A gURLs wURLd

A gURLs wURLd
Genresitcom
Screenplay byJohn Armstrong[1]
Shelley Birse[1]
Susan Hore[1]
Noel Price[1]
Kym Goldsworthy[1]
Jorge Reiter[1]
Katja Kittendorf
Directed byRalph Strasser[1]
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Friends"
Ending theme"Dance"
Country of origin
  • Australia
  • Singapore
  • Germany
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producers
ProducerNoel Price[1]
Running time23 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release18 November 2010 (2010-11-18) –
20 January 2011 (2011-01-20)

A Gurls Wurld (stylized as A gURLs wURLd; also known as Emma's Chatroom and Cyber Girls) is an Australian sitcom television series. The series was co-produced by Southern Star Entertainment, Southern Star Singapore, Screen Australia, and TV Plus Production for Nine Network Australia and Norddeutscher Rundfunk.[1][2]

It first aired on 18 November 2010 in Germany and on 2 July 2011 in Australia, and concluded on 20 January 2011.[3] There are 26 half-hour episodes.[2]

Music composed by Nick Howard and Luke Mynott.

Premise

Three young teenage girls – a German, a Singaporean, and an Australian – become friends while studying together at school in Singapore. When two of them must return to their homes in Germany and Australia, they accidentally discover that their mobile phones and computers can combine to transport them into each other's houses.

Cast

Main

  • Marny Kennedy as Ally Henson, a 14-year-old student and dancer from the Australian countryside near Sydney. Her family owns a riding school where she often helps out by leading riding trips, instructing lessons, or taking care of the horses. She leads a love-hate relationship with Dan.[4]
  • Sophie Karbjinski [de] as Emma Schubert, a 14-year-old girl from Hamburg. She is friends with Nicholas and has been dancing with him since they were in elementary school. During her stay in Singapore, she developed a crush on Jackie's older brother Josh and the two eventually start dating.[5]
  • Charlotte Nicdao as Jackie Lee, a 14-year-old city girl from Singapore. She is able to maintain her good grades while fulfilling her duties around the house and helping out in her grandmother's store. Although she dreams of becoming a dancer, she has to hide her future goals from her strict father, who forbids her to dance so that she can focus on her studies. She has a crush on Nicholas, Emma's friend, and the two start dating despite all odds.[6]

Supporting

  • Jannik Schümann as Nicholas Holz, a 16-year-old dance student and a close friend of Emma. He becomes interested in Jackie and they eventually start dating, although their relationship is hindered by the country difference.[7]
  • Takaya Honda as Josh Lee, Jackie's 16-year-old older brother. He is a gifted musician and football player and enjoys working with computers, which is why he creates the chatroom for his sister and her friends. He also often composes the music for their dances and works as a DJ and videographer on various occasions. Emma and him grow interested in each other during her stay in Singapore and they end up dating before Josh leaves on a computer science scholarship to the US.[8]
  • Luke Erceg as Dan Price, a 16-year-old boy who helped out at the Henson's riding school while Ally was in Singapore. The two have a complicated relationship at first because Ally feels like she has been replaced by him. But after some time, they grow fond of each other and admit that they might be developing feelings for each other.[9]
  • Chervil Tan as Chelsea Teo, the girls' dance rival and the daughter of a real estate mogul. She is manipulative and vindictive but also a capable, beautiful dancer who is matched in skill with the trio. Her two friends, Carla and Sophie, always follow her around.[10]
  • Veracia Yong as Carla, one of Chelsea's friends and a member of her dance team. She is always ready to go along with Chelsea's plans and has no own ambitions besides dancing.[11]
  • Iris Eleora Lim as Sophie, Chelsea's other underling and dance team member. She is 15 years old and possesses a photographic memory.[12]
  • Julie Wee as Michelle Juan, the girls' dance instructor. She choreographs all their dances, helps them perfect their form, and guides them through the National Dance Competition. Well-regarded in the dance world, Chelsea initially tries to hire her but fails when Michelle realizes how bad her personality is.

Recurring

  • Don Halbert as Ben Henson, Ally's father. He owns a riding school near Sydney and makes his kids help out with his business.[1]
  • Clodagh Crowe as Sarah Henson, Ally's 40-year-old mother. She runs the riding school with her husband.[1]
  • Sam Fraser [de] as Damon Henson, Ally's younger brother. He often meddles with Ally's business and his curiosity leads to him almost discovering the chatroom on multiple occasions.[13]
  • Michael Lott [de] as Jürgen Schubert, Emma's father who spends most of his time at home with his daughter. He is an excellent cook and a Hamburger SV fan.[1]
  • Christine Kutschera [de] as Tina Schubert, Emma's mother who is a successful businesswoman. Since she has to go on many business trips around the world, she spends little time at home.[1]
  • Chew Kin Wah as Mr. Lee, Jackie's strict father. He wants his daughter to excel at her studies while also learning Mandarin and helping out at her grandmother's shop. He forces her to quit dancing so that she can focus on her other duties, which leads to her continuing behind his back.[1]
  • Bernie Chan as Mrs. Lee, Jackie's mother. Although she is still strict, she is more lenient towards her daughter than her husband.[1]
  • Catherine Sng as Jackie's grandmother whose store Jackie often helps out at. Even though she is conservative in many respects, she cares for her granddaughter and encourages her to continue dancing.[1]
  • Gerald Chew as Mr. Teo, Chelsea's father. He is the wealthy owner of a construction and real estate company in Singapore. Although he spoils Chelsea financially, he does reprimand her when necessary and criticizes her spending habits.
  • Kheng Hua Tan as Mrs. Teo, Chelsea's mother. Much like Chelsea, she has a prickly personality and doesn't like associating with people with a lower income than her.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected by [3]Written by [3]Original air date [3]Australian air date
1"Reunion in Cyberspace"
(German: Wiedersehen im Cyberspace)
Ralph StrasserNoel Price18 November 2010 (2010-11-18)2 July 2011
After spending a year studying together in Singapore, three friends – Ally from Australia, Emma from Germany, and Jackie, a Singaporean local – have to say goodbye. Ending their year together with one final dance performance as a trio, they are ready to part ways. But when Jackie's brother Josh gifts each of them a USB stick with their very own chatroom software, things take a surprising turn: Instead of just being a chatroom, the software beams them straight into cyberspace.
2"Internet Travellers"
(German: Netzreisende)
Ralph StrasserKym Goldsworthy18 November 2010 (2010-11-18)23 July 2011
3"In Love in Hamburg"
(German: Verliebt in Hamburg)
Ralph StrasserKym Goldsworthy
Katja Kittendorf
22 November 2010 (2010-11-22)30 July 2011
4"Jackie's Dream"
(German: Jackies Traum)
Ralph StrasserShelley Birse22 November 2010 (2010-11-22)6 August 2011
5"Alone in the Outback"
(German: Allein im Outback)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong23 November 2010 (2010-11-23)13 August 2011
6"Emma & Josh"
(German: Emma & Josh)
Ralph StrasserKym Goldsworthy
Katja Kittendorf
24 November 2010 (2010-11-24)20 August 2011
7"Cellphone Debt"
(German: Handyschulden)
Ralph StrasserJorg Reiter
Kym Goldsworthy
25 November 2010 (2010-11-25)27 August 2011
8"Little Brother, Big Problem"
(German: Kleiner Bruder, großes Problem)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong29 November 2010 (2010-11-29)3 September 2011
9"Maxed Out"
(German: Ausgepowert)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong30 November 2010 (2010-11-30)10 September 2011
10"The Video of the Year"
(German: Das Video des Jahres)
Ralph StrasserJorg Reiter
Kym Goldsworthy
1 December 2010 (2010-12-01)17 September 2011
11"Ally & Dan"
(German: Ally & Dan)
Ralph StrasserKym Goldsworthy2 December 2010 (2010-12-02)24 September 2011
12"The Diary"
(German: Das Tagebuch)
Ralph StrasserShelley Birse6 December 2010 (2010-12-06)3 December 2013
13"The Art Theft"
(German: Der Kunstraub)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong7 December 2010 (2010-12-07)4 December 2013
14"The Complete Leisure Stress"
(German: Der totale Freizeitstress)
Ralph StrasserSue Hore8 December 2010 (2010-12-08)5 December 2013
15"Busted"
(German: Aufgeflogen)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong9 December 2010 (2010-12-09)6 December 2013
16"Intrigue in Singapore"
(German: Intrigen in Singapur)
Ralph StrasserSue Hore4 January 2010 (2010-01-04)9 December 2013
17"Jackie & Nicholas"
(German: Jackie & Nicholas)
Ralph StrasserKatja Kittendorf
Kym Goldsworthy
5 January 2010 (2010-01-05)10 December 2013
18"A Matter of Life and Death"
(German: Auf Leben und Tod)
Ralph StrasserShelley Birse6 January 2010 (2010-01-06)11 December 2013
19"Lost in Lüneburg"
(German: Lost in Lüneburg)
Ralph StrasserJörg Reiter
Kym Goldsworthy
10 January 2010 (2010-01-10)12 December 2013
20"Network Outage"
(German: Netzausfall)
Ralph StrasserSue Hore11 January 2010 (2010-01-11)13 December 2013
21"Finally on Vacation?"
(German: Endlich Ferien?)
Ralph StrasserSue Hore12 January 2010 (2010-01-12)16 December 2013
22"Maritime Rescue in Sydney"
(German: Seenot in Sydney)
Ralph StrasserShelley Birse13 January 2010 (2010-01-13)17 December 2013
23"Cellphone Virus"
(German: Handy-Virus)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong17 January 2010 (2010-01-17)29 March 2014
24"Helping Chelsea"
(German: Einsatz für Chelsea)
Ralph StrasserJohn Armstrong18 January 2010 (2010-01-18)5 April 2014
25"More Trouble for Jackie"
(German: Mehr Ärger für Jackie)
Ralph StrasserJörg Reiter
Sue Hore
19 January 2010 (2010-01-19)12 April 2014
26"Finale"
(German: Finale)
Ralph StrasserShelley Birse20 January 2010 (2010-01-20)19 April 2014

Production

A Gurls Wurld was shot entirely on location in Hamburg, Sydney, and Singapore from January to August 2009.[14] Filming for the episode Lost in Lüneburg took place in Lüneburg. The show's costumes were created by Imogen Price.[15]

The Media Development Authority of Singapore participated in the production of the show.[1]

Release

Out of the production countries, the show was first aired in Singapore, followed by Germany and Australia. In Singapore, the show aired every Wednesday at 8 pm (SST) on Okto from 14 July 2010 to 5 January 2011.

In Germany, the show was distributed under the title Emmas Chatroom (stylized as Emm@s Ch@troom) by KiKa, a joint venture between ARD, NDR's parent company, and ZDF. It aired every Thursday at 8:15 pm (UTC+01:00) from 18 November 2010, to 20 January 2011.[16] On its initial run, the first two episodes were broadcast back to back. Studio Hamburg Synchron was put in charge of the German localization. Marius Clarén and Bianca Krahl translated the scripts and directed the German dubbing. The German cast members also voiced their roles for the dub.[17] Starting on 2 May 2022, the show reran on KiKa, with two episodes being broadcast every weekday at 3 pm.[18] After concluding its rerun on 15 May 2022, the German version of the show was made available for streaming free of charge through KiKa's website.[19] Prior to this, it could only be streamed through ARD's paid streaming service, ARD Plus.[20]

In Australia, the show ran every Saturday at 1:30 pm (AEST) from 2 July 2011 on Nine Network.[21] On 24 September 2011, the show was dropped by the network after Episode 11. On 3 December 2013, the show was picked up again and started airing on ABC3. It aired on weekdays at 2:30 pm (AEST) until 19 April 2014. Each episode could be streamed for a week after its original broadcast on ABC iview.[citation needed]

The show was also screened in Belgium, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latin America (Central America, South America, the Caribbean), Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.[22] It is available for streaming on Amazon Freevee, Prime Video, Tubi, and through the ARD Plus channel on Apple TV+ and MagentaTV in selected countries and territories.

International broadcast

Country/Region Network Original run Notes
 Singapore Okto 14 July 2010 – 5 January 2011
 Germany KiKa 18 November 2010 – 20 January 2011 The show was rerun from 2 May 2022 – 15 May 2022.
 Australia Nine Network
ABC3
2 July 2011 – 19 April 2014 The show was dropped by Nine Network after Episode 11 and was picked up again by ABC3.
 Belgium Ketnet 9 November 2010 – 14 December 2010 The program was aired in Dutch.
 Ireland TRTÉ
 Israel Arutz HaYeladim
 Italy Disney Channel 18 September 2010 – 12 December 2010 The show was rerun on Italia 1 from 11 January 2014 – 5 April 2014.
 Mexico Once TV Mexico
Latin America HBO Family August 2010 The show was distributed under the title El Ciber – El Mundo de las Chicas (lit.'The Cyberspace – The World of Girls').
 Sweden Barnkanalen

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "A gURLs wURLd". Australian Television Information Archive. 17 August 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "A gURLs wURLd – About". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "A gURLs wURLd – Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive. 17 August 2010. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  4. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Marny Kennedy (ALLY)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  5. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Sophie Karbjinski (EMMA)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  6. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Charlotte Nicdao (JACKIE)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  7. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Jannik Schümann (Nicholas)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  8. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Takaya Honda (Josh Lee)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  9. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Luke Erceg (Dan)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  10. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Chervil Tan (Chelsea)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  11. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Veracia Yong (Carla)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  12. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Iris Eleora Lim (Sophie)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  13. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Sam Fraser (Damon)". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  14. ^ Aaron Pruner (9 May 2021). "Charlotte Nicdao was a weird kid". Inverse. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  15. ^ "A gURLs wURLd – Credits". A gURLs wURLd Official Website. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  16. ^ KiKA – Der Kinderkanal ARD/ZDF (15 November 2010). "Abenteuer auf drei Kontinenten: "Emmas Chatroom" feiert Premiere im KI.KA" [Adventures on Three Continents: "Emma's Chatroom" premieres on KI.KA]. Presseportal (in German). Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Emmas Chatroom". Deutsche Synchronkartei (in German). 2010. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  18. ^ Deutsche Presse-Agentur (28 April 2022). "Kinderdetektive, mutige Hasen und beste Freundinnen" [Kid Detectives, Brave Rabbits, and Best Friends]. Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag (in German). Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  19. ^ KiKa (2 May 2022). "Emmas Chatroom". KiKa (in German). Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  20. ^ ARD (2020). "Emmas Chatroom". ARD Plus (in German). Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  21. ^ Tim Elliot (30 July 2011). "A Gurl's Wurld, Saturday, July 30". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Countries showing!". A gURLs wURLd Official Blogspot. 11 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.