Why does the UK TV industry either typecast people of colour or simply pretend they don't exist?
I am a HUGE fan of Motherland the British television sitcom set in London, which examines the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood. Haven't we all been there! Is it really possible to strike a balance between working and parenting young children without the guilt, pressure, tears and STRESS? The strain of actually trying hard to have a career that eludes you at every twist and turn. Some women do it, I don’t know how- but they do.
Season 1 is a knockout piece of comedic art, but season 2 sees the arrival of a new black lead role called Meg, a high-flying businesswoman with five children and a sexy silver-fox husband. Meg is in your face, brash, gregarious, loud- over the top. All good! But the disappointment for me is that the writers didn’t include a modicum of black culture or black femininity to diversify the humour- missed opportunity. Instead Meg waded from episode to episode with the most bizarre behaviour.
Episode 1 entitled ‘No mum left behind’ is probably the worse depiction of a woman- much less black woman I’ve seen this decade. While out on the town Meg knocks back drinks, kisses different people in a bar, vomits, tries to wee in public, she bangs on the door of a bus then shows her bra to the driver. Flashes to the public from the top of the bus before falling down the stairs backwards in search of Tequila. After being taken home she screams through the house ‘get me booze’ late at night when her family are sleeping. She is locked in a bathroom while the cast repeatedly call her a ‘Monster’. She finally escapes and is chased around pushing over friends before finally jumping out the window to go back out on the town. Ummmm
In series 5 called 'Le weekend' Meg elects to bring drugs to the holiday cottage where everyone will be staying along with her husband and children. For me it was the strangest thing. I felt so invisible. I assume the part was written not with a ‘black female’ in mind, so on the one hand I am delighted Tanya Moodie got a role that was not type casted or stereotypical. Much like the role of Luther with Idris Elba- on some level it is nice that actors can get roles based on their ability to do the job. But for me on a slightly deeper level I honestly feel that it is a missed opportunity to diversify the writing team to bring in not only a splash of cultural competency, but to broaden the humour to appeal to a more varied audience. They don’t see us springs to mind when you watch a black woman on TV with literally no essence of who we are or what we share in common. I’m not hating- just saying DO BETTER
Images found in google