NEWS
EVENTS
Meera Syal: TV has "gone backwards" on their portrayal of Asians
Other | Tuesday 7th March 2017 | Idrees
Writer and Comedian Meera Syal has commented on the portrayal of Asians on TV, saying that it has “slightly gone backwards.”
Syal stated that TV should not only just feature South Asian characters in dramas, like BBC One’s Three Girls. A show based on the Rochdale abuse scandal, which saw nine men, mainly of Pakistani origin, jailed in 2012 for running child sexual exploitation ring.
“Of course, it’s not like those things don’t happen,” the comedian told Radio Times.
“But if that’s all that TV is doing, it looks like that’s the only thing Asians do. It’s a problem.”
In a time where Islamophobia and racial abuse towards Asians is high, it is understandable to see Syal’s case.
When asked whether TV had made progress in showing Asians in Britain, Syal responded: “I think we’ve slightly gone backwards.”
“Some of the stuff I’d want to have on TV wouldn’t get on at the moment. It’s a conservative climate with lots of period pieces and lots of nostalgia. When people think of stuff with South Asians in, it tends to be programmes like the upcoming Rochdale abuse drama.”
She added: “If there were five or six or seven shows on TV featuring South Asians, then absolutely Rochdale is a worthy subject to investigate – but it’s about context.”
“We should also be thinking about stories that just show us as people, not issues.”
We can only hope that Syal’s words are heard as right now, it is hard to deny the countries division, as currently there is a stigma against Asians, and foreign people in general.
With TV being a strong influence, to quote Malcom X: “The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
