Plan B Forum

One of the creators of long-running TV hit Midsomer Murders has claimed a key to the show's appeal is its absence of ethnic minorities.

Producer Brian True-May is defiant about the all-white portrayal of rural life in Britain's murder capital and said: "Maybe I'm not politically correct."
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He told Radio Times the ITV1 programs - which have run for 14 series - "wouldn't work" if there was any racial diversity in the village life.

True-May, the program's co-creator who has been with it since day one, said: "We just don't have ethnic minorities involved. Because it wouldn't be the English village with them. It just wouldn't work.

"Suddenly we might be in Slough. Ironically, Causton (one of the main centres of population in the show) is supposed to be Slough. And if you went into Slough you wouldn't see a white face there.

"We're the last bastion of Englishness and I want to keep it that way," he added.

Asked why "Englishness" could not include other races who are well represented in modern society, he said: "Well, it should do, and maybe I'm not politically correct.

"I'm trying to make something that appeals to a certain audience, which seems to succeed. And I don't want to change it."

Midsomer Murders, based on the books by Caroline Graham, was launched in 1997 and has featured 251 deaths, 222 of which were murders.

But True-May said he has not previously been tackled about the program's failure to reflect "cosmopolitan" society.

"It's not British, it's very English. We are a cosmopolitan society in this country, but if you watch Midsomer you wouldn't think so.

"I've never been picked up on that, but quite honestly I wouldn't want to change it," he said.

True-May has also banned swearing, violence and sex scenes from the show, but his idyllic formula does not stop challenging storylines, or other elements of diversity which do not involve ethnicity.

"If it's incest, blackmail, lesbianism, homosexuality ... terrific, put it in, because people can believe that people can murder for any of those reasons," he told Radio Times.

Actor Jason Hughes, who has played the program's DS Jones, said he had pondered why Midsomer continued to have no ethnic minorities.

"I've wondered that myself and I don't know," he said.

"This isn't an urban drama and it isn't about multiculturalism. That's not to say that there isn't a place for multiculturalism in the show. But that's really not up to me to decide. I don't think that we would all suddenly go, 'a black gardener in Midsomer? You can't have that'. I think we'd all go, 'great, fantastic'."

The series returns with a new star, Neil Dudgeon, who has joined the cast as DCI John Barnaby, replacing actor John Nettles (DCI Tom Barnaby) as the central character.

Mirroring the way the program, which is broadcast to 231 territories around the world, avoids portraying racial variation, so ethnic minorities apparently avoid the show. A study in 2006 found to be "strikingly unpopular" with minorities.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv- ... 1bvnn.html

dgs49 wrote:The main characters in all doctor shows are about half "minority," and about the same percentage of male and female homosexuals ....

Midsomer Murders executive producer Brian True-May, who caused a race row with his comments about the ITV1 show's all-white cast, is to step down at the end of the current series.

True-May, who is the creator of the crime drama, was reinstated on the show yesterday following his suspension earlier this month.

But a spokesperson from ITV told the Mirror: 'We understand he will step down from his role on Midsomer Murders at the end of the current production run.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... eries.html

dgs49 wrote:So it is being suggested that this British television program include characters to fill an indefinite quota of ethnic minorities?

Consider,

We have a new crime show in the U.S. that features a beautiful 35-year old woman as the Chief of Police in Chicago.

The main characters in all doctor shows are about half "minority," and about the same percentage of male and female homosexuals, as well as a mandatory interracial couple or two. You know, just like real life. And every Black and female physician is the BEST IN THE WORLD at their specialty. No question.

We have a virtual army of female cops who weigh 118 pounds and can whup any Bad Guy they encounter, regardless of size or apparent strength, usually in less than 20 seconds.

So what's the point of making this Brit program realistic as to demography? The social message is more important than reality.

liberty wrote:A question to any and all: What is the ethnic make up of a typical English village?

liberty wrote:why can’t an actor of another race play a character of another race. I don’t care what the race or gender of an actor is as long as they can pull off a convincing performance. It would be ok with me if a black actor was chosen to play Alexander the great as long he wore enough white face to make it convincing

thestoat wrote:

liberty wrote:A question to any and all: What is the ethnic make up of a typical English village?

Would Americans be a different race to Brits? If so, they do it all the time. If you are just talking about colour defining race then I see obvious problems, which you allude to. If they need to have a black actor play a white person as long as they "wore enough white face to make it convincing" then in that circumstance why not just use a white actor and save the hassle?

Sue U wrote:Ever see Tropic Thunder?


.



That was brilliant, contained the iconic great line;

liberty wrote: John Wayne once played Genghis Khan and I thought it was worth it.

Sean wrote:Robert Downey Jr was accepted in Tropic Thunder as he wasn't playing a black man. He was playing a white man who in turn was playing a black man. It's a bit like a white actor playing Al jolson...