be Excited
Don’t have a nervy b, but I have big news: Georgia Nicholson is (hopefully) returning to our screens!
A recent casting call headed by Amandaland’s Rachel Sheridan has confirmed that a “major streaming platform” is working on a pilot based on Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging: the same book that served as the source material for the 2008 movie Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging.
Let me preface this by saying that I have a lot of affection for that film. Watching Georgia Nicholson (Georgia Groome) wobble down the streets of Eastbourne as a papier-mache stuffed olive will never not be iconic. As well as having a killer soundtrack (thanks, The Stiff Dylans) and a likeable core cast, the flick taught a whole generation of girls an important lesson: boys do like girls for funniness. No, seriously. It had a core message about self-love and embracing your inner weirdo that still resonates today, while perfectly capturing the ups and downs of teenagerdom.
There is no way a movie like that can be replaced, but in my probably-controversial opinion, an Angus, Thongs TV series will do two things: bring this story to a new generation, and do it more justice than the movie ever could.
Why The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson Deserves The TV Treatment
While the movie tells a self-contained story, what a lot of people don’t realise is that there isn’t just one Angus, Thongs book. There are 10. Released between 1999 and 2009, the books cover two years of Georgia’s life from the age of 14 to 16, and trust me when I say that each one of them is more hilarious than the last.
As I’ve said, I’ve always had an affection for the movie, but compared to the books, it has always felt a little bit surface-level. The profound weirdness of Georgia and the vivid world Rennison creates over a decade are seriously smoothed out, making the story more palatable and, in turn, profitable.
Moreover, by the end of the first book, which is the basis of the film, Georgia’s story has barely begun. Only the bare bones make it into the film: Georgia’s insane cat, her even-more-insane sister, the Ace Gang, the infamous snogging scale, Wet Lindsay, and, of course, Robbie the Sex God — but a lot is trimmed out.
For example, over the course of the novels, so many in-jokes, gags, and Ace Gang vernacular are introduced that Rennison included a glossary with each book to help keep readers on track. Georgia’s school life and her rivalry with Wet Lindsay are a lot more fleshed out, as is her complicated relationship with her parents, best friend Jas, and the dynamics with other members of the Ace Gang (one of whom, Jools, was cut entirely from the film). There’s also the hot mess that is Georgia’s love life.
Not only does she have Robbie to worry about, but there’s also additional love interests like the Italian stallion Massimo and Dave the Laugh. While Dave plays a relatively small role in the movie, he is actually one of the most developed and important characters in the book series. His will-they-won’t-they dynamic with Georgia acts as a key narrative crux.
Why an Angus, Thongs TV Series Would Still Work Today
Given it's from the noughties, the novel series has aspects to it that are a little bit dated, but honestly, the humour and the inner workings of Georgia’s mind are, in my opinion, timeless. It has the kind of candidness, British humour and quintessential teenage awkwardness most modern TV shows are missing.
Sure, adapting all ten books might not be feasible - unless you want to watch 30-year-olds pretending to be in Year 9 - but if a full series based on these novels were commissioned, there would still be enough considerable depth that fills a real gap in the market right now. Aesthetic and polished teen romances and dramas are all well and good, but where’s the humour? Where’s the relatability?
Louise Rennison’s books offer all of this and more. So, provided that the series does the books justice, what we’re looking at here is something that, in Georgia’s words, can be considered brillopads.
