News

Quality of BBC drama "should be toned down", say licence fee-payers

Ed Williamson

17th January 2013

BBC drama Ripper Street faces a backlash from licence fee-payers, who complain that its focus on being really quite good is gratuitous and inappropriate given its airtime.

Viewers have been vocal in their criticism of the BBC's Victorian crime drama Ripper Street, expressing concern and offence.

One letter read:

"
"
I was deeply shocked by your decision to air Ripper Street on Sunday night.

It is simply not appropriate for a publicly-funded broadcaster to develop intelligent and gripping television drama. My husband and I were appalled at the constant stream of engaging and believable characters paraded across the screen, not to mention the decision to portray Victorian women as anything other than one-dimensional downtrodden prostitutes.

I suggest you focus on crime fiction more in-keeping with the tastes of the ordinary licence fee-payer, perhaps involving an unseen and non-bloody murder in a rural vicarage, which is later solved by a nice old lady who drinks a lot of tea.

P.S. Something something political correctness.

The Ripper Street cast, widely criticised for their offensive portrayals of policemen with complex moral codes.


Star Matthew Macfadyen issued an apology through his publicist.

"
"
It is now clear to me that we have overstepped the mark with Ripper Street, and that that is unacceptable given the public service remit of the BBC.

For my own part, I became unforgivably preoccupied with the idea that my character might express more emotional depth than a pair of gardening gloves, and took the decision to invest him with a degree of melancholic guilt fused with bruised professional pride. I now accept this was a misjudgement.

Our remaining episodes will focus more on the antics of cheeky but loveable Victorian street urchins, and contain more songs.
Coming so soon after the revelation last week that the recycling bins weren't emptied at Broadcasting House on Thursday, speculation continued to mount that whoever's in charge at the BBC at the moment would have to resign.

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