‘Let Them Eat Cake’ TV
‘Let Them Eat Cake’ TV is a label which my partner - who is much, much cleverer than me but also infinitely more lazy, so he’s unlikely to ever organise his own blog and will therefore have to get the credit for his various insights vicariously, as with everything else, through me - he came up with this label several years ago.
It describes TV programmes made by bleeding heart liberals (aren’t we all?) which portray the world as we’d dearly love it to be, rather than as it is or is ever likely to be. He (or was it we?) came up with the Let Them Eat Cake idea specifically after watching Tomorrow La Scala! a BBC 2 drama which aired in December 2003 about a group of prison inmates staging an opera. The title, of course, refers to the Milan opera house Teatro alla Scala, aka La Scala.
Yeah, right. [Adopts the sort of voice a wet, slightly hippy 40-year-old might use to order a chocolate brownie in a trendy Farringdon eaterie.] Wouldn’t it be simply lovely if we could just let prisoners in on the elitist, yet mind-changing and culturally enriching world of opera? Then surely noone would feel the need to rob a mobile phone or take hard drugs again, much less be really naughty and rape or murder someone.
Never mind that opera is tediously boring and hugely fucking expensive. Let prisoners put on their own shows - as I’m sure they do, in an Am-Dram sort of way in some institutions - and everyone will learn something and be a better person as a result.
It may work for some. The BBC 2 drama Tomorrow La Scala! suggested that as a rehabilitation policy for the country’s toughest criminals, the ‘new life, new hope through opera’ idea might have some flaws.
Needless to say the programme went on to win loads of TV industry awards and was generally feted as being a ‘great’ programme. It was written by Paul Abbott of Shameless and other fame and he’s brilliant so let’s say the writing was good. It’s just the concept I have a problem with.
I caught another example of the ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ genre on Tuesday when I inadvertently tuned into Maestro on BBC 2. I was waiting for Mutual Friends on BBC 1 which I think is quite brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s probably a hormonal thing. It’s about off-the-boil relationships.
When I tuned in to Maestro, carefully avoiding Holby City on BBC 1, Goldie, who is described on Wikipedia as an “electronic music artist, disc jockey and actor”, was conducting an orchestra in some piece of classical music I am too uncultured to either know or appreciate. He seemed to be getting into the swing of things, closing his eyes and making suitably emotional yet subtle expressions. Yes, Wiki does say he’s an actor. The judges gave him more or less full marks.
Then the comedian Sue Perkins had a go. She was good but had had a bad week with her conducting confidence at a low point, as the inevitable behind-the-scenes VT showed us. She also did quite a good job of conducting on the night, but the judges weren’t so kind to her. Perhaps she needs to ham it up a bit more next week.
Once again - and I may rename this blog ‘Lucyfromtheshires’ as one of my friends has suggested - the problem I have with this programme is the concept. Changing yourself, your prospects, your very outlook on life through conducting and classical music. The BBC has done ballroom dancing with Strictly. It’s done musicals with How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria and Any Dream Will Do. Now classical music is getting its time in the sunshine.
This is a bit harsh because I know at least one person who admits to singing in a choir and enjoying it. She also likes Maestro and perhaps harbours ambitions to learn to conduct herself one day. Go for it! I am not knocking classical music per se, simply because I know nothing about it and it’s a dead letter to me as far as entertainment or distraction goes. I do like a bit of Mozart and I found a nice bit of Chopin for my mother’s cremation which makes me cry.
I just don’t want to see Goldie - who I always thought was a rapper - in evening dress conducting a full orchestra on primetime TV. Can we just accept people as they are and go with that, without trying to make them into something they’re not? Even on TV?
September 12th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Isn’t Maestro just another excuse for milking celebrity “fish out of water” programming and wrapping it up so it is exceptable for a highbrow BBC2 TV audience? You could hear the BBC2 executives shouting “I want a show like they have on BBC1.” Pity they bothered.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Yes - Henry. You have indeed punctured the BBC 2 balloon