Shannon Mathews' Mother and Uncle Found Guilty

[Champ]

Does amuse me how the working class are depicted in these things, although I'm not denying Matthews for one second was a scummer, but even so there's something of a 'day out at the zoo' feel about these shows, as is the likes of the Jeremy Kyle Show. Meanwhile, Nigella Lawson snorts coke while her kids are in bed and David Cameron leaves his daughter in the boozer. And as for the McCalister family, bloody hell.

You have a more generous sense of humour than me

[Dougie Do'ins]

You just fancy Sheridan Smith!

Check the amnesty thread. Go back a few years though.

[Strontium]

Does amuse me how the working class are depicted in these things

Were they working class? I'm not sure any of them worked. More like feral underclass.

[Captain Turdseye]

Sheridan Smith bummed a smoke off me when I was about 13. She was bang tidy back then. Ralf Little was a bit of a nonce.

[VladimirIlyich]

Were they working class? I'm not sure any of them worked. More like feral underclass.

Feral underclass? How liberal of you.

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Does amuse me how the working class are depicted in these things, although I'm not denying Matthews for one second was a scummer, but even so there's something of a 'day out at the zoo' feel about these shows, as is the likes of the Jeremy Kyle Show. Meanwhile, Nigella Lawson snorts coke while her kids are in bed and David Cameron leaves his daughter in the boozer. And as for the McCalister family, bloody hell.

Slightly torn with this as I take your point but to be quite frank I don't know what aspect of that council estate depictaction you could question. In almost all my experience growing up around estates like that with some none working families that is EXACTLY what it was like.

[Stickman]

Still think it's class how Mike Donovan changed his name by deed poll because he was a fan of V. I did genuine ask about doing that when I was six. My mum rejected the notion of 'Ham Tyler' instantly.

 

 

That's kinda where the similarity ends....One's a leader of the LA resistance to an Alien invasion the other is a child kidnapper who was described as an oddball and weirdo.....

Now which one is which????

 

 

[The Woolster]

Nah, I dont think so. It just doesnt sit right with me airing this when Shannon isnt old enough to give consent to it being made.

 

I half watched the 2nd episode as the missus had it on, but that was my thoughts on it. And not just Shannon, but this could effect her  siblings too

[Strontium]

Feral underclass? How liberal of you.

You don't know what liberal means, I get that already. No need to keep driving the point home.

[Champ]

I half watched the 2nd episode as the missus had it on, but that was my thoughts on it. And not just Shannon, but this could effect her siblings too

And loads of others. It all just feels a bit like 'let's look at the poor people'

 

I wonder when we can look forward to 'The Friends of the McCanns, a fascinating insight into how the other families who went on that fated trip dealt with Madeleine's disappearance'

 

Now, that I would like to see

[Lee909]

How dare you

Who could have though drugging a child and leaving them to sleep while you leave the house for dinner could be dangerous

[Champ]

How dare you

Who could have though drugging a child and leaving them to sleep while you leave the house for dinner could be dangerous

And then agreed never to speak about it again?

 

In fact, Dave should probably delete this before we're all dragged through the courts

[Stickman]

And loads of others. It all just feels a bit like 'let's look at the poor people'

 

I wonder when we can look forward to 'The Friends of the McCanns, a fascinating insight into how the other families who went on that fated trip dealt with Madeleine's disappearance'

 

Now, that I would like to see

 

 

Good article by Brian Reade echoing your thoughts...

 

BBC drama The Moorside kicks Shannon Matthews' family when it's down

 

I’d love to have heard how the TV executives, keen to make a ratings winner about the reviled mother who faked the abduction of her own child, tried to justify it.

 

I’d love to have been present at the BBC meeting which gave the go-ahead for the Shannon Matthews drama, The Moorside .

I’d love to have heard how the executives, keen to make a ratings winner about the reviled mother who faked the abduction of her own child, tried to justify it.

 

 

 

Maybe one played devil’s advocate, and told them: “Matthews has served her time and is trying to rebuild her life, what if she gets vile abuse and death threats?”, only to be told by the ratings chasers that the country has her down as a scummy chav, so it won’t rebound on them.

 

“What about Shannon, who’s a ­vulnerable teenager with a new identity? This will be devastating for her.”

Well let’s not make it about her. Only show her briefly. Let’s spin it as a drama about the salt-of-the-earth neighbours who rallied to her cause.

“Yes, but when it happened they were portrayed as a feckless, feral underclass, epitomising Broken Britain. Why bring all that up again?”

Well it won’t be us that brings it up, will it?

 

“Shall we speak to Shannon and close relatives like her grandparents to see if they approve of us telling her story?”

No. Anything else? Good. Then let’s go make it, darlings.

 

Which they did. And 7.2 million watched. And Karen Matthews was bombarded with death threats and now fears for her life.

And a national paper ran an article headlined “The dark side of Moorside” regurgitating tales of an estate “like Beirut, only worse” full of benefits claimants, electronic tag wearers, car thieves and drunks.

And Shannon’s grandparents June and Gordon unleashed their anger, saying: “She deserves to live her life in peace. What happened to her was a trauma, a tragedy. It is sick and disgusting that it is being turned into a TV show. It isn’t entertainment.”

Well, her story clearly is to people in BBC drama, who maybe envy the ratings drawn by shows like Benefits Street and decided to grab a piece of the poverty porn action.

I’m all for hard-hitting, working-class dramas, but this seems far too close to the events. And it reeks of moral cowardice in the face of easy targets they knew were powerless to fight back.

 

Would the BBC commission, so soon, a drama about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann ? I doubt it. If they had, would they have done it without consulting the empowered middle-class McCanns? Never.

It was noticeable when aristocrat socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson died this week that tributes portrayed her as “a troubled woman who had it all, but whose demons made her make the wrong choices”.

You could argue, that as vile and ­unforgivable as Matthews’ crime was, she’s “a troubled woman who had sod all, but whose demons made her make the wrong choices.”

 

Yet how soon after TPT’s death would the BBC do a gratuitous drama about her at times sordid life, knowing it would bring pain to her friends and ­relatives, notably her close family friend, Prince Charles?

How would a TV exec react if a writer suggests: “Maybe we can have a young Harry and Wills playing at Highgrove when Tara staggers into the room with a globule of coke dangling from her nose?”

I’m guessing they’d erupt with laughter and boot the writer out of their office with the words “how on God’s earth would we get that past the BBC board, darling”.

Ah well. Maybe in Broken Britain, that’s the difference between the It Girls and the Sh** Girls.

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bbc-drama-moorside-kicks-shannon-9794673

 

 

 

 

[Champ]

I promise I hadn't seen that before writing my post

[Stickman]

I promise I hadn't seen that before writing my post

 

 

I believe you Champ, although I've never seen you and Readey in the same room at the same time.....

[cloggypop]

And then agreed never to speak about it again?

 

In fact, Dave should probably delete this before we're all dragged through the courts

They lost a libel case the other week. I doubt they can afford another one right now.

[Strontium]

Brian Reade's slow slide into self-parody is now complete.

 

The only responsibility that someone dramatising real-life events has is a responsibility to tell the truth.

 

Not to mention, the man is a tabloid journalist! He works for an organ that, every single day of its existence, is reporting on actual events, no doubt to the embarrassment and detriment of many of the people whose deeds it covers.

 

My advice to anyone who doesn't want their bad deeds immortalised in drama is to not do bad deeds in the first place.

[The Woolster]

What were Shannon's bad deeds?

 

I think when some of the people involved are still in their teens then they have more responsibility than just telling the truth

[Bjornebye]

Brian Reade's slow slide into self-parody is now complete.

 

The only responsibility that someone dramatising real-life events has is a responsibility to tell the truth.

 

Not to mention, the man is a tabloid journalist! He works for an organ that, every single day of its existence, is reporting on actual events, no doubt to the embarrassment and detriment of many of the people whose deeds it covers.

 

My advice to anyone who doesn't want their bad deeds immortalised in drama is to not do bad deeds in the first place.

Wow talk about completely missing the point

[Strontium]

What were Shannon's bad deeds?

 

I wasn't aware she had any.

 

Since she's now living under a different name, and entitled to the lifelong anonymity that comes with it, it's hard to believe a dramatisation of these events would have an appreciable impact upon her.

[Dougie Do'ins]

I wasn't aware she had any.

 

Since she's now living under a different name, and entitled to the lifelong anonymity that comes with it, it's hard to believe a dramatisation of these events would have an appreciable impact upon her.

Yeah because the memories and effects of what happened to her have all been magicked away.

[Champ]

I wasn't aware she had any.

 

Since she's now living under a different name, and entitled to the lifelong anonymity that comes with it, it's hard to believe a dramatisation of these events would have an appreciable impact upon her.

You aren't actually being serious, are you?

[Bjornebye]

You aren't actually being serious, are you?

He is. It's staggering

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

He is. It's staggering

No he's not. He's bored and wants attention. Again. Again, again.

[Strontium]

You aren't actually being serious, are you?

Why wouldn't I be?

 

If it was me, I would thank my lucky stars it happened. She now has a chance of doing something with her life.