|
|
 |
Writing the racism storyline - Radio Times, February 2007 |
|
|
|
 |
|
As Life on Mars tackles racial prejudice, series co-creator Matthew Graham tells Benji Wilson how its writers strove to be realistic without being offensive.
On holding back the racism storyline
"It was obviously a storyline that
we all talked about and were heavily
involved in right from the start. In series
one we consciously avoided some
of those issues, because we were
worried about just tackling a
different 70s prejudice every week.
"With series two we've realised that the
show is quite robust, and we can start
to be a bit more accurate in our
portrayal of the prejudices - whereas
in series one we were just worried that
no-one would like our characters. I
mean, God - we were worried that
no-one would like them because they
were wearing too much brown!"
On how black DC Glenn Fletcher reacts to his colleagues' taunts
"Of course
he hates the
remarks, but
what he really
hates is not
being accepted.
Accepting the
jibes is a way of being accepted."
On broadening the scope of the storyline
"The
idea was not to tell a story about
racism, but to tell a story about
racial laziness. The truth is that Hunt and
Carling would probably be much
more overtly and nastily racist, but
we don't want mainstream drama
characters to be like that, so we tried
to put in racial assumptions. We're
not just looking at the obvious world
of racism; we're exploring the
complexities of the world and the
assumptions made. It's dangerous
territory for us - I'll be fascinated to
see how the general public take to it."
"In dramas, stories about
racial abuse often
end up demeaning
black characters.
They just become
defined by being
abused. We've
taken it out of that
arena, made the
racism an example
of Fletcher not
having enough respect for himself."
"Ultimately, it's not about race. It's about morality.
Sam says, 'One day a young copper
is going to look to you for principles.
You need to start deciding what sort
of man you're going to be.'"
**
Now take a look at our full Life on Mars guide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Advertiser link |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| EMAIL A FRIEND |
|
| Want to share this page with a friend? It's quick and easy! |
| Email a friend |
|
|
|
|
|
