Britz

[jazzactivist]

Hi, did anyone else watch the TV programme Britz over the past 2 nights on Ch4? I thought that the sister's story last night was much better than the brother's story the night before. It was a bit stereotyped and heavy-handed in parts, but I think that on the whole the storyline was good and did try to get into how Muslim people are feeling in Britain at the moment, and how this type of government oppression can lead to extremism within any social group. What did others thnk of it?

[Pippa]

I didn't see it Jazz but sounded interesting. I really must make an effort to watch TV, I fear I miss many good programmes, shall buy a guide today and mark off possibilities to watch.

[eleanor2]

i really wanted to watch it.saw it advertised on bill boards.but it didn't say when it was on. so i missed it. did watch east is east last night.an old drama of the first muslims settling in britain .a bit of a comedy as well.i do like trying to understand people.

[Oola]

I didn't see the boy;s story, but I saw the beginning half hour or so and the last 40 mins of it I think. I thought it was very well written, although I was never truly convinced that the girl really wanted to do it. I also felt really uncomfortable at the end, thinking is this going to incite more young Muslims to do what they might perceive as right? I also wondered where they got their statistics from regarding how Muslims feel about the war in Iraq etc.

I agree they should definitely give both sides of the story, however uncomfortable it makes us feel, as understanding of both sides is a step forward in my opinion. However, I was really uncomfortable with the fact that there was a hint that a suicide bomber is justified in their actions, I wonder what message this sends out. Of course, perhaps this is part and parcel of objective journalism and drama, but it still left me with niggling doubts as to whether Chan4 had taken it a little *too* far with that viewpoint. I think I would have felt more comfortable had they shown the after effects and devastation on innocent British and Iraqi people - on both sides of the story.

Still, it gets the discussions rolling with can never be a bad thing.

[eleanor2]

i think you have to be careful of anything on the media.they are very good at directing things how they want others to perceive things.

[franbee]

I watched both progs, really enjoyed them. As well as being a good drama, it was also thought-provoking. Fran.