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BBC3's People Like Us isn't real life, it's pantomime poverty BBC3's People Like Us isn't real life, it's pantomime poverty
(7 months later)
There's been a lot of "poverty porn" on TV recently, with varying degrees of quality. The BBC's latest offering People Like Us is filmed in the Manchester district of Harpurhey, one of the most deprived areas in the UK and only 10 minutes up the road from where Shameless was filmed. Fittingly, People Like Us wasn't dissimilar from Shameless's working-class pantomime, but this time the showmakers promised "real reality TV".There's been a lot of "poverty porn" on TV recently, with varying degrees of quality. The BBC's latest offering People Like Us is filmed in the Manchester district of Harpurhey, one of the most deprived areas in the UK and only 10 minutes up the road from where Shameless was filmed. Fittingly, People Like Us wasn't dissimilar from Shameless's working-class pantomime, but this time the showmakers promised "real reality TV".
Presumably what they mean is it's not the semi-scripted fare of The Only Way is Essex or Made in Chelsea but something with another level to it. People Like Us silently draws a dividing line – there's people like them, in Harpurhey, then there's you and me.Presumably what they mean is it's not the semi-scripted fare of The Only Way is Essex or Made in Chelsea but something with another level to it. People Like Us silently draws a dividing line – there's people like them, in Harpurhey, then there's you and me.
I lived in Harpurhey last year, and while I acknowledge it is a very deprived area, it's hard to reconcile the footage with mundane reality. Every ancient stereotype of the working class is endorsed – obesity, sexual deviancy, alcoholism, chain-smoking, and antisocial behaviour.I lived in Harpurhey last year, and while I acknowledge it is a very deprived area, it's hard to reconcile the footage with mundane reality. Every ancient stereotype of the working class is endorsed – obesity, sexual deviancy, alcoholism, chain-smoking, and antisocial behaviour.
The government has failed this community, and it is deeply unfair to then write off the residents and their lives using the same old middle-class narratives assigned to the poor. Incidentally, my flatmate's (very young-looking) pregnant sister was approached in Harpurhey market last year by the People Like Us film crew. They asked how old she was and if she fancied taking part in the programme. When she told them she was 25 they slouched off, disappointed she didn't tick the "teen mum" box they were so obviously after.The government has failed this community, and it is deeply unfair to then write off the residents and their lives using the same old middle-class narratives assigned to the poor. Incidentally, my flatmate's (very young-looking) pregnant sister was approached in Harpurhey market last year by the People Like Us film crew. They asked how old she was and if she fancied taking part in the programme. When she told them she was 25 they slouched off, disappointed she didn't tick the "teen mum" box they were so obviously after.
"People round here might not be the poshest but they're not lacking in spirit," the chummy (northern voice murmured over the opening titles. I don't really care if you get the woman from Two Pints of Lager to narrate it, all you're doing is using a northerner as a mouthpiece to voice southern middle-class prejudices. A lot of the next hour was spent extolling their sense of community, their small but admirable ambitions, their comical promiscuity. In the same way social anthropologists once gawped at tribes in Papua New Guinea, we can now learn (from a safe distance, thank God) about Harpurhey's earnest, simple way of life."People round here might not be the poshest but they're not lacking in spirit," the chummy (northern voice murmured over the opening titles. I don't really care if you get the woman from Two Pints of Lager to narrate it, all you're doing is using a northerner as a mouthpiece to voice southern middle-class prejudices. A lot of the next hour was spent extolling their sense of community, their small but admirable ambitions, their comical promiscuity. In the same way social anthropologists once gawped at tribes in Papua New Guinea, we can now learn (from a safe distance, thank God) about Harpurhey's earnest, simple way of life.
People Like Us is a real step back for BBC3 when only last month they broadcast the excellent two-part documentary Growing Up Poor, which grappled with the same issues but in a much more nuanced manner. Memorably, one girl in the first film was shown speaking reflectively about her behavioural problems – then the director cut to a shot of her kicking off in the middle of the road. It could have been the other way round but the editing was sympathetic without shying away from uncompromising truths.People Like Us is a real step back for BBC3 when only last month they broadcast the excellent two-part documentary Growing Up Poor, which grappled with the same issues but in a much more nuanced manner. Memorably, one girl in the first film was shown speaking reflectively about her behavioural problems – then the director cut to a shot of her kicking off in the middle of the road. It could have been the other way round but the editing was sympathetic without shying away from uncompromising truths.
Many residents of Manchester reacted angrily on Twitter to People Like Us. "We're not all like this from Harpurhey before it comes on, just throwing that out there" said one user, while another tweeted "#peoplelikeus has made everyone in Manchester apart from Harpurhey feel ashamed to be from Manchester". And they're right – this isn't an accurate portrayal of the city, it's Manchester viewed through the same old voyeuristic lens of posh telly-makers. BBC3 is supposed to have a remit to educate young people, but one of the worst side-effects of programmes such as this is that they encourage young viewers to laugh at those less fortunate than themselves. Of course, channels have a duty to entertain too, but in a climate where these people are set to suffer the most under the current government, it feels a tad unethical to use them for laughs on top of everything else.Many residents of Manchester reacted angrily on Twitter to People Like Us. "We're not all like this from Harpurhey before it comes on, just throwing that out there" said one user, while another tweeted "#peoplelikeus has made everyone in Manchester apart from Harpurhey feel ashamed to be from Manchester". And they're right – this isn't an accurate portrayal of the city, it's Manchester viewed through the same old voyeuristic lens of posh telly-makers. BBC3 is supposed to have a remit to educate young people, but one of the worst side-effects of programmes such as this is that they encourage young viewers to laugh at those less fortunate than themselves. Of course, channels have a duty to entertain too, but in a climate where these people are set to suffer the most under the current government, it feels a tad unethical to use them for laughs on top of everything else.
Together with the grimly exploitative Jeremy Kyle Show, programmes like this cut people down to parodies of themselves. If everyone featured in these shows is portrayed as a cartoon character, viewers invest in a falsehood rather than engaging with the real issues that cause class divide in the UK. Maybe the next five episodes will prove me wrong, but for the time being People Like Us is putting up barriers, not smashing them down.Together with the grimly exploitative Jeremy Kyle Show, programmes like this cut people down to parodies of themselves. If everyone featured in these shows is portrayed as a cartoon character, viewers invest in a falsehood rather than engaging with the real issues that cause class divide in the UK. Maybe the next five episodes will prove me wrong, but for the time being People Like Us is putting up barriers, not smashing them down.
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