Our right to protest has been a fundamental part of our democracy here in the UK for a long time. Chartism and protests for working rights were widespread in the nineteen-hundreds. The early twentieth century saw first-wave feminists campaigning for suffrage and, eventually, achieving it. The Rebecca Riots took place in the dawn of the Victorian era in South Wales, eventually leading to the South … Continue reading Protecting our Protests
At the start of June BBC One aired Sitting in Limbo, a factual drama about the consequences of the Windrush scandal of 2018. Despite the programme flying largely under the radar, nearly two months after I watched this important piece of television, I still reflect on it and the way it made me feel. Continue reading Politics on Screen: Sitting in Limbo
When theatres fell dark on Monday 16 March 2020, few could have imagined that nearly four months later their doors would remain closed. Their auditoriums decidedly empty and their stages eerily quiet. While lockdown has meant we’ve been able to enjoy award-winning productions streamed directly to our homes, performers, technicians and audiences alike are now eagerly anticipating a return to normality, itching for theatres to raise their curtains once more. Continue reading Theatres in the Dark: Here’s How You Can Support Your Local Playhouse
When Marcus Rashford walks out onto the pitch donning the white shirt of England’s international football team, we see a star footballer, who is representing his country as one of the best in the world. What we don’t see, however, is the young boy who received free school meals as a child, whilst his mother struggled to make ends meet. Like Rashford, this is the harsh reality for many families in the UK, with 1.3 million children claiming free school meals in 2019. The government’s Free School Meal scheme allows children from low-income families to receive free meals during their education, right from nursery age. Continue reading Footballer or Philanthropist? Rashford Speaks Out
23 years on: “There’s nothing like a puppet punching a puppet”
The political satire Spitting Image, which first launched in Britain in 1984, is returning to our screens this year – and this time, it’s going after the big guys.
In its heyday, Spitting Image was watched by 15 million people each week on ITV, its caustic puppets featuring the faces of those such as Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. The show aimed to be as topical as possible throughout its 12-year stint, with puppeteer Roger Law stating that at times puppets were made overnight in order for a quick turnaround on the show. However, journalist Adam Sherwin claimed in an article in I-News that by the end of its run in the early 2000s, the jokes used during Spitting Image’s prime-time slot “had been reduced to the back-of-a-cigarette-packet material”, its ratings following suit. Continue reading The Return of Spitting Image
Ever since it debuted at Cannes Film Festival in May 2019 and won its prestigious Palme d’Or, Parasite has been making waves. With two Baftas, four Oscars (including best picture – the first time a foreign film has ever won) and countless other accolades under its belt, it has dominated the awards circuit and catapulted writer-director Bong Joon-Ho to international fame. A much-celebrated director in his native South Korea, Bong’s work often touches upon social issues. Okja, for example, deals with environmental issues, capitalism, animal rights and corporate greed, whilst The Host explores dictatorships, governments and power, amongst other things. Continue reading Politics on Screen: Parasite
When I read in the Radio Times that the Profumo Affair was to be televised into a six-part BBC drama I must admit that I was underwhelmed. Although British screenwriters work wonders with recreating events of the past, with series such as The Crown and A Very English Scandal enthralling their audiences, it all seems to be a tad overdone. However, when The Trial of Christine Keeler came to its conclusion last week, the series brought to light the timelessness of political scandal, and its prevalence in the 2020 contemporary media. Continue reading Politics on Screen: The Trial of Christine Keeler
It’s been nearly a century since F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 – painting a glossy, wealthy image of the 1920s Jazz era – and now, as we enter that same decade 100 years later, it seems a revival of Fitzgerald’s world is at the height of fashion, with nearly every NYE party on 31st December seemingly featuring flapper dresses and pinstriped suits. Continue reading Roaring 20s: The Enduring Dream of Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age
War has always been a popular subject on screen, with the First and Second World Wars finding themselves the focus of countless movies over the years. Dunkirk, War Horse, Schindler’s List, All Quiet on the Western Front, Saving Private Ryan … the list goes on. Now1917 joins the club, a thoughtful and immersive film that director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) co-wrote, inspired by his grandfather’s stories of the First World War. It follows two young lance corporals in the British army, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman, aka Tommen from Game of Thrones), who are given the impossible task of delivering a message across no man’s land to call off an impending attack. If they fail, thousands of soldiers, including Blake’s older brother, will die. Continue reading Politics on Screen: 1917
In light of the upcoming General Election tomorrow, celebrities and influencers have filled their social media platforms with messages encouraging young people to register to vote, with some even taking to social media to publicly pledge allegiance with certain political parties. But how useful is this for young people voting?
As we find ourselves firmly in the age of influencers, the point where social media intersects with politics is naturally a grey area. During the last general election in June 2017, rapper Stormzy joined Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, during his campaign. Again this year, he has taken to Instagram to encourage “every single person who reads this to go and register to vote.” Obtaining nearly 300,000 likes and broadcast to a following of 2.6 million people, his post triggered a spike of 351,000 people registering to vote that evening. Continue reading Celebrity Influence on Young People’s Voting Behaviour
