S Club 7

S Club 7 were a pop band formed at the end of the 90s by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. Following in the footsteps of mixed groups like Steps and Hear Say, they went on to achieve worldwide success. Their first single "Bring It All Back" brought them instant popularity and they were heavily marketed as "the next big thing" for kids with a TV show (similar in style to The Monkees) as well as various TV specials.

Their projects included:

• Miami 7, LA 7, Hollywood 7 and Viva S Club - TV shows
• Back to the 50s, Boyfriends and Birthdays, Artistic Differences and Christmas Special - TV specials
• S Club Go Wild - a documentary series in which each band member went to a foreign country to see their sponsored endangered animal.
• S Club: Seeing Double - a feature length movie

As the name suggests, there were seven members to the band:

• Jo O'Meara - Face of the band, though they did like to push equality. She took lead vocals more often than any of the others and was widely regarded as the best singer. She attempted to go solo after the band split but a huge racism scandal on Celebrity Big Brother ruined her reputation and she suffered a mental breakdown. Right now she has shaken off the controversy and is a mother.
• Rachel Stevens - probably second in line to Jo and was heavily marketed as The Girl Next Door of the band. She took lead vocals quite often and went on to have a fairly successful solo career after the band split.
• Bradley McIntosh - the most prominent male member of the band and also a twofer Token Minority. He attempted to have a music career but he has remained below the radar.
• Hannah Spearitt - pushed as the cutest one of the band and was hired mainly for her acting on the TV show and has arguably had the most success after the split, having landed a prominent role on the show Primeval.
• Jon Lee - the boyish member of the band. Like Hannah, he was more of an actor and went on to have a theatre career after the band split.
• Tina Barrett - the dancer of the group and the one who really nobody knows what happened to. Known to have choreographed many of the band's routines.
• Paul Cattermole - the first person to leave the group (it was renamed "S Club" after that) and joined a Nu-Metal band. Was romantically linked to Hannah for a while.

S Club 7 provides examples of the following tropes:

• Abuse Is Okay When Its Female On Male: Played with in an episode of LA 7. Bradley and Jo get into a fight, Jo comes home with a bruise on her arm while Bradley is covered in bandages. Tina is shocked that Bradley hit a girl despite the clear fact that Jo nearly killed him. Jon calls Tina out on this.
• Actor Allusion: "The Kiss" episode of Hollywood 7 had Paul and Hannah kiss, echoing their offscreen relationship. Also in the episode of Viva S Club where Paul decides to leave, it's Hannah who finds out first and they have some close moments.
  • Tina would frequently be portrayed as the choreographer of the band in the TV show; in real life she choreographed many of the band's routines.
• Accidental Hero: In an episode from the Hollywood season, Tina kicks a man upside in the head while showing her dance moves to Jon. The man Tina hit was a criminal on the run.
• A Day at the Bizarro: The one episode of Miami 7 where the band gets sent back in time to the 1970s.
• A Day in the Limelight: Each member of the band got to have a song where they sang lead vocals:
  • Rachel - "I Really Miss You", "Natural"
  • Jon - "Sunshine"
  • Bradley - "Spiritual Love," I'll Keep Waiting"
  • Hannah - "Dance Dance Dance", "Hey Kitty Kitty"
  • Paul - "Love Train", "Good Times"
  • Tina - "I'll Be There", "Secret Love", "Stronger"
• Actually Pretty Funny: "Doing the Deal" from Hollywood 7, Tina is often stern with her band members about any prank wars, but even she couldn't hide her laughter when Hannah showed what Jo did to her trousers.
• The Adjectival Superhero: One of their songs refers to them as "The One and Only Wonderful S Club."
• Affectionate Parody: The first episode of LA 7 is a parody of The Blair Witch Project
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In Miami 7 Howard is sent to court for illegally working the band. To end the hearing the judge finds him guilty:

Judge: You exploited these people, worked them like dogs, tried to deceive the law and your shirt is just awful"

• • In "Howard's Hotel" Tina threatens to sue Danny Parsons for corportate deception, international skullduggery and making Rachel cry.
• Band Toon: A non-animated example.
• Bare Your Midriff: Done by all of the girls on the show. Justified since it was always hot wherever they stayed, and they frequently hung out on the beach.
• Beach Episode: Quite a few of them in Miami 7 and LA 7 (for obvious reasons)
  • The video for "Natural".
• Big Damn Movie: S Club Seeing Double
• Non Sequitur Scene: An in-universe example. One episode of LA 7 had the band trying to make a home movie about bank robbers. One scene had Bradley's character (a cop) stop to admire a girl dancing in the street (Tina). This was apparently to give Tina something to do in the movie. Then they decide to end the movie with a performance of "S Club Party".
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: All the S Club girls. The usual roles are played with as Tina is the Brainy Brunette (redhead by the time they got to Viva S Club), Rachel was the Dumb Brunette, Jo was the Fiery Blonde and Hannah was a combination Dumb Blonde and Fiery Blonde.
• Bottle Fairy: Hannah towards the end. See Flanderization below.
• Brainless Beauty: Bradley and Rachel in the TV show
• Break Up Song: "Hope For The Future", "I'll Keep Waiting", "All In Love Is Fair", "Cross My Heart", "Lately", "Someday, Someway", "Never Had A Dream Come True", "Have You Ever"
• Brick Joke: The hurricane episode of Miami 7; at the start when the band are worrying about a hurricane at the hotel, Jo remarks "the only time we'll get wind here is if Bradley has Cuban food". Later on Howard repeats the same line only with Marvin instead of Bradley. Bradley is there to hear it, turns to Marvin and says "you too?"
• British Accents: The band are British in America so...
• Cake Eater: In LA 7 one of Joannie's friends has a much younger boyfriend so Joannie gets Paul to act as hers.
• Camera Fiend: Paul and his video camera, especially in LA 7.
• Cerebus Syndrome: Jo was always the tough cookie happy-go-lucky member of the group portrayed in the TV series. After the group split and the scandal on Celebrity Big Brother she began receiving death threats and was ostracised by most of her friends while her house was also in danger of being repossessed (that was actually the reason she went on Celebrity Big Brother in the first place). If you were an S Club fan then watching Jo's teary eyed GMTV interview where she broke down and apologised for her actions was especially jarring.
• Chekhov's Gun: A minor example in the movie. In the opening montage we see a fan giving Hannah a pair of sock puppets. She later uses the puppets to distract a pair of guard dogs
• Chekhov's Gunman: Rachel's boyfriend is mentioned casually in a few episodes of Miami 7 before being part of the major plot of the Boyfriend's and Birthdays TV special where he gives Rachel an ultimatum - leave the band or he breaks up with her.
• Chekhov's Skill: In the movie when the band spies on the clones in the mansion they see them rehearsing a dance number. The next day when they swap places with three of the clones they are filming a music video with the same dance routine. Jon, Hannah and Rachel are able to blend in.
• Clip Show: Each season finale recapped events from the season.
  • The video for "Bring It All Back" featured clips from Miami 7
  • The video for "Love Ain't Gonna Wait For You" showed clips from the band's other videos as well as the TV shows, movie and other archive footage.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The seven members of the band each got their own colour of the rainbow (Tina - red, Paul - orange, Hannah - yellow, Jon - green, Bradley - blue, Jo - indigo, Rachel - violet).
• Comically Missing the Point : From the movie when the band are staking out where the clones are staying

Jon: The eagle has landed.
Hannah: Where? I love eagles.

• • Hannah gets this a lot. When the band gets stranded in the woods and the car breaks down, Rachel sarcastically suggests digging for oil and then turning it into petrol. Hannah remarks how ridiculous that idea this - how will they dig without a shovel?
• Covert Pervert: The Rachel clone in the movie.

Rachel Clone: "Do I tie you up now Bradley?"

• Creator Backlash: Jo O'Meara has spoken up on how much she disliked some of the songs they sang, other members of the group have called their music "kiddish" among other things.
• Easy Amnesia: Paul in the Christmas special.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: There were five blondes in the group by the time they split up (in a group of six people.)
• Fan Service: One episode of LA 7 features Jo, Rachel and Hannah auditioning to play Zelda by dressing up as her.
  • The music video for "Natural".
    • This is all ignoring the fact that the shows four seasons took place in Miami, Los Angeles, and Barcelona, all of which have quite a bit of bikini weather.
• Flanderization: At the start of the TV show, Hannah was a fairly happy-go-lucky girl. She had a bit of a quirky side but she was fairly calm. Fast forward to the movie where tries to distract a group of guard dogs with sock puppets, wears all her clothes to avoid carrying a suitcase and apparently got her ex-con uncle to hire their manager.
• Four-Girl Ensemble: The girls were portrayed this way on the show. Hannah was The Ditz, Jo was the mannish one, Rachel was the glamorous one obsessed with her looks, and Tina was the wise one.
• Fridge Logic: The band are in Spain during Viva S Club yet are never shown having to use any Spanish or even having learned it.
• Genre Shift: The TV show was fairly realistic but the movie veered into children's fantasy with a plot about an evil scientist cloning various pop singers.
• Getting Crap Past the Radar: The S Club clones in the movie are told to shower together to save water.
  • Their manager Natalie mistakenly pulls out a vibrator when packing the band's suitcases.
  • The tv show made a couple of jokes about Rachel's chest.
  • A man grabs Rachel's ass in the opening credits of the film.
  • In “L.A. 7”, Paul films Jon, while the latter is taking a bath. Paul is kicked out for it.
• Greatest Hits Album
• Growing the Beard: Each new album moved away from the bubblegum pop sound of S Club with 7 featuring a lot more R&B type songs, Sunshine getting very mature and Seeing Double perhaps a little too much so.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck: The band loved to use the word "parp" as a swear word substitute, though in some episode they did use "hell" and "damn" despite them being mild.
• Hair of Gold: Jon is a rare male example.
• High School Dance: Rachel must go to a prom with the manager's son in an episode of LA 7 while Jo, Hannah and Tina all go with one guy.
• Hurricane of Puns: When Jo and Rachel end up playing singing teeth in a toothpaste commercial, the rest of the band goes to town:

Jon: I don't know why you're upset. You both looked really polished.
Paul: What's the matter? Lost your sense of humour?
Hannah: Come on, we always have dinner together. You know the drill.
Bradley: (as they're going to bed) Don't forget to brush yourselves.

• Intercourse with You: "I'll Keep Waiting."
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Howard from Miami 7.
• The Ladette: Jo's character on the TV show
• Magical Nanny: The band themselves in an episode of the TV show where they work at a kids' camp that's more like a boarding school.
  • They also play a similar role in the video for "Reach".
• Never Trust a Trailer: The trailers made it look like the band getting arrested was a big plot point of the movie when they're only in prison for about five minutes. Also the clones were only mentioned in a blink-and-you'll miss it line.
• Noodle Incident: One episode of LA 7 had Bradley fired from his job. The reason: he took his boss's car and something happened involving mayonnaise and hungry cheerleaders.
• Parent Service: The parents probably didn't mind watching the shows with their kids whenever the hot young singers donned their swimsuits every other episode.
• Plot Hole: The movie is full of them. The band splits into two groups to find out information about the clones - it's Tina, Jo and Bradley that discover Victor Gaughan cloned them. Yet before they've had a chance to contact the others, they're kidnapped and Jon remarks "Gaughan's gonna clone us again" when he should have no idea who Gaughan is or that they've been cloned in the first place. Then later on when they meet Gaughan, Rachel says "are you the one who bought the knickers off the internet" when she shouldn't know that. Then there's the moment when the band are watching "live" footage of their clones performing in LA...except it's archive footage from the S Club Carnival tour when Paul was still in the band. So the band don't comment on why there's a seventh member of the band onstage or why Jo, Jon and Hannah all have different hairstyles (shorter). Then the same footage is shown again later in the movie and is still supposed to be a live show.
  • Also when they swap places with three of the clones, they do so in the middle of filming a music video. Jon and Hannah have to improvise the dance routine since they haven't rehearsed it yet we see Rachel following it perfectly when she shouldn't know it at all.
  • Jo doesn't appear in the shower scenes (see Real Life Writes the Plot) and the other clones don't acknowledge this.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: Paul decided to leave the band while Viva S Club was filming so in the series, he leaves in episode 4.
  • Jo was suffering back problems while the movie was being filmed so her role was rewritten to be less physical such as her walking out of the prison while the others run, scaring the guard dogs instead of legging it over the fence and sitting down in many of the scenes.
• Replaced the Theme Tune: Each season had a different song as its opening theme. Miami 7 had "Bring It All Back", LA 7 had "Reach", Hollywood 7 had "You" and Viva S Club had "Alive".
• Reset Button: A rather annoying example in the Hollywood 7 episode "The Kiss" where Hannah and Paul kiss and the others use hypnotism to get them to forget it ever happened so there wouldn't be any problems in the band. The kiss was never mentioned or referenced after that episode.
• Running Gag: For a few episodes in Miami 7 the band would put their hands together and say "united we stand, divided we fall" and a strange lightning bolt thing would flash. Lampshaded by Marvin in an episode.
• Scenery Censor: Comically seen in the shower scene of Seeing Double, bonus points on the "real" Tina's reaction to seeing the clone Rachel and Hannah with the "real" Bradley. Bradley was all right with seeing the clone girls being naked... until the clone Jon is also in the nude, causing Bradley to freak out.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules: In "Court In The Act", Howard was ready to bride an inspector, only to deal with his replacement, who takes this route.
• Serial Romeo: Bradley. Rachel developed into one in LA 7 and their landlady Joannie has quite the number of exes too.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: The band would often be seen in casual clothes, not to mention a little dirty from all the work Howard put them through at the hotel, so it was quite a change whenever they all got dressed up to the nines.
• Ship Tease: Jo and Bradley, Hannah and Paul (eventually became a couple in real life) and Jon and Tina.
• Shirtless Scene: The guys in the video for "Natural".
• Shopping Montage: In "Alligator."
• Shout-Out: See the Affectionate Parody example above.
• Signature Song: "Don't Stop Moving" and "S Club Party" are the most well known songs.
  • In America, they really wanted to push them as ballad singers, and it was "Two in A Million" and "Never Had A Dream Come True."
• Silly Love Songs: “You’re My Number One”, “Two In A Million”, “Natural”, “If It’s Love”, “Love Train”, “I’ll Keep Waiting”, “Cross My Heart”, “The Color Of Blue”, “I’ll Be There”, “Stand By You”, “Spiritual Love”, “Perfect Christmas”, “Show Me Your Colors”, “You”, “Stronger”, “Boy Like You”, “Sunshine”, “I Will Find You”, “Right Guy”, “Alive”, “Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You”, “Straight From The Heart”, “Secret Love”, “The Greatest”, “Let Me Sleep”, “Rain”
• Squick: In-Universe during The Movie; Jo, Hannah, Tina, Jon and especially Rachel had this reaction when Bradley kissed the Rachel clone, since the members of the band looked at one another Like Brother and Sister. Bradley didn't see the issue.
• Team Mom: Tina is often in this role. Considering that she's the oldest, it makes sure as the series goes on.
• Those Two Guys: Harold and Marvin in Miami 7.
• True Companions: The relationship between the band members was portrayed this way on the show. They all thought of each other like family, were always there for one another, and became deeply depressed in the episode where Paul left the band. The relationship between the band members in real life, however, was a completely different story.
• Undermined by Reality: The show's happy-go-lucky nature gets a little tarnished when you hear the band members mention how they were worked like dogs the entire time, and how they were always tired and jet-lagged from shuttling back and forth from the US (where the show filmed) to the UK (where they were performing concerts.)
• We Want Our Jerk Back: Howard loses the band in a card game to another hotel owner who's even worse than he is. Needless to say the band are overjoyed when they're won back.
• Wrench Wench: Jo.