The Ferreiras.. permanent damage??
We all know that that the BBC has a remit to inform and educate above all but why is it that when the Ferrerias came on the scene in July 2003 they were branded as "unbelievable and unrealistic?" With a prime opportunity to set a few records straight about ambigious topics such as religion and race..it ended up as a complete farce. Here's an extract from the media guardian to confirm the damage it did..
Ferreiras kicked out of EastEnders
Jason Deans, broadcasting editorThursday October 14, 2004
The Ferreiras, the EastEnders family branded "unbelievable and unrealistic" by Asian viewers, have been axed in one of the first moves to turn around the struggling soap by new executive producer Kathleen Hutchison.
The most damning verdict, however, came from Asian viewers surveyed by online magazine Britainsasianassets.com earlier this year.
"The Ferreiras? Crap, unbelievable characters, negative storylines, totally unrealistic," one 20-year-old student told the survey.
A twentysomething female journalist added: "Shoot them all. None of them can act. They don't look like a family. How do you get a Tariq, a Ronnie, a Kareena and an Ash in one family? And Ferreira, how does that add up? It's lazy casting."
"Tariq is a muslim name, Kareena is Hindu, Ash is a bit of a catch-all - it could be Muslim or Hindu - and Ronnie, where does that come from? Plus they have a Portugese surname, so why aren't they Catholic?" said barrister Rehna Azim, who conducted the survey.
The house possession storyline was also criticised by Asian viewers in the poll who said repossession is unlikely in Asian culture where extended family would step into the breach.
However, former EastEnders executive producer Louise Berridge, who introduced the Ferreiras in July 2003, said her team had conducted two years' research before introducing the Asian family.
How did the rise and fall of the Ferreiras effect "Life isn't all ha ha hee hee?"
The BBC sure had a greater obligation to prove to viewers; especially 'Asian' viewers that they could do a decent job in representing Asians better..somehow i don't think using accurate is the right word to use. Therefore it is not surprising that "Life isn't all ha ha hee hee" was more of a success than the Ferreiras.. it was clearly more thought out and i guess it helped with Meera Syal being the director and writer. However was it enough to repair the damage that the Asian community suffered at the hands of the Ferreiras?
Ferreiras kicked out of EastEnders
Jason Deans, broadcasting editorThursday October 14, 2004
The Ferreiras, the EastEnders family branded "unbelievable and unrealistic" by Asian viewers, have been axed in one of the first moves to turn around the struggling soap by new executive producer Kathleen Hutchison.
The most damning verdict, however, came from Asian viewers surveyed by online magazine Britainsasianassets.com earlier this year.
"The Ferreiras? Crap, unbelievable characters, negative storylines, totally unrealistic," one 20-year-old student told the survey.
A twentysomething female journalist added: "Shoot them all. None of them can act. They don't look like a family. How do you get a Tariq, a Ronnie, a Kareena and an Ash in one family? And Ferreira, how does that add up? It's lazy casting."
"Tariq is a muslim name, Kareena is Hindu, Ash is a bit of a catch-all - it could be Muslim or Hindu - and Ronnie, where does that come from? Plus they have a Portugese surname, so why aren't they Catholic?" said barrister Rehna Azim, who conducted the survey.
The house possession storyline was also criticised by Asian viewers in the poll who said repossession is unlikely in Asian culture where extended family would step into the breach.
However, former EastEnders executive producer Louise Berridge, who introduced the Ferreiras in July 2003, said her team had conducted two years' research before introducing the Asian family.
How did the rise and fall of the Ferreiras effect "Life isn't all ha ha hee hee?"
The BBC sure had a greater obligation to prove to viewers; especially 'Asian' viewers that they could do a decent job in representing Asians better..somehow i don't think using accurate is the right word to use. Therefore it is not surprising that "Life isn't all ha ha hee hee" was more of a success than the Ferreiras.. it was clearly more thought out and i guess it helped with Meera Syal being the director and writer. However was it enough to repair the damage that the Asian community suffered at the hands of the Ferreiras?
posted by Pip at 5:45 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Pip, i was looking through your blog and i got a 'Asian' magazine the Winter addition 2006 and my piont is that, inside it has a interview of Pooja (who plays Kareena) asking her about Eastender, the title reads "Eastenders was a huge mistake" so if you want to borrow it, your more than welcome as it fits nicely in with your research :)
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