{ "id": "epyr4258ab", "slug": "charity-shop-sue", "title": "Charity Shop Sue", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries", "label": "Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries.yr-2017-2021", "label": "Premiered 2017 to 2021", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries.yr-2017-2021" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020: Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Charity Shop Sue, aka Sue Tuke, is the fictional Bulwell, Nottingham charity shop manager played by Selina Mosinski in the 2019 YouTube mockumentary by Dead Sweet TV, later an LGBTQ+ icon and social media star.", "snippet": "Charity Shop Sue, aka Sue Tuke, is the fictional Bulwell, Nottingham charity shop manager played by Selina Mosinski in the 2019 YouTube mockumentary by Dead Sweet TV, later an LGBTQ+ icon and social media star.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries.yr-2017-2021", "markdown": "# Charity Shop Sue\n\n**Charity Shop Sue** is a British mockumentary comedy series released on YouTube in 2019, following Sue Tuke (played by Selina Mosinski), the egomaniacal manager of a fictional charity shop called Sec*hand Chances in Bulwell, Nottingham. The independently produced series has been described as a cult hit online, and its lead character took on a life of her own as a social media personality who has since appeared on [RuPaul's Drag Race](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupauls-drag-race), MTV Cribs, and [Strictly Come Dancing](https://www.edgepedia.org/strictly-come-dancing).[1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) • [2](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | British mockumentary online sitcom, single camera, about 10 minutes per episode, released on YouTube[3](https://thetvdb.com/series/charity-shop-sue) • [4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/) |\n| First broadcast | Tuesday 15 October 2019 on YouTube; final episodes 19 November 2019[3](https://thetvdb.com/series/charity-shop-sue) |\n| Creators | Stuart Edwards, Timothy Chesney and Matthew Chesney, who wrote and directed together; produced by Mary Kearns, Penny Linfield and Vicky McClure for Spool Films[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/) |\n| Lead | Selina Mosinski as Sue Tuke, with volunteers Vera, Viki and Kersch[1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) |\n| Episode count | British Comedy Guide lists 6 episodes in one series; TheTVDB, IMDb and Moviefone list 18[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/) • [3](https://thetvdb.com/series/charity-shop-sue) • [5](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/charity-shop-sue/5EbE1mxvkPRyfqzOvBqiQ2/) |\n| YouTube channel | @charityshopsue, created 24 January 2013; about 54,700 subscribers and 11.9 million views[6](https://socialblade.com/youtube/handle/charityshopsue) |\n| Critical standing | IMDb rating 8.7/10 from 218 users; the first episode is held in the BFI National Archive's Online Video collection[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11685208) • [1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and characters\n\nThe series is framed as footage shot in 2014, when Sue Tuke invited local filmmakers into Sec*hand Chances to document her life as a self-styled local celebrity. In the fiction, Sue hoped to raise the shop's profile, get the business \"on the net\", prevent the store from closing, and become an online superstar; the plan went awry, Sue withdrew from filming, and the footage is presented as unseen until the 2019 release.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/) • [5](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/charity-shop-sue/5EbE1mxvkPRyfqzOvBqiQ2/)\n\nSue rules the shop floor with dramatic flair, clashing with staff and customers alike; the BFI describes her as charming and funny as well as manipulative and blunt.[1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) Her fictional backstory includes a stint as a fashion stylist in Paris and Milan, years as landlady of The Moon And Stars pub ended when her ex-husband robbed her of her savings, and a father remembered as the \"Bulwell Market King\" who could \"sell anything to anyone\".[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/) She works with volunteers Vera, Viki and Kersch, and her schemes, such as an \"Antique Hunt\" around Bulwell's landmarks that raised £35, or a \"steaming certificate\" invented so volunteers leave with something to show other employers, repeatedly collapse.[1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) • [8](https://iambirmingham.co.uk/2020/02/12/interview-social-media-sensation-charity-shop-sue-will-return-bulwell/) • [9](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/155822/)\n\n## Creation and production\n\nThe pilot idea was conceived in 2001 by [Nottingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/nottingham) creators Stuart Edwards, Tim Chesney and Matthew Chesney, who met on a theater course at Clarendon College.[10](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2018/03/charity-shop-sues-on-tele/) • [2](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/) The character was designed from the start as egomaniacal, patronizing and super direct, so that the contrast of her working for a charitable cause would be fun to write; the creators drew on the Nottingham women in their families, including their grandmother, and said many stories are based on true events.[2](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/)\n\n**Casting.** The character was originally written as much older, but Tim Chesney pushed for Selina Mosinski to audition; Matt Chesney had worked with her in Nottingham and Stuart Edwards had studied with her at Clarendon College. From her first informal audition the creators felt she was Sue, and she added dimensions to the character they had not imagined.[2](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/)\n\nFilming began in 2014 and ceased two weeks ahead of schedule, in the fiction because releasing the footage would tarnish the shop's reputation.[8](https://iambirmingham.co.uk/2020/02/12/interview-social-media-sensation-charity-shop-sue-will-return-bulwell/) The series was produced by Spool Films, with BAFTA-winning Nottingham actress [Vicky McClure](https://www.edgepedia.org/vicky-mcclure) among the producers; she and filmmaker [Shane Meadows](https://www.edgepedia.org/shane-meadows) also make cameo appearances in later episodes.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/) • [1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) McClure plays an angry customer in one episode.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11685208) An earlier mockumentary, *Charity Shop Sue's Xmas*, co-starring McClure, aired on Sky Arts over Christmas before the main series.[10](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2018/03/charity-shop-sues-on-tele/)\n\n## Reception and afterlife\n\nThe series found its audience through clips shared out of context as memes on Twitter and YouTube, and it has been described as a cult hit.[8](https://iambirmingham.co.uk/2020/02/12/interview-social-media-sensation-charity-shop-sue-will-return-bulwell/) • [1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea) The character has been cited as an LGBTQ+ icon; the creators attribute this to the \"queer code\" in everything the team makes, saying the community has felt empowered by strong women who stick up for you.[2](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/) Sue has appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race, MTV Cribs (filmed in Stuart Edwards's mother's house in Kirkby in Ashfield), and Strictly Come Dancing, and she DJed at the Mighty Hoopla festival.[2](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/) • [11](https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15421/50-questions-with-charity-shop-sue-book-interview) In 2024 the character released an audiobook, *Charity Shop Sue's Tools for Management and Success*, on Audible.[11](https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15421/50-questions-with-charity-shop-sue-book-interview)\n\nThe BFI National Archive acquired the first episode for its Online Video collection, citing the series as an example of how digital platforms such as YouTube have created spaces for independent comedy to thrive.[1](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea)\n\n## Academic reading\n\nThe media scholar Alida Payson, of Cardiff University, analyzed *Charity Shop Sue* in a 2022 JOMEC Journal article on makeover culture and second-hand spaces under austerity, pairing it with the 2009 [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) reality program *Mary, Queen of Charity Shops*. Payson reads the series as satirizing both style makeovers and the rehabilitative job-training function of charity shops: volunteers such as Kersh, who came to the shop through the probation service, and Viki, who refuses to be remade, remain stubbornly themselves, and Sue's invented \"steaming certificate\" mocks the idea that shop volunteering yields a qualification.[9](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/155822/)\n\n## Mosinski beyond Sue\n\nSelina Mosinski, a Nottingham character actor, has played Sue for over a decade and continued developing the character with Dead Sweet TV, the studio run with Edwards and the Chesney twins.[12](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2026/06/selina-mosinski-aka-charity-shop-sue-talks-edinburgh-fringe-and-her-new-character-randy-cain/) In 2026 she made her Edinburgh Fringe debut with *Puss In Boots: A Working Class Fairy Tale* at Pleasance, a one-woman show directed by Matt Chesney in which she plays a new character, Randy Cain, an 18-year-old stripper loosely inspired by Mosinski's own late-1990s past, with parody of third-wave feminism and ladette culture.[13](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/edinburgh-fringe-qa-selina-mosinski/) • [12](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2026/06/selina-mosinski-aka-charity-shop-sue-talks-edinburgh-fringe-and-her-new-character-randy-cain/) She also appeared in [Paris Lees](https://www.edgepedia.org/paris-lees)'s coming-of-age drama *What It Feels Like For a Girl*, set in 2000s Nottingham.[12](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2026/06/selina-mosinski-aka-charity-shop-sue-talks-edinburgh-fringe-and-her-new-character-randy-cain/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Charity Shop Sue | Part 1 | Sec*hand Chances, BFI Replay](https://replay.bfi.org.uk/video/458/4e7dda57-ee66-563d-81d1-a300496a85ea)\n2. [We spoke to Charity Shop Sue creators Dead Sweet TV, LeftLion (17 July 2024)](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/07/we-spoke-to-charity-shop-sue-creators-dead-sweet-tv-about-comedy-writing-creating-a-lgbtqplus-icon-and-working-with-shane-meadows-and-vicky-mcclure/)\n3. [Charity Shop Sue, TheTVDB](https://thetvdb.com/series/charity-shop-sue)\n4. [Charity Shop Sue, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/charity_shop_sue/)\n5. [Charity Shop Sue, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/charity-shop-sue/5EbE1mxvkPRyfqzOvBqiQ2/)\n6. [Charity Shop Sue YouTube statistics, Social Blade](https://socialblade.com/youtube/handle/charityshopsue)\n7. [Charity Shop Sue (TV Series 2019– ), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11685208)\n8. [INTERVIEW: Social media sensation Charity Shop Sue, I Am Birmingham (12 February 2020)](https://iambirmingham.co.uk/2020/02/12/interview-social-media-sensation-charity-shop-sue-will-return-bulwell/)\n9. [Alida Payson (2022). Makeover welfare: Mary, Queen of Charity Shops and the cultural politics of second-hand under austerity. JOMEC Journal 17.](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/155822/)\n10. [Charity Shop Sue's On Tele, LeftLion (15 March 2018)](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2018/03/charity-shop-sues-on-tele/)\n11. [50 Questions With Charity Shop Sue, AnOther (14 February 2024)](https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15421/50-questions-with-charity-shop-sue-book-interview)\n12. [Selina Mosinski AKA Charity Shop Sue talks Edinburgh Fringe and her new character Randy Cain, LeftLion (10 June 2026)](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2026/06/selina-mosinski-aka-charity-shop-sue-talks-edinburgh-fringe-and-her-new-character-randy-cain/)\n13. [Edinburgh Fringe Q&A – Selina Mosinski, The Sunday Post (20 July 2026)](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/edinburgh-fringe-qa-selina-mosinski/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Charity Shop Sue\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Charity Shop Sue](https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue](https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Charity Shop Sue\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/charity-shop-sue. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Charity Shop Sue, aka Sue Tuke, is the fictional Bulwell, Nottingham charity shop manager played by Selina Mosinski in the 2019 YouTube mockumentary by Dead Sweet TV, later an LGBTQ+ icon and social media star." }