The Critics Are At It...Again

Following the 7 million ratings second episode of Channel 4's Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, I read some bizarre reviews to what I think is an enlightening programme. Critics sometimes don't 'get the message', but instead choose to scrutinize the less important details.

The views of Shelagh Fogarty, BBC presenter on the Nicky Campbell Radio Five show, were not unlike what most audience, including myself thought of the episode:

“I was astonished to see six-year-old girls in boob tubes, miniskirts, high heels and more make-up than you could shake a stick at, receiving communion for the first time in their lives. It seemed so bizarre.”

Another critic, who I think missed the bigger picture, wrote: “This week, we had little girls with the carefully honed hip movements of thirty-year-old prostitutes.”

The most astonishing aspect of the programme was not the midrif bearing 8 year-olds or the costumes (though that is a close second) instead, it was the fact that a community of people were forced out of their homes. They were forced out of homes they built, on land they paid good money for because they failed to get planning permits.

The travellers (as they preffered to be called) were refused these permits too many times to ignore the fact that they were being discriminated against. Another shocking matter is that the council did not offer them alternative homes or a solution to their problem. Instead families: young and old, were cast on the streets and those that prosted were literally dragged out of the way. It seems the world is apparently still not very tolerant.

I especially found the programme interesting because it opened the window to a subculture I otherwise would have none little or nothing aboout. Whether Chanel 4 had the same incentive or not, people are still watching.