The latest hit comedy show to make its way to channel 4 from America is ‘Ugly Betty’. This heavily promoted fictional series is set in the world of the high flying fashion industry with the most unlikely of lead stars! Betty Suarez (played by America Ferrera) becomes assistant to Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), the manager of the top fashion magazine ‘Mode’ and soon realises that the only reason she has been taken on is because his father (the owner of the company) wanted him to hire an assistant who he would not be tempted to sleep with.

Betty’s unconventional look, garish braces on her teeth and drastic sense of style mean that she is soon made an outcast in the Mode office but as Daniel and Betty work together they find that they actually make a pretty good team, and for once Daniel Meade may have finally found an assistant that he can truly trust.

And let’s face it, with tough opposition from fellow colleague Wilhelmina Slater and a mystery woman determined to see him fail, Daniel really does need all the help he can get!

Having seen the first two episodes of Ugly Betty I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with the series so far. Actress Salma Hayek is one of the producers on the show, and also has a hilarious cameo role in the soap opera that is always playing in the background on the TV at Betty’s house.

You can tell that Hayek really wants us to like the lovable Betty and you really get the feeling that no matter how much flack this character takes from her fictional workmates she is always going to take the moral high ground and become a much loved asset to the ‘Mode’ team.

I love the way that the show is obviously based around real life magazines like ‘Vogue’ and such, and it does make you wonder if the work environments in the fashion industry actually do have similarities to the world of Ugly Betty.

Another thing that makes the show great for us brits is that there are two of our much loved British actresses starring as key figures in Ugly Betty. Both just happen to have been co stars of the brilliant Ricky Gervaise and have probably been hired due to the popularity of shows like ‘Extras’ and ‘The Office’ in the states currently.

I am curious as to how they are going to keep the show’s fresh and unique appeal without resorting to ridiculous or over the top storylines, as after all, there are only so many laughs to be had at Betty’s expense and hopefully we will see some key plot developments over the next few week to keep us entertained throughout the whole series.

All in all, Ugly Betty looks set to be just as big a hit here in the UK as it has been in the states and I look forward to following it through the next 14 episodes and seeing where the storyline takes us.

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Complete cast list for the TV series Ugly Betty: Alan Dale, America Ferrera, Ana Ortiz, Ashley Jensen, Ava Gaudet, Becki Newton, Brett Cullen, Christopher Gorham, Cicily Daniels, Debi Mazar, Diane Cary, Elizabeth Payne, Eric Mabius, Jill Latiano, Jowharah Jones, Judith Light, Kevin Alejandro, Kevin Sussman, Lucy Davis, Mark Indelicato, Michael Edward Rose, Michael Urie, Rhys Coiro, Sal Landi, Salma Hayek, Stelio Savante, Teddy Sears, Tony Plana, Vanessa Williams.