Stop the drift to war

It didn’t take long for Starmer to switch from blocking the Americans from using  British bases to attack Iran to permitting it and now actively collaborating with US imperialism and Zionist Israel in their onslaught against the Islamic Republic. He can count on the Faragists and Tories to back him while Tony Blair, who can barely show his face in public in Britain these days, thinks we should have gone in with Trump from the start.

This shouldn’t surprise us. Farage thinks he’s Trump’s mouth-piece in Britain while crawling to the Americans is almost compulsory for Tory and Labour leaders who drone on and on about “partnership” and the “special relationship” to justify British imperialism’s slavish support of American power throughout the world. 
But on the street millions upon millions have seen through the lies of the bourgeois media. They want no part in Trump’s crusade. This is the message that must be heard throughout the labour movement as well. Stop the bombing! End the War!

Every cloud...

This week we saw a minor victory for free speech when the High Court ruled in favour of the Guardian journalist Owen Jones in the Raffi Berg libel case. Jones, best known for his book Chavs –The Demonising of the Working Class back in 2011, launched his career as a man of the left but soon gravitated to the centre to join the prominenti of the mainstream media. He did, however, attract the ire of the Zionists when he accused a BBC journalist of pro-Israeli bias in December 2024
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Jones' article cited BBC journalists who accused BBC news online editor Raffi Berg of fostering a culture of 'systematic Israeli propaganda'.  But the court rejected Berg's lawyers' core argument that Jones' reporting presented him as "a rogue journalist and editor who deliberately disregards and breaches the duties of accuracy and impartiality".
Jones' piece in Drop Site News quoted BBC staffers saying Berg "reshapes everything from headlines, to story text, to images" and "repeatedly seeks to foreground the Israeli military perspective while stripping away Palestinian humanity". Jones said that "facts unfavourable to Israel have been stripped out of Berg’s reports" and that he played a "crucial role" in "conduct that imperils the integrity of the BBC".
Berg instructed Mark Lewis of Patron Law, previously a director of UK Lawyers for Israel, as his solicitor. His legal team says that Owen’s piece strikes "at the claimant’s professional reputation as a journalist and editor" and has led to "an onslaught of hatred, intimidation and threats", including death threats. 
Nevertheless the judges ruled that the article by Jones expressed an opinion, and indicated the basis for that opinion through examples of Berg's journalism and editorial role. The ruling is central to determining whether the case is to be pursued.
Berg will now need to show that Jones did not genuinely hold the opinion he expressed in his reporting, or demonstrate that the opinion is not one an honest person could hold on the basis of any fact that existed at the time of its publication. It will be interesting to see if Berg decides to take this any further...

1066 and all that...

by Ben Soton

BBC1’s Sunday night drama, King & Conqueror, opens up one of Early Medieval Europe’s most important events – the Norman conquest.
This is not the time of absolute monarchs with grandiose palaces; it is the dog-eat-dog world of early feudalism. Loyalties had little to do with nationality, which arose centuries later but a world where your local or regional overlord or earl often mattered more than the titular monarch. A world power came out of the blade of a sword and was held by rival warlords and schemers. It had a greater resemblance to Game of Thrones than The Tudors.
King & Conqueror traces the trials and tribulations of Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex (played by James Norton) and William of Normandy (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau); whose rivalry for the English Crown came to a head at Hastings in 1066. The drama paints a story of two similar men; both at the higher end of the feudal hierarchy and of a similar age. Both were outstanding warriors – much like the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, the other claimant for the English throne, who was killed by Harold along with most of his men only a few weeks before the fateful battle of Hastings. 
It was a clash of titans and a case of last man standing. It all begins around the time of the coronation of Edward the Confessor (played by Eddie Marsan) and ends with the Battle of Hastings. Whilst Harold and William are portrayed as heroic figures and family men; Edward is portrayed as a weak, over pious man with no interest in women. In the drama he is easily manipulated by his mother Emma of Normandy (played by Juliet Stevenson) and later his
wife, Gunhild (played by Bo Bragason). In a show of defiance he batters his mother to death with the crown. Although this is fiction it is widely believed that she was plotting against her son the king.
Although the portrayal of Edward the Confessor may be exaggerated it is probably an attempt to show him in contrast to the machismo of Harold and William. However there is considerable evidence that Edward, whose wife was also Harold’s sister was celibate partly for religious reasons hence the title Edward the Confessor – though the desire to thwart the Godwin clan’s dynastic ambitions was clearly another pressing motive.
There’s all sorts of other historical inaccuracies in the series. But, of course, this is not a drama-documentary but historical fiction like Shakespeare’s romps through the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years War with France. The series does, however, manage to capture the feudal power play of the period. In its favour the series does not take the side of either protagonist; Harold was simply the most powerful man in England whilst William may have been Edward the Confessor’s preferred successor. In the final analysis William triumphed on the battlefield.
Meanwhile King & Conqueror makes enjoyable and gripping entertainment with epic battle scenes in the final episodes. Finally however tough life may have been for the likes of William and Harold life was much harder for their subjects.

The cowardly BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is one of our supposed “national treasures” whose aims are to educate, inform and entertain the public that funds it through the licence fee. Under the motto “Nation shall speak peace unto Nation” the BBC claims to be a pillar of impartiality and a reliable source of independent news at home and abroad. 
That was never the case back in the 1920s when the Corporation was founded. It’s certainly not the case now.
The BBC’s role has always been to serve the ruling class and defend British imperialism. During the Second World War the BBC’s policy of credible reporting easily outshone that of the Nazis. When the war ended the BBC continued to serve the ruling class and defend British imperialism. It totally failed to report a famine in Bengal that resulted in around 10 million deaths and was the result of a deliberate British imperialist policy of deprivation, and defended colonial efforts to maintain the Empire throughout the post-war era. 
During the Cold War the Beeb cashed in on its war-time prestige to churn out sophisticated anti-communist propaganda at home and all around the world in the service of Anglo-American imperialism. It was said that while news from the Voice of America and Radio Moscow were “95 per cent truth and five per cent lies” the BBC had the edge with “ninety-eight per cent truth and only two per cent lies”.
Those days are now long gone. Although the state-owned broadcasting service still promotes some serious dramas, its news and current affairs output is just cheap, dumbed-down, third-rate bourgeois propaganda.
The BBC consistently supported Nato aggression against Serbia, Iraq and Libya, and imperialist efforts for regime-change in Syria and Venezuela, whilst turning a blind eye to Ukrainian fascist war-crimes in the Donbas and routine Zionist atrocities against the Palestinians. Obscure Russian, Chinese and Korean dissidents are treated like latter-day Gandhis while communists and other left leaders in the Global South are vilified or simply ignored. 
This is the BBC that led the pack that demonised Jeremy Corbyn when he was the leader of the Labour Party. This is an international news outlet that crackdowns on their own journalists for sharing posts that include facts about Israeli atrocities in Gaza. This is the broadcaster that totally ignored the massive Palestine solidarity demonstration that rocked London last weekend. Some 600,000 people marched through the heart of the capital in support of the heroic Palestinians who still refuse to budge in the face of Israeli terror. But you wouldn’t know about it if you only relied on the BBC for home news.
Meanwhile this august body, which turned a blind eye to all sorts of degenerates like the late Jimmy Saville, can force out Gary Lineker for daring to publicly denounce the Zionist genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Lineker was a legend on the pitch. A top scorer in the League he made his England debut in 1984, earning 80 caps and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career, which made him England's second-highest goal-scorer on his retirement. Now he’s an immensely popular sports broadcaster. It’s the Beeb’s loss and Lineker’s gain. He’ll soon be back amongst the highest echelons of the sports media. As for the BBC no-one will miss it. The sooner it goes the better...

The cowardly, craven BBC

Hundreds of film, TV, and media professionals, have condemned censorship and racism after the BBC removed a documentary about the children of Gaza. In a letter to BBC executives, they criticised the decision as “racist” and “dehumanising”, blaming pressure from pro-Israel groups. Billed as “following the lives of four young people trying to survive the Israel-Hamas war as they hope for a ceasefire - a vivid and unflinching view of life in a warzone” the documentary has now been pulled by the BBC.
Gary Lineker and Miriam Margolyes are among more than 800 media figures who have condemned the BBC's decision to pull a documentary about children's lives in Gaza. 
The BBC says it removed Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone from iPlayer while it carried out "further due diligence" after discovering that the young narrator was the son of a Hamas official. Zionists, including the Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, had written to the BBC asking how a child with alleged family ties to Hamas was allowed to be the focus of a documentary about the lives of ordinary Palestinians.   
The open protest letter published by Artists for Palestine UK criticised what the signatories said was a "racist" and "dehumanising" campaign targeting the documentary. It called on the BBC to reject efforts to have the film permanently removed or “subjected to undue disavowals” saying that surrendering to efforts to stop its return to iPlayer would indicate “racialised smears against Palestinians outweigh journalistic ethics and public interest”.
The signatories also warned against intrusive scrutiny of Abdullah Al-Yazouri, a 14-year-old  child who narrated Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone. His father, Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri, served as Gaza’s deputy agriculture minister – a civil service role concerned with food production.
“​​Almost half of Gaza’s population are children. What they have experienced over the past 17 months is something no child deserves to ever go through” said Liam O’Hare, an award-winning documentary producer/director who signed the letter. “As journalists and filmmakers we have a duty to help tell their story and that’s what this film did so brilliantly. The BBC cannot allow a politicised campaign to succeed in silencing the children of Gaza.”
Artists for Palestine UK (APUK) is a growing network of artists and cultural workers standing together in support of Palestinian liberation and for a just resolution for all in Israel/Palestine, including Palestinian refugees. 
The campaign that was launched in 2015 believes that those who work in the arts have a responsibility to consider the impact of their work when engaging in a situation of radical inequality.
APUK says that the arts are of particular significance where a people’s history, cultural heritage and future are under constant threat of erasure and it believes that the arts have an important role to play in connecting audiences with Palestinian experience. It opposes all forms of racism, including anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism.
“The UK film and TV industry will no longer be intimidated by those whose sole mission it is to censor the voices of the many who are defending the rights of children, the marginalised and those in desperate need. All stories have the right to be told and journalistic scrutiny should not be at the whim of those who deem certain lives unequal,” said letter signatory Nada Issa, an award-winning producer/director and journalist who is part Palestinian and Lebanese. We whole-heartedly agree.

The other Cromwell’s story

by Ben Soton

What do we know about Henry VIII?  He had six wives; three called Catherine, two called Anne and one called Jane.  Less widely known is that he spent much of his reign in the company of men called Thomas.  Thomas Wolsey, who served as Lord Chancellor in the early part of his reign, Thomas Howard the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas More, who also served as Lord Chancellor as well as the less well-known Thomas Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton.  The BBC latest Sunday night drama, Wolf Hall – The Mirror and the Light is the story of Thomas Cromwell. 
Thomas Cromwell served as Henry VIII’s Chief Minister from 1534 to 1540; ultimately a moderniser with strong Protestant sympathies who oversaw England’s break with Rome and the dissolution of the monasteries.  He played a role in modernising the English state; which saw an increased role for Parliament.  Cromwell’s origins were considerably humbler than those around him, which almost certainly played a part in his downfall.  
The Mirror and the Light is the second TV adaption of the novels of Hilary Mantel; in both adaptations Cromwell is played by Mark Rylance and Henry by Damian Lewis.  Both the book where Cromwell is the narrator, and the television series, portray Cromwell in a sympathetic light.  Rylance’s Cromwell has both humanity and toughness; on the one hand he shows genuine kindness to Princess Mary when it suits his interests and, in another scene, physically moves an opponent out of his way. 
The Mirror and the Light starts where the first series ended with the execution of Anne Boleyn and Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour.  Both series show the intrigue that existed within the Tudor court.  Rival factions strive to push the King in their direction, whilst avoiding his wrath.  The most reactionary sections of the nobility oppose Henry’s break with Rome and look to Princess Mary, his daughter by Catherine of Aragon.  This faction gravitates around the De La Pole Family.  In episode one, Wreckage, Cromwell is able to bring Mary into line leaving the De La Pole family weakened.  This episode shows Cromwell gaining in self-confidence as he out-manoeuvres his opponents, whilst keeping the King onside.  Cromwell is seen taking advice from his long dead mentor, the late Cardinal Wolsey (played by Jonathan Pryce); who acts as his conscience and a sounding board for his thoughts.
If you think this sounds like a complex chess game you are not far from the truth and evidence suggests that Cromwell was influenced by Niccolo Machiavelli and his famous book on statecraft The Prince.  But Thomas Cromwell eventually fell afoul of his master.  In 1540 he was brought down by a rival faction around issues related to Henry’s marriage to the German princess, Anne of Cleves.  Although Thomas Cromwell came to a sticky end at the hand of the King the star of one of his in-laws was rising. A Welsh courtier in Henry’s court had married Thomas’ sister and, as was the custom of the day, assumed the name of his wife’s more noble family. One of his descendants become this country’s greatest moderniser – Oliver Cromwell – but that’s another story!

  

Easy Money?

 by Ben Soton

The Syndicate, Series Four. Created and written by Kay Mellor, BBC TV (2021–). Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC1, also available on BBC iPlayer. Stars: Neil Morrissey, Liberty Hobbs, Emily Head, Kieran Urquhart, Taj Atwal, Katherine Rose Morley.

We live in a society where a few people are very rich and most of us get by; from time to time some people don’t get by at all. This system is called capitalism.
    Some of us have been arguing for a system where everybody gets by all of the time and are able to expand their own horizons and talents to the benefit of society and themselves. This is called socialism or in its more advanced form communism.
    Meanwhile, the very rich people who benefit from capitalism have devised ways of keeping the rest of us under control. These range from sheer brute force, media manipulation – another word for lying – to more subtle methods of social control. It could be argued that one of these methods is the National Lottery.
    The idea behind the National Lottery is that if you spend £2 on a piece of paper you could possibly win the money to give you the lifestyle of the super-rich: yachts, luxury villas, cars that cost more than your house, watches that cost more than your car, the list is endless. There is a slight problem to this otherwise brilliant idea – it is bollocks. If you ever someone hear tell you that socialism is a good idea on paper but doesn’t work in practice, throw this argument back in their face.
    The National Lottery is a grand illusion, rightly described as a “tax on the poor” (Daily Telegraph 27/7/2009) and a “national disgrace” (Independent 17/01/2013).
    Lottery winning is the basis of Kay Mellor’s television franchise, The Syndicate. It’s fourth series brings another dimension into lottery winning – fraud.
    In this series the lucky winners work at a dog grooming parlour in Yorkshire, owned by the unscrupulous Graham Woods (played by Mark Benton). A shopkeeper, Frank Stevenson (played by Neil Morrisey), steals the ticket however, and runs off to Monaco. Meanwhile our somewhat miffed dog-groomers head after him to claim their winnings.
    The series shows society’s problems by zooming in on the lives of the characters. Our winners include Keeley (played by Katherine Rose Morley), a gambling addict, whilst her mother (played by Kim Marsh) scrapes by on a zero-hours contract. Meanwhile Collette (played by Emily Head) is a former student previously forced into prostitution to pay for her studies.
    What unites them is gullibility and the complete lack of awareness. For instance, Keeley believes she can win the money to pay for their airfare with scratch cards. This depiction is a possible sign of the BBC’s contempt for working class people and anyone outside London.
    But isn’t the Lottery itself based on gullibility? This paper subscribes to the view that human nature is not fixed but is linked to the social system under which we live. We do not blame individuals for wanting more than they currently have – after-all, a demand for higher wages is a demand for more money. Neither would we encourage theft. Is it that surprising however, that a shopkeeper might take the Lottery winnings for himself?
    The irony of this story is that to claim their winnings a group of workers must act collectively – the very opposite of what the Lottery encourages. The dog groomers should have perhaps considered collective action against their employer.
    Another irony is that when workers organise against their employer they are portrayed as greedy whereas when they win the lottery, they are heroes.

The Untouchables?

 by Ben Soton

Line of Duty Series Six, BBC TV, seven episodes. Premiered on BBC One on Sunday 21st March, 9pm; also available on BBC iPlayer. Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar. 

 In a recent television drama, a serving police officer murders a woman and dumps her body in a sack. The officer had previously been accused of indecent exposure, although seemingly trivial this often leads to more serious sex offences and even murder. His fellow officers do nothing about it and try to cover it up. A group of women organise a vigil to remember the dead woman and are attacked by the police. Just rewind for a second – this is not a television drama but real life.
    It is ironic that the BBC have produced a television drama on the subject of police corruption; namely the long-awaited Series Six of Line of Duty. The success of the drama is its constant ability to keep the viewer wondering about the identity of a mysterious character only known as ‘H’.
     The series revolves around three untouchables who work for a department know as Anti-corruption 12(AC12). They are the Gaffer, Superintendent Ted Hastings (played by Adrian Dunbar), Detective Sergeant Steve Arnot (played by Martin Compson) and Detective Inspector Kate Fleming (played by Vicky McClure).
     Like all untouchables they live dysfunctional lives; unable to form or keep relationships and often estranged from wives and family. On numerous occasions throughout the series the viewer has been asked to pose the question of whether these three are as untouchable as they appear. In Series Five it almost looks like Hasting is the elusive H.
   Over the previous five series the trio have uncovered corruption, murders, rape, collusion with criminals and paedophilia within the police force – the sort of thing that only happens in real life.
     The police force in this country is known for its institutional racism, corruption and complete incompetence. In 2019 a number of police officers in Basingstoke were recorded making racist comments and ridiculing victims of crime. Although they were dismissed from the Hampshire Police such attitudes were only the tip of the iceberg; the officers concerned were simply stupid enough to get caught.
    Series Six starts with Fleming having left AC12 and a bored Arnott trying to find work elsewhere in the force. After the murder of an investigative journalist and evidence that Fleming’s boss is up to no good AC12 tries to use her as an undercover asset. However, Fleming has divided loyalties. AC12 once again find themselves up against a secretive cabal of bad apples; a common theme of many recent conspiracy theorists.
    The idea of a deep state conspiracy was is a feature of Trumpian conspiracy theories such as those put forward by the likes of QAnon. But such theories contain an element of truth. The concept of the deep state, although misused by the far-right, emanates from the Marxist-Leninist theory of the state as an instrument of class rule. What separates this from the conspiracy theorists of the far-right is that change comes from ending the rule of the capitalist class – not by voting for an anti-elite demagogue, who is himself a member the elite or through the action of a few untouchables. The state including the police exist to serve the interests of the ruling class; there is no conspiracy about it.

True crime in Thailand

 by Ben Soton

The Serpent,TV mini-series (2021). Currently showing on BBC1, Sundays at 9pm, also available on BBC iPlayer. Stars:Charles Sobhraj, Jenna Coleman, Tahar Rahim, Billy Howle, Ellie Bamber. Writer: Richard Warlow.

Maybe I am too old, maybe I was always boring but I have never understood the attraction of wandering around Thailand with a rucksack, smoking soft drugs and claiming to be discovering myself. However, the Serpent, BBC1’s latest Sunday night drama would put off the most hardened backpacker. It is the story of the fraudster and serial killer Charles Sobhraj, played by Tahir Rahman. Sobhraj, born in Saigon in 1944 was the son of a Vietnamese shop worker and Indian businessman. His early years were arguably a product of the French colonial rule in Indo-China.
    Sobhraj, by the mid-1970s, lived in Thailand with his French-Canadian girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc, played by Jenna Coleman. The duo financed their lavish lifestyle through diamond smuggling with Sobhraj using his victim’s passports as part of their operation. He has been known as the Bikini Killer, due to his victims’ attire and The Serpent, as a result of his cunning.
    The drama depicts an era, although almost fifty years ago that is still recognisable today; a time of global travel, casual dress and casual sex. This lifestyle came to be known as the Hippie Trail, which still exists today, or existed before the Covid-19 pandemic. It was these young people; easily trusting, somewhat naive and unworldly who became Sobhraj‘s victims. I have to ask myself, why would a complete stranger offer you free board and lodging, when in all likelihood you have sufficient monies of your own and at the same time insist on looking after your passport.
    Although there were obvious similarities this was an era when crime detection was still carried out using paperwork, communication was still done using letters and even e-mail was unheard of. As regards crime-detection the local police take little interest in the disappearances. The only person who appears remotely interested is Herman Knippenberg, a Dutch diplomat, played by Billy Howle. Knippenberg, as well as encountering indifference on the part of the local police, is advised by his superiors not to interfere. He is assisted by his highly supportive wife and gets limited help from Paul Siemons, played by Tim McInnery. An example of well-paid functionaries more interested in attending cocktail parties than looking after their citizens travelling abroad.
    The drama contains sufficient suspense enabling making it a potentially successful crime thriller set in the past. A search on Wikipedia will inform you of Sobhraj’s fate although the site will not tell you the fate of every character in the drama; giving added suspense to the drama.

Altered States?

by Ben Soton

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman: BBC TV series. Stars: Masali Baduza, Jack Rowan, Jonathan Ajayi. All episodes currently available on BBC iPlayer.

When I watched this programme I thought – What are the BBC playing at?

The premise behind Noughts and Crosses promotes reactionary identity politics advocated by the far-right and fake left alike. It’s an adaptation of the first book in a series of novels written by Malorie Blackman set in an alternative reality where an African Empire conquers most of Europe, as well as presumably the Muslim states of North Africa, in the 13^th century.

What is odd is how similar things are in this world that diverged from ours 700 years ago. The London skyline is still dominated by high-rise buildings, smart phones and cars are in popular use, and even clothing looks very similar to our own; whilst members of the African elite use titles such Prime Minister and Home Secretary, products of 18th-century Britain.

Alternative history, even as an allegory, has to be feasible. European powers came to dominate much of the world from the 16th Century for a reason. Namely the possession of military and maritime technology, raw materials such as iron ore and coal, and the geographic proximity to maritime trade routes. The division of Europe into distinct nation states created military competition for colonies and control of markets. These factors culminated in the development of capitalism and imperialism.

Europe and Asia have been ahead of Africa and the Americas for most of human history  – the reason is geographic. Eurasia constitutes a single land mass covering a large area of latitude and a relatively small area of longitude, enabling ideas and technological innovation to spread from east and west and back. The obvious example being the Silk Road – a series of connections spanning Eurasia. Areas outside this line of latitude were at a disadvantage – giving Eurasia a competitive advantage over Africa and the Americas. An African Empire conquering Europe would have been highly improbable.

In the series, society is divided into Crosses, the African elite, and Noughts, the oppressed whites. A focal point of the drama is the relationship between Callum, a Nought (played by Jack Rowan) and Sephy (played by Masali Baduza), a Cross. Callum has just been accepted at an elite military academy, the preserve of the Cross elite, whilst Sephy’s friendship with Callum causes hostility from her Cross friends.

In a drama based around role reversal, Callum’s mother Maggie (played by Helen Baxendale) plays a white version of Mammy from Gone with the Wind.

Opposition is organised by the Liberation Militia (LM), with Callum’s brother a member leading to divided loyalties.

The series and original novel have parallels with Apartheid South Africa.

If I lived in this alternative reality my sympathies would be with the LM but this is where it ends. The first episode starts with a map of Europe turning darker as a result of an African invasion, which can easily be interpreted as being swamped by some kind of migrant invasion.

I can hear the likes of Tommy Robinson saying that if we don’t watch out England, or ‘Albion’ as it is referred to in the series, will end up like this. The rallying cry of his ilk for decades has been – we must preserve our identity or else. Meanwhile, the lives of the Noughts, living in council flats and working under precarious conditions of employment, are not much different from many white working-class people today.

In a court scene a member of the LM talks of Noughts being continuously stopped by the police, wrongly arrested and generally persecuted; an obvious reference to the treatment of black people today and a real problem for that community. But we don’t need a whole series to make the point. Even EastEnders is able to raise the issue by simply including a story about a young black man being continually stopped by the police.

The idea of organised groups of white people defending their cultural identity against an alien oppressor is the rallying cry of the likes of the far-right these days.

Reversing race roles to show what it’s like to be in some-one else’s shoes has been done before. Back in 1965 the BBC caused a storm with a Wednesday Play called Fable that depicted whites being oppressed by a brutal, black-dominated authoritarian regime in Britain. Although intended to show the British audience what life was like in racist South Africa, it actually helped to reinforce racist ideas amongst some sections of the viewing public. Hopefully this won’t happen with this new BBC drama.