Disability Now – Paul Darke

April 1999 TV Review

Mrs Merton and Malcolm (BBC 1, 1/8/15/22 March) is an amazing sitcom in a nightmarish sort of way. Can you imagine the ‘pitch’: it’s a jolly good laugh at a guy with learning difficulties who lives with his not very bright domineering northern mother. Six years of the Disability Programme Unit at the BBC has obviously taught the monolithic corporation we all call the BBC so much! Not.

I had hoped that Channel 4’s ACCESS ALL AREAS season would deliver something original, challenging and accessible. Unfortunately, the season’s programmes subject matter has already been covered in past From the Edge programmes and on Channel 4 itself in previous documentaries.

As for the season – it a week lads! The Half Monty (C4, 4 March) was voyeuristic whilst making any criticism of its subject matter (strippers of restricted growth) seem churlish and dogmatically PC. Penny’s Baby (C4, 6 March), a look at a severely disabled mother’s attempt to stop social services taking her new born baby of off her, was equally simplistic, biased and voyeuristic whilst failing to highlight the illegality of Social Services actions. The Down’s Syndrome (C4, 7 March) highlighted medical discrimination against people with Downs Syndrome whilst What’s So Special about David? (C4, 8 March) covered an equally not unusual case of educational segregation and discrimination against a young lad with Downs Syndrome. Such practices are common, evil and should be deemed abhorrent in a civilised society yet Channel 4 does nothing usually but reinforce such practices the other 51 weeks of the year it broadcasts. A one-off programme / season that is sympathetic is insulting however well made by non-disabled film-makers (access all areas – I think not).

Off Limits: Strong Language (C4, 9 March) was a worthy drama about Deaf identity that would ideally fit a deaf awareness morning education slot; a place I suspect it is destined to end up. Though it was good to see deaf people involved in the production. Freak Out (C4, 12 March) was a clichéd, aggressive in form but not content, male dominated Eurotrash style attempt at disability TV, which had the same stories as past From the Edge’s, only they were louder and less interesting. It was supposed to be ironical in part but the only irony was that the programme was made. When a ‘season’s’ links and trailers are better than the actual contents its time for some new thinking.

On a bright note, From the Edge ended on BBC 2 in March. But, tragically, I fear we are in for another series in the future. Help.

427 Words

Note for Mary Wilkinson:

Channel 4 will probably write a response to this review for the next issue – please let me see it so that I can comment on the comments, for publication.