Chris Port Blog #112. 'Shoot The Messenger'.

Shoot The Messenger. Does anyone recall watching this BBC TV play (first broadcast in 2006)? It was very controversial - so controversial that, over 4 years later, I still can’t find a single clip on the internet.

As a white liberal teacher, I remember squirming uncomfortably at the start. My initial impression was “this is some middle-class ‘black-on-black’ backlash against ‘losers’ playing the race card”. Then I realized it was challenging a completely different set of prejudices. I was totally gripped and defamiliarised (in the Brechtian sense) - free to throw away easy clichés and face difficult questions head on. Brilliant, thought-provoking drama about race, culture and identity in 21^st century Britain. But… that’s me speaking as a not yet dead white male author. I would welcome different points of view. If anyone knows where I can get hold of a DVD copy - or find clips on the internet - I would be very grateful.

Some reference material below:

BBC Website: ‘Shoot The Messenger’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shootthemessenger/

Wikipedia: ‘Shoot The Messenger’

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_the_Messenger_%28film%29

IMDb, ‘Shoot The Messenger’:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800199/

The Guardian, 3 July 2006: ‘Dont shoot this messenger’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/jul/03/mondaymediasection.race

Ligali Media Forum, 5 July 2006: ‘BBC previews its most sophisticated racist film ever’

http://www.ligali.org/article.php?id=496

The Daily Mail, 20 August 2006: ‘BBC accused of making perfect ‘BNP propaganda’ drama’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-401496/BBC-accused-making-perfect-BNP-propaganda-drama.html

Click Afrique.com, 10 April 2006: ‘Shoot The Messenger’

http://www.clickafrique.com/Magazine/ST018/CP0000000191.aspx

Scope On-Line Journal of Film & TV Studies: ‘Shoot The Messenger’:
http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/filmreview.php?issue=11&id=1049

Voxafrica: ‘Shoot The Messenger’

http://www.voxafrica.co.uk/stm/

Citizens Against Racism and Discrimination, 24 August 2006: ‘The most racist film in the BBC’s history?’

http://card.wordpress.com/2006/08/24/the-most-racist-film-in-the-bbcs-history/

Bike Chat Forums, ‘Shoot the Messenger (BBC - Banned racism drama)’:

http://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=207584

Ricenpeas.com Letters Page, ‘Shoot The Messenger’:

http://www.ricenpeas.com/docs/letters%20page2.html

Metro.co.uk, ‘BBC drama draws racism fire’:

http://www.metro.co.uk/home/19216-bbc-drama-draws-racism-fire

London Evening Standard, 31 August 2006, ‘Boycott BBC over ‘racist’ drama says black campaigner’:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23365224-boycott-bbc-over-racist-drama-says-black-campaigner.do

The Navig8or, 1 October 2006, Biography of Marcus Mosiah Garvey and review of ‘Shoot The Messenger’ by Abdullah Uhuru:

http://www.houseofknowledge.org.uk/new/doc/2006-10_Oct.pdf

BFI Sight and Sound, June 2010, ‘That was then, this is now’:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49619