I’ve seen that Liam Neeson film. It was a shocker, even without the cringy addition of the black fiddle player.
I think the question about these performative gestures and ‘interventions’ is this: who is making them and for what audience?
In my opinion the answer in both cases is that it’s overwhelmingly white middle class creative class liberals. The attempt to force black characters into these type of dramas is a symbol, a code, a call out to fellow white middle class liberals.
It’s certainly not done by or for actual black people who are as bemused as the rest of us. It’s doing nothing to build solidarity (and nor is it intended to) and it’s doing nothing to deepen or widen historical contexts or understanding.
I hope that it is dying out as Paul suggests, but the mind virus that produces these risible people remains virulent!
Absolutely right Paul, it IS the white, middle class Liberals and Labour voters. Very easy to see what staggering hypocrites they are when they move home to white areas. They are the worst sort of racists.
Paul, I’m sure the multicultural hucksters that you refer to would be entirely happy with a production of Porgy and Bess starring white folk in the lead roles. Or would they? …
Well said, Paul. It is beyond a joke now, and I turn off immediately when I see this kind of performative nonsense, especially the re-writing of period drama. Who is this meant to serve? We know that there were the odd ethnic characters in 'Society' back in the day, but they were exceedingly rare.
I have been in many bars in Ireland, and never saw a black person once - and that was in a city!
As for the Larkins: they ruined that subtle, gentle, bawdy and lovely family show - turning it into smutty and frankly boring series, not worth a watch. I really like Joanna Scanlan, but she is awful as Ma Larkin.
And this from a commissioning team at the BBC who ssem to be the least diverse bunch of people, as you say.
Interesting that interviewees of colour were as emphatic as those who were white on the issue of forced ethnic diversity. I've heard a few ethnic minority colleagues in the pub after work say that DEI initiatives do them no favours at all, are patronising and lead others to assume that they got to where they are through such "positive discrimination" initiatives rather than through their own hard work.
Good article, Paul. You could've also mentioned the black man that Winston Churchill conversed with on the London Underground in 'Darkest Hour', or the beturbanned Sikh soldier in a British Army truck in '1917'. Literally, as you've described, shoehorned into situations that they just wouldn't have been found in to make a political point.
One of my personal experiences of this was my last trip to see Les Miserables at Norwich Theatre Royal, where Marius was played by an East Asian man and Cosette was played by a black African lady. It greatly spoiled my enjoyment of what is my favourite musical. Not that they weren't very proficient, but that the casting jarred.
When I was at school we were taken to London to see Donald Sinden play Othello in 'Black Face'. I'm glad that we've moved a long way past that but the same should now apply equally in reverse.
I’m so glad to see you speak out on this, Paul. I have said this for a long time. As far as adverts go, one would be forgiven for thinking that there are no married couples of the same ethnicity in this country. I have no problem with mixed marriages being represented but it is the OVERrepresentation that irritates viewers. Indeed, Sarah Pochin made a similar point recently and was roundly criticised. She was telling the truth. I love to watch Bridgerton but it does not reflect how society would have been at that time. The nobility would have been 100% white then. There was also a recent series about Anne Boleyn and, yes, she was played by a black actress. I didn’t watch it because of the anachronism. I’m all for meritocracy but I feel a lot of casting, as your article states, is made, not on grounds of merit, but on grounds of diversity tick boxes and to hell with reality.
I'd be happy though if someone would make a drama series based on genuinely interesting black figures from the British past. I'm thinking of the Regency mainly when you had sufficient variety, from boxers like Bill Richmond to Nathaniel Wells, the Deputy-Lieutenant of Monmouthshire.
I have the ability to identify the occasions when I’m being lectured, manipulated, indoctrinated, gaslit and down right lied to. Now, that either makes me a racist or it makes me much smarter than the average bear. It suits them to label me a racist, rather than label me as someone who knows what they’re doing and refuses to play the game.
"Speaking of the corporation’s executives who commission programmes, one stakeholder told the authors, rather fascinatingly, ‘Every single one of them lives within 15 miles of each other. They go to the same restaurants, and they read the same books. They go to the same plays, and they have the same friends'."
...made me think there's a distinct lack of diversity among executive producers.
I’ve seen that Liam Neeson film. It was a shocker, even without the cringy addition of the black fiddle player.
I think the question about these performative gestures and ‘interventions’ is this: who is making them and for what audience?
In my opinion the answer in both cases is that it’s overwhelmingly white middle class creative class liberals. The attempt to force black characters into these type of dramas is a symbol, a code, a call out to fellow white middle class liberals.
It’s certainly not done by or for actual black people who are as bemused as the rest of us. It’s doing nothing to build solidarity (and nor is it intended to) and it’s doing nothing to deepen or widen historical contexts or understanding.
I hope that it is dying out as Paul suggests, but the mind virus that produces these risible people remains virulent!
Absolutely right Paul, it IS the white, middle class Liberals and Labour voters. Very easy to see what staggering hypocrites they are when they move home to white areas. They are the worst sort of racists.
Liberal progressive yes. But not all Labour voters are in that crowd.
Spot on Tom. Some of us have no truck with the liberals. Or divisive identity politics. Or, for that matter, symbolic capitalism
Great article Paul. Just waiting for the remake of John Wayne's films now........
Historical authenticity matters as much to black people as to white or any other
Paul, I’m sure the multicultural hucksters that you refer to would be entirely happy with a production of Porgy and Bess starring white folk in the lead roles. Or would they? …
Well said, Paul. It is beyond a joke now, and I turn off immediately when I see this kind of performative nonsense, especially the re-writing of period drama. Who is this meant to serve? We know that there were the odd ethnic characters in 'Society' back in the day, but they were exceedingly rare.
I have been in many bars in Ireland, and never saw a black person once - and that was in a city!
As for the Larkins: they ruined that subtle, gentle, bawdy and lovely family show - turning it into smutty and frankly boring series, not worth a watch. I really like Joanna Scanlan, but she is awful as Ma Larkin.
And this from a commissioning team at the BBC who ssem to be the least diverse bunch of people, as you say.
Yes, just stop taking us... of all races and creeds... for fools.
Brilliant article, thank you Paul.
Interesting that interviewees of colour were as emphatic as those who were white on the issue of forced ethnic diversity. I've heard a few ethnic minority colleagues in the pub after work say that DEI initiatives do them no favours at all, are patronising and lead others to assume that they got to where they are through such "positive discrimination" initiatives rather than through their own hard work.
Excellent article. When will the first "racist" label be stuck onto this article by someone who'd rather shut down such an expose rather than read it?
Good article, Paul. You could've also mentioned the black man that Winston Churchill conversed with on the London Underground in 'Darkest Hour', or the beturbanned Sikh soldier in a British Army truck in '1917'. Literally, as you've described, shoehorned into situations that they just wouldn't have been found in to make a political point.
One of my personal experiences of this was my last trip to see Les Miserables at Norwich Theatre Royal, where Marius was played by an East Asian man and Cosette was played by a black African lady. It greatly spoiled my enjoyment of what is my favourite musical. Not that they weren't very proficient, but that the casting jarred.
When I was at school we were taken to London to see Donald Sinden play Othello in 'Black Face'. I'm glad that we've moved a long way past that but the same should now apply equally in reverse.
Nice article Paul.
They’ll be lots of your critics choking on their cornflakes after seeing this! 🤣
Really good article Paul. This is something i have noticed for a long time and it’s cringe and inaccurate.
I’m so glad to see you speak out on this, Paul. I have said this for a long time. As far as adverts go, one would be forgiven for thinking that there are no married couples of the same ethnicity in this country. I have no problem with mixed marriages being represented but it is the OVERrepresentation that irritates viewers. Indeed, Sarah Pochin made a similar point recently and was roundly criticised. She was telling the truth. I love to watch Bridgerton but it does not reflect how society would have been at that time. The nobility would have been 100% white then. There was also a recent series about Anne Boleyn and, yes, she was played by a black actress. I didn’t watch it because of the anachronism. I’m all for meritocracy but I feel a lot of casting, as your article states, is made, not on grounds of merit, but on grounds of diversity tick boxes and to hell with reality.
I'd be happy though if someone would make a drama series based on genuinely interesting black figures from the British past. I'm thinking of the Regency mainly when you had sufficient variety, from boxers like Bill Richmond to Nathaniel Wells, the Deputy-Lieutenant of Monmouthshire.
I have the ability to identify the occasions when I’m being lectured, manipulated, indoctrinated, gaslit and down right lied to. Now, that either makes me a racist or it makes me much smarter than the average bear. It suits them to label me a racist, rather than label me as someone who knows what they’re doing and refuses to play the game.
Reading this sentence...
"Speaking of the corporation’s executives who commission programmes, one stakeholder told the authors, rather fascinatingly, ‘Every single one of them lives within 15 miles of each other. They go to the same restaurants, and they read the same books. They go to the same plays, and they have the same friends'."
...made me think there's a distinct lack of diversity among executive producers.
Maybe that should be addressed?