Wednesday 19 December 2012

My personal highlights of the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London

On arrival at the National Gallery in London, an incredible building in itself with its famous columns and steps, I was offered the opportunity to hire an audio guide for the duration of my visit. The audio guide, incidentally, is well worth getting. For just £3.50 (£2.50 for concessions) you are given commentary on most of the sights that the National Gallery has to offer. This was, for me, well worth the money since the admission is free in the first place. The guide came with a leaflet taking you through a 60-minute quick tour of the highlights of the gallery’s exhibits. This leaflet, however, I would ignore entirely.

Well perhaps ‘entirely’ is unfair. It certainly tells you where to find the works of the biggest names and the paintings which we have all seen in countless reproductions. If these famous ‘masterpieces’ are what interest you then the leaflet gives you a great route through the gallery.

The Caravaggio on display, The Supper at Emmaus, is as technically brilliant as all of his works, but as the daughter of a seasoned Caravaggio enthusiast I have seen his works exhibited all over the world, and I think it is safe to say that the National Gallery does not possess one of his greatest.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: 'The Supper at Emmaus'

It is of course amazing to see such iconic works as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in their original form; they almost always surpass expectations. I am not personally a huge fan of Van Gogh in general and it certainly wasn’t his sunflowers which caught my gaze. Instead I was much more attracted to his still life of Two Crabs whose orange shells set against a brilliant blue-green background really appealed to me. It seemed to display much more technical skilled than his other works.
Vincent van Gogh: 'Two Crabs'

Of all the ‘big names’ on display though, it was Rousseau’s Surprised! which really blew me away. The famous tiger in the jungle is so much bigger than I have ever imagined and therefore much more impressive. The lashing rain and the tropical storm in the background are much more obvious in the original and really add an extra dimension to the painting.

Henri Rousseau: 'Surprised!'

For me though, part of the beauty of wandering around an art gallery is the waiting for something to catch your eye and to surprise you. It was the pictures I’ve never seen before, by artists I’ve never heard of which I found the most exciting. If you let yourself wander out of the main network of rooms and inter the smaller corners of the gallery you will find the small closet-like spaces in which hang just 4 or 5 paintings. Tucked away in these corners you’ll find some real treasures and the peace and quiet to really enjoy them.

Shown below are just a few of my personal highlights of the National Gallery and are in my opinion well worth a visit. Most of them also have an audio guide entry which will explain the painting and the artists in more detail than the paper plaques next to the pieces themselves.

Théo van Rysselberghe: 'Coastal Scene'



Francisco de Zurbarán: 'Saint Margaret of Antioch'



John Constable: 'Cenotaph to the Memory of Sir Joshua Reynolds'



Camille Pissarro: 'The Louvre under Snow'


Monday 27 August 2012

Apethorpe Library

This small village has its library inside an old telephone box. I want one!!!

Sunday 26 August 2012

'The Comedy of Errors', RSC, Stratford-Upon-Avon - 25th August 2012


Having never read, studied or watched the play before there was very little that I knew about it before walking into the theatre last night to watch the RSC’s current production of ‘The Comedy of Errors’. This meant that I had no preconceived notion of how the play should have been done and no benchmark to compare the production to. I was a very impressionable audience member but I feel that even a lover of the play as a text and as a production could not help but fall in love with this production.
I was blown away by the set. The RSC’s imagination seems to know no bounds and they have made no exception for this production. A huge rusty crane hangs over the stage and parts of the stalls way up in the gods and the front part of the stage contains real water with broken decking around the edges. Barrels, crates and sacks completed the illusion of the busy dockyard and Dromio and Antipholus’s (of Syracuse) first entrance was made inside a crate which came swinging along the crane and was dropped on to the stage.
I think plays are made by their openings. You can tell whether a production is going to be good or great within the first few seconds. This particular production of Shakespeare’s comedy opened in complete darkness, you could hear movement on stage but it was impossible to see where the actors were. When the lights went up, Egeon’s head was being forcibly held under 6 inches of water in a fish tank by an armed guard. It was one of the most striking openings to a play I have seen in a long time and from that moment on, I knew that this production would be one I would not regret seeing.
The acting was exceptional as always, both sets of twins were fantastic but special mention has to go to the two Dromios, played by Felix Hayes and Bruce Mackinnon, who not only looked incredibly similar (all credit to the wardrobe department) but all of their movements and characteristics were mirrored by each other to the extent that context alone told the audience which one was which. Jonathan Slinger, an actor who has bowled me over dozens of times in his performances at the RSC, appeared on stage for all of 3 minutes but was utterly fanastic (as ever) in his role as sadistic Dr Pinch, sent to cure Antipholus and Dromio of their ‘madness’. The sparks flying from the jump leads used to electrocute the protagonists made for a horrifying concept, the execution however was incredibly funny, with some ridiculous reactions from Felix Hayes and Stephen Hagan. My highlight of the show however had to be Kirsty Bushell’s portrayal of Adrianna. Her performance flicked between crazed eccentricity, hopeless desperation, violent rage and giddy delusion to create a character which was utterly compelling to watch.
All in all, this is a fantastic production and definitely worth a watch. So maybe the stage violence is completely unbelievable at times and it is slightly hard to believe that the two Anitpholus’s are even related, let alone identical twins but the acting is incredible, the set is stunning and the production will have you laughing from beginning to end. 

Thursday 19 July 2012

The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde


Regular readers of my blog might have noticed that I am a rather large fan of Jasper Fforde and his work. A while ago I reviewed his dystopian novel ‘Shades of Grey’ and I also wrote an article about his recent talk on his latest book launch for ‘The Woman Who Died A Lot’. I think it is therefore safe to say that I already had a fairly high expectation of the seventh instalment of Thursday Next’s adventure, well before it was released.
As a general rule, I tend to try to avoid hype surrounding popular culture. Whether it’s the latest Spiderman film or a certain current bestseller, I find that they rarely live up to expectation. The hype I was subjected to surrounding Fforde’s latest work was, however, entirely self-induced so there was no getting rid of it! But I am pleased to announce that Mr Fforde easily stepped up to the benchmark of his other novels and eagerly surpassed it.
Whilst listening to his talk at his book launch last week, a few things he announced initially set alarm bells ringing in my head. I thought that four plot threads might have been just one too many; Fforde’s dreamt up worlds and scenarios often require concentration and a pinch of salt at the best of times without extra storylines to handle. And I was worried that moving Thursday back away from the Bookworld would detract from the wonderful realm which Fforde has worked so hard to create so beautifully artistically. I thought I would miss the unending literary allusions and cultural references.
I needn’t have worried though. What I got when I opened the cover was probably the most exciting and entertaining instalment of Thursday’s life so far. The concentration of the storylines (all four of them)  in and around the family home in Swindon and Thursday and Landen’s two teenage children adds a warm reality to the novel, making all the deranged theories of ‘madeupions’, ‘mnenomorphs’ and smitings that little bit more credible. And Thursday is of course stationed in the next best place to Bookworld; a library.
And yet the tone of credibility which Fforde adds to this novel doesn’t detract from the sense of the ludicrously ridiculous which he establishes in all of his novels. The ideas of synthetic humans designed to have superpowers but to live only for one day and that the exact location of a smiting can be calculated according to precisely how much sin is concentrated in the area are utterly ridiculous and yet utterly ingenious. There are many more treats of this nature embedded throughout ‘The Woman Who Died A Lot’. And these treats are exactly why losing yourself in one of Fforde’s novels is always such a delight! So savour them, ration your reading, otherwise you’ll only want to start over and read the whole thing again, as soon as you’ve read the last word.
I eagerly await Thursday’s return, at some point in the future , in ‘Dark Reading Matter’. 

Monday 16 July 2012

#bookbread

Today on twitter, #bookbread is trending. I've had great fun coming up with a dough-y twist on classic literature. Here are a few titles I've managed to modify:

Brighton Roll - Graham Greene
The Hound of the Bakervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle
A-scone-ment - Ian McEwan
The Rye Who Loved Me - Ian Flemming
The Hitchhiker's guide to the Granary - Douglas Adams
Batch 22 - Joseph Heller
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Scone - JK Roll-ing
Scone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell

For further altered titles, check out #bookbread on twitter. Feel free to comment below if you have any more ideas!!

Friday 13 July 2012

Jasper FForde Speaks – Waterstones, New Street, Birmingham


Jasper FForde’s new novel ‘The Woman Who Died A Lot’ came out yesterday and Mr Fforde is touring bookshops across the country in order to promote it. The book forms the seventh instalment the series starring Thursday Next, a literary detective in a parallel universe where time travel was possible, dodos have been brought back from extinction and physics is rather different. This particular chapter of the story apparently brings us more delights, such as the rise of Yo Toast outlets, the smiting of cities by an angry deity, some rather feisty librarians with the power to conduct dawn raids to holders of overdue books and ornamental hermits. The novel moves away from Bookworld and instead the action takes place in Swindon, Thursday’s home town and the action focuses more closely on her family life.
Fforde’s talk was brilliant; he is an erudite and articulate speaker with a fascinating mind. He spoke of his methods of writing, which unlike authors who meticulously plan their work, centre around a series of ‘narrative dares’, Fforde explains these to be the literary equivalent of how Scottish cuisine is built upon a foundation of culinary dares. He told us avid readers that in such times of austerity as we find ourselves in today, he wanted to give something back as an author, and so incorporated an extra plot thread into this new novel, absolutely free! This means that ‘The Woman Who Died A Lot’ (a title which may sound strange, but Fforde is extremely proud of) deals with no less than 4 simultaneous main storylines, which ensure that the book promises to be just as action-packed and exciting as its 6 predecessors.
Fforde is a walking advert for authors’ determination. He wrote 6 ½ novels before one was published, 4 of which are now available in print. It is strange to think that there was a time in which nobody thought that Thursday Next and her manipulation of literature deserved a place on the British bookshelf but Fforde continued to believe in her and his determination paid off. He now writes 2 books a year with just 140 days allocated to each one. In order to achieve this he has to spend 8 hours in front of his laptop every day, whether that day is a ‘scribblage day’ (where he forces himself to get words on the page) or a ‘combing day’ (‘prose is like hair – it improves with combing’). But his efforts do not go unnoticed. Many fans have pre-ordered their copies of Thursday’s new adventure, and I myself cannot wait to get started. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype!!

When We Are Married – Criterion Theatre, Earlsdon


‘This is Herbert Soppet all over – he couldn’t even get us married right!’

J B Priestly’s ‘When We Are Married’ might seem a strange choice for an Amateur Dramatics company to perform; a comedy in three acts set in the small Northern town of Clecklewycke. However this production marks the end of the Criterion’s fiftieth anniversary year, and mirrors the first production ever performed there, now over a half-century ago. Using the play as an anniversary celebration is particularly fitting since the action of the production centres around 3 couples, each celebrating 25 years of marriage. That is, until they find out that the pastor who ‘married’ them was not officially ordained, making their marriage vows effectively null and void.
The play is a comedy from start to end and this company fantastically exploited this. The set was brilliant, forming the front room of Alderman and Mrs Helliwell’s where all the action takes place. The room was cut in half diagonally, with the corner falling down-stage centre to make the audience feel incredibly involved, as if the seating formed the other half of the room. This couldn’t help but contribute to the sense of engagement coming from the stalls as events unfolded onstage. There were ‘oohs’ let out spontaneously as characters were slapped across the face and ‘ahhs’ as cast members came to the end of tuneful renditions of stage show classics.
Looking round the audience at almost any point in the play I could see only smiles; no yawning, watch-checking or blank expressions proving that the actors were doing a fantastic job.
Priestley’s witty one-liners were delivered with perfect comic timing and expression and the period costumes and attention to detail of the set designers made you feel like you really were back in the 40s.
But despite the slapstick humour generated by a drunkard photographer and the witty lines, Priestley’s subtle comments on contemporary life also shone through. The role of women in society and philosophical questions of marriage were carefully disguised as entertainment by cast members whilst still causing audience reflection throughout the two intervals and after the show had finished.
The group musical number to finish had the (ever so slightly) older members of the audience singing along and brought a beautiful close to a wonderful show. ‘When We Are Married’ fully deserved the full house it received.


Wednesday 11 July 2012

Find your inner Aztec!! - A Soldier in Every Son at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon


Luis Mario Moncada’s new play ‘A Soldier in Every Son’ was commissioned for the World Shakespeare Festival and attempts to tell the story of the rise of the Aztecs in central Mexico during the 14th Century in a style inspired by Shakespeare’s history plays. The play follows three tribal communities in their struggle for power in an everyday battle for survival.
The production brings together the RSC company with 6 Mexican actors from the Compañía Nacional de Teatro de México in a cross-cultural collaboration celebrating Shakespeare’s global influence.

Incredibly costumed design by Eloise Kazan


The production is, in my opinion, a resounding success. Granted, the names are a nightmare to get your head round, and the plot can be a little confusing at times, with each actor playing several parts. But the costumes, the tribal tattoos, the choreographed battle scenes in the style of tribal dancing and the incredible talent of the actors at work makes for a compelling and entertaining account of such a colourful period of Mexican history.



‘A Soldier in Every Son’ describes a period of history which is not familiar the majority of modern British audiences and therefore the cast and crew set themselves an enormous task in presenting the play in a way which was entertaining, not just educational. A feat, which I believe they performed exceptionally well; the action will have you on the edge of your seat yet all the little comic references and humorous moments will relieve some of that tension beautifully.

Cast and Crew on ‘finding your inner Aztec’

I was lucky enough to attend a question and answer session with members of the cast and crew, in which they shed a little light on how exactly they managed to pull off this mammoth task.
They explained that the play originally started off being 5 hours long, with many sections being almost a direct translation of some of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Luke Kernaghan, assistant director, spoke of the difficulty that cast and crew, along with writer Luis Mario Moncada, found in finding the play’s own unique voice through the allusions to Stratford’s literary hero. In the end, they resulted to cutting almost all of these direct references, and as star of the show Alex Waldmann quite rightly said, with a play filled with power, ambition and bloodshed, how can Moncada’s work not echo that of Shakespeare?


Alex Waldmann as Ixtlixochitl (I told you the names were a mouthful!)

The actors spoke of the difficulties they found in ‘finding their inner Aztec’, it must be hugely difficult trying to identify with people who lived in a world so far removed from modern British society.  But according to Waldmann, really small things such as never standing fully upright, and using various invented gestures instead of hugging or shaking hands helped as a constant reminder of the alien nature of this civilization.

Susie Trayling as Tecpa
So, without wanting to give too much away, you would be missing out if you didn’t get to see this show whilst it’s here. With colour, exuberance and passion A soldier in Every Son really is a new history of an ancient civilisation for a modern audience.  Catch it before it heads off to Mexico!

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Julius Caesar


This particular rendition of Shakespeare’s famous Roman tragedy forms part of the RSC’s World Shakespeare Festival 2012. Guest actors, directors and musicians have been brought in from all around the globe to help celebrate Shakespeare’s role as a global playwright, not just a national icon. You can find out more about the festival itself by following this link - http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/about/
Gregory Doran directs a Julius Caesar set in modern Africa which echoes the recent uprisings against dictatorships which have taken place there. The setting is made obvious through the use of flags, ethnic music and a cast made up of solely black actors, although the script has not been altered and refers often to Rome.
The set itself echoes a Roman amphitheatre with large steps which lead up at the back of the stage, yet this is given a modern edge by exposing some of the reinforcements which lie beneath the concrete in a section at the back of the steps. The set was also expanded quickly and very effectively through the use of poles and fabric to form a tent in Brutus’s camp. The musicians often sat on these steps to play which provided the audience with a great view of their interesting collection of authentic African instruments.
The play seems to be fairly condensed, taking place over just 2 hours and 15 minutes with no interval, yet the fast paced action means that you are always kept on your toes.
The cast consists of a large ensemble of incredibly talented actors and Doran made use of them brilliantly. He had just the right number to make crowd scenes credible but not cluttered on stage, and the interaction between cast and audience in the 15 minutes prior to the performance helped break down the divide between stage and seating to make you feel really emotionally involved with the action unfolding in front of you. But for me, although the quality of the acting was exceptional as always, Paterson Joseph’s portrayal of Brutus really stole the show. His presentation of Brutus really brought about the duality of the character and his motives behind all of his actions. He definitely portrayed a Brutus for modern times.
The only criticism I have of the play was the lack of blood involved. I have seen a couple of productions of Julius Caesar at the RSC in recent years and all of them have resulted in the stage being awash with fake blood. Personally, the death of Caesar was not credible in the slightest since he was stabbed 6 or 7 times without even a drop of blood on his body, and yet Brutus and the other conspirators washed their hands in blood to the side of his body. When the robe of the dead Caesar was displayed by Mark Anthony later on, it had blood stains where daggers had pierced the fabric and subsequently the flesh, a big discrepancy between the events as seen on stage and those perceived to have happened. This is perhaps a minor detail, but for me it was the only fault of the performance, slightly marring an otherwise perfect production.
There are still tickets available to see the show live and in my opinion, it’s definitely worth making the journey. A definite must-see. 

Sunday 17 June 2012

Ben Aaronovitch's spellbinding novel 'Rivers of London'



At the start, ‘Rivers of London’ appears to be your classic murder mystery novel. A few murders and a couple of random, unexplained events all leading to, one would expect, a clever and perfectly logical explanation which expertly ties all the clues. However, it soon becomes clear that ‘Rivers of London’ is far from your average, run of the mill detective novel, popular with jetsetters and holiday makers and frequently found in airport bookshops.

Whilst it does offer all the elements of your beloved detective novel, Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ is a beautifully crafted murder mystery novel, with delightful action packed adventure, making use of all the usual plot devices; car chases, work place romances but with a major twist. PC Peter Grant is not your average police constable. Fresh out of training, he is assigned to the METs department for dealing with all things mystical and so the story evolves from your stockpile crime novel into a fantastical quest to uncover a supernatural villain, encountering ghosts, vampires and river spirits along the way.

It seemed that the final conclusion to the novel was slightly rushed, all the supernatural elements coming together in a bit of a frenzy. I think I’ll put this down to my overexcitement though. I couldn’t wait to find out how exactly the resolution would come about. Every time I picked up the book I found myself reading it
compulsively, reading into the early hours of the morning to find out the fate of the lovable PC Peter Grant.

So if you’re looking for an action packed detective novel to read on the beach this summer, I’d really recommend this one. It’s a bit different; its originality makes it a really good book which you can savour, instead of one which you’ll want to leave in the hotel at the end of your stay. And for the faster readers out there, there are two more books in the series, ‘Moon over Soho’ and ‘Whispers Underground’, to keep you going all holiday. 

Sunday 10 June 2012

One awesome book bed!


One extremely awesome bed. If I had the money, I would definitely get myself 
one of these!!!

Thursday 7 June 2012

Jasper Fforde's 'Shades of Grey'


Jasper Fforde’s ability to write such incredibly creative and original books which subtly comments on our own society yet still proving to be an easy and highly entertaining read never ceases to amaze me.
‘Shades of Grey’ is a novel which takes place in a future world where the inhabitants can only naturally see one colour and everything else appears to them as grey. Which shade is visible to them and how much of it they can see determines their class and social standing. The action centres around Eddie Russett, a young red who has been sent to the ‘outer fringes’ to conduct a chair census as punishment for having played a prank on the son of a prefect.
It paints a picture of a wonderfully imaginative yet dystopian future to rival those created by Orwell, Atwood, Bradbury and Burgess.
This book gives you everything a great novel should and with great ease. Fforde never appears to be trying too hard. ‘Shades of Grey’ gives you a tale of romance and adventure, good guys and bad guys, of growing up and discovery laced with humour and yet all the while quietly broaching the tricky subjects of racism, social order, government rule and law enforcement.
All in all Fforde’s novel is a fantastic book which I highly recommend to any avid reader. I eagerly await the release of the sequel ‘Shades of Grey 2: Painting by Numbers’ scheduled to come out some time next year.
Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series continues with the release of book 7 this July : The Woman Who Died a Lot.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Jubilicious.

A pretty awesome reworking of Sir Mix-a-lot's 'Baby Got Back' for the Queen's Jubilee Weekend.



I like big boats and I cannot lie,
You other Britons can't deny,
When the Queen walks in at an elderly pace, 
And a fake smile on her face,
You get proud,
Wanna pull out your flag,
Cause you notice her matching handbag,
To the regal ensemble she's wearing,
Head of State and I can't stop staring,
Oh Queenie, you're on our money,
From Cowes to Orkney,
My Britishness tries to stop me,
But your Jubilee makes me quite happy...

by Charlotte John

Thursday 24 May 2012

50 Shades of Dull.



With three of her novels topping the current bestseller charts, I thought that E. L . James might have more to offer than literary pornography in her novel 50 Shades of Grey.
Several times I thought that I was reading a chapter again since many parts of the book are so repetitive. A long contract and quite frankly boring contract is detailed three times, completely unnecessarily and if I ever have to read the words ‘Stop biting your lip Anastasia’ just one more time I think I might set the book on fire.
I naively thought that the unveiling of the ‘red room of pain’ as Anastasia calls it, might offer some interest and intrigue to an otherwise plotless book, but the contract which Christian lays down prevents the couple from doing anything really twisted, which, however uncomfortable to read might have provided a bit of relief from the monotony.
Given its current status in the book charts, I thought tha E. L. James might have been a bit more imaginative with her supposedly raunchy sex scenes but actually all that seemed to change each time was the location, and I found myself skipping through the book to desperately find a bt of plot to cling on to.
I found the title of the book very apt, No matter how many shades of grey there might be, grey still remains an incredibly boring colour. Anastasia herself is not particularly interesting as a character but the name perfectly suits Christian, a run of the mill billionaire with more money than sense and some interesting past times.
It’s not a great advert for feminism, despite making a success of E. L. James, the book seems to idealise the silencing of woman. Let’s take a woman who’s not afraid of saying what she thinks and force her to be quiet simply to satisfy a man’s sexual preferences.
So I think it’s safe to say that I do not agree with the Great British public on this one. Halfway through the book I was thoroughly bored but struggled on until the end desperately hoping for a twist or turn in the plot. It is definitely the least interesting book I have read in a long time and I have absolutely no desire to read either of her other books. I congratulate E. L. James on her success, but personally I don’t see the appeal, sorry. 

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Rocking Library

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/four-rooms/articles/the-objects-series-2-episode-8

This rocking library was sold for just £1 on Channel 4's Four Rooms the other day. Hopefully it will soon be available on the commercial market so we can all have one to serve as both a stylish bookcase and a soothing relaxing space.

The Undatebles


Channel 4 is renowned for its zany and often controversial documentaries, dramatizing often unimaginable corners of human existence. Last year brought us the “74-stone babysitter”, the story of the woman accused of sitting on her nephew and crushing him to death, as well as “Mummifying Alan”, the tale of a man who donated his body to trying to recreate the lost Egyptian art of preserving the dead. The list continues, “The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off”, “The Boy Who Was Born A Girl”… It seems that the British public is fascinated by the minority and watching other people’s lives which are entirely different to those lived by the majority for whatever reason, you only have to look at the viewing figures for “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” to see that this is true.
But Channel 4’s latest series of documentaries, “The Undateables”, a show which follows people with disabilities on their quest for love, seems to have really caused a stir.
So the title credits may picture cupid shooting the ‘un’ and removing it to leave the leave “the dateables”, perhaps representing the way the programme is supposedly trying to disprove the preconceptions against people with disabilities having sexual relationships. However, this seems to be a small token considering that Channel 4’s advertising campaign for the programme partly consisted of blowing up pictures of disabled and/or disfigured participants of the show and placing them on billboards, brandishing the words “The Undatebales” at their sides; hardly a message to be sending the kids in our supposedly equal, tolerant 21st century.
There are moments where the producers seem to slightly ridicule or patronise the participants, a cameraman coughs and sarcastically asks if 37 year-old Richard, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, is wearing enough deodorant after he uses nearly a whole can in anticipation of his upcoming date. And it hardly seems coincidental that in the first episode the dating agency matches 2 out of the 3 participants with other people with disabilities. Wheelchair user Penny is matched with another wheelchair user even though they don’t appear to have that much else in common and Richard is matched with a lady described as having “slight learning difficulties” whilst the agency assure them that they have been paired together due to a mutual interest in 80s music. Is Channel 4 trying to suggest that disabled people are dateable but only from the perspective of other people with disabilities? One trailer features a girl saying that sometimes it’s a case of sleeping with someone purely for a “fascination fuck”; not exactly a shining beacon for equal opportunities.
However, despite its flawed marketing and slight glimpses of patronisation, I was actually surprised by how touching and sensitive the show seemed to be. The documentary is insightful and genuinely moving, for all the right reasons. The title is obviously meant to provoke controversy – it means higher ratings for Channel 4 - but however disrespectful and untrue the title may be, the programme does seem to raise some of the everyday issues that surround the participants, especially on the dating scene. But only if you watch the show will you see how those involved are voluntarily offering up honest, insightful, first-hand accounts of their own experiences, lack of experiences, and the problems they face. All those featured, at least in the first two programmes, are lucid, free-thinking individuals who understand their own conditions and the challenges that accompany them. It is however difficult to see how the average person would be able to gain all of this from driving past a billboard, instead a link between the images of disabled and disfigured people is more likely to be forged with the concept of being “undateable” in their minds.