Keeping the ethnic death rate down

[Gob]

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

[Long Run]

Its too bad British crime dramas have taken up the blood and gore of American shows. I used to like the more cerebral approach of the English crime fighters (like Morse). Not that the Brit crime fighters still aren't clever, but there is the Americanized attempt at the shock of violence and the gruesome aftermath. Not sure I get the approach of the Midsomer Murders, but I assume it will be on Netflix instant before long.

[Gob]

I totally agree with you LR. As I said in the past, we're reduced, or rather prefer, watching classic crime, humour etc, on DVD than the shite that's broadcast at the moment.

Can Daisy or RB or Stoat give us a head up on anything good coming out of the UK at present?

[thestoat]

I watch very little TV since I found that since going from 5 channels to 5 million (I only caught up with the new fangled "loads of channels" tech a couple of years ago) I find that we now have 5 million channels of mostly crap.

I was inspired by a BBC production recently describing the origins of the universe and how we actually come from stars (by popular pop star - turned particle physics professor Brian Cox), but unfortunately it had lots of arty pics of him looking out to see, gazing into the sky, contemplating his navel, etc, and found an hour could be condensed into 5 minutes of actual information. I know why they do it and I am not against the concept really - trying to entertain whilst educate - but it isn't for me. (Having said that, it is worth a watch if you like universe type shows - you can get it on iPlayer).

I yearn for the days of Men Behaving Badly and Black Adder ... but maybe they were of their time.

[dgs49]

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.

[loCAtek]

All of the above, exactly why I don't watch television dramas.

[Andrew D]

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

Huh? About half of the main characters in all doctor shows are homosexual? In what country is that true?

Or does this mean that in all doctor shows, about half of the characters who are members of (other) minorities are homosexual? In what country is that true?

[Gob]

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

[rubato]

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.

Oh stop worrying. They always include a raft of stupid people.


yrs,
rubato

[liberty]

A question to any and all: What is the ethnic make up of a typical English village?
And let me ask another question: 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. But instead of doing that they probably would change history and make him a black man.

[thestoat]

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

Is there a typical English village I wonder? In my village (population approx 500) everyone is white Caucasian - mostly English but with quote a few Europeans too (none outside Europe to my knowledge).

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

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?

[liberty]

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?

I believe that there are some differences in genetic make up between American whites and the English. Unless they are recent migrants Americans are more mixed than the English. Most Americans and especially southerners have some black ancestry and virtually all have some Indian ancestry of one tribe or another.

Skin color is not a particularly good indicator of race; The Bushmen of southern Africa are or were a people of brown skin rather than nearly black as in the case of the Bantu. There are many Caucasian groups that have skin that is quit dark in color. The one thing all Caucasians have in common is not their shin color but that their prehistoric ancestors came down form the frozen north. And while I am at it let me say this there is no white race. White is just a term used to refer to people of European ancestry and Europeans are just one small group of Caucasians. And as far as the term Caucasian goes I prefer replacing it with the word Honky, much more descriptive and accurate.

Sometimes an actor brings to a role something other than his appearance, Charisma, stage presence or what ever you want to call it. I can see where it may be useful to mask the ancestry of an actor so that the could play a character of another race. John Wayne once played Genghis Khan and I thought it was worth it.

[Sue U]

Ever see Tropic Thunder?



Hilarious, by the way -- especially Tom Cruise, maybe his finest role.

[Crackpot]

That is a movie gets better on repeated viewings.

[loCAtek]

Ever see Tropic Thunder?


.



That was brilliant, contained the iconic great line;

[Gob]

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

No accounting for taste!

John Wayne (Marion Mitchell Morrison) was the biggest ham ever..

[Sean]

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...

[liberty]

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...

Why does it matter? It is the performance that is important, is it not? Tracey Ullman was a middle aged woman, but she had the ability to convince an audience that she was a five year old girl, I bet she could have done the same thing as a five year old boy.

[Sean]

I agree liberty. Unfortunately the PC brigade (particularly in the UK) insist on black actors playing black characters, indian actors playing indian characters etc...

No more birdie num-num...