7 Myth of a multicultural England in BBC’s Luther
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Nicole M. Jackson
Abstract
This chapter critiques the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) characters in Luther in the historical context of racism within the British police forces, particularly the Metropolitan Police Service (the Met). BBC's detective show Luther, which is often lauded for its groundbreaking cinematography, Idris Elba's acting and, in some quarters, its healthy representation of race, is just as flawed as the larger British television industry from which it emerged. In 2010, when Luther was first broadcast, BAME officers comprised 4.8 per cent of the police officers in England and Wales. Presented with very little family or a Black community to belong to, and a police environment where he is a statistical anomaly, John Luther is a perpetual outsider. To present him without a Black family or community is to buy into the assimilatory promise of multicultural England, while ignoring the cost of such 'inclusion'.
Abstract
This chapter critiques the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) characters in Luther in the historical context of racism within the British police forces, particularly the Metropolitan Police Service (the Met). BBC's detective show Luther, which is often lauded for its groundbreaking cinematography, Idris Elba's acting and, in some quarters, its healthy representation of race, is just as flawed as the larger British television industry from which it emerged. In 2010, when Luther was first broadcast, BAME officers comprised 4.8 per cent of the police officers in England and Wales. Presented with very little family or a Black community to belong to, and a police environment where he is a statistical anomaly, John Luther is a perpetual outsider. To present him without a Black family or community is to buy into the assimilatory promise of multicultural England, while ignoring the cost of such 'inclusion'.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Notes on contributors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- 1 A little Brit different? 20
- 2 Scheduling race 50
- 3 Reframing the 1950s 71
- 4 Black British drama, losses and gains 90
- 5 The iconic ghetto on British television 111
- 6 Whiteness, normativity and the ongoing racial Other 132
- 7 Myth of a multicultural England in BBC’s Luther 153
- 8 Framing The Fosters 176
- Select bibliography 196
- Index 207
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Notes on contributors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- 1 A little Brit different? 20
- 2 Scheduling race 50
- 3 Reframing the 1950s 71
- 4 Black British drama, losses and gains 90
- 5 The iconic ghetto on British television 111
- 6 Whiteness, normativity and the ongoing racial Other 132
- 7 Myth of a multicultural England in BBC’s Luther 153
- 8 Framing The Fosters 176
- Select bibliography 196
- Index 207
