BBC, Diversity & Inclusion & Doctor Who

Discrimination is Back In The TV Industry

The BBC Doctor Who account posted this:

With zero research into it, I posted the same picture to WhatsApp with the text “Tick”.

Is this bad? I knew nothing about the actor at all but was suspicious of the BBC, whom I have lost complete trust in, seemingly ‘bragging’ - “!Hey, look, we use ‘disabled people’ in our shows!” - pat on the head.

I did not know she was actor Ruth Madeley, BAFTA nominated for best lead actor in something called “Don’t Take My Baby”. I also didn’t know her character Rosie in a show called ‘Years and Years’ wasn't originally written to be a wheelchair user. Yet, after she successfully auditioned for the role, she worked with Russell T. Davies to rewrite her character.

In 2019 she presented a Horizon documentary called “Spina Bifida & Me” - (Jul 26, 2018) Season 55, Episode 4. She’s appeared on The Last Leg three times (of course) and also ‘Celebrity Mastermind’ and ‘Would I Lie To You’.

Now I know these facts - I can safely say none of them have changed my mind about virtue signalling and wokeness in TV land - they’ve reinforced them.

The new episode of Doctor Who will be directed by Rachel Talalllalllalay (pronounced ‘Talalay’)- whose taste in things in films and stuff I respect - but whose directing I don’t. Why? I don’t think she’s earned her stripes - and I am bothered that she is getting flagship TV shows, like Doctor Who, to direct - when there are so many directors out there (whom I feel) are way more qualified and would do a better job.

It just makes me think something’s at play.

Obviously my critisism isn’t that she’s a wheelchair user, it’s that the BBC wants us to know they’ve hired a wheelchair user. Nor is it the casting of a disabled actor… it’s why they are casting a disabled actor. That’s the activism.

The equality vs equity argument is never going to end. I’m against positive discrimination and haven’t heard a reasoned argument for equity (beyond building ramps to buildings etc). It's dishonest and patronising to hire people to make to make those hiring feel better about themselves and not be attacked by the mod.

The BBC's heart is in the right place, it's trying to reflect its audience, but it is failing to admit who its audience is and that 'multi-culturalism' has not panned out quite how they'd like. The BBC should reflect the 'general public' and the 'general public', generally live in their own groups. I dont know why. We just see it. Jerws in Golders Green, Pakistanis in Bradford & Leicester, Gay people in Brighton etc. Its easy to icdentify. Perhaps its for 'protection'? Afterall, these are protected groups. We have 150,000 US born ciotiesans living in the UK - just because they are a minority they arent protected. A Scottish kid moving to a Yorkshire school is likely to me mocked for their 'weird' accent (happened to me). Scottish people arent protected.

How is the BBC representing Scoittish people? They say "Here... here's your own channel (BBC Scotland) and set of programmes". The BBC assumes all Scots live in Scotland. 10% of Scots are conservative voters - should THEY have representation? - More than now or less?

Back to Doctor Who and the casting of a disabled actor... When making a TV show, why is “reflecting” the audience more important than the quality of an actors performance? Wokeism is patronising and wrong. Identity politics in film and media is a disaster for the industry. It’s such a shame. This is why Indiana Jones has been such an awful financial flop: perfect female character knows everything, afraid of nothing saves everyone. 0 growth.

Woke used to be just having an awareness of social justice - but non liberals adopted it as an insult around 2017 (Trump era) : "An oxymoron term used to describe the many indoctrinated & radically left-wing people of today's world who are obsessed with jumping on whatever mainstream bandwagon is necessary to feel included, though ironically being the most intolerant and hypocritical people on the planet."

My issue is that a lot of this 'wokery' is fake.. The BBC doesn't really care about disabled people, just like Costa don't care about Trans people. But they tell you they do, so they don't get cancelled. Cynical? Yes. True? - probably also yes.

Because we've seen this pattern over and over again - it’s reasonable to criticise before seeing a second of footage.. It's the 'business decision' that's being criticised. Not the actor. The actor they've picked for Doctor Who will not read articles about her acting ability unless it's fantastic (and even then the probably won't). Instead the media will write about representation and 'what it's like being a disabled actor'. It's what they talk about on the red carpet all the time. Identity politics over the movies plots of characters.

"I'd watched him on screen, and thought I had the measure of him, until he walked into the room for the Doctor Who audition. Bang! Thunderbolt. ... oh, sod that, I said, and threw it at him"

Now I might be completely wrong as the BBC shows have positioned disabled presenters in shows before - however, how many have been great presenters? Were they the best?

Under the BBC’s discrimination policy nobody will ever know.