Keeping the English countryside white

[sp1814]

Brian True-May the producer of long-running TV hit Midsomer Murders has been suspended after claiming part of the show's appeal was an absence of ethnic minorities

Could this be true? Are there people who will only watch a show if they can be guaranteed an 'all white' cast?

I can't believe that's true. I mean, Downton Abbey wouldn't exactly be realistic with a Muslim housemaid, but I've seen episodes of Poirot and Marple with black characters without feeling the need to switch channels.

Leaving aside this chap's right to air his views (and I disagree with his suspension), SHOULD there be programmes that exclude actors from ethnic minorities?

Should the ban be extended to other minorities (the disabled, gays etc)?

http://www.dailyrecor...ities-86908-22991244/

[modeller]

sp1814 //But as I believe, Midsomer Murders is set in present day England...and is it not true that it's based around the outskirts of Slough, which itself has a real ethnic mix?//
Purely for information .
Slough has an ethnic population of 20% but the Midsommer locations are mainly in the Chilterns the nearest being near Beaconsfield 10 miles away which has a very wealthy ethnic population of less than 1%. Most Chiltern villages have even less.

[sp1814]

I think we should take the Express readers' comments with a pinch of salt. One of them complains about feeling left out of the MOBO awards - kinda sums up the sheer (and there's no other word for it) ignorance of their readership.

[sp1814]

modeller

So to have zero black faces in 15 odd years of Midsomer Murders IS completely incorrect then!

Thanks.

[sp1814]

Just have to show you something from one of the Express readers:

"It all started when the BBC had to have a token black newsreader, Trevor McDonald who tried desperately to adopt an upper class accent so that we would not believe he was black."

Literally the most stupid person in Britain.

[wheaten]

The over-65s in my parents' village (which are most of them) were horrified to learn that their new doctor would be a South-African. Comments were made about 'black-man's magic' with many of them saying they wouldn't visit him. Turns out he is white and they all think he's great! There is a Thai lady living there and they all like her as she makes great food. The village that they live is near where '2000 Acres of Sky' and I don't remember seeing anyone who wasn't white in that, but I may be wrong.

[mightywease]

<<"It all started when the BBC had to have a token black newsreader, Trevor McDonald who tried desperately to adopt an upper class accent so that we would not believe he was black.">>

Oh that is hilarious and so wrong on so many levels - thanks for quoting it sp1814, that has right cheered me up, lol!!

[sp1814]

Sometimes reading through the comments on any piece about gays, blacks or Asians in the right wing press is good for a laugh - and also good for the ego (makes you realise that no matter how dumb one may feel, there's always someone FAR dumber than oneself...

[Xylene]

Taggart is the same. All the murders take place in nice middle class areas and are committed by white professionals. The gay detective has been written out of the new series, they're getting back to reality. More characters will now be wearing the kilt, giving a more up to date image of Glasgow. They also plan to use more English actors when the plot calls for an intelligent and superior type of role.

There are no gays or different cultures

[Zeuhl]

or any Taggart!
.

[anotheoldgit]

Well we have had a black Friar Tuck in TV's Robin Hood.

So In this age of cultural fairness Isn't it not time that a Jack the Ripper series was made, were 'Jack' was a black guy committing knife crimes in London's Tower Hamlets?

Would that be diverse enough, or doesn't it work that way round?

[jackthehat]

Is there any definite evidence that the 'real' Jack the Ripper' wasn't black...........?

Did they ever catch him to find out ?

[sp1814]

AOG

There have been plenty of instances on British television where the bad guy has been black or Asian.

Steve.5 - the point is not the visual representation of the character. Archers fans took the Muslim character on board without fuss...perhaps Brian True-May is projecting his personal stance onto fans of MIdsomer Murders when in fact, they may not share his views?

It appears to be a common trait amongst people with certain 'attitudes'.

[Zeuhl]

Isn't the fundamental point here that Midsomer is meant to be a 'fantasy' rather than a reflection of real life?

The manic murder rate is a constant source of amusement in that small collection of villages populated by people who are wierd and wonderful as well as 'white'.

The point is that Midsomer is an idealised, rather surreal depiction of the archetypal 'English Village' full of archetypal English characters (mostly rather flawed if not downright nasty). As such, I can't see an issue with a Manor House bought by a wealthy black entrepreneur or a local GP played by Meera Syal. But it shouldn't be to make it 'real'. None of it is meant to be.
.

[anotheoldgit]

pixi

Speaking of TV adverts, have you noticed those bed adverts, of which some have a black guy in bed with a white woman?

But you never see a white guy in bed with a black woman, would the blacks never allow this, or are white women much more racial tolerant than their male counterparts?

[Joolee1980]

Several things in this thread are making me crack up. The Express reader quote is priceless. That person really is King or Queen Stupid. Internet comment pages are usually a vehicle for either thick or nasty people to display their ignorance and stupidity but it can occasionally be amusing.

The other funny thing is the way some of us seem to be poised, ready and waiting, to note the appearance of a non-white face in any TV show or advert and immediately yell "Aha! Token black!" or leap up, one finger in the air, and decry it as PC. The things some people devote brain-space to... I've yet to hear any of them actually demonstrate what the problem is with having e.g. a Sikh doctor in a piece of TV fluff like Midsomer.

[Joolee1980]

Zeuhl - "Isn't the fundamental point here that Midsomer is meant to be a 'fantasy' rather than a reflection of real life? The manic murder rate is a constant source of amusement in that small collection of villages " - thank you. I made those very points 2 pages ago but nobody responded to it.