Billie Piper was on searing form as a B-list celeb whose life is unravelling in this unflinchingly honest portrait of womanhood
There’s a scene in I Hate Suzie that is one of the best depictions of drug use I have ever seen on screen. Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper) – a former teen pop sensation who stars in a “Nazi zombies” series nobody really watches – ends up in a hotel room with her agent best friend, Naomi (Leila Farzad), and a sleazy older man.
There’s the farcical drug pick-up; the bonhomie of sharing cocaine with an amiable stranger; the quick reassessment of character (“Is this guy a bit of a dick?” Naomi mouths to Suzie); the regrettable sexual activity (“His crotch smelt like a bin!”); and the horrid descent into a depressive comedown. It’s the kind of dead-on verisimilitude that makes I Hate Suzie a triumph and one of the best shows of the year.