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Midsomers Murders

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anotheoldgit | 11:06 Sun 20th Mar 2011 | News
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http://tinyurl.com/679tuz9

At last they have found one, will their new series become like a 'where's wally' competition.

Maybe the BBC should now also extend it to their 'Proms' coverage,. because I think it would also be very difficult to find a black person amongst that audience.
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Don't know what the fuss is about cos he's probably right - just some things and some places you don't see non white people. I've recently moved from just outside London where there was a mix of all types, but I've been here 3 months and all I've seen is white people.
I agree with you Postdog, but it's the PC brigade on the march again. There are plenty of rural villages with just white people living in them, just as there are plenty of areas in some cities with no white people at all. To me a person is a person and I don't really pay any attention to their colour. It's only when 'news' items that this come up that I stop to notice.
I don't think it matters whether there's real villages with non-English residents or not. The program is set in a fantasy world - a sort of Agatha Christie world with modern cars and phones. To complain about the lack of immigrants or non-whites is nonsense, as silly as complaining that there are no Daleks in Star Trek, or no Hobbits in Harry Potter.
Just shows what a complete fool True-May is.

Fingers crossed this ruins his career.
He should simply have kept his mouth shut.
What makes him foolish sp?

He has been the producer of a highly successful TV series for some years. He is of the opinion (and he would probably know better than most) that the series would not work quite so well as it does if non-white people were featured.

There are plenty of places in the UK where only white faces are usually seen. But that is not the point. As has been mentioned, it is a drama, a fiction, a story. It does not have to reflect real life in any particular part of the country any more than any other fiction does. Some producers try to get their programmes to reflect reality. That is their prerogative and they obviously do so because they think it will work best for their production.

Whilst Mr True-May’s views may not accord with the current liberal doctrine, but they are his views of his production (which it has to be said is very successful). That does not make him foolish.
People like True-May make me sick to my stomach, and so do their apologists.

What he is saying to every black and Asian actor in the country is 'You are not English, and therefore, I am segregating you out of my show.

The fact that he thinks that is bad enough, but to actually say it out loud makes him a fool - because he's created a massive news story for no reason.

How dare anyone dispute my Englishness.

Infuriating.
If you look back through my previous posts, I think you'll find that my anti-racist credentials are pretty strong. But to accuse True-May of racism is, as I said, nonsensical.

Casting a show is about selecting actors that fit the scenario, so there will always be actors (of any ethnic type) who don't get cast in a particular show simply because they don't fit, regardless of their talent - they might be too short, too tall, to fat, to thin, to handsome, too ugly.
Let’s just have an unhysterical look at what Mr. True-May said:

"We just don't have ethnic minorities involved. Because it wouldn't be the English village with them. It just wouldn't work. We're the last bastion of Englishness and I want to keep it that way"

His view is that the population of many English villages (especially those featured in his series) is predominantly if not exclusively white. He has chosen to make that a feature of his series. Many white people (including some actors, no doubt) live in India. But you will not see too many white faces in Bollywood films. This is simply because the producers have chosen to depict their locations as being populated solely by Asians. Nothing wrong with that.

Mr. True-May obviously likes Englishness. He has his own image of Englishness and it does not include non-white people. His casting does not discriminate against non-white people as he has no non-white roles to cast. That is his choice and I would suggest, sp, that if people with different opinions to yours (however unpalatable you may find them) make you “sick to the stomach” then you are just as intolerant as the bigots among whom you are trying to place Mr. True-May.
New Judge

I only hate bigots.

Exclusively. They deserve nothing but contempt because they screw up itheR people's lives.

If English villages are mostly, but not exclusively White, then why has this fool got a rule that NO black faces should be shown on the programme?

Why 100% White?

When casting for a lorry driver, holiday-maker, school teacher or some other minor character, does the production notes say - "Must be White"? If so, why?

If a black actor came in to read for a role as a nurse, and she was much better than a White actress, are you saying the White actress should be given preferential treatment?

Isn't that racism in it's oust form.

Lastly, yes - I am proud to be intolerant of bigots and racists. I hate them with all my heart for the sh!t they spread around the world. I grew up with people like that.

You would never understand where I'm coming from. I do not blame you for that.
One union rep from London who happened to be black went to the annual conference in Scarborough. He came home early because he felt uncomfortable as he appeared to be the only black person in the town and thought people were staring at him.......
sp1814, I have been reading some chatrooms on this subject and a curious thing has been claimed by fans of MM: that there have indeed been (minor) non-white characters in it. Seemingly, nobody noticed - not even the producer. In which case you'd have to say things are as they should be.

If this is correct, then I don't know whether we should call True-May a racist for not noticing - or a non-racist for not noticing. Any thoughts?
if the ethnic minority actors (or scots/irish and welsh for that matter) were shoe-horned into the programme merely to play shop keepers and doctors would THAT be stereotyping? and if they were victims or perpetrators would THAT be?

* wonders *
We're not talking about shoe-horning.

We're talking about NOT banning them.
Maybe they will do something about the Notting Hill Carnival. "Spot the white person?"

All very silly and I love the Matt cartoon with the sheep - one black one in the drawing and the caption of "I'm afraid that you don't get a part in Midsomer Murders"
SP1814 You say "I only hate bigots."

A typical sign of bigotry is refusal to engage with other points of view - which (disappointingly) is what you seem to be doing. Just endlessly reiterating the same thing.
The thing is that True-May's argument about not including non whites in his production is that ' it wouldn't be an English village if they were there'. Well sorry but I've lived in affluent rural England for a very long time (Warwickshire / Worcestershire/ Herefordhsire) and I cant think of a single village around here that doesn't have black or Asian inhabitants and hasn't had for the last 20 or so years. For sure they are in the minority but they DO exist, therefore Mr True-May hiding behind rhetoric like ' it would be unreal' just doesn't wash- and THAT is why he's verging on the fringes of, if not right in the middle of, being a galloping racist.
He simply does not want any non-white people in his drama productions. SImples! In the same way that the MOBO awards feature exclusively black people as the participants (and I don't remember any complaints) MM features exclusively white people.

A large number of people like it that way. No sp, I do not understand where you are coming from. You and the politically correct mafia are making an issue where there is not one. Nobody is being harmed. A few people seem offended but that's all. Lots of things offend me but I just keep calm and carry on. You must allow people to do what they want sometimes even if you do not like it.
Maybe non-white people are not murdered in rural Middle England in the numbers that True-May would like..............if they carry on in Midsomer as to form, there will only be them left as residents though.
Typical Human rights nonesense at work again, stirring something up. The programme is a favourite for many people, if it ain't broke don't fix it. There are several other English (with a capital 'E') programmes that do not need the presence of the token coloured persons. Why all the hoohah? Why castigate someone for wanting to portray the series as he sees it.

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