Post by Teddy Bear on Feb 19, 2013 20:23:20 GMT
Not the first time there have been complaints and accusations of a BBC documentary purposefully running down a particular area. They did the same last year and we ran a thread on it here.
One might ask the BBC what is the purpose of these documentaries, and that rather than seeking and airing positive examples found in society they do their best to make it even worse than it is.
One might ask the BBC what is the purpose of these documentaries, and that rather than seeking and airing positive examples found in society they do their best to make it even worse than it is.
'We won't give up until hellhole TV show is axed'
19 Feb 2013 08:42
Hundreds of angry residents blast BBC at public meeting and stars of show say they are 'gutted' at how they have been portrayed
Hundreds of furious Harpurhey residents have called for a BBC to withdraw a documentary they claim makes their area look like a ‘hell-hole’.
More than 200 people turned out at a fiery public meeting held at the North City Library in the wake of growing condemnation of BBC Three series People Like Us.
The meeting heard complaints from dozens of angry residents.
Local councillor Pat Karney led calls for the show to be axed – adding residents would demonstrate outside the corporation’s MediaCity base if they did not get a response.
He said: “We will launch a petition and need as many people as possible to sign it to show how many fantastic people there are in Harpurhey who find this programme unacceptable.
“We want the programme withdrawn and we want to know why public money was used to run down the area of Harpurhey.
“I will ask for the BBC to attend another meeting with the residents and if they refuse we will go to Salford and demonstrate outside the BBC.”
Residents said they had watched in horror as the series focused on a range of negative stereotypes of the area including alcohol abuse, high crime rates and a supposed benefits culture.
The second instalment of the six-part series was shown on Wednesday – pulling in more than a million viewers.
Lisa Walker, who has appeared in both episodes with 19-year-old son Dale, said her family had felt ‘gutted’ by their representation in the show.
Residents attend the meeting in Harpurhey
She said: “They said Dale was unemployed when he is doing a two-year apprenticeship and didn’t mention any of the voluntary work he carries out at the local boxing gym and a local school.
“We weren’t aware the show was going to come across like that and now we’re really worried about what’s going to be in future shows as it’s not the show we were told it was going to be.”
Among other complainants were parents claiming their children had been bullied about living in the area and local estate agents saying clients had pulled out of viewings since the show was broadcast.
Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Broughton, promised to arrange a meeting with Chris Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust, to demand answers from the corporation.
He told residents: “I want to know how much of your money this has cost, why a publicly-funded broadcast has gone to air with so little balance, and how that can be justified.”
19 Feb 2013 08:42
Hundreds of angry residents blast BBC at public meeting and stars of show say they are 'gutted' at how they have been portrayed
Hundreds of furious Harpurhey residents have called for a BBC to withdraw a documentary they claim makes their area look like a ‘hell-hole’.
More than 200 people turned out at a fiery public meeting held at the North City Library in the wake of growing condemnation of BBC Three series People Like Us.
The meeting heard complaints from dozens of angry residents.
Local councillor Pat Karney led calls for the show to be axed – adding residents would demonstrate outside the corporation’s MediaCity base if they did not get a response.
He said: “We will launch a petition and need as many people as possible to sign it to show how many fantastic people there are in Harpurhey who find this programme unacceptable.
“We want the programme withdrawn and we want to know why public money was used to run down the area of Harpurhey.
“I will ask for the BBC to attend another meeting with the residents and if they refuse we will go to Salford and demonstrate outside the BBC.”
Residents said they had watched in horror as the series focused on a range of negative stereotypes of the area including alcohol abuse, high crime rates and a supposed benefits culture.
The second instalment of the six-part series was shown on Wednesday – pulling in more than a million viewers.
Lisa Walker, who has appeared in both episodes with 19-year-old son Dale, said her family had felt ‘gutted’ by their representation in the show.
Residents attend the meeting in Harpurhey
She said: “They said Dale was unemployed when he is doing a two-year apprenticeship and didn’t mention any of the voluntary work he carries out at the local boxing gym and a local school.
“We weren’t aware the show was going to come across like that and now we’re really worried about what’s going to be in future shows as it’s not the show we were told it was going to be.”
Among other complainants were parents claiming their children had been bullied about living in the area and local estate agents saying clients had pulled out of viewings since the show was broadcast.
Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Broughton, promised to arrange a meeting with Chris Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust, to demand answers from the corporation.
He told residents: “I want to know how much of your money this has cost, why a publicly-funded broadcast has gone to air with so little balance, and how that can be justified.”