Is Cancelling TV Programmes In The Wake Of Real Life Tragedy An Over-Reaction?

[Si Hunt]

Yesterday in Cumbria, a taxi driver went on a killing ramage, shooting a number of innocent people seemingly at random. It was clearly a tragic event.

However, I was somewhat surprised to read that yesterdays "Coronation Street" had been pulled from the schedules so as not to offend people affected by the massacre. Surprised, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the programme had obviously been planned and filmed months before the shooting. Secondly, because this was far more than just an ordinary episode of the soap - the storyline is a week-long epic, planned as an episode a day this week to launch the show in HD. It remins (and will be interesting) to be seen whether EVERY episode this week will also be pulled, thus disrupting the whole weeks worth of viewing - which reportedly cost £1m to film and involved destroying an entire regularly used location - likely they will just show the missing episode tonight instead. Thirdly, and most significantly, because the storyline doesn't involve a taxi driver, or a random shooting (obviously I haven't seen it all yet, but I'm going from Mondays set up episode and what seems roughly likely to transpire). The only similarity, as far as I can see, is that a gun is seen on screen.

Now what I want to ask is, is it an over-reaction to suddenly pull from the schedules an expensive and much-anticipated drama because it has - well, at best a fleeting reference - to a real life event? I guess what the nitty gritty of my thoughts are is, just who is going to get offended by this? Even the few directly affected by the tragedy (and presuming they are going to want to switch on and watch "Coronation Street" last night anyway) must understand that these things are made in advance? Why would someone get offended by something that in no way could have been designed to offend them? And surely, in our multi-station world, there must be dozens of films and TV shows on this week that coincidentally feature a gun (or a taxi driver) as well? Are these all going to be pulled?

Now before you jump at me along the lines of "Si Hunt's an unfeeling monster because he's unhappy Corrie has been pulled when lots of people have died" let me note that it no way bothered me that there was no Street last night - we have no shortage of things to watch and finished "The Two Doctors" instead (and thus our evening was filled with shooting, knife wounds and cold-blooded suffocation by cyanide instead), so it really doesn't bother me. I'm guessing you didn't spend the evening in silence either, in tribute to yesterday's events. If "Coronation Street" had of been on, I think I'd have watched it and not even made the connection to the tragedy, to be honest.

This morning I also read that "Eastenders" have re-filmed the forthcoming Lucas storyline involving the murder of a prostitute, presumably so as not to offend relatives of the girls murdered in the recently publicised prostitute murders which have been going on for the past few months, but probably not the victims of the similar murders of prostitutes by a killer in Ipswich which was slightly longer ago but which they must have known about when they recorded the episodes.

Basically, this all seems a bit tenuous. I'm not complaining as such, because basically it doesn't bother to me what days they show things (it'll all be on eventually) I just wonder if this is another symptom of our society's habit of people getting offended because they think they should be offended. Ironically soaps must be largely to blame for this, because they frequently depict people launching into a big personal drama whenever anything bad happens - they are evolving away our willingness to survive tragedy through bravery and self-control. Not that I'm saying that anyone unfortunate enough to be involved in yesterdays events WILL be 'mock complaining'; to be frank, I think they all have enough to deal with that they wouldn't give a TV show a second thought, whether it was on or not. It's more the point that as a society we panic that everything might offend someone, because we're a nation who constantly feel the need to complain and be "offended".

What do you think?

Si.

[SiHart]

I don't see it as about being offended, more as a mark of respect to a community in grief and shock. It's a small, and possibly token gesture, but I think a nice and thoughtful one.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I just wonder why this show and no others? It barely seems connected. And I actually felt for the program makers, if that doesn't sound too heartless. A lot of people must have worked hard for months putting this week of continuing episodes together. There have been a LOT of London shootings recently, and no-one cancelled gun-featuring TV shows in tribute to them.

Si.

[Perry Vale]

I'm glad you asked the question, Si, I certainly think decisions like this are ludicrous and a huge over-reaction.

[SiHart]

I think it's the scale Si- 12 dead in one place by one gunman. It's a rather extreme act and I'm sure that made a difference.

Si xx

[Perry Vale]

It's more the point that as a society we panic that everything might offend someone, because we're a nation who constantly feel the need to complain and be "offended".

And yet we're a society that accept Sky News helicopters showing live footage of dead bodies lying on the ground, and bloodstains where the victims died. A completely unrelated tv drama is the least of our problems, IMHO.

[Si Hunt]

It is, as Si said, a gesture. Because if they DID show it, people would call them insensitive. It doesn't matter that as many people are affected by this as have been affected by other shootings recently, it's not about sparing anyone's feelings is it (as I said, are any of the people in mourning really going to be watching telly anyway?), it's about the fact the media have labelled this up as a "biggie" as far as news stories go, so they feel they have to react accordingly.

Again, no disrespect to anyone, but I didn't know anyone involved and felt more upset when reading about a girl who was knifed in London last week, perhaps because I had the opportunity to read a bit more about who she was and her circumstances (no details of any of the individuals killed yesterday have been revealed). But I would find them changing TV programmes around completely unrelated to how I felt or what happened.

Wouldn't we be better off having a regular programme on every night based around the lives of people who have died recently in gun and knife related crime to raise awareness about how these tragedies can happen and their consequences? Or do something to stop unstable people having access to hand guns.

Si.

[Perry Vale]

It is a gesture, and you can't criticise them for that. The (huge) cynic in me though can't help wondering if the fact that a lot of the probable audience for last night's Corrie would have missed it because they would have been watching the rolling news channels, may have made that decision a little easier.

[SiHart]

Or do something to stop unstable people having access to hand guns.

We already have some of the toughest gun laws in the world in the UK. It's difficult to know what else can be done to stop things like this happening. I think, sadly, if you're planning to do something like this, you'll find the means to do it no matter what.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I wouldn't know how to get hold of a gun for the life of me! I wonder how he did?

Did I imagine it or did I read that he owned guns as a hobby?

Why do we let ANYONE own a gun? Guns are awful, they exist only to kill! Why not ban them completely! I know anything can be a weapon, but this one man couldn't have caused as much carnage with a knife, as he'd have had to have got close to inflict the damage.

Si.

[Dino]

This might be hard, but if we turn for a moment away from the heartbreak and tragic loss he's caused, in the unreal world of television land this has been a disaster for ITV for me.
YES, they couldn't have known what was going to happen and it would be insensitive to show them, but my point is what signals does it send out when a long running soap opera followed by millions has to inculde episodes of violence with guns in the first place?

[Perry Vale]

Banning things just doesn't really work, IMHO. Drugs are banned, but thousands of people still get them and take them. Dog fighting is banned, but it still goes on. If you banned guns, the people who wanted them would still get hold of them. And probably get hold of ones that are even less safe, ie. hand-made in a backstreet warehouse, or something. In farming communites, for one, there will always be genuine arguments for having them also.

[Rob McCow]

I think the argument for the defence is the same as it is for the offence in the case of Coronation Street. Both sides would say it's only a TV show.

It's only a TV show, so what does it matter if it's pulled from the schedule? People go without Coronation Street for a night. On the other hand, it's only a TV show so what possible effect could that have on people who have suffered as a result of those events?

[Si Hunt]

True. Though I'd err on the side of it not being just a TV show to the people who've spent months planning this week of programmes. Again, it'll be interesting to see if they simply show the delayed episode tonight, because I can't see how they can justify spending £1m on something and not showing it, nor how they can "catch up" if they pull the whole week. And if they DO show it tonight, what, really, was the point? They've made a drama involving kidnapping at gunpoint; either shelve it because it's disrespectful in light of this massacre, or just show it. Delaying it by 24 hours doesn't really show much respect to anyone really does it?

Si.

[Rob McCow]

But then, should they ever show it? One day, two days, a week, when does it become tasteful?

If they have a person dying of cancer or being run over by a car on a TV show, then is it disrespectful to the people who have suffered those tragedies?

[Si Hunt]

Exactly. If you didn't show anything that was "disrespectful" to someone, somewhere that had suffered from the thing being shown, there'd never be anything on!

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Tonight's has been shelved as well:

Coronation Street will once again be pulled from this evening's schedules in the wake of Cumbria's shooting tragedy.

Late yesterday evening, the commercial broadcaster decided not to broadcast the Manchester soap's fourth episode of Siege Week out of respect for those who were killed during yesterday's incident.

The 9pm slot - sandwiched between the Britain's Got Talent performance and results shows - will again be filled by Harry Hill's The Best of TV Burp.

It has not yet been confirmed when the outstanding episodes of Coronation Street will be broadcast.

[Jason Thompson]

Or do something to stop unstable people having access to hand guns.

The problem with that is that no-one knew he was unstable in the first place, and I don't expect he did either. It's not like people fall into neat categories, with warning signs flashing over their heads saying 'I am mentally unstable'. People snap. Could he have done as much damage with a knife? Not in so short a time but what would stop him leaping from his car and stabbing someone before jumping back in and driving off again? Could he have killed 12 people and injured heaven knows how many others just by driving his car and mounting the pavement? Absolutely. The fact that there was a gun involved is not the key detail in this case. He could have gone on a rampage without it and caused just as much damage in other ways.

Guns have their uses. We have tough restrictions on who can own them as it is. Making them tougher won't stop things like this from happening because anyone can snap without warning, whether they are licensed to own a gun or not. He could as easily have been a farmer who used the gun to shoot game or pests. He could have been a policeman who had access to firearms. The only way to prevent such things happening is to remove guns from this country entirely, and that is obviously impractical.

[Jason Thompson]

As far as pulling TV shows goes, I think, frankly, that it is a little silly. The people most likely to have been traumatised are unlikely to be sitting down watching Corrie, and they can always turn it off if it bothers them. It is epsecially daft if you look at it from the view of removing one half-hour episode of a long running fictional drama with a possible slight resemblance to a tragic event when all the news programs on every channel are going to be featuring the real event all evening.

[Si Hunt]

That's absolutely true, I hadn't thought of that. No gun plot on Corrie but isn't pouring over the actual event on the news likely to be just as traumatic to those affected?!

Si. :mobile

[Lissa]

ITV will have made the decision because they feared a backlash against their "brand", the show's sponsor or their advertisers. The advertising market is pretty depressed at the moment and ITV won't have wanted to risk any bad associations were one of the bereaved to pour their heart out to a tabloid about how distressing they found the episode.

Charlie Brooker has just tweeted that tonight's YHBW has been postponed because it was a crime special and might've upset someone. Odd behaviour for a show that has never been bothered about appearing offensive in the past.

I wonder if ITV 3 will be cancelling tonight's Inspector Morse -

Death Is Now My Neighbour
When a young woman is shot through her kitchen window at close range, few fellow residents can think of any motive for her murder.

Probably not.

[Rob McCow]

Mega-cynical viewpoint - by pulling the show, they get more publicity. Probably not the truth, but the thought has crossed my mind.

[MinaHarker]

Not an overreaction at all. It's just a TV show, what happened was life and death AND IT WAS THE SAME DAY!

Don't you think writing over 700 words about Corrie not being on is more of an overreaction? It sounds like a winge.

[Lissa]

Who did cancelling Coronation Street help? What good did it do? ITV and television in general spent hours ghoulishly covering the shootings and rehashing every tiny detail a hundred times. Modern news has long since passed the point of being informative and has become entertainment in its own right. A visceral, intoxicating, pornographic indulgence where the misery of others is condemned and celebrated in equal measure. And around the gap where Coronation Street would've been was Britain's Got Talent which no doubt whooped and hollered for a couple of hours, totally wrapped up in itself, celebrating banality, greed and spite as only a television talent show can. So why cancel half an hour of vaguely gritty drama because it was deemed to be inappropriate on a day like yesterday when just about everything else was vulgar, insensitive, violent or squalid?

[Si Hunt]

It's been a debate about how we react to tragedy and what the appropriate reaction is, and it's been quite an interesting discussion. It was quite a controversial topic to talk about so I was pleased that no-one flew off the handle, as sometimes happens when you mention an emotive subject. As usual, I expected a level of intelligent debate from the posters of Planet Skaro and I'm pleased to say that I got it.

Si.