Disability Now – Paul Darke

May 1999 TV Review

Sixth Happiness (BBC 2, March 21), a rather bizarre BBC film, was about a guy with brittle bones in India with an indiscriminate sexual bent. Disability sexuality is rarely shown so a film with both gay and straight sex was potentially rather fun. Sadly the film was badly directed, badly acted and did not have the courage of its convictions about sexuality. It tried to be funny but it was not half as hysterically funny as Hoddle and the Healer (Channel 4, 23 March) - a one-hour documentary that had the balance of the Titanic as it sank. In examining Glen Hoddle’s relationship with his healer not only was football’s name taken in vain but also the disabled’s.

Designer Babies (BBC1, 7 April), a vacuous glossy magazine of a documentary, continued the marketing campaign for the introduction of genetic engineering and the destruction of disabled people. It effectively did this by creating a selection of nice little scare stories (mutant babies) so that genetics is supported but under the guise of control and consensus – a bit like abortion!

There has been some great comedy on this month featuring disability, a repeat of the Christmas special of Knowing Me Knowing Yule … with Alan Partridge (BBC2, 7 April), Smack the Pony (Channel 4, 9 April, Friday evenings) and Frasier (Channel 4, 9 April – Friday evenings). ‘Alan Partridge’ and Smack the Pony (an all women team) are full of good comic sketches that are astute, well written and have a finely tuned eye for the absurd. And Frasier, with his disabled dad, is always a joy to watch.

Unlike Simon’s Journey (BBC1, 8 April), a pointless piece of hagiography that told us nothing about the real Simon Weston, the severely scare Falklands War hero. It was full of inconsistencies and was so sycophantic that it was embarrassing. Weston said at one point that he did not want to be a stereotype, well, I hope he didn’t watch this documentary about him. Ironside (BBC 1, weekdays) – which is absolutely glorious - has more insight in to the experience of disability in a single episode than Simon’s Journey did.

Finally, there was Rhinoceros (ITV, 11 April), a two hour drama about a lad with learning difficulties who was trying to become independent as his parents fall in love again. I kept thinking it could not have been worse but then it might have been written by the DPU at the BBC. Rhinoceros (thick skin with a small brain!) tried so hard yet was so unaware, misinformed and unrealistic that it became embarrassing.

428 Words